Chapter Thirty-Two
"Tsuna-kun!" Koro-sensei wailed and hugged him with his four tentacles. "I was so worried when Karma-kun said you were in hospital with Asano-san and your store manager!"
Tsuna hesitantly hugged back and patted the man's back as a way to console him. "I-I'm sorry for making you worry, Sensei. I didn't mean to."
"Don't do anything reckless like that, okay?" The teacher sobbed, all teary while holding the brunet's face with his fingers. "Even if we have someone to think of, always voice your concern too. I almost lost you both."
"How was Itona?" He asked as he stepped back.
"Itona-kun is alright. We were able to remove the tentacles from his head." The man answered while accepting the handkerchief the brunet offered. "He's coming to school today."
Tsuna nodded. He was going to let it go when he remembered the information Fuwa said last night. "Where will he be living?"
"Oh. We haven't talked about that." Koro-sensei eyed him and gave him the now dry hankie. "Are you gonna offer, Tsuna-kun?"
The brunet's brows furrowed in thoughts. "I... Don't know. I mean, you can see the state of my apartment. And... Do you think it's excessive of me to offer him such since... He's also like me?"
"It is generally up to you, Tsuna-kun." The teacher replied with a soft grin. "You thought of offering him a space to live because you know how it feels to be an orphan."
His grip on his bag tightened before it slacked. He does know the feeling. Hearing what Fuwa said last night made him angry for Itona. For them to just pack up and leave their son alone. They were almost similar, except for the fact that Itona was experimented. That's Mukuro's life. "I don't really know how to talk to him about it."
"Hm..." The teacher hummed, gears of his head slowly turning. "I'll make time for us to talk then."
"I'll plan for the space in the process." The brunet nodded.
Inky eyes stared at the student. "You're all patched up, right? You were injured last night. Much scratched up than Itona-kun. You saved him more than I can think of. He was even asking for you."
'He was?' "All bandaged, Sensei. The doctor advised me to change bandage every night, so they won't get infected. My managers asked me to take the three days off so I could rest more too." He sighed. "All's fine."
Koro-sensei grinned again. "Okay. You can go to class now. Karma-kun will throw a fit if I hold you longer."
Tsuna nodded.
He bowed shortly after reaching the door before closing it. He was greeted by his classmates who came in early as he walked for their classroom. He greeted them back with a nod. When he got inside, Karma flagged him over to get his breakfast. It was just bread and bigger sizes of their usual milk. After putting his bag on the usual place, he angled his chair to Karma's table and took his share. Karma crooned softly and pushed one more bread to his way. He eyed it before breaking it to half, one for each of them. The redhead chuckled.
He was discharged from the hospital after the doctor deemed him well enough. It was five in the morning when he woke the two teenagers up. Manager Ota was already awake by then, got shaken when he heard Tsuna and the doctor talking. He thanked Asano for his help and for staying, bidding him to get a good rest later that day since he'll surely have body pains. Like always, Asano offered him to go back to the main building. Tsuna detected much more... Determination in the blond's voice, but he still declined before leading Karma and Manager Ota to the opposite direction of the other.
(Ota snickered to himself when he saw how Akabane and Asano glared at each other while they were waiting for Tsunayoshi's answer to the latter's offer. The two are quite persistent to be one of the brunet's friends.)
(Gakusho feels like it's Class E's fault why Sawada almost collapsed that night while adorned with so many injuries. They are not from bullies beating the brunet. He had put an iron fist on those bullies since Sawada told him what happened. The much earlier it is to get Sawada away from them, the better.)
(Karma felt judged. The jerk. Who is he to blatantly offer Tsuna a place in the main building like the redhead isn't there to witness it? If Tsuna didn't answer immediately, he could've sucked Asano's face.)
(And there's the brunet, completely clueless of what's happening, making his manager laugh inside his own convenient store after he got dropped off.)
Since they didn't have enough time for Karma to go home and change, Tsuna offered the other a change of clothes. Karma asked him where he got two more pairs. He shrugged and answered that he bought them for future purposes. Well, they did do their purpose that day. They conceded to the thought of buying their breakfast to not be late in class. They bought the breads from Mio's bakery and got a discount to get three for five yen (the cashier winked at Karma, who grinned), then the cartons of milk from the convenient store where Ota's 'friend' (more of a 'brother', as Tsuna thought) was manning. They were a little early in class, so he went to Koro-sensei first after shooing his friend to their room.
It doesn't make him ease up with the fact that Ota tattled off to his other managers. He received messages from the four managers after a small shower to remove the dirt from last night's adventure. He was banned from going to work until Saturday and can resume by Sunday. He texted Ota an 'I hate you' that the latter only answered with a heart emoji. The duffus. Karma saw the messages and laughed.
"Keep some." Karma remarked and took out a tab of medicine. "You need to drink this."
Tsuna sighed. "Why do you have that?"
"Ota-san gave them to me last night. He said I'm almost twenty-four-seven with you, so I have the privilege to nag at you about it." Then he cackled like he won something.
The brunet eyed his friend warily. "Right. Give me one."
"What's that?" They turned to Ryouma as one tablet popped to Tsuna's hand. "A drug?"
"Just mild medication for Tsuna." Karma answered while the brunet put the med in his mouth and sipped of his milk. "Pain relievers."
"You did get hurt yesterday." Taisei nodded, eyes inspecting the brunet who looked like a kid slurping his milk. "You're all bandaged up too."
"No more carelessness, Tsuna." Muramatsu chided jokingly like a woman.
The brunet blinked before smiling a little in amusement. "Yes, Mum."
The four laughed.
"Good morning, everyone!" They turned to Koro-sensei who came in with his wide grin. Just then, Itona came in too, followed by some of their classmates. "Good morning, Itona-kun. How are you feeling?"
"Like crap. Because I lost my power." Itona answered, wearing this purple net bandana over his head. "But, I don't feel like I've become weak." He pointed a finger to Koro-sensei. "I'll kill you in the end, Koro-sensei."
Then he moved to walk for his seat that was beside Tsuna. Itona is wearing a version of their uniform. A black turtleneck underneath the opened-up polo shirt, and he folded the hem of his pants. He also has white bands on both wrists. He doesn't have his scarf around his neck anymore. He must have discarded it.
Tsuna shifted slightly when sharp light blue eyes glanced at him. It lingered at him for seconds, roaming at his visible bandages before they went for their desk to put down his bag. The brunet turned to Karma who saw the short gaze. The redhead grinned and mouthed 'guilty' that he gazed at dubiously.
"Hey, Muramatsu. I don't have any money." Itona called out and turned to them. "I'll hold on my puke, so let me eat some ramen."
"Ah?!" Muramatsu blurted, offended.
Tsuna covered his mouth to laugh when the others did.
"Now now. Settle down, everyone. We're having our homeroom." Koro-sensei placated.
The brunet stood up and arranged his seat before sitting down.
"You aren't going to shoot him today?" Karma asked when Tsuna took his gun out. "You haven't done so for awhile."
Brown eyes blinked several times in astonishment. "I haven't in this semester?"
"Nope. Not one."
He nodded. "Okay." He pulled out two magazines from his bag. "Let's surprise Koro-sensei then."
Karma cackled. "Okay."
"Okay, Class, let's start homeroom." Koro-sensei greeted.
When Nakamura announced to them to stand up, take aim and fire, Tsuna waited for Karma's name to be called before he pulled the trigger. He smirked when Koro-sensei dramatically eyed him in playful betrayal when a tentacle exploded. The class cheered, and Tsuna continued to pull the trigger. After the attendance, the brunet raised a peace sign to Koro-sensei who snickered. Must be proud that his student isn't going rusty.
The class proceeded to the lessons. Well, except for Itona who got pulled to IQ tests so Koro-sensei can have his thorough evaluation. Karma shook his head, knowing how hard it was since Tsuna did the same evaluation and suffered brain fry for the rest of the day because of it. To bring comfort, Tsuna put a bread on Itona's desk and a box of juice.
That afternoon, Koro-sensei called him and Itona to the faculty room. Karma looked at him in question, but he waved 'later' as Tsuna stood up when Itona walked for the door.
"Itona-kun, Tsuna-kun." Koro-sensei acknowledged as they stepped inside the room. Tsuna looked around when he noticed that their other teachers weren't in. "Ah. Karasuma-sensei is teaching the others while Irina-sensei is chatting up with the girls." The teachers answered to his silent question. The brunet scrunched his nose, making the teacher chuckle. "No, Tsuna-kun. You're not that easy to read. I followed your eyes."
He made a deadpan. "It's the same."
Koro-sensei chuckled again before turning to Itona. "This is Tsuna-kun, Itona-kun." Brown met light blue, and both gave each other nods of greetings. "Well, Tsuna-kun?"
Tsuna almost grimaced before he straightened himself and faced the teen. "I've heard your situation last night, and I wanted to ask if you have a place to stay that Shiro doesn't know."
"Tsuna-kun." Koro-sensei chided.
He faced away from the reprimand. "Sensei, in this world, respect must be earned. The moment Shiro came in with Itona, tentacles planted on his head regardless of having permission from Itona himself, is the same time my respect to him as a whole was lowered." He then eyed the man who looked stunned. "It was completely gone when he called you monster in front of me and threw away Itona like some trash. Even if you turn the world in every angle, I will never forgive him for experimenting on humans."
The teacher bowed his head before turning around. "Y-You two talk. I'll be back."
Tsuna sighed when the teacher disappeared. Probably to cry. He turned to Itona who looked perplexed with what happened. "Itona?"
"I-I'm living somewhere, but Shiro-san knows where it is." The teen replied to his question.
"I doubt it if he'll reach out for you again." He thought aloud and can't help putting a hand on the table as his mind gears up. A finger tapped the surface. "But we need to be careful. Scums like him will pick up what he discarded just to get what he wants." He eyed the teen. "My apartment building is near the school and the back alleys. Do you wanna live with me, Itona?"
"I don't have money nor-"
"No no." He shook his head with a small smile. "What I mean is do you want to bunk with me? Share the same living space? Eat late dinner and early breakfast with me? Koro-sensei will visit every night to cook for us. He has been doing that for me since last semester, given my own situation. You don't really need to worry about my family since they don't exist. The living expenses are covered too. You don't need to talk to me when you don't want to. All you need to do is just be there and live like you own the space with me."
"It's a good proposition, Itona-kun." Koro-sensei seconded after appearing beside them again. He looks radiant after crying. "It can benefit you and I can check on both of you myself."
Another tap on the surface. "And you can go out with Ryouma, Taisei and Takuya whenever you want. I usually get home by twelve since I work. Koro-sensei is inside by then, cooking if he isn't sick."
"That was only one time, Tsuna-kun." The teacher protested.
"Still sick, Sensei." He pointed out before remembering something. "Ah. I have an uncle who is part of a group. They like intruding, except for Lussuria-san. If they see you inside or you came up with them inside the room, all you need to say is you're my classmate."
"You're still in contact with Xanxus?" Koro-sensei asked, eyes twinkling.
He nodded with another tap on the table. "He's quite persistent. I told him what happened last night, and he's sending Lussuria-san to check on me. He thinks my injuries are bad enough that I'll die." He sighed. "It didn't help that Karma took the phone from me while we were talking and exaggerated everything."
Koro-sensei chuckled. "That's good. I think we'll have a feast later."
He scrunched his nose before turning to Itona who is blinking at them. "You can invite Ryouma and the others over, but you have to clean up after. You don't want to clean up alone, do you? My room is not that off-limits, but you won't like to see some things. And not that, Koro-sensei. I told you, I'm over that."
The teary-eyed teacher sniffled comically. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged at Itona. "So yeah. That's all of it, I think. If you're asking about the neighbors, they're friendly. They only knock when they need ingredients we have inside the fridge. Just give them some, and you'll get a container of food in exchange. Koro-sensei experienced a lot of them."
"They thought I was shy because I keep on putting on a funny helmet to interact." The teacher chuckled.
"You can decline. Really." Tsuna gave a small smile to the teen. "I'm just offering since I know what it feels to have no one to see beside yourself."
Itona stared at him before nodding. "Alright."
"Okay then. That's settled."
Koro-sensei 'kufufu'-ed happily. "I'm glad."
"We'll be going, Sensei." Tsuna bid as he gently guided Itona to the door. "I'm gonna show Itona the way to the building and the ropes."
"I'll be in early." Koro-sensei chased over when they were about to close the door. "Message me if Lussuria-san and the others arrived."
"Yes, Sensei." He answered and closed the door. "Let's go get our bags and Karma."
"Akabane?" Itona repeated.
He nodded. "He's waiting for me to break him what I did today."
When they picked up Karma and their bags, Tsuna told the redhead what he did. He gave him the briefest explanation (meaning one sentence at maximum, one phrase at minimum). The only reason he was able to get away from getting tickled or getting a noogie was because he was injured. Apparently, people with concussion cannot be stressed. Heck, he shouldn't even be out in school and worrying things. They said it worsen the condition of that pained part of the brain and it will cause brain damage. Maybe that's the reason why Xanxus was so high strung after Karma talked to him? Oh well.
Since Nagisa was going to stay with Sugino and the girls, the three of them went on with their agenda. He made Itona see where he works during what day and said the time along the way to the apartment building, just in case of emergency. He didn't say what his jobs inside though. That will be irrelevant. Itona nodded in understanding, looking much more interested with what he was saying and instructing.
When they got to the apartment building, he whispered to always take note of who is guarding the entrance and who is sitting by the reception. When they were by the stairs, Karma asked him why. He reasoned that it's to be vigilant. Once upon a time, he encountered a change of people in those positions and almost got caught in a robbery case. Good thing he was quick on his feet to call the cops that time. Given that statement, the robbers were apprehended, the things they were about to steal were returned to their owners, and they still don't know who called the cops.
He didn't mind the two's awed expressions as they trudged for the hallway. Tsuna didn't even need the key to enter his apartment. He could already hear Xanxus' and Squalo's shouts with Belphegor's laughter. Karma immediately grinned and went inside after removing his shoes. Itona stared at him when he told him it's his uncle who's inside.
"Tsu-chan! Welcome home!" Lussuria greeted enthusiastically as more shouts were heard from the living room. "Oh. Karma-chan must have messed up with the card game." The other giggled.
Tsuna gestured to Itona. "Lussuria-san, this is Horibe Itona. He's a classmate of ours and will be living with me starting today."
"Oh. Hi, Horibe-san! I'm Lussuria! You can call me Luss-nee if you want." The Varia Sun commander cheered.
"Luss-nee." The other cutely murmured, causing the assassin to beam.
"Oh, you're adorable!"
"I'll tour him around, then you can check on me after." He compromised, earning an 'ok' from the assassin.
Tsuna told him the ropes, secret containers, and other invisible things. Itona was fairly amazed with how he engineered everything. Well, the brunet did everything in there. He needed to carve out the walls and the woods, then attach the things for his convenience. He didn't even need to purchase anything since he can get them from the side of the building or from the back alley.
He also pointed out where the food is, what contains what and the bedroom. He didn't pay attention to the rowdy bunch, just pointed out the living room then ushered Itona to the other room.
"You already made it up?" Itona asked while staring at the clean room with readily made bed, with pillows and a blanket there already.
"No." He answered honestly. "I cleaned up two weeks ago. I usually leave this room like this in case I forget where my room is and get to sleep without searching for anything when I'm exhausted. It became a habit, and now it came handy. Anyway, I was thinking that after Lussuria-san checks up on me, we could get your things from your old living space and transfer it here. Sounds good?"
Itona's brows frowned a little before nodding. "Yeah."
Or so he thought.
"No." Xanxus and Karma said at the same time.
He stared at the two and sighed. "Because?"
"Didn't you hear what Lussuria said? Your concussion is worsening because you stressed yourself today." Karma answered, frowning. "You should rest."
"You either rest or I'll knock you out." Xanxus threatened.
"Tsuna-kun, you should rest." Koro-sensei tried to appeal in a gentler manner. He arrived after Tsuna messaged him that the Varia were already in. "It's Friday tomorrow, and Saturday the next day. Karma-kun can take care of your notes."
The brunet's brows were about to furrow when he felt two fingers between them. It was Itona.
"You can't get worried." The teen said.
His brows went back to their places after that. The reason he's being flocked by motherhens is because, Lussuria detected that his condition went to level two from level one after inspecting him with sun flames. According to the Varia Sun Commander, the headaches are not felt because of the medicine Karma has been giving him. But it doesn't mean he doesn't feel off.
Koro-sensei has told Lussuria that Tsuna has been slightly off since morning. He kept on leaning on the side, a little sluggish although his reflex was still impeccable, and he's more exhausted even though the brunet doesn't feel like it. Karma didn't repeat himself though. Xanxus already told his sun that Tsuna has problem with vision and pretty sensitive to light and noise, according to Karma. He was also having difficulty in concentration and kept shaking his head before making Karma repeat his questions sometimes at lunch.
Tsuna doesn't feel like that at all. Not even his intuition is ringing or something. Maybe it's resting too? Oh well. He's more concerned with the fact that sun flames touched him. He just hopes his own unbounded sky flames won't respond.
"What about Itona's things?" He asked to them.
"Sensei can handle that." Koro-sensei assured with a smile. "I'll mark you excused for tomorrow, Tsuna-kun. No worries. Karma-kun and Itona-kun will know what to say if your classmates ask."
He eyed Karma and Itona dubiously. "Really? I don't really trust them with that."
Karma laughed. "You know me so well, Tsuna-chan."
"They don't even know that we are living together, so how would I know?" Itona shrugged as well.
Xanxus clicked his tongue. "You're worrying over trivial things."
"Maa. It's understandable that Tsuna is restless." Karma said as he sat beside the brunet. Tsuna let his friend guide his head to rest on the redhead's offered shoulder. "He's workaholic, so he rarely gets any rest day. He'll come around."
Tsuna made himself comfortable. "Ease up already. I'll rest, I'll rest." He conceded.
The people surrounding him beamed at that.
(They played cards while Tsuna watched.)
(When he was falling asleep, he felt something draped on him. He doesn't know what it was, but it smelt and felt nice. It was warm too.)
(It was Xanxus' Varia jacket.)
(The Varia stayed for three days before they went off to go to their mission.)
"Clever." The man, Daemon Spade as Tsuna called him, applauded while his eyes fleeted from Tsuna and the old lady. "To pick a very good neutral ground. As expected to the Vongola heir."
"No offense, but please, don't associate me to that family." Tsuna said, stepping forward. "And I only guided you here because I want to talk."
"Talk?" The man asked.
"Yes." The brunet responded. "A neutral ground is the only place you won't touch me, Kozato and Nagisa. Even Lady Shouyo. If you do, it will cause problem to Vongola's name. Knowing how persistent Yakuza is, they will seak a retribution against Vongola for soiling a neutral ground."
Deep purple eyes gazed at Tsuna with calculation. "Then what will be our talk about?"
"Mundane stuffs." The brunet shrugged and gave a small smile. "It won't hurt you if we talk about this," And he presented a round golden thing with a thin chain. "And who is Elena von Byron."
Nagisa watched as the man's free hand went to his chest before glaring at Tsuna. It made Nagisa's hackles rise up.
"Hoho. Such feather light hands you have, Sawada-kun." The old lady, Lady Shouyo, said with an amused smile. "Well then, let's enter the receiving area. Nanami-chan must be done with the refreshments."
Nagisa turned to Tsuna who faced them. The brunet smiled reassuringly and asked them to go for the receiving area with him. The teal-head followed, a good grip on Kozato's arm.
If it's just a talk, they'll talk. What could go wrong when Tsuna is with them?
