TAGS: Canon Divergence, Tsuna Is Not Vongola Decimo, No Arcobaleno Curse, Adult Arcobaleno

Self-Esteem Issues, (very briefly and wrongly) Implied/Referenced Child Abuse (of a sexual nature)

Accidental Kidnapping, Fluff and Humor, Family Fluff, Big Brother Tsuna

WARNING: Not Beta Read


If one thing has been more consistent than his Uselessness in Tsuna's life, it's the voice in his guts.

Which of course isn't really a voice, more like a Feeling, with an upper case F because he feels it so strongly and loudly at times, feels nothing like his Useless self when he lets it take over, it might as well be sentient and have a voice of its own.

It comes in handy a lot of times, came in handy all his life as far as he can remember, and Tsuna learned to blindly trust it—so far it has never been wrong.

He learned to tune it out at the back of his mind, to subconsciously let it guide his actions until whatever he needs to do is done, and the Feeling quiets down.

That was a mistake.

A gunshot tears through the air, and Tsuna startles, almost lets his scream spill out of his mouth. Someone grunts, then is cut off in their curses, and Tsuna swears the wall shakes when they're presumably slammed against it.

That was such a terrible mistake.

Tsuna hugs his school bag against his chest for dear life, and curls over himself, sat against the wall.

There's a fight around the corner in the back alley he doesn't recognize, he got only a glimpse of before hiding himself flat against the wall in a hurry, and losing his balance in shock.

Tsuna needs to leave right now, to backtrack as fast as possible, even if he has no idea where he is. He's supposed to be home right now, was making his way home, carefree and careless to have lost his bullies once more.

He needs to move, but he can't, and not only because his legs feel like jelly and won't support him.

The fight involves a child, that much Tsuna had the time to see.

She stood in front of a man, so much bigger than herself, and can't be more than five. Five years old, and Tsuna might be useless, and fearful, and a coward, but the Feeling burning in his guts isn't only telling him to run away.

The girl screams, a high-pitched, pained noise, and Tsuna's heart leaps in his throat. He glances around the corner, and sees her roll on the floor, but stands back on her feet in a graceful leap.

She coughs blood, bleeding bruises on her face, but she disregards both to immediately take a fighting stance again.

"Ha!" the man barks, disdainful and angry. "Not looking so good now little girl, are you?" He points his knife at her, and weird blue waves come off of him.

A third man stands further back behind the girl. He wears a long red tunic like her, and a low, long braid same as her, his hands hidden in his large sleeves. It strikes him how much he looks like Hibari, but the pleasant, unbothered smile on his face strikes him more.

His face tells him he has no intention to interrupt the fight, and Tsuna digs his fingers into his bag, and the pulsing heat in his guts tightens.

Is he not with the girl, but the man hurting her instead?

The girl jumps toward the man, and Tsuna's scream of warning catches in his throat. The weird blue wave hits her, and her swift movements falter. The man knees her in the stomach, then backhand slaps her, and she slams against the wall.

Tsuna moves before he can consciously choose to.

It's like a damn burst, and a flood of warmth spills inside him, of fire, and runs through his veins.

It's familiar.

The man in red sees him come, but makes no move to stop him. Tsuna slams his bag into the other man's face.

"Don't come near her!" His voice is steady and strong, even warning. He doesn't question it.

The man stumbles back but doesn't go down, and faster than Tsuna has ever been, he grabs the nearby trash can's lid and knocks him down for good.

"Are you okay?" he asks the girl, and glances at her from the corner of his eye. "Can you stand? Run?" She's on her knees, the side of her face bleeding, and when she touches her wound, red light flickers around her fingers.

Tsuna's Feeling heightens, deafening him, and he snaps his eyes back to the man in red. He puts himself between him and the girl, his arm outstretched in front of her, still holding on the trash can's lid.

The man blinks, tilts his head, then blinks again in understanding. He shifts, ever so slightly to appear less threatening, so subtly Tsuna doesn't see the difference, only feels it.

His Feeling claws at him.

"Stay back," Tsuna warns, and doesn't sound so steady anymore. The man is dangerous, and he won't stand a chance against him.

The man smiles, and takes a step forward. "My friend, this is not what you think. Allow me to explain."

"The cops are already on their way. They should be there at any moment now."

"Are they, now?" the man asks pleasantly, and it sounds like he already knows the answer.

"师父?" The man looks down at the girl, and Tsuna moves to block his sight. She steps forward, and Tsuna steps back.

"Please, stay back. Can you move?" He makes the mistake to glance at her.

At the corner of his eyes the man takes his hands off his sleeves, and leans forward.

Tsuna's body burns, a pulsing heat right under his skin.

He whips his head back around, looking straight into the man's eyes, and whatever the man sees in his makes him pause.

Tsuna throws the lid at him, with strength and speed he didn't know he had. The man doesn't acknowledge it, doesn't even look at it, his eyes intent on him.

Tsuna bursts into flames.

Orange flames that block his sight, that blaze as tall as the man is, and as wide as the alley is. Then they recede to Tsuna's height, fiercely burning between them, orange like a sunset.

Tsuna's hands are on fire, but only his hands. The flames are fierce, but don't burn him. They're warm, trustworthy, his again at last.

Their sight makes him want to cry.

Tsuna turns back, carries the girl in his arms and grabs his bag, and runs.

"主人!" the girl screams.

"我会为你而来," the man shouts back, his voice steady and reassuring. "如果可以的话,请不要伤害他."

Tsuna runs out of the back alley, out of unfamiliar streets he doesn't even know how he found himself in to begin with, and runs all the way back to his home without ever stopping.

He slams the door shut behind them, and carefully puts the girl down, but throws his bag away.

"Mom?" he calls for even as he hurries to lock the door. It won't stop the man, the Feeling tells him, and he considers blocking the door with furniture, but it won't stop him either. "Mom?"

No one answers, and there's a post-it next to the vase on the dresser. Tsuna's heart misses a beat.

No, it's fine. His mom must be doing groceries, and she'll be back soon. He'll send her a message to tell her to be careful, but there's no way the man knows who he is, let alone who his mom is.

It's fine, she's fine, Tsuna doesn't need to worry.

He rather needs to worry about the girl, glaring up at him, but thankfully she didn't take any fighting stance. Her clothes are bloody, as well as her face, but her wounds aren't bleeding anymore. She's badly bruised, but stands strong and steady, so hopefully there's no internal wounds going on.

She looks fine, all things considered. She certainly looks ready and able to fight him at the slightest wrong movement from him.

Tsuna sags against the door, and his shoulders slump. He sighs. "Thank god, we made it. We made it…" He laughs weakly. How exactly they made it, he doesn't want to think about right now.

More importantly, why did he bring her to his house instead of the police station? Who's going to protect her when the Hibari Look Alike will show up with a vengeance?

Him?

Yeah, right.

Tsuna leans away from the door, and tries a smile. "Are—are you alright? I can—" He falls on his knees, and the world sways in front of him. "Eh…?" He leans his hands against the floor, and the muscles in his arms jolt, burning. He cries out. "It hurts!"

Tsuna falls on the floor, hugging himself, and writhes in pain. What the hell is happening?

His body hurts, not warm anymore, but now his muscles burn. He's short of breath, his heart beating fast as if he's out of a P.E class.

He did run all the way back home, carrying a child, but his whole body hurts, and he feels weak all of a sudden, as if he's about to pass out.

"Hiee, what's happening? Am I dying?"

"你—你在做什么?" the girl screams, and Tsuna stills. "这是个陷阱吗?别小看我!"

She's in that stance again, her fingers curled as if claws, one of her feet off the floor, but she doesn't even shake. She looks fierce, but Tsuna sees the fear underneath the hostility.

What the hell is he doing?

He rises on his knees again, and swallows back his cries of pain. He keeps his hands flat against the floor, and smiles.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The girl seems to take offense at that, shifting her stance as if ready to attack. Can she understand him? He flails his hands in surrender. "Ah, no, that's not—I meant—surprise you! I didn't mean to surprise you! I'm just really weak, and that mad run got reason of me. Haha… ha…"

The girl doesn't react, and he clears his throat, feeling warm on the cheeks.

God, what the hell is he doing? Can't he stop being his Useless self even in front of a five years old kid? A hurt one at that.

Right! "Are you okay? I can look at your wounds if you want, we have a first aid kit in the bathroom. And you really don't have to keep standing like that, you know? I won't hurt you."

"那你为什么要锁门?"

Tsuna winces. He didn't understand a word she said, but she didn't sound convinced. "Sorry, but I don't speak Chinese." He perks up. "But maybe you speak Japanese? Can you understand me?" She only looks at him, and he falters. "I guess not... En-English then, may-maybe?" She frowns, and tilts her head. "Wh—what's—what's your—your name?"

The girl marks a long silence. Then she slowly puts her foot down, and lowers her arms. She tilts her head again, a frown of pure confusion on her face, and Tsuna wants the floor to open beneath him and swallow him whole.

He hides his burning face in his hands, and wishes hard to disappear from the face of the earth.

Where's his mom when he needs her?

The girl's stomach growls loudly. Tsuna peeks at her through his fingers, her face now as red as her tunic, and it looks like there's two of them now wanting to disappear from the face of the earth.

He snorts. "Hungry?"

She turns a shade darker. "我没有!"

Tsuna laughs. "It's okay, it's past snack time anyway. And I'm hungry too." He stands, and smiles down at her, even if she has still to return a smile of her own. "Shall we go eat something? But maybe I can look at your wounds first?"

She keeps her eyes on him as he walks past her, and a chill runs down Tsuna's spine at the weight of her gaze on his back. His Feeling twitches to life, though it has yet to quiet down entirely.

She's dangerous, it tells him, and he ignores it.

She's a hurt child, and he needs to show trust first so she can trust him back.

Tsuna retrieves the first aid kit in the bathroom, while she stays at the doorway, then sits on the floor. He shakes the kit.

"This is for your wounds." He touches the side of his head. "You know, wounds? To make it better." He shakes the kit again. "This will make it better. Harmless." He pauses, then points at himself. "Harmless."

She looks him up and down, considering, but then thankfully steps forward, and sits at a safe distance from him.

"你引起了我师父的注意,但你很弱。"

"O-oh…?" Tsuna says, still not understanding a word. He's careful not to do any sudden movement as he treats her bruises and bandages her head, maybe moving too slowly, but he doesn't want to take any chance.

"你很弱,但你的火焰很强。你一击就击败了我的目标。" She purses her lips, then lifts her chin up high. "师父还是比你强。"

"Is that so? That's—um, that's good?" She narrows her eyes, and he's quick to backtrack. "Bad! That's bad, that's—I'm sorry?"

They still, looking into each other's eyes, and a beat of silence passes. Tsuna is the first to smile, and even allows himself a giggle. A smile pulls at her lips, but it might be just him.

"You must think I'm stupid, right? That's fine, I just—I just wanted to show I'm listening. I may not understand, but you're talking to me, and I'm listening. Or something." He clears his throat. "Right, yeah. Anyway look, I'm done!" He pulls his hands away, and she looks much better with her face cleaned of dried blood, bandages around her head and hands, and band aids on her cheeks. "You should be fine now. You're not feeling blood loss, are you? Or hurt inside?"

She shakes her head, maybe unconsciously, standing, and he tilts his head. Does she really not understand Japanese? "谢谢你。" She bows briefly and swiftly, obviously not wanting him out of her sight.

Tsuna blinks, then laughs. "You're so polite!" She glares at him, and Tsuna raises his hands in surrender. "It's a compliment! I'm complimenting you, I swear!" He doesn't dare laugh again, but can't wipe his smile off his face.

To thank even whom she obviously sees as a threat… how endearing.

She bares her teeth, looking hostile and disdainful, but with less heat than before—maybe. Maybe. And is that a blush on her cheeks?

He clears his throat. "Right, um, let's wash our hands, alright? And then we can go eat." She turns her head away from him, before immediately looking at him again, and Tsuna tries not to beam too noticeably.

He isn't doing a great job, but he's not so bad he isn't doing progress with her!

He takes the lead to the kitchen, and though he feels the tension as he cuts the cake into slices with a knife, he's quick to put it away in the sink. Soon they sit across from each other, tea and cake in front of them.

"So, I'm Tsuna by the way. Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna. What's your name?" he tries again.

Of course she doesn't answer, and Tsuna sighs in his cup. He drinks his tea, munches his cake, and only then she starts eating too.

"谢谢你的食物。"

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna guesses, smiling, but it's a little shaky.

What kind of life does she live to be so suspicious about—well, everything? And is it because of the man in red?

Is it?

She's dressed like him, and wears the same hairstyle, if not for all of her hair being pulled into a braid, unlike the Hibari Look Alike. She called for him too of her own will, two times, and she didn't sound afraid either time.

Did Tsuna misunderstand the situation? But how could he have misunderstood that situation?

"S—so, you were in a pretty dangerous situation back there. Was it… because of the man in red?" She looks up sharply, and Tsuna flinches. "I-I mean, he was just standing there! Isn't that horrible? You were—"

"Master isn't horrible!" She slams her hand against the table, and it flares red, and the table cracks and crumbles halfway to him. "He was training me and this was my fight! Master was just trusting me, don't call him names!"

Tsuna sits frozen in his chair, shell-shocked. "You speak Japanese," he blurts out.

She widens her eyes, then slaps her hands in front of her mouth, but then gets angry again. "不,我没有!我不会给你任何信息!"

Tsuna laughs, and can't help but praise her again. "You're so smart! You're so smart," he says again, genuinely impressed, and smiles at her. She unmistakably blushes this time, and he realizes that glare she does is out of shyness. "And you're that man's student, is that it?" He hits his fist against his palm. "Right, of course! Kyoko-chan, is that it?"

"I-Pin! I'm I-Pin, and I'm the only—" I-Pin slaps her hands against her mouth again, and widens her eyes.

"So your name's I-Pin? Nice to meet you, I-Pin-chan." Tsuna grins, which is maybe tactless when I-Pin looks so horrified, but he can't help it. He scratches his cheek, laughing to himself. "I can be a little smart too, right?"

I-Pin jumps forward into a kick straight for his face. Tsuna barely scrambles out of his chair in time.

"Hieee, I-Pin-chan, wait!" I-Pin flips mid-air, lands on the sink only the time to jump toward him again, this time to punch him. "Hiee, I'm sorry, I-Pin-chan, wait!"

Tsuna runs in circle around the table, dodging her somehow, but his pleas go ignored. I-Pin misses him once more, but she pauses on the table instead of jumping again. Tsuna pauses too, and regrets he's facing the door instead of being back to it.

I-Pin takes her stance again, but this time holds on a… dumpling?

"Wait," Tsuna pleads, his hands raised in surrender again. "I-Pin-chan, just wait a second, alright? Didn't I say I was sorry already?" Tsuna's very afraid of that dumpling, and he doesn't have the time to question it now. "I-Pin-chan, have mercy—" I-Pin bites on the dumpling. "Hiee!" Tsuna crosses his arms in front of him, and squeezes his eyes, bracing for impact.

"Tsu-kun?" his mom calls. "Mama's home!"

"寡不敌众!"

"Eh?" I-Pin jumps toward him, and he dodges to the side, but she's making for the window. He catches her mid-air in time, and holds her against his chest. "I-Pin-chan, wait! It's just my mom, it's fine, she won't hurt you!"

"Tsu-kun?" His mom appears at the doorway, a bag of grocery in one hand, and raises her other hand to her cheek at the sight in front of her.

"Mom, help—" I-Pin struggles wildly, and elbows him in the chest, and kicks him in the stomach. Tsuna doubles over in pain, coughing, but he doesn't let go. "I—I-Pin-chan, you're okay, you're safe! And you're still hurt, I can't just let you go on your own!"

Thankfully the words seem to reach her, and she slowly but surely stops struggling. She's still tensed in his arms, and he loosens his grip, but doesn't dare let go.

He coughs again, and flops in the nearest chair, wincing. She most definitely bruised him.

"Tsu-kun." His mom tilts her head, then holds her hand in front of her mouth, looking emotional. "So you and your secret little sister finally met…"

"Mom!" Tsuna chides her. "Stop joking around! Can't you see the dire situation I'm in?"

She pouts. "But Tsu-kun, you look so cute right now. Is it Mama's fault she always wanted a daughter?" She sighs dramatically, and Tsuna rolls his eyes.

"Yeah well, sorry about that. A little help here?"

"Ah Tsu-kun, don't be silly now. You know Mama loves you with all her heart."

Tsuna blushes. "Mom!"

His mom giggles, and sits next to them. "Hello there, my name's Sawada Nana, Tsuna's mother. What's your name?"

"I-Pin," I-Pin says reluctantly, and manages a bow even while sitting on his lap.

"What a pretty name," his mom praises, and I-Pin blushes. "Nice to meet you, I-Pin-chan, you can call me Mama. And I know this must be scary, but I promise no harm will come to you under our roof. Isn't that right, Tsu-kun?"

"Of course." Tsuna nods, and smiles his most reassuring smile.

"So, you see? You don't have to worry." She holds her hands. "Will you tell me what happened to you?"

"Tsuna-san took me away from my Master."

His mom's smile freezes on her face, and turns so cold Tsuna shivers. "Master?"

"Teacher!" Tsuna explains. "Master as in teacher! He teaches her martial arts, right, I-Pin-chan?"

I-Pin smiles, and nods enthusiastically. "Master is the strongest in the whole world!"

"Oh, teacher." His mom laughs, and Tsuna breathes a sigh of relief. "And so, you took her from him? Tsu-kun—"

"It's not like that!" Tsuna blurts out. "Mom, come on!"

Isn't it like that, though?

I-Pin obviously loves her master a lot, and is very strong. So that training she was talking about must be true in some capacity.

Is it he really misunderstood the situation?

But it's not like he was wrong to stop it either way! She was in danger!

"Isn't it? Why the guilt on your face then?"

"It's not—Mom, I saved her! The man had a gun! And a knife! And the weird blue waves!"

"The weird—" His mom shakes her head, and crosses her arms on her chest, a serious look on her face. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, did you kidnap a child and brought her home?"

"No!" Tsuna turns desperate, but then the fight leaves him. He did kidnap I-Pin, didn't he? But rightfully so! What kind of training was that, and what kind of master would let his student be beaten up? "I just want to say that you would have done the same." Her mother raises her eyebrow. "You would! That Hibari Look Alike was just standing there—"

"You know Kyoya-nii?" I-Pin beams up at him, smiling from ear to ear, trust suddenly written all over her face.

Tsuna blinks. "Kyoya-… nii? As in... Hibari Kyoya?"

I-Pin beams even more, and it almost blinds him. "Kyoya-nii is second strongest to Master only! We're here to see him too."

Oh, so this is what being a dead man walking feels like?

Tsuna almost feels like laughing, but he has never been that brave. He slowly raises his eyes to his mom's instead, and a tellingly long second of silence stretches between them.

She sighs. "Oh, Tsu-kun. From all the children you could have mistakenly kidnapped, really?"

Tsuna sighs too, leans back against his chair, and resignedly watches his life flash in front of his eyes.


"Here, Mama."

His mom takes the plates from I-Pin's hands, and puts them in the sink. "Thank you, I-Pin-chan. Aren't you so helpful?"

I-Pin grins, then jumps back on the table, and Tsuna obediently hands her the rest of the plates. She smiles at him, and he smiles back.

How the hell did it end up like that?

I-Pin is going to stay the night? Is that how little his mom cares about him?

"Mom—"

She tuts. "Now don't be rude, Tsu-kun. Isn't she better waiting for them here, than in some cold, police station?"

"No, that's not the problem here."

"You'll just have to explain yourself," she dismisses. "I'm sure they'll understand. Thank you I-Pin-chan, Mama will take care of the rest, alright? Tsu-kun, go show her her room."

"Mom—"

"Ah, you're right. I-Pin-chan, do you mind sleeping in a room alone? Otherwise, Mama doesn't mind sharing her room with you."

I-Pin bows, a blush on her cheek. "If Mama doesn't mind…"

"Aw, I-Pin-chan, you're so cute!" His mom hugs her tight against her chest, and nuzzles her cheek against hers. "I don't mind at all. Then if you want, you can help Mama a little, and we can go to sleep together once we're done, alright?"

Tsuna sighs from the bottom of his soul, but he knows a losing battle when he sees one. "I'll go first. Good night." He drags his feet out of the kitchen, sighing again.

Who, exactly, is going to explain anything to whom?

Him?

Right, as if.

"Good night, Tsu-kun."

"Good night, Tsuna-nii." Tsuna pauses. He turns around, to I-Pin looking at him, smiling. She bows. "Tsuna-nii took care of me, and had kinds words for me. I'll tell Master you were no threat to me."

Warm spreads inside Tsuna, and a grin pulls at his lips. He laughs, genuine, flustered, and happy. "What, me? It's nothing." He puts his hand behind his head, and waves the other one in front of him. "That was just—it's just what people do, right? It was nothing, don't worry about it."

His mom tuts, and waves her finger. "That's not it, Tsu-kun. You're a knight in shining armor, and of course wonderful I-Pin-chan is able to see it. Thank her properly."

"Mom!"

"Mama!"

"God, Mom, you're so embarrassing! I'm going to sleep, alright? Good night!" He flees the kitchen, his face burning, and ignores his mom's laugh in his back.

Once alone in his room, Tsuna can't help but laugh again. He prepares himself to bed, grinning all the while, even while seeing how stupid he looks in the mirror.

No one ever called him Tsuna-nii before. And maybe he wouldn't be such a bad big brother now, would he?

Tsuna laughs to himself quietly again, switches the light off, and slips into his bed.

Tsuna-nii, uh?

He closes his eyes, and makes himself comfortable under the blanket. "Maybe we could stay in touch with I-Pin-chan somehow…"

"She does seem to have taken a liking to you too."

Tsuna shots upwards, a scream at the back of his throat. A hand covers his mouth before he can let it out, and slams him back against the bed.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to use that much strength. Please don't scream, I just want to talk." Hibari Look Alike looms over him, sitting on his bed, a smile on his lips.

Tsuna's heart races, beating in his ears. He trashes wildly, tugging at his arm, but it doesn't even budge, nor can he move his head an inch.

Hibari Look Alike only barely digs his fingers into his skin, but he could break his jaw just by holding it too strongly if he wanted.

"Your mother is unharmed, if that is what worries you. Nor do we plan to harm either of you. Please, calm down." He smiles wider, and Tsuna struggles harder.

His Feeling doesn't flare up, but it's not the one being choked right now.

"Is he really the one? I only see a weak herbivore."

"That's because you never notice the subtle things," Hibari Look Alike says. "How could he have not showed signs of that fierce, strong flame he showed me?"

"You're choking him."

"Oh." Hibari Look Alike lets go, and Tsuna gasps for air, scrambling up against the wall. "My apologies, I didn't mean to. Are you okay?"

"Who—" Tsuna gasps, still desperately breathing for air, barely hearing himself over the sound of his beating heart.

Someone jumps inside from the window, and he startles, snapping his eyes to them. His precious breath catches in his throat, and he widens his eyes at Hibari Kyoya himself.

The Hibari Look Alike stands next to him, and there's one of Tsuna's worst nightmares came to life, except he could have hardly ever dreamed two Hibari.

Hibari Look Alike bows his head slightly, his hands hidden in his sleeves. "My name's Fon. Please, allow me to clear our misunderstanding before anything else. You see, I-Pin is—"

Tsuna passes out.


Answer to Guests' Comments:

Guest: Thank you, love the ending myself haha! Thank you for your comment!


A/N: -Cue Fon and Hibari (and I-Pin) entering Tsuna's life. Chaos ensue.

So I used DeepL for the Chinese translations, and I'm so sorry if it's utter nonsense.

I hope you enjoyed the story! Any and all review are appreciated.

Thank you for reading!

- w.h