Word Count: 650
Ages: Tsuna-13
Kurama-15
"Freedom is an illusion. It always comes at a price."
~Jonathan Stroud, The Bartimaeus Trilogy
Kurama woke to the slightest creak of the floorboards outside his room. He stretched his senses out, fully aware of the stranger in their house, even if Reborn had been here a few days without incident. It never hurt to be a little suspicious.
He wasn't all that surprised, however, to find out that it was Tsuna.
The boy used to always sneak into his bed whenever he had a nightmare or was feeling lonely, but that habit had slowly gone away over the years. He hadn't sought his comfort in many years, but he knew it must be stressful to have Reborn sleeping in his own room. So, he moved over and called out softly for the boy to stop fidgeting and open the door.
Tsuna was by his side in a moment curling up in the covers like it was his own bed.
Kurama merely shook his head in faint amusement, reminding himself that Tsuna was a blanket thief. He also had a mean kick.
They were silent for a while.
Kurama knew his brother wanted to say something, so he waited quietly watching the emotions flicker across his face.
"I don't want to be a mafia boss." The boy finally murmured.
Kurama sighed softly. That had become a common phrase over the past few days. He couldn't blame Tsuna, the situation was extremely unfair, but there wasn't much they could do about it.
"I know," Kurama replied. "However, you know you don't have a choice right?"
Now it was Tsuna's turn to sigh.
"I know. I just…" He rubbed his face in agitation. "It's scary. All this talk of fighting and d-death. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't think I could do it. I'm not strong at all!"
Kurama pulled him into a hug.
"I don't want you to be involved either. I don't want you have to fight for or deal with these type of people and the danger they bring with them. I fear for your life and I wish I could protect you from them. But… " Kurama murmured. "That's why Reborn is here, Tsuna. He may look like a baby now, but he is one of the most powerful humans in this world. If there is someone that can make you stronger it's him. I don't like this situation, but we have to make do with what we have."
Tsuna groaned making Kurama laugh.
"I realize that's not what you want to hear, but that's all I can say for now."
"Yeah, I guess…He's demented though, Onii-san. A definite sadist."
Kurama chuckled. "Just think of him as an even shorter Hiei-nii."
Tsuna eyed him in disbelief. "Hiei-nii has some good beneath all of that gruff. I don't think Reborn does."
"Maybe you haven't tried looking hard enough."
That just made the boy scowl.
The sound of movement caught both their attention making them fall silent. Their mothers coughing made Tsuna flinch and Kurama frown. They listened as she paced her room a bit, most likely taking her pills before she went back to bed. She had a doctor's appointment tomorrow to address her worsening condition.
"Shuichi-nii?"
"What is it Tsuna?"
"The Mafia seem to be pretty advanced…do you think they might be able to help mom?"
Kurama tightened his grip on his little brother.
"Perhaps."
Tsuna yawned. "I'll ask Reborn about it tomorrow. I'm sure he's noticed she's sick by now. It's been several days."
"Yes…you do that."
Kurama stared at the ceiling as Tsuna finally drifted off to sleep. Despite the Mafia's advanced technology he doubted they'd be able to help, but he couldn't tell Tsuna that.
He couldn't tell Tsuna that her sickness was his fault…
Residue demonic energy, not meant to remain within the human body...
And he wasn't sure how to fix it.
Whelp, there's another chapter. Don't have much to say about this one. (It's late and I'm sleepy XD)Thanks for all of the reviews on the previous two chapters! You guys are awesome. :D