Title: The Anomaly
Genre: Romance, Angst
Pairing: Xanxus X OMC
Summary: When two angry souls find each other and one is a girl from another world who is murdered and finds herself being reborn in a world where it is normal for people to catch fire. Literally. Did I mention that said girl is now a boy?
Warning: OC (not self-insert), Slash, Yaoi, BoyXboy, Reincarnation, Language

Chapter Nine

Monday morning came bright and early, a little too early in fact. Naoki was found treading to school with dark bags under his eyes. After he had woken in the middle of the night, panting and with a prominent wet spot at the front of his pajamas, he had not been able to get back to sleep. Not that he wanted to anyway, as he had been dreading seeing his night companion again after what had happened.

He felt humiliated and ashamed. However, a part of him could not deny the immense pleasure he had felt and the feeling of satiation he had felt. It had been awhile, too long in fact. During the night, as he stayed up thinking about what had happened, Naoki could not help but feel conflicted. On one hand, he hated how Xanxus had made him feel, reminding him of his past and the fact that he was now a boy; on the other, all the tension he had been feeling during the day had disappeared, and it had felt good.

That did not mean that he wanted a repeat, far from it. It would be too strange, being as he was a boy and all experience he had in this was from when he had been a girl in another life. In his mind, thirteen, going on fourteen, was far too young for any kind of sexual activity even if it was during that time that hormones went crazy. He had always been quite conservative in his previous life and had remained a virgin until his boyfriend had proposed. Doing anything now would be going against all his principles.

Suddenly Naoki froze in his steps. Why was he even considering that in the first place!?

'Bloody hell, I'm going crazy,' he thought as a shudder went through his body before he resumed walking to school. He was a boy now and he had no idea how that would work. Besides, what was his option? Xanxus? Like hell! The bastard was bloody infuriating and Naoki had more the urge to punch that annoying mocking smirk from that man's face than to… er, do that. He had also sworn to himself that he would not engage in any sexual activity of any kind, particularly with his young male body. He stubbornly ignored what had happened a few hours before. Besides, it was just a dream. Just a dream.

As he passed by the school gate, Hibari and he exchange a glance in acknowledgement before he continued on his way. Tsunayoshi appeared late again, though Naoki did not miss the contemplative look his brother shot him as he sat down in his seat. Naoki frowned. Had something happened besides him getting molested by his teacher/night companion in the future? Reborn had mentioned that the bazooka exchanged the one targeted with his ten years older self for five minutes. Was that why Tsunayoshi was acting so strange? Had his future self done something weird? Well, it was a possibility; his future self had to be crazy and mentally skewed to do things with an older Xanxus, if what the older man had done to him in the future was any indication of where his future had gone.

Naoki's eyebrow twitched and a scowl made its way on his face. Why was he thinking of that infuriating man again?

"Sawada!" he looked up at the call only to see the teacher glaring at him.

"Hiiie!" came from Tsunayoshi. "Y-Yes!"

"Not, you! Sawada, the younger!" Well, that was a first. Usually Tsunayoshi was the one getting scolded. What had he done? "If you think you can do better then come in front and translate this in English!" Oh, it might have been his facial expression that had irked the man then. He had always been particularly neurotic and easily provoked; however, it was a first for Naoki to be on the receiving end of the man's temper.

Sighing inwardly, Naoki stood up and made his way to the board. The sentence was simple enough, well, maybe not for a normal Japanese student who studied English as a foreign language but Naoki was far from normal after all. English had been his native tongue once upon a time and he had retained the same mastery of the language through this life, disregarding the fact that he had also learned many other languages just to fight his boredom.

As he returned to his seat, the teacher seething behind him, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Naoki sat back in his seat and gathered his belongings; time to meet Hibari. He could not believe he had spent the whole day lost in thoughts as he battled within himself. That bastard had really done him good this time. He really needed that spar with Hibari to get all his frustrations out.

He was about to stand up from his seat when there was a commotion from near the doorway. At first he ignored everything until he heard a 'cow' being mentioned. Simultaneously, Tsunayoshi, who had also been packing his belongings to leave from a few seats in front of him, and he swirled around to find the cow child who lived with them, Lambo, standing just outside the door.

"Tsuna!" came the obnoxious, whiny voice. "My zipper broke so I can't pee!" It was then that Naoki noticed that the cow child was not standing straight but instead was hunched over with his legs pressed together and his hands holding his privates. While the class erupted into laughs and Tsunayoshi panicked, Naoki's eyebrow twitched. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and decided to ignore this complete idiocy. Instead, he walked to the other door and exited the classroom. Once he had loved children and had wanted to have his own; now he just found them annoying. It went to show just how much he had changed since his death.

Having to see the cow when he was at school made Naoki even more irritated than he had been. Thus, he quickly made his way to the roof even though he knew that Hibari would be busy until all the students left the school premises. Dropping his bag near the door, Naoki moved to the railing and leaned against it, looking over at the rest of the town. For such a day he had found his world tilting from its axis, everything seemed surprisingly calm and normal, like his perceptions of the world had not so suddenly been skewed.

Naoki sighed, resting his head against the cool metal the railing was made of. Why did things have to become so complicated?

It was a few days later after his little incident happening in his dreams that Bianchi of all people approached him. Surprisingly enough, since that night, he had not met Xanxus in his dreams. At first he had been relieved and somewhat thankful but as the days went by and he still did not meet the man he was starting to become a little agitated. He did not know why but not seeing the man made him irritable which made him even more annoyed when he realized.

It was early on that day when Bianchi intercepted him on his way to leave the house for school. Tsunayoshi was still sleeping in the bedroom beside his own and he could hear his mother preparing breakfast downstairs. The two of them had never really interacted with each other except for a polite greeting when they crossed each other in the hallways, so, Naoki was quite surprised when she came up to him.

Naoki raised a questioning eyebrow at the teenager. Bianchi was quite young, around seventeen, he guessed, and she fancied herself in love with Reborn. Naoki already suspected that the baby was either a genius baby or actually older than he look, maybe he even was in the same situation Naoki had found himself in, being reborn. Either way, it was still disturbing the obsession Bianchi had with Reborn. That was why he had always tried his best to stay away from the obsessed teenager.

"We are preparing a surprise party for tomorrow," Bianchi informed him after being subject to Naoki's disconcerting icy stare for a few moments, starting to fidget as the blond merely raised another eyebrow at her. "It's for Reborn's birthday."

Bianchi was surprised when the blond boy frowned a little at her after a while as if he had been waiting for something else and was disappointed in her. She did not know why but this disappointment made her feel disappointed in herself. It was unsettling. She had never really liked the younger teen; he had always been too quiet, too observant… just too much for the female hitman to handle. He was a civilian; his presence was not supposed to feel so overwhelming, but she had never acted against him, not only because Reborn seemed to like the kid but also because he was the twin of Vongola Decimo and the son of the Lion of Vongola. Doing anything against him would be like signing her own death warrant. Her actions against Tsuna did not count since Reborn had asked her to test his student when she had landed in Japan.

Without further acknowledging the older teen, Naoki turned and left. Bianchi frowned at the blond's retreating back. What a rude brat, she thought, ignoring the shivers wrecking down her back as she remembered the icy blue eyes staring into her own unblinkingly.

They were planning a birthday party, Naoki thought. A party for Reborn, he added silently, a frown making its way on his delicate features. As the day went by he noticed the strange behavior of Tsunayoshi's two closest friends and he could not help but frown even more. His brother had not noticed yet but Naoki knew that it was only a matter of time before he did; Tsunayoshi was not that unobservant, even though he had seemed a little lost in thought for a while now.

Knowing his brother, whom he never really interacted with before, Naoki knew that when he would notice his friends' strange behavior, he would believe that they were planning a surprise birthday party for him since their birthday was apparently the day after Reborn's. And knowing Tsunayoshi who never had any friend until Reborn had appeared in their lives, Naoki knew that he was most likely to be quite disappointed and hurt that his new friends had not cared enough to know or remember his birthday. Naoki actually found it a little silly but Tsunayoshi was just a child, a child who had been bullied and hurt most of his life for being useless in practically everything and he had finally found friends.

It would be no surprise to him if their mother forgot about their birthday; she never really remembered every year anyway. Sawada Nana was a forgetful woman and the only things she remembered every year without exception were her wedding anniversary and her husband's birthday. She even forgot her own birthday and in thirteen years, she had remembered their birthday only eight times. That did not mean Tsunayoshi would not be hurt though.

At the end of the day, Naoki left the school after his usual spar with Hibari for a quick shower at his house before leaving again with half of his savings; he had a feeling he would not need them to leave the Sawada household in the future, even though now he had resigned himself to having become attached to his… family.

The next day, Naoki reluctantly postponed his daily spar with Hibari for later to return to the house early. As he ducked inside his room to drop off his bag, he noticed the orange package peeking from under his bed. His faced blushed scarlet and he quickly averted his eyes. He slammed his bedroom door behind him. A few moments later, the door opened again and a red-faced Naoki re-entered his bedroom, grabbed the orange package and ran back out.

Fifteen minutes later, he went down the stairs and reluctantly made his way where loud noises could be heard: the kitchen. He could already feel the incoming headache. He stopped before he could cross the threshold, hesitant and a little unsure about what to do. The kitchen was filled with Tsunayoshi's usual crowd helping out Nana with preparing dinner, or finishing helping, he corrected himself as he noticed the already prepared food resting on the table. Yamamoto Takeshi and Gokudera Hayato were setting the table, and Naoki was mildly surprised not to see the latter unconscious since Bianchi was helping Nana with transferring the food from the stove to the table. He had a feeling it had something to do with the pair of orange googles resting across her nose. Meanwhile, the cow child was whining at Nana's feet, tugging at her dress and demanding sweets.

"Ara, Nao-kun! You're here early!" exclaimed Nana as she noticed her younger son hovering at the entrance of the kitchen. Naoki shifted a little awkwardly on his feet, his face gaining a mild red hue as he suddenly found himself on the receiving end of so many pairs of eyes.

"Juudaime's Honorable brother!" exclaimed Gokudera and it took all his will power for Naoki not to lean back at the abrupt intensity of the green-eyed stare.

"Yo, Naoki!" greeted Yamamoto with his patented grin on his face, raising a hand in a small wave.

Bianchi nodded at him in greeting but otherwise stayed silent as Lambo quickly quieted and ducked behind Nana. Said woman gave Naoki a radiant smile.

"The kitchen is all yours, Nao-kun!" she chirped before she turned to the others. "Come, everyone. Let's leave Nao-kun to his cooking."

In a matter of seconds, Naoki found himself alone in the kitchen. That woman was quite adept. However, that did not stop him from hearing the different comments from outside the kitchen.

"Cooking?" Bianchi.

"Juudaime's Honorable brother knows how to cook?" Gokudera.

"Haha! I wonder what he's going to make." Yamamoto.

"Oh, Nao-kun is such a wonderful cook!" Nana. "He made a delicious cake once and last night he told me that he would make Reborn-kun's birthday cake."

"So that's why you said not to make a cake?" Bianchi.

"Hai! You guys are going to love Nao-kun's cooking! Ara, Lambo-kun, are you alright?" Nana.

"… Naoki-Baka is going to bake!?" Lambo.

At the last one, an eyebrow twitched on Naoki's face in annoyance before he sighed and turned to the rest of the kitchen. Well, time to get baking.

An hour later, Naoki slipped out of the house with an overnight bag, just missing Tsunayoshi and Reborn coming from the other way.

When they all finished dinner, Nana brought out the birthday cake. Tsuna felt inwardly a little hurt but he really should have expected no one to remember his birthday; he was Dame-Tsuna after all. Now though, that everyone knew that the next day was his birthday, he felt even more of a loser; it was like he was demanding his own birthday party. He sighed but then fixed a smile on his face when he saw Yamamoto and Gokudera turn to look at him. There was no need to worry his two friends.

"Thank you for everything, mama," Reborn said from beside him. "You didn't have to do all this."

"Ara, you don't have to thank me, Reborn-kun," his mother smiled. "Besides, Nao-kun was the one who made the cake."

"E-Eh!?" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise, having not expected that. He remembered the last and first cake his brother had made. It had been delicious but since, Naoki had not made anything else. Tsuna felt a little jealous that his own brother would go out of his way to make something for his tutor.

"Really?" Tsuna had become enough used to his home tutor that he was able to notice the slight surprised tone in the baby's voice though he was sure the others had not noticed. "Oh, speaking of Nao, where is he?"

"Nao-kun said that he was going for a sleepover with a friend," Nana explained with a smile.

Tsuna blinked. He had never known that his brother was close enough with someone to have a sleepover. He had never seen the slightly younger boy interact with anyone before.

"Friend?" Reborn asked from beside him. Huh, even the baby hitman had not known it would seem. Now, that was new.

"Hai! What was his name…? Oh, that's right, Hibari Kyoya-kun!"

Tsuna promptly chocked on air. "Hi-Hibari-san!?" he shrieked. Since when were those two friends!? Since when did Hibari-san even have friends!?

"Oh? That's interesting," he heard Reborn murmur from beside him and Tsuna felt like tearing his hair out. It was not interesting; it was a disaster waiting to explode!

Then Nana finally placed the cake on the table and Tsuna got a good look at it. He felt himself momentarily freeze in surprise though the others did not seem to notice (he knew Reborn had to have noticed, however). The cake was large and round, and covered in brown icing that from where he was Tsuna could smell was coffee-flavoured. At the top was written 'Happy Birthday Reborn' in English in white. He knew enough of the language to know what it meant.

However, what really surprised him was not the mouth-watering smell coming from the cake but the cartoonish tuna drawn under Reborn's name, in which was written something simple but made Tsuna feel an unknown emotion that made his mouth dry as his heart clenched, his eyes gaining some moisture; inside the tuna was written the number '27' in a vibrant orange. Tsuna knew without a doubt that this cake was made with two people in mind and that he was one of those two.

From beside him, Reborn hid a satisfied smile behind his fedora. Things were coming along nicely. He ignored the warm feeling he felt in his heart.

That night when Tsuna finally retired to his room after a tiring time spent celebrating Reborn's birthday, 'Vongola style', he was surprised to see an orange package resting on his bed. Curious, he went to it and opened the package. As he saw what was inside, he gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief.

It was a laptop. A real laptop. He opened the box and found the laptop inside, his fingers wonderingly caressing the vibrant orange cover and a very familiar cartoonish tuna with a '27' inside. That should have cost a lot! As he moved the orange gift wrapper, a small card fluttered to the floor. Kneeling, Tsuna picked it up. It was an unassuming white card on which was written a simple 'Happy Birthday Tsunayoshi' in English. It made Tsuna's breath hitch. There was only one person he knew such beautiful cursive handwriting would fit.

A few months before, he never would have expected a birthday present from his brother but since Reborn had entered his life, many things had changed, among them his relationship with Naoki that suddenly looked up. Now he had friends, he was no longer being bullied at school (at least not to the extent it had been before; he was still teased by his schoolmates when his two friends were not near him) and his life was much more exciting than it had ever been before. Moreover, he had never seen his mother so cheerful in a long while; his father's absence really affected the mild mannered, oblivious, gentle woman but their new house guests certainly brought life back to their dreary household.

Turning to his tutor who had been observing him silently since they had entered the room, Tsuna could not help the warm, bright smile from being directed towards the baby and the one person who had become his closest friend and confident in his life without him realizing.

"Thank you, Reborn. For everything."

As he turned back to his new laptop, excitedly flipping through the guide book and silently wondering how he could ever beat such a great gift, he did not see the stunned expression on his tutor's face or the sudden red hue that rose on the baby's cheeks.

Reborn was surprised and confused when his heart did a sudden flip. And for weeks he would remain equally confused until a certain prison escapee would target his young student and he would have the revelation of his life. However, for now he dismissed his strange reaction to his student's smile and gratitude as being unimportant.

Author's Note: Well, wasn't that a quick update? You guys must be pleased; this chapter is about a thousand words longer than the word limit I give each chapter. No Xanxus unfortunately, but you can see the inner turmoil Naoki goes through because of him and the brothers' mending relationship. Not to speak of the moment when Reborn and Tsuna start to fall for each other. For them I don't think there's going to be anything physical. Keep in mind that Reborn is in the form of a baby and won't be an adult for a good while and Tsuna is child a still. It'll be mostly emotions, and tender love. Not the passionate one that will happen between Xanxus and Naoki, which is coming along soon, don't worry.

Was the laptop a little much? I was thinking about making Naoki give Tsuna a sweater or something along those lines but then I thought that it might be a little too simple. Keep in mind that he is trying to silently and awkwardly make up for all those years he has been ignoring his brother and for all those birthdays he has missed...

Oh, right. Sorry for those who have been hoping for Hibari X Tsuna but really, I can't see this couple happening anytime soon Hibari is closer to Naoki, and that's saying a lot. Right, those two... They are friends. Sort of. Sparring partners, obviously. Reluctant companions, maybe? Well, something like that anyway. After all, it is quite lonely not to have anyone by your side after a while. Even for free, unbound clouds.

Anyway, please leave behind a review. I love knowing what you guys think.

Leight.