Chapter 6 -

Conflict Of Heart.

Disclaimer : I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn in any way,shape or form.

I do,however,own my character.

What do I do now?

I had spent a night filled with sleeping...ok,not really. More like a sleeping but not sleep...I'm not making sense to myself.

It probably has something to do with what I was contemplating.

To help Tsuna,even if it was just literally with anything,made me feel like a hypocrite. I didn't care for the orphanage brats,not really. But I cared for that kid. Why?

Was it because He was crying? No,it couldn't be. I've seen plenty of other kids at that damned shithole(I was starting to get tired of calling it that actually.) cry like no tommorrow. What was the difference?

I was never a person who cared-Oh.

I paused,hand on my cheek,elbow on the desk with my study materials neatly arranged,while the teacher droned on about mathematics that I already knew about,a long time ago.

Oh. I thought dumbly as I remembered a conversation I had in my past life.

"You're a very kind person,even if you don't admit it." My counselor said,looking at me with a gaze that I could not turn away from. So I kept my eyes on her nose-a trick I had always used whenever I felt unnerved by people,to make them think I was looking straight at their eyes.

"I don't think so." I replied. "I felt like killing her...Maybe even some torture." I cringed at my own words,hoping that she wouldn't send me to some hospital or some mental asylum. I mean,what else would a person do if someone stated outright that they wanted to kill someone,or even do something as terrifying as torture? At least we were in a room where there was only the two of us. I hope.

"And yet,you never acted on it." She points out.

"So how would that even make me kind?Of all things?"

"People do worse things when they are hurt like how you were." She stops me from speaking by lifting her hand in the universal stop gesture.

"They would spread gossip,actively trying to hurt her mentally or physically. Maybe even have slapped her when she did what she did. You didn't do any of that,and you tend to remember grudges very well. So ask yourself-why didn't you?"

I struggled to answer.

I stared down at my desk.

I admit. It wasen't just the visions stopping me from hitting the brats in that shithole. I just didn't have the heart to actually hit a six year old.

The visions do come whenever I tried to hit someone. But that had never meant that my body stopped moving. I get distracted,yes. But all I needed to do was remember I was trying to fight back and to keep moving despite the vision,even with the pain it brought on. The pain hurts,but all I would have needed to do would have been to literally grit my teeth through it. So what if I couldn't see where I was punching and stuff? Blind people could do martial arts-and the vision was only a slight,temporary blindness.

I could have fought back. Or at least,learnt to do so.

I didn't,and went to an alternative.

I sighed quietly. I guess I wouldn't sleep well if Tsuna really died from abuse,suicidal tendecies or end up being a psychopath.(In one of those visions he ended up that way. Needless to say,the ending wasen't pretty and it was heartbreaking to see a child turn out that way.) That didn't mean I was going to risk my life with reborn when he comes in later though. But I guess I'll burn that bridge when its time. Besides,even if I really ended up emotionally attached to the kid,it would be dangerous for both of us. I would be a very good hostage and a weakness to one of the most powerful mafia don,and if I ever considered him a friend like one of the the future visions I saw,then I should know better and stay away from him once reborn comes.

Then I thought about mukuro and this school,and promptly decided that I'll adapt to it when it comes. I had no idea how he was going to take over this school..but I'll think about it when its time. Its too early to make plans,anyway. I have no idea how he even has that school uniform that he wore most of the time,come to think of it.

Finally deciding on the course of action to take,I relaxed and concentrated on my lessons. Even if the teacher was teaching something I already knew,I could practice the japanese language itself by hearing them lecture. Pronounciation and recognising the words in speech is important after all.

I'll be meeting Tsuna at that playground after all.

And maybe...just maybe...I'll have a new friend. One that wouldn't betray me like the one before. One that I could trust,or at least have fun with. Sure,it was only one friend that betrayed me,but it was a five year plus long friend that I trusted with so many secrets.

How I wish this lesson would be over and done with already. As much as I know that its for my continued living in society I most definately do not enjoy it like I do with computer science and most definately still loathe the fact that I need to memorise them.

"Akira-chan!" Tsuna waves to me from the playground we agreed to meet at. It was the same playground that we met-what with him being bullied and all.

"Tsuna-kun." I acknowledge. Now in front of his seated form on a playground's bench. Awkwardly standing there,I realised a fact. I had no Idea what kids played. Sure,sure,I used to be about 16 in my past life before I went and kicked the bucket,but my young self only had about 3 friends who I ever played with!

I could practically hear the birds chirping at the silence after my words.

"So...wanna play?"

"Really?" Tsuna-kun jumps off the seat the instant he heard me invite him to play.

"Yeah..." I trailed off. I decided to wing it. "Tag?You're it!" Tagging him in the shoulder,I sprinted and hid behind one of the slides in the playground. "Catch me if you can!" I laughed,heart pounding with every step as Tsuna-kun starts to chase after me,a grin on his face as he covers the distance I ran.

I dodge at the last second before his hand tags my shoulder,reliving the moment of childishness,where no one cared or judged because you were a child and a child was meant to play. "Not bad! Keep up!" I encouraged,although I was quite breathless from sprinting so fast in a short time.

He giggles,and tries to tag me again. I relent,this time,because it wouldn't be fun if he was always 'it'.

"You're it!" Then he sprints away from me. I paused,just a little,to catch my breath. Then I was on his heels,near but not too far,arms outstretched to limit his options of dodging.

It was funny how fast we switched from awkward to excited fun,but I couldn't bring myself to care as I really was having fun from the chase.

Letting it last for a few seconds more,I tagged him just as he lagged slightly in speed and went in the opposite direction,feet scrambling to put the movements I trained for the last few years into action. Tsuna-kun,having felt the touch,decides to lunge for me after he manages to stop his momentum forward.

We ended up sprawled on the ground,him pressing onto my back as I gasp for breath underneath him,struggling for air. He rolls off me quickly,as he breathes harshly through his mouth for the same air.

"A...Akira. You ok?" He stares at me,concern on his face as he lies on the floor.

"I..m'fine." I manage to say. Then I laughed,although I'm not sure why. "Again? I'm it!" I got up and quickly got ready to pounce on Tsuna,who's still trying to breathe on the floor.

"Hieee!" He screams,high pitched as he got onto his feet,all four limbs flying into action to get away from the 'it'. He laughs as I got close enough to touch him,although he manages to avoid that by putting on a sudden burst of speed.

The day was filled with laughter as I forgot my worries and played till sunset with Tsuna.

I arrived back at the shithole orphanage,feet aching from all the running I did. Perhaps it wasen't a very good idea to exhaust myself playing with him because I still had things to do and plan for,but I had to admit myself that it was fun,and would probably do it again if he asked the next time we met up.

Hey,maybe I can teach him to run faster like Sena. As far as I knew,I haven't been having any adverse effects when I ran how Sena did. Also,teaching him how to run silently would do wonders for hidding from bullies while getting away from them. Silent tag game?

I let my mind run wild with ideas on games and techniques as I slumped into my bed to sleep.

Interlude 1 : Tsuna

Tsuna really didn't know what to make of himself. But he did know that he hated school. He thought it to be similar like how he hates his Mama crying in the bedroom at night when she thought he could not hear. Mama would be happy he made a friend though! A friend! Tsuna had always wanted one when he first went to school,cause Mama said he would make friends there! And that friends were people like Mama who would play with me and talk to me and be playing games! But no one came up to ask if he wanted to be their friend. Everytime he tried,they would just laugh at him and he would laugh back,though he wondered what they were laughing at. For some reason,when he laughed back they just laughed even harder. Tsuna decided that he didn't like it.

What he did like,though,was his friend's smile when they played tag before day. It felt like warmth,so close and near to his Mama's smile. Not like the school where everyone hits each other. He frowned. Everyone hits each other in nami..it was namimara,right?

He felt warm near her and really wanna play more! But he had to go school first! He sulks because school was mean and school people like him would chase him and hit him. It hurt,but that seemed like what school was for. School was a place where everyone threw stuff at each other or played together. He really hated it.

"Mama! Gonna go!" Tsuna says to his mom,wanting to leave now so he could be done and quickly go meet with Akira. He really had fun with 'tag' before day! He only ever seen school people like him play tag! Even the meanie school people that hit and chases him!

"Tsu-kun! Remember to take your bag~"

"Ok Mama!" He runs out,closing the door with a bang like all the toys go in school. He decides to go fast today on the floor before it gobbles him up like the lava he's imagining it to be. Oh! Maybe he could tell Akira to play something like lava on the floor today!

Ah! He should not let the meanie school people to follow him this time! He really did not like that they would hit him even outside of school! Maybe he could ask Akira how other school people do not let the meanie school people hit them? The tall school people only ever laugh at him and tell him it was tag. Tsuna was sure it was not tag,though. Tag with Akira did not hurt,so why tag with the meanie school people hurt?

School people also never cry when they play tag. Tsuna was gonna find out what the differ...differ...different was! After playing with akira!

He would tell Mama he had a friend after school,later. Mama would be so happy and not dripping water from the eyes at night sadly again! And he would bring Akira to the house like Mama said he should with friends!

Aw! Tsuna sulks. He reached school. He do not wanna go there! But if he did not Mama would be sad! Tsuna did not want Mama to be sad!

A/N : I'm actually having exams right now,so forgive me if I take a bit too long with this chapter and the subsequent one.