A/N
THANK YOU FOR THE ATTENTION! Especially to those who leave a review. Now I know what authors mean when they say reviews make them happy. I couldn't get the goofy smile off my face. So I dedicate this to procrastination and a weird enthusiasm to get chapters out faster due to my reviewers.
DISCLAIMER: I would've shown what Tsuna looks like in the future... So no, I don't own it.
3.
Tsuna awoke to a blaring alarm, one that echoed in his new room. "'Ive more min'es," he yawned, curling deeper under his covers, reveling in the warmth. The sound still didn't stop, as persistent as the fire alarms at school. He reached behind him to tap the clock on top, where the snooze button usually was. There wasn't a button.
With the sound still going off, Tsuna flipped over with a groan and half-opened one eye to see where his hand was hitting. There didn't seem to be any kind of button, just the smooth machine with letters blinking out 6:30. Grumbling, Tsuna fell out of bed before standing up to give the clock a piece of his mind in a rather violent fashion. The moment he stood up, the noise stopped. Tsuna just glared at the offending machine, noting that now that he was up he might as well just get ready, which was probably the point.
Getting dressed in his drab uniform, Tsuna prepared to face his new life with a yawn on his lips. For the record, even the socks and boxers were gray. The lack of color was beginning to depress Tsuna. Slipping on loafers, Tsuna opened the door and let himself into the hallway. All around him was a flurry of noise as other students emerged from their rooms.
Noticing they were all heading towards the white hallway of the cafeteria, Tsuna quickly ran down the stairs. Unfortunately, his shoe caught the edge of a stair and he ungracefully tumbled down to the ground floor. Picking himself up, he brushed off the dirt and once more set off for the cafeteria.
If Tsuna had thought the ground floor was loud, then the cafeteria was deafening. There was one exchange of "Voiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" and "Shut up, scum!" that was constantly echoing across the room. The cafeteria seating was pretty straightforward and Tsuna couldn't seem to discern any kind of hierarchy. Shrugging, he stepped into line behind a tall boy with a pineapple hairstyle. A small chill ran down Tsuna's back as he did his best not to attract the boy's attention, a gut feeling telling him that would be a very bad idea. Head down, Tsuna grabbed his breakfast, just grabbing a piece of toast with strawberry jam and a small container of orange juice. It seemed you didn't actually need to pay for anything here; you take what you need and more if you want.
Spotting a table generally clear of these dangerous people, Tsuna kept silent, hoping beyond hope to simply stay under the radar of any bullies. He didn't need the deadly kind after him; the normal ones were bad enough. A clatter of a tray dropping onto the table and someone dropping into the seat across from him brought Tsuna's eyes into contact with a dark brown pair.
The boy looked about Tsuna's age, but he was significantly taller with black hair. A smile was beaming at him, the look seeming too carefree for the kind of place the school was; it would've scared Tsuna if it hadn't been for the calming feeling that came off of the boy. He didn't incite fear or intimidation, but radiated with an inner peace. Tsuna relaxed a bit, letting go of the taut wire tension he'd felt since leaving his room. "Hey! My name's Yamamoto Takeshi! What's yours?" the boy queried.
Tsuna went to open his mouth when he felt a wave of cold around him, glares of jealousy piercing him. Shutting his mouth again, Tsuna took a look from both corners of his eyes, noting that there were several glares directed towards him that hadn't been there before Yamamoto had sat down. Tsuna sighed, tired and no longer willing to resist the inevitable bullying. Instead, he tried to ignore Yamamoto.
Yamamoto, smile dimming slightly at being ignored, tried again, "Interesting place, isn't it? I certainly didn't expect to be surrounded by such intense people. But they're fun to be around! Especially that one guy who keeps blowing up at me. Or the one that keeps yelling really loudly. I wonder if they're any fun to play with." Tsuna now openly stared at the boy, wondering if he had perhaps gotten dropped on his head one too many times as a child. How could anyone be this nonchalant about the whole bloodthirsty situation!
Yamamoto laughed at the boy's expression, but his mind was thinking hard. In his eyes, the boy wasn't anything too special, but there was just the slightest pull about him, something that had caught Yamamoto's attention in the first place. It wasn't as strong as some other pulls all around the cafeteria, but it was insistent and innocent, a strange combination. "So, what did you say your name was?"
Tsuna answered without a second thought, still caught up in Yamamoto's pace, "Sawada Tsunayoshi. Friends call me Tsuna though." And Reborn, Tsuna reminded himself silently.
"Okay then, Tsuna," Yamamoto said with a bright smile, "I guess this makes us friends!"
Tsuna blinked and couldn't help the blush that crept into his cheeks. It was a new feeling to have a friend so easily. Mumbling thanks, to which he received another laugh, Tsuna focused on eating. The whole time Yamamoto wouldn't stop talking, whether about sports or curious characters around the school.
All of the sudden, a knife flew across the room, planting itself tip down into the table. Tsuna toppled out of his seat in surprise, but it didn't stop him from seeing something that reminded him where he was. Yamamoto had whirled around the moment the knife had landed and taken out a bamboo sword, a cold aura coming over him as he prepared himself. A quick twitch of his wrist put a shining blade in his hands. Tsuna's eyes grew big at the sight, but that was nothing compared to the way Yamamoto deflected every knife coming at them with scary precision. He had forgotten where he was; this wasn't a regular school after all. Even the nicest of people were deadly when necessary. Tsuna felt his heart sink at the realization that he'd made friends with such a dangerous being.
The assault was over as quickly as it started, the only reminder it had occurred at all being the knife stabbed deep into the table. Yamamoto sheathed the sword and sat down again, the cold aura gone, replaced by a cheerful smile. Tsuna tried to put on a smile as well, but it was weaker. Yamamoto began chatting about sports again while Tsuna uneasily finished eating in silence, nodding every once in a while to show he was listening.
When breakfast finally came to a close, in accordance with a bell, everyone stood up and filed into the main hall. There were eight people standing in the middle, a circle with seven pillars in front of them on a platform. Each pillar was about eight feet high with a small opening halfway down that seemed to hold some sort of stone. The students crowded around the closer edge of the circle, leaving the back, where the eight adults were, open. Someone drew out a gun and shot at the ceiling, quieting the group almost immediately. "Quiet down," said a menacing voice. Tsuna felt a shock go through him as he realized it was Reborn… with a gun… threatening them. Tsuna suddenly wished he had never gotten up this morning.
A woman with a very large and fluffy hat stepped forward, "Welcome to the Magical Academy For Intelligent Adolescents! We are glad to have such a bright and budding crop of new students. My name is Luce. I am your head teacher. Now that all the students have been gathered – some of you have traveled quite a ways – I am glad to announce we will now be picking class assignments. With some semblance of order, you will all come up and place your hands on a pillar and attempt to light it. If it fails, simply move on to the next one and try again. When you do get one, find the corresponding instructor. It is much like your entrance exam, so all of you will pass. Now, let the picking begin!" Her smile, which seemed omnipresent, grew even brighter. In her white and gold-trimmed garb, she resembled an angel. Tsuna couldn't help but stare at her, knowing there was more to this woman than there appeared to be. Her short dark green hair moved slightly as the woman – Luce – met Tsuna's eyes, the eye with a small flower tattoo closing in a brief wink before she retook her position in line.
There was a bit of chaos as the students tried to figure out how they were going to decide the order for choosing. A couple of explosions were heard as the yelling grew violent. Eventually, one student, lazily dressed with feathers stitched into the collar of his uniform, stepped forward, his glare, combined with the scars covering much of his face, splitting the crowd before him. He went through the pillars one by one, managing to light the red and orange one. The orange one was stronger so he took his place behind Luce with a scowl on his face. Immediately after, a student with long white hair lit up the blue pillar with a yell of, "Voiiiiiii!" It continued from there on, students going up one by one.
Tsuna noticed a couple of students created very large Flames for their respective colors, causing the whole pillar to blaze. Notable students for the red pillar included a boy with a tiara and blond bangs covering his eyes, a delinquent-looking, silver-haired boy with a scowl on his face, a relaxed looking boy with limp, red hair, and a girl walking around with rather funny-looking inflated rings. Blue pillar students were the boy who had gone second, Yamamoto, a scary-looking boy who looked too old to still be in school, and a cute girl with long, blue hair. The yellow pillar blazed for a student with a white hair and a bandage across his nose, a creepy looking green-haired boy with a ripped up rabbit, a rather-scary man who was blatantly gay, and a boy with glasses and red eyes. The purple pillar lit up for a scary girl who had thrown her fan at one of the students behind her as well as a boy with a better-than-you glare, his suit loosely hanging on his shoulders. It also lit up for a boy with wavy green hair, who had rather narcissistically flipped his hair as he took his place behind the instructors.
The green pillar had held surprises though. Tsuna never would've thought such a cowardly looking cow could have made such a bright Flame. Along with him, a mountain of a boy, a boy with a large mustache, and a see-through boy with a tattoo under his right eye all set the pillar ablaze. Tsuna didn't understand what was with the see-through boy. Perhaps he was too weak to go to school and came by hologram instead. It at least made sense. The next pillar drew the most fear from Tsuna. The indigo pillar had flared up for the boy with a pineapple hairstyle he'd seen in the lunch line, a girl with a patch over one eye with a similar hairstyle, a boy with an expressionless face and huge frog hat, a rather flirty boy with glasses and a hat, and a boy with a demon mask over his face. They all gave Tsuna the creeps.
The final pillar, the orange one, had only lit up for a tiny percentage of the people so far in comparison to the others. There were only five people on the other side: the boy with scars on his face who'd gone first, a boy who was smiling while eating marshmallows, a young girl who looked like a young version of Luce, a meek boy with red hair, and a boy with sandy blond hair and tattoos along his arms. It was definitely the most intimidating group. They seemed to ooze superiority and charisma.
The line had been thinning for quite a while, leaving Tsuna as one of the last entrants. He took a deep breath and started forward for the pillars. He felt all eyes on him and wondered if everyone else had felt all this pressure, felt their throats close up in fear. Tsuna was shaking by the time he'd managed to enter the circle, mind in a panic. He stepped up to light the red pillar, noting there was a round rock connected to some sort of holder inside the niche, reminiscent of a pacifier. Once I do this, I'm officially part of this, Tsuna thought with trepidation as he reached out a shaking hand, no turning back. I'm going to be one of them. Tsuna moved to light it only to be plagued by the cold look that had crossed Yamamoto's face earlier when he had deflected the knives. Failing to light it, he moved on to the next pillar. The memory of whispers and glares in the cafeteria messed up his concentration again, leaving the pillar dark. Tsuna shook worse and worse as he systematically failed all the pillars until he was at the last one. The eyes boring into him from the teachers as well as the entire student body broke Tsuna's thoughts once more. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna tried to concentrate on what he values most, attempting to summon the trance he had entered the first time he'd done this. He reached forward to touch the stone. As he began to put forth his determination, the cool ease that Yamamoto had wielded his sword in the cafeteria once more came into his mind's eye, breaking his resolve and once more failing to light the pillar.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi!" a voice called for him. A stunned Tsuna robotically turned towards the sound, the full implications of what he had failed to do hitting him like a punch to the stomach. Six of the teachers were looking at him, a disappointment in their faces he easily recognized when he failed to do even the most simple of tasks at home. Luce wore a look of confusion while Reborn's face was carefully blank. "Can you or can you not light a stone?" The speaker was a woman with dark blue hair and a visor over her eyes. Tsuna's hands shook as he tried to regain his voice which had escaped at the aggressive tone of the woman's voice.
The room fell silent as everyone waited for Tsuna's answer. Reborn gave an audible sigh as nothing was said for several seconds. He stepped forward, not making eye contact with the boy, "Lal, he has it. He is one of them."
The woman, Lal, met Reborn's look with reproach, "Then why doesn't he just light one then? He must've done it before if he passed the entrance exam. And if he really has it, then this should be simple."
Reborn had no response, a slight frown crossing his face. Tsuna was waiting for them to kick him out. He'd obviously failed to display what they were looking for, so the next step was for them to ask him to leave. To his surprise, Luce stepped forward. "Reborn, you're certain he's one of them right?" Reborn nodded. "Then, I'll take him. He will be worth it. I just need permission from the rest of you to do so. Will you allow me to take Sawada into my class?" The teachers hesitated a moment before nodding, trusting their head to make the right decision.
"Then it's settled. Sawada, you'll be in the Sky class."
A/N
Word Count: 2,622
Little longer this time! I'm trying to keep my chapters at 2,000 words or above, a quick read while still having time to play around. So how will this go? Will Tsuna's life in the academy now begin? Who are they? When will everyone else appear? Why am I asking you? (;p)
See you next time!