Jack of All Trades II
He was rocking... As though he were on an ocean. Up and down, side to side. Rocking back and forth... a little nauseating yet slightly comforting. Tsuna sighed as he felt something warm and firm underneath, supporting him. His arms were around whatever that warm thing was and he slid his hands over it, wondering idly why it was so smooth under his palms. Was it the deck of a ship...? No, wait. It wasn't entirely smooth... there was a tiny bump over there. As he continued to brush his fingers over the strange bump, his eyes opened slowly and he blinked when he found himself floating above a set of steps.
"J-J-J-Jyuudaime...? A-A-Are you... a-awake...?" A familiar voice stuttered from under him and he turned his head abruptly, earning himself a mouthful of silver hair.
"G-Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna spluttered, eyes turning round as pies.
The silver haired man felt his face continue to burn as the boy's hands still remained over his chest and he laughed awkwardly while moving up the rest of the steps, trying hard to stop his shaking legs. "Uhh... ehh ehh... y-you're awake... h-huh..."
Tsuna felt himself grow hot and he quickly retracted his hands, realizing what he had been doing during his short interval of half-consciousness. He let the treacherous fingers lie on Gokudera's shoulders until the two of them reached the top of the stairs. When they finally stopped, Tsuna immediately leapt away and blushed, staring down at his shoes. Gokudera scratched at his hair, glancing at the steps.
"How... how long was I asleep...?" The brunette asked timidly, trying to recall the previous events before falling into the hands of sleep and waking up to find himself being carried by Gokudera.
"About... an hour or so... probably." The silver haired man murmured back. Tsuna's eyes grew wider when he heard Gokudera's answer.
"A-An hour or so?"
Gokudera turned towards the young man, eyebrows creasing when he caught the tone of anxiety in the boy's voice. "Yeah... what's wrong?"
"I-I have to get ready! What should I bring?" The brunette exclaimed, eyes flitting from his room to the front door and back again.
"Bring...?" The silver haired man's eyes narrowed, "What kind of job is this? Why do you need to go so early?"
Tsuna froze and then looked up into the other man's eyes fearfully. If he told Gokudera the truth, he would probably be stopped... after all... his boss was filthy rich seeing as the man was promising him triple his current salary. And... Gokudera hated rich people. He would definitely be stopped. Or worse, shunned. But... it was... a job worth looking at, wasn't it? Even with the early time. Even with all the paranoia. Even with Hibari Kyouya. It would be triple his salary! Triple! Triple...!
"O-Oh... it's just the usual milk delivery. They said today we'd get a bonus if we go earlier. More subscriptions from customers, was what they said..." He averted his eyes to the door of his room. Gokudera continued to watch Tsuna wordlessly, easily reading through the obvious lie. His eyebrows crinkled deeply together and he looked as though he were about to burst open with all sorts of questions. But then, the man's shoulders sagged and his eyes shut tightly in resignation.
"Okay..."
Tsuna peered at the other man and then pulled on a weak smile. "I-I'll go get ready, then. Thanks for carrying me! Oh, and you should probably go to sleep, Gokudera-kun...!" With that, the brunette fled into his room, heart racing. He swallowed and wiped away the sweat forming on his brow. It seemed like Gokudera was more lenient than usual. This should be a good thing... but... why did his heart feel so heavy...?
.:.
The dull light from the street lamps glowed along the concrete side walks, spilling soft pools of yellow across the vacant cobblestone streets. The sky was still slumbering, completely dark and void of either clouds or it's usual clear blue. A young man, shouldering a small, patched up bag, walked beneath one of the lone lamp posts, its light flickering and blinking in and out as chilly breezes blew by. Tsuna frowned at the lamp in irritation. He... really wanted to fix that light... Unfortunately, he had neither the tools nor the height to reach such a thing. The brunette quickly brushed past the street lamp, making his way to the church a few steps ahead.
Namimori church. It had existed there since the birth of Namimori. A structure that had seen the city through all its best and worst times. As the young man came to a stop at the steps, he stared at the old building with glimmering eyes, admiring the designs decorating the doors. Someone had painted a large mural across the area over the two large doors and although he wasn't a part of any religion who used the church, that didn't stop him from trying to figure out what the picture meant. There were two people depicted, looking straight at each other. Their eyes... looked so...
"Wao, so you can come on time."
Tsuna jumped seven feet in the air and stumbled forward, tripping on the church steps, heart hopping wildly about in his rib cage. The young man whipped his head around, staring at the person behind him frightfully.
"H-H-Hibari-san!"
The dark haired man stared dully at him, eyes ever cold and sharp. Then, the man's lips seemed to quirk upward, in a hint of a smile.
This guy enjoys scaring me...! Tsuna thought incredulously, jaw going slack. He noticed a dark limousine parked in the street, engine whirring silently. Kusakabe stood beside it, eyes lowered and waiting patiently. When did they get here...? He didn't hear the limo pull up at all! Hibari ignored the look of great surprise on the brunette's face and moved to the car. Kusakabe opened the door for him and then closed it with a soft snap.
As Kusakabe walked around the car to the other side, Tsuna continued to stand and stare wide-eyed at the scene, completely stunned. A l-l-limo...? He was going to ride a limo...? The window rolled down, revealing the face of a slightly aggravated Hibari.
"Are you coming in? Or must I bring you here by force."
"Ah!" Tsuna gulped and nearly bit his tongue, "R-Right!" He scurried towards the door and was about to open it when Hibari narrowed his eyes dangerously at him.
"Other door..." The man warned through his teeth. Tsuna bobbed his head repeatedly, apologizing hastily and then rounded the limousine, moving to the other side. His eyes scrunched closed. Oh god, this was going to be scarier than he thought... it was like he was getting mixed up with the mafia...! As he tentatively slid inside and accidentally met eyes with his new boss, he hoped desperately that it wasn't the case.
.:.
The entire trip had been utterly silent. That had suited Tsuna just fine because if Hibari had suddenly started talking to him in a friendly fashion, he would probably feel more worried than relieved... The brunette took advantage of the peace and thoroughly scanned his eyes over every inch and square of the limousine's insides. He rubbed his fingers idly over the soft leather of the tan-colored seats and traced his eyes along the strangely wide looking space between him and the other side, where Hibari sat.
His curious gaze landed on a panel of buttons. What was this...? Maybe, like in the cartoons he had seen during one of his jobs, something like a bottle of wine or a glass of champagne would come flying out from somewhere? Tsuna lifted a finger and his eyes flit towards Hibari once to make sure the man wasn't paying attention. He wasn't. The brunette poked the first button. The window of the limousine rolled down and a harsh and roaring wind forced itself in, causing his hair to whip about and fly behind him. Tsuna hastily pressed another button a couple of times and the window closed. He lifted a hand up and held it against his heart, trying to desperately still it, and his eyes darted to the man sitting diagonally across from him.
Shoot! Hibari was staring him...!
An amused smirk made its way across the man's face. "Did you think that if you pressed a button, a bottle of wine or a glass of champagne would come flying out from somewhere, like some third-rate cartoon you saw on one of your odd jobs?"
Tsuna gasped. How did he know? And nearly word for word, too!
The smile left Hibari's face and resumed it's usual stoicness. "Try that again and I'll bite you to death."
"Hiieee!" The brunette shivered and kept his hands locked in his lap, determined not to prod around any further despite his urge to.
.:.
They pulled up before a large cast iron gate and Tsuna squinted at the dark window beside him, trying to survey the area they had stopped at. How long had it been? How far had they gone? What would happen to him? The brunette was afraid and even more so, confused. Where were they going? He could make out the faint silhouettes of leafy trees towering the sides of the road and the once cobblestone street had now become gravel. He heard the faint creaking of the heavy iron gates and as the car started moving again, he was quick enough to spot the design of the black gates before they sped past. It was intricately made... a design that only the most wealthy could afford.
Apparently, he had just unknowingly entered "forbidden" grounds (according to Gokudera).
He remembered that the gate had a familiar crest on it as well... where had he seen it before...?
The limousine slowly rounded a large fountain in the middle of the road, constructed there for no apparent reason but to look large and beautiful, and they continued on through a grand arch that seemed to exhibit a cheery yet overpowering aura. Tsuna gaped at it through the window, face nearly pressed up against it as he tried to get a better look.
"You might as well open the window. Don't stain it with your filth, herbivore." His boss snorted and Tsuna frowned, offended by the comment. But he still nodded obediently and pressed the previous button, rolling the window down. The young man stuck his head out the opening, letting the clean morning air rush into his lungs. It was so refreshing! He watched the great structure, fascinated by the architecture despite the shadows cast across the more detailed areas. The entire thing looked... slightly foreign. There was no way someone from Namimori could make such a thing. As he whipped his head around to look for the car's destination, he froze.
"Wha...?" The brunette's eyes widened and he shot back in, pointing wildly in the direction of the front of the car. "Th-Th-Tha-!"
Hibari stared at Tsuna with an expression of annoyance. "What is it?"
"It...! It...!"
"..."
Tsuna's mouth opened and closed. Then opened again. Much like a fish out of water. "It says... 'Yamamoto'... in h-h-huge letters... up there..."
Hibari turned his head to stare at the fields on the other side in boredom. "Oh, is that all?"
Tsuna almost felt like shooting up on his feet indignantly after seeing the other man's attitude, except that he would hit his head if he did so. Instead, he opted for yelling in great emphasis, "It said, 'YAMAMOTO'! Why are we going to a place that seems to belong to the richest family in Namimori?"
"It belongs to them."
"What?"
"It's their home."
The brunette froze, trying to register this piece of information. His eyes darted along the floor, unable to fix itself on any one thing. The Yamamoto's... lived here...? But... why...?
"If it's their home... why are we... going...?"
Hibari faced Tsuna and for a moment they merely stared at each other in another round of silence. Then, a coy smile lifted the edges of the dark haired man's mouth and three simple words left him.
"I live here."
To say that Tsuna was stunned would be an understatement. He closed his mouth with a click! and then sunk back into his chair, staring straight at the other side with unblinking eyes. Hibari watched this reaction, bemused by the young man's expression, and then let his own gaze fall back on the vast scenery, enjoying the quiet permeating through the car once again.
.:.
After a couple of minutes, the limousine whirred to a stop and Hibari pushed open the door, muttering a low, "We're here," to Tsuna. The young man nodded once to show he had heard and pulled himself out the door, taking a step back to fully absorb everything around him. There was a grand mansion standing right before him. The front looked much like a humongous beige-white wall, towering over him and stretching around by about twenty to thirty rooms. And this was only the front! Why did they need such a huge house...?
The pale marble doors of the entrance swung outward steadily and Tsuna quickly followed after Hibari, who had already climbed the stone steps leading up to what looked exactly the way Tsuna imagined a part of heaven would look like.
"Welcome back, Hibari-san." Tsuna jumped at the sudden greeting. There were two guards standing on either side of the doorway, both looking equally menacing and very similar to Kusakabe. Hibari paid no attention to them and gestured for Tsuna to follow him. The brunette glanced at the two guards and quickly rushed past them, sticking close to the dark haired man, afraid that if he strayed too far, something bad might happen to him. Kusakabe had left to park the limousine someplace else, leaving the two of them alone once again. After they had entered through the doors, Tsuna stiffly turned his head this way and that, peering at all the ornaments, paintings, tapestries, statues, and glass display cabinets. It was like a museum...!
"Weird..." The young man muttered to himself and squinted at a strange looking map framed on the wall. Not taking any notice that the man walking in front of him had stopped, his face bumped right into Hibari's back and he cried out in surprise. The dark haired man ignored him, focusing instead on the person walking in through a hallway to the left. Tsuna rubbed his nose and glanced at Hibari, noticing that the man's eyebrow seemed to be twitching. Huh? Why would someone like Hibari be twitching like that...? The brunette glanced around the man and nearly fell backward.
"Ah! Hibari!" A cheery voice chimed through the hall, "You're back!"
In a low voice, almost hidden with an intent to kill, Hibari asked pointedly, "Young master, what are you doing?"
Y-Young master...? Tsuna stared at Hibari with round eyes. What was their relation...?
"Ahaha! How many times do I need to tell you, just call me Takeshi." Tsuna heard the man, whom he had spilled wine on yesterday night, say, "You've known me ever since I was a kid, right? We're practically childhood friends!"
Hibari frowned and his eyes narrowed. "Young master, you've been training too late into the night. Go to your room."
Yamamoto grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ahh, I got found out, huh. But after all that training, I got sort of hungry. You wanna come get something to eat with me? We can raid the kitchens like we did when we were kids!"
"No." The dark haired man scowled. Yamamoto held his hands up together in a silent plea and smiled handsomely, eyes shimmering with the mischievousness of a boy. Hibari answered the other man's plea with a perfectly direct refusal. "No."
Tsuna stared at the two men, too shocked to laugh at the absurdity of it all.
Yamamoto sighed and dropped his hands. "Fine... I'll just go get food by myself..." The man started to walk towards the kitchens but, to Tsuna's horror, Hibari flashed his tonfa out and brought it down on the young Yamamoto. Tsuna was about to shout and warn him, but Yamamoto spun around and caught the weapon in one hand, grinning from cheek to cheek. "Sorry, Hibari. I just got out of training so I won't be caught off-guard so easily."
Tsuna blinked a couple of times. It seemed like... Yamamoto was good at fighting...?
"Hm?" The young family heir suddenly noticed the brunette from the corner of his eyes and a great smile lit up his face. "Ohh! It's Tsuna!"
"Hiieee!" Tsuna shrunk backwards visibly upon being sighted by Yamamoto. The man had actually remembered him?
"What are you-?" Yamamoto was about to ask why Tsuna was here when his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he crumpled to the floor in a graceless heap. Tsuna's eyes widened to immeasurable proportions, barely registering the whacking sound of metal across flesh before the young heir had fallen.
The son from the most wealthiest family has just collapsed in front of me! What the heck should I do?
As the brunette panicked and his mind swirled into a white mess, Hibari simply grabbed Yamamoto by the collar and started dragging the body down the hall like a sack of potatoes. "This way." The dark haired man tucked his tonfa back to where he had originally placed them and continued on his way, as though he hadn't just knocked the richest kid in the city unconscious.
"But... but...!" Tsuna followed after Hibari uneasily, watching Yamamoto being pulled across the floor carelessly. Hibari didn't even look back as he spoke.
"I am the head butler here. I can do whatever I please, as long as it is for the good of the Yamamoto family."
"Err..." Tsuna stared at the lifeless body on the ground skeptically, "I... see..."
Their movement came to a full stop when Hibari reached the end of the hall. Tsuna maneuvered around the body of Yamamoto to get a better look at the room the uniquely decorated hallway had led into. And immediately, his amber eyes sparkled, momentarily forgetting that the owner's son was on the ground, at his feet.
This was more like what he had been expecting...!
A humongous stone staircase billowed out to the black marble floor several feet away, looking every bit as grandiose and beautiful as the building's exterior. A carpet woven by tiny threads of red silk fell over the smooth steps, rolled from the very top to the very bottom and out into the separate halls, connecting each corridor together. It looked just like something you would find in a movie...!
Hibari marched towards the wall to the left of the hall and picked up a phone receiver hanging on it. He punched a few numbers on a keypad built into the wood and fixed his gaze on Tsuna, eyes narrowing. Tsuna gulped, wondering who the man was calling.
"OU! HIBARI, YOU'RE BACK!" A loud and strangely familiar voice boomed from the other end of the receiver. Hibari had pulled away before his eardrums could burst, but Tsuna yelped in surprise, not expecting the sudden shout.
"The young master was training again. What did I say about letting him stay up all night?" Hibari muttered harshly into the phone. The other person seemed to say something and Hibari frowned. "Shut up. Come and take him back to his room. We're in the main lobby right now." With that, he put the receiver back down and dropped the unconscious Yamamoto by the phone. The dark haired man faced Tsuna and then brushed past the brunette, walking in the direction of the hallway that seemed to lead to the kitchens (since a strong aroma of soup was wafting in from the hall).
"Ehh... are we just going to...?"
"Someone is coming for him. He'll be fine." Hibari answered smoothly. Tsuna fidgeted and his eyes went from the sleeping Yamamoto to Hibari, who was still heading towards the hall leading to the kitchens.
"Umm... are you getting food... after all?"
Hibari stopped in his tracks and then slowly turned halfway around to fully glare at Tsuna, who, under the harsh gaze, was petrified completely like the marble beneath his feet. "Why do you think you are here in the first place?"
After a moment of silence, mostly to recollect himself, the brunette spoke meekly, "I... have a job to do..."
Hibari swept his coat back, as though that concluded the matter, and he entered the hallway to the right. Tsuna took one more glance at Yamamoto and then let out a small sigh. After lifting his hands up together-in something akin to a prayer-and muttering a soft apology to the fallen man, the boy turned and ran off to catch up with his new boss, the dangerous head butler of the wealthiest family in Namimori.
.:.
Now donned in new garb, Tsuna found himself diligently dusting up a corner of a room, wondering vaguely how this had all happened. It sort of felt like he was tricked into coming to work here... He sighed and wiped the sweat beading on his forehead with the sleeve of his new light blue uniform. It had been about a few hours since Hibari had left him with the task of dusting up one of the recreation rooms. During his short tour of the Yamamoto estate, he had counted around five large recreation rooms, possibly for meetings or parties, and about thirteen smaller ones. He wouldn't doubt if there were more than that. As the brunette brushed his feather duster across the top of a cabinet, frightening any spiders building their own home there, he started to think back to the moment Hibari had led him to the open courtyard in the very middle of the mansion. Despite the exterior, the inner courtyard was built in a very foreign fashion. It looked very similar to those temples he had once seen in a brochure of Kokuyo city, a city many miles east of Namimori.
"Never come here from five to eight in the evening." Hibari had threatened. The voice of that man still crept up his spine, sending shivers trembling throughout his body. "If I find you here at those times, I will make sure to wipe you and your family from the face of the earth."
Tsuna swallowed. Something very important would be taking place in the inner courtyard at those times... Hibari didn't even use his usual, "Bite you to death" catch phrase (he assumed it was the man's catch phrase/threat after hearing it countless times already). The brunette was curious, but he'd rather stay out of any unwanted trouble than to figure out what went on there. He heaved another deep sigh and continued with his task. What sort of dangerous job was he getting into...? Being a servant of the Yamamoto household... it was slightly overwhelming.
"Tsuna!"
The young man jumped when he heard someone call his new nickname. He gulped and then slowly turned, eyes widening when he found the black haired family heir jogging towards him with one arm raised high in greeting. Yamamoto came to a stop and panted breathlessly, hunching forward to rest on his knees. "Haa. I knew we'd meet again soon...! I've been looking for you since an hour ago!" He looked up, one eye closed and a bright smile on his lips. Tsuna merely gaped and then slowly tried to respond.
"Uhh... uh... Ya-Ya-Yama..." Then, his eyes grew round and he quickly bowed as low as possible, "F-Forgive my rudeness, y-young master...!"
Yamamoto blinked at the sudden action and then the smile on his face faded a little. "Tsuna, you don't have to be so formal..." He stood up straight and then moved to sling an arm around the shorter boy's neck. "After all, you're my savior! Ha ha!" The man grinned and playfully ruffled Tsuna's hair.
"E-Eh...?" The brunette went rigid from being held and touched in such a friendly fashion.
"You helped me yesterday, with Sayuri. Remember? Seducing me?" The man smiled innocently, peering down at Tsuna with cheery brown eyes.
"Ohh... yeah..." Tsuna laughed weakly, "I didn't... really do anything... ha... ha ha..."
"No, you really helped me a lot!" Yamamoto insisted, "Sayuri's a good friend, but marriage is kinda..." A troubled look slid over the man's face. Tsuna gazed at him, somewhat concerned. He had no idea what the life of a rich man was like, but no matter who it was, they would all be encountering some sort of problems, huh. Even the richest of people who could buy nearly everything they wanted.
"Ohh..." The brunette voiced and the taller man smiled apologetically.
"Haha, sorry. That sort of stuff is boring to talk about. I'm still hungry. Wanna go get something to eat?"
"Eh?" Tsuna maneuvered himself away from Yamamoto and pulled on a meek smile. His eyes darted to the corner he had been dusting and then landed back on the black haired man. "Uhh... but I have to..."
The man took a glance at the spot Tsuna's eyes had darted to and then his face lit up, "Oh! Well then, I can help you. Two will get the work done faster, right?" Yamamoto chuckled and snagged the duster from Tsuna's hands. He moved towards the cabinet and Tsuna's eyes widened.
"EH?" The brunette hastily leapt for the duster and hugged himself around the other man's arm, struggling to get the duster back. "I-I-I can't let the young master do that! It's my job!"
"Tsuna..." Yamamoto watched the boy for a second, as though contemplating something, before easily tossing the feather duster to his other hand. He lifted it high in the air, grinning cheekily, "I won't give this back to you if you keep calling me that."
"B-But...! Young master!" Tsuna bit his bottom lip, amber eyes flickering between Yamamoto's face and the duster. Yamamoto shook his head and smiled expectantly, waiting for the brunette to correct himself. Tsuna pulled back and lowered his eyes to the ground. Why was this guy so intent about calling him by his name...? The brunette's cheeks turned pink and he started in a small voice, "Y-Y-Yama... moto..."
The black haired youth shook his head again. "Not that one. That's my family name. It's Ta-ke-shi."
Tsuna's cheeks grew redder and his head bowed down even further. Yamamoto leaned in close, listening carefully. The brunette felt his body heat up and he turned away, mumuring softly.
"Ta...T-Ta... Take..."
"TAKESHI!" The sudden exclamation surprised the both of them and they looked up, searching for the source of the voice. Tsuna's mouth fell open when he found an extremely familiar face race towards them. Cropped silver hair, scar on his temple, muscular build...
It was Sasagawa Ryohei.
"Sasagawa-san?" Tsuna yelped as the leader of the BOXING Club slid to a stop in front of them.
"Hm?" Ryohei's attention left Yamamoto and redirected itself on the brunette. "OH! Sawada! Good to see you!"
"W-W-What are you doing here?"
Yamamoto laughed and put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder while gesturing to the passionate man with his other. "Ryohei helps out around the house, too. Hibari hired him a couple years ago. We've been good friends ever since. Right, Ryohei?"
"That's exactly right, Takeshi!" Ryohei beamed and flashed a toothy grin. Then, his expression grew slightly more somber. "But, putting that aside for now, Takeshi... you're late for your first class."
Almost immediately, the black haired man stiffened and Tsuna could almost see the cold sweat forming on the back of the man's head. "Ahaha... is that so... I guess I should go now, huh." He handed the feather duster back to Tsuna and sent the boy a small smile. "See you later, Tsuna!" He gave a short wave to Ryohei and then sped off.
Somehow... everyone in here seems really busy... running all over the place. Tsuna watched the trail of dust left in Yamamoto's wake fade away and thought idly, If they had to run so much, they should just get a smaller house...
"Hibari got you too, huh!" Ryohei chortled and clamped a hand over Tsuna's shoulder. Surprised by the sudden weight on his shoulder, Tsuna whipped his head around to look at the silver haired man.
"Wait... so this is that 'other job' that you were talking about yesterday, Sasagawa-san...?"
"Yeah, I don't have anywhere else to go so... Hibari was kind enough to take me in!" Ryohei grinned again. A bead of sweat ran down the brunette's head.
But... Hibari was the one who made you have no place to go to...
The large hand left his shoulder and Tsuna blinked, watching Ryohei start to walk off in the direction of the main lobby. "Well, I found Takeshi. If you need help with something, just ask anyone around here, Sawada. I have to go back now! TO THE EXTREME!" And with that, just as sudden as he had come, the man turned tail and ricocheted off once again.
"Ah...!" The young man watched Ryohei's back and then sighed to himself. Actually he had a lot of questions to ask... such as, how long would he be working here? After all, he wasn't like Sasagawa Ryohei, who seemed to be very strong and handy. Sure, he had done many jobs in the past... but he never really excelled in anything. Hibari-san probably wouldn't keep him here the way he did to the silver haired man. Other questions surfaced. How big was the entire place? Were there any other "rules" like the one about not entering the inner courtyard from five to eight in the evening? And... how old was Yamamoto? He had to take... classes...?
As the amber eyed boy pondered these inquiries, he began to slowly sweep at the cabinets once more.
.:.
The wooden and stone halls around him had suddenly changed into large pillars with open arches leading him through a field of tall, bright green grass. Tsuna stood in the middle of the stone hall (if he could still call it a hall), staring blankly.
Okay, where the heck was he? Was it even Namimori anymore? The field around him sure didn't seem like Namimori...
"AHH, GEEZ!" The brunette collapsed to the floor, dropping his mop and empty bucket on the ground. "There aren't even that many people living here! Why do they need such a huge house?" Tsuna gripped at his hair in frustration. He had been wandering around for ages and he still couldn't find the indoor swimming pool that Kusakabe had told him to clean after he had finished with the eastern wing of the mansion. "Don't they at least have a map of this place or something? What if a guest gets lost when they come to visit?" Although, when he thought on it longer, someone would probably be at the front door to escort the guests. So... they wouldn't be lost if they had an escort...
Tsuna let out a long sigh and then gathered his things again. Well, he had been searching for a while already. It shouldn't be too far away now...
...maybe.
As he stood up, cleaning tools in hand, he noticed someone in the field. It was a man. What was he doing out there in all that grass...? Tsuna studied the person over, noting that the fedora and suit that he wore looked very expensive.
"A relative...?" The brunette murmured to himself, watching in slight fascination. The man had glanced up all of a sudden and sent a smirk in his direction that brought shivers crawling across his skin. Who the heck...? How did he know I was watching him...? Tsuna gulped and hastily bowed before scurrying further through the hall, eager to keep a distance between him and the mysterious man.
.:.
"Maybe I should put up signs or something..." The young man muttered to himself as he scrubbed at the tiny specks of mildew in the cracks of the tiled floor. After another hour or so of searching aimlessly, Tsuna had by a stroke of chance-his life seemed to be revolving around chance a lot lately-stumbled across the indoor swimming pool. Strangely enough, the indoor swimming pool was actually located on the opposite side of the mansion, nowhere near the outdoor swimming pool.
Who built this place...? Tsuna grimaced as he dunked the wired sponge in his hand into a bucket of soapy water beside him.
The brunette had arrived only a couple minutes ago, but he set himself to work at once. The indoor pool wasn't very dirty, save for a few spots in the unseen corners, and the water was clear and still, reflecting the pale ceiling and twinkling lights hovering above it. The cleanliness only demonstrated how meticulously run the entire mansion was. Tsuna shivered involuntarily as he thought of the man running the place. He wondered vaguely how Hibari Kyouya became the man he was now.
Suddenly, the calm waters of the pool unexpectedly exploded, sending water jumping and splattering across the floor; Tsuna nearly shrieked at the top of his lungs when he saw the figure of a person rise from the depths of the water, like the very image of a bogeyman. The person from the water gasped deeply for air and the brunette could only gape and stare wide-eyed in terror, wired sponge long forgotten in the bucket.
"How many minutes was that, Re-hm?"
Tsuna barely recognized the voice through the fear paralyzing him. Although when he finally did, the familiarity of it didn't soothe him in the least.
The black haired heir of the Yamamoto family stood in the center of the pool, water dripping from his chin and bare torso. He blinked curiously at the brunette sitting on the tiled floor of the room.
"Tsuna?" Yamamoto paused for a moment to piece things together and then, as though giving up on understanding why Tsuna had suddenly appeared before him, an ear-splitting grin spread across his face. "Hey, Tsuna! Ahahaha, did I scare you? Sorry about that... ha ha!"
"Ya-Ya... Yama...?" Tsuna's mouth opened and closed as he pointed at the other youth. "What are you-? How are you-? Why... are you...?"
Yamamoto waded to the side of the pool and continued to smile, leaning his arms casually on the edge. "I surprised you that much, huh? Sorry, sorry. Ehh... I thought my instructor would be here... we were having a class..." The young man scratched his cheek and glanced around the vicinity of the pool, "I wonder where that guy went off to...?"
"C-Class...?" Tsuna stuttered in disbelief. What kind of class would have someone stay under water for minutes?
"Aa," The black haired man nodded cheerily, "They're usually really interesting! He makes me do all sorts of things. Like dodging through a field of balls that explode when it touches anything, or learning to jump from balcony to balcony without getting noticed by the hungry dogs on the ground floor... now that I think back on it, it's so nostalgic!"
Tsuna's eyes grew rounder than the roundest of saucers. What kind of life has he been living? As the brunette started to reassess his views on how rich people lived their lives, Yamamoto studied him intently from the side of the pool. Noticing the sudden quiet in the room, Tsuna returned the other man's gaze nervously.
"W-What...?"
After another second, a small smile fell over Yamamoto's lips. "Nothing, I was just thinking... despite all the things people say, it doesn't feel right to treat others like servants after all..."
"Eh?"
The man let out a soft chuckle and then leaned forward, propping his chin up on one hand while peering up at the other young man from the pool side. "Ne, Tsuna. How old are you?"
"E-Eh?" The brunette's eyes darted along the floor, unable to meet the other's. Why was this guy asking for his age now...? "I'm... twenty. I'll be turning twenty-one soon..." Tsuna heard the other man laugh and he looked up in surprise, wondering why the man was laughing. He noted briefly in the back of his mind that the young heir's brown eyes had lit up like the glowing of fireflies in the night.
"Then we're around the same age!" Yamamoto hoisted himself up from the pool, water trailing down his legs and from the dark blue swimming shorts that were undoubtedly made from very good fabric (because it was drying so quickly...). He reached for a clean towel placed on one of the tables scattered around in the room-that Tsuna had only just noticed-and wiped himself dry while moving towards the brunette. Tsuna found himself mesmerized by the well-toned build of the other man (wishing that he could have such a body as well...) and then blushed shamefully when he caught himself staring for too long. The black haired man settled himself beside Tsuna comfortably and stared out at the rippling pool while drying his spiky hair with the towel. "How are you doing so far? Like the house?"
Tsuna watched the other man wordlessly, feeling that calm aura from the previous night immediately lull him into a peaceful daze. He directed his gaze to the pool as well and rubbed the back of his head. Well... if he had to answer honestly, then the answer would be 'No' because despite its beauty, the house was horribly inconvenient. But, he couldn't say that...! He forced on a weak smile and continued rubbing his head. "Umm... i-it's... really nice..."
Yamamoto snorted at the answer and then turned to watch Tsuna in amusement. "Hah! So you like this kind of place, Tsuna? Isn't it way too big though? It's hard to get around and some things are located in the strangest places. Plus, there are a few areas that are kind of weird looking, don't you think?"
W-What? But, but... he was the one who was living here...! Tsuna stared at the man incredulously. Yamamoto carried on, eyes curving into sunny little arcs.
"Maa, it can't be helped really. Since we have a lot of people living here. Although they don't come home very often..."
"Huh?" Tsuna watched Yamamoto quizzically. The other man chuckled and hung his towel around his shoulders, reaching a hand out to ruffle the brunette's hair playfully.
"You'll see." The man spoke with his trademark grin.
Tsuna could only watch on in confusion.
.:.
He didn't know how or when, but somehow-just somehow-he found himself persuaded by the dark haired heir to take a break from work and go, quote-unquote, "visit his room". Why were they walking up the carpeted steps of the main stairwell right now, doing just as the young heir suggested? Tsuna blamed the man's uncanny charm that seemed to put everything at ease around him. This guy was devious. Tsuna just couldn't find it in himself to say no to that oblivious and good-willed smile. How did Hibari do it?
Yamamoto was at the top of the stairs now, looking down at him expectantly, with that smile of his. "We're almost there. Just gotta pass a few halls and take a right at the eighth intersection." The brunette eyed the long hall stretching off into the distance, illuminated by the high chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. This was too much, wasn't it? Just to get to a person's room, they had to go through this maze-like hall... As the two made their way across the floor, Tsuna following obediently behind Yamamoto, the boy wondered to himself where Hibari's room was located among all of these rooms. A plaque on one wall caught his interest and he stared at the letters.
"XX?" He blinked. Yamamoto glanced over his shoulder and chuckled when he recognized the door.
"Yeah, that's someone else's room. He rarely comes back but maybe you'll meet him one day. If you're lucky!" The dark haired man winked. A bead of sweat ran down Tsuna's head. Somehow... he was getting a very foreboding feeling from listening to Yamamoto's words.
It took another several minutes before they finally reached the young heir's room. The brunette's eyes were still spinning. There was no way he would be able to make his way back out from this place... After turning the knob on the door, Yamamoto pushed it open with a grand gesture and grinned.
"Welcome to my room, Tsuna!" Before the brunette had any chance to prepare himself, the other man pushed him in by his shoulders and then left to a corner of the room where a cabinet sat. As Yamamoto pulled open one of the doors on the cabinet, revealing a small refrigerator hidden inside, Tsuna gulped, eyes growing wide as he was enveloped by the feeling of standing in a rich man's room. He nearly felt the need to cower and shield his eyes as everything inside seemed to glow and sparkle with wealth to him.
A beautiful four poster bed stood against the wall near the end of the room where soft curtains tumbled gently from the wind coming in through the glass doors to an open balcony. A flat screen TV sat on another cabinet, across from a cozy looking sofa with a suit hanging off the armrest. The floor was white granite, so polished and clean that it reflected the large lamp on the ceiling, and a carpet spread beneath the bed looked as though it were shimmering from its silky fibers. Everything smelled so nice, too. It was like the smell of autumn and the sweet scent of wood.
The brunette didn't register the hand waving in front of his eyes until Yamamoto's face appeared in his view. His gaping mouth promptly closed with a loud click! and his cheeks turned pink. He heard the young heir laugh in amusement, which only served to add to his embarrassment.
"I-I-I've never been to such a beautiful looking place that someone called a bedroom...!" Tsuna tried to defend himself, face glowing red. Yamamoto smiled in understanding and handed him a drink he had taken from the refrigerator.
"So... you like it then?"
Tsuna glanced down at the drink in his hands and then looked back up into the other man's expectant face. The brunette averted his eyes and mumbled a quick, "Y-Yeah... it's... nice..."
He could feel Yamamoto's happy grin directed at him and could almost imagine the man's eyes lighting up in the way it did when they had been at the indoor swimming pool. Then he heard the man move away. Tsuna peered in Yamamoto's direction and watched him settle down on the four poster bed.
"Tsuna, you don't have to stand there all day. It's my room after all. You should relax." The dark haired man teased and gestured to the couch before taking a sip from his own carton of milk.
Milk...? Tsuna stared at the carton in the man's hands and slowly made his way across the marble floor to the carpeted area. Somehow, seeing Yamamoto drink milk in such a grand looking room looked out of place... He finally reached the couch and hesitantly glanced at Yamamoto for reassurance. The young heir let out a short laugh and smirked playfully. "Tsuna, it's not going to hurt you. It's just a couch."
The brunette felt his cheeks grow hot again. "I-I know..." The young man studied the couch and then turned to sit, inching closer to it at a turtle's pace. It looked like such a nice couch... so beautiful, so soft, so expensive... it would be something he wouldn't be able to buy even if he sold all of his belongings. His bottom finally reached the edge of the seat. He hoped he wouldn't contaminate the leather with his poorness.
And then, when he finally eased himself into the chair, his entire body sunk in. Tsuna let out a yelp as his backside was seemingly sucked into it. It was too soft! He flailed his arms around helplessly and he heard the sound of milk spraying from a mouth. Tsuna froze and blinked once before staring at the image of the young Yamamoto heir clutching his stomach and laughing for all that he was worth. He blushed furiously for the umpteenth time that day and flailed his arms again, reaching for Yamamoto.
"S-Stop laughing at me and help me out...!" He was making such a fool of himself! To get sucked into a couch, of all things...!
"HA HA HA, oh Tsuna, you...! You just...! No one's ever...! Pffft!" Yamamoto would've collapsed if the bed didn't have a post on the end. The man clung onto the pole and wiped the tears from his eyes. Then, his gaze landed on Tsuna again and he watched the smaller boy for a moment before springing back into full blown laughter.
"Wha?" Tsuna gaped at the other man's reaction. Was it really that funny? The brunette was about to demand again that the young heir help him when a knock on the door caused the two to abruptly stop their respective struggling and chortling.
"Young master...?" A young woman's voice called from the door, "I apologize for interrupting but I must clean your room... excuse me." And then the door opened. Tsuna's eyes grew round and he reached his arms for Yamamoto hurriedly. I shouldn't be in here...! His thoughts echoed frantically in his mind. But the young woman had already entered and she paused, dumbfounded by seeing the new servant stuck in the young master's couch. "Umm... you are the new...?"
Tsuna gulped, unable to focus his eyes on the woman, "Erm... uhh... I was... cleaning the indoor swimming pool when I met the young master..."
Yamamoto gave the woman a gentle smile, posture and aura returning to its usual water-like calmness, "I was the one who asked Tsuna to come here."
"Oh!" The woman gave a short nod in understanding, "Well, since it is the young master's wish... but... have you properly finished cleaning the pool?" She eyed the brunette warily.
Tsuna blinked at the question. Had he...? His eyebrows knit together in thought and then he gasped, realizing that no he hadn't! And he had even left the bucket and cleaning tools out! He was an absolute failure...!
The woman shook her head, understanding everything with one look at his face. Tsuna felt his heart fall. He didn't want to look like he was irresponsible with his work... Yamamoto quickly helped Tsuna out and the woman left the room to prepare the cartful of cleaning tools. The brunette was about to leave with a short bow when Yamamoto pulled him over and gave him a bright smile.
"You had fun, right?"
"Eh?" What a strange question... Tsuna looked up and found himself caught in Yamamoto's chocolate brown eyes, shimmering eagerly back at him. He felt his face flush and the brunet quickly dropped his gaze to his hands. "Well... yeah..."
"Me, too." Tsuna glanced up again and when their eyes crossed-warm colors reflecting in each other's irises-he felt his heart jump for a second. Soft grins spread across their faces and Yamamoto gave Tsuna one last tousle of the shorter boy's hair. "I'll see you later, Tsuna!"
"Yeah." As he watched the other man, the brunet couldn't suppress the urge to smile widely and when he reached the door, he turned again to send a small wave towards the dark haired heir. "See you later!" He was rewarded with a cheery chuckle.
As Tsuna left out the door, the woman from before brushed past him and murmured in a low voice, "Before you get too carried away with entertaining the young master, I suggest you finish your duties first. You must not forget your place." And then she left him.
Tsuna froze as the words rang in his head.
Entertaining the young master...? Was he only entertainment for Yamamoto?
He slowly started moving again, shuffling down the hall with his head bowed down. Then, a small smile spread along his face again. No... Yamamoto didn't seem like the kind of guy who would treat others like that. He was different from the other wealthy people in Namimori. They were... friends! The little brunet hopped around a corner and continued to grin as though he had never grinned before.
Yes, they were friends!
.:.
The mansion was filled with shadows. Only the more illuminated corridors and rooms were free of them, with the exception of a few dark corners here and there. Tsuna glanced out one of the small windows of the kitchen, holding a mop in hand.
"No moon tonight, huh..." The young man sighed, continuing his work. The day had passed quite dully after his visit to Yamamoto's room. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the young heir since then. And strangely enough, he hadn't seen Hibari or Ryohei either. Tsuna paused again to stare out the window. The place felt... so empty. He had occasionally passed by a few other workers, who only nodded to acknowledge his existence. Working in this sort of place was... slightly scary. Everything was so cold. Too silent. It would be nice if he could see more familiar faces...
"I've returned..." The door to the kitchen suddenly opened, "Have all the preparations been completed as I have instruct-? Nn?" The brunette gulped and spun around quickly, about to bow and apologize for day-dreaming, when the person standing at the doorway made him stop. A relieved smile spread across his face and his eyes shimmered happily.
"Hibari-san, it's you! You're back, thank goodness!"
The head butler stared at the young man and raised an eyebrow at the happy tone of voice directed towards him. "There must be something wrong with your head," was Hibari's immediate and rude reaction.
Tsuna clamped a hand over his mouth, catching himself, and then slowly pulled his hand back down, smiling sheepishly. "Oh... sorry, it's nothing... heh... heh..."
The other man eyed him a couple times and then maneuvered himself towards one of the cabinets, opening it and examining its contents. "Where are the others?" He asked curtly. Tsuna, who had started to mop the floor again, halted and peered at Hibari's back timidly. The man frowned and turned to glare over his shoulder. "If you make me repeat myself again, I will bite you to death."
"Hiiieee!" Tsuna cowered and hugged the handle of the mop close to himself. "Umm... well... that... I'm not really sure..." His eyes fell to the ground. It was true though. He really didn't know. The workers who had been in the kitchen previously had tossed him the mop and then left him to take care of everything; from washing the dishes to checking the supplies in the storage room and cleaning the counters. He was just finishing with the floor before the man had entered.
Hibari watched the brunette for a few seconds and then let out a short huff that made Tsuna jump in fear. Then, the black haired man turned tail and promptly swept out the room. Tsuna briefly noticed that Hibari's arm was reaching behind him, to the place where he usually pulled his tonfa out from...
Wait...
Hibari-san wasn't going to...
...was he?
Tsuna stood silently in the room, only capable of gaping at the doorway in stupidity. No... he wouldn't... right?
And suddenly, a few screams and shouts leapt from one of the halls to the right of the kitchen. Tsuna froze on his feet, eyes round with fright. Several seconds later, five servants and maids rushed into the room, hurriedly pulling on their work clothes and holding their faces which were sporting new bruises. A few of them sent fierce glares towards Tsuna, who in turn withdrew to the corner of the kitchen, afraid of their combined looks of fury.
"You could've lied and said we were off cleaning the B-wing or something...!" A woman spat out at him, pulling on an apron and muttering to herself how new servants were always useless and almost always after the money rather than getting the job well done.
"I'm sorry..." The brunette mumbled quietly, continuing to hover in his little corner. The doors of the kitchen swung open again and the dark haired butler of the Yamamoto family entered once again, eyes narrowed and fixed on the employees in the room. His eyes shot towards Tsuna in the little nook between two counters and the brunette jumped in return.
"You..." Hibari reached for one of the knives placed neatly in the racks along the walls. He started walking towards Tsuna with it. The brunette whimpered in return, eyeing the sharp object in the man's hands. W-What? Was he going to be killed? Hibari was coming at him with a kitchen knife! He was going to be stabbed! Stabbed!
Tsuna tried to back away but found himself trapped between the counters and the wall. He gulped and watched as Hibari came closer. He was going to die...? Hibari raised the hand holding the knife and Tsuna clamped his eyes closed. If this was going to be the end... he wished... he could have at least spent a little more time with Yamamoto...
Eh?
He blinked.
Spend more time with Yamamoto?
Why... did he want that?
"Can you cook?"
"Huh?" Tsuna blinked, surprised by the sudden question. Hibari was holding the knife out patiently, handle pointed to him. He tentatively took the sharp tool from Hibari and murmurred a small, "W-Well... a little bit..."
"Then, it's settled. From now on, you will be in charge of all their duties including your own." Hibari flicked off a piece of dust from his jacket and started leaving the room again. "Be sure to complete all the tasks perfectly as I have instructed."
"EHH?" A chorus of disbelieving shouts came from the employees. Tsuna's jaw dropped. A-All of their duties? Did Hibari think he was superhuman or something? How could he do all of their work and his as well?
But wait... wait a moment... if he was going to do all their work... what would... the other employees be doing?
"What?" A man leapt forward, "Sir, you are going to allow this... this child to cook for the Yamamoto family? I cannot accept th-!" Tsuna's eyes nearly popped out from its sockets when Hibari, in a swift motion, rammed a steel tonfa into the man's face, causing the man to fly and flip backwards in the air for a second before crashing onto the floor in a broken heap.
"The rest of you are fired."
The men and women in the room gaped back at him. After so many years of working for him, just for being caught slacking off this once... he would fire them just like that...?
A coy smile lifted the corners of Hibari's mouth. "Now if you insist on wasting any more of my time, I will make sure that you never see the skies of Namimori again. I want you all out of the mansion by 20:00. If you are not gone by then, I will bite you to death. If I ever see you again, I will also bite you to death. If I even hear the sound of your voice on the streets, I will bite you to death. Understood?"
The employees, along with Tsuna, could only nod dumbly as they trembled. The man turned to leave out the doors of the kitchen and uttered a few simple commands. "Kusakabe will show you to your room, jack of all trades. Tomorrow morning, I want you up by five to prepare breakfast for a group of fifty."
Tsuna regained his senses as quickly as possible and hastily bowed, managing to stutter out a short, "Y-Yes, sir!" Then he paused and lifted his head up to blink at the swinging doors in confusion.
Eh? Room...?
.:.
"WHAT?"
"Sawada-san... I've told you already..." The large man wearing his hair in a pompadour sighed and twirled the piece of grass in his mouth. He pushed the younger man into the room and gestured lazily to the pieces of furniture scattered about the inside. "It's the room you will be staying in from now on."
Tsuna gaped at the bed and the walls, jaw slack. If he had been holding something in his hands, he would have surely dropped it. Although the room wasn't as grand as the others and the window was probably only a sixth of Yamamoto's, the floor was still much bigger than he was accustomed to. Compared to his own narrow, flat bed with broken springs and dusty blankets, the bed he now had... was like something sent from heaven. There was no TV like the one in Yamamoto's room and there was no private refrigerator or bathroom, but to Tsuna, the room was simple, practical, and beautiful.
"W-What...? This amazing room... I'm staying... here...?" He managed to wheeze out and his eyes darted from corner to corner, wide and filled with a combination of joy and terror.
"Aren't you over reacting?" Kusakabe raised an eyebrow at the new and strange servant they had taken under their wing. "And yes, you are staying here." Tsuna couldn't speak for a few seconds. It took a while longer for him to regain his usage of speech and when he did, the first words that flew from his mouth were,
"But... I already have a place to live. Why do I have to stay... here?"
"Are you an idiot?" Kusakabe easily replied, "Is it possible for you to come work here everyday while commuting all the way from the poor side of the city? Do you know how long that'll take?" He shook his head and rolled the stalk of grass along his lips again. "Not possible."
"Ah, but... what about my family? They don't know that I'm here...!"
"Well, when you're hired by Hibari, it's almost as though you've gone away and died somewhere. It's all right, I'm sure your family will understand." The older man nodded and slapped Tsuna on the back in what he deemed to be a comforting way. "You should get some sleep. It'll be a big day tomorrow."
"What? W-Wait!" The brunet exclaimed as the man left him behind, strolling out the door. Then, resigning to his fate, he sunk to his knees. He would be staying here from now on? But... he had only packed the clothes he thought he would be using for the job...! Namely the clothes he had worn the day before... He would only have three sets of clothes: the ones he wore in the morning, the uniform from yesterday, and the clothes he had changed into so that he matched the other servants in the house. What should he do about his underwear?
The young man pulled himself back up and heaved himself towards the soft bed hugging the walls. With a careless swing, he flung his body over the sheets, letting his body bob up and down on the firm mattress. Tsuna sighed and stared up at the blank ceiling. No... he was just running away from the real problem at hand. Trying to fool himself. He closed his eyes and imagined himself opening the doorway to his home; turning that chilly, rusty knob, the familiar scent of his mother's cooking wafting to greet him, Lambo and I-pin's bickering that could be heard ringing in every corner of the house. And then Gokudera in the backyard, always working hard towards his dream...
Mom... Lambo, I-pin... I hope you guys will be okay without me for now...?
Tsuna turned on his side and curled up among the sheets, trying to draw comfort from its gentleness. They smelled of bleach and some sweetly scented wood.
Will you be mad at me, Gokudera-kun?
.:.
