YOU PPL ARE SO FAITHFUL.
THE REVIEW COUNT IS UP TO TEN.
ENJOY THE UN-CLIMAX-MAXED CHAPTER.
:'D
i come back from the stupid-ass retreat and i see hardly any progress in the poll.
LOOK. I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE GETTING TIRED OF THE CONSTANT REMINDER TO VOTE. BUT THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT. OBVIOUSLY.
but then again, you can't vote twice. derp. l:T
whatever. i'll do this anyway. becuz i enjoy the reviews.
you know, looking back at the chapters i wrote and reading them all over again kinds makes me think that i could've done better and that they weren't all that good.
*SOBBERS*
but what comes goes. so FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF- for that.
so. HOW DOES THIS BETA THING WORK AGAIN?
TROLLOLOLOL
actually, don't review on that. it's rhetorical. :I
this one reader said i described Cozart really well. in actuality, that wasn't my intention. writing his eyes in detail almost killed me XD
but, thank you. you made my pleasantly surprised.
GUESS WHO'S COMING ZEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
(i seem to start my chapters frequently with someone saying something. TROLLOLOL)
OH MY FLIP. I'M CURRENTLY READING THE NEWEST KHR MANGA CHAPTER, AND HOT DAMN, ADULT COLONNELLO IS DROP-DEAD SEXY.
...i didn't notice until the fourth page that Tsuna curses. ;_; ruins my innocent view of him. *SOBSOBSOB*
"Mukuro, you bastard... I'm way stronger than you!"
;^; the underlined word is what upset me. and then the egoism shattered my soul.
(btdubs... Squalo looks like a man-girl. he totally does.)
HAR HAR HAR KYOYA YOU PRETTY BOY YOU~
HEY PPL. YOU CAN THANK qXyrin FOR THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAP. ZEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I TOLD YOU I WOULD CALL YOU OUT GURL
XD
Chapter Six
Knock And It Shall Be Opened Unto You.
It was a Sunny morning, the birds were chirping...
The weather was wonderful.
A gentle breeze of the lingering summer...
Puffy clouds that reminded you of cotton candy drifted lazily in the clear blue skies...
The perfect day to go out and play with your friends.
So... Tsunahime was laid on a stiff bed, basking in the warm sunlight with her eyes closed and face a perfect calm. Why the hell am I at school?
More specifically, she was in the nurse's office, lying on the cot closest to the window nearest to the farthest corner from the door. The curtain was pulled around it, hiding her form but not her shadow.
The brunette was here simply because she wanted to. And the nurse was a nice person that minded her own business when time called for it.
Plus, she had a headache from arguing with Giotto about Tsuna's virginity. She recalled the angry bickering.
"YOU FUCKING PEDOBEAR."
"WHAT THE SHIT?"
"HIIIIIE! Tsu- Tsuna! Wh- why did you drop Dad's hammer-encyclopedia on Ieyatsu's face?"
"THIS STUPID BLOND JUST POPPED YOUR CHERRY, DIDN'T HE? RAPISTS MUST BE PUNISHED."
"I DIDN'T HAVE SEX WITH TSUNAYOSHI, YOU DUMB BITCH."
"GYAAAAA! WHAT THE HECK, YOU TWO!"
"SILENCE, MY DEAR BROTHER. I WILL AVENGE YOU."
"OH MY GOD, YOU'RE SO FULL OF CRACK."
"Please... just stop..."
"I'LL TELL ON DAD FOR THIS, YOU PEDO."
"WHAT ARE YOU, FIVE? Look, I didn't force Tsunayoshi!"
"...you're giving her the wrong idea, Ieyatsu."
"SO YOU DID HAVE SEX. YOU'RE ONLY FIFTEEN, TSUNA! AND HE'S, LIKE, OLD."
"Gee, your vocabulary is so wide."
"He's only ten years older than me, Sis. It's not like there are others like us out in the world. For instance: there's that famous literature author, Usami Akihiko-san."
"Ah... my sweet, innocent brother... you have been tainted by this evil in the same bed as you... PREPARE YOURSELF FOR PAIN, YOU STUPID BLOND."
"GAH - FUCKING SHIT - YOU CRAZY BITCH - OW - "
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST KICKED HIM THERE, TSUNA!"
"No, worries, he had no balls in the first place. It shouldn't have hurt. Too much."
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU FUCKING PSYCHOPATH."
"I've never seen him so pissed... He's so out of character... I'm going to cry..."
"Look what you did. You really are blond. And a jerk."
"I hate you. So much. You know that?"
"I've never felt so violated in my life..."
"I'm a sister. It's what we do."
Tsunahime cracked a grin, then wincing as the dull throbbing in her head worsened. It had been so fun, teasing her brothers like that.
She gripped her head, letting out a quiet hiss of pain. Closing her eyes, she attempted to ease it by falling asleep.
Sure enough, she began to lull into the comforting blackness.
She didn't know if it was a dream, a nightmare, or if it was some memory of when she was little.
A dream, because her vision was cloudy, and her body was light as a feather.
A nightmare, because the scenery never changed, and she could never speak.
A memory, because she had this strange feeling of nostalgia and painful longing.
And, the same person.
Always, it was the same person.
The same hair color. It was a deep, vibrant shade of red. It reminded her of the red of dawn, rubies, apples, cherries. She couldn't stop staring at such a beautiful sight.
"Oh, really? Although, I think I like yours better."
The same smile. It was lopsided, crooked in an endearing way. She loved how it sloped on one side and dropped on the other. It always made the hurt in her heart lessen.
"Does it? Alrighty then, I'll keep smiling, just for you."
The same broad chest and strong arms. They were sturdy, and she felt so comforted and secure whenever she leaned into them. The sound of the beating heart calmed her.
"You sure love hugs, don't you? I don't know anyone else that likes 'em more than you do."
But she couldn't see the rest of this man's face. What happened to the eyes? Why couldn't she see them?
"Ah, such a sweet darling. My dear Princess... You've yet to see my entire person."
Entire person? Was there someone else she had to meet?
"Well, something like that. He's a little shy, but I'm sure he'll open up to you."
Who was it? A brother? A son? A special someone?
"No, I've already got my special someone in my arms. He's still me, but a tad bit different."
'Still me'? A split personality, then?
"Close, but not exactly. Don't worry, you'll meet him soon. He'll probably be the shrinking violet of the class, so it'll be easy to point him out."
She feels lips press on her cheek as the arms around her loosen.
"I'm counting on you, Princess."
Tsunahime opened her eyes and was met by the plaster white of the ceiling. She draped an arm on top of her eyes and rolled over to one side, sighing quietly. She heard the wheels of a chair move towards her cot.
"Tsuna-chan? Are you alright? Does your head hurt? Do you want some aspirin? Or would you like some water?"
Instead of being annoyed by the bombard of questions, the brunette only smiled, knowing the care in the nurse's voice was sincere. She sat up, a small smile gracing her lips.
"No, Mrs. Luce," she replied, chuckling, "I'm fine. Just a... bad dream."
Luce was her first name, but Tsunahime opted for that instead of "Mrs. Gigli Nero". Luce was an old friend of her father's, partners of some company way back when. She was a kind and strong woman, a trait that reminded Tsunahime of her mother. She liked it, and felt at ease with her around.
"A bad dream? Aren't those called 'nightmares'?"
Tsunahime smiled a little wider. "Nah, I don't get nightmares. It was just a bad dream," she murmured, seeing the man clearly in her head. The curtain to her cot swished open, revealing a pregnant woman with a loving smile and soothing sapphire eyes.
The brunette brought her knees up and knocked her head on them, seeing the woman sideways now. The smile on her face stuck to her face as the nurse rolled her chair next to the cot she was on.
"Whew," Luce sighed, then giggled. She smoothed a delicate hand over her bulging belly, her face a complete look of love. "Aria is so eager to get out of Mommy's tummy, isn't she? Daddy wants to see you too, sweetheart."
Tsunahime chuckled at the soon-to-be mother's cooing, a strange feeling bubbling warmly inside her. "Hey, Mrs. Luce?" The pregnant woman looked up questioningly, her entire being radiating happiness. "What does it feel like, to have another living being inside you?"
Luce hummed in thought, tapping her chin lightly with a graceful finger. "Hmm... well..." She smiled widely, as if she had an idea. "I'm not sure if I can explain it, Tsuna-chan." Her eyes dazed off, eyelids lowered to create a dreamy look. "But somehow, the thought of having a child that would love you unconditionally and never hate you makes you feel... complete."
The brunette closed her eyes, trying to feel what the school nurse was telling her. She felt nothing, until the man in her "bad dream" popped into her head. Her eyes snapped open, and she gasped softly in surprise.
Luce immediately leaned forward, a look of concern adorning her beautiful face. "What's wrong? Does it hurt anywhere? Here, I'll get you some water - "
Tsunahime gently grasped the pregnant woman's long sleeve, tugging her back down. She smiled, but the moisture shining in her eyes said otherwise. Luce sat back down slowly, eyebrows furrowed worriedly. She placed a hand on the fifteen-year-old's hunched shoulder, and it relaxed. "Tsuna-chan? What's wrong?"
Tsunahime blinked the unshed tears away and stretched out her long, slender legs. She began to hum, reaching out to touch her toes, and laid her head on her thighs. "Nothing. I just..." She trailed off, picking her head up and laughing at herself. "I think I know what you're talking about now, Mrs. Luce."
The nurse blinked in confusion, then smiled brightly, sighing in relief. "Really? It feels good, right?"
The brunette grinned. "Yeah, it does." The grin turned wolfish. "Better than fighting, actually."
As she expected, the pregnant nurse pouted, disapproval clear on her lovely face. "I thought I told you to stop getting hurt and hurting others, Tsuna-chan!"
Tsunahime swung her legs off the cot, slipping into her boots and standing. "You did." She pranced to the door, her melodious laughter resounding throughout the room. "But when do I ever listen?" She waved over her shoulder and trotted down the empty halls, her headache completely cleared.
As she was passing the Disciplinary Committee Office, she saw something that caught her interest. She peered through the slightly ajar door, snickering quietly in mischief.
It was Hibari Kyoya with a different blond. They were on the couch, the skylark's arms was draped over the man's shoulders with his chin on top of his head, blushing faintly. The stranger chuckled, pressing his lips on the prefect's neck in a gentle, loving manner, wrapping his arms around the younger male's waist securely.
The sixteen-year-old closed his eyes and smiled genuinely, something Tsunahime thought his pride didn't allow. He tilted his head so that his cheek rested on the blond's choppy hair, sighing in what the brunette identified as contentment.
Then he leaned back, using his hands to cup his lover's face and bring it to his. Their lips met for a short but sweet moment, separating only to smile at another. They began to converse in hushed tones and Tsunahime strained her ears to eavesdrop, even though it wasn't all that hard to hear them since the room was quiet.
"Dino," the prefect started, his voice shockingly soft, "I'm going to bite you to death if someone sees us like this."
The man named Dino laughed deep in his throat, kissing his shy(?) lover on the nose. The action was so adorable Tsunahime had to resist the urge to puke. "I had Romario and some others on patrol, darling. No one's going to get in anytime soon." He buried his face on the crook of the skylark's neck, inhaling the scent of metal and barley tea.
"I missed you, love," Dino purred, pressing Kyoya even closer to his bigger body. "Paperwork is so tiring. How in the world do you get all of it done, Kyoya?"
The prefect scoffed lightly, blowing at his feathery bangs. "You just do it. It's not that hard," he stated, as if it was obvious. Then he yanked himself away, his iron-gray eyes literally sparkling with anticipation. "Fight me," he demanded, reaching for his tonfa hidden in the folds of his discarded committee jacket lying next to them.
Dino's eye twitched. "Er, can I refuse?" Without answering, Kyoya slammed one steel bludgeon on the couch's back, missing the blond's head by a few centimeters. The older male sighed in exasperation, glancing at the fearsome dent the tonfa left nervously. "I guess not."
And then, just like that, they were fighting. Tsunahime deadpanned, her eyebrows raised, and lowered her cellphone. She had taken all the juicy moments with her camera, up until Kyoya had initiated the brawl.
She opted to watch instead of snapping more shots, knowing that at their speed of exchanging blows was too fast to capture clearly - they would all come out as blurs. Finally, after nearly thirty minutes of pain, Dino had cracked the tonfas out of Kyoya's grasp, swept his legs out from under him, and tied his hands together with his bullwhip. The blond hovered over the prefect, grinning victoriously.
He leaned in close, chuckling. "Looks like I win," he commented, using his free had to brushed the sweat-matted hair away from his little lover's face. Kyoya grunted, wrinkling his nose in a rather cute fashion. That only made the blond grin even wider, and then he all but devoured the bloodthirsty teen's open mouth.
Tsunahime had taken four snapshots. One was the blond looming over his lover's downed form, next was him clearing his lover's face mid-action, the third was when Dino was just about to kiss Kyoya, and the last was them in their current situation. If she counted the ones before the fight, she had a total of seventeen photos - seventeen delicious pieces of grade-A blackmail material.
It was even better than the one she took of her brothers, which she still had in her possession, although she had lied and said she'd deleted it. Such a pretty picture didn't deserve the trashcan. No one knew about her secret file of back-stabbing snaps she stored in her un-suspicious USB.
It was shaped like a tiny, super-thin square, no bigger than her thumbnail. It was small enough to fit into the hollow of the Shimon ring, which she hung in a chain around her neck. It was locked with a complicated password and designed to erase every single file it contained if someone tired to hack into it. She knew well enough that it was risky, but it was better to have no evidence.
The thing probably costed more than a small fortune. But she'd nicked it from Iemitsu's wide arrange of advanced technology stuff in his suitcase, which she broke into so easily she felt insulted, all in all resulting in absolutely no drop in her wallet.
Anyway, she told herself, even if someone tried to steal it, I have a tracker on my cell. And she doubted there was anyone who could outrun her on foot. Automobiles were another matter, but she always had the strongest hitman in the world and the CEO of the most powerful, not to mention largest, company on earth to use if that were to happen (though the latter was by blackmail).
That is, if the morons found it first.
Tsunahime straightened, shutting her cellphone shut with a look of satisfaction on her face. She then proceeded to skip down the hallway, knowing the soft thumping of her boot-covered feet wasn't quite enough to alert the two lovebirds of her presence.
Stopping at the classroom with the only window next to a tree, she went inside, weaving effortlessly between the unoccupied desks. Reaching the window, she slid it open and climbed onto the metal-edged sill. Then she hopped onto the nearest branch, not the slightest bit alarmed as it swayed under the sudden weight.
Tsunahime had done this so many times she knew what to do with her eyes closed and not mess up her footing. Of course, she never did it during school days. Luce happened to be an excellent therapist and quite the wonderful company. And she didn't have to pay for the treatment of the rare injuries she received from fights. Better yet, it didn't appear on her medical record either.
Dropping on one branch to another, she eventually landed on terra firma the tree was anchored to. As she was crossing the barren front campus, she felt a pair of eyes burning a hole into the back of her head. Knowing who it was, she took out her cellphone and turned around, walking backwards.
Tsunahime waved it high above her head, grinning so wide her cheeks hurt. Then she made the universal sign for a camera with her hands and held it over one eye, laughing as the prefect's face blew up into crimson. Pocketing her portable phone, she cackled as she saw Dino made a the world-wide handsign for her to call him behind his furious lover's back.
She saluted back at the blond, winking. She knew he wanted copies of the photos, and she was more than delighted to comply. Finding him would be no problem. If the blond was smarter than what stereotypics claimed, they would meet in some way, sooner or later.
Seeing the skylark disappear from the window, she turned back around and began to run, building up speed. The school gates were closed, but that was hardly a problem for the brunette.
Just as she heard the sound of chains rattling, Tsunahime launched herself up into the air, using the force she put in her jump to flip herself over the sharp spikes of the black fence surrounding Nami-chu grounds.
She landed on her feet safely, letting out a quiet sigh of accomplishment. Flashing a grin at the seething perfect, she started towards Namimori's shopping district. She knew the town's blueprint like the back of her hand, but so did Kyoya. The brunette used every shortcut she knew, leaping over various obstacles and taking so many sudden turns it made her dizzy.
Tsunahime slowed down, exiting the shady alleyways and entering the wider streets. To her surprise, she heard pounding footsteps and the clashing sound of metal links.
The brunette ducked, rolling into the open. She gaped at the sight of a slightly out of breath Kyoya, then grinned with excitement. The murderous intent he gave off began to effect her, even though she tried to resist it. The recent pictures she took had yet to be stored into her teeny memory chip, and she was definitely not letting her cellphone get destroyed.
Watching the direction of the chains carefully, she made herself move to avoid them so it was nigh impossible to touch the cell in her jacket. It looked like they were dancing, albeit that it was extremely dangerous and they had all the intention to hurt one another.
Deciding to treat herself to a little fun, she took out her cellphone and dangled it teasingly in front of her. She laughed as she dodged the chain that was meaningfully swung to detach the device from her hand (and possibly some fingers).
"You want this? Then take it..." She trailed off, using a hand to unbutton a little of her shirt. The prefect hissed in irritation as he realized what she was doing, gripping his tonfas so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "...if you can." She dropped her cellphone into her cleavage.
"That's foul play," the prefect snarled, reeling in his chains back into his tonfas. Then he dashed forward, his Disciplinary Committee coat billowing out from behind him.
Tsunahime pranced away, grinning joyfully at the feeling of adrenaline rushing throughout her body. Fighting someone as strong as her was rare, and she planned to savor the moment as long as possible.
Kyoya swung his tonfa to her midsection, blinking in disbelief as Tsunahime dropped down to her knees, her back touching the blacktop. Using her hands as a anchor, she rolled her feet back and as quick as lightning kicked up.
Her soles of her boots met with one of Kyoya's tonfas, knocking it out of the hand he was holding it with. Seeing the other steel bludgeon coming down, she threw herself to the side to avoid it, but the end had hit her side.
Wincing in pain, she jumped back to put distance between them. There was a smirk of satisfaction on the skylark's pretty face, twisting it into an image of cold beauty. Tsunahime laughed out loud, shutting her mind off her body's pain as she bent her knees into a crouch.
Everything was a mix of colors, like a palette of paints swirled together by an angry artist. Neither of the Nami-chu students cared if the growing crowd of onlookers recorded their fight. All they could think of was to crush their opponent to the hard unforgiving ground.
Tsunahime leaped into the air as Kyoya aimed for a bone-shattering hit. She grabbed his outstretched arm and yanked him to her, smashing her knee against his ribcage and grinning as she heard the sound of fracturing and breaking.
Kyoya growled, raising his free hand and cracked his steel tonfa onto the side of the brunette's head, snatching his captured limb back.
Dazed by the sharp agony caused by the hit, pure reflex made her other leg snap out in retaliation. The edge of her boot made contact with his jaw, jerking the prefect's head to the side painfully.
Tsunahime somersaulted blindly to unoccupied space, feeling something warm and wet running down her face. Blood oozed heavily out from the injury he'd given her, forcing her to shut her right eye so it wouldn't go into it and block her vision.
Clicking her tongue at the inconvenience, she slicked a hand over her eye and flicked the red liquid to the side. Opening the now clear organ cautiously, she saw that Kyoya was in no perfect condition either.
His stance was wobbly, and blood dribbled out the corner of his lips. The two fearsome fighters were battered and bruised, but they were more worse for wear than what they showed. In the normal bodies of teenagers their age, they would have blacked out from all the pain a long, long time ago. The only thing that kept them on their feet was their iron will to take each other down before one of them fell on their own.
Tsunahime cracked a grin, chuckling at their sorry states. "Whew... you're one tough little birdie, ain't cha?" Her words slurred together, but she wasn't all too concerned about her grammar at the moment. "I ain' seen no one tha' was m' age thadi'n' go down at a kick to th' face b'fore."
Kyoya scoffed, wiping his mouth. "You sound like a cow," he retorted, shoving his dislocated shoulder back into its socket with a grunt at the stinging ache it sent down his arm's length. "Look. All I want is that stupid cellphone with those stupid photos in it. Give it to me and maybe I won't bite you to death. Only to hospitalization."
The brunette crossed her arms, ignoring the pain that raced though her torso when she accidentally touched the massive bruise on her side. "No. These pics are a pot of gold, Mister Prefect. Do you have any idea how much the fangirls would pay for a single copy? A lot."
Namimori's diligent protector gave her a death glare scary enough to make the surrounding citizens back away in fear and clenched his tonfas in a vice grip. "Does it look like I care? Those photos are something I absolutely cannot allow to be shown to the public. Give it to me!"
When he saw her shake her head in refusal, the self-restraint inside him snapped. With a yell of frustration, he flung the tonfa in his writing hand at the brunette. Tsunahime rolled her eyes at the last-ditch attack, swatting it aside without almost no effort. She gave him a curious stare, her interest perked.
"Why do you want it so badly in the first place?" she inquired, raising her eyebrows as the prefect hissed furiously. Seeing his hunched shoulders and bared teeth reminded her of a cat. An angry black one, at that.
Kyoya intensified his glare, if that was possible. "None of your business," he snarled, trying to cool himself down but failing. "Just- just hand it over, dammit!"
Tsunahime blinked at the level of agitation the prefect was showing, and hummed in thought. Then she smiled, the bulb above her head lighting up. "Fine."
The skylark looked taken aback by her readily agreement, then narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "...you're lying," he declared, scowling as the smile on her face grew wider.
The brunette brushed her blood- and sweat-matted hair away from her face. "Well, duh." She grinned, turning half-way. "I'm saying I won't show these to anyone. But I'm keeping them anyway." Before he could protest, she continued. "Besides, Dino wants copies. If you want to deck it out at anyone, convince him to tell me to delete the pictures."
Kyoya spat blood from his mouth, frowning deeply. "Why him? Did he hire you to take the shots?"
Tsunahime laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "As if. I'm freelance- I do things at my own pace." She mulled her next words over her tongue, smoothing her hands over her rumpled clothes. "We made a deal, that's all. It's between just the two of us, so I'll be needing his consent to erase the images."
Waving farewell as if they were good buddies she began to jog to the direction of her house, each step sending a jolt of stings throughout her body but not really paying much mind to it.
She had her entertainment for the day, and that was enough. Now, it was her time to have fun at home.
Next Chapter:
Fear Is Often Greater Than The Danger Itself.
YES, I KNOW.
I SUCK.
BUT I WAS IN A HURRY.
btdubs, Correlations will be on hold for a while.
leik, three weeks, meybe?
or two.
but yeah. my brain needs rest. from this.
i'll be starting a D18 fic because IT'S IN MY HEAD AND IT WON'T COME OUT.
I SWEAR YO U PPL THAT THE NEXT CHAP WILL BE BETTER.
l:T
i'm sorry. i'll try harder from now on.
GOD I FEEL SO LAME. :I
see you in two-three weeks time~
thnx to those who understand. :D