Ugh, I really don't feel well today…Why?
We're getting our science tests back. And when Tsuna and I get our scores, insults come with them. And they're from our teacher, Nezu-sensei!
"Sawada Tsunayoshi," he said, stopping next to Tsuna's desk, "Let's suppose that there is a student who consistently scores in the 20s and pulls the class average down…"
"E-excuse me?" Tsuna asked quietly.
Sensei adjusted his glasses before continuing, "As one with an elite academic background, I would conjecture that this student is nothing more than a burden to a society that puts a great emphasis on education."
W-wha-How dare he-!
"Is there any reason for such trash to exist?" he asked snidely. The other students began laughing.
"I saw it!"
"Ha! A 26!"
"Guess he's still a loser!"
Urgh…If I knew some good insults, I'd definitely use them to describe him…
"Mifune Chi."
Uh-oh.
"Let's suppose that there is a student who once scored in the 80s then quickly fell to the low 50s…" he said.
I'll tell you guys about this later.
"I would say that this rapid decline in grades would be the result of this student spending too much time around those of low intelligence and should reconsider her taste in friends…"
Feeling a rush of adrenaline and anger, I immediately stood up, slamming my hands on top of my desk.
"I will not stop being friends with Tsuna just because my grades are low!" I shouted, my throat beginning to feel raw. I was panting a bit as I gave the classroom a quick once-over. I saw the others trying to hold in their laughter and I bit my lip, quickly sitting down and burying my head in my arms, my face flushing heavily.
"Chi…" I heard Tsuna murmur quietly.
"Hmph," Nezu-sensei chuckled, "I suppose it should be expected of you, but friendship doesn't help your case…" I heard him carelessly drop my test near my head. I glanced at the score.
48.
I dug my head deeper as the class began laughing again.
"Serves her right!"
"Guess being a bookworm doesn't always mean you're smart!"
"She's such a freak!"
"What a weirdo!"
Then amidst the jeers, the classroom door slammed open. Tsuna and I turned our heads to look and, lo and behold, it was Gokudera-san. How odd, he's coming in rather late.
"Gokudera-kun…?" Tsuna murmured.
"Hey!" Sensei shouted, "You're tardy!"
Gokudera-san glared back, "What?"
I shivered. I could feel the murderous intent even though Gokudera-san wasn't looking in our direction.
"Urk!" Sensei flinched, "…J-just sit down…"
Gokudera-san began walking towards Tsuna and I. Well, more towards Tsuna. This was new though, someone making Nezu-sensei flinch…
"Whoa, he scared Nezu-sensei…"
"Didn't you hear? Gokudera beat up those bullies yesterday all by himself!"
Ah, so Sensei must've heard the rumors…
Wait a minute…he's coming towards Tsuna!
"Good morning Boss!" Gokudera-san yelled.
Boss…? Oh, right. 'Mafia'.
"What the…?"
"Are they friends?"
"No way, No-good Tsuna probably just latched onto the new guy."
"Man, what a scaredy-cat…"
Tsuna began to protest, "N-no, i-it-it's not like that!"
And rightly so, Tsuna's not exactly in the best position to be friends with Gokudera-san, who looks like a delinquent.
I-I'm not saying he is one though!
"Let us again suppose," Nezu-sensei said, "that there is a student who's always tardy and this student is without a doubt, friends with a student with terrible test scores and a student who fell out of her teachers' good graces…"
Hey, the librarian still likes me…
"…Why?" he continued, "Because, as they say, birds of a feather flock together, of course."
"Tch!" Gokudera-san scoffed, "Listen up old man," he grabbed Sensei by the collar and picked him up, "No one gets away with insulting Sawada Tsunayoshi, the tenth boss of the Vongola!"
Okay, sure. No need to defend my honor. Nope. Don't even have a single microscopic bit of it left in me. Nuh-uh, not at all.
And I don't think mentioning Tsuna's name is a good idea. I looked in front of me, at Tsuna. He was clutching his hair, mentally freaking out, most likely.
Looking back at Sensei, he was freaking out too, except outwardly.
"I-I said, 'S-suppose'! It was only a thought exercise!" Gokudera-san looked back in Tsuna's direction, grinning.
"Hey Boss! You want me to finish this guy off?"
Oh, poor Tsuna…
"P-Principal! I demand that these three be expelled immediately!" Sensei shouted.
Tsuna, Gokudera-san and I were all in the principal's office, which wasn't surprising considering that Gokudera-san threatened Sensei and manhandled him.
"Nezu-sensei, please calm down," the principal said.
"I will not calm down until these-these criminals get what they deserve!" Sensei's face was turning a darker red.
Criminals?
"Now, now," the principal said, "I think you're being a bit hasty here…"
"So you want to give them a second chance?" Nezu-sensei smirked, "Then why don't we have them dig up the time capsule from 15 years ago?"
"Eh? The time capsule?"
"Yes," he said, "As I recall, we hired a company to dig it up, if we just have these three find it, if they can't, then we can expel them immediately."
"Hm," the principal replied hesitantly, "…I don't see why not…"
E-expelled?
Bullying, I can handle that.
Beatings, I can handle that.
Hospital visits because of said beatings, I can handle that too.
But, expulsion? My mom is worried enough about my social anxiety and how dad's doing, I can't give her another thing to worry over…
"I can't believe this," Tsuna moaned, "I don't want to be expelled! I won't be able to see Kyoko-chan anymore!"
"Tsuna," I said, "If you don't want to be expelled, then all we have to do is look for the 15-year-old time capsule, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," Tsuna relented, "But with our luck, I doubt we'll be able to find it…"
"Giving up so easily just because of a time capsule? Guess you're still a loser," said a voice that sounded suspiciously like Reborn-san.
"Eh? Who said that?" I looked around for his signature black fedora.
"Reborn…?" Tsuna whipped his head around and both our gazes landed on the emergency fire cabinet in the hallway. A small latch opened and inside stood a…very tiny Reborn-san…?
"EH?" We shouted.
"Y-you shrank!" Tsuna yelled, "What happened to you?"
A tongue shot out of the tinier Reborn-san and hit Tsuna in the eye.
"GYAAAAH!"
"Ah! Tsuna, are you okay?"
"Seems you've met Leon," The tiny Reborn-san clone changed into a small chameleon and jumped onto the brim of Reborn-san's fedora, who had opened the larger compartment of the cabinet, "He's a shape-shifting chameleon, he also keeps a low profile, so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't notice him earlier."
"I noticed him!" Tsuna argued.
"A-A shape-shifting chameleon…huh," I looked at the small lizard who stared back with his big reptile-like eyes, "Um…hello, Leon-san…"
He blinked and then stuck his tongue out, hitting my cheek.
"Eeeeeep!" I fell back in surprise.
"Hey Boss."
Hm? That voice is familiar too…
"In here," It was Gokudera-san, who was pushing himself out of the same cabinet.
H-how did he fit in there?
"Wh-what were you doing in there!" Tsuna shouted.
Gokudera-san moved aside to reveal a rather comfy-looking miniature room, "Reborn-san was teaching me all the basics of assassination!" he replied cheerfully.
"Wasn't it uncomfortable in there?" I asked. Once again, an intelligent inquiry, courtesy of Mifune Chi.
"BOSS!" Gokudera-san bowed, his head repeatedly hitting the floor, "I'm terribly sorry! I should have known how much you didn't want to get expelled!"
Ignored once more, wonderful.
"We must find that time capsule!" Gokudera-san continued, "And I have an idea, just leave it to me!"
Tsuna and I gave each other a look. Guess we both have a bad feeling about this…
"We'll just blow up the school ground with these!" he whipped out a large bundle of dynamite and dropped it in Tsuna's hands, "I'll meet you outside Boss!" And he left.
"Wait! Th-this is a really bad idea!" Tsuna shouted.
I took half of the sticks out of his hand, "I don't know Tsuna, as crazy as it sounds, it might work…"
"Don't tell me you're taking his side!" cried Tsuna, his voice taking on a tone of betrayal.
I was quick to speak, terrified of that tone coming from him, "I-I'm just saying that maybe…we'll be able to find the capsule faster this way, you and I both know that neither of us have the upper body strength to use a shovel…"
Before he could speak, we heard faint voices coming from a room a few door down. I think that's the teachers' lounge.
"That was cruel of you Nezu-san," a teacher said, sounding amused, "Making those students find a capsule we never buried."
What?
"Don't blame me!" Nezu-sensei laughed, "It's the principal's fault that he couldn't remember that fifteen years ago we didn't bury one!"
I could feel Tsuna's shock radiating off him.
"Those students will be expelled no matter how hard they try!" Sensei laughed again, "Though I'll probably reconsider…if they spilt the grounds in half in desperation."
"That's not fair!" we shouted.
BOOM!
"Huh?" Tsuna and I ran towards the window to see what was going on, but our vision was being obstructed by clouds of smoke.
"He-he's actually doing it!" Tsuna cried.
"I hope he's not getting hurt…" I murmured. I forgot to stock my first aid kit with more gauze.
"Aaaaagh!" Tsuna fell to his knees, "This is it, we'll get kicked out for sure!"
I kneeled down to try and comfort him, but then I felt a weight on my head and the click of a gun. I-is Reborn-san using me as a stepping stone again?
"Gokudera doesn't think so," he said, pointing a green pistol at Tsuna's forehead, "There must be a way to avoid expulsion, don't you think?" And he pressed the trigger.
"RAAAAAGH! REBORN!" Tsuna shouted, "DIG UP THE CAMPUS WITH MY DYING WILL!" Then he ran off, dragging me along.
Don't get sick, don't get sick, don't get sick.
He ran all the way to the courtyard and let me go. Surprisingly, I was able to hold on to the bundle of dynamite. He slid along the ground as Leon-san jumped on his arm and transformed into…are those rods?
"There you are Boss!" Gokudera-san shouted amongst the explosions.
"If there's a weak spot in the ground, I'll find it!" Tsuna screamed.
"Re-cough-Reborn-san," I choked on the smoke, "What did Leon-san just-cough- do?"
"He can transform into anything he's familiar with," Reborn-san explained, "as long as it's roughly his size though."
The rods in Tsuna's hands were quivering, "I FOUND IT!" He brought his arm up, attempting to punch into the ground. I heard a few clicks from Reborn-san who was still on top of my head. He shot four bullets into Tsuna's body, three along his arm, one in his spine.
"EH?" I flinched. Being shot in the spine, w-won't that…
"It'll be fine," Reborn-san reassured me, "Don't worry."
"I'll help too, Boss!" Gokudera-san shouted, throwing more dynamite throughout the area.
"Aren't you going to use those Mifune?" Reborn-san nodded his head towards the bombs currently resting in my lap.
"Ah…" I began to sweat, "I-I don't know what to light them up with…"
"Just throw them, it'll be fine." So I did.
Apparently at the right time too, Gokudera-san had just thrown another handful, and when they all blew up, the ground had begun to shake. I looked up and saw some of the students look outside and shouting things that I couldn't really hear.
"Tsuna!" I shouted, waving away the dust that was kicked up in the explosions, "Gokudera-san! Where are you!"
I could hear Tsuna call out before Nezu-sensei rushed out of the building.
"Gokudera! Sawada! Mifune!" he shouted, "Those delinquents will pay!"
The three of us (at least I think we all did, the was still some smoke) turned around and saw Sensei run out of the building. Gokudera-san stalked up to him, holding a handful of papers (tests?) in one hand and a capsule in the other. He held them up to Sensei who gawked.
"Wh-what is thi-?" he was cut off.
"The time capsule from fifteen years ago didn't turn up," Gokudera-san explained, "but the one from forty years ago did!" he held a dark look on his face.
"An elite academic, huh? Then how come your low test scores are from a crappy junior high like ours?"
All Nezu-sensei could do was stumble over his words.
W-wow…I can't believe I didn't faint yet with all this excitement…
Nezu-sensei was fired and was ordered to clean out his desk by the end of the day. Huh, that was pretty quick.
The three of us were back in the principal's office. He apologized and let us off.
Yes! No expulsion!
We left the office and headed back to class while Tsuna and I both let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew!" Tsuna breathed, "We didn't get expelled!"
"Now my mom won't have to worry…" I sighed.
"Come on, Boss, were you really that worried?" Gokudera-san asked, "I would've given my life to make sure nothing bad would happen to you."
"G-Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna stared.
Although I was a bit hurt at being ignored, I just smiled. Hey, I should be used to it.
"Good job, Tsuna," Reborn-san congratulated, standing on my shoulder, "You've found a trustworthy soldier."
"Huh?" he flushed a bit in anger, "I don't need soldiers, Reborn! If this 'mafia' stuff gets any bigger, Kyoko-chan will stay further away!"
I rubbed his shoulder, "I'm sure it'll be fine Tsuna."
Tsuna groaned lowly in response.
"Oh yeah!" Gokudera-san dug into his pockets and took out some folded papers, "The tests here are pretty easy, huh?" The tests he held out all had hundreds.
…Now this is just absurd…
Remember how I didn't faint after all that dynamite throwing? Well, I suppose my mind had yet to catch up to everything. Soooo…
Trip to the nurse, yay!
…I say with heavy sarcasm.
Honestly, fainting this much can really mess with your sense of time.
I woke up awhile after the final bell, so I could probably find Tsuna near the classroom or at the school library waiting for me.
I thanked the nurse and went on my way. I was walking toward the library and was in an empty hallway. Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine.
…Oh god…no, please, not today…!
I tried to walk, run, crawl-anything, just to get away, but my legs refused to move.
"Thought we'd find you here, freak."
I heard footsteps behind me. If I was hearing right, there were about three people.
"We've noticed how friendly you've been getting with Gokudera-kun," one girl hissed.
Another girl grabbed my shoulder and threw me against the wall. My head banged on it as I slid to the floor, my body still not moving the way I wanted it to.
"Don't think that you'll get away with it so easily, Weirdo."
I felt myself beginning to breathe harder. Please, please, just leave me alone…
I chanced a peek and saw a fist flying towards me. Everything else was a blur, but I felt kicks and scratches and the next thing I knew I was being thrown into a broom closet.
My eyes widened. I tried pushing myself up and saw the girls closing the door. I was shaking all over. This particular closet doesn't have a working light, I remembered from past incidents. It wasn't very used either and only locked from the outside. So when the door closed…
…I completely lost it.