Summary: Read above

Beta: momorona

Rating: T might change to M in later chapters

Disclaimer: Only the plot of this is my idea

CHAPTER 5

An underground greenhouse, huh? Though it wasn't surprising to have an underground basement, it was the thought of plants growing in the damp, dark and enclosed space that made Reborn wonder. Was it possible at this day and age? Planning to check that out, the hitman was about to see if Tsuna was done causing destruction to his suit, when there was absolute silence in the bathroom. The tiny toddler was nowhere to be seen. Neither a hide nor strand of hair was around. This immediately sent alarm bells ringing in his ears.

Reborn would not admit that he was currently panicking over this. No, he had his pride as a cold, ruthless assassin to manage.

Turning the running tap off, Reborn calmly dried his hands over a clean face towel. But within him raged a frantic beast thrashing about at the loss of a child he was supposed to be responsible for. He would not give in to a full blown panic attack. No, it was completely ridiculous and stupid to be seen like that. That would make him weak and pathetic and he had a hard earned reputation to uphold. So Reborn was never going to break down and scream at the top of his lungs over the dame-ness of his young charge. Or even ransack the entire household for a single, puffy haired cry baby from top to bottom, left and right.

Taking a deep breath to calm his tense muscles, Reborn stiffly strode out of the bathroom, dark orbs sharp on the lookout for mass of brown hair. Just when did that toddler manage to slip off under his eye? For one so small and barely able to walk properly, Tsuna shouldn't be off too far. He was just about to peek into the closest room when faint sounds of tiny feet toddled unsteadily at some distance, but whether it was from the left or right, Reborn could not tell. The echo it gave came from either direction together with little child-like giggles. It was as though the toddler decided now was the right time for hide-go-seek.

"Dame Tsuna…" Reborn almost growled out with narrowed gaze, trying to decide which way he should start his search.

With an unknown place, it was no time for games! And the hitman hadn't even looked through every inch yet. This had become bothersome for him with his young charge to manage. Reborn waited silently like a hawk for the sound again, hoping against hope that he could somehow figure out the direction the toddler was at.

"Dame Tsuna!" Reborn called out as calmly as he could, voice strong and firmed like a father was about to scold his child for wandering off mindlessly on his own. The hitman hadn't realized this fact of course. But he was serious now. He needed to make sure Tsuna was safe and not hurt himself in the process of wandering about.

Reborn decided to ignore the pounding of his heart beating strongly in his ears over his missing charge. He gritted his teeth when again, the sound of tiny feet heading off even further from where he was. Reborn wasn't even getting any closer to Tsuna's location! It was starting to get on his nerves and he gritted his teeth in frustration. But just when he thought he heard the giggles again, dame Tsuna suddenly gave a high pitched shriek, the sound shooting right to Reborn's frantic heart at the cry-like scream. The hitman immediately froze to the spot; face paling as cold sweat gathered upon his brow.

No! The boy should be safe, probably trip over his little feet and cry from the fall would be the most likely scenario. That was what Reborn believed, after witnessing firsthand earlier of the brunet's shrilling cries. But there was none. No crying or even the sound of wandering any more.

Just where in the world is he, damnit?!

Reborn repeated curse after curse over Tsuna, his feet managing to bring him forth, and this time quickly as he kicked door after door down with his foot. He did not care if he managed to send the old wood clean off its hinges. Or even break things along the way whenever it slammed harshly against a shelf full of fragile objects. Reborn had no time to check what they were, seeing that he only had a once glance over through of the room for a puffy mane of brown hair. But seeing none, the hitman would leave and did the same process for the rest of the rooms. And the more he checked, the more Reborn grew worried.

It couldn't be that dame Tsuna managed to fall into a hole or off the edge of the earth, right? It would be laughable. But suddenly, it did not seem that funny after all. It appeared possible for the first, seeing as this place was unusual to begin with. And having a large hole on the ground wasn't that uncommon. Reborn's breathing became frantic now as he almost thrashed through this maze-like floor like a trapped animal. Horrid scenes of a badly broken and injured Tsuna appearing in his head and the hitman's fear grew at the images showing up in his mind's eye. He needed to find him quick!

Reborn felt that he might demolish the entire place if he did not find him soon.

Damnit, Tsuna, just where are you?!

"Tsunayoshi! Answer me!" Reborn yelled, his deep voice boomed and echoed out, hoping for a response but got none. "ANSWER ME DAMNIT!"

Worry turned to anger and the hitman almost tore down rooms after rooms, not caring in the least that this place was someone's home to begin with. Tsuna's safety was on his hands, especially that the child 'was' supposed to be the Decimo for Vongola. It would be his fault if he ended up having the boy killed off somewhere and not even being able to find the little body lying there. It was bad enough to lose him in the first place!

And now this.

Ugh.

"SAWADA TSUNAYOSHI, YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN DEEP SHIT ONCE I GET A HOLD OF YOUR TEENAGE SELF!" Reborn roared furiously as a string of Italian curses flew off at the tip of his tongue. "I WILL MAKE SURE I WILL WORK THAT DAMNABLE ASS OFF FOR WEEKS FOR-"

And suddenly, there were the unmistakable sounds of Tsuna crying out for Reborn. But they were faint.

"-da.. Da da…" Tsuna appeared to sound broken, hiccupping and crying that it was so heart wrenching. It almost broke Reborn's steeled heart in two.

Not wasting a second, the hitman strained his ears for the direction it came from, hearing the cries continuing –which was a good, yet bad thing. But at least there was progress in his search. Tsuna sounded as though he had remained at the same spot, making Reborn's life easier in his work. And making completely sure it was towards the right way, the hitman quickly headed down the corridor, the lights here were dim and strangely eerie in this part of the place.

There weren't even any windows after midway through this corridor.

It looked almost like a murder scene, was Reborn's thought as he observed closely. He could see wet splashes of dark substance decorating the walls and floor at random directions –most likely blood– and the foul smells getting stronger the further he got which confirmed his thoughts. Some unnamable antiques were broken beyond repair, littering the ground and untouched after.

Was it some fight that had occured here recently? It appeared to be exactly as he saw it, judging from how everything around him was in a mess. At least there weren't any decomposing bodies around. Reborn feared how little Tsuna would take in at the sight of the deceased lying about. It was bad enough to have him lost here. For one who was dame, he hoped the boy was far too naïve and young to understand what the other was looking at. Right now, he would need to put that aside because his attention immediately went straight towards the small trembling figure hunched over on the floor while sobbing his eyes out. It was right towards the end of this corridor and Reborn almost flew down towards his destination for the poor toddler.

"…da da…" Tsuna sobbed weakly, sniffing and hiccupping once in a while as though the brunet had cried himself hoarse. Currently the toddler was curled up in a tiny ball; face buried against clothed knees while rocking back and forth from where he sat.

It was a worrying sight as Reborn finally came up to him. Tsuna's too-large t-shirt appeared dirty and covered every part of him except for his fluffy head at the top; his little arms could barely be seen in such a dim area. Were there any bruises or worse, bleeding? The hitman quickly crouched down before the little ball, a large hand placing carefully and gently onto the trembling form. But little did Reborn know that an innocent little touch appeared to have sent Tsuna jerking in fright and him screaming in horror.

What…

"Shhh, it's me, Tsunayoshi. It's me." Reborn tried to calm the other down, his voice as gentle as he could possibly achieve. He stroked Tsuna's fluffy mane of hair in a soothing manner while carefully pulling the toddler into his lap and arms protectively.

Just what had the boy seen? Was it something that Reborn had missed? Other than the dark stains on the walls, there was nothing much horrifying but a large mess. And rather than struggling, Tsuna immediately clutched hold of the hitman's suit in a death grip and appeared to have recognized him by voice alone since the boy hadn't even look up at him. Something must have scared the other so much that the toddler dared not look around and about. Just what it was, Reborn couldn't come up with an answer. There were just too many possibilities for someone who feared so many things. It could be something as ridicules as a harmless picture.

Or it could be something to do with this scene they were at currently.

It could be related. Or it could not be. Best to get away from here.

And unable to think further about it, Reborn slowly and carefully carried his young charge into his arms before turning around to head back. At least back to the room where they first woken up from. Tsuna's small arms were around Reborn's neck, face buried there and hidden from view as he sniffed and hiccupped quietly. For someone who always cried noisily, this behaviour was off. Soon, the dimness of the corridor lightened and as the windows came into view, Reborn noticed for the first time that Tsuna was almost completely covered in blood.

His face paled, seeing that fluffy mane of hair was dirtied like that too-large t-shirt. But other than that, the toddler appeared not to be bleeding at any places on him, he hoped. Despite seeing too many opened wounds in his past, just to be sure Tsuna was entirely harm-free; he would need to wash that blood away while getting Tsuna a clean set of clothes. But was it possible to find a similar size with the toddler?

Tsuna just wouldn't stop clinging onto him. Reborn had just brought them back to the same bathroom they had used earlier. And now, as he had the hot water running in the bathtub while wanting to get rid of their dirtied clothing, Tsuna did not want to let him go. His little body continued to tremble, teary face glued against his neck. Though Reborn was glad his crying wasn't going to deafen him, this psychological state of his was far more worrying now. Just what had the boy seen?

"Tsuna," Reborn began softly, managing on ridding his suit, fedora, pants and shoes aside, he decided to just have them half submerged in the warm water for now. His ruined soaked shirt that had been dirtied by the blood from Tsuna wasn't important right now. "You're safe. See? Bubbles."

The hitman quickly used some of the shampoo, mix it with water to create some for the boy with his hands. Would it be enough to get the toddler's mind off whatever it was the brunet had seen? Hopefully. Though it took a bit of coaxing on his part, it worked out gradually. There wasn't any more crying, just some occasional hiccups and sniffs. But Tsuna did glance at the pretty bubbles, his large doe-like eyes all red and puffy from crying. Even the too-large t-shirt was discarded successfully.

A tiny hand reached out hesitantly towards a large bubble.

"Babbu?" Came a small meek voice. Reborn quickly used the distraction to clean Tsuna's tiny fingers and palm. At the same time, he managed to let the toddler have some bubbles on his small grasp.

"Hmm, bubbles." Reborn corrected, a small smile appearing upon his lips. And just when Tsuna lifted up his soapy hand, the hitman's sharp eyes caught sight on what was about to happen. He quickly stopped the other before the toddler could do what Reborn assumed the boy would have done. "Bad. It's not for eating. Don't put it into your mouth."

"Babbu pwetty"

"You don't eat bubbles. They're pretty, I know, but you'll get a tummy ache if you do."

Tsuna continued to stare at the foamy substance on his small hand before he did something that Reborn wasn't expecting. The toddler decided the hitman's face needed to be clean too, spreading them onto his nose, cheeks and chin in curious wonder. Though Tsuna wasn't smiling, at least he wasn't upset from his earlier experience. But this boy was too closed up, compared to his usual cheery self. It felt like a different Tsuna than what Reborn was used to. It felt alien and off. Would the future end up with an alternate lifestyle?

Maybe he was looking far too deep into this. Yes, that might be it. And it was a good thing that there weren't any cuts on the boy's delicate skin too.

A small yawn escaped the boy's lips as those large brown eyes started to droop close. Reborn quickly finished cleaning Tsuna as much as he could. And even if the latter didn't want to let go of him still, the hitman wasn't going to allow that to interfere with his work. He wasted no time getting things done, draining the dirty water away, dried them with clean towels before heading them back towards the bedroom. Tsuna, by then, could be seen snoozing away, head resting on Reborn's shoulder while being carried by the said man himself. Everything was as normal as it could get.

Well, if you considered being stuck in such a situation in the first place as 'normal'.

And now… what should he do about Tsuna's clothes?

A/N: My bad that I took so long with updates. Assignments were mostly short deadlines so it was impossible for me to do anything but that. Now that the holidays are here, I'll try my best to be more active in updating now.

I'm sure all of you must be wondering what Tsuna had seen. It'll be revealed soon somewhat and yet, is part of the puzzle in this place. I shall not say more about it. After all, it's best to let the readers come up with their own perspective on what all these mysteries are about.