I just woke up to see the stats and find myself saying 'I've created a monster'.

Is what I wrote really that good?! O_o

... Well apparently yes. According to your standards. *grins*

Chiseki: ... This story is actually legit...

I noticed.

Chiseki: You weren't even really planning on continuing it, and one day already received so much...

Yeah...

Chiseki: When will I be in it?

Patience, Watson.

Chiseki: Watson?

Watson.

Zoe: ... I see where this is going. GET ON WITH IT. *raises fist*

WAH. OKAY, OKAY, NOW DON'T PUNCH ME.

Summary: Tsuna's family neglects him. His twin abuses him, both verbally and physically away from public's eye. The public itself avoids Tsuna. He would've fallen into depression, had Byakuran and Yuni not decide it would be a fun idea to kick down the Sawada's front door and freeload. ... Wait, what?

Warning: AU, OOC (both intentional and unintentional), some people's ages may be tweaked, un-Beta'd

Pairings: None. Zilch. Zero. THIS WILL REMAIN EMPTY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

Inspired by Triple Layered Sky and Achromatic Sky

Chapter 3

Watch Out For The Soccer Ball!

When Tsuna woke up that morning, he had thought the events of the day before were just a dream.

Only to find a teenage albino and a little girl sleeping beside him.

Tsuna sat up and rubbed his eyes. Well... It isn't a dream, apparently.

The brunet sighed, but a little smile was apparent on his lips.

The albino groaned, making Tsuna jump a little, and opened his eyes.

"Ara, ara. Tsunayoshi-kun," the albino greeted, sitting up and stretching. "Good morning."

Tsuna nodded in advance.

Byakuran frowned. "Tsunayoshi-kun, why don't you speak?"

Tsuna simply shook his head. Byakuran sighed and petted Tsuna's hair.

"..." Byakuran started to play with the untameable brown locks. The owner of said locks raised an eyebrow.

"Your hair's very fluffy, you know that?" the albino stated as he continued playing with Tsuna's hair.

Tsuna sweatdropped.

A yawn was heard.

Tsuna and Byakuran looked down to see the little girl in between them rubbing her eyes. "Byaku-nii, Tsuna-nii, what are you two doing?"

"Yuni-chan, touch Tsunayoshi-kun's hair!" Byakuran exclaimed, grabbing Yuni's hand and putting it on top of Tsuna's head.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three...

"So... FLUFFY!" Yuni sat in a more proper position and played with Tsuna's hair. Then she started glomping him from behind while rubbing her cheek with the brown locks.

Tsuna sweatdropped even more.

"YAY! TRIPLE HUG!" Byakuran glomped both Yuni and Tsuna from behind as well.

Tsuna facepalmed.

They remained in that position for quite a while before Byakurana and Yuni realized that Tsuna was starting to suffocate.

"G-Gomenasai, Tsuna-nii. Are you okay?" Yuni asked as they got off Tsuna.

Tsuna nodded, breathing greedily for air.

"Hm... Today's Sunday, right?"

Tsuna nodded.

"There's no school for Japanese today, right?"

Tsuna nodded. He wasn't sure where this was going...

"Hm..." Byakuran stroked his chin.

Tsuna stared at Byakuran. He was planning something. Definitely. That look in his eyes said it all. It was evil, he decided. Evil.

"So what are you all planning to do today?" asked Maman as she served breakfast.

"Oh, just going around town," Byaku-nii stated, taking a bite of his scrambled eggs. "Mm..."

"Anything specific you'd like to see?"

"I dunno. Maybe the shops, the park, maybe a toy store?"

Yuni's eyes lit up. Toy store!

"Well, that sounds nice!" Maman clapped her hands. "But how will you navigate around Namimori? This is your first time here, right?"

"Hm..." Byaku-nii looked at Tsuna-nii with that look that meant he was planning something. "I'm sure Tsunayoshi-kun wouldn't mind if he brought us around town, ne?"

Tsuna-nii looked at Byaku-nii incredulously.

"Ara, would you mind, Tsu-kun?" asked Maman. Tsuna-nii shook his head.

"Wai! Let's go see the toy store!" Yuni was jumping in her seat excitedly.

"Finish your breakfast first, Yuni," Byaku-nii chided.

"Hai..." Yuni said dejectedly, eating her breakfast at a fast pace.

"Don't eat so fast, Yuni-chan," Maman chided. "You could choke!"

"Gomenasai!" And Yuni ate more slowly.

"Speaking of which, where is that brother of Tsunayoshi-kun's?" asked Byakuran. "I believe we weren't properly introduced."

"Ara, that would be Sawada Ienari," said Maman. "Nari-kun always sleeps in on Sundays. Demo ne, he's very athletic, and the captain of the football team. Ah, I wish Tsu-kun wasn't so no-good and could be more like Na-kun!"

Yuni stared at Maman incredulously.

Tsuna-nii sunk in his seat.

Byaku-nii narrowed his eyes.

"But Tsuna-nii is Tsuna-nii!" Yuni whined. "Tsuna-nii is kind, and his hair is so fluffy, and-"

"Yuni-chan's right," said Byakuran, cutting her off. "Tsunayoshi-kun's fine just as he is."

Tsuna-nii blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Is that so?" 'Maman' smiled. "Then that's fine, though it would be easier if I had two of Na-kun instead."

Byaku-nii put his hand on his face, though one eye was visible, and Yuni could see that Byaku-nii wasn't happy at what 'Maman' was saying.

Yuni couldn't blame Byaku-nii, as she didn't like what 'Maman' was saying either. Tsuna-nii's face was shadowed by his hair.

"Well, I've finished eating," Byaku-nii said abruptly a few seconds later. It was true. He had finished eating a little before 'Maman' had said what she did.

Tsuna-nii nodded. He had finished eating just as Byaku-nii had announced that too.

"I'm not hungry anymore," Yuni said softly. She had lost her appetite.

"But you'll get hungry eventually if you don't eat, Yuni-chan," said 'Maman'.

Yuni shook her head. "Gomen, but no thank you."

'Maman' sighed. "Well, if you insist..."

Byakuran picked up the fez he had forgotten about the day before and wore it on his head. No one commented on it as they left the dining room, ignoring Ienari as they pass him.

Worst. Breakfast. Ever.

The atmosphere was dark in contrast to this morning.

Tsuna decided to choose this time to inspect what they were all wearing.

They had all chosen to wear casual clothing.

Byakuran was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue jacket and darker blue jeans with a purple choker and grey shoes, complete with a fez.

Yuni wore a simple light green sundress, with blue sandals and some white hairclips.

Tsuna wore an orange hoodie with stripes of different shades of orange, as well as brown trousers and white shoes.

Not that it was doing anything to help with the atmosphere.

"So where are we going first, tour guide-san?" Byakuran said with a smile in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

Tsuna made a thinking face and took out his notebook.

How about we go see the toy store first? Yuni looked excited when you mentioned it.

When he was younger, Ienari would always demand that they go to the toy store, and Tsuna always had to follow to carry his toys. He never got a toy for himself, though. Strange? He thinks not.

"Good idea!" Byakuran smiled. "Yuni, let's go to the toy store, ne?"

Yuni's face lightened up. "Hai!"

"Wah!" Yuni exclaimed. "So many!"

"I know, I know," said Byakuran. "Now, you can go look for a toy to buy, but don't break anything!"

"Alright!" And Yuni ran off.

Byakuran smiled as the cries of 'Kawai!~' were heard.

She's really enthusiastic about this, huh?

Byakuran had to admit he was a little surprised when Tsunayoshi showed the text.

"Ah." Byakuran nodded. "She really likes stuffed animals."

Tsunayoshi nodded and wrote something else.

What's it like for you whenever you buy her something?

"Well..." Byakuran looked for the right words. "Well, sometimes it can get exasperating to spend my money on gifts, but the smile that appears on Yuni-chan's face and the constant 'thank you's that come out of her mouth makes burning a hole in my wallet completely worth it."

Tsunayoshi nodded and contemplated on this fact.

... Is that so?

Tsuna never really had that type of chance before. Even when he spends his own money on Ienari's toys, Ienari simply snatched them and ran off, never thanking him. Tsuna never got the chance to get such a feeling.

"Byaku-nii! Tsuna-nii!"

Tsuna and Byakuran's heads snapped up to see Yuni running towards them with three teddy bears.

"I can't choose between these three!"

The smallest teddy bear was light green, with a light orange ribbon tied around its neck. The biggest teddy bear was white, with a dark orange ribbon tied around its neck. The teddy bear in between them was actually orange, with a yellow ribbon.

The teddy bears eerily reminded Tsuna of himself and his two companions.

"How about we buy all three?" Byakuran suggested. "Then we don't have to choose."

"Really?" Yuni's eyes lit up.

Are they planning to burn a hole in my already-thin wallet? Tsuna twitched.

"Yes, really," said Byakuran. "You won't mind, would you, Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Tsuna jolted and shook his head.

"Alright! Then let's go pay now!"

Tsuna sighed as he took out his wallet and payed for the teddy bears.

"Wai!" Yuni cheered. "Arigatou, Tsuna-nii!"

The smile on Yuni's lips made Tsuna smile as well.

Hm... Maybe losing half my money was worth it after all...

"I'm hungry," Byakuran concluded after a few hours of walking around Namimori.

Tsuna looked around and pointed at a nearby restaurant.

"Then let's go!" said Byakuran as he started to walk towards the restaurant.

Tsuna whipped out his notebook.

I don't think I have enough money...

"Oh, it's alright," Byakuran replied. "I can pay for lunch."

Are you sure?

"You're already down to less than a quarter of what you had because of us, right?" said Byakuran. "Don't worry, I'll pay. My treat."

Tsuna reluctantly nodded.

"Alright! Now let's go!" Byakuran grabbed Tsuna and Yuni by the arm and dragged them towards the restaurant.

The food was shockinglybexpensive, but what was even more shocking was that Byakuran was able to pay for all of it.

"Byaku-nii! Tsuna-nii! Let's go play on the swings!" said Yuni, running off towards the swings.

Byakuran chucked as he and Tsunayoshi walked towards Yuni.

Tsunayoshi sat on the swing next to Yuni and started to swing by himself.

"Want me to push you too?" Byakuran asked the brunet. The brunet stopped, and looked as if he were thinking about it.

"I can push both of you. C'mon!" Before Tsunayoshi could stop him, Byakuran had already pushed both him and Yuni.

"Yay!" Yuni was laughing. "Faster! Faster!"

Byakuran did as told, laughing as well.

At first, Tsunayoshi was scared for going so fast. But a few moments later, surprisingly, he started laughing as well.

Byakuran smiled. Tsunayoshi-kun's laughing!

Tsuna's voice sounded hoarse, as if it hasn't been used in a while. But at the same time it sounded melodic. Inviting.

It's a shame he doesn't use his voice much...

"Ne, ne, can we play on the see-saw now?" Yuni asked after a few minutes of continuous laughs and giggles.

"Sure!" Byakuran stopped pushing them. Tsuna and Yuni got off the swings and started walking towards the see-saws.

Byakuran's eyes widened.

"Tsuna, watch out for the soccer ball!"

Tsuna turned around- just in time for a soccer ball to hit him right in the face.

"Tsuna-nii!"

"Tsunayoshi-kun, are you alright?"

Byakuran ran towards Tsuna. The pain throbbed, but years of being bullied kept Tsuna from crying.

The three could hear laughter.

Byakuran turned around to see a group of boys laughing loudly and grinning. There was no doubt they were the ones who aimed the football at Tsuna.

Byakuran stood up and approached them.

"Byaku-nii?"

Byakuran turned around and looked at Yuni.

"Wait there, Yuni-chan."

Byakuran continued walking towards the boys.

"Hey."

The leader of the boys- Mochida, the boy who challenged Tsunayoshi in another world, Byakuran noted -looked at Byakuran. "Yes?"

"Were you the ones who kicked that ball at Tsunayoshi?"

"Yeah," Mochida stated, as if it was a good thing. "So what?"

"That wasn't nice, you know."

The boys had stopped laughing. Mochida glared at Byakuran. "It's Dame-Tsuna. Who cares?"

"Tsunayoshi-kun isn't no-good at all, you know." Byakuran glared back.

Mochida flinched. "Y-yes he is. Don't you know? He trips on his own fe-"

"I know about that," Byakuran cutted in. "That's no excuse. Don't do that again, you hear?"

One of the others piped up. "Why not?"

"Because if you do, who knows what will happen to you?"

His aura suddenly became murderous. Byakuran smiled, which for some reason made him even more scarier.

"H-Hai..." A few boys backed down and walked away.

Mochida and a select few didn't, instead choosing to take out shinais.

They didn't really get the chance to fight back before Byakuran disarmed them and promptly knocked them all out, all except for Mochida.

"If you try and hurt Tsunayoshi-kun again," Byakuran said threateningly. "You won't live to regret it."

Mochida whimpered, stood up shakily and ran away as fast as he could.

"Coward," Byakuran muttered. He went back to Yuni and Tsunayoshi who were looking at Byakuran with wide eyes.

"I don't think they'll have the guts to do something like that again, Tsunayoshi-kun," Byakuran stated with a cheerful smile on his face.

Tsuna nodded nervously.

"Th... Thank you."

Byakuran was shocked. Tsuna spoke?

"E-Eto... Is there something wrong?" asked Tsuna when Byakuran didn't respond.

That snapped Byakuran out of it. He smiled softly. "Nandemonai. Anyway, Tsunayoshi-kun, your eye-"

"It's okay," Tsuna cut him off. "I'm used to it."

Byakuran and Yuni's eyes widened.

"Eh?!" Yuni exclaimed. "Tsuna-nii, it's not okay if you're used to it!"

"Yuni-chan's right," Byakuran agreed.

"I always get injuries like this," Tsuna reassured. "A black eye is nothing."

"Doesn't your mother do anything about it?"

"She doesn't," said Tsuna, shaking his head. "Kaa-san never really notices me at all, actually."

Byakuran took a deep breath.

His suspicions were right all along.

He was right when he thought something was wrong.

This world was much too different from the world that convinced him not to take the world over...

I have to fix this.

The clam lies in the ocean deep, hidden away from greedy eyes, protected by the sea.

... Uh... How did I do?

Do you think things are going too fast or is this pace alright? Originally the bully was going to be Ienari, but as the summary says, 'away from public's eye'. So...

Do you think it was too cheesy?

Chiseki: Yes, I think this pizza is too cheesy.

I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT YOUR PIZZA, CHI.

Anyway, after I post this chapter I'm going to have to do some research on when school starts for Japanese. When does school start for the Japanese? Could you help? Please?

Thanks to Kiri Kaitou Clover, shadowmarialove, LaLunaLight, TooLazyToLogIn, death angel alice, Setsu27 and ArcobalenoLove for reviewing!

(For strange reasons, favs and follows keep escalating. I can't count you all. Ah~)

Zoe: Uh, Fali... What happened to the fez?

"Alright, thank you for the meal!" said Byakuran as he, Tsuna and Yuni left the restaurant.

"Ah, sir, you forgot your-"

The door closed.

"-fez."

The waiter stared at the fez the albino left behind.

"What am I going to do with it now..."

I don't have to deal with that thing anymore. :)

Zoe: *facepalm*

... Yes, Zoe?

Zoe: Nothing~

Eh. Please, tell me your opinions on this chapter and please tell me when school starts for the Japanese!