A/N- Yep, leave it to me to turn a chapter that I said would be short into the longest chapter I've written so far =_=. I stuffed a lot of content in here and I'm actually really surprised and happy that I finished before the three day weekend was up. Enjoy ^-^!
Tsunade was woken up by a ringing sound at the edge of her subconscious. She blinked her eyes open blearily, momentarily disorientated by her surroundings. Then she felt the warm solid figure next to her and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her, and she smiled happily as the memories of last night flooded back to her. She snuggled into Reborn's chest and nearly fell asleep again, when the ringing sound jolted her awake again. Slightly annoyed, Tsunade carefully removed herself from Reborn's embrace and got out of bed to answer the phone.
"Hello?" she said groggily.
"Hello? Is this Reborn Chaos-san?" said an important and sophisticated-sounding voice on the other end.
It must be the manager, thought Tsunade. "No, this is Kudo Tsunade, Is there something I can help you with?" she said, mustering the most polite tone she could while trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
There was a brief moment of silence on the other end, and Tsunade's sleep hazed mind finally processed what a girl answering the phone in the same room where Reborn was locked in all night might be causing the manager to assume.
"O-oh no, I—," she stuttered, blushing furiously as she tried to correct herself.
"No, no, I won't pry into my client's private affairs," said the manager uncomfortably, causing Tsunade to blush even more, "I just wanted to inform Chaos-san that we apologize for the wait, but the lock problem has been fixed. It took a bit longer than expected and we're sorry about the inconvenience."
"Oh, that's fine," said Tsunade awkwardly, "Thank you for informing us." She heard a 'click' as the manager hung up and she put the phone down with a sigh.
Well that was awkward, she thought, embarrassed. Tsunade let out another sigh and picked up the hair brush on the counter, brushing her soft brown hair. Unlike her brother, whose hair always seemed to defy gravity by sticking up at the oddest angles possible, her hair was almost perfectly straight, save one small curve where she usually pulled her hair into a ponytail.
Tsuna-nii…
She felt a sharp pang of guilt as she thought of her brother and the decision she was about to make.
I really am going to give it up, she thought sadly, I'm going to give up on putting my family's worries to rest and choose my own path instead of the one that was dictated for me to follow. The guilt is nearly unbearable, gnawing at my very being. But Tsuna-nii…I have to believe what Tsuna-nii wanted me to do. Even while I was drowning in expectations and darkness, he still loved me enough to try so hard to let me have the life I longed for. Tsunayoshi…even though I had been jealous of him, I still loved him. He was not only my family's light, he was my light too, and the day he died was when my world was plunged into darkness. I swore to fulfill his wish, to do anything to bring that light back. But…she looked fondly at the gently pulsating aura surrounding the figure with charcoal pointy hair still sleeping on the bed, who would've guessed that my light would come into my life as a criminal mastermind who I was trying to destroy?
Tsunade craned her neck to the side, about to brush her hair over her shoulder and up into a loose ponytail, when she froze, noticing a small, and reddish- purple mark near her ear where Reborn had bit.
So this is what he meant by a souvenir, she thought, rubbing the mark self-consciously. She briefly considered later asking Keiko to cover it up with makeup, but the thought of Keiko getting near her with any form of cosmetics ever again made her shudder. Letting go of her hair, she noticed that with her hair down, the wispy locks managed to hide the hickey quite effectively.
I haven't let my hair down in public for a long time, since many of my disguises involve my long bangs covering my face, making it quite recognizable, she thought, but I haven't used any of those disguises in a while, so it should be fine.
Tsunade had been so preoccupied by her thoughts that she nearly missed the sudden presence behind her. Instinctively, she whirled around and threw a punch at whoever was standing behind her. A callused hand caught her fist, surprising her, and pulled Tsunade into an embrace. She heard a familiar chuckle and relaxed.
"Well that's the first time I woke up and a girl immediately tried to punch me," said Reborn jokingly, "Usually, that comes later."
Tsunade flushed dark red and looked down, embarrassed. "Sorry," she muttered.
She heard Reborn chuckle again and felt his hand gently pull her chin up, his obsidian eyes staring mirthfully at her. "Don't apologize," he said softly, an undertone in his voice that made her shiver, "it's one of the things that makes you so special."
Tsunade blushed even more. "Th-the manager called, saying th-that the lock problem was f-fixed," she stammered, silently cursing herself for being unable to say a sentence without stuttering.
Reborn arched a brow. "And?"
"A-and, w-well, I guess, y-you can g-go back now," said Tsunade, feeling a slight twinge of disappointment even as she said those words.
Reborn simply laughed quietly, startling her.
"W-what? W-what's so funny?" demanded Tsunade.
Reborn's laughing subsided, and he looked at her adoringly. "You're so cute," he said. He then leaned forward, claiming her in a deep kiss and sliding his tongue through her parted lips. After Tsunade got over her initial shock, she began kissing him back, moaning as his tongue swept over a particularly sensitive part of her mouth. Tsunade clutched his shirt as she slowly lost herself to him again, lust beginning to cloud her judgment. They backed up until Tsunade was bent slightly over the counter. She made a small sound of dismay when Reborn pulled away, much to his amusement.
She's just so fun to tease, he thought wickedly. He moved over and nipped the side of her neck in the exact same place a bit harder this time, eliciting a soft "ah" from Tsunade. Reborn looked into Tsunade's eyes with an expression that he would only ever let her see.
"What if I don't want to go back just yet?" he asked huskily.
Tsunade gripped his shirt tighter, matching his intense gaze. "Renato, I—"
At that moment, the door burst open, revealing a very enthusiastic Keiko (as usual) and Kureko, looking slightly apologetic. "Yayy!" exclaimed Keiko, "The locks are fixed! Now we can—"
She abruptly shut up as she took in the position Reborn and Tsunade were in, Kureko gawking at them with an astonished expression. The four of them froze for a moment, staring at each other in disbelief, and then Keiko and Kureko fell to the ground in laughter for the third time since the vacation started.
"AHAHAHAHA!" laughed Kureko, already beginning to double over in laughter, "Oh gosh, I can't believe the plan actually worked so well! It looks like I owe you 1,000 yen, Keiko!"
Tsunade promptly unclutched Reborn's shirt and they stepped apart, both of them flushed dark red, looking extremely embarrassed.
I completely forgot Keiko had a room key with her! thought Tsunade, mortified.
Keiko wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, giggling so hard she could barely breathe. "I told you they would overcome their awkwardness!" she said, laughter making her words nearly incoherent, "I guess last night was an interesting one, right Tsunade-chan?"
"We didn't do anything!" blurted out Tsunade, earning dubious looks from the other couple. She flushed even darker. "Well, not that much, at least," she muttered, sending Kureko and Keiko into another uproar of laughter.
Finally, after several minutes of Keiko and Kureko rolling around laughing their heads off and Tsunade and Reborn watching them awkwardly, Kureko finally got enough self-control back to stand up, clutching his aching ribs.
"I doubt I've ever laughed this much in my life," said Kureko, helping Keiko up.
"Me too," said Keiko, also regaining control of herself. She turned towards Reborn. "As much as I know you would love to stay here with Tsunade-chan," she said, causing him to blush even more, "our train leaves at noon and it's already nine o'clock. It takes nearly ten hours to get back to Tokyo, and I don't want to risk missing one of the train transfers. You'll just need to bear separating from her for a few hours while we pack and get ready."
Reborn, shaking himself out of his daze, touched Tsunade's arm one last time, his fingers leaving small pinpricks of warmth that spread throughout her body. He then quickly walked out of the door, pulling Kureko with him and, shooting one last backward glance, closed the door behind him.
The moment the door completely shut, Tsunade immediately knew she was in trouble. If the naughty glint in Keiko's eyes and her sly grin weren't warnings enough, her mischievous and dark aura that could only be compared to a demon's made alarms go off in every corner of her mind.
Keiko stepped closer to Tsunade who, unfortunately, was still against the counter, and whispered in a voice that would make even the greatest Interpol agents want to cower and hide, "Now, I expect every detail of what happened last night, and you better not dare leave anything out."
Tsunade felt her throat go dry.
Shit.
Meanwhile, Reborn and Kureko were walking down the hall, oblivious to the extreme interrogation that had just started in the room they left five seconds ago. They walked in silence, though one of Kureko's snickers occasionally escaped into the empty hallway, annoying Reborn.
What I would give for my guns right now, thought Reborn, irritated, or a two-ton mallet, that could work too.
He settled for shoving Kureko into the wall instead.
"Ow!" complained Kureko, a look of mock hurt on his face, "How could you be so rough to me when you're so gentle to Tsunade-chan?"
"Shut up," growled Reborn, though a hint of a blush crept into his cheeks, "I have one question for you: why'd you go so far as to release a virus into the whole hotel system? The police could've been on to you if the hotel manager wasn't so arrogant that he dismissed it as a system problem to avoid publicity."
Kureko rubbed his sore arm, still grinning. "Come on, you already know the answer to that," he said, "I did it to keep you in that room. My planning always covers all the possibilities, and the virus eliminated almost all of them. Now, since we seem to be asking questions, I have one for you." His grin faded slightly and his tone became serious. "When are you going to tell Leoko?"
Reborn sighed. "As soon as possible, I guess," he said with a hint of sadness, "He'll want all the time he can get to prepare the company."
"I told him to meet us in the lobby at 11," said Kureko, "It'll be a good time to talk to him." Kureko put his hand reassuringly on Reborn's shoulder. "Look," he said hesitantly, "I know I haven't been your friend and business partner as long as Leoko has, but I think you're making the right choice."
"Thanks, Kureko," said Reborn with a smile, "I hope I am too."
Packed and ready to leave, the four of them were laughing and talking in the lobby, with the subject of last night being the main point, of course.
"Was the bed soft?" asked Kureko slyly, "Because I heard you two were sleeping so soundly in it together last night."
Keiko and Kureko had been relentlessly bombarding them with these sorts of questions since Kureko had received Tsunade's confession of everything that happened last night from Keiko (causing him to drop his suitcase on his foot and let out a cry of a mixture of laughter and pain.) Despite being stuck in such a bleak situation, Reborn and Tsunade managed to find their own way of retaliation.
"You wouldn't know," said Reborn, his smirk widening, "because you two were too busy last night to enjoy how soft the bed was."
Kureko and Keiko both blushed, causing Reborn and Tsunade to laugh this time, which was a nice turn of events.
"Why don't you ask the room below you?" said Tsunade between giggles, "Maybe they'll be able to guess by how much the mattress was squeaking. These mattresses are pretty high quality though, so the springs would only squeak if a very strong force was being exerted on it." Both of them dissolved into laughter again as Kureko and Keiko turned as red as a ripe tomato. (A/N- Sweet, sweet, revenge XD)
When the laughter finally died down, they heard a familiar easy-going voice.
"Well it looks like I really missed something," said Leoko, grinning, "I guess you all had an interesting night."
The two couples blushed again, and Leoko laughed. He sauntered over to where Tsunade was and draped an arm over her shoulder, causing her to stiffen.
"It seems like you're officially off the market now, Tsunade-chan," he said in a sad tone. "But," he said perking up, "if you're ever lonely some nights, feel free to call and I'll be right over to—"
Reborn cleared his throat, catching Leoko's attention. "I need to have a word with you in private," he said, gesturing to a table in the corner.
"Sure," said Leoko cheerfully. He withdrew his arm (much to Tsunade's relief) and followed Reborn over to the table, leaving the other three alone (much to Tsunade's dismay).
Leoko took a seat and casually leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "So what do you want to talk about?" he asked.
Reborn seemed nervous, which struck Leoko as odd since Reborn almost never let any uneasiness show when he was talking. "It's about the company—"began Reborn.
"Ah, so you've gained some valuable information last night, didn't you?" said Leoko happily.
"Well, no, that's not—"Reborn tried to say something, but Leoko wasn't listening.
"I would expect as much from you, seeing how much time you had."
"That's not—"
"I bet you had a lot of fun last night, didn't you?"
"Well—"
"Once you've got them wrapped around your little finger, they're just so easy to manipulate."
"Leoko, listen—"
"No matter how tough they seem to be, the information just comes spilling out once they give in to charm."
"No, just listen—"
"Maybe I'll have a little fun with Tsunade-chan before you—"
"I'm resigning from the organization."
That finally caught Leoko's attention. "What?" asked Leoko, thinking that he didn't hear that right.
Reborn sighed. "I'm resigning from my position as the leader of the organization."
There was a brief moment of silence, then Leoko burst into laughter. "Nice one, Reborn," he said, "I almost believed that you actually were—"
"I'm not joking."
Leoko abruptly stopped laughing.
"I don't want to use Tsunade as a tool anymore," said Reborn wearily, "She's nothing like the other informants we had. There's something about her that's special, and I want to be with her because of those special qualities, not because I want information."
"I can't believe it," said Leoko, shaking his head in disbelief, "You're giving up such a large investment, such a huge part of your life, just for a girl?"
"Yes, I believe that's what I've been saying."
Leoko grabbed Reborn's shoulders, his face contorted with rage. "Stop messing with me!" he hissed, "If you give up this company, you'll be worthless! Everything you've worked for and achieved will disappear in an instant! We both know your parents won't take back such a disappointment like you! You'll have nothing!"
Reborn flinched at Leoko's words, and for a split second, Leoko thought that Reborn would change his mind, but Reborn looked at Leoko with an unwavering calm gaze.
"You're wrong," said Reborn, breaking away from Leoko's grasp and standing up, "I won't lose everything."
He began walking to where the others were, but stopped, turning to face Leoko one more time. "I'll have Tsunade," said Reborn softly, "and that's all I'll need."
Leoko, his fist clenched in rage, barely managed to flip open his phone and dial a specific number.
"Hello, Leoko-san," answered a voice on the other end, "How may I be of assistance?"
"I need you to find more information on Kudo Tsunade," he said coldly, "Find anything you can that involves her, and don't leave a single thing out."
"Yes sir," the other man hung up.
How dare you leave our organization, thought Leoko, seething with rage, how could you dare forget that it was I who helped you escape!
He calmed himself down, knowing that he couldn't let all his anger escape yet.
I'm the one who turned you into what you are today, Renato, he thought angrily, and until I'm finished with you, you're not leaving anytime soon.
What could they be talking about? wondered Tsunade, shooting a backwards glance at where Reborn was.
Keiko, noticing the gesture, smirked and quipped, "What, worried about Leoko stealing your boyfriend?"
Tsunade blushed and was about to retort with something involving what Kureko does on busy nights, when a sudden malicious aura filled the room, causing Tsunade to clutch her head in pain.
What, what a strong aura, she thought, gritting her teeth, The anger and hatred is so thick that I can almost touch it. Only feelings boxed up for a long period of time would be this intense, but who could hold in such harsh feelings for so long?
Then, as quick as it came, it disappeared. Tsunade groaned and opened her eyes that she had reflexively squeezed shut. As her vision cleared, she saw Keiko and Kureko looking at her with concerned expressions, and Reborn with his arm around her, supporting her.
"Are you ok?" asked Reborn, worried, "What happened?"
Tsunade smiled. "Oh nothing, just a sudden head pain," she lied, "I thought you were talking to Leoko."
"I was," said Reborn, not quite believing her, "I just finished and was walking back when I saw you nearly collapse."
Kureko dropped his worried look and grinned at Reborn. "Oi, be gentler next time, Reborn-kun," he said, "That way we don't have to worry about her collapsing on us."
The conversation quickly became light again, and soon they were joking as usual. However, Tsunade couldn't quick shake off her uneasiness.
That aura was very strong, she thought, strong enough to fill such a huge room like this. That's not the worrying part though. Tsunade looked back at the table where Leoko was still sitting. Though I didn't have much time to pinpoint where the aura came from, I could've sworn it came from…Leoko? No, It couldn't be,
could it?
There once was a boy.
His family had tons of money, so he always lived his life in luxury. He had tons of friends and lots of girls who would give anything just to spend a moment in his presence. His handsome features were a gift from the heavens, and the mere sound of his voice could make anyone kneel before him. The spoiled little boy thought he had won at the game of life, with everything anyone could ever want right in the palm of his hand.
Then it all changed when a new family came to town.
The new neighbors were even more powerful and rich than the little boy's family was. Not only that, but the heir to the business had even more charm than the boy, his dark looks making the girls that used to only see the boy swoon. All the little boy's so called friends immediately flocked to the new kid's side once they learned of his giant fortune, leaving the little boy alone. Not long after that, the little boy's mother grew ill and died, leaving his father devastated. The once glorious company began to crumble, and bills were stacking up for the first time. His father soon had to sell the company to the same company that destroyed them, and looked for a new job…in the house of the new family. The little boy now had nothing, his once powerful father now working in the employment of the company that destroyed them. Time moved on, and soon, the boy's bitter feelings grew with him. He hated the black haired heir of the company who had the life that should've belonged to him. On the day of his thirteenth birthday, the little boy, now a teen, made a vow.
He would destroy Renato Chaos if it was the last thing he did.
The teen, now also working around the house too, learned from the whispers that Renato was considered a failure to his parents, and an idea began to sprout.
What if he gave a chance to Renato to escape the expectations of his parents and become successful himself? Renato definitely had the power to create his own organization, and as his partner, the teen would regain all the fame and wealth he lost all those years ago.
The idea became an obsession, and the teen made a choice: he would use Renato to regain all the things he lost because of the Chaos family, and once Renato's usefulness was used up,
He would get rid of him.
Years of accumulated hatred and bitterness fueled the teen to approach the heir, becoming quick friends with him. The teen left small hints about Renato breaking away from his family, and, in a rare moment of weakness, finally fully convinced the heir to leave and enter a whole new business in the criminal world. The heir was none the wiser, and began to trust the teen wholeheartedly. The night before they ran away, Renato, who began going by the name Reborn, asked the now 16 year old teen his full name. The teen smiled his signature fake smile and replied,
"Mouri Leoko."
A/N- Leoko's true colors are revealed XD! Thanks to smileysparklea and Saaniser for reviewing, and to yuriko. hueixin for reviewing AND giving me some of the inspiration for the chapter :D! Next chapter may be a while, but stay tuned!
R&R GUYS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! XDD