Hungry for Tsuna
A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction
Disclaimer: Not of the characters of KHR belong to me, they belong to Akira Amano.
Edited by: Mithras151 on October 14, 2009
Chapter Sixteen: Tsuna the Naïve
It had dawned upon Tsuna that throughout his fifteen years on earth that he had never been on a date! However, on the eve of his date with Gokudera, he was still more worried about this competition brewing between his friends. Yet, it hadn't been until this morning that he realized that he was inexperienced in dating. What was the proper etiquette? Was he supposed to bring something? What was best for him to wear? The brunette was at a total lost.
"But it is Gokudera, after all." Tsuna calmed himself down. His self-proclaimed guardian was very considerate of him, and the freshman had no doubt that Gokudera would predict his inexperience. Although, Tsuna was still nervous about making a fool out of himself, he knew that, in Gokudera's hands, he would be alright.
To distract him from his dating jitters, Tsuna went off to seek Ryohei. He hadn't asked the upperclassmen out on a date as of yet, but Tsuna had been preparing himself for the other's extreme excitement. However, upon entering the gym, where Tsuna assumed his energetic friend would be, the freshman found a horrendous sight. The gym had been trashed. Equipment had been scattered about, broken glass and wooden chips littered the floor, and the walls of the room were sliced by a sharp tool. In the middle of the disheveled gym was a pile of bodies. The human dog pile was the school's kendo team and among the mound of flesh was a long haired boy waving his sword around.
"VOOOOOI! IS THAT THE BEST YOUR FUCKERS CAN DO?!" Squalo triumphantly yelled as he stomped his foot into one of his victim's back, earning an agonized grunt from the battered form.
Tsuna contemplated on whether he should approach the swordsman or not. The last time he had confronted the other, he ended up chained to a dartboard and used as a plaything. However, he couldn't ignore the perils of his fellow classmates. The brunette called to the sword wielder. "Squalo-san?"
Squalo turned to the voice and actually looked very happy to see Tsuna. He jumped down from his place, walking over to the school mascot. "SHITTY BRAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
I have a name you know… Tsuna commented to himself. The brunette's large eyes flickered to the Squalo's victims and then back to white haired upperclassmen. "Are you the captain of the kendo team?"
"FUCK NO." Squalo retorted.
The school mascot raised an eyebrow. "Then…?"
The swordsman explained loudly. "I NEEDED TO GET SOME FRUSTRATION OUT! SO I JUST CHALLENGED ALL OF THEM TO A FIGHT. THOSE PIECES OF TRASH NEVER STOOD A CHANCE!"
"I see." The brunette said eyeing what was left of their kendo team. Although, the fate of his classmates was horrible, Tsuna's sympathy was easily pulled away from them. He was more concerned about Squalo and his absence at the announcement. Xanxus had implied that Squalo was in a deep sleep of some sort, but that never answered the questions of why the upperclassmen was absent. "Why didn't you come to the announcement?"
"DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT!" Squalo exclaimed as he revisited the reason for his aggression.
Flashback
The teacher had began lecturing about weapons that were banned from further wars, due to their inhumane uses in World War I. Normally, Xanxus could give a rat's ass about this shit, but when the professor mentioned poison gas, the wheels in his head started turning. Poison Gas…I wonder if that will keep his damn mouth shut! The vice president considered with a sadistic smirk appearing on his face.
Observing this development from a few seats not too far from Xanxus, Squalo glared at the scarred Italian. Fucking asshole, I can tell what you're thinking!
Levi was already whipping out his cell phone ready to contact a supplier or someone who brew the stuff in their basement. Anything he could do to get his hands on it. He couldn't fail Xanxus-sama. Belphegor was just grinning madly, excited for the future bloodbath that would erupt from this. Usually, princes don't learn history, they made history, but he couldn't miss out on another rumble between Xanxus and Squalo.
Flashback end
Squalo finished retelling Tsuna about his traumatic experience. "ANYWAY, THE BASTARD COULDN'T GET THE POISON GAS, SO HE JUST SETTLED FOR SMASHING A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY AGAINST MY SKULL! DAMN THAT SHITHEAD GETS ON MY LAST FUCKING NERVES!"
How violent… Tsuna considered as he looked at the swordsman sympathetically. However, the protagonist knew that any utterance of sympathy would be useless. There was nothing comforting he could say to console Squalo, but it seemed that the long haired student council member had found his own way of dealing with it. Tsuna didn't justify this method, but if it helped Squalo, than who was he to judge?
Squalo and Tsuna were then alerted to the sound of the doors opening. They both turned to the doors, seeing a blonde with a crown and green haired boy with a large frog badge pinned to the jacket of his uniform emerge from the gym threshold. Belphegor was quick to notice the school mascot's presence and greeted Tsuna first.
"Ushishi, is the doll here to see the bloodbath?" Belphegor questioned with his trademark toothy grin on his face.
"Just passing through…" Tsuna replied back, a bit nervous.
"Squalo-senpai, can you tell this washed up prince not to throw knives at me? It really hurts." The monotone voiced boy said in a pleading pitch.
The knife prince turned to his companion and fixed him with a look. Without warning, he took out one of his blades and threw the sharp object at the young boy, hitting his green haired mark. "I'm not washed up."
"Ow…" Fran grimaced as another sharp blade was thrown into his back. At this point, his whole back was decorated with the hilts of Belphegor's blades. On the way here, Fran had received them for his snide comments that he continued to spew out despite the consequences. The young boy's eyes watered slightly but he was quick to brush it away. His green eyes then noticed Tsuna and he pointed with awe. "Oh, it's the school's bicycle."
What?! Tsuna didn't know why he was offended, but he felt he should be with such a statement. Tsuna didn't know what it meant to be a bicycle and overlooked Fran's comment. Perhaps, it was a new slang word or he was out of lingo, this wouldn't be the first time for Tsuna. However, the brunette was even more stunned by the knives sticking out the other's back. "Are you okay with all those knives sticking out of your back?!"
Fran shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Hmmm. He missed my vitals, so they're not posing any threat except being uncomfortable. Bel-senpai is a sick person. He's a sadist, you know."
There seems to be a lot of those here…Tsuna agreed with the newcomer. The brunette could easily come up with a list of sadists that attended here.
After being quiet for a while, Squalo reminded everyone he was still here. The swordsman huffed. "WHAT ARE YOU BASTARDS DOING HERE?"
In the same dreary tone, Fran answered. "It's a free domain; we can come and go as we please."
"A prince does not need a reason to be anywhere." Belphegor coincided with Fran.
Predictably, the responses that the two gave pissed Squalo off. Who the hell were they talking to anyway?! However, Fran and Belphegor were famous for talking to people however they wanted, with the exception of Xanxus, mostly because they both knew better. With him, the two pushed his buttons, but they knew when to stop. "I DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE BABYSITTING YOU TWO! GO BOTHER LUSSURIA OR LEVI WITH YOUR BULLSHIT!"
"Levi is annoying, and Lussuria is too fruity for me. At least, you're good for a laugh, senpai." Fran said with a slight smile.
"And plus, we can play with the doll." Belphegor inched towards Tsuna and the brunette unconsciously scooted away.
"NO! GET THE FUCK OUT!" Demanded Squalo. He wasn't in the mood to deal with these two. He was still royally ape-shit about that damn vice president and he didn't feel up to handling these pests.
On the other hand, Fran came up with a different objective for why the long haired swordsman wanted them to leave. "I see. Senpai wants to get a ride on the bicycle. Remember, practice safe sex."
"Huh?" Tsuna said, confused by Fran's assertion.
"VOOIIIII!" screamed the now irate upperclassmen. He then slammed the blunt end of the sword upon the brat's head.
"That hurts a lot, senpai. I think I'm going to cry." The frog grimaced as he nursed the place that Squalo had struck him.
"YOU DAMN BRAT! CAN'T YOU TELL HE'S A VIRGIN?!"
Fran blinked taking in this new information. His eyes widened in astonishment. The cheeky boy's eyes drifted from an embarrassed Tsuna to a raging Squalo. His green eyes settled on the long haired shark. "Really? I thought that cantankerous vice president already took care of that."
Why are they talking about me as if I'm not here? Tsuna frowned as the trio began talking among themselves about his still intact virginity. No matter what he did, he always managed to run into the perverts, or at least, they knew where to find him.
"Ushishi. He got rejected that last time." Belphegor pointed out, remembering when they kidnapped Tsuna and Xanxus had stormed in, taking their plaything away. Somehow, all three of them ended up in the infirmary later that day. Squalo and he had been attacked by Hibari, but the vice president never mentioned how he had been injured. So, Squalo assumed that his injuries were due to being rejected by Tsuna, unaware that Xanxus was actually attacked by Mukuro.
Squalo contemplated this for a while. "THAT PRICK IS SO TIGHLIPPED ABOUT IT THAT IT HAS TO BE TRUE."
"The bicycle rejected Xanxus-senpai and he's still alive. Cool." Fran gave Tsuna the thumbs up for his bravery. Tsuna, in turn, did not know how to respond to the green haired boy's praise.
"Stop calling him a bicycle, you snotty frog." The blond prince tossed another knife into the smaller boy's back.
Fran cringed at the near fatal attack. "Creepy prince, you almost got my spine."
At the rate things were unfolding, Tsuna knew he wouldn't gain anything by continuing to associate with the deranged trio. When he had first encountered Belphegor and Squalo, they used him as toy, and if it hadn't benn for Xanxus's timely intervention, who knew what could have happened? The brunette turned on his heels and started to head toward the exit. "Well, if my friend isn't here…I guess I should get going."
"Wait a second." Belphegor said grabbing onto Tsuna's arm. He then yanked the small boy into his arms.
"Hiiii." The freshman screamed upon being brought into the prince's hold. His back resting against the blonde's forearm, his small shoulders brushing against the other's chest and his frightful face looking back at the grinning royal.
"Are you trying to take my title from me?" Questioned Belphegor, who actually looked serious.
Tsuna could not see the prince's eyes but he knew the blonde was upset. Confused by his question, Tsuna inquired. "Title?"
Squalo groaned either at Tsuna's incompetence or his knife wielding comrade's vagueness. He decided to explain to Tsuna what the prince meant, since it looked like the brat would never get it. "HE'S TALKING ABOUT YOUR PANSY COSTUME CHOICES. ISN'T ONE OF THEM A PRINCE OR SOMETHING?"
Tsuna's large brown eyes widened with recognition. One of the choices for the Maid Café was indeed a prince. "Oh?"
The green haired boy interjected, bringing up his two cents. "It's okay, Bel-senpai is not very prince-like. He's not charming, magnanimous or handsome. He's the exact opposite of a prince. Bel-senpai is more like the creepy villains that attempt to steal the crown, if you really think about it."
Tsuna had to agree with Fran on this one. Belphegor was truly nothing compared to a fairytale prince, but the brunette already assumed that those types of princes never existed anyway. For all he knew all princes acted just like the disturbing blonde, since Belphegor was the only prince Tsuna had ever met.
"No one asked you, frog." Belphegor barked, unable to throw his knives while he held on to Tsuna.
"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to take your title. It's just a costume choice and I wouldn't be a real prince. You're the only prince here." The brunette assured Belphegor.
Tsuna watched the blonde carefully as he took all of this in and as if showing his acceptance, the prince grinned an even wider smile than usual. "Ushishi. I see. So you're just masquerading as prince to gain my attention?"
Um…no. Tsuna grimaced at Belphegor's notion.
The green haired student turned to the swordsman. "Squalo-senpai, what did you chose for Crossdresser-san to wear?"
Crossdresser-san?! Tsuna looked at the Fran incredulously. This boy's nicknames for him were getting better and better.
Squalo crossed his arms and spat. "I DIDN'T VOTE FOR THAT SHIT!"
"That's a lie, Senpai. I saw you vote yesterday. You were all flustered and pissed off by just putting that one sheet of paper in the box. It was very entertaining." Fran revealed with a playful smirk.
The swordsman rushed the smaller student, slamming one of his heels into the boy's back. The upperclassman's foot pressed down hard on three of Belphegor's embedded daggers. "DAMN YOU, FRAN! HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!"
Despite, how excruciating it looked, Fran managed to maintain his deadpan expression and dry tone. "Senpai, you're pushing the daggers deeper."
Curious and trying to distract himself from Fran's pain, the brunette inquired. "What did you vote for, Squalo-san?"
"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" barked the long haired upperclassmen as he stopped torturing the green haired brat, twisting his torso to glare at the brunette.
Fran then exposed without restraint, "He voted for Chinese courtesan."
The closest look of embarrassment for Squalo was a blank expression, but it was short-lived. The long haired upperclassmen's vacant look quickly transformed into unrelenting rage. "FUCKING FRAN! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
In a flash, Fran snatched Tsuna from the prince and hid behind the school mascot. "Crossdresser-san, protect me. Use your Asian persuasion to steer him away."
Asian persuasion?! Tsuna thought as he became Fran's personal human shield.
"Get your slimy hands off the doll." Belphegor ordered Fran. At this rate, Tsuna would be skewered by Squalo. And though this would be amusing to the prince, he did not want to lose his very entertaining doll.
"So you can do indecent things to him?" Fran questioned the blonde as he held onto Tsuna. "I told you, Crossdresser-san, Bel-senpai is not like a prince, not at all."
"Cheeky brat." The prince growled.
Squalo was already breathing down Tsuna's neck, waving his sword hazardously in the air, the long blade ready to slice into a certain disrespectful amphibian. "VOOOOIII! STOP HIDING BEHIND THE SHITTY BRAT!"
Tsuna frowned deeply. He was used to the fighting and yelling, but there was one thing that bothered him the most. The brunette screamed over the bellows of the trio. "My name is Tsuna!"
There was a pause from all sides, a few blinks of the eyes and then a nasty "Shut Up!" was thrown Tsuna's way before the brunette was shoved to the side, becoming a spectator to the divine punishment of Fran. Poor kid.
At the Sawada Residence,
Iemitsu slept into the morning and early afternoon. For the past few nights, Iemitsu hadn't been able to sleep. He was still in shock from the news that his wife had broken to him, Tsuna being admitted to Namimori all boy's school. One of his greatest fears was becoming a reality, despite his best efforts to prevent it from happening. Tsuna's presence at that institution meant that everything that they had hid from him would come to light. As a protective father, Iemitsu was more than anxious to salvage what was left of his son's ignorance. The only way he could accomplish this was by taking Tsuna away, but he wondered if his son would go willingly. He would expect Tsuna to be a bit weird around him, his father had been missing for most of his life. The very traveling that had been necessary to keep Tsuna's secrets had strained their relationship. However, he had a good reason for leaving Nana and Tsuna for so long. As a man, a husband and a father, he was willing to do anything to protect his family. Even if it meant being hated by them.
Every night his mind was plagued of the memories of that incident. It had begun with a simple family outing. Tsuna was still very young at the time; he had only been three years old. As a child, he had been both curious and frightened of the world. He would go investigate some new phenomenon that his young eyes have never witnessed, and as soon as the object did something strange, the waterworks would fall. Nevertheless, Iemitsu had had no doubt that his son would grown up into an upstanding gentleman. However, his view of Tsuna changed when they lost him at a local amusement park. Somehow, Tsuna had wandered away from them without his or Nana noticing. During the brief time it had taken them to discover Tsuna was missing and begin searching for their son, something terrible had happened.
A scream had alerted him to the danger, making the search for his son that much more urgent. Iemitsu remembered the grayish smoke that hung above the park like a storm cloud and the orange and red blaze that swept over everything like a tidal wave. A fire had broken out at the amusement park, engulfing everything in a sea of flames. People had been running every which way to get out of the way of the conflagration. A gut instinct told Iemitsu that he should go toward the source of the flames. Unfortunately, his hunch had been correct. In the center of the inferno had been his son, his eyes glazed over and emotionless. The only thing he had seen within those orbs were the reflections of fierce flames. Iemitsu had watched speechlessly, frozen in place, unable to believe that the boy in the center of the inferno had been his son. That boy could not have been his fearful son, who started to cry when a butterfly came too close. That child had to be someone else's. However, Iemitsu hadn't allowed himself to drift into denial for very much longer; he had to stop his son before he hurt anyone.
Suddenly, the blonde had his voice and had commanded Tsuna to stop. Once his words had reached his son, light had appeared in his eyes and the small boy turned to him. His eyes welled up with tears at seeing his father's angry face, and the flames around them were began to die down. Iemitsu had been able to approach his son once the flames had calmed and Tsuna had begun sobbing uncontrollably. He hadn't known what had happened to Tsuna to elicit such a powerful display of destruction, but had known he had to find away to suppress this mysterious power so it would not happen again.
This incident had forced Iemitsu to leave home to find answers. He had wanted to know what kind of powers his son possessed, and more importantly, prevent his son from hurting others with his gifts again. The confused father had traveled from continent to continent, crossing sea and even sky. However, his searches had lead him back to Japan, and more specifically, a boarding school named Namimori. There he met a man named Timoteo, who had been the principal of the school at the time. It was through this man that he was able to figure out the root of Tsuna's power. His great grandfather Ieyasu, once called Giotto was the carrier of the dying will flame and it was through his genes that Tsuna inherited this power. Because of this unique power, Giotto was able to ascend his father's position as leader of the Vongola family. However, due to disagreements with how Vongola did business, Giotto used his powers to destroy the entire organizations as well as its alliances.
Guilt-ridden by what he had done, he took the children of the surviving mafia families and brought them to Japan. Giotto took the guise of Ieyasu and married into the Sawada family. With the last of his fortune he had built a school that would house the children of the mafia. To repent for his horrendous crime, he had vowed to reform them into upstanding members of society.
Taking the title of principal after Giotto, Timoteo had been very close with Giotto. To the point that he knew of all other's secrets, even how the founder had managed to seal his powers. However, the principal was quick to warn Iemitsu what he was about to do. Giotto had willingly sealed away his powers, but Iemitsu was making this decision for Tsuna. If there came a time where Tsuna wished to use his power, then his will would override the seal and he would be able to use them. There was also the risk of suppressing a power that they did not fully understand. Timoteo had warned him of the possibility of side effects or even the power morphing into something new, perhaps into something they were unable to control. Despite these possibilities, Iemitsu decided it would be better to seal away his power. It had been a hard decision, but Iemitsu had believed it would be the best for Tsuna.
The amusement park where the incident occurred was gone and was now a street mall. The neighborhood had completely forgotten about the incident. No longer did Iemitsu hear the echoes of the people murmuring about the horrible fire. Although, the incident had been forgotten by everyone else, he was not so quick to forget. Everytime Iemitsu walked by the area, he got this strange feeling and an eerie flashback of his son's emotionless amber eyes. Those eyes were burned into his soul. The blonde thought he would not have to see them ever again.
But now his fear was becoming a reality. His son was called back to the very place his powers were sealed. Was this Timoteo's doing, or someone else? He didn't know, but he couldn't wait to get to the school. Each day passed by produced another hindrance. Tomorrow Nana's parents were coming to visit, and the day after that was the huge sale that his wife had been waiting for. It seemed as if everything was stopping him from getting to Tsuna. He hoped he could get to school before something bad happened.
"Wait for me, Tsuna." Iemitsu said pensively as he hugged an empty sake bottle.
Gokudera looked down at his watch fervently. The time for his date with Tsuna was winding down and he was becoming more anxious by the second. He really wondered if he could truly pull off a date that surpassed all others. Gokudera had a set a huge goal for himself and now he was feeling the pressure of it. He had promised Tsuna that he would give him the best date, but now he wasn't so sure. Was it really in his power to do this? With the people he was up against it was no wonder Gokudera felt a bit insecure. Especially hearing that the baseball freak was asked before him, and that he was up against the charismatic Dino, it was hard for the bomber not to lose a bit of confidence in himself. Gokudera's gaze looked up from his watch and in the distance he could see Tsuna approaching. "Tenth…"
Somehow, Tsuna had managed to escape from Bel, Fran and Squalo. After another heated argument erupted due to the big mouthed Fran, the trio began to fight amongst each other and the brunette took this distraction to run for his life. The brunette briskly ran up to the silver haired guardian, hoping that Squalo and the others had not kept his friend waiting.
Gokudera had told Tsuna to meet him by the old library. The brunette wondered what the silver haired bomber could have in store for him over there. He remembered that the school was currently repairing the library, so he thought it would be impossible to have a date there. However, as he drew closer to the building he realized that the building looked brand new…on the outside. Perhaps, the inside had been repaired as well.
"Hi, Gokudera." Tsuna greeted and after he caught his breath, he asked. "Am I on time?"
"Tenth is right on time." Gokudera smiled.
Suddenly, Tsuna became bashful. Although, he had raced here planning to meet Gokudera for a date, he had not realized what that meant. Now, he felt shy around Gokudera. He wasn't a friend, but his date. Tsuna wasn't sure how to act, but still he wondered why it had to be this way. Why did he feel so uncomfortable?
Why is it so awkward?! Tsuna wondered. Usually, it was never this hard to talk to Gokudera. But now things seemed different. The brunette soon came to the conclusion that "the date" was probably intensifying their shyness. Not being able to handle the cold silence that loomed over them, Tsuna decided to break the ice."S-so, what do you have planed?"
"Nothing special." Replied a humble Gokudera.
"I'm sure whatever you came up with I'll be happy with it."
Gokudera nodded his head in response to Tsuna's statement, resulting in the awkward silence settling over them once more. The brunette frantically looked around his surroundings to find something that would keep the conversation going. His brown eyes fixated on the school library. This was the place they were suppose to have their date and Tsuna had been wondering the whole day as to why Gokudera picked such a place.
"Why the library?" asked the Mascot.
For a second, Gokudera gave a look of surprise and then he answered in a soft tone. "Because, this is the place where we first met, Tenth."
Tsuna blushed at this. He had almost forgotten that this was where he had met Gokudera. For some reason, that day seemed so far away. The beginning of school seemed so long ago. The Gokudera he had first met was nothing like the guardian he knew now. And Tsuna would have never imagined he would be going on a date with Gokudera back then. The brunette smiled benignly. "I remember."
"Shall we go in, Tenth?"
Tsuna nodded and allowed Gokudera to lead the way. The library was fixed, infrastructure-wise. However, the building was pretty bare. Gokudera turned on the lights and Tsuna was able to see that the place was not truly empty. In fact, there were a bunch of boxes pushed to the end of the library as well as table and chairs, stacked upon each other. From the design of the table and chairs, Tsuna figured that they would not be used for the library but perhaps something else.
"They're having the Maid Café in here?!" Tsuna said loudly as he came to the conclusion of what those items would be used for.
"Seems so." Gokudera answered. "This way, tenth."
Tsuna turned away from the café furniture and followed after the silver haired bomber. The fair haired boy led him to the second floor of the library, which was also completely bare. However within the empty space was a single table with two chairs on either side. The table had a white cloth over it with an antique four candle holder in the middle. On each side of the table was a set of silverware and china neatly placed on to the surface.
"You did all this, Gokudera?" Tsuna asked, looking to the silver haired boy next to him.
The silver haired bomber said modestly. "I probably could have done a better job."
Tsuna smiled. "No. This is great."
The mascot stepped toward the table and Gokudera raced in front of him, gripping the chair that Tsuna choose to sit in. "Let me get this for you, Tenth."
"Um…okay?" Tsuna said quietly. Although, Gokudera did not mean to embarrass him, he still felt that way. Didn't guys normally do such things for girls? Despite how he felt, Tsuna obediently sat down on the chair and allowed his friend to push him closer to the table.
"Comfortable?"Asked Gokudera.
"Yes." Replied Tsuna, who tried not to blush too badly. He then watched as Gokudera stepped away and returned with a plate of food.
"You cooked? How?" Tsuna looked surprised.
"I just borrowed the kitchen." Gokudera lied; actually he made the head chef give permission to use the kitchen. But Tsuna didn't have to know all the details. Gokudera sat down in his own chair with his own plate. "If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it."
"Itadakimasu." [1] After Ryohei's bento incident that had nearly burned his soul, the brunette was a bit apprehensive of eating anyone's cooking. However,being the good friend that he was, he could not deny Gokudera's food without first trying it. Plus, the other's food smelled and looked good. He bravely took his utensil and took a bite. He chewed carefully and his mouth began to water from the exquisite taste. "This is delicious."
"I'm glad Tenth likes it."
The course of the meal was filled with even more awkward silence, but Tsuna didn't mind as much. He was too busy filling his stomach to care. It had been such a long time since he had good food like this. It made him a bit homesick for his mother's cooking. The school meals could not compare to his mother's culinary expertise and Gokudera's cooking. "Gochisosama deshita [2]. I love your cooking, Gokudera. It reminds me of home."
Gokudera smiled, pleased that his cooking made the tenth happy. "Do you cook, tenth?"
"Um…no. I've tried a couple of times but it never turns out right." The brunette confessed. "Do you like to cook, Gokudera?"
"Not really. I don't do it a lot."
"That's too bad. You could be a chef. If you don't like cooking, then what do you like?" Tsuna inquired.
"Like?"
The smaller boy elaborated. "Like: favorite food, favorite color, hobbies. Stuff like that."
"Well, my favorite food…I'm not sure, but I like those meals you can get at the convenience store. Like Onigiri or Yakisoba." Gokudera continued after he thought about what else he liked. "And my favorite color is red. I like to read mostly."
"What do you read about?" Tsuna asked but he already had an idea that Gokudera would spew of names that he could not pronounce and speak of theories that would give him a headache by the mention of them.
Gokudera blushed as he confessed his secret passion."The mysteries of the world."
Tsuna repeated. "Mysteries of the world?"
"Like UFOs, Lochness, Big foot and the Tsuchinoko[3]." Explained the bomber.
The brunette sighed in relief. "I see. So you're interested in those things."
"Do you think it's weird?" Gokudera questioned, looking hurt.
Tsuna smiled gently at his emerald eyed guardian. "No, I don't think it's weird at all. To be honest, I'm very afraid of the idea of aliens coming to earth."
"Don't worry if UFOs do come to this planet, I'll be sure to protect the Tenth."Gokudera promised.
Thank you, but I rather if they just stayed on their own planet. Tsuna thought to himself. Although, Gokudera had sworn to protect him if aliens did invade Earth, he was still unnerved by the other's enthusiasm. Tsuna was happy to change the subject. "Do you have any other hobbies?"
"I also play the Piano." Added the alien enthusiast.
"Really?" Tsuna beamed as he learned this. The brunette was impressed. Not only was Gokudera smart, but he could also cook and play the piano. He never knew someone could be good at so many things, or perhaps, Tsuna was bad at so many things that he was easily impressed by the bomber. "I would like to hear you play, Gokudera."
"You would? I think there's a Piano in the music room." The silver haired boy recalled.
Tsuna quickly stood up from his seat and walked over to Gokudera's side. "Let's go." He said eagerly.
Today was another shitty day for Xanxus. Class was boring and a fucking waste of time. Sometimes, he wondered why he even bothered to come to class. Byakuran was being a pest as usual, leaving him and Shouichi with all the damn work. The clown of a president went MIA again. Not that the vice president wasn't happy that scum was gone, but taking on someone else's fucking responsibilities was the part that he disliked the most. Xanxus hated doing work, he hated it even more when he had to do other people's work and what pissed him off the most was that he didn't have a choice.
And on top of that, Levi was following him like some lost puppy. Although, Xanxus liked to be pampered and being given nothing but the best, he was easily annoyed by Levi's doting. The vice president wished that Levi would take the not-so-subtle hints he dropped him and allow him space to breath. Somehow, during the hustle and bustle of the day, he managed to lose the stalker. The vice president retreated back to the room, not wanting to be bothered and he knew once he entered his domain, no one would dare disturb him. Unless, they wanted a bottle of whiskey thrown at them. Xanxus relished in the solitude of his room, with his favorite drink in a chilled glass, sitting in his comfy chair. And then, the doors of his room burst open.
"Xanxus-sama." Lussuria greeted as he walked into the vice president's room without invitation.
The Italian huffed, not even looking at the fag. "What are you doing here?"
The other dared to ask. "Am I bothering you?"
Xanxus' crimson eyes fixed Lussuria with a look that said, "Yes! Now get the fuck out". However, the silent threat rolled off the other's back and Lussuria continued to saunter into the lion's den. "I'll be out of your hair, soon." Lussuria promised. "But I thought you should know…"
Xanxus rolled his eyes with an aggravated groan. Ever since Squalo opened his big dumb mouth about his supposed rejection from Tsuna, Lussuria had made it his business to keep tabs on the brunette. Every day, the flamboyant boy would come to him with news about the school mascot, and it wasn't important things like which shithead he should make disappear. No, it was dumb shit like what he ate that day or his favorite fucking color. Were they in elementary school or something?! Lussuria felt that this was essential for Xanxus to know, but the vice president couldn't give a rat's ass to be honest.
"This better be good, Lussuria." Impatience deep within the vice president's voice.
The boy with the pink sunglasses cut straight to chase."Xanxus-sama, he's going on dates with people."
The scarred Italian repeated, becoming interested. "Dates?"
"Uh huh. Apparently, it's some contest to see who he likes the most." Lussuria further elaborated.
Even though the vice president managed to maintain the face of an ennui, internally he was a bit unnerved by this news. Xanxus had yet to admit to himself that he liked Tsuna, so he would never say he felt jealous. Instead, the vice president felt kind of hurt, maybe even betrayed. Xanxus's inner sourpuss spoke first. "Like I care what he does."
Liar! Lussuria thought. Sometimes, the vice president could be a big baby. If things did not turn his way, he was quick to get moody or even indifferent. At least, he pretended to be. "Are you going to sit there and do nothing?"
"I told you already. I don't care about that damn brat." Xanxus said apathetically, but the neon green haired upperclassmen knew better.
Lussuria sighed, there was no helping Xanxus when he was like this. "Suit yourself."
With that, the flamboyant boy sauntered out of the vice president's room. Xanxus stared into his drink, losing the appetite to consume it. He sat the glass down and began brooding over what he had just been told. He had told Lussuria that he didn't care, but he had been lying both to Lussuria and himself. He did care. It bothered him immensely that Tsuna was going on dates with other people. His pride was the only thing keeping him from getting up from his chair and offing any bastard who was trying to court the mascot. And yet, the same pride that kept the Italian stubbornly in place was also bruised by the news.
Wasn't it Tsuna who was dying to befriend him? Wasn't it Tsuna that told him he had nothing to lose? Xanxus felt he had had been lied to, and that perhaps, Tsuna was only playing games with him. The scarred Italian felt betrayed. Yet, the truth was that Tsuna never lied to him. He probably only wanted to be friends with him, it was just that Xanxus wanted more than that. The vice president was slowly coming to the realization that he potentially liked the brat and didn't want to be just friends with him. Since their last encounter, the vice president was so ready to pounce on the mascot. He didn't know why. Never in his life would he ever think of being attracted to a guy, and a pathetic one at that. Even with that freakish loud mouth walking around with his flowing hair, Xanxus has yet to look Squalo's way… and never would. Then again, he couldn't say that he had met a woman that had ever interested him, either. However, with Tsuna, he couldn't help himself. It was as if the brat had some kind of control over him, to the point where he needed to touch the other just to feel satisfied.
The sound of a glass shattering against a wall woke the Italian out of his reverie. His red eyes examined his now empty table, which used to have a glass filled with liquor and his right hand slightly outreached in a familiar position. He huffed as he watched the dark poison slide down the wall. He needed to get a hold of himself. There was nothing in this world that was more important than him. Anything else, anyone else, was insignificant and nothing but trash. Xanxus forced himself to remember that and to not fall into the same group as the other scum in the school. However, he couldn't fight it. He was back to Lussuria's favorite topic, and admittedly, it was becoming Xanxus most revisited subject as well.
Whilst he was superior, Tsuna was just ordinary. There was nothing special about Tsuna. No…at first glance there was nothing special about him, but after witnessing the boy over time, Xanxus's opinion of Tsuna changed. He was not as weak as he thought, the brunette lacked physical strength but Tsuna made up for it with another kind of strength: guts. The vice president marveled at Tsuna's ability to confront him and stay calm around his enraged fits. Another thing about the brat that he admired was the other's kindness. And believe him; Xanxus knew it was hard to be kind, especially towards him. The proof was the twenty five women in his life that he caused to burst into tears, and most of time he hadn't even put in the effort to insult them. Lastly, it felt damn fucking good to kiss him.
Yet, even in this critical state of affairs, Xanxus's stubbornness continued to hinder him. Xanxus was spoiled; he rarely had to do anything for himself. He was so used to people bending over backwards for him. Even his father was doing flips to gain back his attention. And Tsuna was no exception; he was making the brunette prove himself to get closer to him. That was just how Xanxus was used to handling people. Refuse them attention and they were graveling at your feet. Smash a bottle against their skull and they were your best friend. Steal their girlfriend and they were buying you a drink for taking the broad off their hands. Perhaps, people were afraid him or admired him, but whatever the case, it worked for him and the scarred Italian rarely had to left a finger to make things happen in his life. However, it struck Xanxus that using his normal methods would not win Tsuna over. There was too much scum lurking around for his usual actions to work. He had to do something and do it fast.
"Lussuria." Xanxus called knowing that the other was not far.
As if on cue, the boy stood at the frame of the door. "Yes, Xanxus-sama."
The scarred Italian fought with the words he was about to speak and then after much inner conflict, he replied. "Where is he?"
The walk to music room was silent, since neither Tsuna nor Gokudera spoke throughout the trip. For most of the trip, Tsuna was just staring at Gokudera's back, excited to hear the bomber play. On the other hand, the silver haired guardian was kind of nervous about performing in front of Tsuna. It had been years since he played the piano, and he wondered if he still remembered to play. He was out of practice, but he couldn't let the Tenth down, especially, if he was given a golden opportunity like this to win the brunette over.
The lecture building was completely empty. The time for class had since passed, so no faculty or students were present. Unlike in the daytime, when the building was very bright, it was now pitch black. So dark that Gokudera had to light a stick of dynamite to see in front of his face. Tsuna was wary when this idea was offered by the bomber, but he trusted his friend enough not to blow them both up. Finally, they reached the music room and, thankfully, Gokudera was able to extinguish the flame of the dynamite before the wick burned out. Tsuna was about to turn on the lights, but Gokudera stopped him.
"If we turn on the lights the disciplinary committee will come here." Gokudera warned, though he could care less about being caught by Hibari's goons, he didn't want them crashing in, ruining his date with Tsuna.
"Oh, right. But how will you see?" Tsuna questioned.
"This room is not completely dark, like everywhere else." The other pointed out.
Tsuna slowly noticed that this room was more illuminated then the other parts of the school. A white light was shining through from the window and gave them enough light for Gokudera to see. "The moon…" The brunette said slowly.
His eyes diverted from the windows in the music room to his silver headed companion. Gokudera was already making his way to the back of the classroom, where there was a sleek, black grand piano. The darkness of the lacquer practically shined in the moonlight. The brunette slowly approached his date as Gokudera looked over the piano. He then watched as the other's pale fingers pressed on a random key emitting a note or two. To Gokudera's satisfaction the sound he received was good, meaning that the Piano was properly turned. The emerald orbs of the pianist looked over to Tsuna.
"Is there something Tenth would like to hear?"
Too embarrassed to reveal that he wasn't very knowledgeable of classical music, Tsuna opted for letting Gokudera play whatever he wished. "Anything you want to play is fine with me."
"Then, I'll play my favorite song just for the tenth." Gokudera decided.
Tsuna blushed, taking a seat. "O-okay."
The silver haired bomber sat in front of the large instrument. His fingers lightly graced over the white and black keys. Gokudera closed his eyes, somehow knowing what keys were which. Tsuna watched as Gokudera lightly pressed against an arrangement of keys, emitting a sweet sound. The pace of the song was slow and then the pace of the melody began to ascend and descend like a roller coaster. The melody, though soothing took the brunette on a momentous ride. Tsuna began to feel heady from the sereneness of the music. The mascot felt as if he was flying at some point and being surrounded by cool waters the next. Tsuna never knew music could do such things or perhaps, it was because Gokudera was playing this song just for him. Whatever the reason, Tsuna was very pleased with the experience.
Gokudera's music continued to take Tsuna to places high and low, to the point that the small boy was getting drunk off the tune. The song carried Tsuna off into a meditative -like stupor. His body was reacting to something. This unknown force was warm and inviting. This feeling was beckoning the brunette out of his subconscious and asking him to seek its source. Obediently, Tsuna obeyed this intuitive calling. His brown eyes looked over to Gokudera and he saw something that he had not noticed before.
A red flame? Tsuna thought to himself. There was a scarlet glow hovering over the Italian's chest. The reddish hue was easy for Tsuna to spot, even if it was faint.
Before he could complete his speculations on the phenomenon, his ability to see this weird occurrence vanished, as if turned off by a switch. As he continued to watch Gokudera, he saw no sign of the red flame making Tsuna feel as if he was hallucinating or assuming that the darkness in the room was playing tricks on him. Although he tried to forget what he thought he had seen, he had an eerie feeling that it was important.
"Hey brat." A familiar voice called to him from the other end of the music room.
Tsuna's head swung in the direction of the newcomer and the brunette was very surprised to see this person. At the sound of threatening voice, Gokudera paused in playing his music. His emerald eyes looking over the piano's top and seeing a very tall, dark skinned male eyeing the tenth. He looked older than Tsuna and himself, so that meant he was a threat. Also he looked Italian and that set off the red alarm in the self-proclaimed guardian's mind. Nothing good came from Italians.
Xanxus's red eyes turned to the boy at the piano and began staring Gokudera down. On his way here, he had wondered what kind of shithead the brat was hanging around. He had imagined someone weak, or a pretty boy that rivaled Fabio. The vice president had even considered someone as strong as an ox, or someone as ugly as a horse's behind. However, seeing Gokudera's face confirmed that this kid was nothing to be concerned about. If he was up against this kid, then he knew he would surely get Tsuna.
Tsuna got up from his seat."X-Xanxus?!"
"You know him, Tenth?" Gokudera asked Tsuna, his eyes did not move from Xanxus.
"Yes, Xanxus is the vice president of the student council." Tsuna turned to Gokudera and informed the other on who Xanxus was. However, the school mascot was wondering why the vice president was here. "What brings you here, Xanxus?"
"So, that's him." The vice president said, referring to Gokudera. "That's the competition? Brat, I know you can do better than that."
"Che cazzo stai dicendo?" [4]The silver haired barked at Xanxus.
"Lo avete sentito, testa di merda."[5] The scarred Italian gave a confident smirk.
Gokudera cursed. "Minchia." [6]
Tsuna was taken aback by what just happened. Suddenly, Xanxus had insulted Gokudera and they had somehow slipped into Italian jargon. From the tone of these words, Tsuna figured that the both were fighting.
"Stop it." Tsuna ordered, although his demanding voice was shaky. Who wouldn't be? Gokudera could be very intimidating when angered and Xanxus always had an unapproachable air about him. So it was easy for the brunette to lose face between the two of them. Plus, he hated confrontation. "Xanxus, you didn't come here just to pick a fight with Gokudera did you?"
The vice president looked to Tsuna and nodded. "No, I didn't come to do that."
"Then?" Tsuna pressed, wondering why Xanxus decided to pay them a visit.
Answering Tsuna's question, the scarred Italian whipped his pistols and pointed directly at Gokudera. The silver haired Italian was quick to take out his own dynamite out of self-defense. The tension in room was growing even thicker than before. Each alpha male glaring into the eye of the other calling dibs on their mate, which was unfortunately Tsuna.
"What are you doing?!" The brunette shrieked.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" answered Xanxus, his pointer fingers looping around the triggers of his guns. "I'm eliminating the trash around you."
"Who the fuck is you calling trash?!" Growled Gokudera, who had already lit a couple of his dynamites.
"Sto comunicando con voi, schiuma."[7] The tallest of trio spat.
The bomber threatened."I'll kick your ass."
"I fucking dare you."
Tsuna remembered the last time Xanxus used his guns. The sheer power of the pistols blasted a whole through a wall. Tsuna didn't want to imagine what could happen if one of the vice president's bullets hit a human being. And when Gokudera started to throw his dynamite around, he was bound to place some damage on Xanxus. Even though, Xanxus had started this, he didn't want to see the other hurt and the brunette felt a strong need to protect Gokudera, who was unevenly matched with the vice president. Tsuna felt he needed to do more than stand on the sidelines and watch the disaster unfold. The small boy made up his mind and jumped in front of the bomber, protecting Gokudera with his body.
Tsuna's rich brown orbs fixated on the vice president. His heroic gaze unwavering and his voice steady."Xanxus, I don't know why you're doing this, but I can't allow you to hurt Gokudera."
"You really do have a lot of guts, brat." Xanxus glowered at Tsuna's martyrdom. He truly admired that Tsuna could stand up to him; however in this situation the vice president could not praise him. "But, sit down and shut up! This is a man's fight and you have no business in it."
Chapter Sixteen End
Itadakimasu- I shall receive, a saying one must say before eating
Gochisosama (deshita) – Thank you for the food. A saying one must say after eating
Tsuchinoko- Mythical giant snake
Che cazzo stai dicendo? - What the hell are you talking about?
Lo avete sentito, testa di merda. – You heard me, shithead.
Minchia- Prick
Sto comunicando con voi, schiuma. – I am talking to you, scum.
Omake- The Boxer Thief…Not Panty Thief
Tsuna: WHO TOOK MY UNDERWEAR?!
Everyone: looks at Byakuran…..
Byakuran: smiles it's not me this time
Everyone: looks at Gokudera
Gokudera: I would never do that to the Tenth points at Mukuro That bastard probably did it, though!
Mukuro: Kufufu, I wonder what would give you that idea.
Gokudera: I knew it, you're guilty!
Mukuro: I'm afraid I don't have Tsunayoshi's underwear, but perhaps shifts his eyes to Hibari he does
Hibari: No. I don't have the herbivore's underwear. Takes out his tonfas But when I find the culprit, I'll bite them to death.
Yamamoto: Maa,maa. Let's not fight amongst ourselves.
Gokudera: Trying to divert out suspicion by playing the nice guy?! It's not going to work on me!
Yamamoto: frowns I didn't take them, Gokudera.
Lambo: Yare, Yare. Sighs Tsuna I thought after the fiftieth time, you would have learned to lock these things up.
Tsuna: I shouldn't have to lock them up!
Byakuran: Good thing, I made Otachan put tracking devices in Tsu-chan's unmentionables.
Tsuna: You placed tracking devices on my underwear?!
Byakuran: So that I'll always know where Tsu-chan is.
Tsuna: groans Unbelievable
Gokudera: You're sick!
Byakuran: You're just mad because you didn't think of it first
Spanner: I've found them. Hands Byakuran a portable device
Byakuran: Looks at screen I see…he finally listened to my advice. Grins wickedly Welcome to the dark side.
Meanwhile…
Ryohei: That guy was right…this is extremely fun Throws up a bundle of Tsuna's underwear and dances about in the shower of Tsuna's boxers
Omake End- Ryohei is easy to corrupt ^_^
Author's note: It took two months but it is done. I don't have much to say except next chapter will be the end of the poll. So if you have not voted yet, please do. The poll is located on my profile page and you will be voting for Tsuna's outfit in the Maid Café. So please vote. I must also add that even if your choice does not win, Tsuna will still wear these costume choices, just at a later date. Next chapter will be Tsuna's date with Yamamoto. So look forward to it. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting my story and I hope you continue to do so. Please review, it gives me power. Until next time.
