A/N: Actually I lied. My sincere apologies. Yamamoto will make an appearance first. I was looking at my (un) organized notes on the plot and messed it up. Lol. On a brighter note…you guys have made me so happy 8D Thank you minna-san! *Bows*
Sasayomi: That's good right? Lol and I like 1827 too but it's not certain if I will do that. Sides since I made Hibari view Tsuna as more of an Omnivore than a Herbivore as the years went by I don't know how that pairing would work. There are a lot of 1827…while that's good I feel other pairings deserve more love too. Yup…Gokudera ish loyal.
The Cloud's Essence: Yeah lol Poor Tsuna…I love giving him a hard time. Reborn isn't helping much. Heh. Gokudera likes it though. It actually makes sense. Humanity gets a kick out of people's misfortune. I love melodrama lol It's not actually a phobia it's more like an instinctual reaction to past bad experiences. I'll try to make it more…fluid? Lol. Thank you :D I'm glad my story is original. Makes me feel relieved. You were really helpful.
XxPockyXx: Thanks XD I try to update regularly...I hate to leave people hanging. Thank you and no problem. I love Gokudera too…a loyal rebel puppy x3
SoulVrazy: I'm glad :'D
Myriam: Yay lol Yeah…Tsuna is in for a wild ride. I pity Tsuna almost all the time because he is so cute. Thank you! :D Yeah…I love how Gokudera and Tsuna met each other originally but I messed with it some. Such is the liberty of fanfiction. I strive to make my fictions original. No use being boring when you can be unique. And no problem…as stated before I hate leaving people hanging too long.
13animenurd13: Thank you for reviewing twice in the same day XD That made me feel special. Thank you! I saw that no one ever did a Paranoid! Tsuna fic and I was inspired. Sadness and badassery…they go so great, ne? Thanks :3 That trap idea was a last minute idea actually lol Tsuna is going to be very dry and sarcastic around Reborn…of course Reborn will pay him back in kind…with pain but he will have to be careful himself…Tsuna is no pushover here. Hahahaa…that sorta already happened when Tsuna saved his ass. Tsuna may be smart and paranoid but he is not coldhearted. Thank you…you made me laugh XD
Qqsa: Thanks *Bows*
Sylvia-san: :D I'm glad this is getting popular. I didn't know if it would or not. I won't leave ya'll hanging for months without warning nor will I abandon stories. Heh…I hope ya read my A/N. *Sweatdrops* Tsuna will be for a lack of a better word panicky around the kids. They aren't his forte. I love Ryohei…I wish I had his energy. I will and thank you for reading so far :D
Naoi Ayato: THANK YOU TO THE EXTREME FOR YOUR EXTREMELY AWESOME WORDS! Heh…I had to do that. I'll update as often as possible :)
Pairings: Depends. Might have a poll once the story develops more. Could be awhile.
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Tis a tragedy.
….
Gokudera tried to trail me home. I'm pretty sure I lost him though.
'Good grief…first a sadistic adult like baby tutor now a loyal doglike stalker…how are people like that part of professional Mafia?' I thought tiredly. I looked around the park I found myself in. It was the one where I was almost shot by a rival Famiglia when I was 10. Ever since then I avoided the place but for some reason my intuition led me here.
I heard the dull thwack of a ball hitting wood. It sounded familiar. I peered around the park bench I was sitting at to the grassy middle of the park.
Yamamoto Takeshi was hitting baseballs at lightning speed. The machine spewing out baseballs was shaking slightly but Yamamoto didn't seem to notice, too engrossed with hitting them. My eyes flicked to the side a small shadow darted towards the trees. I had a niggling suspicion of foul play.
The machine steadily threw out balls at frightening speeds.
It was almost too fast. To my surprise he continued to hit them as it went faster and faster.
I panicked when the machine started to smoke. "Yamamoto! Get out of the way!" I screamed just as the baseball machine exploded, catching on fire. Yamamoto was thrown to the side by the blast. I bit my lip. Getting close will not be safe but…Yamamoto protected me when I was younger…
Gritting my teeth and cursing myself, I jogged over to him, warily keeping an eye on the flaming machinery. Yamamoto groaned from where he was lying flat on his back. "Are you alright?" I asked hesitantly.
Much to my surprise, Yamamoto started laughing. "Yeah I'm fine! Although it's a pain my private baseball practicing will have to wait till I get it fixed," Yamamoto said, grinning. I sweatdropped.
'This guy…' I thought. Other than a few bruises, Yamamoto seemed fine. That was a relief.
Sighing, I nervously offered him a hand which he took gratefully. The moment he stood up, I instantly let go.
'Hiie hiie hiie.' I panicked internally. I didn't like prolonged contact with others. 'I have a feeling Reborn is up to his tricks again…I just know it was him who sabotaged that machine...who else but him would have a tiny shadow capable of doing so?' I thought scowling.
"Thank you Tsuna!" Yamamoto said gratefully. "Err…no problem," I mumbled, embarrassed. "I know how much you hate being touched…so it meant a lot to me that you reached out…" Yamamoto said, scratching his head. I just nodded, looking away. 'Since it's my stupid tutor's fault…I guess I could…ugh.' I thought.
"How about I made you a new baseball machine?" I offered, wincing when Yamamoto's bright brown eyes lit up. I was sorta hoping he would say no…oh well. I did feel bad. "You would do that? I noticed that in class if you weren't sleeping you were making something…are you an inventor?" Yamamoto asked excitedly. I could almost picture a tail wagging. 'Oh god…not another puppy.' I groaned internally.
'He watches me? Oh lord…' I thought.
"Yeah...I guess…it might take me a few days though," I replied, ruffling my hair nervously. So much for remaining unnoticed and isolated. "That's great! Thank you Tsuna," Yamamoto laughed, almost reaching out to hug me. I stepped back, watching him warily. "Oh sorry…" Yamamoto said, smile fading a little.
I sighed. "You're welcome...I'm sorry but please don't touch me," I whispered, turning to go. I felt Yamamoto's stare on my back as I walked away.
"When can I pick it up? How much do you want me to pay?" Yamamoto suddenly shouted. I looked back. "I'll bring it to school…and you don't have to pay me anything," I replied. "Oh ok…can you carry it?" he asked, curiously.
I sniffed, slightly miffed. "I know someone who can," I answered, grinning evilly. Might as well put Gokudera to good use. Yamamoto laughed. "I knew there was more to you than what people think!" Yamamoto said, eyes crinkling.
I winced. "There's really not," I muttered before waving goodbye to Yamamoto.
So preoccupied in my turmoil, I didn't see Reborn hanging off a tree branch several feet away.
Reborn was smirking.
"That's what you think Mousougata-Tsuna...I'll be sure to tort-ahem tutor the potential out of you to make you into the best Mafia boss…you already have two Guardians in the making," Reborn murmured slyly, stroking Leon. Then he frowned slightly.
"Of course we must get you to quit being so averse to touch…but otherwise paranoia is useful for your survival…"
I repressed a shiver. When I was almost home, Gokudera found me. I groaned softly.
"Juudaime! I'm so sorry," Gokudera cried, bowing. I sweatdropped. "What for?" I muttered, walking up the path to the door, sticking my key in. "I lost you! What if someone tried to hurt you and I wasn't there? I failed as your right hand man," Gokudera moaned, hanging his head. I sighed, taking off my shoes. Gokudera followed me inside meekly.
"Please quit being so melodramatic…I'm perfectly fine so you didn't fail," I said, greeting my mom who was making dinner. "Really?" Gokudera looked at me hopefully. "Hai," I said, rolling my eyes. I heard a sigh of relief from Gokudera and couldn't resist shaking my head in amusement.
I had resolved a while ago that whenever Gokudera brought out his explosives in an effort to "protect me" I would be far away but for now he was tolerable if even good company. Intelligent and insightful if a bit creepily hero worshipful. I'm just happy he doesn't touch me even if it was only because it would disrespectful in his eyes to do so.
I scowled. Reborn's attempts at getting me "Guardians" was really annoying.
When I opened the door to my room, I immediately noticed that several of my defenses had gone off. Reborn was scowling at me, annoyed. My room looked like a war zone. Apparently Reborn had discovered more of my dangerous inventions that I called home security measures because he had thoroughly trashed it.
Scorch marks, poisonous needles, and various other marks and instruments of torture were on my walls, floor, etc. My eye twitched. Reborn was relatively unscathed.
"Whoa…" Gokudera breathed. 'So this is Juudaime's room…just as I thought it would be!' he thought reverently.
'Looks like I must up my ante…oh god it will take months to repair and update this.' I groaned mentally. I didn't notice when Reborn turned away from me and Gokudera to pull out a wickedly sharp needle from his fedora. Leon's eyes were wider than normal, slightly shaking because the needle had nearly impaled him.
'You will pay for that Tsuna.' Reborn thought sadistically.
I suddenly felt like fearing for me life. Well…more than usual at that moment. I heard the click of the safety being released. Reborn was pointing his gun at me, dark eyes flashing with dark humor.
"Get your homework done if you ever want to eat dinner," Reborn threatened, finger caressing the trigger. Warily watching him, I shrugged before getting out my homework.
"Just don't point that thing at me…it's not that productive for a well-functioning mind," I muttered, taking math out first since it will most likely take longest.
"I could just shoot you for your impudence," Reborn said casually. "No thank you," I replied, scooting away from Reborn. Gokudera sat across from me, trying to not get stabbed by the shrapnel and carnage on the floor. "I'll help you Juudaime!" Gokudera cried, trying to take a piece of my math homework when Reborn turned the gun on him.
"No…how will he learn anything if you do it for him?" Reborn asked, darkly. Gokudera froze.
"Reborn…don't threaten others for nothing," I sighed, contemplating on a complicated quadratic equation. "You don't have the authority here," Reborn retorted childishly.
I stared deadpanned at him before he fired at me, hitting the already damaged wall behind me.
"Get to work…I'll be watching," Reborn ordered, before walking out of the destroyed room. When he shut the door a piece of the wall fell down. I winced. 'I'm gonna have to fix that too…' I thought tiredly. 'How can he be watching us if he is out of the room?' I wondered before shrugging.
Reborn will be Reborn. That guy has only been here less than a day and I was already feeling the urge to pack up and move to Canada. For a moment I mourned my precious defenses. I built those from scratch when I was three. Now they were reduced to nothing…Reborn wasn't even injured!
I quickly went back to work before Reborn somehow saw me daydreaming. Gokudera was giving me advice every now and then. Eventually I and he were satisfied with the work but before we could start on the other homework subjects, my mom shouted up the stairs that it was dinner. Sharing anxious looks we decided to go downstairs despite Reborn's wrath.
Hunger breeds desperation.
Reborn was sitting at the table sipping a glass of espresso. I couldn't understand why he was so fond of the bitter liquid. "Those of lesser breeding wouldn't understand the unique, strong taste of espresso," Reborn stated, smirking at me. I scowled. 'You read minds eh?' I thought.
If possible Reborn's smirk grew. That figures.
"I'm glad Tsu-kun finally has a friend over!" Nana cried happily. I facepalmed.
Gokudera had perked up at being referred to as a friend. His eyes were sparkling and wide. It was frankly disturbing. "Arigatou, Juudaime's Okaa-san!" Gokudera said, bowing to her. She just giggled.
I shook my head embarrassment.
Briefly I wondered how I was going to check for poison in my food. I grimaced. Looks like I will have to deal with it.
My mom set down plates of food in front of us before sitting down. Before I could lift my chopsticks up to reluctantly eat some rice it was gone. 'Eh?' I wondered before looking at Reborn who had my chopsticks in his mouth and my bowl of rice half empty.
"Lesson one…be fast enough to react to save your food," Reborn said, taking another sip of espresso.
'I wonder why he looked reluctant to eat.' Reborn mused thoughtfully.
In a lightning quick move, I had taken the small plate of sushi from in front of him, sticking part of a sushi roll in my mouth. I knew it wouldn't be poisoned since why would Reborn poison himself? That was too funny to consider.
Reborn didn't show it but inside he was impressed if a bit irritated. "Not bad Mousougata-Tsuna but…
Whack
"Hiie!" I cried when the giant green hammer slammed my face down on the table.
"You don't steal from me," Reborn said casually, turning back to his food. My eyes watered.
"Are you alright Juudaime?!" Gokudera exclaimed, pausing in his eating. Nana giggled. She just thought we were playing or something. Tch.
"Hai…I'm fine," I grumbled, turning back to my admittedly smaller portion of food. I refrained from cursing Reborn in my mind. Apparently it wasn't safe to do so. Dinner was relatively silent afterwards.
After dinner I went back upstairs to continue my homework. Gokudera had reluctantly gone home.
I breezed through the other homework I had. After that I looked at the carnage that was once my room. I sighed. It was going to be a long night.
Before I could started repairing the damage, Reborn stopped me. "There are a few things we need to discuss," he said firmly, his face in shadow.
I raised an eyebrow before waving a hand for him to go on. Unknown to me Reborn's eyes narrowed.
"Earlier…what did you mean when you said that I was not a child?" he asked seriously. I had to control my initial reaction. How could I have been so careless?
I really didn't know why Reborn wasn't an adult…I just knew he was one but was stuck in the body of an infant. It would be illogical to believe otherwise. Seriously….an infant this sadistic with knowledge of the Mafia who could wield a gun like a trained professional? I mean come on.
"You aren't a mere child...it would be stupid of me to label you as such what with all the evidence that points to the contrary," I replied coolly, snapping on a pair of gloves to pick up the poisonous needles from the floor.
Reborn raised an eyebrow. 'He continues to baffle me…he's not anything like my previous student.' Reborn mused. Of course he already knew that based on Tsuna's file but seeing it firsthand brought about many things that hadn't been listed. "Hm…I see," Reborn murmured thoughtfully.
'Good…he doesn't know about the Arcobaleno…yet.' Reborn thought.
"If that is all let me repair the damage you caused because you went haywire and destroyed my life's work," I grumbled, irately. Reborn shrugged lightly. "I was being attacked," he said simply.
"Perhaps that was a hint to refrain from trespassing without permission," I retorted.
I jumped out of the way of the bullets. "You will respect me," Reborn ordered darkly.
Despite my paranoid survival instincts screaming at me to shut the hell up I rebutted. "Respect? You haven't earned it...those who respect others from fear are weak…I'm not weak," I scoffed angrily.
The air seemed to freeze.
With a cruel smirk Reborn replied, "It's good to know you have guts…but unless you want to see them in a pool of your blood I suggest you get used to fear…for that is how I operate."
Not for the first time I was glad I wore the bullet proof vests I made at all times. But just because I wear them doesn't mean I'll let myself get hit. That would be stupid not to mention arrogant. Attempting to not show fear, I continued to clean up my room. Hell would freeze over before I would fear Reborn even if I was wary around him.
'I better make my defenses near invincible next time.' I mused.
Reborn hopped down from my bed. "Make sure you get started on Yamamoto Takeshi's baseball machine soon," Reborn ordered before the door slammed behind him. I winced and dodged an errant explosion from one of my defenses that had survived above the door.
'I have to give my daily report to the Ninth…Tsunayoshi is more than he lets on…who knew he could read Italian?' Reborn thought.
'So he was the one to sabotage that machine…it's not like I had any doubts, tch.' I thought, scowling.
I continued cleaning up, stashing the various weapons that were part of my ruined defenses that could still be salvageable in a pile. The shrapnel that couldn't be saved went into the trash. I mourned the electrical current bars that were once around my window sill. That took forever to make and was a personal favorite of mine after the poisonous needles. It trapped whatever tried to get through be it person or projectile then electrocuted it till it died or turned to ash.
Sighing dejectedly, I gathered the still useful parts. It was well past three in the morning before I decided to try to sleep. The rebuilding of my defenses and Yamamoto's baseball machine could wait. Not for the first time I was glad it was a Saturday.
I had been even more nervous to sleep since Reborn came. Who knew what that sadistic man would do to him in his most vulnerable state?
Luckily or unluckily Reborn had more important things to do at the moment.
At the time I wished I had checked on my Italian books. If I had I would've prevented what happened later. As it is I didn't know.
Reborn stood outside, looking through the window of his student, cell phone clutched between his small fingers. The moon shone its cold light on him.
"Hai…Nono…Sawada Tsunayoshi knows more than he lets on," Reborn murmured.
…
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will have Lambo and I-pin…I promise. :'D
Please review if you want more! It's like my guiding light. Because half the time I don't know where the fuck I'm going. Ja ne!
-Tragic