AN: Hello, I'm back. Same as last time, a lot of things to do. I mean, honestly, who gives a project the first fucking week of school?

Note: None

Chapter 16: Anger and Trust

Natsu was a simple boy. He loved and he hated. He raged and smiled. He was human. So he couldn't help but want to smash Gokudera's face in, and maybe kick him where the sun doesn't shine for that matter, for trying to kill, to murder, his precious brother. He wasn't a forgiving person and only his sense of honor kept him from beating the silver head to a bloody death.

He couldn't understand why. Why would a person want to kill another? He read about it in the few times his brother forced a book in his hands, of kings and queens that fought for a throne, for power. Yet, he could never understand. He had seen what kind of burden power could be.

He saw it in the flashes of loneliness and sadness in his twin's eyes when he saw their peers looks of fear and mistrust. He knew it was his fault, and sometimes he pondered on pushing his twin away to protect him, yet he was always too selfish to do it in the end, even if the look in his twin's eyes broke his heart. Tsuna gave too much to stay with him, and Natsu couldn't help but love him for it, even as he slept with the knowledge that Tsuna had long since taken off rose tinted glass that had saved his innocence and had faced the world's brutal truth. He believes Tsuna is brave in that department, because he still can't bare to take the glasses off, he doesn't want to see.

He feels it with every bruise Hibari gives him in their fights because he still remembers seeing that small boy in the sandbox that everyone was scared of because of his powerful father and when he sees Hibari years later, he sees that he was so alone all these years that he doesn't know how to communicate beyond the bite of his tonfas and the fear he sends to every human being. He can't be his friend, Hibari doesn't know how to be a friend, so he becomes an enemy instead. Some of it is for Hibari and some is his honest anarchic beliefs, but he hopes that Hibari understands what he is trying to do.

Tsuna approves of what he is doing, Natsu knows, despite the balent exasperation Tsuna displays. He might hate the bruises that scatter his skin, but Tsuna approves of his heart.

Most of all, he heard it before in Yamamoto's voice, when suddenly baseball stop being fun and became a chore as responsibility was forced on his shoulders as the star of the baseball team. He heard it when suddenly Yamamoto's team stopped being his friends and started being followers instead, and he still can't forgive them for it when he nearly sees Yamamoto jump off the school roof in his despair 3 years ago when he broke his arm.

It is only with Tsuna's sorrowful honest voice and eyes dried of tears from the years since his dark reputation was formed and his own desperate voice and grabbing hands that saved Yamamoto from an early death. Yet he still sees a glimpse of the burden in Yamamoto's eyes sometimes.

Natsu himself is spared most of the burden. Basketball is nowhere as popular as baseball or even football (soccer). Yet even he feels the sheer dependency his teammates have on him, and because of it, he's scared of them in some secret part of him. Perhaps thats why he tosses basketball away so easily for his brother. He knows what being dependency will become, and he is grateful. But for now, he would just be glad that Tsuna will be there to pull him out if he fell into the trap that Yamamoto fell in.

He may not be Tsuna, but he has inherited his share of intuition.

So he doesn't trust Gokudera Hayato with his dynamite and his ambitious green eyes. Tsuna doesn't either, but he can see the cautious forgiveness in his eyes. Tsuna probably doesn't know of his unconscious decision, but Natsu can see it as clear as day, and he grits his teeth with silent anger and fear.

When it comes to time to leave, Yamamoto having offered to take Gokudera in for a while with ill-disguised hope, Natsu stares at Gokudera. And while the others aren't paying attention he whispers to the bomber as he laid comatose on the couch to watch himself, because if he made one wrong move, his brother be damned, he would slit the silver head's throat and dance upon his grave.

With one last look, Natsu joins his brother who is holding the child who came through the window in his arms and walks out the door to home, feeling as if everything would be fine even as his mind screamed that he just left a killer in his best friend's house. Reborn watched wordlessly on Tsuna's head with haunting opal eyes, knowing a resolve to kill to protect when he saw one.

Nana took Lambo in with gracious joy and appreciation even as Lambo squabbled and complained and broke things. Seeing Nana's happiness, Tsuna knows it is because his mother misses taking care of someone.

They had grown up too fast, and were too quick to mature. They didn't need her anymore, as much as he hated to admit it. Both of them could find a job and they knew how to cook and to clean and fill out the bills. For that, Nana feels useless, and Tsuna and his brother can't help but feel guilty.

There was only so much a woman could do on her own and it was not easy to take care of two boys all alone. The only thanks Tsuna could give to his father was that he sent enough money to support them.

But it is all useless when Nana couldn't read. She couldn't write either, she never had an education having been a daughter of a farmer. Tsuna knows for a fact that before they learned to read and write from school, Nana had to ask the neighbors for help with bills and such. It was only luck that Nana knew enough to shop and write and read their names. It was the only reason that Iemitsu never wrote but sent pictures instead.

Sighing, Tsuna winced as Lambo caused havoc around the kitchen, sending plates and chairs all across the room. The mess was causing him to gain an itch in his hands from his OCD, his mind practically screaming at him to clean the mess.

Growling as another plate, thankfully made of plastic and not china, crashed to the floor, Tsuna gave up. Pushing himself to his feet from his seat on the dining room table, Tsuna was about to grab Lambo by the back of his shirt before someone else beat him too it.

"Look brat" Natsu snared, eyes glaring daggers at the cow child as he pulled the child to his eye level , "I don't care if you come from freaking Mexico but this is my house and you're in Japan and you play by my rules. And guess what rule #1 is?"

Lambo's lips trembled but he shouted rebelliously , "Lambo-san doesn't follow rules. Lambo-san is the next boss of the great Bovino Family."

Less than 5 seconds later, Lambo was sporting a big fat bump on his head, facing the wall of the Sawada household, and holding back tears. Tsuna and Nana watched it all with a nervous eye, unsure if they should interfere.

"Ni-san..." Tsuna said hesitantly, recognizing the look in his twin's eyes, as there mother hovered over head, unsure of what to do. On one hand, Lambo was acting rather rudely but he was a child."Isn't that a little too...rough?"

Natsu snorted. "If I was rough, I'll have him bent over my lap for a good spanking. I say he should be glad we haven't kicked him out yet."

Sighing, Tsuna shooked his head and knelt down to face the small child. "Lambo-kun" he started gently, quickly gaining the attention of tear filled green eyes. "Do you know why Natsu hit you?"

When Lambo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Tsuna quickly explained. "Natsu is my twin brother, and the one that just hit you. I'm Tsuna and that nice lady over there is my mother. You already know Reborn."

"Well, I don't" grumbled Reborn, irritated.

"Just call me Maman" said Nana cheerfully.

Lambo nodded even as snot dribbled down his nose. Grabbing a tissue from the table, Tsuna handed it to Lambo who wiped his nose.

"So, do you know the answer?" asked Tsuna, even as Natsu snorted and said something about Lambo being 'too stupid to even understand that'.

"Lambo-san was rude and Lambo-san broke a lot of things" muttered Lambo reluctantly, looking down at his feet in guilt.

"Well, I'll give him that" said Natsu grudgingly. "He understood some of it."

Giving his twin a pointed glare, Tsuna turned his attention back to Lambo. "Do you know what you have to do now, then?"

Lambo blinked. "Say sorry?"

"...And?"

"...?"

"You have to help clean up the mess."

"Oh" said Lambo before nodded in compliance. Grinning broadly, Tsuna quickly fetched some cleaning supplies and the two started to clean up the kitchen.

"Well aren't you two a cute team" squealed Nana adoringly.

Natsu nodded in agreement. "Not as good as Me and Tsuna, of course" he added with a smirk. Tsuna rolled his eyes but didn't say anything to correct the statement. It was correct of course.

"Maman" said Reborn. "I'm hungry."

Humming in deep thought, Nana put a hand under her chin. "Well, how about I make some italian food for you, Reborn-kun? How about spaghetti with my special herb-blend tomato sauce. Oh, and maybe some carasau bread too..."

As Nana went into the kitchen, mumbling the recipes she was going to make under her breath, Natsu got on to his feet and stretch. "I'm going to help Ka-san with the food-" he mumbled before being interrupted by a frantic yell of protest.

"NO WAY IN HELL! GET AWAY FROM THE KITCHEN!" screeched Tsuna, eyes wide with horror and fear, before lowering his voice as he noticed Lambo's startled expression. "We just got the kitchen remodeled, you aren't going to destroyed it or, god forbid, burn down the house again! Stay here and help Lambo, I'M going to help cook."

Practically shoving the cleaning supplies in Natsu's hand, Tsuna ran into the kitchen, and slammed the door with a yell to 'STAY OUT, AND THAT MEANS YOU NATSU!', leaving his twin gapping.

"I'm not that bad" mumbled Natsu dejectedly.

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