Early update in celebration of Eid al-Fitr~ ^^ and given that this is the first of four chapters covering Angel of Darkness, the next three chapters would be updated within 3-4 days of each other before returning to weekly updates.

Important Author Note: Unless it is specified who says which part, the dialogue typically alternates between Tsuna and Hayato.

WARNINGS: OOC, Language (there is a lot of cursing), Violence, Indiscriminate Killing (Tomb Raider Typical Killing- applies to humans, animals, and mythical creatures), Dialogue Heavy, Set In The Tomb Raider Games 'Verses, So May Not Make A Whole Lot Of Sense If You Don't Know TR (unless you, like me, don't mind that), Uses Dialogue From The Game, Collection of Snippets/Drabbles/Scenes Featuring Tsuna's And Hayato's Adventures In The TR Games, Beware Of Unexpected Mood Whiplashes, Ship Teasing, Slight BoyxBoy (why do I even warn about this anymore?), Platonic 5927 (To The EXTREEEEEEEME!), Snark, Badass Tsuna And Hayato, Badasses In Dresses, Perverted Swords, Cute Hammers, And As Always: Shameless Self-Indulgence/Ridiculousness.

Disclaimer: Don't own TR or KHR.

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Angel of Darkness

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Tsuna and Hayato ran through the rain, the sounds of police sirens ringing behind them, and police officers accompanied by their dogs chasing after them.

As the two slipped away from the police's sight, Tsuna whispered furiously, "I can't believe they think that I killed Von Croy."

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"Who is it?"

Tsuna inched closer to the intercom, taking the lead as 'Lara Croft' and carefully choosing his words according to the nudges his intuition gave him (he and Hayato were missing information on the situation, after all).

"Mademoiselle Carvier, it's Lara Croft. I need your help."

The apartment's door opened, showing the woman who must be Carvier behind it, "Miss Croft. I recognize you from photos, and Werner's descriptions. Come in."

Tsuna thanked her and entered, followed closely by Hayato.

"An evil night to be out alone, miss Croft. Our streets are not safe anymore."

'Evil night' and 'not safe'? Tsuna sneaked a look at Hayato; did that refer to why the two were being chased by the police, and why they found Werner dead?

Tsuna did not let the brief pause in the conversation after Carvier finished speaking stretch for longer than a second, "Mademoiselle Carvier." Now, how to continue? "I have just come from Werner's apartment."

Hayato gave him a sharp glance at that.

Ah. Ow. Hayato, have faith in me, Tsuna gave a pointed smile in Hayato's direction. Hayato rolled his eyes.

"And how is Werner?"

Hayato's expression clearly stated 'well then, genius, how are you going to answer that?'

Tsuna smiled sweetly at Hayato, and immediately turned his expression and tone to a somber one, "I'm afraid Werner is dead."

"Dead?" Carvier was very much taken aback at the news.

Hayato glared at Tsuna, way to go genius.

"Can I get you anything?"

Hayato poked Tsuna in the side, why the sudden topic switch?

"How was Werner killed? What happened?"

Ah, wish I knew, Tsuna thought. Hayato merely serenely looked at Tsuna, not offering any comment and looking interested in what Tsuna had to say.

Betrayed by my own! Tsuna inwardly wailed.

"It's all a bit vague." Nice dodge. "I arrived at his apartment today from London." Tsuna paused a bit, what should he say next? The atmosphere in the apartment was…

"He was babbling with fear."

Here, Hayato paid more attention to the conversation. Tsuna's intuition was pulling together details neither Tsuna nor Hayato consciously noted when they first dropped- literally- into Werner's apartment, and now those details were spilling out of Tsuna's mouth at Carvier's prompting (not that Carvier was aware of what she was doing).

"He said he tried to contact you."

Hayato raised his eyebrow at that. Werner did? After Egypt?

"He did." Why else would 'Lara Croft' be in the apartment? Tsuna thanked his intuition for pointing that out. "I never expected that. Not after Egypt."

"Werner has been fearful for his life." Tsuna and Hayato shared a look. "He accepted a commission five weeks ago. Since then he's been acting strangely, jumping at shadows. He even kept a package with me for safekeeping."

"Package?"

"His notebook. Addressed to you."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow in interest while Hayato silently whistled.

"Who was the commission from?"

Maybe now they'd have a name to go from in their investigation to figure out what happened to get Werner killed, and 'Lara' accused of his murder.

"The client's name was Eckhardt. He wanted Werner to research something called the Obscura paintings. Werner approached me at my department at the Louvre."

Obscura paintings? How far did he get in his search? Did Carvier help him? Did she have information on the subject of the paintings?

"Were you able to help him?"

"A little, I think. Poor Werner was clearly terrified."

Terrified from what? Eckhardt? Or was it someone else?

"I wonder why exactly?"

"He felt he was being stalked."

Tsuna and Hayato shared another look. Terrified, stalked, that Eckhardt, and those paintings. They were adventurers-slash-tomb raiders, not investigators. At least not in the typical investigator sense.

"He could well have been. The Monstrum is running around Paris, according to the press."

Ah, and there was the other point to be considered in all of this.

"You mentioned Werner's notebook earlier, Mademoiselle?"

"His field notebook. He said he wanted you to have it- if anything happened to him."

Maybe the notebook would shed some light on the matter.

"If he left his notebook, he was spooked."

"You still haven't explained what happened."

Ah. Back to this topic again.

If only I knew, Tsuna thought.

There was a gun? Under the table, right?

"There was gunfire. That's all I can recall."

"Gunfire! Werner was shot? Did you kill him?"

Tsuna suppressed a bland smile; no he didn't kill Werner. He was sure of at least that much.

"No, I didn't."

There was a moment of silence, then Carvier spoke in a subdued tone, "Miss Croft, I strongly suggest that you talk to the police."

Tsuna rolled his eyes; ah yes, talk to the police after he and his Hayato did their absolute best to run away from them. Tsuna was sure that it would help their case. Not.

"Do you have the notebook?"

"I do. It's safe for the moment."

"I really am going to need Werner's notebook."

"Somebody killed Werner. You say that you didn't kill him, and yet the police are suspecting you. I wonder why is that?"

"I told you: I didn't kill Werner!"

Hayato snorted quietly off to the side, "The only time you don't kill the guy, you get accused of it."

Tsuna jabbed him in his side with an elbow.

"I think you better leave, miss Croft."

Tsuna sighed.

"The notebook?"

Carvier looked at Tsuna, then turned to disappear into her kitchen, "I am not sure this is the right thing but I must respect what Werner wanted."

A moment later, she returned with the notebook and handed it to Tsuna. Tsuna scrutinized the notebook, "The right choice, Mademoiselle."

"And now you better had go. The police will be here any minute." With this said, she left the apartment, snapping the door closed behind her.

Tsuna sighed, can't seem to catch a break, huh?

"I'm not feeling very charitable towards the Mademoiselle."

"Tsuna, are you suggesting that we loot her apartment?"

"Maaaaaaybe?"

"Hmmm. How about no? The police will be here and we can't afford to loiter around."

"Ah. Or else we'll be bitten to death."

"One day, you're going to tell me the story behind that phrase."

"I'm holding out until we get back 'home'." Tsuna gave Hayato the notebook, chuckling at Hayato's scrunched nose at the mention of 'home'. "Then, I won't have to tell you, I'll get to show you."

"And how sure are you that we'll get the chance?" Hayato hid the notebook as the two made their way out of the apartment.

"Very. Call it a feeling."

With that, the two escaped the building via a window, and ran away through the empty street.

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The two ran until they found a place to stay the night, a run down, no longer used, train compartment of sorts on an abandoned train-rail.

The two sat down, and Hayato opened up the notebook to look for any clues that may be in it. Not a minute later, he whistled, "Eckhardt. Louis Bouchard. Monstrum. The Louvre. Obscura paintings. Obscura engravings. Mathias Vasiley in Prague. Lux Veritatis. Periapt Shards. And a lot of other details. We have a lot of things to investigate."

"In the morning. For now, we sleep. I'll take the first shift. Give me the notebook, I'll study what's written in there while you sleep."

"Alright." Hayato threw the notebook Tsuna's way. "Night."

"Night."

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Hayato shook Tsuna awake at 6 am. Tsuna blearily stared at him, "Prepared already?" Tsuna yawned.

"Yes, we do have a long day ahead of us. Never mind the long investigation."

"Okay. I get it. I get it." Tsuna stretched the kinks out of his back.

"From where do you think we should start?"

"Let's go and find this Bouchard person. The notebook mentions that he is a 'useful contact'."

"Alright then, let's go."

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"Did that guy just-"

"Offer sex in a roundabout way? Yes. Leave him alone, Tsuna. You'd eat him alive."

Tsuna sniffed.

"Besides, we have business to attend to."

Tsuna huffed, "I know that!"

"Could've fooled me."

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"Le Serpent Rouge. Café Metro. And the old janitor. We have a couple more clues now."

"What do you think happened to Carvier?"

"Aside from the obvious?"

"Yes."

"It's curious. First Werner and now Carvier."

"Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence."

"And three times is enemy action."

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"I'm a dangerous girl."

Tsuna muffled his giggle. Hayato kicked him in the shin.

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As Tsuna and Hayato turned around to head out of the café, Tsuna's eyes locked onto a figure sitting at a corner table. Tsuna's eyes flashed orange briefly.

Hayato's eyes darted towards the same figure, "Is something wrong?"

"No. At least not at the moment."

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"I've seen a nine-year old box better than that."

Hayato took his eyes off the two boxers in the ring to raise his eyebrow at Tsuna, "Oh? You must've lived in an interesting town. First that 'bite to death' guy, now a nine-year old who is apparently a very good boxer."

"Well, he was my old crush's older brother. He was also an easily excited guy."

"Hold up, old crush? This, I have to hear." Hayato grinned.

"Not now."

"Could it be that you're embarrassed by it?"

"No. And this reminds me, what was it with you and me crushing on people?"

Tsuna locked eyes with Hayato. A moment passed.

Hayato hugged Tsuna to his side.

"Hayato…?"

"Just let me hold you like this for a moment."

"O-okay." Tsuna fairly melted against Hayato's side. He never realized before how much he missed such simple physical closeness with someone who cared about him.

"I can't believe you just stuttered."

Tsuna lightly punched Hayato in the side, "Ass. Now you ruined the moment."

Tsuna and Hayato did not separate until five minutes later, the work they had ahead of them did not let them have the peace of mind needed to continue such a relaxing action.

"Let's go."

"Yeah."

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"You know, this is new," Tsuna said, as he side-eyed Hayato, the memory of the hug still fresh on his mind.

Hayato nodded, "We don't usually go around asking people like this."

Hayato looked at Tsuna, who averted his eyes.

Hayato sighed, "I'm not going to spring a hug on you like that again, but…"

Tsuna snapped his head towards Hayato, "But what?"

"After this is over, I'm hugging you to death."

"What?!"

"Joking, just joking."

"HAYATO!"

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"That was the same guy from the café."

"Coincidence?"

"I don't think so."

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"Object retrieval. Ooooh. Back in our element, huh?"

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"Oh great, a graveyard- is that a dog?!" Tsuna hissed as he instinctively jumped up, catching the ledge of a nearby mausoleum.

"You had no problem in snapping the neck of a gunman with your bare hands but you still freak out over facing a harmless dog." Hayato looked up at the sky, as if asking for patience to deal with Tsuna's shit.

"Those supposedly 'harmless' blighters have a vicious bite on them. And they bark. They BARK."

"You ever heard of 'a barking dog never bites'?"

"That is not the point here!"

"It kind of is."

"Hayatooooo!"

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"Oh great, ANOTHER dog."

"Tsuna! Focus!"

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"Where to now?"

"Let's push this one down."

Tsuna looked down the coffin that was now open to him after Hayato toppled a statue on its lid. "Well… it's not like this is the first time for us anyway."

"Gotta live up to the tomb raiding name."

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

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"Parisian sewers?"

"It's like a classic. Wading through the sewers."

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"Eugh."

"Eugh, indeed."

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"What happened to this guy?"

.

"And we're delivering fake passports now?"

Hayato sighed, "This is a unique one, huh?"

"Got that right."

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End chapter 3