Pinkie's Part: Oh hey there! It's been a little while, ne? I want to say that I'm sorry but I'm back temporarily! I've gotten to know a couple of you; and it's been an absolute blast! Well, here goes another chapter for Monochromatic Sun!
I've uploaded another one shot, The Simple Things, which makes three one shots for R27! :0 whoa! Ha, I've been requested to do a Family!R27 fic, so, once I get back into the groove of writing an awful lot again, I'll start that too!
Oh, and I also got a beta! DarkIceAngelFlare! Give her a warm thank you; now you won't have to suffer my horrendous typing errors!
Enough of my rambles!
Onward.
xx
Chapter: Ghosted
Streaks of pastel color bled into their darkened counterparts. Reality shifts in and out as the vision settled in the eyes of an individual.Said person sat slightly tense, eyes closed, an almost forced, however rested expression placed upon the soft features. Eyebrows furrowed in a small fit of frustration before a sigh slipped from the person's lips.
Tired eyes looked around the vast, colourfully-renovated Vongola garden. White on white, a petite form leaned on a wicker chair, a black suit jacket lazily draped across the lap. Arms stretched above and bones crackled in protest. Anxiety settled into the small form as it bent and twisted, trying to purge any tiredness from the body. Chestnut locks shifted gently in the Italian breeze as a dark-haired male approached, spinning a fedora on his fingertips. The brunette's tired expression brightened instantly, but then darkened further after taking in the serious expression on the other's face.
"Tsuna. are you ready?"
The petite male looked to the ground, and then stood from the wicker chair that he was occupying His gaze turned upward; Reborn smirked slightly when the colour flickered orange for just a moment, those eyes promising the world; before settling into a gentle honey once more. An arm was thrown around his slim shoulders, guiding the petite brunette towards the estate, as the sun set. An ominous air danced around the two black clad figures, the battle they had planned finally begun to dawn on their reality, no matter how feeble it would seem.
Proud, but with no arrogance.
That was the impression that one Tsunayoshi Sawada wanted to present when he faced his opponent. He breathed deeply, the practiced confident expression held firmly on his features as he proceeded forward. He didn't dare cast a glance at his tutor as they made their way through aisles of suited men. Harsh expressions greeted Tsuna's peripheral vision, and he saw Reborn saunter as he usually would, though a couple steps behind him, as if to show respect. The estate stairs seemed to look farther and farther away; Tsuna tried to hide his panic. He closed his eyes for a few brief moments before he quickened his pace, ever so slightly.
He heard an approving chuckle from his tutor as he threw open the doors. His form shifted into one of a confident predator. The strength that his other self had stored away was now slipping furiously through his grinned inwardly, and felt the rise and fall of an other worldly being patting him on the back;almost as if saying, "Go get 'em; give 'em hell!"
The strides in which he took, seemed to grow longer; his hands found temporary solace in his slacks pockets. Hisshoulders were squared and he held his head loftily, as if his person was an extension of Reborn's attitude. He only paused as he rounded the final corner, coming up to the training arena under the ground of the estate. Tsuna clenched his fists, and lazily turned his face to look back at Reborn. The gazes of many locked onto the two men. Tsuna rocked backwards, and with the help of Reborn, grazed his lips across the other's neck, making it look as though he wastelling a secret. Reborn smirked, returning the gesture, before murmuring:
"A little something for good luck, ne, Leone?"
The petite male grinned, before beginning to step away, before Reborn grasped his hand, eyes hidden by his fedora. The simple words, "Ti amo, gattino" repeated through Tsuna's mind as his smile lifted, before his expression hardened as he took in his opponent.
Standing, arms crossed and lazily leaning against a wall, stood Xanxus.His scarred face and crimson eyes looked nothing more than utterly bored while his suit jacket hung limply on his slouched shoulders. Tsuna felt his eye twitch at the disrespect, but held his tongue.
This was going to be a battle for the throne of Vongola, not for who could appear polite and follow the rules of mafia etiquette. No matter how disrespected he was, he would keep himself above the influence of negativity, right?
A booming warm voice encompassed the arena; Tsuna, Xanxus and the spectators all grew quiet, their gazes shifting over to land on the sole figure who stood on a podium. Timoteo stood still, his hands were raised, and his normal expression replaced with one that was quite hardened.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please be seated. Will the judges of the event please come forward?"
Two tanned women, with pale pink tresses swept up in identical hair styles and clad in frilly clothing, appeared before the Vongola Nono. They were on one knee, bent before the mafia boss. They stood, and it was announced that these women, the Cervello; were going to be the judges for the match. Tsuna felt as if something wasn't right; his stomach flipped and his eyebrows scrunched together. He tilted his head to one side, as he caught a sideways glance from one of the women, who whispered something in the other one's ear. A curt nod, and they disappeared momentarily.
One stepped close to Tsuna, who flinched slightly at the sudden reappearance. He did not miss the condescending smirk on the woman's face as she lifted his hand and pressed a ring, or something that resembled one, into his palm.
The same movement was mimicked by the other pink haired woman. Tsuna stood still as Nono explained what this was for.
"Each candidate has received half of the Vongola ring; the winner of the fight will receive both halves, and the ceremony will commence soon after the ring accepts the new heir. Cervello?"
Tsuna took a slightly relaxed, though defensive, stance. Xanxas pushed off from the wall and stepped into the arena, his bored expression now twisted with hatred for the petite brunette.
The women reappeared near the Nono's side, standing with their backs to him as they released the signal for the start. Tsuna tensed, his arms halfway up, when he felt it: an overwhelming hatred that seemed to cause his vision to tremble. He blinked, and then instantly regretted it. His vision was fuzzy and then he felt the heat.
His head crashed into the ground, as fireball after fireball collided with his form. The skin scorched and the protesting shrieks from the crowd resonating through the room.Xanxus had wasted absolutely no time in attacking the smaller brunette. His hands, having found his specially made guns, poured his aura into the cylinder. Clicks of approval from the guns bounced off the stunned silent crowd, as another round of fire descended upon the unmoving form of Tsuna.
From the side lines, Reborn clenched his teeth, though he kept his expression neutral. He knew that if he reacted, it would only cause more issues for his cute student. That did not stop him from throwing a look of disgust upon his face, his lower jaw jutting outward in protest. The barrage of fire continued, and it took almost all of his willpower to not intervene. The display of weakness was not what he had seen from Tsuna, and it frustrated him that the person he cared for was being roasted alive, with nothing that he could do to assist.
After the fourth set of fire from Xanxus, Reborn had finally had enough;he made movements to extend out into the arena when he paused. An overwhelming aura of dread filled him, as the scorched ground began to shake. He stopped, and stared hard, scrutinizing where the sudden vibration was rising from. He stood shell-shocked as he watched a familiar shade of chestnut rustle in warm winds.
Tsuna stood, arms stretched on either side of him, his expression annoyed and dangerous. His palms emitted orange flames as he positioned himself, one side pale, whilst the other gloves that were strapped against his wrists glowed, pulsing with each passing moment. He murmured something that not even Reborn could read from his lips. His fingers spread wider as large quantities of flame shot from both palms. Xanxus moved, barely dodging the flame wall, and Tsuna spun, the flames still protruding from the steady hands.
Dirt and scratches painted the brunette's face, as he continued to attack. Fists were flying and many hits settled onXanxus' face. The crimson eyed menace faltered only slightly as he made his escape from the irate brunette.
"You think you can beat me, trash?"
Tsuna smirked, Reborn would be proud. He just had to wait now...
"The first lesson is, when you ask a rhetorical question, you have already lost."
He flipped, his leg aiming squarely for Xanxus' head, who in turn dodged and flung a well-placed punch to the brunette's jaw. He sailed backwards, before gaining his balance in air. His palms faced downwards as he soared back.
A chill fell over Xanxus, but he brushed it off. The adrenaline rushing through his veins was more than enough for him to finish this fight off. He turned, only to stare, mouth slightly agape, at the hovering male closing the distance between them. The arena suddenly felt smaller with regards to its vast size, no matter how charred from his initial attacks on the petite male.
Stunned gasps left the mouths of many, as this flying was something that they had never seen before. Tsuna paused just before he arrived in front of his opponent; he then spun, jutting his leg out, and catching Xanxus in the gut as he tried to flee. Tsuna landed a little messily on the ground as Xanxus collided with a wall. A guttural sound came from the man, and Tsuna advanced, only to be swept off his feet by a swift leg from Xanxus.
"I've not lost anything, trash. Vongola will be mine, and I will rule the world!"
Tsuna reared up, his hands catching him as he fell; he twisted, landing in crouched position on his feet. He jetted, nearly nose to nose with the crimson-eyed male, as he swung his fist and sent said man soaring backwards into an unconcious heap, or so he thought.
"I will not let you take Vongola. I'll protect its virtue!"
"You're an outsider, and a weak-minded brat! What good would a mafia famiglia do you?!" The irate voice lifted easily, as Xanxus stood to his feet, cautious of the younger male now. The orange that flickered in his eyes was a dangerous shade, and the way it danced in those eyes promised pain if not trouble.
Tsuna's face became shadowed by his bangs, his breathing slowing as he lifted his gaze. The scenery shifted as his mind began to mellow.He pulled his arms up into a boxing stance, before he murmured softly:
"It takes an outsider to fix internal struggles... only a weak minded fool would know naught of the situations that plague the others in his so-called 'famiglia'..."
Xanxus looked about ready to burst a fuse. He gathered his aura into his guns once more; the distance between the two males began to close as he roared in utter glow of his guns grew more prominent as Tsuna advanced, the space becoming less and less, as each male prepared themselves for their final attack. Xanxus felt a tinge of pain, burning but cold in the centre of his palms. The grin on the honey-eyed male's face pissed him off more than it should.
As the two grew closer, the Cervello suddenly intervened.
"Halt!"
Xanxus and Tsuna paused, incredulus looks plastered across their faces. as Their flames were nearly touching one another, a playful fit of fire glimmering in the proximity. Both of them narrowed their eyes at the judges, before one of the two women smirked.
"We have reason to believe that Sawada has already won."
Xanxus sputtered, his face becoming contorted with anger, only to stop. The crimson-eyed man fell to his knees. His hands covered in ice. He blinked, his shocked gaze turning towards the petite brunette, who extinguished his fists of flame, and began to walk calmly over to the other. The ice splintered, and began to climb the body of the other. His face twisting in rage and confusion, as Tsuna placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You lost the moment you let your hatred touch me."
Xanxus made to scream out, but the ice was already up to his neck. Tsuna looked away, pulling his hand away from the frozen form, the face relaxing in the cold prison as Tsuna turned towards the podium.
"If this is what it takes, I'm sure... that I will change Vongola..."
Timoteo inclined his head; the Cervello woman grasping the half ring that was once on Xanxus' person, tossed it to Tsuna, who combined the two and placed it on his middle finger. His expression was exhausted as he waited for further instructions from the ninth Vongola leader.
The pain he felt for harming someone panged deep within him.
He missed the crack that surfaced upon the ice-covered prison into which he had entombed a certain man just moments prior.