Well, this was Reborn.
"Now I will ask again; who are you?" There was a pause. "And if you don't tell me..."
Another pause.
"...I am a hitman after all."
Noelle sighed. There was no way she was going to get out of this one and her duty of protecting Tsuna was on the line. It should have been her life, but she wouldn't be able to die.
At least, not yet.
But having that particular fact revealed to Reborn wouldn't be pleasant. Though it might make things easier for her as well; the baby would have certainly spotted her hanging around Tsuna to play her role as his Guardian Angel and would be suspicious of her hanging around, something he wouldn't think of as a coincidence.
"Fine. I didn't expect any less from the strongest hitman of the Vongola famiglia and possibly the world... Reborn." She smirked.
There were too loud bangs that startled Noelle and the girl panicked, wondering if he had decided to shoot her anyways. Then she heard a thud and stunned silence from the volleyball players and spectators below.
Oh. Wait.
That was Tsuna he was shooting at.
"If you know those names, that must mean you have some involvement in the mafia world." There was a light tap as Reborn landed right in front of her bound form. "Speak."
Noelle looked annoyed by the baby's demands, but she spoke anyways.
"My first name is Noelle." She sighed. "But my last name is an alias. My real last name is Serafin." Actually, it was Kennedy but that was when she had still been fully alive.
Reborn stared at her, neutral baby face not displaying any sort of emotion as he studied her.
"Can you prove it?" He finally asked.
Noelle scrunched up her face as she tried to think of something fast. Then she remembered the winged insignia necklace that she was wearing around her neck, tucked into the safety of her shirt. It was used as the famiglia identification, but it was supposed to be kept hidden unless it was absolutely vital for her to show it.
Being at the mercy of a sadistic baby who could kill you with one head-shot probably counted as 'vital'.
"My necklace. I have a necklace of the Serafin insignia." There was also the insignia tattoo on her back, but she'd have to strip down for that.
With his baby hands, Reborn reached into her shirt (not in a perverse way, thank god) and brought out the very necklace she was talking about.
The jewelery was forged with real gold as the Serafin seemed to have a thing for using the genuine expensive stuff. The insignia consisted of what looked like a diamond sliver with a small head attached to the tip to represent a person with gold wings attached.
Reborn examined the figure in his hand, turning it carefully to presumably see if was the real thing or a fake.
"This is the true Serafin insignia." He finally stated after a few minutes.
"Um, yes." Noelle struggled with the bonds. "Now can you release me please?"
Reborn walked around her and with one swift motion that she couldn't see, had cut both the ropes. She sat up and rolled her wrists and stretched her legs as she got the circulation flowing through her half-asleep limbs again.
"How'd you know I was really who I said I was?" Noelle couldn't help asking when she finally looked at the baby who had his eyes hidden by his fedora. "For all you know, I could've stolen that from one of their members."
The baby smirked. "Anyone who stole something like that would've been dead within the same day they took it. Seeing as you're still alive, it's the real deal."
"...thanks." This baby had a scary sense of reasoning.
"But that doesn't explain why you're here. It can't be a coincidence."
Noelle smiled softly. Reborn was as sharp as he was in the anime and manga series.
"I was given the assignment of watching over Tsunayoshi Sawada, the tenth Vongola candidate."
"How long have you been here?"
Why was he asking her all these questions? Well, as long as it had nothing to do with revealing the secrets of the Serafin, she'd be alright. Besides, she had a feeling that lying to Reborn was hazardous to her health.
And sanity.
"Since the school year started."
A small frown formed on his face as he looked at her with contemplation. Or was it thoughtfulness? Noelle couldn't tell.
"The Ninth has considered Tsunayoshi Sawada as a candidate, but it was never confirmed until last month." His obsidian eyes bore into her. "So how did you know?"
"Know?" Noelle tilted her head to the side. "Know what?"
"That he would be candidate who would inherit the title of the Tenth."
Ah... so that was what he was talking about.
"I didn't." Noelle blinked with what she hoped was the most innocent expression on her face. "All I was told was to guard the tenth Vongola candidate."
Most of Reborn's face was hidden by his hat, but Noelle didn't miss the tiny smirk his lips formed.
"...I see."
0000
Naturally, with Tsuna and his now signature volley ball move, class 1-A won the game. Reborn said he had business to attend to and by that, he must have meant he was now going to meet the mafioso he had called to Japan even though the two of them had never even met before.
And watch as Gokudera threw dynamite at Tsuna.
Noelle took her time exiting the gym once she was sure that the pain had died down. As soon as she was out the doors, she heard a loud explosion that screamed to her that the battle between Tsuna and Gokudera had started.
"It's a wonder no one besides Tsuna has called him out on that through out the series." She muttered, making her way towards where her two classmates were.
When she turned the corner, she saw Tsuna running away from the new student screaming as he did so. Reborn noticed Noelle, flashed her a smirk and then turned back to the scene of his pupil dodging dynamite while panicking.
Tsuna was backed against the school watching in rising horror as Gokudera prepared to throw more dynamite at him.
As the scene unfolded, a nagging feeling in the back of Noelle's mind tugged at her. Something was missing... what was it?
"This is the end of the Tenth." Gokudera growled underneath his breath. "Disappear!" He shouted, flinging the explosives he was holding in his hand at Tsuna.
In desperation, Tsuna flung himself onto the grounf to meet the dynamite and tried to extinguish the lit flames with his bare hands only to yelp and jump back when the pain told him that hadn't been a good idea.
Noelle shook her head and sighed. Cupping a hand to the side of her mouth, she shouted at Tsuna, "Of course that won't work!"
"HIIIEE! Serra-san?" Tsuna looked horrified at the fact that she was standing there watching them. She couldn't get caught up in this crazy event he was being forcefully dragged into by his so-called tutor.
"YOU?" Gokudera snarled, more dynamite somehow appearing in his hands.
There was a loud bang that Noelle had soon enough associated with Reborn shooting Tsuna. Of course, he'd shoot other people and/or things too, but for the most part it was usually Tsuna who was facing the end of his gun barrel.
The boy in question was sent flying backwards, his body hitting the pavement with his eyes wide open staring at her in shock. If Noelle hadn't known any better, she'd say that the hitman had just killed him. Well actually he did, but Tsuna was going to rip out of his clothes in a few seconds feeling better than ever.
But that still didn't prevent her from flinching and stumbling backwards, her stomach doing back flips as she tried to do her best not to be sick. Was that what she looked like after Angie had shot her? Was that what Madison and the others had to see?
And then before Noelle could think even ahead even further than that and actually throw up, Tsuna started to glow and his stunned expression contorted into one of determination, a flame lighting up the top of his head with his eyes emitting a faint orange glow and giving him the look of a deranged man.
"REBORN!" He shouted, bursting out of his clothes.
He didn't waste any time extinguishing the flames of dynamite right before they blew up in their faces. Even when Gokudera had decided to triple the amount of bombs he threw and accidentally dropped one by his feet, causing him to drop the rest, Tsuna helped him out which was a very easy feat when his external limiters were removed.
"I did not realize it!" Gokudera, the very same one who had kicked down Tsuna's desk earlier, was now on the ground bowing his head to him.
"Eh?" Tsuna looked confused.
"You are the one fit to become the boss." Gokudera looked up. "Tenth, I'll follow you until the end of this Earth! Ask whatever you want of me!"
"The one who loses becomes the winner's subordinate, that is this family's rule." Reborn said, walking in between the two of them before Tsuna could start freaking out about his not wanting to join the mafia.
"Rule?" Tsuna was beginning to look more and more confused.
Gokudera then explained that he had never desired becoming the Tenth Vongola boss in the first place, stating that he just wanted to see if Tsuna was capable of being the next head of the family.
And apparently, Tsuna had exceeded his expectations and beyond.
"Wait! That's troubling!" Tsuna exclaimed, placing his hands in front of him as he tried to deter the transfer student. "Can't we just be regular classmates?"
"Absolutely not." Gokudera said, his voice taking on that bad boy tone again his eyes flashing as he glared at Tsuna, scaring him in the process. His eyes then glanced over to where Noelle was standing. "And why the hell are you here, blondie?"
Noelle scowled. "I told you not to call me that! And if you must know..." She reached into her shirt and pulled out her Serafin necklace, showing it to Gokudera. "I think this is pretty much explanatory. Or Reborn could explain it to you; either way is fine."
Gokudera's eyes narrowed as he examined the object, before widening with realization. "Th-that's-!"
"What?" Poor Tsuna was looking back and forth between Reborn and Gokudera. "What is it?" The kicked, whimpering puppy expression on his face told Noelle that he couldn't take any more surprises.
"Tenth! That's the Serafin insignia!" Gokudera said, still unable to peel his eyes away from Noelle as he gaped at her. "She's a Serafin, part of the Serafin famiglia!"
"More mafia!" Tsuna 'HIIIEEE'd.
Noelle winced, trying to sound as gentle and soothing as she could since Tsuna seemed to be on the edge of a mental breakdown and that was the last thing she needed. "Not quite. We're involved with the mafia world but we're also not a part of that world. I guess you can say... we're observers."
Gokudera nodded. "It's true. The Serafin maintain power within the mafia by acting as watchers. And there are rumours that they know everything that is going on."
"As he said," Noelle said dryly. "Those are rumours. We just have really good spies who don't miss a beat."
"EHHH?" Tsuna was gripping the sides of his head as if he was in pain, and Noelle couldn't blame him. He was having heap after heap of revelation piled on top of him.
"So what's a Serafin even doing here?" Gokudera snapped at her.
"I came as Sawada-san's protector." Noelle rolled her eyes. "To make sure someone doesn't come along to attempt to, you know. Because of who he is." Noelle didn't want to say 'kill' or 'assassinate' because that would have pretty much broken Tsuna at this point.
"You came to..." Gokudera trailed off and stared at Tsuna. He did this for a few minutes before breaking out into a grin. "It must be a sign that you're worthy of the title of Vongola! Even the Serafin have recognized you!"
"HIIIEEE!" Tsuna screeched loudly. "I don't even know what the Serafin are! And Serra-san... you're one of them?" He sounded so hurt that Noelle was started to feel like the big bad of a series.
"Good Job, Tsuna." The mentioned boy snapped out of his panicking and turned to his tutor. "It's because of your strength that Gokudera became your subordinate. And the fact that one of the Serafin was watching you all along is proof that you aren't a completely lost cause after all."
So Reborn thought he was a hopeless case? Ouch.
Out of nowhere, Reborn pulled out a black notebook that he starts writing in. "You've passed for today. And you didn't even need the dying will bullet."
"Good job, Tsuna." Noelle smiled, bending down and ruffling Tsuna's soft brown hair. "That's quite a compliment from Reborn, from what I've heard about him."
"Don't get too close to the Tenth!" She and Tsuna looked up to see an angry Gokudera staring down at them. "Even if you are a Serafin!"
Just before Noelle could loudly retort that she was just being friendly, a loud obnoxious voice cut in. They all directed their gazes to the side to see three delinquent third years who were no doubt supposed to be in high school by now staring at them with sneers plastered on their faces.
"Huh, what's up with him." One of them said, looking at Tsuna.
"That underwear guy is such a loser!" Smirked another.
All three of them burst out into laughter and Tsuna's face flushed a deep red as he realized that once again, he was on school grounds in nothing but his blue boxers.
Noelle's expression deadpanned.
"Gokudera...?" She said in a light tone that suggested he go over and beat them up.
"Looks like it's time to make myself useful." The silver haired bomber brought out more sticks of dynamite, his eyes being shadowed by his silver bangs as he slowly advanced towards the delinquents.
"W-what?" Tsuna squeaked, afraid of what Gokudera was going to do. It didn't help that Gokudera himself confirmed what his intentions to towards the punks were.
"I'll totally annihilate them."
"Wait! You don't need to!"
But Tsuna's pleas fell on deaf ears as Gokudera chucked his dynamite at the third years.
Noelle smiled at the combination of screams and explosions until she realized exactly what that nagging feeling she had felt earlier had been. Wasn't Yamamoto supposed to have come onto the scene and ask to join in the fun while holding a stick of a dynamite that had been thrown at Tsuna? An idiotic thing to do, but it had happened.
She looked around to search for the baseball player, but he was nowhere in sight.
And if that isn't an ominous ending, I dunno what is. So who can guess what's going to happen in the next chapter? Any guesses? Anyone?
I don't believe it, but this is longer than the previous chapter. Whoo! Though I bet the next one will be a little shorter, though I hope you don't mind since the last chapter and this one are pretty lengthy.
Anyways, don't forget to review! I love hearing your opinions!