Hey guys, Naintarlow here, it's been a while hasn't it? *laughs nervously*
I honestly have no excuse. The last update was 5 months ago and I am ashamed that it took so long to get here. I could defend myself with work running me ragged, starting into new story ideas, even joining the kargo week stuff (which almost 2 months later is also not done yet) but in the end, I should have made better use of my time. Really thank you for all of you who decided to stil wait it out paitently, it means a lot to me.
So I'm sorry to have kept you waiting and while I can't promise I will be able to pick up the speed of my updates, I will try to do my best regardless.
On to happier matters then: it's Christmas, everyone and for those of you who celebrate the holidays, Merry Christmas and as a sort of present here is the newest chapter of Mafia X Vampire. I could lie and I specially timed it to this day but it would be a fat lie.
This chapter went through a lot of rewrites and I hope you can forgive me for skipping certain scenes that largely remained canon and focusing on actually moving the story forward. We have one more chapter of this, then finally the real meat of the story comes in the Public Safety Committee. Are you guys hyped? I am. A lot.
Plus Gokudera's side story is soon coming to a close but don't worry I will not leave you guys deprived of your favorite (or less favorite) KHR characters for long.
Guess that's all I wanted to say. Sorry for the late update, I will try to do better in the next year but for now, please enjoy the newest chapter. Every review as usual is appreciated a lot, so don't be shy.
Cover: Tsuna and Moka are standing next to each other, smiling. Tsuna is dressed as a stereotypical vampire with a long black cloak and vampire fangs, while Moka wearing Tsuna's X-Gloves and dying will flame on her forehead. On the other side, Mizore and Kurumu are reading a newspaper, with Tsukune 's head poking out from behind a tree, Mizore's trademark lollipop in his mouth.
If anyone ever tried to insulate that Sawada Tsunayoshi, former Vongola Boss candidate, student of the number one hitman, Reborn, was stalking his friend and gathering information and blackmail material on her newest acquaintance, he would show them a smile that could bring shivers even to seasoned killers, before proceeding to drop them into a training course from hell where the survival odds were lover than one percent.
It was called reconnaissance not stalking, thank you very much. He might not be a proper hitman but the basics were forced into his head thanks to a certain spartan tutor.
Considering recent events, hitmen finding him and trying to use his friends as blackmail, he could be excused to be a little paranoid when suddenly a new person appears in one of their daily lives, one he had no prior knowledge of.
"You know when it looks like stalking, sounds like stalking, it's probably stalking." Gin chimed in helpfully much to his annoyance as his train of thought was broken.
The two of them were on the edge of the woods, using the thick trees and other foliage as camouflage. They were observing the open road next to them where a certain pinkette was waiting for her newest friend, humming and completely unaware of their presence.
Meanwhile, Tsuna had a death glare on his face as he eyed the werewolf who stared back fearlessly.
"You would know wouldn't you?" he asked in a harsh whisper, an eyebrow arched as he smirked at the older teen."How many times have women accused you of the same thing and you were found guilty?"
Gin in response only shrugged with a cocky smirk, not even the slightest hint of shame on his face.
"What can I say? There are several beauties in this school and it would be a shame to just ignore them." Gin said with a leering smile."It could also be taken as a sort of flattery, you know? You should try it sometime."
All he got was an eye roll from the former mafia boss, who felt his brain cells slowly die by this inane chatter. Who would have thought he would ever miss Hibari and the constant silence the perfect caused with his sheer presence?
Then he noticed someone approaching and the exasperation turned into a cold mask of concentration.
"Quiet you idiot." he hissed to Gin who didn't need much prompting. Just like Tsuna, the mask of a clown slowly faded away and even he watched with narrowed eyes as the rumored vampire appeared.
Inui Junya slowly walked towards Moka, a confident, self-assured galt in his steps. The man was rather good-looking objectively. He had brown, almost black hair that almost reached his shoulders and framed his face, giving him the appearance of a typical playboy. He was rather tall, with wide shoulders and an easy grin on his face, overall looking like the stereotype of some soap opera's heartthrob, a fact he was clearly aware of.
Tsuna blinked as he observed the so-called vampire who Moka befriended, then looked at Gin who was watching him with a serious expression then back to Junya again. He blinked away, showing his slight bewilderment.
"Just what I thought." the werewolf commented, nodding to himself as if assuring himself of some grand discovery. "There is no way that this guy has honorable intentions. With the self-confident way he walks, and that smirk on his face that compels you to punch him in hopes of erasing it, and those half-lidded eyes that mask the intent behind his actions. There is no doubt about it, he is a merciless playboy." the older teen suddenly stood up straight, a fire of righteous anger burning in his eyes as he glared at the walking student, who was unaware of the slight killing intent released in his way."We can't let a pervert, stalker, and useless waste of space toy with the gentle of heart Moka-san. Over my dead body."
He went to charge forward, intent on defending Moka's chastity among other things, when Tsuna spoke up, stopping him in his tracks.
"Doesn't that guy look like you, just with a slightly different color scheme?" he mused with a hand on his chin, his stance losing its intensity and seriousness.
"Of course not. That guy looks nothing like me." Gin immediately protested before almost unconsciously giving a bit more thorough look to Junyu.
A moment later he collapsed to the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut, a dark cloud hanging above him.
"Damn it. Does it mean I am not unique at all? Am I nothing more than a side character, destined to lie on the sidelines." he moaned in despair as tears fell from his eyes. It was a miracle that neither Moka nor her new friend heard him.
"Could be worse. You could be a character that didn't even receive a design in the first place." Tsuna said in a deadpan voice, the smallest hint of smiles at Gin's antics.
Recently he started acting a bit more open and while many in the newspaper welcomed a bit more honest and open Tsuna, there were downsides. Most of all, with him starting to actively participate in the chaos around them, teasing them in the worst possible moments, and worst of all, a step-up of his usual training regiments straight from hell.
Kurumu in particular had nightmares about the lengths he might go one day in the name of training.
"Here," Tsuna spoke up when he got bored of Gin's pity party, throwing a small object at the werewolf, who caught it on instinct.
"What's this for?" he asked back, puzzled when he saw he was holding a simple but durable-looking hairband.
"To tie your hair up," was the former mafia boss's deadpan answer as he gestured up at his hair and started showing him how to do it, particularly slowly as if he was talking to an idiot.
Raising an eyebrow at the explanation that answered nothing at all, he eyed the item for a moment before simply shrugging and tying his hair up behind his head. The effect was very quick.
He no longer seemed similar to Junya and with his hair up, his handsome features looked even more bishonen as usual. Simply just standing there, the aura around Gin for the lack of a better word, was much more charming and inviting. He even looked smarter just by the simple act of tying up his hair.
The scene eerily reminded him of a certain silver-haired subordinate of his. whenever he tied his hair up and put on a pair of glasses, as a sign that he was seriously working on something. It made him look from a delinquent to a rather handsome nerd.
From what he observed of Gin, the man was either a storm or cloud. He believed in the former, for the simple fact that storms seemed to have the ability to turn their shabby and rough appearance into smooth and handsome by simply tying their hairs up? On another note, Tsuna got the urge to make Belphegor do the same thing if they ever met again. even if it meant incurring Prince the Ripper's anger.
He had to pinch himself to shake himself off the daze he found himself in. He repeatedly shook his head, further banishing the rather uncharacteristic thoughts out of his head. Thankfully Gin was a bit distracted by properly putting on the hair tie and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.
"So how do I look?" the werewolf asked with a lopsided smirk when he was finally content with how he looked.
"Like a step-up from a side character that would die on the first page of the manga." was Tsuna's deadpanned reply, giving away nothing of his earlier thoughts, prompting Gin to fall comically to the ground.
By now, both of them decided to pay no attention to the new vampire who finally caught up to Moka and the two started chatting and slowly walking away.
"You are hilarious. Ever thought of becoming a comedian? Please don't." Gin replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes in faux annoyance but at least he cheered up in a sense.
Tsuna privately found it a little perplexing that the man felt so strongly about the resemblance between him and Moka's newest friend. He doubted he would find himself in an existential crisis if he met someone who was nearly identical to him but he couldn't tell for sure. After all, both the criminal underworld and the youkai world have more than enough crazy and or seemingly impossible individuals in it.
"Why do you even have hairbands on you? Your hair is not that long." ignoring his thoughts, Gin pointed toward Tsuna's own mess of hair.
While his hair was slightly longer compared to his days as a middle schooler, his spikes also appeared softer, resembling more of Giotto's looks but it was far from long. At the back of his head, his hair didn't even reach his shoulders, only around the middle of his neck, while his fringes barely went past his ears. The use of hair bands would be completely useless and unneeded.
In response, the former mafioso pulled out another, identical hairband from his pockets before he stretched it so far that Gin thought he could easily stick his head through it, not that he would do it, mind you.
"They make for surprisingly good improvised garrottes," Tsuna said with a face that betrayed nothing.
He wouldn't admit it but he thoroughly enjoyed the slightly horrified look on Gin's face, before he calmly put the hair tie away. The part about the garrotte was one hundred percent bullshit, the kind he repeatedly saw Reborn use blatantly, yet people still fell for them without the slightest bit of resistance.
It seems like that certain skill rubbed off on him after years of torture by the Arcobaleno.
"You can be really scary for a human sometimes, you know that right?" Gin asked back, still a bit wary and keeping an eye on Tsuna's hands.
"I try," he replied cheekily, and if any of his older friends saw him, they would be horrified how the smile basically mirrored that of his mentor's. Even without knowing this tidbit, it still managed to further unnerve the werewolf.
The two of them fell into a short silence, keeping an eye out on Moka and her new friend, who started talking amicably enough and soon were walking in the direction of the school.
"We should be on our way too. Can't be late for class." Tsuna abruptly spoke up as he stepped away from the tree he leaned against, patting himself down before turning toward the path that would take them to the main building.
"Oh? Shouldn't you be trailing after Moka like a jealous boyfriend?" Gin teased him with a smirk, even as he also left his perch and walked after the younger teen.
Abruptly stopping, Tsuna turned half-back, sending a look at the pair who were walking away from their view, before turning away with a loud huff.
"I know you realized the same thing but despite supposedly being a vampire, that guy is weak. I took a picture of him and asked a few contacts of mine to see if he has any connection to the mafia but I doubt it. No matter how I look at it, I don't think even Tsukune would have trouble dealing with him." he explained in a deadpan voice.
"That might be true but it doesn't mean he has no ulterior motive. Are you really about to just let it slide?" Gin asked back, feeling a little disbelief at the almost casual attitude Tsuna showed.
After all, they were talking about the guy who showed up and fought against him when he tried to seduce the vampire girl, even after said girl alienated Tsuna by blaming him for Gun's perverted antics. He found it just a little unlikely that the paranoid mafioso would be so quick to let things go.
"Moka is a grown girl, almost a woman. She doesn't need me to hold her hand." was all Tsuna answered, this time not looking back and resumed walking."If she ever needs my help I will be there for her but I will not tell her who to be friends with. She can decide for herself. Both of them."
With that Tsuna finally left the scene, leaving Gin alone, who raised an eyebrow and looked to the side. There, at the tree the human was standing next to, there were five finger-sized holes in the tree, clear evidence of Tsuna's real feelings standing in sharp contrast to his words.
"That stubborn idiot." he mumbled with a small smirk as he shook."I know it's pretty ironic coming from me but instead of trying to look cool, you should be more honest with your feelings. At least to yourself." His wise advice was not heard by the former mafioso who disappeared as soon as he could but the werewolf didn't let it bother him.
Instead, he took one last calculative look toward Moka and Junyo and continued to trail after them, careful to keep his presence completely erased this time, unlike the other times when he peeked on girls and in his excitement revealed his presence.
Watching from his perch atop a tree, Tsuna smirked as he observed the werewolf trail after them. It was rather clumsy, at least in the eyes of someone trained by the number one hitman but he had talent.
"Kettle calling the pot black. Well, guess I shouldn't be surprised. You are a storm after all." he commented with a wry smile, Assured that even if Junyo tried something, Gin was around he decided to finally leave. He had a few things to do after all.
-0-
During middle school, Tsukuen could have been the poster child of being average. He was neither ugly nor beautiful, neither fit nor overweight, popular or outcast. He was in the middle in every possible category. He had a few friends but he wasn't close to them nor was he really lonely.
He was so painfully in the middle he was simply not worth bullying but regardless remained in the lower steps of the school popularity ladder. He simply existed and that was that.
He always yearned to experience a life like an anime or manga protagonist, with various friends who always invited them to do things, a love interest, and a lot of fun that didn't involve studying.
Now? Now he wished all of it back. The anonymity, people ignoring him, and most especially the lack of life and death battles as well people literally after his head.
What would he miss the least? The sudden chaos resembled a love triangle that he found himself in the middle of. That one was the most weighing one on his mind.
He was staring down at his lunch, a bowl of teriyaki ramen, and sighed with a thousand-yard stare, not even the food able to lift his mood.
While he ordinarily loved ramens of all kinds, there was little variety on the school menu and he was getting bored of it. Eating it so much was getting bland and he was honestly missing his mother's cooking.
Guess he must have been a little homesick with all that insanity going on in his daily life. Honestly, sometimes he wondered just what direction his life was going, at this rate, other than a high probability for an early grave?
"You know you look like a man who is about to march to his death. Considering this is a high school and we have a test on Geography, the look is strangely warranted for." a voice interrupted his inner pity party with a snicker as its owner sat down in front of him without the slightest hint of hesitation.
He recognized the voice instantly but he still raised his head to confirm it. Tsuna sat in front of him with an amused expression on his face, popping a french fry into his mouth as he observed his young protegee.
"It's not funny, Tsuna-san." he said, trailing off as the rest of the sentence registered. "Wait, we have a test from Geography? Do we even have a Geography class?" he exclaimed suddenly, loud enough that several people looked in their direction. When nothing interesting followed the outburst, they looked away dejectedly.
"You should have seen your face." was Tsuna's answer and he chuckled to himself as he ate a few more fries.
Noticing his good mood, Tsukune decided not to make a fuss over that tasteless joke and instead carefully observed his trainer slash tormentor. He looked rather well, at least compared to most days. The rings under his eyes were barely visible and he wasn't as pale as the previous week and even his expressions felt more honest than forced for appearance's sake. Though there was still a certain weariness around him, a reminder of the illness he apparently had been hiding since the start of the school term.
Tsukune bit his lip, wishing that he could help Tsuna somehow. After all, no matter the pranks, the torture, and the general chaos that he was inclined to simply push his student instead of dealing it himself, Tsuna did a lot for him since they met.
He was someone he could relate to as a human hiding among monsters, he always had his back and even gave him a power that allowed him a chance to stand his ground, instead of becoming a plaything of those stronger than him. Yet he couldn't help it, in this regard he was just as powerless as when he first came to the school
At that exact moment, he noticed yet another thing, something that was previously unnoticed by him.
"Where did you get that?" he asked with disbelief as he finally looked closely at the tray of food Tsuna was eating.
There was a large dish of fries, along with ketchup, some red sauce, and mayonnaise, along with two large and delicious-looking burgers, a taco of all things, and a large plastic cup of some kind of soda. An assortment of fast food that made his mouth water just by looking alone.
Tsukune honestly wondered if Tsuna would be even able to eat all of this, but more importantly, all of these were foods he knew for a fact were not available from the cafeteria.
Smirking at the look on Tsukune's face, Tsuna made a surprised face and picked up a single fry, examining it as if it was the first time he saw it.
"You mean this?" he asked cluelessly, inwardly smirking at the impatient look on his student's face, while his eyes unconsciously followed the fry he was waving around."It's just food, nothing special."
"It's not just food!" Tsukune exclaimed though this time choose to be a bit less loud."It's fast food, from the human world, not something you should be able to find on campus. Where did you get it, senpai?"
Tsuna obviously enjoyed teasing him because he remained silent for a few moments, with that mysterious smile on his face. The silence dragged on long enough for Tsukune to start contemplating on ever receiving an answer but finally, the former mafioso decided to have mercy on him.
"I told you already, didn't I? We have a dorm, and dorms always have someone who knows someone else who can get his hands on almost anything, as long as you can pay for it. Well, it's a nicer way to say that these are smuggled goods I guess." he admitted without the slightest hint of shame or fear of being overheard."Do you want me to introduce you to a few of those guys? I thought you looked a bit too goody two shoes to bring into the fold but if you want, I'm not stopping you."
Tsukune looked down, not knowing if he should be surprised by the apparent black market running in the dorm or the fact that his mentor apparently wouldn't bet an eyelash at involving him in it. The offer was tempting but also knew it came with risks, a risk that he wouldn't put on himself, to join the already large amount he was involved in.
The simple shake of his head was all that took the discussion to end.
"Well not like it matters." Tsuna told him, somewhat mysteriously but refused to elaborate."So what got you so down? Seems like you run into something troublesome once again, so I might as well try and help before it becomes something worse."
"How would you know?" Tsukune asked a bit suspiciously. "You weren't even in class today." he added, recalling that the mafioso never did come back from his supposed errand in time after all this is the first time he saw him since their morning training.
"Well one did not need to be a genius to figure that out." he answered with an unimpressed look, leaning back on his chair."Moka is off having lunch with her new friend, Yukari is once again tutoring her class president and I have found something useful for Lambo to occupy himself. Correct me if I'm wrong but that would be the perfect moment for Kurumu to seize and have a romantic launch with her destined one," he didn't have to see the wince Tsukune let out that he was right on the money."So why is she avoiding you?"
The black-haired teen slumped down at the brutal deduction but knew there was no point denying it. He knew as well as Tsuna, that Kurumu would have certainly used this single chance to have him to herself. And honestly? He wouldn't have minded that at all.
"Where is Lambo?" he asked instead, trying to subtly change the subject. Even if he knew that the attempt was doomed from the start.
"Well he was getting bored and I had nothing for him to do. So I've loaned him to an acquaintance," he answered with a straight face, not a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"What do you mean by loaned?" Tsukune felt a bit fearful asking the question but for the sake of the younger boy, he felt he had to.
The smirk on Tsuna's face didn't lead to anything good.
-0-
„Listen up, cupcakes." At the other end of the campus, a thundering voice boomed with a rich, American accent as a meaty fist crashed down on a poor table, immediately obliterating the victim, its soul ascending to a higher plane, free of the pain of this one.
The fist, which was bigger than most people's heads, belonged to a mountain of a man. Though man might be a bit of a gracious word to use.
Rather than a man, it was a huge gorilla. His arms were thicker than the trunk of century-old trees, he towered over at almost ten feet. His back was slightly hunched, black fur covered his body, which looked rather well-groomed and his fate was set as a vicious snarl.
He wore a slightly modified version of the student uniform but even the extra-extra-extra large size was barely able to cover him up and it was straining already to keep all that muscle under his clothes.
"Tardiness means death! Our sacred duty is above all laws, all ideologies, and pansy little things, like physical limits. We, the Post Office Club always deliver! Do you hear me, you worthless cretins? We always deliver, be it snow, rain, lava, or even armageddon itself. We pride ourselves in our fast and competent deliveries." The gorilla roared with a renewed strength, each of his words punctuated by another fist to the poor remains of the desk, of which soon nothing but dust remained."Do you little runts feel you are ready for such a burden and responsibility, as prospective members of the Post Office Club?" he demanded passionately.
By the end of its tirade, he seemed a bit out of breath and grabbed a nearby cup of water, though it looked comically tiny in the gorilla's hands. He downed the water down in one go, before looking expectantly at his audience.
Namely, Lambo, who was shaking in a child-sized version of the post office uniform, white as a freshly painted wall and probably contemplating to either faint of piss himself, and Itadaki, who looked as cheerful as always.
"I am ready," he answered with vigor and a smile that radiated confidence, yet there was no arrogance in the teen's voice.
The next moment the replacement desk that was brought out in the middle of the speech slammed right into his face with the speed of a speeding bullet, the desk falling into small pieces from the strength it was thrown at and the apparent hardness of Itadaki's skull.
The teen was still thrown back from the sheer force and landed on the other end of the room in a heap. A moment of silence came as the dust slowly settled, yet the cheerful teen's limbs didn't even twitch to show that he was still alive.
"Itadaki-san?" Lambo called out to him, running to his side and hurriedly checking the teen, who seemed to at least breathe, even if it was with a bit of difficulty.
"You fool!" the gorilla roared, unconcerned by the injured state of his subordinate, fixing his angry expression on Lambo, who trembled even more at the sudden attention focused on him."To believe you are ready, it's the arrogance of the highest level. You will never be ready. You might get called into service in the middle of your sleep, when you are inside the shower or when you are inside your girl. It doesn't matter. The weather, the obstacles in your route doesn't matter. It could be a snowstorm befitting Antarctica, the apocalypse itself happening or a dozen succubi inviting you to their bed coyly. None of these matter. You will never be ready but even then you will go out there and deliver the goods in time. Do you know why?" he asked gravely, even as Itadaki groggily started to sit up, a stupid smile on his face.
A long silence settled on them, Lambo warily looking at the president of the Post Office Club, Itadaki trying and failing to stop his head's spinning, and the president's face turned redder and redder. Then, his patience seemed to snap as he grabbed the small cup in his hands and threw it away violently, striking poor Itadaki in the head, again, the freshmen succumbing to unconsciousness this time.
"Do you know why?" the president repeated the question with the fury of a primal force of the earth, completely uncaring of the condition he put his subordinate in.
"Because...Because we are members of the post office club," he replied tearfully, his hands itching towards his head, no doubt trying to reach the ten-year bazooka.
Of course, Tsuna made sure to lock it away, beyond enough traps that even Lambo, with his toughness and tolerance for pain, would think twice about trying to bulldoze through them.
Satisfied, the president nodded to himself before he started another long speech, constantly emphasizing his points with his large arms that could probably crush Lambo's whole body with a careless move.
And the poor lightning guardian could just stand there and tremble while trying to help Itadaki who wasn't waking up no matter what he did. Everybody else in the club already fled but the two were late enough in recognizing the signs and the president blocked the entrance by the time they tried to run for it.
"Tsuna-nii..." he sobbed almost brokenly, trying to make himself as small as possible in case the president started throwing things again."You a total meanie!"
The cries of the lost cry of the Bovino hitman could be heard for miles, yet nobody came to his aid.
-0-
"Let's just say I made a rather good deal," Tsuna answered mysteriously, his smile not raising any confidence in his student.
Tsukune opened his mouth, trying to speak up in the defense of the young teen but a moment later thought better of it and simply closed him. He didn't want to know what Tsuna would do if he thought he was delving into the issue too much.
"So that's Lambo's case closed. What's with you and Kurumu?" Tsuna asked with a raised eyebrow, apparently not forgetting about the original topic at all.
Looking down, Tsukune carefully thought about his options. He lost nothing by telling Tsuna about what happened, with Kurumu and Mizore. Really, knowing his teacher, he doubted he couldn't find out from some other source in an hour max. No matter what, even if he suddenly became stubborn, it wouldn't change anything.
But, unconsciously his hands clenched into fists under the table. For some reason, he felt if he gave in and simply told Tsuna, expecting him to provide a solution as always, he would lose something if he did that.
It would be easy to tell him his woes. To tell him about the strange girl, Mizore, her apparent obsessions with him, that led to him being appointed class representative, Kurumu acting more jealous and antagonistic to the girl than usual and getting angry at him for trying to keep things from escalating.
Then it spiraled out of control when Mizore boldly stated that neither Kurumu nor any of his other friends understood him as much as her and told Kurumu that she was a bother. Honestly, he was surprised that the succubus even had the self-restraint not to attack her at the spot.
The result? Kurumu apparently was so furious about the whole thing, that she practically blew him off when he tried to calm her down with lunch. He still was class representative, despite his protests, and from the way he felt a cold sensation on his back, Mizore still 'admired' him from afar from time to time. Honestly, it felt like he was in the middle of a high school romcom.
"You know not answering and looking down on your lap like a man whose dog just died is not a good sign," Tsuna commented, though there was no amusement in his stone as he watched Tsukune with narrowed eyes."So will you tell me what's got you so riled up?"
"The truth is," Tsukune began to say, before trailing off, once again uncertainty striking him.
It was always like this, ever since he came to this school. He would act uncertain, indecisive, wanting to follow his heart but his own cowardice and fear of safety would make him freeze in his tracks. Then Tsuna would simply step in, and say or do something, basically ordering him. It was always Tsuna who made things possible, who made the decisions when he was too afraid to do it himself. Even if his fellow human never really advertised this fact, everyone knew that out of the two of them, Tsuna led and Tsukune obediently followed.
And for a long time, he had no problem with it. He was in an unknown place, his death all but assured if he was discovered. He grasped into the lifeline that was Tsuna's aid and trained like a drowning man and so far he hasn't led him astray.
All of those points were true, and yet...
"Sorry senpai but I guess I have to keep this myself," he said, giving an apologetic smile to Tsuna who looked genuinely surprised at the refusal. "Ever since I came here you have helped me every step along the way and I'm very grateful for that. But," he stood up, his food and appetite forgotten. "This time, I feel it's something I have to do myself."
The brown-haired human gave him a scrutinizing look, the kind parents gave their kid, when the kid tells them that he wants to move out to live alone, yet has no means to sustain himself on his own.
"You sure? If you end up in over your head I won't be able to show up to save your skin," he asked back, looking a bit skeptical.
For a moment Tsukune almost felt like giving in, but his newfound resolve didn't let him crumble at the first step, as strange as it sounded. Just yesterday he would have folded already and told Tsuna everything. He had no idea what changed so soon, what was that made him stubborn enough to say no to his dying will trainer.
Yet he somehow felt good about it. Like he stepped through a threshold that stopped him before.
"I know that Tsuna-senpai. Still, I feel like it is something that I have to do by myself. The consequences, I will bear them all myself." their eyes met, and for once Tsukune's eyes showed no hesitation or doubt."No matter the outcome, this is something I feel I can't run away from."
With that he bowed to Tsuna, ignoring the curious looks sent their way, and simply walked out of the cafeteria, with his half-eaten food left behind. Not noticing that his eyes seemed to shine and gain a slight yellow tinge.
The former mafioso looked at the direction his student went, deep in thought, before he let out a soft laugh, leaned back on his chair, and resumed eating his own lunch.
"Well, who would have thought? I thought it would take a bit longer before he would try to stay on his own feet," he commented to himself, for once appearing completely amused before his smile turn a bit more forlorn as he looked upwards, lost in memory."I either was a much more troublesome and cowardly student than him, or I might just be doing something right. What do you think, Reborn?"
Of course, nobody answered or even heard him, but he still had a barely visible smile on his face as he continued eating at a slow pace. Until he suddenly stopped and looked up a little alarmed.
"What does a class representative even do in a monster school like this?"
-0-
"That Tsukune, ignoring a girl's feelings like that," Kurumu complained angrily as she used her chopstick to stab into a takoyaki she was eating.
It was not the healthiest choice of foods, nor the best for her figure but she was a succubus. Her body was already geared towards seducing men, she was allowed a few more cheat days than most girls.
"I know that guys can be dense but how clueless can you get? That tramp all but threw herself at him and he acted like it was no big deal." she continued her tirade, after swallowing but no one answered her. She was alone after all.
Instead of going to the cafeteria and having to be around Tsukune at her current temperament or worse, Tsuna, and whatever insanity he cooked up while they didn't watch him, she went to the Newspaper club's clubroom, knowing that none of the regular members, save for Gin maybe would be coming around at this time. It beat eating in her classroom, with her noisy and admittedly shallow classmates constantly bothering her, trying to win her friendship. Or more.
Thankfully not even her perverted senpai was around this time, so she was free to vent out her frustrations on her food.
"I knew I would have my work cut out for me," she lamented, her mood suddenly turning to much more depressed."But I thought that with Moka clearly more interested in Tsuna, even if she couldn't admit it for the life of her, I would have an easier time letting Tsukune see me for myself and finally fall in love. But no. A new girl had to show up, act all creepy, yet Tsukune still defended her without a second thought."
She moodily resumed stabbing her food, until she made one too powerful stab and her chopstick snapped, half of it remained in the takoyaki she tried to skewer. Well, at least it was partially successful in that regard.
Kurumu let out another sigh as she slumped down on the table, resting her head on the cool surface.
It looked a bit uncharacteristic, her acting like this. She was usually stubborn, not acknowledging things that she didn't want to, and simply bulldozing her way through this. Tsuna said it was a good mindset for a budding illusionist since she needed to replace the reality others perceive with her own. But she was still a maiden at heart.
She still felt insecure about her looks occasionally, with a kind beauty like Moka or her more seductive-looking other self around. She still felt bad for her actions at the start of the year, especially since it came to haunt her recently. She put up a brave front whenever she felt less sure of herself but even that mask would crack sometimes.
And this was one of those rare times, hence she sought out solitude.
"Tsukune is such a playboy," she started ranting once again, pouting as she rested her head at the table, not even thinking how she might look to others at the moment."Always playing with the hearts of women, never satisfied with what he already has. It's so unfair. And then he acts completely clueless about the whole thing to boot."
As much as she loved Tsukune, she wasn't blind that he wasn't perfect. He was indecisive most of the time, either simply not doing anything and just staying back, or blindly following whatever instruction Tsuna cooked up. No offense to their spartan trainer from hell but she could use a bit more decisive Tsukune.
He would simply just barge into the classroom, his eyes sharp and serious as he stared at her down. She would try to stand up, to ask what's wrong but he would stop her with a simple word, stopping her in her tracks. His very presence would feel overwhelming and leave her weak at her knees.
He would grab her chin, gently lifting her head toward him as he leaned forward, and she would follow his lead with a wide blush on her face.
'Tsukune-kun? What's going on?' she would ask in a breathy voice, her whole body feeling hot as his other hand cradled her wrist and pulled her upward, into his waiting embrace.
His arm would circle around his waist, their bodies flush against each other as he would lean closer and closer until she could feel his breath on her face.
'What I should have done the first time I laid eyes on you.' he would say with a roguish smile as he kissed her, taking her breath away.
It would be short and sweet, before their lips would meet again, this time with far more urgency, both of them lost in the waves of passion that action would awaken.
And then he would push her backward, forcing her to sit on her table as his hands would start roaming around her body, the bottoms of her blouse coming undone one by one. Then his hand would reach down into her skirt and-
"Kyaaaaa! Tsukune-kun!" out of nowhere she let out an embarrassed shout, her cheeks aflame as she held her face in her hands, her whole body strangely warm. And it was only her imagination, just how good the real thing could feel."You are so bold. Yet that's exactly what I love in you."
"Kurumu-chan?" an awfully familiar voice snapped her out of her daydream, causing her to jump from the surprise and even let out a high-pitched cry.
As soon as she was able to stand on her two feet, the succubus whirled around, her face a rather interesting mix of mortification and sheer arousal as she looked in the direction of the door. There stood none other than her destined love, Tsukune, a, dare she say, loving smile on his lips as he stepped into the room. Kurumu barely even noticed that he also closed the door behind him but she did not catch him locking it also.
"Tsukune-kun," Despite her earlier anger and conflicted emotions regarding Tsukune, she was instantly swept by his brown eyes that felt like they peered into her soul.
As he stepped closer, she could have sworn that she could see her own reflection in them, his eyes glistening like crystals, despite their brown color. It was so romantic, she instantly felt her heart flutter, making her want to melt into his arms. And just when she thought this, his arms came up to around her neck.
She was completely lost in the moment. After all those frustrating days seeing him with Moka and other women, all those sleepless nights, trying to cook something for him, mornings spent with him to help with his training, things were finally paying off. This was her moment.
So lost she was in those lovestruck thoughts of hers that she didn't notice that Tsukune's face held no emotion on it and his hands, nor that his whole body was awfully cold.
-0-
Tsukune was in a bind.
Sure, guided by some insane inspiration, he told Tsuna that he would fix this situation himself, for once not relying on him. It was all fine and dandy, at least he was standing up for himself once in his life. Yet it still left him in a bad spot.
Namely, how the name of youkai academy was he supposed to fix that?
I mean girls were foreign and mysterious, to begin with, whose minds a male could never even get close to figuring out. Then add the fact that these girls in question were monsters to boot and all hopes of trying to understand them, or even reaching a compromise flew out of the window.
Was it too late to turn back and ask Tsuna for help?
"You seem a little troubled." a voice called out to him, but so lost was he in his thoughts that he neither stopped nor turned into the direction of the voice. Even if the voice was slightly familiar, not enough that it was someone he talked to every day but from the mere sound, something important tingled in the back of his head.
"Of course I am troubled. My whole life seems to be an existence that tries its best to kill me or at least cause me a heart attack." he cried out suddenly, gripping his head in frustration. So occupied was he with trying to find a solution that he didn't even think for a moment about telling a relative stranger all his problems.
It was definitely because of the stress, the confusion, and tiredness that made him lower his guard to that degree. Otherwise, he would never be so careless.
'No, you would be exactly this careless any other day.' a small voice that definitely sounded like Tsuna echoed in his head but he steadfastly ignored it.
"That sounds rough." the voice said with a slight sympathetic tone and Tsukune found himself nodding even if he continued walking forward, still not realizing he was not as long as he thought.
"Tell me about it. I am in a school where even the plants and school supplies seemed out to get me. Someone for some reason always attacks me at least once a week, forcing me to cover behind my friends most of the time. Keeping up with classes is one thing, stressful enough for me already but when you factor in the daily training straight from hell, I am not even sure how I am still breathing by now. I was blown at least a hundred times by now and Tsuna only looks at me with a nostalgic face as if he recalled a fond memory. I don't want the sight of me blowing up to be a fond memory," he cried out in distress, eventually stopping and collapsing to his knees as the carefully hidden traumas caused by his life in Youkai Academy burst into the surface.
His mysterious listener remained silent and Tskune continued talking, feeling like a dam that finally lost its eternal war against the torrent of water crashing against it.
"As if my daily life on average wasn't dangerous and hazardous to my health, to begin with, this new girl showed up with a scrapbook of all things dedicated to me. I mean I am a little flattered I guess but it's just sent everything into a roll towards doom and chaos. Kurumu is angry at me for something I don't even really understand, Moka-san apparently got a new friend and basically ignores us, Lambo was lent to someplace that is probably horrible and make him wish for his own death, Tsuna-senpai acts as if nothing was wrong and I am apparently class representative. I don't know anything about representing, heck, I am so average, people would probably forget about me if I wasn't friends with Moka, Kurumu, and Tsuna." he said, his voice slowly lowering, turning into a self-deprecating chuckle."I told Tsuna-san I would deal with my problem myself but all I can do is stand here and complain because there is no one who could understand what I go through."
These thoughts and worries plagued him for a long time, and now with his limit reached, he couldn't help but voice them. He knew he was different from the others. He didn't have Moka's cheerfulness, Kurumu's boldness, or Yukari's ability at school-related topics. He didn't even really have Lambo's sturdiness or Gin's shamelessness. He was just average on every count.
But the largest difference, the largest inferiority he felt, was when comparing himself to Tsuna. Both of them were humans, hiding their real nature in this monster school, so naturally, he thought he could relate to him, that he could be someone he could freely share his worries with. How wrong he was.
They were like night and day. Tsuna always looked in control, always had a plan and all the time he felt he was just running after his shadow, trying to catch up, yet getting nowhere. Don't misunderstand, he knew he would have a much rougher time without his aid, or maybe even died by now but despite all that, he couldn't help but feel inferior.
It was infuriating especially because he knew Tsuna didn't see him like that. Yet his heart could not be swayed from feeling like that.
A cold touch on his hand snapped him out of his thoughts and he almost jumped from the sudden sensation.
"I understand how you feel." a low, subdued voice full of sympathy came from his right.
Tsukune felt a pit open in his stomach as he realized he aired all of his worries to someone completely unknown without even noticing it. The only thing he could be thankful for is that he hadn't managed to blurt out his identity as a human but even that was a small mercy. With trepidation, he turned around and his eyes widened as he got another shock.
Lilac eyes stared into his own, with an almost obsessive light shining in them, a pale face, framed by purple disheveled hair and wearing a disinterested expression, only the slightest blush betraying her true thoughts as she continued to suck a lollipop for reasons unknown.
"Shiozaki-san?" her name slipped out in his shock.
After all, even if she didn't intend to, she was the cause of most of his recent troubles, most noticeably, electing him to be their class' representative.
"That loneliness you feel. The pain of nobody understanding you, I know them perfectly." she told him, one hand coming up to her heart, the look in her eyes slowly unnerving as she stepped closer, right into the middle of his personal space."Because I feel that very same pain Tsukune. I alone can understand those tormented feelings of yours."
Suddenly Tsukune got the feeling it would have been better if he shut up while he had the chance. Why was it that only the weird or the crazy ones took notice of him all the time?
Back in the cafeteria, Tsuna suddenly had to fight off a sudden sneeze, almost choking on his fry.
-0-
"You do realize it's stupid to go along with it just like that, right?" Ura suddenly spoke up from her seal, her tone an interesting mix of disappointment and disinterest, forcing Moka to slowly stop walking, looking down at her feet with a rather uncharacteristic frown on her face.
She just had passed the cafeteria, after spending the lunch break with Juyo, who insisted that they get to know each other better by eating together up the rooftop, when Ura, who was silent for more than a day by now, spoke up. Her hands without thought reached up to grab her rosary, like some kind of lifeline.
"Even if it's stupid if it means I can protect them just a little..." she trailed off, trying to hold back her errant tears as she thought about how lonely she felt without Tsuna and Tsukune around.
The two boys, as well as the others in their little group, had been constant presences around her since the start of the school year, and to a girl who spent her middle school years alone, isolated, without no one to care about her, it was agonizing to somewhat turn back into that state. Of course, one could argue that she spent that time with Juyo but it was not the same.
It was simply not the same because she didn't do it out of her free will.
"Even if it's to protect them...do you think those two idiots would want you to protect them that way?" Ura asked back, her tone surprisingly not biting for once. In fact, she sounded rather sad.
Moka's lips quivered as her other self's words hit exactly where it hurt but she could say nothing in her defense.
She knew she was rather foolish. Neither Tsukune nor Tsuna really wanted her help, they rarely even relied on Ura for the most part, despite her ridiculous strength. Tsuna especially, always looked calm and collected, with a plan ready to counter whatever happened. If it was him, she was sure he could deal with it, even if the worst happened.
But, for once she didn't want Tsuna to swoop in and make everything right. She didn't want Tsukune to run to her side with earnestness, for Yukari and Kurumu to show up and help her out. She didn't want to rely on her friends or even Ura.
Some would call it foolishness but she couldn't help it. Deep down she knew that she didn't help her friends during their troubles, despite whatever she liked to think. It was always Ura, her powerful and confident vampire side who was relied on. No one relied on shy, uncertain, and weak Omote, even if no one ever stated it like that. Because no matter what she did, that was the feeling that was born inside her heart.
"You know Ura, I am a very selfish person." she told her other self with a self-deprecating smile on her face as she quickly wiped away a few stray tears."In the end, I don't do it for them because I know those two are big boys and can take care of themselves. I'm doing it solely for myself, to prove that even if this is just something like this, I can help without relying on you, Tsuna or anybody."
Like a dam, her feelings burst out in the privacy of the two sides of the same person. That feeling of inadequacy, feeling as if she was nothing more than a pretty face and the holder of Ura came bursting out and one by one, tears began to fall from her eyes even as she tried her best to muffle her sobs.
For once Ura didn't say anything, because for all she liked to portray herself as all-powerful and perfect, she had no idea what she could say or do to help her more naive, more vulnerable half. And that knowledge alone infuriated her.
"That's why," Moka slowly calmed down and grabbed her rosary with a newfound resolve, her tears slowly drying up. "for once, just once, I don't want to rely on them, or on you. This one battle is mine to fight alone."
Unnoticed by all, in the depths of her green eyes, for a moment a barely visible spark appeared, followed by another, this one slightly darker in the eye of her rosary.
-0-
Extra Story: Adventures of the wandering Storm
The destructive, red flames of the storm were swaying in a deceptively gentle manner as they continued to devour whatever they could. A whole block turned into nothing but rubble with the clash of three powerful storm flames. Though thankfully they were inhabited for the most part and the few civilians had enough of a warning in the form of various explosions to get away in time.
Still, regardless, it will not be an easy thing to hide the true nature of what happened from the general public, and it will definitely require the cooperation of the mighty Vongola Alliance and local Mafiosi. It will not be easy, nor cheap but it was what they needed to do, lest they incur the wrath of the feared overseers.
Speaking of the Vindice, the victors knew they had to wrap things up quickly, doubtlessly the Vindice were on their way and every one of them knew better than to linger around and try to explain what happened to the Mafia's enforcers.
The former Decimo's storm was lying amongst the rubble, panting harshly as blood flowed from several puncture wounds, his flames dying with the loss of his will and consciousness. Still, Coyote still kept his guard up as he approached the boy, his dying will flame continuing burning in his hand, ready to counter the explosive brat in case it turned out to be a feint.
He nudged him with one foot to see if he reacted but there was no reaction. In the end, he carefully kneeled down next to him and checked him over. The brat was still alive, unconscious, and losing a lot of blood but alive. That made Coyote frown in thought.
Originally his orders were to detain the mist girl and any other former guardian she might be associating, alive if possible. He lost track of the girl, only catching the storm brat by pure chance. He could bring him in alive, if his wounds were treated Gokudera would probably pull through but he doubted that it would be the best action. He eyed the box weapons that the brat revealed with interest and suspicion.
Although they were aware of the technology and its possibilities due to Sawada's and his group's trip to the future, as far as he knew they were not complete just yet in their times, unsuitable to anything but showing off at the moment. The 'original' creators were carefully monitored and controlled so the Vongola could have the first pickings of the new technology, keeping their superiority compared to their rivals.
Yet, judging by the gear the brat pulled out and used rather effectively before he was brought down, it meant someone was really screwing up their jobs, or somehow Gokudera managed to make fools of the whole CEDEF and get his hands on workable prototypes before anyone else.
Both of those were options that he really didn't like contemplating for obvious reasons.
Without himself even noticing, the fire in his ring burned brighter as he brought his hand closer to the brat's neck. Sure, he could take him alive but it was more troublesome than it was worth it, with the brat possibly escaping or worse learning something of their real plans. No, it was better he died here and the box weapons he had in his possession would serve to further boost the Vongola's might, as it should be.
After all, nothing mattered but the supremacy of Vongola.
He was about to grab Gokudera's throat and kill him with his storm flames when his old but still sharp instincts kicked in and jumped to the side, just in time to see several knives sail through the place where his back and head was a moment ago. An annoyed glare sent at the grinning assassin confirmed the origin of the attack.
Bel was already fingering another set of knives as he basically stalked forward among the rubble, his smile widening a frightening degree. He looked like the cat that ate the canary and it accomplished nothing but angering Coyote more than he was already.
"What's the meaning of this, Xanxus's brat?" the old guardian demanded even as he steadied his stance and brought his arms up into a defensive position. He did not live this long to just lower his guard because they were talking.
"Shishishi, what does it look like? I'm just taking out the trash." Bel responded and Coyote almost missed the subtle twitch of the fingers of his right hand.
Thanks to that he was able to lean out of the way of the returning knives from earlier. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a small burst of storm flames that quickly took care of the knives as well as the wires controlling them, prompting Bel to let out an annoyed sound.
Some of the flame released by Coyote almost struck Bel's partner who was covering between the rubble, rather unsuccessful and was wearing a massive apple-shaped head now for some reason.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" he cried out as he started jumping up and down as a small fire caught the sleeve of his jacket.
Both combatants found themselves a bit stupefied as he started rolling around until finally after a whole minute the storm flame stopped eating the fabric, leaving him with half the original sleeve and his appearance scruffed.
"Please be careful senpai." he spoke up, his voice still nothing but a monotone that made anyone hearing him wonder if he was a robot or not."I almost got hurt."
"Shut up Fran and don't get into my way." Bel retorted with a frown before fixing his eyes on Coyote who was eying the two of them warily."Shall we get back to it? Don't be afraid the idiot won't interfere. As if I would need a peasant's help to execute another peasant, shishishi." By the end of it, he regained his old cheer as his mouth curved into a bloodthirsty grin.
"Do you think that I am naive enough to believe a lie like that?" Coyote grumbled back with narrowed eyes, though his body turned more toward Bel who he took for the more direct and in some ways dangerous combatant."I always knew that you Varia were nothing but unreliable thugs but even I am surprised that you chose to betray us not once but twice. Nono might have been merciful the first time but don't expect something like that a second time, especially after doing it now when Vongola is the strongest." the old guardian stated with no hint of nervousness or even hesitation in his voice.
He intended to kill them here and there, believing completely in him being in the right and the power behind the name Vongola.
Bel's eyes flashed with something truly dark from behind his hair and Coyote found himself taking a step back from the sheer killing intent the assassin who was known as Prince the Ripper let out before he reigned it in and let out another low chuckle.
"Who knows? I am only just obeying the orders from my boss. Truthfully I hardly care as long as I have someone to kill and torture but the fact that it's you is just icing on the cake." for a moment Coyote could have sworn that the young adult's eyes took on a red glow as he readied another set of knives in his hands."And you seem to forget, the Varia never lost to your Vongola, old man. And now I will show you why even the geezer Nono is afraid to cross us."
"I'll have you learn some respect, brat before you die," Coyote growled with a stern expression as the storm flames on his knuckles increased and began to spread until the red, destructive flames covered both of his arms up to the shoulders.
"Senpai, I don't want to be hit by that." Fran whimpered even as he tried to hide behind his now pineapple-shaped hat.
"Not bad for an old-timer who should have been two feet in the grave. Looks like I have to take it a little seriously after all." If possible the Varia storm officer's grin widened even further as he practically trembled from the bloodlust awakened inside him.
"That obsessive, maniacal idiot." a little ways away, hidden from everyone's eye in the far end of the rubble a person hidden from view complained lowly as he gingerly lowered down Chrome's form. "Did he already forget the plan?"
The pineapple-haired girl let out a soft moan but otherwise remained unconscious. The figure let out an annoyed sigh but nonetheless stood up from next to her, grabbing something from his belt.
"Well as much as it galls me to work with that egotistical bastard, it's better to compromise and work together with him that let you get hurt in the crossfire." he mumbled to himself, snorting as something funny occurred to him."Look at me, talking like that. I must be getting soft. Be lucky that the boss would be definitely devastated if I let anything happen to you. Do you hear me, woman? You better don't die on me, for the boss's sake." as he said that a purple flame appeared on one of his fingers which was quickly thrust into the cube-shaped object in his hand.
"Time to show that old man that no one messes with the tenth."