Title: Gray
Anime/Manga: Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Summary: Adam and Eve. The sole Devil and the sole Angel. Without the other, the world's balance shall collapse.
Or, in which Tsuna-hime calls the fact that the Devil is her soulmate for eternity bullshit.
Reborn? He's a sadist like the Devil he is. What do you think?
(They can't deny, though, they love each other dearly.)
Genre(s): Romance, Humor
Warning(s): Fem!Tsuna, Angel!Tsuna, Devil!Reborn
Note(s): MultiChap
Pairing(s): Reborn x Tsuna (R27)
Chapter: 3 - Red Falcons
~
Reborn had to admit, he was slightly impressed with the young boy. There were ten minutes left before the five hours ended, and despite the constant attacks they exchanged, Kyoya continued to stand, regardless of the beatings he received to the ground more times than he could count and was breathing heavily. Reborn, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine. There was not a single spec of dust or wrinkle on him. The whole time, Reborn maintained a poker face. The fact that the hitman does not have a bead of sweat on him irritated Kyoya to no end.
Stamina, speed, bloodlust, he has it all, but restraint and patience, Reborn analyzed. The only reason why he's able to stand, besides stamina, is his determination to defeat me. He smirked, resulting Kyoya to twitch. "Not like he can defeat me. Give or take thirty years and he might...Nah," Reborn whispered then scoffed. He glanced over at their only spectator. "Tsuna, time?"
She gave a yawn in which she politely covered her mouth with her hand. Tsuna looked at her phone next to her from where she sat and checked the timer. "Three minutes left. If you want Kyoya-kun to acknowledge you, you know you're going to have to knock him out, right?"
"I guess it's about time I do. What's for dinner?" He jumped high to dodge the swing of the tonfa and landed on his opponent's head. Kyoya growled and swatted his tonfa at him.
Tsuna giggled at the sight. "Mama's making beef stew. Italian, of course, since she worried that you might be homesick. I texted her that we'll be late, so don't worry about the food being cold. She's probably making it right now. You can join us if you want, Kyoya-kun."
Kyoya snarled. "Pay attention to your opponent, infant!"
"Sure." And with a swift and hard kick to the back of his neck, Kyoya was finally knocked out at the very last second.
"Time," Tsuna called out while turning off the timer. "Good work," she singsonged. Tsuna stood up and stretched before jumping off the roof above the door. Kyoya twitched after she poked him several times. "You did well, Kyoya-kun. But as said in the deal, you need to accept him as my tutor and allow Reborn access into the school whenever." She smiled when he got up, though unsteadily.
"Very well. I demand a rematch next week, infant. That includes you, Tsuna-hime," he said bitterly, but he accepted his defeat.
His manners are plausible, Reborn thought wryly. "I'm fine with that."
Tsuna grinned. "Glad to see everything's resolved. Now, let's go home. I'm exhausted."
Reborn rolled his eyes. "You didn't break a single sweat when you fought Mochida, and all you did was sat and spectate."
"The same goes for you, no?" She raised an eyebrow, quickly glancing at Kyoya who walked back inside and was most likely going home. "I'm sure your infant body is exhausted even though your mind isn't."
"Touche."
~
"Now, let's get on to business."
It was right after ten when they finished dinner and prepared for the night. Nana didn't think much when they arrived late, but as long as her daughter notified her, then she was all right with their late return.
Dressed in their pajamas, the pair sat on Tsuna's bed with grim faces.
"As I was saying this morning, I and the other six were chosen as the Strongest Seven in the sense of the seven people with the strongest flame of our type. At the time, you had the strongest Sky Flames, but as a result of Imogene's death, your role as the Sky Arcobaleno candidate voided and Luce was chosen instead. For the past several years, however, she went MIA.
"On November 9, 1991, we were summoned through a letter to meet at the summit of Monte Cimone. By whom, we didn't know, but the letter said that we will meet the mastermind, so we went, thinking it was about time to meet the guy behind all of those missions we've received together.
"By the time we reached the summit, a blinding light surrounded us. The pain was...unbearable as if there was a searing hot flash coursing through our bodies. When we came to, we found ourselves in these infant bodies and with a pacifier around our necks."
Tsuna narrowed her eyes, slowly processing the information. "...What about the person you said you'll meet?"
"He was right there in front of us when we woke up. There was something off about him, however," he remarked. She kept silent, gesturing for him to continue. "He didn't feel human."
"What?" Her eyes widened.
"He didn't feel human," Reborn repeated, gently grabbing Leon off his head and proceeded to pet him. "There's this aura around him that felt faintly like a mixture of our auras: half light, half dark. Neutral, almost."
Tsuna had a speculative look as she held a thinking pose: right leg over the left, right hand on her chin while the other acted as a resthold for the elbow. "Did he give his name?"
"Checkerface. An alias."
"I see..."
"Care to share your thoughts?"
Her eyes, which switched from brown to amber at the beginning of the conversation, turned to look at his. "A few years ago when I was walking to school, I felt a presence just like how you explained it, but it was only for a second. I didn't think much of it since it disappeared the same time it came, and I was too busy trying not to trip and fall flat on my face," she deadpanned, resulting the little Devil to snicker.
"While I do want to find that presence you mentioned, I need to first and foremost raise you to be the next Vo-"
"Good night."
"..."
~
Tsuna woke up to a pleasant surprise at five in the morning: a pile of flowers suffocating her.
She gently pushed them away from her face and glared lightly at Reborn. "I'd appreciate it if you don't kill me so early. I'm only thirteen."
"I'd appreciate it if you don't interrupt me next time. Not like I can kill you anyway, it's against my mission and the Law. I rather kill myself than can kill you, and I'm sure it's the same for you."
The Law was a list of rules directed only to the Angel and the Devil by their creator for the sake of balance, one in which wrote, "Thou art forbidden to kill thy other half." Failure to follow any of the listed rules shall result in divine punishment chosen by the creator himself.
"Yes. By the way, where did you get these flowers?" She sat up and collected them, making a reminder to ask for a vase from her mother. If they didn't have any, then she'll need to find time to buy one. Tsuna looked at the bouquet in adoration. It was a combination of blue, purple, and white roses, hydrangeas, and peonies. "They're very beautiful." She giggled when Leon popped out from the bouquet, a petal in his mouth.
"Why thank you; I have my ways. You'll have another surprise at school today," he added with a tip of his fedora, all dressed and ready.
She glanced at him with an amused look in her eyes. "Can I assume that you won't tell me either?"
He smirked. "You know me too well, Eve. Of course, I won't tell. Now, chop chop. We're starting the training menu I made for you for the week." He ignored the groan and scowl he received. "I will change the regime every week to match your progress. I estimate in a month, you'll be on par with me, considering how strong and flexible you are at the moment."
She let out a heavy sigh, annoyance evident in it. "What will I be doing in the morning?"
"Five laps around the neighborhood after you stretch properly and do push-ups for ten minutes each."
"You're such a Spartan."
"I know. I was born one 2435 years ago."
She got up reluctantly while muttering about vases, the mafia, broken genetics, and damn sassy Spartan military commanders.
~
"Hey."
Tsuna turned and blinked at the foreign boy who approached her. Silver hair, emerald eyes, and an unruly appearance of his uniform, almost a doppelganger of Primo's Storm Guardian. He immediately gave off a "bad-boy" vibe as he scowled and held his school bag over his shoulder. Kyoya would go after this guy with no hesitation, she thought with a bead of sweat dropping.
"Are you a new student?"
"Yeah," he replied, keeping a fair distance between them.
"Welcome to Namimori! I'm Sawada Tsuna-hime, Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee. Have you received a tour of the school yet..."
He clicked his tongue. "Gokudera Hayato."
"Hayato-kun!"
"Since when I gave you permission to call me so familiarly?!"
She waved it off with a smile. "Have you received a tour of the school yet, Hayato-kun?"
Hayato sighed. "No. It's just a waste of time anyway."
"Well, let me give you one just in case." She grabbed her cell phone and dialed a certain number.
"I said I don't ne-"
"Tetsuya-kun? Can you come down and take my place for today? A new student came, so I'm going to show him around."
"Listen to-"
"Thanks, Tetsuya-kun!" Tsuna put away her phone and turned back to Hayato, whose face was slightly red in anger and annoyance for being ignored.
What the hell is wrong with this woman?
"A little warning before we enter."
"What?" he snapped.
Her smile vanished as a firm line replaced it. Hayato flinched when he suddenly felt the air pressure becoming heavy, narrowing his eyes warily at her. "This is a civilian school, Gokudera Hayato. In other words, mafia-free."
"...So you know who I am, candidate?" He spat out "candidate" with distaste, but Tsuna paid no mind to it. She met people even more rude and disrespectful than Hayato.
"Not precisely. I was told that I will have another surprise at school, so when I saw you, I knew immediately that you were sent by Reborn." She started to walk off, silently gesturing him to follow, which he did after he glared and gave another click of his tongue.
"Well? Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Should I be?" She nodded at Kusakabe who walked passed them after giving a quick bow.
"I'm from the mafia," he snarled. "I was also told by Reborn-san that if I defeat you, I can take your place as the candidate for becoming the Vongola Famiglia's boss."
She smiled at him with a glance, obviously amused. "Yes, you are from the mafia, but so is Reborn. Considering the fact that he's known as the World's Greatest Hitman, you don't see me looking so fearful of him, do you?"
He frowned, silently agreeing with her point. She showed no reaction besides amusement and acceptance during the past five minutes. Did she have any prior affiliation with Cosa Nostra to know the actions of the underworld? No, that couldn't be. Hayato was informed that Sawada Tsuna-hime had no knowledge or connection with (besides her father) the mafia.
"I'm sure you're smart enough, Hayato-kun, to know how the Vongola works. To become the Vongola Don or Donna means to have the blood of Vongola within you, or be the son or daughter of a Don/Donna. As the daughter of Sawada Iemitsu, a descendant of Primo, I have the qualifications, no matter how much I decline."
They continued to walk around with Tsuna pointing out certain classrooms and hallways. She noticed how he brightened up when she mentioned the Occult Club as she listed the types of activities the school provided.
When they reached the rooftop, she stood in the middle of the area, spreading her arms and feeling the cool morning breeze. "The roof is accessible to all students and staff, Hayato-kun. Every now and then the Head of the Disciplinary Committee comes to rest here, so be careful not to disturb him. Most of the accidents and injuries that occur come from him rather than sports casualties or bullying."
How is this Head not considered as a bully..., Hayato questioned silently.
"Do be careful of the fences as well. They're quite old and rusty, so try not to lean against them. Speaking of which, we might need to renovate some things..."
She swiftly turned around and kicked away the object that flew towards her. The item exploded right above them.
"A bomb," she mused, gazing at the attacker who dared to strike while she was facing away from him.
Hayato gazed back with an analytical look in his eyes, two bombs in each hand. "I don't have a single chance to become the Boss of the strongest famiglia in the world, yes, but that doesn't mean I can't test you and evaluate if you really deserve to become Decima."
"Sure. Just try not to damage any school property, Hayato-kun"
He smirked before throwing the bombs at her. "That's your job, Decima," he replied tauntingly.
Hopefully, no one hears the explosions, or see them really, Tsuna thought as she kicked them up again. "What's your title in the mafia?" she asked over the sounds while kicking and cutting off the fuse with a chop of her two fingers at lightning speed.
"'Hurricane Bomb.'"
"A Storm, huh? The similarities are uncanny," she chuckled under her breath with an image of G in her mind.
He glared daggers at her when she perpetually deflected his weapons. "Let's see if you can protect the school and yourself from this. Triple Bombs!" He gathered a majority of his bombs from his body, more than what he can hold. As a result, he accidentally dropped them around him.
Shit! He mentally cursed. The fuses were all lit up, and the flames were too close to the bomb much to his vexation. At this rate, I can't avoid them. Is this my end?
"Oh, dear. This is a mess," he heard. The next moment, there was a snap of fingers, and everything came to a stop.
Time was paused.
The world became monotonous.
Tsuna stared at Hayato's frozen, fearful face with glowing sunset-orange eyes. She sighed and crouched down gracefully next to the bombs. One by one, their time resumed with a single touch of her finger, and she burned out the flames, ignoring the burning pain in her hands.
Freezing time results in deep exhaustion, which is why Eve (and Adam) rarely does it, no matter how long it stops.
The last time she froze time was when Tsuna was six. An assassin, who overheard Iemitsu's drunken acclaims of his wife and daughter at a bar in Italy, suddenly barged into the house. Tsuna had no other choice but to stop time in order to avoid suspicion. It would be unusual if somebody sees a six-year-old stabbing a knife (made out of flames that came out of thin air) into a man five times bigger than her. She burned the man afterward and slightly altered Nana's memories, preventing visible evidence and confusion.
Was it ironic for the Angel to kill? Not really, considering the fact that she and Nana would be killed if she didn't do anything. Tsuna was also a military commander several times through the millennials; in other words, she killed in wars and watch others forcefully face death. She's not holy through and through.
Tsuna breathed out in relief when she diffused all of the bombs. She looked at her hands and frowned. "I'm going to have scars for days. I wonder if Reborn can heal them..." With another snap of her fingers with little struggle, she "played" time again. Deep fatigued coursed through her body, and she collapsed.
Hayato gasped. "They're all...diffused?" He looked down at Tsuna in awe and worry, noticing the tired look and beads of sweat on her face. "How-! Why did you...?"
She gave a weak chuckle and glanced at him. "A few reasons. Kyoya-kun won't appreciate blood and debris everywhere on his property. We're only thirteen, Hayato-kun, too young to die. Reborn will also become angered when he learns his 'present' to me is 'destroyed.' Most importantly..." Her smile turned into a wide grin. "...I have a Guardian to take in."
Ah, crap, she thought, her vision blackening. Just before she fainted, she heard Hayato's gasp and a baritone voice.
"You imbecile Angel."
~
Clarification(s):
-Red Falcons is derived from the color of Storm Flames and the meaning of "Hayato", which is "falcon".
-Some of you may have realized that Hayato is a bit OCC. I was kind of annoyed with his original personality, which is full or shoutings and deep, deep, deep loyalty. I decided to tone it down in this story because I thought it didn't fit his "sexy" brain. Hahaha!
~
Thanks for waiting guys! And thank you so much for reading and voting on my other stories! I had a really fun time writing Through the Years, so I'll be updating this, Scattered Weather, and Through the Years more than the others.
I almost reached 3000 words on this chapter; yay!
If you have any questions or see any mistakes, please type them in the comments section and I'll reply as soon as possible.