[fic] The Forgotten Time chapter 23
Title: The Forgotten Time
Author: Metamorcy1 or Metamorcy on ff.net (me)
Pairing: Main is R27 RebornxTsuna there is Arcobaleno27, X27 and others
Summary: An incident with the 10-year bazooka leaves Tsuna stuck in the past... What's he gonna to do?
Rating: R/NC17
Warning: Two chapters of adult-content but the rest are PG13
This has been beta'd by gracefulsunshine.
A lot of people were asking this but 'Recall' has nothing to do with this. It was just a side thing before I changed the entire story line.
Been working on a 6927 story, its taking a lot of time. But that's probably because it's over 70 pages now and it take so damn long to just read. Much harder when you want to edit. However, I think it'll be one of my few masterpieces because I'm putting a lot of time into it. I think many will like it while others will probably come out feeling really disgusted.
"No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities." Christian Nestell Bovee
Chapter 23: Uncertainty
The Varia's arrival in Namimori created a ruckus among the city's population. For a week, there was pandemonium everywhere, throwing the normally serene place into complete chaos, and even more so when they were actually on the streets. Tsuna knew when they arrived-it was obvious when Squalo stormed up to Yamamoto during class, demanding for a fight, and then promptly destroyed half the classroom. Hibari wasn't too happy about that…at all. He went on a rampage after Varia, fighting and beating a couple of them to a bloody pulp in revenge for the school. During this time, Tsuna decided that it was best to stay out of sight lest Hibari's wrath turned on him instead.
Belphegor and Mammon were second to be seen after Squalo, since they enjoyed showing up at Yamamoto's home/restaurant for food. Tsuyoshi looked a little hesitant when he saw the two, but business was business, so he served his best, most expensive sushi. And apparently, they were good tippers. Well, Belphegor was; Mammon only tossed a few yen his way. Other than showing up at the restaurant, Belphegor would appear at the school and repeatedly fight Gokudera and Hibari, which only created more chaos in Namimori. Tsuna had a strong feeling that he wouldn't see any normal days for a while. Besides the school, when the group went through shopping centers, Lussuria could sometimes be heard squealing at the dresses that were showcased. Tsuna could only stare for a few seconds before running off, not wanting to stay any longer. That, and truth be told, the squealing was kinda…annoying. And there was also that little fact that Lussuria popped up in the woman's undergarments area too.
However, never once did Tsuna see Xanxus or that…other person. What was his name? Tsuna shrugged his shoulders without care. It probably wasn't that important in the first place if he didn't remember.
Regardless of the new appearances of his former enemies, everything to him was still considered peaceful. No one was trying to kill him or trying to get him into fights he had no wish to be part of. He just went on about with school without much care, just slightly worried about his friends who were often the prime targets for Varia. But so far, no one was really hurt. Yamamoto and Gokudera would come in now and then with a few scratches and bruises, but nothing serious. So regardless, everything was considered alright.
That was until Xanxus demanded Tsuna to come see him. Alone.
The message was delivered by that other person Tsuna couldn't really remember, the one with the mustache, and used umbrellas of all things as weapons. Reborn immediately stated a 'no' without any hesitation, and Leon turned into that usual green gun, aiming it at the man. His eyes narrowed dangerously and obviously, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot. To kill or to maim, it didn't matter.
"Why does Xanxus want to see Tsuna?" Reborn demanded, his eyes glaring, and settled himself onto Tsuna's shoulder so that he could get a better view of things. He didn't like where this was going, and didn't want Tsuna anywhere near that rampaging man. At least, not alone of all things.
As Levi and Reborn argued back and forth, Tsuna remained quiet. This was an opportunity. That single thought echoed repeatedly in his mind. It was the perfect chance. He wanted to know if Xanxus remembered him. Reborn obviously didn't, but what about others whom he had interacted during the past? Like his father and the Ninth. He wanted to see what happened to them.
"Reborn, I think I should go see Xanxus."
The two in front froze and turned to look at him as if he had grown another head. The hitman's expression quickly cleared up and growled, immediately kicking the brunet to the wall, before back flipping in the air and landing perfectly on the ground. "Absolutely not! I won't allow you to meet up with Xanxus of all people by yourself! That man will kill you! At least bring one of your guardians with you as a safeguard."
Tsuna hissed in pain, rubbing the area he had been kicked at, and glanced up with one eye closed to peer at the sun Arcobaleno. "Reborn, that hurts." He slowly stood up and sighed. He looked nervous under Reborn's harsh stare despite the fact that the baby only came up to his knees. "I'll be fine. I think I should meet up with Xanxus."
"Dame-Tsuna, it's too dangerous!"
'How unusual. Normally, he wants me to go everywhere without any arguments. Why can't he be like this when it comes to me being part of the mafia?' Tsuna mentally chided to himself. He took a deep breath and kneeled down so that he could get a better look at the other. "Come on, Reborn. This is unusual of you. Don't you normally tell me to go out? Generally regardless of what I really, really wish."
Reborn sneered at that and flicked his fedora up. Levi remained at the doorway, unsure of what to do, and continued to stand there. Stepping forward with almost every motion to send Tsuna flying again, the sun Arcobaleno spoke. "This is different. You're going in alone into their territory. No one will be able to protect you if anything happened."
"Come on, Reborn. Put some faith in me."
"Since when did I have faith in you?"
"Ehhhh? Come on!" Tsuna grumbled, his so-called pride deflating. But he didn't mind the harsh treatment; it had lightened up the mood slightly, compared to before. "Xanxus asked for me to come in alone, I don't think he'd be really happy if someone accompanied me."
This made Reborn growl dangerously under his breath. This was like bringing a lamb into a home of ravenous wolves. He didn't want Tsuna to go, but what could he do? He had to obey. Regardless of what happened in the past, Xanxus was still Nono's son, and adopted or blood-related, he was higher in rank. And Xanxus wanted to see Tsuna, but if Tsuna didn't go, the Varia leader would either come looking himself by sending enemies or take that disappearance as a cowardly act and try to attack again. As he observed Tsuna leave through the door to follow Levi into a black car, he felt like this wasn't the first time he had to watch Tsuna leave and feel so powerless all at the same time.
Tsuna glanced around the furnished hotel that was far too stylish for his tastes. No, it was just too much. He could never settle into something like this. There were statues and pictures frames that looked like they had cost millions of yen and he refused be near either of them. He didn't even dare touch one, just in case it broke since he knew there was no way he had the money to pay for it, not in a million years.
Levi stood next to him, glaring at him as usual, muttering words under his breath. He was completely aware that the brunet could hear him clearly. Tsuna knew that it was just best to ignore the other, and tuned him out completely. He spotted Belphegor and Mammon settled on a couch, lazing around. The blond had his legs propped up onto the table, crossed, and was watching a large flat screen TV that was attached to the wall. Some movie was on but Tsuna didn't recognize it at all and didn't understand it since it was in a different language. Mammon was settled on the other side of the couch on top of a pillow and seemed to be drinking something. The one person Tsuna didn't see at all was Squalo and normally this man was the easiest to spot, or well, hear among the group of five.
As he arrived at a pair of doors, Tsuna went forward on his own, Levi remaining where he was at. The metal hinges didn't squeak as they opened and he stepped inside, taking notice of the mess that was within. Tsuna twitched, the room looked worse than his own bedroom, and that was saying something! Most of the items looked like they had been thrown around and the room reeked of alcohol and smoke. Broken chairs were upside down, cabinets were in shambles on the ground, and holes dotted the walls and floor. He eyed a couple of spots that looked like burn marks and sighed. He should have expected this.
Meanwhile, Xanxus was lounging on a sofa chair that was still luckily in its correct position, his legs crossed on a table. A glass of wine was in his hands, the bottle close by. Tsuna came closer to the older man, well aware that Xanxus' eyes were staring straight at him, peering into his very body. Tsuna couldn't help but flinched a little at the gaze but tried to keep strong, even though he was starting to shiver.
"Sawada…" Xanxus growled, his grip on his glass tightening, almost to the point that it was about to shatter. But he didn't budge an inch from his spot, still settled comfortably in his chair. "It appears that even you can follow a simple demand." He brought his glass up and took a long sip, almost draining the entire contents. When he pulled the cup away, his upper lip was tinted red, stained from the wine.
Tsuna got closer and settled into the couch on the opposite side, his back straight. "Well, you did ask. Reborn didn't like it all that much and complained but eventually he let me go."
Xanxus raised an eyebrow at that. "That baby actually let you go? That's a new one. I'm quite surprised."
"I thought he was going to follow me here and stay in the room with us or get one of my guardians to follow but I guess not. I thought that he would even hide himself among the furniture." Tsuna felt himself relaxing slightly but not too much, knowing that Xanxus has a temper to watch out for. A wrong move could send the other flaring. His eyes trailed over the room slowly, but there wasn't much difference from the front area. To be honest, this sort of place made him feel so unnerved. It was like he didn't belong here and he probably didn't. All he wanted to do was leave right now. "Xanxus, why did you call me here? I doubt it was really to talk. You hate me after all."
The Varia leader didn't answer and reached over to grab his bottle of wine, pouring himself another glass after finishing the rest. He swished the ruby-colored liquid inside, watching it swirling around inside. Tsuna shivered at the gaze Xanxus was giving towards the wine; it was predatory and dangerous. He could feel a dark aura starting to grow up behind the older man.
"Sawada, I heard you allowed yourself to get kidnapped by one of the babies. What the fuck were you thinking?" The Varia leader slapped his fist down on the table beside him, snapping it in half at the force. There was an orange glow appearing in his left hand, power accumulating there. "Just how fucked up are you?"
Tsuna blinked and then blinked again. "W-W-What? Y-You called me here to ask that?" He found that odd. Why would Xanxus care? Surely the other was trying to kill him so he could take Tsuna's position. He would never openly admit that he was cornered. Tsuna froze. Was Xanxus concerned for him? Was that even possible? Sure, they were pretty close in the past where Xanxus had called him cute, but really? How about now? Tsuna tilted his head. No, it didn't seem possible. Going through his thoughts, he contemplated numerous reasons as to why Xanxus would say something like this. He came up with almost nothing. Only one thing seemed to surface, it was that Xanxus cared about Vongola and if anything were to happen to the heir then it would be troublesome. That would make sense, right?
Xanxus didn't answer his question, Tsuna blinked again. "I was trying to get Verde on my side. He's a powerful ally. Even you must agree to that. But I'm afraid that he's only my ally, not the Vongola's. He refuses to work for a mafia group, even though Vongola will technically be financing him."
"Tch, you're a fool. How idiotic can you get?" Xanxus growled, sneering angrily. "That trash would never listen to anyone. He never did. Do you know how long Vongola has been trying to get his cooperation? We've long given up. It's pointless to bother."
"Then perhaps this time it'll be different." Tsuna closed his eyes and turned to the side, looking away from the other man. "Who knows about this time?"
Xanxus grumbled under his breath but didn't say anything else. He folded his arms, still holding his glass cup. He stared straight at the teen with an eyebrow raised, observing every move carefully. There was something different in the way the brunet spoke, like he was more confident, more mature. Xanxus twitched his right eye. That couldn't be possible but the evidence before him was undeniable. "Who the hell are you? You're… different then that Sawada brat from before."
The brunet flinched slightly, scouting back in the chair. "Just a change of mind. Nothing more. Is there anything else you needed to know?"
Xanxus didn't answer.
'Well, guess I better ask this while I still have the chance. Let's hope that nothing bad happens.' Tsuna took a deep breath and released it. "By the way, do you know anything by the name of 'Yoshi'?" Tsuna's eyes narrowed slightly at that question as it passed his lips. He wanted to see if it was still possible, to see if anyone else besides the Arcobaleno remembered him.
"Yoshi? Who's that?" Xanxus raised an eyebrow, confusion evident with his expression.
The brunet couldn't help but blink in surprise. So, there was that. Even those outside the Arcobaleno didn't remember either. "Ah, I see. Nevermind." This was another thing he would have to tell Verde. Things just weren't adding up. But Verde was the genius, not him.
The Varia leader didn't go further into it, drinking the last drops that remained in his glass. His scars were still apparent, as always, but he was currently calm…for now.
Another idea sparked inside Tsuna's mind as he thought of the past. Wasn't there a cat? Lenard, right? He remembered giving the feline over to the other during the past. Did Xanxus actually take care of the poor animal or did he throw him away? "One last question. Do you by chance have a cat named Lenard?"
This finally got a reaction.
Xanxus smashed the glass that was in his hand, sending the particles to the carpet below. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he growled. "How the hell do you know about that?" He jumped up to his feet, and reached forward to snag Tsuna's collar to yank the poor teenager closer. "No one should know about his existence, not even that loudmouth trash. How the fuck did you find out?" He lifted the brunet higher and abruptly slammed him down onto the table. Tsuna cried out at that, surprised by the sudden attack and squeezed his eyes shut. His entire back stung painfully and he hissed at the sensation. He couldn't see clearly when he tried to look around, white spots in his eyes that were fluttering around, and he felt dizzy for a second before closing his eyes again. When he opened them for a second time, blinking back tears, he was staring directly at the older man, whose red eyes were burning dangerously, and Tsuna couldn't help but shiver.
"I-If you release me, I might…be a-able to say something," the brunet spoke carefully, knowing that if he said the wrong words, he just might end up dead or beaten up into pulp. He wasn't sure on which would be better. Slowly, the grip relaxed, but Xanxus didn't let go. Tsuna knew better than to say the truth at this moment. After all, it wouldn't make much sense to Xanxus without having to explain a whole bunch of others things, and there was an extremely high chance that Xanxus might just tighten his current grip enough to crush his windpipe. Tsuna knew he was treading on eggshells that were mostly already cracked. "Reborn told me. I was just curious to know if it was true."
It was a lie, but it was more believable than the truth.
Xanxus growled and pulled away, leaving the teen on the table, coughing to regain a normal breathing pattern. The older man stormed away, kicking the couch that the brunet was sitting in before which created a dent in the wall. Tsuna watched as that happened and slowly stood back up. Carefully, he edged away from the other, sneaking towards the door to escape before Xanxus decided to turn his attention back onto him. There was shouting and more items getting broken. He was definitely unwelcome now, yet he managed to slip out unnoticed by the other.
Closing the door behind him carefully and as silently as possible, he sighed heavily, the tension that was on his shoulders was now gone. He had survived the beast. Thank god. Now he just had to deal with his burning back. He was just lucky that nothing was broken or bleeding. That would be something really tough to explain to Reborn and the others. Something he'd rather not do. As he turned around to face the hallway, blond hair immediately blocked his view. It took him a few seconds to realize that hair could only belong to one person in this room.
He slammed himself against the door, mildly cursing to himself as he forgotten about his already damaged back. Blinking back more tears, he stared at Belphegor, who was leaning forward with a large grin.
"Ushishishi, looks like the peasant survived the boss's wrath."
Tsuna twitched and glanced around behind the blond. He could see Levi on one side, glaring at him, that of which he ignored, and then to Mammon. The illusionist was still sitting on the couch, continuing to watch that TV program from before.
"Y-Yeah, apparently so. Though you might not want to go in there now since Xanxus is breaking things."
Bel tilted his head. "Boss is angry? And you got out unscratched?" He looked around the brunet's clothes to see if there were any tears or scorched marks. There was nothing that he could spot with the clothing in the way. He stepped closer, invading Tsuna's personal bubble, and yanked up the brunet's shirt. The sky guardian couldn't help but let out a loud shriek at that, even though he was well aware of the glances he got from those that were still in the room. The cold air made him shiver and he didn't like the looks he was getting from everyone, especially from the blond. Why did Varia have such predatory-like people? With his back pressed against the door, Bel wasn't able to see it, which worked just fine for him. "Ehhh? Nothing?"
Tsuna immediately yanked down his shirt, a red tint decorating his cheeks.
That didn't deter the Varia Storm Guardian though. He made a creepy grin and placed his hands onto Tsuna's sides, letting his fingers creep up towards the brunet's back. The younger teen managed to prevent those hands from touching his throbbing skin and tried to back himself further away. Levi grumbled, muttering words under his breath from the scene he was watching. Bel just threw a few knives his way to shut him up before turning his attention back to his little captive.
"W-What are you doing?" Tsuna screeched, not liking where this was going. Was he seriously getting molested? By Bel? What the hell was wrong with his life?
"I want to see. The little kitten must have been hurt somewhere. Ushishishi, there's no way the peasant could escape from the boss unharmed especially when boss is having a fit." Bel got closer to the point that Tsuna could feel the other's breath on his cheek. He blushed at that, feeling extremely uncomfortable at the moment.
'What should I do?' Tsuna thought to himself. 'Should I punch him? No, no, no, that won't work. He'll probably kill me. Distract him? He's too smart for that. Try to slip away? No, no… Hope and pray that some kind of divine intervention will save me? That's never really worked… Nope…' The brunet paled as each thought came to a terrible conclusion. What else was there to do? 'Oh, well, there's that… but I don't want to do that! What if he attacks me! Ah, but maybe he'll be distracted and shocked enough to allow me to escape.'
Peering at the elevator that was right behind, he eyed the numbers and heard a familiar ding. Well, what did he have to lose? He shouldn't have thought that. There was a lot to lose. Glancing back at Bel, who was much closer to him, he decided. What the heck. Ignoring the other's face, he leaned forward and let their lips touch for a mere second before ducking and raced off towards the elevator doors.
Bel froze, clearly not expecting that and didn't move for a second as he tried to gain sense of what had happened to him. Tsuna spent that time running and as the elevator doors opened, he jumped inside just as Squalo stepped out. The white-haired man shouted in surprised and watched as the elevator doors closed, seeing the brunet click the buttons rapidly like his life depended on it. And it probably did, considering what he had just done.
With a 'what-the-fuck' expression on his face, Squalo glanced back to see Levi staring at the wall and Mammon watching TV. But for Bel… the blond was still standing in his spot, a little tint of red on his checks.
"Voiiii?" Squalo yelled. "What the hell just happened? Why the hell was that little pipsqueak here?"
Immediately, the Belphegor turned around and started racing past Squalo like a blur, heading towards the emergency staircase doors. The rest of the members could only stare in question at such a strange action. Apparently, they hadn't seen what Bel had experienced just moments before. Mammon hummed to himself for a second before turning off the TV and muttered a few words to his partner before floating off to follow.
Things were getting interesting…
Happy New Year!
Author: Metamorcy1 or Metamorcy on ff.net (me)
Pairing: Main is R27 RebornxTsuna there is Arcobaleno27, X27 and others
Summary: An incident with the 10-year bazooka leaves Tsuna stuck in the past... What's he gonna to do?
Rating: R/NC17
Warning: Two chapters of adult-content but the rest are PG13
This has been beta'd by gracefulsunshine.
A lot of people were asking this but 'Recall' has nothing to do with this. It was just a side thing before I changed the entire story line.
Been working on a 6927 story, its taking a lot of time. But that's probably because it's over 70 pages now and it take so damn long to just read. Much harder when you want to edit. However, I think it'll be one of my few masterpieces because I'm putting a lot of time into it. I think many will like it while others will probably come out feeling really disgusted.
"No man is happy without a delusion of some kind. Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities." Christian Nestell Bovee
Chapter 23: Uncertainty
The Varia's arrival in Namimori created a ruckus among the city's population. For a week, there was pandemonium everywhere, throwing the normally serene place into complete chaos, and even more so when they were actually on the streets. Tsuna knew when they arrived-it was obvious when Squalo stormed up to Yamamoto during class, demanding for a fight, and then promptly destroyed half the classroom. Hibari wasn't too happy about that…at all. He went on a rampage after Varia, fighting and beating a couple of them to a bloody pulp in revenge for the school. During this time, Tsuna decided that it was best to stay out of sight lest Hibari's wrath turned on him instead.
Belphegor and Mammon were second to be seen after Squalo, since they enjoyed showing up at Yamamoto's home/restaurant for food. Tsuyoshi looked a little hesitant when he saw the two, but business was business, so he served his best, most expensive sushi. And apparently, they were good tippers. Well, Belphegor was; Mammon only tossed a few yen his way. Other than showing up at the restaurant, Belphegor would appear at the school and repeatedly fight Gokudera and Hibari, which only created more chaos in Namimori. Tsuna had a strong feeling that he wouldn't see any normal days for a while. Besides the school, when the group went through shopping centers, Lussuria could sometimes be heard squealing at the dresses that were showcased. Tsuna could only stare for a few seconds before running off, not wanting to stay any longer. That, and truth be told, the squealing was kinda…annoying. And there was also that little fact that Lussuria popped up in the woman's undergarments area too.
However, never once did Tsuna see Xanxus or that…other person. What was his name? Tsuna shrugged his shoulders without care. It probably wasn't that important in the first place if he didn't remember.
Regardless of the new appearances of his former enemies, everything to him was still considered peaceful. No one was trying to kill him or trying to get him into fights he had no wish to be part of. He just went on about with school without much care, just slightly worried about his friends who were often the prime targets for Varia. But so far, no one was really hurt. Yamamoto and Gokudera would come in now and then with a few scratches and bruises, but nothing serious. So regardless, everything was considered alright.
That was until Xanxus demanded Tsuna to come see him. Alone.
The message was delivered by that other person Tsuna couldn't really remember, the one with the mustache, and used umbrellas of all things as weapons. Reborn immediately stated a 'no' without any hesitation, and Leon turned into that usual green gun, aiming it at the man. His eyes narrowed dangerously and obviously, he wouldn't hesitate to shoot. To kill or to maim, it didn't matter.
"Why does Xanxus want to see Tsuna?" Reborn demanded, his eyes glaring, and settled himself onto Tsuna's shoulder so that he could get a better view of things. He didn't like where this was going, and didn't want Tsuna anywhere near that rampaging man. At least, not alone of all things.
As Levi and Reborn argued back and forth, Tsuna remained quiet. This was an opportunity. That single thought echoed repeatedly in his mind. It was the perfect chance. He wanted to know if Xanxus remembered him. Reborn obviously didn't, but what about others whom he had interacted during the past? Like his father and the Ninth. He wanted to see what happened to them.
"Reborn, I think I should go see Xanxus."
The two in front froze and turned to look at him as if he had grown another head. The hitman's expression quickly cleared up and growled, immediately kicking the brunet to the wall, before back flipping in the air and landing perfectly on the ground. "Absolutely not! I won't allow you to meet up with Xanxus of all people by yourself! That man will kill you! At least bring one of your guardians with you as a safeguard."
Tsuna hissed in pain, rubbing the area he had been kicked at, and glanced up with one eye closed to peer at the sun Arcobaleno. "Reborn, that hurts." He slowly stood up and sighed. He looked nervous under Reborn's harsh stare despite the fact that the baby only came up to his knees. "I'll be fine. I think I should meet up with Xanxus."
"Dame-Tsuna, it's too dangerous!"
'How unusual. Normally, he wants me to go everywhere without any arguments. Why can't he be like this when it comes to me being part of the mafia?' Tsuna mentally chided to himself. He took a deep breath and kneeled down so that he could get a better look at the other. "Come on, Reborn. This is unusual of you. Don't you normally tell me to go out? Generally regardless of what I really, really wish."
Reborn sneered at that and flicked his fedora up. Levi remained at the doorway, unsure of what to do, and continued to stand there. Stepping forward with almost every motion to send Tsuna flying again, the sun Arcobaleno spoke. "This is different. You're going in alone into their territory. No one will be able to protect you if anything happened."
"Come on, Reborn. Put some faith in me."
"Since when did I have faith in you?"
"Ehhhh? Come on!" Tsuna grumbled, his so-called pride deflating. But he didn't mind the harsh treatment; it had lightened up the mood slightly, compared to before. "Xanxus asked for me to come in alone, I don't think he'd be really happy if someone accompanied me."
This made Reborn growl dangerously under his breath. This was like bringing a lamb into a home of ravenous wolves. He didn't want Tsuna to go, but what could he do? He had to obey. Regardless of what happened in the past, Xanxus was still Nono's son, and adopted or blood-related, he was higher in rank. And Xanxus wanted to see Tsuna, but if Tsuna didn't go, the Varia leader would either come looking himself by sending enemies or take that disappearance as a cowardly act and try to attack again. As he observed Tsuna leave through the door to follow Levi into a black car, he felt like this wasn't the first time he had to watch Tsuna leave and feel so powerless all at the same time.
Tsuna glanced around the furnished hotel that was far too stylish for his tastes. No, it was just too much. He could never settle into something like this. There were statues and pictures frames that looked like they had cost millions of yen and he refused be near either of them. He didn't even dare touch one, just in case it broke since he knew there was no way he had the money to pay for it, not in a million years.
Levi stood next to him, glaring at him as usual, muttering words under his breath. He was completely aware that the brunet could hear him clearly. Tsuna knew that it was just best to ignore the other, and tuned him out completely. He spotted Belphegor and Mammon settled on a couch, lazing around. The blond had his legs propped up onto the table, crossed, and was watching a large flat screen TV that was attached to the wall. Some movie was on but Tsuna didn't recognize it at all and didn't understand it since it was in a different language. Mammon was settled on the other side of the couch on top of a pillow and seemed to be drinking something. The one person Tsuna didn't see at all was Squalo and normally this man was the easiest to spot, or well, hear among the group of five.
As he arrived at a pair of doors, Tsuna went forward on his own, Levi remaining where he was at. The metal hinges didn't squeak as they opened and he stepped inside, taking notice of the mess that was within. Tsuna twitched, the room looked worse than his own bedroom, and that was saying something! Most of the items looked like they had been thrown around and the room reeked of alcohol and smoke. Broken chairs were upside down, cabinets were in shambles on the ground, and holes dotted the walls and floor. He eyed a couple of spots that looked like burn marks and sighed. He should have expected this.
Meanwhile, Xanxus was lounging on a sofa chair that was still luckily in its correct position, his legs crossed on a table. A glass of wine was in his hands, the bottle close by. Tsuna came closer to the older man, well aware that Xanxus' eyes were staring straight at him, peering into his very body. Tsuna couldn't help but flinched a little at the gaze but tried to keep strong, even though he was starting to shiver.
"Sawada…" Xanxus growled, his grip on his glass tightening, almost to the point that it was about to shatter. But he didn't budge an inch from his spot, still settled comfortably in his chair. "It appears that even you can follow a simple demand." He brought his glass up and took a long sip, almost draining the entire contents. When he pulled the cup away, his upper lip was tinted red, stained from the wine.
Tsuna got closer and settled into the couch on the opposite side, his back straight. "Well, you did ask. Reborn didn't like it all that much and complained but eventually he let me go."
Xanxus raised an eyebrow at that. "That baby actually let you go? That's a new one. I'm quite surprised."
"I thought he was going to follow me here and stay in the room with us or get one of my guardians to follow but I guess not. I thought that he would even hide himself among the furniture." Tsuna felt himself relaxing slightly but not too much, knowing that Xanxus has a temper to watch out for. A wrong move could send the other flaring. His eyes trailed over the room slowly, but there wasn't much difference from the front area. To be honest, this sort of place made him feel so unnerved. It was like he didn't belong here and he probably didn't. All he wanted to do was leave right now. "Xanxus, why did you call me here? I doubt it was really to talk. You hate me after all."
The Varia leader didn't answer and reached over to grab his bottle of wine, pouring himself another glass after finishing the rest. He swished the ruby-colored liquid inside, watching it swirling around inside. Tsuna shivered at the gaze Xanxus was giving towards the wine; it was predatory and dangerous. He could feel a dark aura starting to grow up behind the older man.
"Sawada, I heard you allowed yourself to get kidnapped by one of the babies. What the fuck were you thinking?" The Varia leader slapped his fist down on the table beside him, snapping it in half at the force. There was an orange glow appearing in his left hand, power accumulating there. "Just how fucked up are you?"
Tsuna blinked and then blinked again. "W-W-What? Y-You called me here to ask that?" He found that odd. Why would Xanxus care? Surely the other was trying to kill him so he could take Tsuna's position. He would never openly admit that he was cornered. Tsuna froze. Was Xanxus concerned for him? Was that even possible? Sure, they were pretty close in the past where Xanxus had called him cute, but really? How about now? Tsuna tilted his head. No, it didn't seem possible. Going through his thoughts, he contemplated numerous reasons as to why Xanxus would say something like this. He came up with almost nothing. Only one thing seemed to surface, it was that Xanxus cared about Vongola and if anything were to happen to the heir then it would be troublesome. That would make sense, right?
Xanxus didn't answer his question, Tsuna blinked again. "I was trying to get Verde on my side. He's a powerful ally. Even you must agree to that. But I'm afraid that he's only my ally, not the Vongola's. He refuses to work for a mafia group, even though Vongola will technically be financing him."
"Tch, you're a fool. How idiotic can you get?" Xanxus growled, sneering angrily. "That trash would never listen to anyone. He never did. Do you know how long Vongola has been trying to get his cooperation? We've long given up. It's pointless to bother."
"Then perhaps this time it'll be different." Tsuna closed his eyes and turned to the side, looking away from the other man. "Who knows about this time?"
Xanxus grumbled under his breath but didn't say anything else. He folded his arms, still holding his glass cup. He stared straight at the teen with an eyebrow raised, observing every move carefully. There was something different in the way the brunet spoke, like he was more confident, more mature. Xanxus twitched his right eye. That couldn't be possible but the evidence before him was undeniable. "Who the hell are you? You're… different then that Sawada brat from before."
The brunet flinched slightly, scouting back in the chair. "Just a change of mind. Nothing more. Is there anything else you needed to know?"
Xanxus didn't answer.
'Well, guess I better ask this while I still have the chance. Let's hope that nothing bad happens.' Tsuna took a deep breath and released it. "By the way, do you know anything by the name of 'Yoshi'?" Tsuna's eyes narrowed slightly at that question as it passed his lips. He wanted to see if it was still possible, to see if anyone else besides the Arcobaleno remembered him.
"Yoshi? Who's that?" Xanxus raised an eyebrow, confusion evident with his expression.
The brunet couldn't help but blink in surprise. So, there was that. Even those outside the Arcobaleno didn't remember either. "Ah, I see. Nevermind." This was another thing he would have to tell Verde. Things just weren't adding up. But Verde was the genius, not him.
The Varia leader didn't go further into it, drinking the last drops that remained in his glass. His scars were still apparent, as always, but he was currently calm…for now.
Another idea sparked inside Tsuna's mind as he thought of the past. Wasn't there a cat? Lenard, right? He remembered giving the feline over to the other during the past. Did Xanxus actually take care of the poor animal or did he throw him away? "One last question. Do you by chance have a cat named Lenard?"
This finally got a reaction.
Xanxus smashed the glass that was in his hand, sending the particles to the carpet below. His eyes narrowed dangerously and he growled. "How the hell do you know about that?" He jumped up to his feet, and reached forward to snag Tsuna's collar to yank the poor teenager closer. "No one should know about his existence, not even that loudmouth trash. How the fuck did you find out?" He lifted the brunet higher and abruptly slammed him down onto the table. Tsuna cried out at that, surprised by the sudden attack and squeezed his eyes shut. His entire back stung painfully and he hissed at the sensation. He couldn't see clearly when he tried to look around, white spots in his eyes that were fluttering around, and he felt dizzy for a second before closing his eyes again. When he opened them for a second time, blinking back tears, he was staring directly at the older man, whose red eyes were burning dangerously, and Tsuna couldn't help but shiver.
"I-If you release me, I might…be a-able to say something," the brunet spoke carefully, knowing that if he said the wrong words, he just might end up dead or beaten up into pulp. He wasn't sure on which would be better. Slowly, the grip relaxed, but Xanxus didn't let go. Tsuna knew better than to say the truth at this moment. After all, it wouldn't make much sense to Xanxus without having to explain a whole bunch of others things, and there was an extremely high chance that Xanxus might just tighten his current grip enough to crush his windpipe. Tsuna knew he was treading on eggshells that were mostly already cracked. "Reborn told me. I was just curious to know if it was true."
It was a lie, but it was more believable than the truth.
Xanxus growled and pulled away, leaving the teen on the table, coughing to regain a normal breathing pattern. The older man stormed away, kicking the couch that the brunet was sitting in before which created a dent in the wall. Tsuna watched as that happened and slowly stood back up. Carefully, he edged away from the other, sneaking towards the door to escape before Xanxus decided to turn his attention back onto him. There was shouting and more items getting broken. He was definitely unwelcome now, yet he managed to slip out unnoticed by the other.
Closing the door behind him carefully and as silently as possible, he sighed heavily, the tension that was on his shoulders was now gone. He had survived the beast. Thank god. Now he just had to deal with his burning back. He was just lucky that nothing was broken or bleeding. That would be something really tough to explain to Reborn and the others. Something he'd rather not do. As he turned around to face the hallway, blond hair immediately blocked his view. It took him a few seconds to realize that hair could only belong to one person in this room.
He slammed himself against the door, mildly cursing to himself as he forgotten about his already damaged back. Blinking back more tears, he stared at Belphegor, who was leaning forward with a large grin.
"Ushishishi, looks like the peasant survived the boss's wrath."
Tsuna twitched and glanced around behind the blond. He could see Levi on one side, glaring at him, that of which he ignored, and then to Mammon. The illusionist was still sitting on the couch, continuing to watch that TV program from before.
"Y-Yeah, apparently so. Though you might not want to go in there now since Xanxus is breaking things."
Bel tilted his head. "Boss is angry? And you got out unscratched?" He looked around the brunet's clothes to see if there were any tears or scorched marks. There was nothing that he could spot with the clothing in the way. He stepped closer, invading Tsuna's personal bubble, and yanked up the brunet's shirt. The sky guardian couldn't help but let out a loud shriek at that, even though he was well aware of the glances he got from those that were still in the room. The cold air made him shiver and he didn't like the looks he was getting from everyone, especially from the blond. Why did Varia have such predatory-like people? With his back pressed against the door, Bel wasn't able to see it, which worked just fine for him. "Ehhh? Nothing?"
Tsuna immediately yanked down his shirt, a red tint decorating his cheeks.
That didn't deter the Varia Storm Guardian though. He made a creepy grin and placed his hands onto Tsuna's sides, letting his fingers creep up towards the brunet's back. The younger teen managed to prevent those hands from touching his throbbing skin and tried to back himself further away. Levi grumbled, muttering words under his breath from the scene he was watching. Bel just threw a few knives his way to shut him up before turning his attention back to his little captive.
"W-What are you doing?" Tsuna screeched, not liking where this was going. Was he seriously getting molested? By Bel? What the hell was wrong with his life?
"I want to see. The little kitten must have been hurt somewhere. Ushishishi, there's no way the peasant could escape from the boss unharmed especially when boss is having a fit." Bel got closer to the point that Tsuna could feel the other's breath on his cheek. He blushed at that, feeling extremely uncomfortable at the moment.
'What should I do?' Tsuna thought to himself. 'Should I punch him? No, no, no, that won't work. He'll probably kill me. Distract him? He's too smart for that. Try to slip away? No, no… Hope and pray that some kind of divine intervention will save me? That's never really worked… Nope…' The brunet paled as each thought came to a terrible conclusion. What else was there to do? 'Oh, well, there's that… but I don't want to do that! What if he attacks me! Ah, but maybe he'll be distracted and shocked enough to allow me to escape.'
Peering at the elevator that was right behind, he eyed the numbers and heard a familiar ding. Well, what did he have to lose? He shouldn't have thought that. There was a lot to lose. Glancing back at Bel, who was much closer to him, he decided. What the heck. Ignoring the other's face, he leaned forward and let their lips touch for a mere second before ducking and raced off towards the elevator doors.
Bel froze, clearly not expecting that and didn't move for a second as he tried to gain sense of what had happened to him. Tsuna spent that time running and as the elevator doors opened, he jumped inside just as Squalo stepped out. The white-haired man shouted in surprised and watched as the elevator doors closed, seeing the brunet click the buttons rapidly like his life depended on it. And it probably did, considering what he had just done.
With a 'what-the-fuck' expression on his face, Squalo glanced back to see Levi staring at the wall and Mammon watching TV. But for Bel… the blond was still standing in his spot, a little tint of red on his checks.
"Voiiii?" Squalo yelled. "What the hell just happened? Why the hell was that little pipsqueak here?"
Immediately, the Belphegor turned around and started racing past Squalo like a blur, heading towards the emergency staircase doors. The rest of the members could only stare in question at such a strange action. Apparently, they hadn't seen what Bel had experienced just moments before. Mammon hummed to himself for a second before turning off the TV and muttered a few words to his partner before floating off to follow.
Things were getting interesting…
Happy New Year!