Meandering Mind

[FanFic] Ashes to Flames - Chapter 8

2009-08-18T05:01:18Z

Title: Ashes to Flames

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna

Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar

Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.

...

Chapter 8 - Travel Plans

----

It took an enormous amount of personal restraint for Xanxus to not crush his cell phone when the device suddenly began ringing, disrupting him from his brooding. With most of his subordinates relocated to other facilities, somehow all the annoying paperwork that Xanxus usually dumped on other people to do all navigated back to him. There was nothing that Xanxus loathed more then paperwork. And with no stupid shark around to kick and throw things at, Xanxus was left to vent his pent up frustration on the poor soul who dared to call him now. Digging the noisy contraption out of his coat pocket, he told himself several times that destroying yet another phone would not make him feel any better, it would in fact only frustrate him further in the future when he’d go to replace it (Xanxus currently held the record for most broken phones within the Vongola, at 37. Ryohei is in second with 23). With an audible growl, Xanxus flipped the phone open.

“If this isn’t important, I’m hanging up and you’re fired. You have 10 seconds.”

“B--boss! I’m..I’m sorry for disturbing you, I wasn’t sure who else to call. I can’t get a hold of Captain Squalo, or anyone else for that matter, and I really needed to- --” The timid voice of a subordinate on the other line babbled as he was completely caught off guard by Xanxus actually answering his phone.

“6 seconds” Xanxus cut in, his voice not hiding any of his annoyance.

“Ehhhh!…Ummm..This--This is Dario from Captain Squalo’s squad stationed in Japan. We have a situation -”

“3 seconds.” Seven seconds wasted and Xanxus already hated the guy. Since when did the Varia recruit babbling idiots?

“Someone is targeting Varia members!” The subordinate finally blurted out, wanting to at least voice his message.

This apparently was enough to get Xanxus’s attention, because he didn’t immediately hang up. Waiting a few more moments, the subordinate took this as a cue to continue.

“Within the last week, at least 4 Varia members stationed here in Japan have been assassinated. Each incident was different, with one being caught in an explosion, another drowned, and the other two shot execution style. We haven’t got a single clue as to who’s responsible.” Dario explained timidly over the phone, trying to speak clearly yet getting all the important facts out before his boss decided to end their conversation short.

“We’re working on trying to connect the killings together, but without a captain’s orders, and the chain-of-command here in Japan being picked off, we’re not quite sure how to proceed.” Dario finished slowly, trying not to sound as helpless as he really was.

Xanxus grumbled irritably, and pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to sooth the headache that was already building. Why did all this shit happen whenever Squalo wasn’t around? Xanxus hated babysitting idiots. “Fuck this, why now..” Xanxus more mumbled to himself then to Dario.

“Uh, B-Boss, sir? Where…Where is Captain Squalo? If I could get in contact with him I wouldn’t have to bother you….” Dario tried to offer, hoping to not piss off his hot-tempered boss and end up losing his job, and possibly his life.

“He’s at boy scout camp.” Xanxus bit out irritably, reminded exactly why his second-in-command wasn’t here.

“Eh!?” Dario exclaimed, not entirely understanding Xanxus’s answer.

“I said he was at boy scout camp! Now shut the fuck up while I think!” Xanxus snapped, dangerously close to breaking his phone in two. He was seriously tempted to just tell the fools to suck it up and fix the situation themselves, but given the circumstances, and the idiots he was dealing with, that probably wasn’t the best idea. The targeting of Varia members could mean several things, from declaration of war, to another family’s attempt at hiding whatever they don’t want other families to know. Any such situation requires a certain level…of delicacy, and Xanxus had little trust in his bottom-feeding subordinates in handling such a situation. The only question now was, what to do?

An idea struck him. “I’m coming to Japan. Sit tight until then, and try to at least stop acting like school kids and stay alive, trash.” Xanxus didn’t wait to hear the other’s reply, as he closed the phone shut with a satisfying click, cutting off the connection.

As of late, Xanxus had been feeling irritable and restless, like a caged lion. He blamed it entirely on the young Vongola boss. The strange anxieties and new emotions that kept cropping up around the boy was entirely new to Xanxus, and it made him uncomfortable. He didn’t like new and different things he couldn’t control, let alone predict. He needed to get away. The phone call about the Japan squad’s plight was the perfect excuse. It’d give him time to get away, recollect himself, and possibly kill something to relieve his tension. Tomorrow couldn’t get here fast enough.

“Pssst, Xanxus.” A voice whispered from behind him. Xanxus turned, and immediately regretted it. Speak of the devil.

Tsuna was peering out of a doorway, waving for Xanxus to come closer. Xanxus told himself to just walk away, and not even bother. But then his feet suddenly started moving forward. He blamed it on curiosity, and not that Tsuna probably had weird powers over him.

“What?” Xanxus grumbled, trying to project as much annoyance as possible. Tsuna, either immensely dense or incredibly brave, ignored it and promptly pulling Xanxus into the room, closing the heavy door with a soft click behind him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“You’re going to Japan, right?” Tsuna asked, looking around the room like a paranoid cat. Xanxus idly realized this was the same room where Tsuna had snapped and all but turned his seasoned warriors into a pile of pathetic goo just by looking at them. He started to wonder if he himself was safe.

“What?” Xanxus asked, trying to play dumb.

“Japan. You’re going there soon, right? I overheard you talking on your phone.” Tsuna asked again, now turning to look straight at Xanxus. He didn’t look angry, but Xanxus knew better then to judge by expression alone. The incident in the office taught him that.

“Uh, yeah. Something came up. I’m leaving tomorrow.” Xanxus avoided looking at Tsuna, instead settling his focus on the room. He noticed the TV hadn’t been replaced yet.

“Take me with you.”

Xanxus’s attention snapped back to Tsuna. He didn’t show any outward signs of surprise, beyond a curious arc of an eyebrow, but he half questioned if he had heard right. “What?” He was getting sick of saying that word.

Tsuna bowed his head a little, his lip caught between his teeth, where he chewed on it slightly. An expression of annoyance and frustration crossed his face, and he folded his arms across his chest like a child pouting. “I need to go to Japan to attend to some business matters, but I can’t leave. Enrico won’t let me.”

Ah, yes. Xanxus knew of Enrico. He was the Vongola Mansion’s butler, of sorts. He dealt with all the things that didn’t pertain to the family’s business, such as the staff, arranging flights, inventory, replacing damaged furniture, arranging meals, etc. He pretty much keeping things in smooth working order. And he did this, with an iron fist. It is rumored that he was hand-picked by Reborn himself, which made him even more a man to fear. But, actually preventing the Vongola boss himself from leaving his own home was something that he shouldn’t have the authority to do.

“That doesn’t make any sense. It’s your plane, how can he prevent you from using it?” In an act to further add security to the young Vongola boss, Tsuna was given his own small jet. No airport security, no additional passengers outside of the Vongola, no issues. Xanxus was still working on getting his own.

Tsuna let out a lengthy sigh. “It’s because none of my Guardians are available to go with me. Apparently it’s a huge security issue for me to leave anywhere beyond the town, on my own.” Tsuna said this last part with a roll of the eyes. “I’m not sure if It’s just because of me, or if it was like this with every previous Vongola boss, but I can’t go anywhere without a security escort!” Tsuna concluded his rant with a dramatic wave of his arms. “Enrico gave strict orders to all the staff, to not to let me leave. My own house! It’s ridiculous! Guh, if I’d known it would’ve been this much trouble I’d never had sent Gokudera and the others away….”

“Can’t you just order Enrico to let you go? You are the damn Vongola Decimo. Throw around that authority of yours a bit.” Xanxus couldn’t quite withhold all his contempt for actually admitting Tsuna’s title, but he was getting better.

Tsuna just gave him a flat look. “You think I haven’t tried? But Enrico won’t change his mind. He says he’s already under Reborn’s orders, who overrides me in this situation.” Ah, now that made more sense. If Enrico, or anyone for that matter, was under Reborn’s orders, they did what they were told.

“So can I sneak with you to Japan? I have some urgent business to attend to, and it’d look pretty stupid if I didn’t show up because my own butler wouldn’t let me.” Tsuna pleaded, throwing at Xanxus the full force of his ‘cute puppy’ look. Xanxus winced, and looked away, already feeling his willpower crumbling. He half wondered if Tsuna even knew what that look did to people.

‘No.’ Xanxus told himself internally. He was going on this trip to get away, to free himself from Tsuna’s strange influence. Not to kidnap the brat and go on a mini-vacation with him in tow. It would be miserable, torturous and he could not see himself spending any more personal time with him then he’d already had.

“Fine.” His mouth, however, had other plans.

“Really!?” Tsuna’s mega-watt smile of relief temporarily blinded Xanxus, and he turned around quickly, turning his back to Tsuna.

“I’m only doing it to piss of the Arcobaleno. You need to learn to grow a little backbone and stop following him like a damn puppy all the time.” Xanxus growled, using a valid excuse. Pissing off Reborn was great fun.

“I’m leaving in the morning, so you’d better be ready, or I’m taking off without you.” Xanxus turned back towards Tsuna, who was walking towards the door.

Tsuna nodded in agreement, then stopped when he remembered something. “Oh! I have one more quick request.” He turned and smiled innocently at Xanxus. Xanxus hated that look. “Bring civilian clothes!” And with that, Tsuna dashed out the door and was gone.

‘Wait, what?’ It took Xanxus a moment to process what exactly Tsuna had said. ‘Civilian clothes? What the hell?’

So much for Xanxus’s trip to relax.

-------

The next morning, the halls of the Vongola mansion were quiet and peaceful, with everyone else either gone or in bed. Tsuna was fast asleep in his own room, having stayed up to at least midnight finishing up some preparations for his stealth trip to Japan.

That was until his door was quite suddenly and noisily kicked open, with a loud bang like a gunshot. “Get up brat! We’re leaving!”

Tsuna shot out of bed with lightning reflexes. Or at least tried to, if it wasn’t for his sheets that were twisted around his legs and torso, making standing vertically quite a challenge. Tsuna soon found himself meeting the floor, landing on it with an audible yelp of surprise followed by a low groan of pain.

“Whaa tiem iz it?” He mumbled, still foggy with sleep and sore from his face hitting the ground. A blearily peak at his window confirmed it was still dark out.

“It’s morning. Now you’ve got five minutes to get downstairs, or I will leave you behind.” Xanxus, who had been standing in the doorway watching Tsuna’s amusing flop out of bed, answered. He turned and slammed the door, startling Tsuna out of his grogginess. He promptly untangled himself from his sheet, and raced about the room to get ready.

At the front door, Xanxus stood, watching his wristwatch tick with intense interest. The moment five minutes hit, he was gone. However to his dismay, four minutes and fifteen seconds later, Tsuna came stumbling down the stairs, dressed and suitcase in hand. “That was fast.” Xanxus half mumbled to himself, surprised Tsuna actually got read that quickly.

“When you grow up with Reborn’s antics every morning, you get use to it.” Tsuna yawned, covering his mouth with one hand. “But you didn’t say anything about leaving at four am. The sun isn’t even up yet!”

“Morning to me. Now let’s go before that vampire Enrico shows up.” Xanxus grabbed his own suitcase and headed out the door, Tsuna following behind, laughing to himself about the vampire comment.

Oh god, this chapter killed me. I rearranged, re-editted, rewrote the thing atleast ten times, if not more. It just didn't want to be brought into existence. I ended up beating my head against the keyboard, hoping it would write itself. Which it sort of did. I think I hated it so much because nothing happens. Which I appologize for. It was nessecary though. One of those chapters that gets the characters from point A to point B, and sets everything up. There was going to be a little bit more, for when they were on the plane, but then it just ended up being awkward and didn't fit well with the rest of the chapter. The next chapter will be a hell of a lot more interesting, I promise.

Next chapter: The boys arrive in Japan, Xanxus gets behind the wheel, and casual visits are made.

(and everyone's favorite Cloud Guardian may-or-may-not appear for an epic showdown.....I need to check my notes. ....if not the next, the one after that. It will happen, eventually. )

So, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for everyone who's been with me thus far. It's coming along, slowly but surely! I hope I don't disappoint! Keep up with the reviews and feedback! Let me know how I'm doing and what you'd like to see changed/added!

-Kou Tora

[Fanfic] Forgetting Yourself

2009-08-13T04:21:45Z

Title: Forgetting Yourself

Series: Star Trek - 2009

Characters/Pairings: Jim-centric, no pairings

Ratings: PG-13

Warnings (so far): Swearing, Blood and medical issues (?)

Summary: A medical accident damages captain Jim Kirk in more ways then one. Can the crew of the Enterprise deal with a captain, who is no longer the man they knew?

Oh man, I forgot I had written this. I found it in the dark depths of my hard drive. I wrote it sometime after I watched the new movie.

Re-Reading it now, I'm not entirely happy with it. Some parts feel stiff and not quite with the flow I had imagined. But I'm tossing it out here anyway, seeing what people think. It's also pretty obvious this has not been beta'd in any way, so please excuse any mistakes. Also, my only knowledge of the series is from the new movie, and wikipedia. So I might have BS'd some facts here and there.

Enjoy.

---------------

Kirk hears the doors to the lift hiss open, but he doesn’t turn to see who it is. He doesn’t need too. He can feel the cold glare drilling a hole in the back of his head from where he sat in his captain’s chair. Straightening a little in the suddenly uncomfortable chair, Kirk pulls up a video screen on his console, and begins idling scanning through files about their current destination, attempting to look busy.

“How long till we reach our destination?” Kirk asks aloud, using his utmost ‘I’m-the-Captain-and-I’m-busy’ voice.

“Approximately thirty-two hours till we reach Arkadis 5, keptin.” Ensign Chekov replies, his eyes flicking nervously between the captain and the newcomer on the bridge.

Kirk winces and scowls internally. Shit, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep this up.

“Ahem.” The person behind him irritably coughs, and Kirk can hear the tapping of an impatient foot. Swiveling around in his chair, Kirk decides he can’t ignore it any longer, and turns to face his ultimate doom. Doctor Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer.

“Bones! What a surprise. What brings you up to the bridge?” Kirk flashes him his trademark grin.

“Dammit Jim, I’ve been paging you for over an hour. Get your ass down to sick bay, now.” The irritable doctor all but growls at Jim.

Dr. McCoy was generally a patient man, but he’d long since lost any of it when dealing with one James T. Kirk. After years of knowing the man, McCoy knew that no way in any level of hell would Kirk actually willingly go down to sick bay without a fight. So McCoy had long since stopped asking Jim, he now ordered.

“I don’t have time for that Bones. Can’t you see I’m busy doing…..captainy…stuff?” Kirk internally winced at his oh-so-smooth excuse, but gave Bones another smile and waved his hands at his video screen for emphasis. Just as Bones had long since stopped asking, Jim had long since stopped listening.

“Nice try. Now you either march down there like the mature captain you should be, or we’ll do it my way. “

‘My way’ turned out to be Bones’s weapon of choice, his trusty hypospray, armed and dangerous. McCoy taps it in one hand, letting Jim know he was completely serious. As always.

“Come on Bones! I’m fine! We don’t need to resort to such drastic measures.” Kirk shrinks back in his chair a little bit, the sight of the hypospray making his neck twinge with phantom pains of previous assaults from the medical tool. He would’ve used his so called Captain-rank authority at his Chief Medical Officer, but Kirk had learned early on that not even being an Admiral would protect him from Bones and his so called mission to ensure Kirk’s well-being.

Kirk cast a hasty glance around the Bridge, looking for an escape route. He silently cursed at the other crew members who were watching the exchange with interest, knowing none of them would come to his rescue. Sulu and Chekov were desperately trying stifle their laughs, while Uhura just rolled her eyes, unimpressed, and continued on with her work. They were quite use to the showdowns between the Captain and the CMO, and they learned right off the bat to never take sides.

“I’m not kidding Jim. You have to do this.” Bones all but growled, seeing Kirk’s ‘fight-or-flight’ instincts starting to kick in. He’d catch him eventually, but Bones wasn’t really in the mood to chase down the Starfleet captain who was acting more like a 10 year old.

“Is there a problem?” The flat monotone voice of First Officer Spock questioned, having just arrived on the Bridge to see the confrontation. Kirk used Spock’s appearance, which distracted McCoy, to all but leapt from his chair and skidded his way over to his First Officer, putting the Vulcan in between himself and his enraged CMO.

“Jim! Dammit get back here!”

“Spock! Great to see you! -save me-” Kirk slapped the Vulcan on the shoulder in his usual greeting, much Spock’s annoyance, and began inching his way back towards the lift.

“The Captain, needs to report to sick bay, now.” Bones growled, taking a step towards them pointing the hypospray at Kirk like the deadly weapon it was.

“No I don’t!” Kirk yelled back as he made a dash for the lift, and frantically began punching the button for the doors to open.

Spock remained perfectly composed as ever, but internally he let out a heavy sigh. Having a great distaste for the Captain’s moments of immaturity, and knowing there will be no end to this confrontation till the doctor got his way, Spock logically decided that ending the conflict now would be best.

Just as the lift doors opened and Kirk was about to scramble inside, Spock reached over and grabbed the back of Kirk’s shirt, and using his great Vulcan strength, hauled the Captain back into the room. Kirk let out an unmanly squawk, stumbling for a moment as he attempted to right himself after being deposited back into the room. Seeing his First Officer step in front of the lift doors, blocking his only escape, Kirk sighed in defeat. “Traitor.” He mumbled.

“Now, please explain the reason for the captain’s required attendance down in the medical bay. Is he ill?” Spock questioned, turning his attention to the doctor, who he logically concluded would give the most honest answer.

“No, but he-”

“Ha! See, I told you I’m fine!” Jim cut in, but only earned a glare from Bones and Spock in return. Spock nodded for McCoy to continue.

“Starfleet regulations dictate that any and all personnel who go down to any planet that they have not visited previously, must receive the mandated vaccine inoculations for any viruses or other illnesses that could be present.” McCoy began, rattling off the regulation like it was straight from the textbook.

Spock nods in understanding. It was true, as he himself already received the required vaccine treatment for the new planet they were destined towards. He noticed Kirk’s sudden reluctance to join in on the conversation, as the Captain had folded his arms across his chest in a defensive manner, and his expressions was dangerously close to being called a pout. “Yes, that is correct.” Spock verbally agrees with the doctor, urging him to continue.

“This idiot here hasn’t received his yet.” McCoy grumbled, motioning towards the Captain with his hypospray. Kirk visibly flinched, near growled and shuffled a step farther away from the medical device.

Spock raised an eyebrow just marginally in interest, but hardly in surprise. It was practically common knowledge throughout the entire ship that the Captain held a certain hatred towards the medical department, and spending any small amount of time there.

Spock could only wonder if the Captain had yet to discover that his good friend the doctor had posted a ship-wide memo that stated; ‘that if anyone noticed any sort of medical ailment with the Captain, regardless of the severity, they were to report it immediately to the CMO, and they were under no circumstances aide the Captain in fleeing any medical staff.’

“Captain, this should hardly be anything new to you. The vaccines are important in protecting your health.” Spock began, using his trademark ‘lecture’ tone, which Jim has frequently been on the receiving end.

“I know that Spock, I just…” Jim paused for a moment, running a hand through his unruly blonde hair. “Those shots hurt like hell.” Jim hastily continues, seeing the glares coming from both Spock and Bones. He could practically hear the ‘Don’t be such a baby, Jim’, running through their minds. “I hate being stuck down in sickbay, hooked up to those damn machines for that long. I have better things to do with my time.” Jim looks pathetically at Bones, who just rolls his eyes. Spock however, is surprised by this.

“Hooked up to machines? I was unaware that there was an additional process to your vaccinations. Please explain, doctor.” Spock turned to McCoy for an explanation.

McCoy just gave an irritated sigh, looking thoroughly annoyed. “Jim here is somehow allergic to at least half of the medications given to him. Remember a year ago during the beginning of the Nero incident? When his hands turned into giant mutant potatoes and his tongue swelled? Turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg. And that was just from a mild inoculation. Luckily, for most of the planets we’ve been to in the past, Jim’s had the vaccines already, or the reaction was very minimal. However this time, Jim needs three different vaccines, and they’re pretty powerful stuff.”

Most vaccines were actually rolled together in vaccination super-shots, which could have up 20 different vaccines in each dose. They were grouped together by common genetic make-up, to reduce reactions between the different vaccines. The super-shots were actually more efficient and had a much less allergic reaction ratio then having twenty individual shots of each vaccine. This time however, the needed vaccines were not apart of the typical super-shot package, because of their unique make-up.

“Because of this idiot’s spastic immune system, I’ll be putting him under 24-hour observation after I’ve given him the doses.” McCoy concludes, glaring at Kirk the entire time.

“I don’t need to be put under observation. I’ll be fine.” Kirk protests again, but deep down he knew the battle was already lost.

Spock is quiet a moment, pondering this new information. He was previously aware of the Captain’s sensitivity towards medications, but he hadn’t realized just how susceptible he was to deadly reactions. If Dr. McCoy was this adamant about the risks and needing to put the Captain under watch, Spock concluded that the Doctor’s solution was most logical and best served.

“Captain, I am inclined to agree with the Doctor. Given your past medical record, and the risks with these inoculations, it is most logical and highly recommended that you go along with the Doctor.

“However, if you are so against the inoculations and the surveillance, the only other solution would be to simple not beam down to the planet. Because as Starfleet regulates, you are unauthorized to beam down without the mandated vaccines.” Spock concluded, once again stating his opinion as if he were speaking to a child.

An expression of disgust flickered across Kirk’s face. He knew he wasn’t allowed to visit the planet without the proper vaccines, but the idea of being excluded from the landing party was far more agitating then sitting under Bones’s 24-hour watch. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Dammit.” He refused to actually verbally agree, but he’d figure Bones would get it.

“Good, now let’s go. The faster we do this, the faster you can get back up here and play hero all you want.” Bones latched onto Jim’s upper arm, refusing to let him go until they were in Sick Bay, should Kirk decide to bolt halfway there.

“Spock, I leave to Bridge to you. If anything happens, call me.” Kirk gave Spock a meaningful look, one that Spock understood quite well, and strongly resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Plainly put, Kirk wanted Spock to call him either way, and bail him out of Sick Bay. As if Spock would stoop to such childish actions.

“I doubt any end-of-the-world cataclysmic events will occur while you’re gone.” Bones just grumbled, dragging Kirk to the lift, and pushing him inside when the doors opened.

“You never know. We could get ambushed by Klingons, have a reactor meltdown, get sucked into a black hole and sent into the past, get attacked by a psychotic Romulan, hit a meteor-”

Bones just slapped him in the back of the head.

“Ow! What the hell was that for, you-”

And the lift doors snapped shut, sending the Bridge into silence.

Which didn’t last long, because Sulu and Chekov immediately broke out into giggles. They were just as quickly silenced by a glare from Spock.

Sitting down in the captain’s chair, Spock took up Kirk’s data on the planet they were destined for, idly scanning the info he had already read through before.

“Continue on towards Arkadis 5.”

-------

Kirk reclined on the medical bed, arms folded across his chest, and projecting as much anger and hate has he physically could to anyone who walked by. Which actually made him look more like a pathetic pouting child, especially with all the wires and such strapped to him. Some of the medical staff couldn’t help but smile and almost giggle at his appearance. The irritating continuous beeping of the heart monitor, breathing monitor, brain function monitor and any other strange devices Bones managed to hook up to him didn’t help his mood in the slightest either.

Rubbing his sore neck for the hundredth time, he mentally began a list of all the things he could do and things he could use as revenge against Bones. Which was actually a rather small list.

“Stopping rubbing it, you’ll just make it more sore.” Bones grumbled, walking up next to Jim’s bed, idling scanning the monitors and jotting down a few notes.

“You’re just doing this to torture me. You make up excuses and use your medical mumbo-jumbo to make it sound official, but really, you just do this to make me miserable and in pain.” Kirk glared at the doctor, who just gave Kirk an all-knowing smile.

“Yes Jim, congratulation, you’ve figured out my master plan. All this time I’ve just been pretending to be your trusted friend, when actually I am trying to make your life a living hell by keep you alive and healthy, especially when you do such a great job of trying to get yourself killed.” Bones grinned, and patted Kirk on the shoulder.

“Asshole.” Kirk muttered. “So am I free to go yet? I feel fine.” Jim stresses, for the hundredth time.

“Sixteen hours down. You’re running a slight fever, but that’s nothing too out of the ordinary. I’m keep you here for the full twenty-four hours and giving you a full physical at the end just to be sure.” Bones replied, continuing to mark down some data as he read them off the monitors.

“Figures.” Jim relaxed back onto the bed, closing his eyes and shifting himself slightly, attempting to get comfortable. “I’m taking a nap. Don’t you dare poke or prod me while I’m asleep.” Jim didn’t open his eyes, but waved his finger at Bones for emphasis.

“I wouldn’t dream of it Jim.” Bones just replied, smirk never leaving his face.

-------

Jim awoke a few hours later with the distinct impression that something was wrong. He couldn’t tell exactly what yet, but his head was pounding with an intense killer pain, and his body felt hot and heavy. He could not only feel, but hear the blood pumping behind his ears, throbbing and pounding like drums, making him dizzy. A strange coppery taste coated his mouth, and made it gross to swallow. Sitting up very slowly and groggily, Kirk tried to grasp exactly what was wrong. A strange warmth lined his eyes, and dripped down his cheeks. Smearing it with his fingers, Kirk could barely get his mind to work straight enough to figure out why his tears were red.

And then, the alarms of the monitors began.

“Jim! What’s wrong!?” Bones suddenly showed up out of no where, at was at Jim’s side in an instant. He was horrified to find blood seeping from Jim’s eyes, nose, and from the lining he saw on his lips, from his mouth too. A quick glance at the monitors told McCoy that Jim’s heart rate was elevated and neural activities irregular. His temperature was high too.

“I need some help over here!” McCoy called to his staff, who were already beginning to dash in.

“Bones. ‘M fine. Jus…jus’st a lil head…hurt…ya know? M’fine.” Kirk mumbled incoherently as he was pushed back down on the bed.

“Just shuttup for a minute, Jim.” Bones growled, pulling up vital scans and read-outs from the monitors and ordering his staff for various tests.

“Blood pressure‘s too high. Signs of internal bleeding. Irregular neural activities increasing, along with rapid heart rate. I need a blood work and a cell count. Get the IV hooked up and a blood transfusion.”

Jim’s head slumped to the side, as the monitors began screaming even louder. Blood slowly ran down his face and pooled along the bed. His breathing labored, wheezing and gurgled, and his heart jumped at dangerous rates within his chest.

“Shit! His lungs are filling with blood. Get him bagged and hooked up to the oxygen. I need to drain the fluids from his lungs. Where are those blood tests!?” Bones ordered out like an angry war general, as he worked furiously to treat the failing captain.

“Someone page Commander Spock! Tell him we got an emergency and to get his ass down here, now!” Bones screamed.

“Dammit Jim! I’m not letting you die here, not on my watch.”

----

An hour later, McCoy stumbled out of the room, covered in splatters of blood and looking like the walking dead. He slumped down on a bench, rubbing his tired eyes. Spock warily approached the doctor, looking calm and composed, but anyone who knew the Vulcan could tell he was anxious for an update.

“He’s stable.” McCoy said finally, and the tension in Spock’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Doctor, what happened?”

McCoy straightened his back, and leaned his head against the wall behind him, eyes closed. Where to being?

“Cerebral and intracranial hemorrhaging, which resulted in additional bleeding through the eyes, nose, and through his respiratory system. Additional swelling in the brain caused some complications, but we’ve been able to stop the bleeding. The only thing left now is to wait for the swelling to go down, and his fever to break.” McCoy rattled off the symptoms he had been battling with for the past hour.

“And these are all side-affects due to the inoculations?” Spock asked, voice tight and grim with the news. McCoy just nodded.

“Whether it was one or the combination of all three, I suppose we’ll never know. All we can do now is wait for him to wake up to know the real extent of the damage…” McCoy finished, holding his head in his hands again in exhaustion. Spock could practically hear the unspoken truth behind McCoy’s words.

‘If Jim ever wakes up.’

Any type of internal bleeding was dangerous. Bleeding in the brain was even worse. With the addition of swelling and a fever, there was no way of knowing what type of damage his brain might have sustained.

“Dammit” McCoy hastily got to his feet, feeling too anxious to sit in one place. “I’ll page you when he wakes or if there are any changes.” And with that, McCoy walked away.

Spock himself walked to the window which looked into Kirk’s room, hands calmly held behind his back, expression blank. But inside, his gut churned.

Kirk laid sprawled on the medical bed, deathly pale. A breathing mask over his face assisted in his breathing, and various IV’s were hooked up to him, dripping fluids and blood into his weakened body. Spock found it to be surreal to see the captain, who is usually so lively, to be so still. Unable to watch anymore, Spock turned, and headed back up to the Bridge.

-----

McCoy is abruptly awoken from the slumber he didn’t remember falling into, his head jerking upwards from where it had been cradled in his arms, hunched over his desk.

“Doctor! Doctor! Come quickly!”

McCoy sprang from his desk, dashing through the medical bay towards the nurse’s call.

“What’s wrong!?” McCoy ran up to the nurse, who was looking into Kirk’s room. She just simply pointed.

Inside, Kirk was awake and he was currently sluggishly attempting to wrestle the monitor and IV tubes off of him.

“Jim! Oh thank god, you’re awake!” McCoy ran to Kirk’s side. He attempted to reach forward to examine Kirk’s eyes, checking their response, but Kirk flinched out of his grasp.

“Don’t touch me!” He snarled, battling with the monitor wires and attempted to get out of the bed.

“Jim, jesus stop moving! You had a severe reaction to the vaccinations, and nearly bled to death. You can’t move yet. So just calm down.” McCoy pushed the struggling captain back down onto the bed, his eyes flickering over the monitors, noticing Kirk’s elevated heart rate.

Kirk did not calm down. If anything, he almost began to hyperventilate. “Where am I?” He wheezed out, his chest heaving.

“Dammit Jim, calm down! You’re still in Sick Bay. Your still feeling some of the effects of the reaction. You need to breath slowly.” McCoy responded, trying to soothe the agitated man.

Kirk took several deep and almost panting breaths, his eyes wildly scanning the room. He eventually looked straight at McCoy, giving him a long searching look. It was then, by some internal instinct in McCoy’s gut, he knew something was wrong. That feeling turned truth, with Kirk’s next words.

“Who are you?”

-----

</p>

-----
Chapter 2

Jim hated hospitals. He hated everything about them; from the acidic bleach-clean smell, to uncomfortable beds and glaring white-bright lights, down to the irritating know-it-all kind of people who worked in them. So when Jim awoke, groggy, confused and all of his senses bombarded by all the things he hated, he knew, he was in a hospital.

Through all of Jim’s personal experiences, he had learned nothing good ever came about being in a hospital, especially if you were the one in the bed. He had been a wild child, and that trait carried on well into his adolescent and young adult years. A little bit of blood and pain never really slowed him down. So suffice to say he’d been acquainted with Riverside’s Mercy Hospital, and spent cumulative weeks and maybe months worth of his life there. In all those times, Jim had yet to think of one incident where being in a hospital was a good thing. People often would say that childbirth was an occasion of celebration within a hospital, but then again, Jim wasn’t born in a hospital, so his birth didn’t count. The stuck-up doctors would preach that they were saving his sorry-ass life, and that he should be grateful for their efforts. They would tell him that he should be glad to be in a hospital, because being there saved his life. Jim still didn’t think it count.

Jim first took a silent moment to check himself over. He flexed his arms, and his toes, checking to make sure he at least still had all him limbs. No immediate pains flared when rolled upwards and reclined on his elbows, propping himself up. He gave a passing thought to the somewhat strange looking room he was in. It wasn’t like the old-fashioned water-stained rooms of Riverside Mercy Hospital, but Jim hadn’t been in a hospital for at least over a month (almost a new record), so he figured that much-needed grant money finally came in, and they refurbished it or something. His head throbbed like something wicked, and he didn’t really want to dwell on it too much at that moment.

Struggling to get up, still feeling dizzy from whatever effects landed him in a hospital in the first place, Jim’s next order of business was to remove the tangles of wires that were strapped to his body. His fingers felt numb and useless, which made the task slightly more difficult and slower then normal. He was breathing deep and steady, trying to calm the rising panic that was swelling in his chest. Not knowing where he was and why he was there greatly unsettled Jim, and set all his nerves on edge.

He caught a quick glimpse of a nurse looking into his room, but he didn’t really care, no matter how cute she was. He wasn’t in a particularly good mood at the moment, which put flirting at the bottom of his priority list.

Suddenly an overly-excited doctor dashed into his room, looking at Jim with an expression he’d never seen on a doctor before. Relief.

“Jim! Oh thank god, you’re awake.” The doctor all but ran up to him, and approached Jim in an overly friendly matter that instantly made Jim suspicious. Jim knew all the doctors in Riverside, Iowa’s hospital. There weren’t that many, and Jim had spent enough time there to get acquainted with all of them pretty well. They all knew the do’s and don’ts and such when dealing with one James T. Kirk. In fact, Jim was pretty sure they had a special long memo attached to his medical file, listing instructions on how to deal with him. Jim figured someone forgot to give the new-guy the memo.

Jim reeled back when the doctor reached for Jim’s face, flashlight in one hand. That’s it, Jim had enough.

“Don’t touch me!” He barked, flinching away from the too-close doctor, struggling anew to free himself. The doctor apparently didn’t like that idea.

“Jim, jesus stop moving! You had a severe reaction to the vaccinations, and nearly bled to death. You can’t move yet, so just calm down.” The doctor pushed Jim rather forcefully back onto the bed, harder then Jim would’ve suspected from a doctor his size. He was stronger then he looked. Or maybe Jim was just that weak?

“Where am I?” Jim wheezed, his chest constricting painfully, a panic attack settling over him. Why was he panicking? He didn’t know. Some internal instinct was setting off alarms in his head, and Jim always trusted his instincts. All he knew was that he suddenly couldn’t breathe, and he needed to leave the strange medical room, immediately. He needed out!

“Dammit Jim, calm down! You’re still in Sick Bay. You’re still feeling some of the effects of the reaction. You need to breath slowly.” The doctor pressed his palm against Jim’s chest, trying to get him to calm down and take slower breaths.

There it was again. The way the doctor spoke to him, spoke his name. Something felt off, wrong. It was as if he knew Jim, on more then a doctor-patient way. Jim didn’t like it.

He licked his try lips, trying to breath more slowly through his nose, to calm himself down and think rationally. He scanned the room a second time, harder, but the more he looked, the more strange and foreign the room felt. A deep unsettling feeling hit him square in the chest. What if he wasn’t in Riverside anymore? He remembered the doctor mentioning a Sick Bay. Hospitals weren’t called that. Sick Bays were only on one thing, but Jim didn’t continue with that thought. He didn’t like the answer.

Jim looked at the doctor again, studying him intently. He felt as if he should know this man, but only the faintest feeling of recognition came to him. Like Déjà vu. He licked his lips again, his mouth suddenly feeling dry and cottony.

“Who are you?” Jim finally asks. The reaction he got was like throwing a stone through a large glass window. Unexpected and shattering.

The doctor looked stunned, almost in disbelief in what he heard. He recovers just as quickly, and actually glares at Jim. “That’s not funny Jim. You can’t joke around like that.” The doctor scolds.

“Who’s joking? I don’t know who you are. So start explaining already.” Jim glares back and renews his struggle to free himself from the hospital bed, succeeding this time. Despite the doctor’s apparent objection to him moving about, Jim sits up fully on the bed, swinging his feet over the side. His head throbs a little now, but feels better then before.

The doctor stares at Jim again with a slight edge of panic in his expression. He turns his attention back to the medical equipment, but Jim could tell he wasn’t really looking at them. Apparently Jim not knowing the doctor came to a shock to the man.

After a long moment, the doctor gave a heavy ragged sigh, then pulled up a stool that was nearby, dragging it in front of where Jim sat on the bed. He sat down on it and pulled out his PADD, and a tricorder from what Jim could tell. The doctor seemed to compose himself, for the look he gave Jim was nothing but professional.

“Jim, I need to ask you a series of questions. I want you to answer them with as much honesty as you can.” Jim notices he says this in such a way as if he knows Jim is the type to lie. Jim doesn’t give him a response, but just rolls his eyes. He knew this part, the questions. Doctors would ask him a series of stupid and obvious questions whenever he got a concussion or any kind of head injury. He felt like stupid child answering them, but he’d long stopped giving sarcastic remarks because the smart-ass doctors would take them seriously and then just keep him there even longer. The doctor seemed to expect this response, because he takes it as a ‘yes’ and starts.

The doctor reads them off from his PADD, one by one, occasionally looking at the tricorder which is hovering near Jim.

“Please give me your full name” “James Tiberius Kirk.”

“When is your birthday?” “March 22, 2233”

“Where were you born?” “Space, in the middle of no where.”

“What is the last thing you remember?” “Riding my hover bike to work, over by the docks.”

The doctor pauses at this answer, giving Jim a long, almost pained look. “Jim.” He starts, trying to find the right words. “What year is it, now?”

Jim rolls his eyes again. “2256” Duh.

The doctor looks horrified. “Oh god.” He mumbles to himself. “Tell me everything. Everything you remember. Where do you work? Where do you live? How old are you?” The doctor presses more urgently. At the panicked look in the doctors’s eyes, the sick feeling of dread and panic starts pooling in Jim’s stomach again.

“Look, dude. I answered your stupid questions. Now it’s your turn to answer mine. Like where the hell am I? Or better yet, why I’m here in the first place, playing twenty-questions.” Jim stands now, unable to sit still any longer. Interrogations made him restless, and the way the doctor was looking at him, like he was suppose to know something, Jim felt down right sick.

“I can’t tell you.” The doctor beings, looking desperate. “There are protocols in this situation. Procedures to follow and - HEY! Dammit Jim! Get back here!”

The second Jim heard the words ‘I can’t tell you’, he bolted. If no one was going to tell him, then he’d just have to find out for himself. Protocols and procedures be damned. He dashed from the room, and blindly ran through the narrow corridors, looking for anything. A window, a doorway, an exit. He could here the doctor calling to him from behind, but he didn’t care. He just ran.

The halls were littered with people, all in uniforms, Jim recognized. He himself, he just noticed, was dressed all in black, with dark pants and a black tank top. It slightly unnerved Jim that he realized it was not what he was wearing the last he remembered, but what he was dressed in hardly toped the charts of surprises he’d been having since he’d woken up.

Dashing through the winding hallways and corridors, going purely by instinct and gut feeling, Jim tried to not to look at the people he passed. Because they were all looking at him. Not with annoyance, or confused looks that an outsider such as himself should be getting, considering he was trespassing. No, every one looked at him with recognition. Some with respect, a head nod or a salute. Others waved or shook their heads in amusement. Others just plain ignored him, as if it was a common occurrence. Jim couldn’t bring himself to stop and ask someone for directions.

This place felt like a surreal trip. He dashed through twisting corridors, some massive in scale, others tiny and cramped. But no matter where he ran, he couldn’t find a single exit. Each door lead to a series of more corridors with more doors. Jim was starting to feel like a rat in a labyrinth, endless circling around.

A doorway labeled ’Observatory’ caught his attention. Finally! A window or something for Jim to get his bearings. The door hissing open, Jim slipped inside.

The room was empty, and eerily quiet from the earlier noises of the corridors. A massive plane of glass took up an entire wall, from floor to ceiling. Jim slowly walked up to the clear thick material, and pressed his hands against the cold surface. He stood there, looking out the window, into a vast empty space. Of nothing.

Space. He was in fucking space! Jim curled his hands into fists and banged them against the glass. A space ship. Somehow he’d managed to land himself on a space ship, in the middle of god damn nowhere.

The door behind him hissed open, and he slowly turned his head to see the doctor standing there, watching him with uncertainty. Jim turned his head back, gazing into the vast nothingness, hopelessly looking for something. Anything.

“Where am I?” He asked again, his voice oddly calm for his inter turmoil.

The doctor didn’t answer at first, but after a lengthy pause, he spoke. “The U.S.S. Enterprise of Starfleet.”

The Enterprise, huh? Jim thought he was pretty up-to-date with all of Starfleet’s ships, but then again, he’d never heard of the Enterprise. It had to be a Starfleet ship too, just his luck. Jim hated Starfleet.

“Why am I here?” Jim asked, turning his head again to glare at the doctor. He wasn’t going to take any half-assed answers this time.

The doctor senses Jim’s anger, and replies without hesitation this time.

“Because this ship is your home, and you are her captain. Sir.”

Oh snap, an update. A little faster then I expected, but writing Jim's inner thoughts turned out to be fairly easy and fun. That and the TON of reviews I got fed my inspiration like gasoline to a fire.

Still a little iffy with this, but I like this chapter a lot more then the first.

I'll mention this now, because someone in a review asked about pairings.

THERE WILL BE NO PAIRINGS. This is mainly a Kirk-centric fic, with strong roles from Spock and McCoy, and other interactions with the rest of the crew. It is strictly a friendship fic between all the crew. Sorry for those who are disappointed, but I hope to keep it interesting enough for you to continue reading.

Please continue reviewing!!!! I love reviews and I NEED FEEDBACK.

Next chapter: Spock is informed of Jim's condition, and Jim tries to deal with being on ship he can't remember ever being on.

p.s. I'm going to kill LJ, because it keeps somehow mysteriously deleting all my paragraph editing tags that I painstakingly (copy from ff.net's format) put into the text body. It's annoying so stop it already!

Catalyst - Chapter 4, Death Sentence

2009-08-13T03:43:30Z

Title: Catalyst

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Character Death, BL/Yaoi/etc.

Summary: Everyone believes death is the end. But when death is cheated, and you’re dragged from the land of the dead, what will you have to do to remain among the living?
Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

</b>

Chapter 4 - Death Sentence

He could not hide forever, Tsuna decided. After giving himself time to have a thorough and complete mental breakdown, he began the slow and painful process of collecting himself again. The events that took place just several hours earlier (which now felt like a lifetime ago), left him hollow and numb on the inside. His mind simply was unable to connect two and two together, accepting the idea that: yes - he had died, yes - he had possibly seen the afterlife (or a very very messed up dream), yes - he had been brought back to life, but with severe consequences. He had been stripped of all the abilities he’d painstakingly gained over the years, and was essentially crippled. A weak, useless person.

Resigned to not lie about in bed, Tsuna headed towards the bathroom, desperately in need of a hot shower. He was still sweaty and grimy from the earlier battle, and to his numb fascination, covered in bits of dried flecks of his own blood. Stripping out of his clothes and stepping under the scalding hot water, Tsuna relished the feeling of the burning water on his skin. It was a brief comfort against the chill that had settled over him earlier.

The deadly scar that now marked the center of his chest stung under the water, reminding Tsuna that it was there. He touched it lightly, feeling raised skin and the ugly form. It had healed completely, to Tsuna’s amazement, but crudely. The skin was pale, and oddly marbled in colors, with heavy pink around the edges. His chest hurt in general, like the feeling that something had slammed into him, and he could faintly see the beginnings of a bruise forming around the scar. Looking closely at it, he could’ve sworn it was in the form of a hand.

The memory of being shot unwillingly flashed before his eyes. He hadn’t really felt the bullet, but the brief agonizing pain that followed. Seeing his own blood pool out of the wound, for the brief moment he had been conscious, was more horrifying. A thought suddenly struck him. The bullet had passed through him. Hesitantly, he reached behind, feeling along his back. He grimaced when he felt similar scar tissue, just between his shoulder blades.

Unable to look at it anymore, Tsuna quickly grabbed the soap and began to wash himself, finishing up his shower. Toweling himself off and dressing in loose casual clothing, he took note of the time. It was well past midnight. He didn’t even bother to think of trying to sleep now. His mind was too wound up, and he felt restless. His room suddenly felt stuffy and small.

Anyone who chose to stay at the Vongola mansion would most likely be asleep now. He decided this would be the best opportunity to seek out Xanxus, as Tsuna didn’t quite feel up to confronting anyone else yet. Xanxus had mentioned that there was more to discuss, but Tsuna couldn’t quite fathom how there could be more in addition to everything else that had happened.

He cast a wary glace at the Vongola ring, left on his bedside table. The burn around his finger was still fresh in his mind, and he felt hesitant to put it back on. However he was far too accustomed and protective of it to just leave it in his room (after all, it had been the sole reason for so many battles), so he ultimately decided to string it through a small chain necklace and wear it around his neck.

Peeking out of the door, he quickly looked down the hallway, relieved to find it empty. Quietly slipping from his room, he made his way around the manor, in search of where Xanxus might be. Tsuna knew the room Xanxus tended to use was on the opposite side of the Vongola mansion, but he rarely ever used it, for his distaste for the 10th generation was still fresh. The Varia had their own base of operations elsewhere, and Tsuna desperately hoped that wasn’t where Xanxus had retreated too.

The silence was soon shattered however, but a loud and unmistakable cry of joy.

“JUUDAIME!!!”

Before Tsuna could even utter a shriek, he found himself engulfed in a vice-like bear hug from behind, and practically lifted off the floor. “You’re alright Juudaime!” Gokudera cheered, before another voice called behind him.

“Hahaha! Easy Gokudera! Tsuna could still be hurting.” Yamamoto called from behind them. That got the Storm Guardian’s attention, and he all but dropped Tsuna in a rush, sputtering slurred apologies.

Tsuna straightened himself out and gave a relieved smile to his friends. “I’m ok, Gokudera.” He tried to ease his overprotective guardian’s worries., when Gokudera refused to fully let him go, and clung to Tsuna’s shoulders desperately.

“Are you sure? I’ve been so worried. You wouldn’t wake up, and there was so much blood, and that bastard did something, and -” Gokudera rambled on, shaking Tsuna’s shoulders, looking ready to flat out cry. Tsuna noticed Gokudera’s eyes were red and bloodshot, and there was a distinct stench about his breath. A glance at Yamamoto, who was giving a hand motion for drinking, confirmed his suspicions that Gokudera had indeed been drowning himself in alcohol.

“It’s good to see you’re ok, Tsuna. Like Gokudera here said, we’ve been worried. Reborn told us a little while ago that you had woken up, but we weren‘t expecting to see you up and about till morning.” Yamamoto smiled easily, and pulled a stuttering and slightly tipsy Gokudera back by the collar of his shirt, allowing Tsuna some breathing room. “You are ok, right?” He asked, hesitantly.

“Thanks, you guys. I’m…ok.” Tsuna started. He knew he wasn’t ok, but he didn’t want to worry them at the moment. “It’s…complicated, but I’d rather tell everyone all together about what happened. There are still some things I need to look into. But I’ll tell you tomorrow, I promise.” Tsuna gave them a reassuring smile, but it felt painful.

Yamamoto seemed to accept this, and nodded in agreement. “Ryohei should be arriving tomorrow, and possibly Hibari too. I doubt Gokudera here would remember much tomorrow morning if you told him anything now, anyway.” Yamamoto chuckled, nudging the depressed and drunk half-Italian, who stumbled a little on his feet. There wasn’t any need to mention Chrome or Mukuro, because no one truly ever knew where they were. The thought of his Mist Guardian made Tsuna silently wonder what exactly Mukuro had been up to.

Tsuna nodded, glad to hear of Ryohei and Hibari, though slightly embarrassed to know they were returning just for him. “Well, I need to go find Xanxus now-”

‘Fucking bastard! The whole lot of ‘em! Did something to the 10th and doesn’t have the balls to tell ME, the right hand-man what! Won’t even show his face to me, the slime!” Gokudera cut Tsuna off at hearing Xanxus’s name. “That guy…needs to get his assed kicked, again! Juudaime-” Gokudera paused, and poked Tsuna in the chest, causing Tsuna to wince harshly when he hit the scar dead-center. Gokudera continued on his drunken ramble, far too inebriated to notice. “Juudaime, don’t listen to any shit that guy says. Just, bury them, the whole lot of scum, and set ‘em straight. They’re too cocky, doing whatever ---”

“Maa maa, Gokudera. That’s enough for tonight. Let’s get you to bed, and give Tsuna some peace, ne? I’m sure he’s tired.” Yamamoto, Tsuna’s savior for the night, apparently had enough of Gokudera’s ramblings as well. He half led, half dragged Gokudera down the hall, giving Tsuna a wink and a wave, while Gokudera continued on inventing new curses for the Varia, and half mumbling apologies to Tsuna.

Once they were out of sight, Tsuna let out a heavy sigh and dropped the fake smile he’d desperately been trying to hold for the sake of his friends. If was good to see then, and was relieved they were ok (despite Gokudera drowning himself in his misery for failing), but he knew answering their questions was going to be hard. He already made up his mind that he was going to tell them as much as possible about what happened to him. They deserved that much.

Continuing on his trek across the vast Vongola manor, just as he entered the Eastern Wing, where Xanxus usually stayed, he spotted Squalo guarding a doorway.

“VOI, looks like the boy IS still alive.” Squalo sneered, his attitude no different then his normal greetings. “Boss said you’d be coming around tonight. He’s pissed you’ve kept him waiting this long. Hell I‘m pissed you took so long, simply because I‘ve had to stand out here this entire time and beat away your stupid friends who keep pestering us.” Squalo snarled, waving his sword around menacingly.

Tsuna never really had much interaction with the Varia guardians. Usually they had more fun picking fights with Tsuna’s Guardians, and never really paid Tsuna any attention at all. Not that Tsuna minded. “I’m here now, aren’t I? Is Xanxus in there?” Tsuna asked, not really in the mood to deal with taunts, but played nice either way.

Squalo gave Tsuna a glare, then turned and knocked on the door. Without waiting for a response, he stuck his head in the room. “Boss, the brat is here.”

Tsuna heard a muffled reply, then startled at the sound of glass shattering against the door, with Squalo ducking his head back out just in time. “He’ll see you now.” was all Squalo said.

Steeling himself, Tsuna bravely walked into the room, feeling much like he was walking into a lion’s den.

Xanxus sat at the desk situated in the back of the room, next to the windows. A single lamp on the desk was the only lighting, and when he glanced up to look at Tsuna, his eyes glowed. Again, Tsuna was reminded of a lion.

Sucking in a breath, Tsuna walked up to the desk, and settled himself in the chair that was placed in front of it. Any courage he may have had outside quickly faded.

Within the dim lighting, he could make out the faint light of the flame emitting from the ring on Xanxus finger. It was small and flickered lightly. Tsuna found it oddly surreal to know, that his entire life was connected to that tiny flame, like holding onto a thin thread. Xanxus caught Tsuna’s line of sight, and smirked.

“Kind of terrifying isn’t it? To know that your whole life is dependent on this tiny little flame.” Xanxus practically purred, smug satisfaction written all over his face. A painful barb twisted somewhere within Tsuna’s chest, hearing Xanxus’s words that he himself had been thinking.

“How?” Tsuna whispered, unable to raise his voice any higher without fear of it cracking. Xanxus just raised an eyebrow in question. “How did you do it? I’ve never…heard of a way to….” raise the dead. He left the words unsaid, unable to fully put himself within that category. The Raised Dead.

Xanxus just gave an unconcerned shrug. “I just simply read the history, did the research.” And with that, he tossed Tsuna a worn leather-bound notebook, stuffed full of various papers. Tsuna caught it, giving Xanxus a quizzical look. “My notes. Help yourself.” And with that, Xanxus stood to leave.

Tsuna gave a wide-eyed look at Xanxus as he began to leave, then back down to the notebook. A sharp ripple of panic swelled within him. He was leaving. That bastard was just going to leave, and let Tsuna wallow through this mess, alone to figure out a way to fix it. And Xanxus wasn’t going to do anything. That panic suddenly turned into anger.

“No.” He spoke, just above a whisper. Xanxus didn’t turn. “No.” Tsuna spoke louder, this time with anger and conviction. Xanxus paused, but didn’t turn. “No, dammit, NO!” Tsuna all but yelled now, and stood. He turned and threw the notebook at Xanxus‘s back. “You are not going to just leave and make me shift through this mess by myself. You did this to me, so god-damnit you’re going to take responsibility and explain it to me properly!” Tsuna panted. He was tired, angry, and about ready to start crying because the entire world around him was falling apart and he just couldn’t take it any more.

Xanxus stood there. He was no longer amused, but irritated. Though he had to admit, Tsuna’s outburst was surprising. Some people really do change when pushed into a corner. Letting out an angry “Fine.”, he stomped back to his desk where he sat himself down. Pulling out a fresh glass and a liquor bottle from a drawer, he poured himself a drink, taking a long swig. Tsuna sat himself back down in the chair, feeling his energy drained from his outburst.

“You and that baby are getting too much alike.” Xanxus grumbled low, taking another long drink. Tsuna gave him a quizzical look. “He gave me the same rant about fucking responsibility, except he didn’t use a book to hit me.” He idly rubbed his jaw, where Tsuna just now noticed a bruise starting to bloom. Tsuna would have to ask Reborn about the confrontation later.

“I won’t go through the whole history now, simply because I don’t have nearly enough liquor for this kind of shit. So I’ll give you the short and sweet version.” Xanxus began, leaning back into his chair and putting his feet up on the desk. Tsuna sat in his own chair, stiff with anticipation and dread.

“I discovered certain…documents…in the Vongola archives that vaguely detailed an incident, back during the Vongola Quinto’s reign.” Xanxus started. “It wrote that a close relation to the Vongola Quinto had been killed. Either by accident or through desperation, the Quinto was able to revive him, in a much similar manner that I did with you.” He held up the ring on his finger, watching the small flame flicker and dance. “I found accounts of two more similar incidents, where someone of matching flame types managed to revive a recently killed family member. One was another sky-type, and the third was Sun.”

“That’s how you discovered how to…revive me?” Tsuna breathed, taken by surprise. He’d never heard of any such events. Something as significant as raising the dead was pretty substantial. He wondered why Reborn never mentioned it, or if he even knew of it. Xanxus nodded, suddenly growing solemn. “And….what happened to them?” Tsuna pressed. If this has happened in the past, then there must be hope for Tsuna to recover his Dying will. He couldn’t image living like this, feeding and living off of Xanxus’s dying will, forever.

Xanxus didn’t answer right away, instead watching Tsuna through half-lidded glowing eyes, idly swirling the drink and ice in his glass. He took another long swig, and swallowed harshly. “A week later, they died.” He said.

Tsuna at first didn’t think he heard him correctly. “A…a week?” He gasped, eyes wide with panic.

Xanxus tore his gaze away from Tsuna, unable to watch as he gave him his death sentence. “The human body isn’t built like a box weapon. It isn’t made to withstand and hold foreign dying will flames. Roughly a week after being revived, their bodies began to degrade as the foreign dying will that was originally keeping them alive, slowly killed them from the inside.”

Tsuna stared, half unseeing, completely still and frozen as he listened to Xanxus’s words.

“You have one week. Use it how you like, either by wasting your time in trying to recover your dying will, or use it to say your goodbyes and finish up any unfinished business. Either way, that’s all the time you have left.” And with the sentence given, execution day set, Xanxus dropped the empty glass on his desk like a judge slamming his mallet.

The clattering noise startled Tsuna out his frozen trance like lightning had struck. Without even looking at Xanxus, he stood, and slowly left the room, clicking the door shut. Xanxus sat at his desk, listening to the pounding of footsteps running down the hallway, the noise receding with each step.

Looking down at his now empty glass, Xanxus tried to rid himself of the image of Tsuna’s completely dead eyes, void of any emotion or thought. He let out a vicious growl of frustration, and hurled the glass at the door, shattering it in a million pieces.

Oh man, as if last chapter wasn't bad enough. Torturing Tsuna is just a little too easy. I shouldn't be having this much fun with it. XD

*shovels on the angst in bucket loads.*

Writing this has become quite a bit easier (especially Tsuna's emotions and reactions), now that I have a path to follow. Specifically the Seven Phases of Grief (though I'm modifying it a little bit).

Next chapter we'll see the guardians, Mukuro included. Some insight to the events surrounding Tsuna's death, and maybe some of Xanxus's thoughts.

And I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and everyone of you who review. I write for a few different fandoms, but I must say that KHR fans write the BEST encouraging reviews, because you're all so damn happy about it. My other stories for other fandoms usually just get "I like, plz update." But with KHR I get spazzes and endless flailing, feedback and plot speculation. (Which some of you are dangerously close to predicting my plots...won't tell who though.... ;3 )

So I just wanted to say THANK YOU, and I love you all. :3

Till next time.

-Kou Tora

...On a side note, I will finish the next chapter of Ashes to Flames....eventually. In the future....probably...

100 Themed Challenge - set 5

2009-07-28T03:06:36Z

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Rating:….PG but with lots of suggested themes...

Summary: 100-themed drabbles/sentences featuring the epic pairing that is X27 Xanxus/Tsuna .

Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

Set 5.

61. “I’m Sorry” - Xanxus grumbled to himself and rolled over again for what seemed the hundredth time that night. No matter how much he shifted and twisted, the couch remained about as comfortable as a rock. Sighing, he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. He hated to admit it, but he now knew the meaning of the phrase “in the dog house”. How could a couch that he’d slept on with Tsuna so many times before, become so uncomfortable when used as a punishment? Standing up, Xanxus silently walked through the dark living room, heading towards the bedroom. Pushing the door open quietly, Xanxus peeked inside. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, Xanxus could just make out the small form of Tsuna, curled up on one side of the bed.

“You awake?” Xanxus softly called out to the dark. No reply came, but Xanxus just made out the faintest of tension in the boy’s shoulders, stiff and curled around himself. Xanxus signed and grumbled to himself. This was his fault, he knew it. Sure they’ve had arguments and rows in the past. Fights and disagreeing was who they were. However this one in particular stung. He also knew what would fix it, but somehow saying those two little words was turning out to be the most difficult thing he’d ever done. Fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, Xanxus struggled internally with the words he needed to say.

“I…I….” Xanxus tripped over his words, unable to say them completely. ‘Dammit.’ How was this kid able to take a proud man such as him, and cripple him in such a way? Drawing in a deep breath, Xanxus pushed his pride to the side, and charged forward.

“I’m sorry!” He barked out, shattering the dark silence like a lightning bolt. He saw Tsuna visibly flinch. “I’m….sorry. I am.” He breathed like a mantra. He waited, waited for any kind of response from Tsuna, the air tense and still. Suddenly, the bed shifted, and Tsuna sat up. His face was void of any expression, but Xanxus could tell from the look in his eyes that Tsuna had gotten as little amount of sleep as he had. They stared at each other, both unmoving. Tsuna finally let out a quiet sigh, and shifted a little, tossing the blankets back. A slight smile grazed his lips. Xanxus got the message. Sliding up along the bed, he settled beneath the soft blankets. He couldn’t help but smile himself, when he felt warm arms curl around him, a familiar comfort. Relaxing fully, sleep came without hesitation.

62. Clumsy - Tsuna would always be clumsy. It was just who he was. He didn’t like being clumsy, but it wasn’t something he denied or was able to change. Xanxus, wasn’t clumsy. Like so many other things, he was the polar-opposite of Tsuna in terms of grace. Where Xanxus had witnessed countless times Tsuna slip up, fall down, run into and all out trip over anything, Tsuna had never seen Xanxus so much as miss a step. However, when an outside anomaly was thrown in, physics and the universe itself could be defied. On one such day, Tsuna, while sitting in the other room, was startled when he heard the distinctive screech of a cat, a swear being yelled, a bang, several crashes, and then a few more select curses snarled out by Xanxus. Tsuna, hardly able to contain his curiosity, peered into the kitchen to find Xanxus sprawled out on the floor, with the kitchen table and several dishes broken beneath him. “Don’t even fucking ask.” He snarled, looking thoroughly pissed off. A brush against Tsuna’s leg drew his attention to the kitten they had adopted into the household, looking slightly ruffled and begging for comfort. Tsuna gave Xanxus a knowing smirk, and reached into his pocket for his cel-phone, snapping a photo.

63. Band-Aid - “Ow! Stop that!”

“Hold still.”

“That shit fucking stings!”

“Stop being such a baby.”

“I’m not, I just - ow! Stop touching it!”

“I need to put the bandages on. Give me your arm.”

“Fuck that, I’ll do it myself.”

“You can’t do it one handed, it’ll just come loose again later. Let me do it.”

‘Fuck! Not so tight. I need that arm you know.”

“I always heard that grown men turn into cowards when dealing with minor injuries. I didn’t know it was true till now.

“Say the guy who wails whenever you have to pull a band-aid off - OW! You did that on purpose!”

“I’m sorry, you were saying something?”

“Sadist.”

64. Dirt - Tsuna was in a fowl mood. Entering his suite, he gained little satisfaction from slamming the door shut. He was in a fowl mood, because he felt fowl. Covered from head to toe in mud, slime, muck and other strange goopy substances. Kicking off his shoes, which he later planned to burn due to them being unsalvageable and slime-coated. “Fuck, what happened to you?” Xanxus couldn’t help but laugh at the pathetic state Tsuna was in, looking much like a mud-drowned rat.

“Three words. Swamps, detonators, and Lambo.” Tsuna hissed, sluggishly making his way towards the bathroom, each step making a squelching noise. All he wanted now was just to take a long scorching hot shower.

Just before Tsuna reached the bathroom, Xanxus cut him off. Reaching a hand up, Xanxus smeared some of the mud caked on Tsuna’s cheek between his fingers, examining it. He then gave a ‘hmmmm’ and a devious smirk “Oh look, I’m dirty too. Guess I’ll just have to join you in the shower.” The bright blush that spread over Tsuna’s cheek was never seen beneath the mud. In the end, he did get the long hot shower he wanted, not even noticing the water eventually running cold.

65. Horror - A bloody scream ripped through the apartment, but who it came from exactly, even Xanxus couldn’t tell. Either the woman on the t.v. who was currently getting dismembered, or the pathetic mafia boss who was curled up by his side, peeking at the screen through one eye. Xanxus just rolled his eyes, and wrapped his arm around Tsuna’s shoulders, which caused the boy to just about jump out of his skin.

“Don’t do that!” He hissed, but only snuggled deeper into Xanxus’s embrace. Xanxus just huffed in annoyance.

“It’s not real. Hell, it’s not even that scary.” Xanxus complained, not understanding Tsuna’s fear of these sorts of movies. “I mean, it’s obviously fake. Blood doesn’t squirt nearly that much when you cut someone’s foot off. It more like, oozes out.” Xanxus tried to argue about the movie’s lack of realism, but from the glare he was getting from Tsuna, meant that he really wasn’t getting his point across and should drop that line of conversation immediately. A sudden flash of the killer appearing on the screen, accompanied by jarring music sent Tsuna about three feet in the air. He all but crawled into Xanxus’s lap, somehow trying to find comfort, but refused to simply stop watching the movie as his eyes were glued to the screen. Holding the boy close, Xanxus stopped complaining at that point.

66. Trap - It was a game, originally. A game for power. It was the only thing that Xanxus was interested in, because with power, you were truly free. Xanxus’s original plans for ultimate power were killed, when the brat Tsuna rose to take his place as Vongola Decimo. Tsuna now stood for power, so naturally, Xanxus pursued Tsuna. And that’s where the game began. He coaxed him, chased him, dominated him, solely to make sure that Tsuna would bend to his will. Because if Xanxus wanted power, he would need Tsuna. Xanxus half suspected Tsuna was aware of his game, but one could never tell. It wasn’t until a long while into the game, that Xanxus realized that things had changed, shifted against his knowing. He was the one being chased, coaxed and dominated. He was the one, who would yield without hesitation to the boy’s will. He found himself trapped. Trapped in a cage called Famiglia.

67. Imperfection - It was late. Technically, very early, around 2am or so. Xanxus found himself prowling around the dark halls of the mansion, restless and unable to sleep. There wasn’t anything he could think of to occupy his mind. He’d usually resort to a spar whenever he got restless, but with everyone asleep, there were no opponents readily available. Waking anyone would do little good either, as fighting a half-asleep fool was hardly a challenge. So he resorted to wandering around the maze-like halls, re-familiarizing himself with the various rooms and the history they held. On the lower basement level, a light at the end of the hallway caught Xanxus’s attention. Peering in, Xanxus was surprised to find the lithe form of his boss, punching and kicking the air, fighting some invisible foe. Judging from the amount of burn marks inside the training room, and the deep exhausted look in Tsuna’s eyes, Xanxus guessed that he’d been there all night.

“Little late for training, isn’t it?” He called, softly. Tsuna was a silent fighter, unlike himself who snarled and roared like a wild animal. Even though he was in the midst of a flurry of moves, hardly a sound was being made. Tsuna stopped momentarily, panting and bent at the waist, his hands resting on his knees. He didn’t look at Xanxus, but shook his head in reply to Xanxus’s question.

“Not perfect yet.” He breathed. Xanxus stuffed his hands in his pockets, taking on a casual pose, giving Tsuna a quizzical look. “There are still too many weaknesses. Still not perfect…” Tsuna trailed off, head bowed low. Xanxus studied Tsuna for a moment, understanding the boy’s unsaid words. ’I’m not perfect.’ He then scoffs at this.

“There is no such thing as perfection.” He says, seeing the boy’s shoulders slump further, either from defeat or exhaustion. He turns to leave, finding no opponent here tonight. Tsuna looks about ready to drop, and fighting someone who’s running on adrenaline alone is hardly a challenge. He pauses, just outside the doorway, and calls back to Tsuna, who’s sitting on the floor now. “That doesn’t me you should give up on looking for it.”

68. Pink - “Tsuna?” Xanxus’s voice called from behind the bathroom door. By the low and flat tone of his voice, Tsuna could tell he was pissed about something.

“Yes?” Tsuna just calmly asked, as he passively flipped through a magazine on the bed.

“I suggest you start looking for a new Thunder Guardian.” Xanxus’s voice floated from within the bathroom. Tsuna didn’t even blink at the statement. He frequently received death threats on his Thunder Guardian from even his own family on a weekly basis. Xanxus’s threat was just another to add the list.

“Uh huh. Why‘s that?” Tsuna asked, flipping another page in the magazine, not particularly interested.

“Because I am going to kill him.” And the door to the bathroom was flung open. Steam momentarily flowed out of the bathroom door, blocking Tsuna’s view of Xanxus. He then stepped out. Dripping wet from just finishing a shower, and clad only in a towel, Xanxus walked straight into the middle of the bedroom. The magazine fell loosely from Tsuna‘s fingers. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He opened it again, attempted to say something, but no words came out. Then a feeling built up in his chest. It grew and grew, and just as it was about to spill out, Tsuna clamped his hands over his mouth to make it stop, but it didn’t help. A high pitched giggle, similar to a squeal burst out of his mouth. Xanxus’s face, already pinched with anger, looked about ready to pop a vein.

“You think it’s funny?” He growled, red eyes practically glowing in rage. Tsuna shook his head, hands still clamped around his mouth, but the bursts of giggles didn’t help. Xanxus just crossed his arms over his chest. Tsuna’s fits of laughter eventually reduced him to a pile on the floor, no longer concerned with concealing his giggles. He weakly raised a hand to point at Xanxus, his breath coming out in heavy pants in between his peals of laughter.

“P…Pink!” Was all he was able get out, because sometime during Xanxus’s shower just moments ago, his pitch black hair had transformed into a brilliant shade of… bright…neon…pink.

69.Dreams- It was a secret that only one other knew. Xanxus never dreamed. His sleep was always dark, like a void. He didn’t know what it is like, to sleep and then go off and have adventures in your mind. He often hears others talk about their dreams, usually around breakfast, and he can’t quite fathom what it must be like, thinking you’re someplace else only to wake to reality again. Every night. He tells himself he doesn’t care, but deep deep down, he’s envious. But then, one night, Xanxus does dream. And he has since then wished he never did. He dreamt of Tsuna’s death, seeing the bullets rip through his flesh, and all he can do it stand there and watch. Tsuna’s cold bloodied body, splayed out over the dirt, crumpled like a doll. He awakes with a jarring start, his heart pounding behind his ears and a cold sweat covering his skin. He blindly looks around the darkness, remembering where he is, and that it all was just a dream. Until he notices the empty space in the bed beside him, and the full feeling of reality returns again. He wants to swear and scream, hit something, burn something. Because he is cursed to always dream of reality.

70. Telephone - “So, you know, I was just wondering if you got that e-mail I sent earlier…” Xanxus rambled on the other side of the line, completely ignorant to the distracting background noises going on around him. Tsuna, however, wasn’t so oblivious, and found the noises to be quite distressing.

“Xanxus.” He spoke, cutting the other man off from his continuous rambling. Really, when did the man who would barely growl a full sentence, suddenly get so chatty over the phone?

“What?” The other replied, still oblivious to the jarring noises on his end.

“I wish you wouldn’t call me while you’re working.” Tsuna replied, his hand rubbing his temples in an attempt to soothe an oncoming headache. There was a brief pause before Xanxus finally replied.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” And he kicked the man, sprawled on the ground below him, in the gut.

Hah, take that universe. You haven't gotten rid of me yet!

I'll admit, I've had a longer-then-usual absence in my writing. I won't deny, over the past several months I've literally hit rock bottom, in terms of writing creativity. Several times I'd sit down to work on a chapter, write somewhere around a paragraph over about four times, before giving up. And then a few weeks later I'd try again, only to have similar results.

Well, this is me trying to kick writer's block in the behind.

On a side note, in relation to these drabbles, I've noticed I've taken a great liking to writing Domesticated!Xanxus. We hardly seen any "normal-day" Xanxus in the manga, so I find myself guilty of trying to envision what he must be like. I love expanding character's personalities, and trying to show different, yet still in-character sides to them, that we wouldn't normallly see in the canon. Please tell me how I'm doing, especially if I'm getting too OOC. (though, I'll admit some crack-scene are just too much fun to deny)

This time I'd like to give a shout-out to Urja Shannon, who's artwork inspired #67- Inspiration. Please check out this amazing artwork!

http://camiyu.deviantart.com/art/X27-01-89829648

http://camiyu.deviantart.com/art/X27-2-89830109

As always, I LOVE all of your reviews, and they really helped pull me out of my slump to continue writing. I'm always open to suggestions for further drabbles, and I've already started comiliing the ones mentioned previously.

Till next time! 3

-Kou Tora

Catalyst, chapter 3

2009-04-28T12:57:41Z

I'm on a roll!

Title: Catalyst

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Character Death, BL/Yaoi/etc.

Summary: Everyone believes death is the end. But when death is cheated, and you’re dragged from the land of the dead, what will you have to do to remain among the living?

Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

Within the depths of sleep, Tsuna felt a sudden pulse run through him, stirring his tired mind. It started as a slow throb, but then grew in intensity the more Tsuna tried to ignore it. Tsuna shifted, feeling smooth sheets and the plush of a mattress below him, as the strange pulse urged his body to move. Tsuna’s eyes briefly slid open, but his mind was in such a haze that not much registered, and he simply closed them again. The comfort of the bed was too tempting, and Tsuna ignored the foreign feeling, deciding to simply sleep it off.

“Baka-Tsuna! Wake up!” Reborn’s voice called in reprimand somewhere next to Tsuna.

So Reborn was in his room again. Even after all these years, the hitman still enjoyed being Tsuna’s personal alarm clock. A very painful alarm clock. However today Tsuna’s mind simply couldn’t get motivated. “Five more minutes Reborn.” Tsuna mumbled out, uncaring what the Arcobaleno may do to him for punishment.

“Sorry princess, but you don’t have five minutes. I suggest you get up now before I set your sheets on fire.”

That…..was not Reborn’s voice.

Suddenly feeling very awake, Tsuna shot up, and was surprised to find none other then Xanxus standing there at the end of his bed, looking rather pissed as usual.

“Wha-! Xanxus!?” Having Reborn in his room was an everyday occurrence, but having the Varia leader there was definitely not normal. Tsuna wondered if he was still dreaming, or should be fleeing for his life. Reborn was bad enough, but if Xanxus suddenly decided to start torturing him in the mornings, then Tsuna was going to start dead bolting his door.

Xanxus’s expression morphed into somewhat of an amused smirk. “Look who decided to join the living.” He chuckled, staring down at Tsuna with intense crimson eyes.

“Reborn! What’s going on!?” Tsuna asked in mild panic. Taking a quick glance outside, he noticed the sun was just starting to set, and a warm evening glow spread out over the horizon. It was nearly night. Why was he in bed then?

The Arcobaleno studied his student for a moment, before lightly touching the brim of his hat and leaning forward. “Tsuna, what is the last thing you remember?” He asked.

Tsuna, caught of guard by the question, searched his mind for his most recent memories. The recent battle was fresh in his mind.

“We were fighting the Lucertola(1) family. They attacked the mansion, but were hardly a threat. Only a few even had any box weapons.” Tsuna began, staring out of the window, his eyes unfocused as he replayed in his mind what he could remember. He remembered flying high above the battle field, surveying their victory, feeling proud of his family.

“And?” Reborn pressed.

“And…” Tsuna began, but then realized…his mind went blank. Just darkness. “And then….nothing. I can‘t remember anything else after that.” Tsuna trailed off. How could he not remember?

The wind rustling the grass outside of the window stirred a small memory within Tsuna’s mind. A faint nostalgic feeling. 'I remember dreaming. Dreaming of…Mukuro. And there was an endless field of grass. And a…train?’ Tsuna shook his head, frustrated at all the confusing and jumbled thoughts.

Xanxus shifting on his feet impatiently drew Tsuna’s attention. He caught site of Xanxus’s X-Guns strapped on his hip. ‘Blood. Pain. Noise. Darkness.’

Tsuna remembered.

Eyes widening in panic, Tsuna grabbed the collar of the tank top he was wearing and pulled it down, revealing a star-shaped scar in the center of his chest. The skin felt sore and tender, but it had the appearance of a healing wound. Tsuna looks up at Reborn, confusion written all over his face.

“I was shot.”

Reborn just nodded slowly.

Tsuna rubbed the wound, trying to figure everything out. “But…it went…straight through….How could I…?” ‘Survive’ Tsuna left the last word hanging, unable to voice it.

“You didn’t.” Reborn’s blunt reply came down on Tsuna like a bucket of cold water. He suddenly found himself unable to breath. Even think.

‘I died. I died. I died.’ Tsuna repeated the phrase in his mind like a mantra, unable to get past that simple fact. Suddenly, he realized his conversation with Mukuro was more then just a dream. He had almost passed on. Tsuna felt like he was going to be sick.

“Tsuna, calm down.” Reborn tried to reason with his student, sensing the boy was about start hyperventilating.

“Calm down? CALM DOWN!? Reborn! I DIED! I was shot and I didn’t LIVE. How can I still be here? No one survives that kind of wound!” Tsuna screamed, unable to remain calm any longer. Being on the brink of death and then living to remember it clearly had a negative effect on Tsuna. It shook him to his very core and left him feeling cold. “I was there! I was THERE! I almost LEFT!” He continued yelling, on the verge of a mental panic attack.

Xanxus however had had enough of Tsuna’s whining.

“SHUT UP!”

His voice boomed above Tsuna’s panicking one, startling the spastic mafia boss. However that brief moment of his temper loosing control caused Xanxus to inadvertently flare the flame on his ring in irritation.

A painful jolt of energy shot through Tsuna as he felt his heart rate increase dramatically. His head throbbed painfully and he could only gasp and curl into himself as it felt like his body was being torn apart from the inside. With one hand clawing at his shirt near his chest and the other clutching the sheets in a vice-grip, Tsuna wondered if he was dying for a second time.

“Xanxus!” Reborn snapped, sending a scathing glare at the Varia Leader for loosing his temper.

“Shit.” Xanxus cursed. Taking a long breath and calming himself down, he eased the flame on his ring back down to a small flicker.

Feeling the pain recede and his heart rate slowly returning to normal, Tsuna looked up at Reborn and Xanxus, panting as he tried to catch his breath. “What….was that?”

Reborn gave Xanxus a long hard look before turning back to Tsuna, giving the mafia boss a moment to regain his breath. Despite it being an unnecessary “reaction” as a result of Xanxus loosing control, the “reaction” did serve to calm Tsuna down. Reborn only found it slightly ironic.

“Tsuna, I want you to try and ignite a dying will flame with your Sky ring.” Reborn asked, motioning to the ring that had been previously placed by the nightstand next to Tsuna’s bed. “Don’t ask, just do it.” Reborn said again, when Tsuna looked ready to argue.

Irritated by Reborn’s lack of explanation, Tsuna picked up the ring from the nightstand, and held it in his palm for a moment, feeling the familiar weight. Slipping it onto his middle finger, Tsuna took a calming breath, before going through the familiar mental motions of bringing out his dying will.

He was not however prepared for the violent backlash. An unexpected hot pain shot through his fingers and Tsuna cursed at it felt like needles were stabbing him. Startled, Tsuna ripped off the ring and tossed it onto the bed cover. The pain stopped, but when Tsuna looked at his hand, he could see a red burn-like mark around the finger where the ring had been. Tsuna looked up at Reborn, lost and terribly confused.

“Tsuna, the reason why the ring rejected you, and you are unable to ignite a dying will, is because the dying will flame within you is not yours. It’s Xanxus’s.” Reborn began. Tsuna looked at Xanxus in confusion and for confirmation with that Reborn was telling him. Xanxus however remained emotionless.

Reborn held up his hand for silence before Tsuna could start asking questions. “Let me fully explain.”

“After you died, Xanxus preformed an highly experimental and completely untested technique. He essentially injected his dying will flame into your body, which resulted in you being brought back to life, completely healthy. Hence the reason for your healed wound.”

Reborn paused for a moment, letting all this sink in. Before Tsuna could bombard him with questions, or starting having another panic attack, Reborn continued.

“However, even though you were brought back to life, your dying will did not return. It left you when you died. You are only alive because of the continuous flames being supplied to you from Xanxus.” Reborn nodded to Xanxus, who held up his hand, showing the ring on his finger with the flame alit.

“That reaction earlier was from a sudden increase in the flame’s level. Your energy level is completely dependent on Xanxus’s flames. The less amount of flames within you, the more tired you get, and vice-versa, the more flames the more your body reacts.”

“In short, you are similar to a box weapon. Without the box, of course.” Reborn concluded.

He watched his student carefully, but was unsurprised to find that Tsuna had all but withdrawn into himself. It was a terrible amount of shocking information to receive, and Reborn could only feel remorse for when his student would learn the full truth of what exactly has happened to him.

Tsuna slowly looked down at his hand, at the burn mark around his finger. Too many questions, too many realizations were swarming around in his mind, he could barely decide where to begin. He had died, and possibly saw a brief glimpse of the after-life. But he was brought back to life by Xanxus of all people. The dying will that now flowed through his body was not his own, but in fact Xanxus’s. He could no longer use his own ring. He could no longer fight. He was completely useless, again.

Tsuna felt like he was going to be sick.

A growl startled Tsuna out of his chaotic thoughts, and he looked up to see Xanxus irritably walking towards the door. Before he opened it, he turned briefly and looked Tsuna straight in the eyes. “When you’ve got your head clear and stop whining, come find me. There’s still more.” And with that, he left, slamming the door as he went.

The door slamming shook Tsuna, and he suddenly felt on edge. His head was beginning to throb again, and he could feel an oncoming panic attack. Reborn, sensing his student needed some time alone to adjust to the news, jumped off of the chair and also started walking towards the door.

“I’ll leave you to rest. Try to get some more sleep, and don’t dwell too deeply on what has already occurred. Just accept it, and think about what you want to do next. I‘ll make sure no one disturbs you.” Reborn calmly tells Tsuna, who doesn’t reply. Bowing his head so his fedora cast a dark shadow over his eyes, Reborn flicked the light off and quietly left.

Tsuna barely even noticed he was now alone, sitting in the darkness of his room. The sun had now fully set, and only the moon’s light cast long shadows in the room. Tsuna stared down at his lap, his mind suddenly blank. He felt disconnected and emotionless. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he recalled someone saying this was just a stage. Withdrawal, or maybe denial. Tsuna didn’t care.

He knew he should be grateful, that he was still alive, and able to see his friends and family again. But, the consequences of being brought back to life stabbed at Tsuna’s heart like a knife. Without his flames, his power, he couldn’t protect anyone. He would go back to being ‘No-Good Tsuna‘, and would only be able to watch from the side-lines as his family fought in terrible battles. He would only be able to live a half-life, completely dependent on Xanxus’s flames.

Tsuna no longer knew what his future was, and that scared him, like nothing he had every felt before.

The room remained deathly silent, and the moon’s cold light wrapped over Tsuna’s tiny form like a blanket. Wet tears dropped onto Tsuna’s open palms, as he allowed himself to completely break down, and cry.

(1) Lucertola - Italian for Lizard.

------

Oh man, that was far more depressing then I had originally intended. It was terribly difficult to write, with Tsuna riding an emotional rollercoaster the whole time.

I still feel kinda ‘meh’ for this chapter, but I’ve got a lot more planned out for upcoming chapters, and I’m feeling very confident about the plot.

Next chapter we learn fully about the consequences of Tsuna being brought back to life (yes, there’s more), and Xanxus’s reasoning behind it. So yeah, pretty much more angst.

I’d write more, but I’m tired. I’ve got to stop working on these things so late at night, and especially when I have an early class the next morning…bleh.

As usual, Reviews are my main source of creative inspiration (which has slowly been coming back). Next chapter I’ll do some review responses, because I feel bad for not doing any shout-outs for all the amazing people who’ve reviewed thus far. But I LOVE YOU ALL!

*dances away*

-Kou Tora

Vacation - Chapter 1

2009-04-26T23:06:26Z

Title: Vacation
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Pairings: Cloud/Leon, more to come
Warnings: Yaoi/BL, swearing, excessive fluff

Summary: Everyone thinks Leon needs to go on a vacation. So three conniving women send him off onto the trip of a lifetime, whether he wants to or not.

It was a hot and humid summer evening when the leader of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee, Squall ‘my-name-is-Leon-damnit’ Leonhart, returned to Merlin’s home (who was currently off on another one of his time-traveling adventures), dirty, sweaty and tired. With much of the day being spent on rebuilding Radiant Garden back to its former glory, and the evening spent patrolling for the few heartless that still lingered around, Leon was ready to pass out from exhaustion.

While attempting to remove his boots (Rule 32, no shoes in the house or no dinner), Aerith, upon hearing Leon’s return, stuck her head out from the kitchen.

“Welcome back.” She smiled, wiping her hands on her apron, which were a mess from cooking dinner. Leon just grunted a reply, and sluggishly kicked a boot into the closet, next to the others. Not really expecting any other kind of reply, Aerith just continued on.

“Dinner’s not quite ready yet. Yuffie’s helping me, so we’ve had to be….more careful, then usual.” Aerith just giggled a Leon’s scowl at the news of Yuffie helping out in the kitchen. Last time she attempted to master the culinary arts, they had to replace both the oven and kitchen floor, and Leon had gotten an extreme case of food poisoning for a week.

“Don’t worry, I’m watching her this time. It should be ready in about a half hour.” Aerith explained, but Leon gave her a skeptical look.

“Aerith! It’s purple! Is it suppose to be purple?!” Yuffie screamed from within the kitchen, where a suspicious smoke soon followed.

“Make that forty-five minutes.” Aerith whispered, and rushed back into the kitchen, barking orders to Yuffie, and questioning what she had done now.

Making a mental note to eat as little as possible at dinner, Leon padded through the house and entered the living room. Cid, hunched over Tron’s terminal that was installed there, grunted a hello as Leon removed his bomber jacket and tossed it onto the back of the beat-up couch, then collapsed onto it himself.

“Did’ya fix that leak in the piping by the Postern?” Cid grumbled out as he typed angrily on the keyboard, a cigar clenched between his teeth. Leon just gave a ‘hn’ in reply, not caring to go into the details. Leaning against the arm of the couch and putting his feet on the coffee table, Leon sank into the cushions and let his tense muscles slowly being to relax.

“’Atta boy. Now we can get to work on the south end of town’s waterworks.” Cid rambled on, hitting a few more keys a little too hard, and cursing at the warning messages Tron was sending him about mechanical abuse.

Leon just ‘hn’ed another reply, not really listening or caring. Right now his body was tired, he was in an incredibly comfy (if not slightly lumpy) place, and he didn’t particularly feel like moving anytime soon. Sighing and closing his eyes, Leon rested his head against the back of the couch, deciding to just rest his eyes for a bit.

A little while later, the front door burst open, with an energetic Tifa carrying an arm full of groceries, and Cloud right behind her, with twice as many bags.

“Aerith! I heard Yuffie was cooking so I picked up some emergency back-up rations, and plenty of stomach-pain medications.” Tifa dumped the bags on the kitchen table, motioning for Cloud to do the same. “Beer and chips hardly count as rations.” Cloud just mumbled, irritated at being caught and dragged into shopping.

“Hey! My cooking’s not that bad!” Yuffie protested, as she attempted to scrub a mysterious orange-looking goo off the kitchen floor.

Tifa just laughed. “Ha! Yeah right! Last time you almost sent Leon to an early grave. We used the rest of it for killing heartless. It made them shrivel up like a raison!” Yuffie just stuck out her tongue.

Aerith just sighed and shook her head, digging through the bags Tifa had brought. “Thank you Tifa, but I think tonight these won’t be necessary. I’ve personally made sure everything is fit for human consumption.” She gave a wink “Anyway, could you help me put these away? Cloud, Cid and Leon should be in the living room, can you go get them for me?” Aerith nodded towards the other room.

“Ooo! I’ll get them!” Yuffie energetically offered, and shot off to go seek out the two people she enjoyed pestering the most, only to be stopped by a hand on the back of her shirt, yanking her back.

“Don’t even think about it missy. No dinner till that stain is off my kitchen floor.” Aerith scolded, slapping the sponge and cleaner back into Yuffie’s hands. Yuffie just grumbled in reply, and went back to work. Cloud snickered. “And that goes for you too Cloud, if you don’t get those boots off.” Aerith shot him a glare, with Yuffie giggling in the background. Cloud just scowled and kicked off his boots, tossing them in the closet next to Leon’s.

Walking into the living room, Cloud couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the sight of Cid looking about ready to rip Tron’s monitor apart.

“Yo! Dinner’s ready. Better eat it now before it decides to get up and walk away.” Cloud called, ignoring the ‘I heard that!’ from Yuffie in the kitchen.

“Good! I ain’t dealin’ with this piece ‘o shit anymore tonight!” Cid fumed, and stomped off into the kitchen, ignoring Tron’s pleas of apology.

“Leonhart, dinner.” Cloud called again, noticing Leon hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch. When the brunet still didn’t move, Cloud curiously walked around the couch, peering over to notice Leon’s head slumped to the side, resting on the arm of the couch, eyes closed and breathing softly. He was asleep.

Humming in surprise and curiosity, Cloud kneeled in front of Leon for a moment, studying the younger man. Catching the stoic male asleep and unguarded was a rare sight. In fact, Cloud couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the brunet sleeping in front of others. Usually the gunblader’s guard was always up, even around the other crew members he lived with. Almost never was the silent leader caught unaware or unprepared.

Looking around cautiously, making sure no one else was watching, Cloud decided to indulge in this rare opportunity to unabashedly stare at the scarred brunet. Cloud kept himself a safe distance away, near Leon’s raised feet on the coffee table, knowing the slightest touch or close proximity would awaken the seasoned warrior. He realized that even in his sleep, Leon had the ability to put a barrier between himself and others.

Leon’s face was uncharacteristically relaxed, peaceful and surreal. Without his trademark scowl or piercing glare, he almost appeared his actual age of twenty, a young and seemingly innocent teen. Then Cloud’s eyes shifted to the scar that slashed diagonally over the perfect face. Cloud was reminded that this was hardly an innocent teen, and that he’d seen far more then any person his age should ever have to live through. Cloud always wondered where or how Leon got the scar, but he knew that it was one of Leon’s ‘Taboo Topics’ (much like everything else involving Leon’s past), and asking the man was pointless. He’d never answer, and it would usually send the brunet into a pit of angst for a while.

The slumbering male shifted very slightly, causing a few locks of chocolate-colored hair to fall in front of his face. Cloud yearned to touch the silky strands, and run his fingers through them.

Cloud for sometime now had acknowledged and accepted his attraction towards the silent gunblader. From the first time Cloud met the brunet, he knew he was instantly drawn to mysterious male, and especially his leather-clad ass. The stoic brunet, despite his cold exterior and indestructible barrier of indifference, had a magnetic affect on Cloud. The older blonde yearned to get within the hardened shell of the other warrior and learn all there is to know about him. But Cloud knew his fantasies would never be more then just fantasies. Cloud was unwilling to damage their tentative friendship he’d manage to build thus far, and he doubted the other male’s preferences swung that way. So Cloud accepted what he could, and kept his little one-sided crush, just that.

Watching the younger male sleeping so comfortably, Cloud didn’t have the heart to wake him and ruin the moment.

“YO! SLOW POKES! What’s taking you so long!”

Thus entered Yuffie, killer of moments and all things quiet.

“WHA-!?” Leon, startled by Yuffie’s exuberant entrance, jerked awake, and all but leapt off the couch. Unfortunately Cloud’s face happened to be within proximity of Leon’s foot, which resulted in a rather painful collision, on both sides.

“Shit!” “Augh, what the hell!?”

Yuffie couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Leon and Cloud cradle their injured body parts.

“What’s going on in here? I heard yelling… Are you guys ok?” Aerith asked nervously, having walked into the living room after hearing swearing (and expecting Yuffie to have caused some sort of damage). She was rather confused to find Leon holding his bare foot and Cloud sitting on the floor, rubbing his jaw.

“I hit my foot on the coffee table.” Leon mumbled, still slightly groggy from being awoken so quickly.

“That was my face.” Cloud grouched, rubbing his jaw and hoping a bruise won’t appear.

“Well your face felt like I just kicked a cement block.” Leon snapped irritably. He was not a “morning” person, no matter what time of the day you woke him up.

“Yeah, and your feet smell.” Cloud shot back, standing up and walking into the kitchen, trying not to look like a child with a pout on his face.

“Oh you guys…” Aerith could only shake her head, not even attempting to suppress the smile on her face. “Dinner’s ready, by the way.” She said to Leon, who had yet to move from the couch.

“Yup! Made with lots of love and care by yours truly!” Yuffie beamed happily. It however did little to encourage Leon’s appetite.

“I think I’ll skip. I’m not really hungry tonight.” Leon hastily mumbled, and moved to head upstairs.

“Awwww, but Squall! I promise it’s good! I didn’t even use any of Merlin’s experiments this time!” Yuffie pouted, disappointed at her failure to convince Leon of her culinary skills.

“First, It‘s Leon. And second, I’m just not hungry. I’ll eat the leftovers later.” And without another word, Leon climbed the stairs, deciding on taking a shower and getting to bed early.

“Phooey.” Yuffie huffed, and stomped into the kitchen, acting very much like a child.

“Just let him be Yuffie. Lord knows that boy needs some extra rest.” Tifa called, having heard the entire conversation. They all sat down in their respective spots, and the food was hesitantly passed around.

“He does look kinda tired…” Yuffie mumbled with a mouth full of food.

Shooting Yuffie a look about her manners, Aerith agreed. “He’s hardly been sleeping, and eating only when I’ve been able to catch him. All he does is work and fight.”

“That’s what a man does best! Workin’ and fightin’. I don’t see no problem.” Cid argued, already forgetting who cooked the food, alternating between shoveling food down and chugging his beer.

“Being a man has nothing to do with it. Cid, you sleep more then you work, and Cloud there is about as useless as Yuffie when it comes to any practical skills.” Tifa jabbed her fork in Cloud’s general direction, who scowled at the insult.

“Hey…I can at least do some stuff. Chocobo-head breaks more stuff then he‘s able to build, not that he knows how to build anything.” Yuffie fought back.

Cloud, who’d been silent up till now, wondered how this conversation suddenly turned on him. “I’ve got other skills. I can at least work on engines.” Which was true, considering he was always working on his precious Fenrir in his spare time.

“Yeah, motorcycle engines. News flash blondie, no one else here has a motorcycle besides you. So that means your still stuck under the ‘Useless Labor’ list.” Tifa shot back. Cloud glared at her, but couldn’t really deny it. So what if he didn’t know how to build stuff? He was a warrior, who lived by the sword.

“Anyway, I still think we need to get Leon to take a break sometime. He’s going to crash soon if he doesn’t.” Aerith subtly changed the topic, sensing yet another useless bickering session about to start.

Tifa just scoffed. “Phht, that’ll be the day. Leon’s the type a guy who’ll work straight to his grave.”

“Which is exactly what we want to prevent! He doesn’t take care of himself very well.” Aerith eagerly pressed.

Cid, after taking a long last swig of his beer, dropped the bottle on the table. “The boy’s actin’ like he’s carryin’ the whole goddamn world on his shoulders.”

“What Squally needs is a vacation!” Yuffie eagerly cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

And the room fell silent.

A few looks were given to one another, as each person actually considered this idea. It was simple, yet the perfect solution for their little dilemma. For once, one of Yuffie’s suggestion was the best answer.

Squall Leonhart needed a vacation.

Tifa was the first to react, and eagerly gave Yuffie a high-five for her idea. “Perfect! We need to get his leather-encased ass away from here, and someplace where he can relax.”

“Exactly! The city’s coming along fine enough that we won’t need him for the restoration to continue. And the heartless are hardly a threat. Nothing that the security system can’t handle.” Yuffie energetically bounced in her seat, eager for her new plan to get under way.

“You all are forgettin’ one thing. There ain’t no way in hell he’s going to leave here on his own. You said it yourself, he’ll work till he drops.” Cid pointed out.

“Then someone will just have to take him! Someone Squally wouldn’t mind spending time with.” Yuffie responded happily.

“And someone who knows a lot of different places and worlds. There’s no point in taking Leon on a vacation if it isn’t to a place he’d like.” Tifa nodded, agreeing with Yuffie.

“And particularly someone who can match Leon’s stubbornness, and make sure he has a good time.” Aerith added.

Three sets of eyes settled on one Cloud Strife, who suddenly found himself in the hot seat.

“Me!? You’re joking right..?” Cloud shrunk back in his seat, disliking the way the girls were staring at him with a certain plotting gleam in their eyes. Cid remained silent, but Cloud could tell the older man wouldn’t dare say anything against the three girls’ plot.

“Oh come on Spike, everyone here knows how much you have the hots for Leon.” Tifa teased, and Yuffie all but squealed in laughter at the blush that colored Cloud’s face. He couldn’t say anything to deny it.

“It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s not like he’s interested.” Cloud mumbled, and secretly began calculating his escape to the door, and whether or not he’d be able to make it before he’d be pelted by Yuffie’s shurikens or a violent tackle by Tifa. His odds didn’t look good.

“Oh I dunno about that. I’ve seen Leon give you a look or two.” Yuffie giggled at Cloud’s skeptic yet interested look.

“Either way, I don’t want any part of whatever it is you three are cooking up. So leave me out of it.” Cloud pointed a finger at each of the smiling girls before he decided to take his chances and hastily made a dash for the door, scampering upstairs and out of the wolves’ den.

“Che, coward.” Tifa mumbled, watching the fully grown male run away with his tail between his legs. How could he be afraid of three innocent girls such as them?

“Well, ladies, I’m afraid I’m going to haff-tah agree with Spike. I know those looks, and I aint’ goin’ to be apart of it.” And with that, Cid attempted to follow Cloud’s lead and hastily make a dash for the door. Unfortunately he was the furthest away, and didn’t exactly make it very far.

With a tag-team assault from Tifa and Yuffie, they effectively blocked Cid’s escape and half-tripped, half-pushed the mechanic back into his seat. “Not so fast buster.” The two smiled somewhat evilly, and stepped aside as Aerith moved to stand in front of the elder male.

“Your skills are needed if this plan is going to work.” Aerith smiled sweetly, Tifa and Yuffie on either side of her, smiling a little less innocently. It was then Cid wondered exactly when the three managed to devise an entire plan in such a short amount of time, and without a single word spoken. The power of women always terrified Cid.

“Don’t worry Cid, you just have to do us one little favor. Leave the rest to us.” Aerith gave him another smile, and it was then Cid knew that there was more to the healer then any of them really knew.

---------

A week later passed, and life continued on as usual. Very little was said about the girls’ secret vacation plan for Leon, but Cloud could tell they were up to something devious, with the looks and giggles they were sending Leon.

One evening they all gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Tifa’s bar. It was tastefully done, designed to be more comforting and relaxing rather then loud and dark like more modern bars and clubs. Jazzy music and joyous people filled the room.

Leon and Cloud sat next to each other at the bar, enjoying their drinks and watching Yuffie making a fool of herself on the dance floor.

“Here ya go Leon, drink up! These ones are on the house, as thanks for helping me fix the place up.” Tifa beamed, sliding a mug towards Leon.

“Are you even old enough to drink?” Cloud randomly asked. No drinking age had been set in Hollow Bastion, but since Tifa owned the only bar, it was up to her discretion who was old enough.

“Of course I am.” Leon answered smoothly as he downed the strange drink Tifa had given him. He didn’t bother to mention that from his old world, SEEDs were generally not allowed to drink till they either hit the age of 24. They had been taught that alcohol can greatly impair one’s judgment and reflexes, and the academy tried to prevent their cadets from developing a habit. Leon figured that if Yuffie was allowed an occasional drink, he was more then mature enough to handle some alcohol.

“So hey, Leon.” Tifa slyly began, resting her elbows on the smooth bar counter and leaning in towards the brunet. “I’ve noticed you’ve been working pretty hard lately. Do you think you should take some time off? Just kick back and relax some?”

A vein twitched on Leon’s forehead at hearing the word “vacation” again. Recently everyone seemed to be continuously pestering him about taking some time off. “I’m fine.” Leon said coolly, setting the empty glass on the counter.

“Hmmmm….I figured you’d say that.” Tifa hummed, chin resting on her upright palm, smiling at Leon with a certain look in her eyes.

It was then that Leon’s vision began to blur and his head felt heavy. Bracing himself against the bar, his head dropped a few times as he suddenly felt very very tired. Rolling his eyes up at Tifa for help, he was surprised to find her watching him with a devilish smile on her face. Then it clicked.

“Wha….did-you…do…?” Leon managed to slur out before he collapsed completely. Cloud squawked and shot out of his seat to catch the brunet before he hit the floor.

“Leon? Leon! Tifa, he’s out cold!” Cloud looked down at the unconscious brunet, wondering what could’ve caused the gunblader to pass out.

“Wow, that took a lot less time then I thought.” Yuffie giggled as she bounced up to the sleeping brunet who was being held up by Cloud, and poked him in the cheek a few times.

“What did you do to him!?” Cloud growled angrily, noticing the girls’ lack of concern.

Aerith stepped up from behind Cloud and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze as she checked Leon‘s heart rate. “Don’t worry, it was only a little sleeping potion I cooked up. Though he’ll be out of it for a while, as it was strong enough to even knock you out Cloud.” Which was saying something, as the mako in Cloud’s system often left him immune to most potions and poisons.

“You drugged him!?” Cloud all but yelled. He could see Yuffie and maybe Tifa pulling a stunt like this, but Aerith!?

“We’ll explain everything outside. Carry him out to the main square.” Aerith gave Cloud a reassuring smile, and left with the girls out the door.

Irritated, Cloud pulled Leon’s dead weight up and draped him over his shoulder, finding the other male a lot lighter then he would’ve expected for one who put up a hell of a fight during their spars. Ignoring other people’s questioning and concerned stares, Cloud carried Leon out of the crowded tavern and down the street to the central square. He was surprised to find a gummi ship sitting there, and more specifically the gummi ship he often “borrowed” to travel other worlds, when he use to search for Sephiroth.

“Everything’s all set and packed!” Yuffie reported happily to Aerith as Cloud approached. Cloud cast them each a confused look. Unsure as to exactly where he should put the unconscious Leon, Cloud just continued to carry him over his shoulder.

“Explain.” Cloud barked, not exactly happy.

“Well, we all agreed that Leon needed a vacation, but he obviously wasn’t going to take one on his own anytime soon.” Aerith began. “So, we’re more or less forcing him to take a vacation.”

“By drugging him?” Cloud asked.

“Well if he knew what we planned, he certainly wasn’t going to come willingly.” Yuffie added.

“And what have you planned?” Cloud looked over at the gummi ship, and noticed Cid was standing next to it, grumbling to himself as he angrily punched at a digital console near the entryway.

“We figured that you could take Leon off-world in the gummi ship. Maybe go visit Sora at Destiny Islands. He’s been begging for Leon to visit for ages now.”

“Me!?” Cloud almost dropped Leon in surprise.

“Come on, Spike. You’re the only one who Leon truly opens up around. We all know this. ” Tifa laughed, ruffling the blonde’s air in affection.

“More like I’m the only one who has a chance to survive Leon’s rampage when he wakes up and realizes what you’ve done.” Cloud bit out, still not exactly happy with this plan.

“Just think of this as an opportunity to get to know Squally a little better. It’ll be just you and him, allalone in the gummi ship.” Yuffie waggled her eyebrow and nudged Cloud side with her elbow, to emphasize her point.

“You do realize this is kidnapping.” Cloud rubbed his temple as he felt a mild headache building. How did he always get dragged into these things?

“Like I said, we’re calling it a forced vacation.” Aerith gave Cloud a reassuring smile and began to push him toward the gummi ship. “Your gummi ship is already prepared, thanks to Cid’s generosity, and we’ve packed clothes and provisions for you as well.”

“This is the dumbest, craziest, and most idiotic thing ever. You can’t seriously think Leon will enjoy this.” Cloud gave one last protest as he was all but shoved into the gummi ship, with Leon still draped over his shoulder.

“That’s why we’re making you go Cloud. To make sure he enjoys it.” Aerith pulled the front of Cloud shirt to make him lean closer. “And you better damn well make sure this is the best vacation he’s even had, or you’ll never see your precious Fenrir again.” Cloud almost peeded his pants at the brief look Aerith gave him, before her sweet smile appeared and she pushed him in all the way into the gummi ship.

The four stood in a line and waved together as they watched the gummi ship fly off.

“I can’t believe you blackmailed me into giving up my gummi ship.” Cid grouched as he watched the ship fly off into the sky.

“Oh please, Cid. Cloud practically owns that ship with how many times he’s used it. You don’t even fly any of the ships you build!” Tifa huffed and punched the man in the arm for complaining.

“Life’s going to be pretty boring without Leon or Cloud around…” Yuffie sighed as they turned to walk back to the bar.

“Don’t worry Yuffie, there’s plenty to do here to keep you occupied.” Aerith wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders in comfort.

“Like what?” The ninja mumbled. Though she had loved the idea of sending Cloud and Leon off onto an adventure, she just realized the two people she loved pestering the most were now gone. She almost wanted them to come back already.

“Well, if you’re good, I’ll let you drive Cloud’s motorcycle while he‘s gone.” Aerith winked.

Never mind. Yuffie wanted them to be gone for a good long while.

---

Oh god, what’s wrong with me. Another new story. I’m horrible, I know….

Writer’s block in combination with school pretty much killed most of my inspiration as of late, so I decided to write this to hopefully gain my creativity back again. The main plot has been rolling around in my head for a while, so I decided to just go for it, even if I haven’t completely figured out what else is to come.

This story’s pretty open so far. I have somewhat of a main plot in mind, but it’s really open for additional subplots. Destiny Islands and Twilight Town are definitely on this list of places Cloud and Leon are going to visit, but I’m open for suggestions for other worlds people would like to see. Even one’s not in Kingdom Hearts. Let me know if you’ve got any ideas. Any at all.

This was mostly written during my insomnia periods, so it’s completely unbeta’ed and probably plenty of mistakes. I’ll try to catch the ones I find, but please forgive me for the grammatical errors.

Yeah, that’s it for now. Dunno when the next chapter will be out, but reviews certainly help with inspiration and motivation. *hint hint*

-Kou Tora

On the Banks of the River Styx, (1/2)

2009-02-27T05:52:13Z

Title: On the Banks on the River Styx (1/2)
Pairing/Characters: Mukuro/Tsuna, 6927
Rating: PG
Author Notes: Written for the shougatsushot community exchange on LJ, for themsoftheraven , back in January. We were suppose to keep our identities a secret till the end, but the community seems to have died, and it’s nearly March, so I figured I’d post it. (Surprise!). I never got my fic though…..dwahh…

---------

Despite popular belief (not that the facts were well known), their odd relationship did not start when they first met, within the abandoned grounds of Kokuyo Land. Nor was it during their fights in the Ring Battles, as allies instead of enemies. Actually, it was many years later, in a situation Rokudo Mukuro would have thought surreal, had he not expected it.

Dripping wet and legs weak from lack of use, Mukuro could hardly conceal the slight tremors and shivering of his body as the cold air kissed his skin for the first time in many years. Hands, warm and larger than he would have expected, gripped his shoulders, steadying his thin and frail body. His real body. A dry blanket soon replaced the hands, and Mukuro raised his head to meet innocent amber eyes. The boy-now-man smiled back.

“Hello Mukuro.”

Mukuro opened his mouth and gave a weak cough, his voice hoarse and cracked from lack of use.

“Ku..fuu..fu…so we meet again, Tsunayoshi Sawada.” He coughed again, cold fingers gripping his throat as he struggled for breath. Tsuna’s face quickly flashed concern, and knelt to aid him, but Mukuro just shrugged him off. Drawing himself up, he pushed his wet hair back away from his face, and this time looked down at the young decimo.

“Now, unless you wish to have a picnic, I’d prefer not to linger within this wretched dungeon any longer.” Mukuro spoke more smoothly, this time with a slight illusion to hide his raspy voice. Looking so weak and vulnerable was quickly dampening his good mood.

Tsuna sighed, but could not quite hold back the smirk that played on his lips. Raising his hand, he gestured towards the exit. Together they left the Vendicare prison, one being the protector of all those he holds precious, and the other who wishes to destroy just that.

That was the last time Tsuna ever saw Mukuro. Or at least, his real body. Shortly after freeing him from his confinement in the Vendicare prison, just like the mist, Mukuro vanished. Chrome was still in contact, and she assured him that Mukuro was doing well. But where he was or what he was doing was anyone’s guess.

But behind closed doors and secretly in the darkness of sleep, Mukuro surprised Tsuna by continuing to keep contact with him. Occasionally, about once a week or so, Mukuro would coax Tsuna’s sleeping mind into his illusionary world. It would either be a beach, an park, or just simply a decorated room. Tsuna always knew he was dreaming in an illusionary world, and Mukuro never bothered to attempt to fool the young Vongola. It never worked in the past, and it wouldn’t now.

Nothing extraordinary would ever occur. They would simply talk, discussing current events or just little trivial things. Neither wanted to break the comfort of fake pleasantries by bringing up topics that would only lead to foul moods and unwanted emotions. The Gesso family, not yet the Millifore, was one such topic.

Tsuna always wanted ask what Mukuro‘s real purpose of visiting him within his sleep, but could never quite bring himself to voice his questions. He suspected that Mukuro just simply wished to remain in contact. Maybe he was lonely, maybe he was bored. Either way, Mukuro continued to visit Tsuna in his sleep, and Tsuna continued to welcome him.

One night, while settling into sleep, Tsuna felt the familiar pull of his consciousness being drawn away. Opening his eyes, he found himself not in the usual park, which Mukuro had been favoring, but instead a forest glade, freshly powered with white snow. Small snowflakes filtered down from the tree tops, and the chilly air nipped at Tsuna’s face. Tsuna chuckled and reached up to catch a falling snow flake, watching is dissolve in his hand. Mukuro always had a bit of an artistic touch, and he always greatly enjoyed showing off his skills.

Wandering around a bit, it didn’t take him long to find Mukuro. The illusionist was standing quietly under a large evergreen, seemingly deep in thought, apparently for quite some time, with the light dusting of snow that covered his coat and hair.

Tsuna quietly stepped near his Mist Guardian, unsure if he wanted to disturb the other. When Mukuro made no motion to acknowledge Tsuna’s presence, Tsuna reached out to touch Mukuro’s elbow gently, not particularly wanting to use his voice and disturb the pleasant silence. Mukuro, not expecting the contact, flinch and snapped his head towards Tsuna in surprise. Tsuna was equally surprised that he managed to catch Mukuro off guard. He didn’t think that was possible, especially in his own illusion world.

Mukuro stared at Tsuna with an old blank look on his face, which slightly unnerved Tsuna. He was about to ask Mukuro is something was the matter, when the illusionist grabbed Tsuna’s upper arm roughly, and pulled the boy slightly closer.

“Are you real?” Mukuro practically whispered in a haunted voice with a strange wild look in his eyes.

Tsuna frowned in confusion, and nodded. “Of course I am” He replied, his voice louder and sounding more solid then the out of character illusionist.

Mukuro studied Tsuna for another moment before letting out the breath he had apparently been holding, and bowing his head, his whole body becoming lax. Dropping his hand from its grip on the other’s arm, Mukuro straightened and his trademark smile was back in place, if not a little strained.

“You continue to surprise me to no end, Tsunayoshi-kun. Your list of talents just continues to increase. I knew you had talent in denying illusionary suggestions, but to hijack into another‘s illusion is a whole nother thing. ” He chuckled, and stuffed his hands into his pant pockets.

Tsuna stared wide eyed and open mouthed for a moment, processing what Mukuro was trying to say. “Wha--wait! You mean you didn’t bring me here!? I felt you pull me here!” Tsuna protested, terribly confused. He was no illusionist. Studying people and manipulating minds just wasn’t his thing.

“Not tonight I didn’t, young Vongola. I was hoping for some solitude this evening, but it seems I must entertain an uninvited guest instead. Oh well.” Mukuro just hummed, and turned around, feigning disinterest. However Tsuna caught the quick flash of surprise and question that crossed Mukuro’s face. It seems Mukuro truly had no idea why Tsuna was there either.

As Mukuro began walking away, Tsuna quietly followed, thinking Mukuro was going to lead them somewhere. Tsuna studied Mukuro’s face from behind. Mukuro was clearly not himself tonight, and Tsuna silently wondered if something happened. But asking about each other’s personal lives was another taboo-topic, so Tsuna did not voice his concerns. Mukuro would only laugh at his naïve attitude anyways.

After about ten minutes or so, Tsuna soon realized that they were going no where in particular. Mukuro’s eyes had taken on the lost-in-thought look he had when Tsuna first arrived. He was just simply walking and thinking, and had clearly forgotten that Tsuna was even there.

Concerned over Mukuro’s increasingly out of character behavior, Tsuna decided to forget their unspoken rule and finally test to see just how much they trusted each other. Quickly picking up his steps, Tsuna ran up to Mukuro and firmly grabbed his arm, snapping the other out of his inner-thought process and halting his steps.

“Mukuro, what’s wrong? You’re not yourself tonight.” Tsuna asked, showing that he was concerned, but also slightly pushing that he wanted an answer. He was not asking out of politeness.

Mukuro gazed down at the young mafia boss. None of his usual mischief or all-knowing smirk played on his face. Just blank and indifference. He gave no indication that he was going to answer Tsuna’s question. In fact, he looked as if he wanted to run. Tsuna, upon seeing such a guarded and yet completely real Mukuro, was at a loss at what to do. When the Mist guardian shifted slightly as to move away, Tsuna roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him so that he faced Tsuna. Drawing himself slightly closer, Tsuna looked into the mismatched eyes and refused to break eye contact.

“What’s wrong?” He said again, but this time softer, almost a whisper.

Tsuna was surprised when suddenly Mukuro bent forward and pressed a slender hand at Tsuna’s back, pushing the boy against his taller frame. He pressed his cheek against Tsuna’s, burying his face into soft hair and simply breathed in the warmth that was the young sky-ring lord.

“Thank you, Tsunayoshi.” Mukuro whispered into Tsuna’s ear, hot breath turning into puffs of mist in the chilly air.

And before Tsuna could respond, or even blink, he was awake. Sitting up in his plush bed, Tsuna’s peered around his dark bedroom. His heart was hammering in his ears, and his skin tingled from the lingering feeling of Mukuro’s breath that was never really there. Shakily running a hand through his bed-head hair, Tsuna forced himself to relax. His mind was spinning at a million miles per second, trying to comprehend the short yet infinitely complex meeting with Mukuro. But it was still very late at night, and his mind was still sleep-heavy. Giving up on try to make much sense out of his ever-riddled Mist guardian, Tsuna laid back down in his bed and attempted to coax himself back into sleep.

He did not dream of Mukuro again that night.

It wasn’t until the next morning when he discovered the source of Mukuro’s perplexing mood. He awoke to find a sobbing Chrome, who had been staying at the Vongola manor temporarily. She had received a phone-call from Chikusa the previous night. Apparently Ken had been mortally wounded in an accident (what sort of “accident” neither would say), but he had come dangerously close to death. Chrome mentioned that after relaying the news to Mukuro, he became unusually withdrawn, and she couldn’t contact him anymore.

It was that little clue that led Tsuna to finally piece the puzzle together, and it surprised him. Mukuro, despite his indifference towards human life and his comrades‘, truly feared for his friend’s life. He had retreated into his illusionary world to hide himself, but possibly he unconsciously needed some sort of comfort or support. Thus Tsuna was called, without him directly realizing it. Tsuna secretly wondered if he had done enough to help Mukuro. He had a feeling he would not see the Mist user again for quite some time.

During the next few weeks, Chrome fussed and paced about the manor anxiously. Ken would live, but he would require much theory to recover his strength. What truly upset her was the lack of contact with Mukuro. She mentioned that he was alive and around, but simply refused to acknowledge her calls. Tsuna never told Chrome of his meeting with Mukuro. So Tsuna just tried to reassure her, and remind her that Mukuro often has his own agenda, and will return again when he’s ready.

Time passed steadily, and approximately two months later, one night as Tsuna slept, he awoke in his dream-world to find himself in a familiar sunny park. It was the very same one he and Mukuro had visited several times before his visit to the snow-covered forest glade.

“Greetings Tsunayoshi-kun.” Mukuro’s sing-song voice called from a bench not too far off. He held a crepe in each hand. Munching on one, and gesturing with the other for Tsuna to join him.

Tsuna studied Mukuro cautiously from where he stood, looking for any clues or otherwise out-of-character changes from his long absence. Mukuro gave no indication that he had been missing for over two months. It was if time had wound back, and he was currently looking at a Mukuro who never once sought comfort from another. Tsuna sometimes wondered if he dreamt the whole thing up. Mukuro called to him again, and Tsuna rolled his eyes at the man’s childish behavior.

Walking over to his Mist Guardian, Tsuna sat down on the bench and accepted the crepe that Mukuro handed him. After a brief moment of silence from munching on the sweet pastry, they slipped into a casual conversation, like nothing had ever happened. Their weekly routine began once again.

---------------
So, here’s my first ever, 6927 fic!! I have a strange love-hate relationship with Mukuro. I both love and hate writing him. His personality can be so….inconsistent at times…..

There IS a second part to this fic. I’ve yet to find time to write it, but it will be written eventually.

Reviews and Comments are most appreciated!
-Kou Tora

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4888891/1/

KHR - Clueless

2008-12-30T07:15:24Z

Written for sayasama for khr_exchange

Title: Clueless
Rating: G
Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna
Summary: “It sounds like you have a crush on someone, Tsuna.” Yamamoto simply stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

It was a faint pulse at first. A slight increase of his heartbeat, a brief flutter in his gut. Tsuna tried to ignore it, thinking it would pass. It wasn’t anything to be concerned about. Just a minor thing.

Only, it didn’t pass. If anything, it only got worse.

At certain times, he face would get hot, and his mind fuzzy, clouded and lightheaded. He caught himself daydreaming and zoning out on several occasions, only after Reborn himself had smacked him upside the head and told him to ‘snap out of it‘. Only he couldn’t snap out of it. It was some sort of disease or sickness. An addiction he didn’t know he had. He felt flustered and anxious.

When a concerned Gokudera and Yamamoto approached him about his apparent lack of concentration and constant anxiety, Tsuna attempted to explain his predicament. Gokudera, always being the over-protective right-hand man, immediately broke out into giving him a hundred possible reasons what could be wrong, and proclaimed that they take Tsuna to the Vongola doctors immediately. Yamamoto on the other hand, just simply laughed and clapped a hand over Gokudera’s shoulder to prevent the Italian from running off in search of Dr. Shamal.

“It sounds like you have a crush on someone, Tsuna.” Yamamoto simply stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Gokudera of course immediately opened him mouth to yell at the baseball player, but then surprisingly shut his mouth before uttering a word, and calmly sat back down.

“Oh. Well…that explains it too. That‘s easy.” Was what he simply said.

Tsuna on the other hand didn’t think it was that easy. Him? Have a crush? He thought he’d long since outgrown the silly schoolboy crush he had on Kyoko (who had long since moved on), and he honestly couldn’t think of anyone else he might have an interest in.

Fortunately for him (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), Squalo just happened to waltz by. It was then that Tsuna began to suspect that strange cosmic forces were at work, because not only did Squalo not immediately begin bickering with Gokudera, he actually sat down and asked (demanded) to know what their conversation was about. Clearly something was not right in the balance of the world.

Ignoring Tsuna’s gawking and protests, Yamamoto plainly spelled out Tsuna’s dilemma. Tsuna winced and prepared for the oncoming laughter and insistent teasing. However, he was soon reminded that the world was currently skewed and this wasn’t the “normal” Squalo he knew. For the only response he got was a hushed “Fuck, not you too”. Before Tsuna could question Squalo about his statement, the swordsman quickly launched himself from his seat, roughly grabbed a protesting Gokudera and an equally confused Yamamoto, and hastily excused them from the room, dragging the two along. Tsuna was left to ponder the new turn of events by himself.

Several hours later and after much unsuccessful pondering, Tsuna was ready to resign and call the whole thing hopeless. He simply couldn’t accept that he harbored feelings for someone in a more-than-platonic way. Honestly, how could he like someone, and not know who it is!?

Apparently the other members of the Vongola had other ideas, and were more than willing to help Tsuna discover his one true love. In fact, Tsuna was convinced they knew who the mystery person was.

“Can’t you just tell me who it is?” Tsuna whined, becoming more and more frustrated with the situation. Lussuria, the self-proclaimed love-guru of the Vongola, simply tsk’d at him, waggling his finger back and forth like you would a child.

“It doesn’t work like that, little Vongola. You must be the one to tell us who it is, because truly only you know.” He explained in a dreamy-voice, apparently having a field-day with Tsuna’s case. Tsuna thought that was complete and utter bull-shit, but he wasn’t about to voice his doubts, especially when the ‘love-guru’ could easily break his face with his knee.

“But how is that going to help figure out who it is?” Tsuna asked, completely clueless on what to do. He tried picturing the person who could be his crush, but only a flood of emotions and a feeling of nostalgia appeared in his mind. The mystery person remained a person.

“It’s like this, Tsuna-san!” Haru piped up, having become just as equally excited about the news of Tsuna’s crush. Her and the other women of the Vongola, Bianchi, I-pin and Chrome, quickly became a small pack of support, eagerly supplying him with their ‘infinite wisdom o f women’.

“It’s someone who obviously grabs your attention the minute you see them!”

“You can’t stop thinking about them, and you have the irresistible urge to see them all the time.”

“When you’re near them, you become flustered and can’t get your words out right because your mind’s too preoccupied at just looking at them.”

“Your heart feels like it’s going to leap from your chest when they speak to you, or just look your way. “

“You start to---” “Ok I get it! Enough!” Tsuna halted the ‘infinite wisdom of women’, as he obviously didn’t have infinity to listen to them. The sound of the door opening caught Tsuna’s attention. He secretly hoped it wasn’t Reborn coming to give him a bit of his own personal “advice“.

“That’s enough you guys. I don’t think I’ll ever…be…able…” Tsuna’s words trailed off as his eyes met the ones of the newest occupant of the room who just entered. His mind came to a complete and total stop, like a train hitting a brick wall.

“Oh.” And suddenly, something clicked, and Tsuna suddenly understood everything. Not that it helped much, as his brain suddenly felt as if it was filled with air and butterflies just hatched in his stomach.

The chorus of muffled giggles and snickers, along with the scampering people leaving the room went completely unnoticed by Tsuna, as he stared at the cause of his plight.

Amber eyes met crimson red.

Coughing slightly, Xanxus walked up to Tsuna, and took a seat next to him. A brief thought flickered through Tsuna’s mind, again reminding him that the world must be wrong somehow, seeing as Xanxus wasn’t kicking or swearing at him, but the thought didn’t last long as all the blood seemed to rush to Tsuna’s face, and his mind began tripping over itself over and over again.

“Yo” Xanxus finally spoke, seeing as Tsuna wasn’t going to greet him first.

“Wha-!? Oh…I’m mean…Hello…err..Hi.” Tsuna’s face, if possible, got even redder. He was probably glowing like Rudolph’s nose at this point.

But honestly, how could he have known!? Xanxus of all people was who he had a crush on. The same Xanxus who, just a few years prior, was determined to burn Tsuna’s bones into ash. But somehow, despite how much it defied logic, it just worked in Tsuna’s mind, and he just knew he wanted to know everything that was Xanxus.

The rich rumble of Xanxus’s laugh next to him snapped Tsuna out of his interior monologue, if only to further send his mind into a tumble and the butterflies in his stomach to a flurry.

“So…” And suddenly, Xanxus was much too close, as the larger man leaned over towards Tsuna. “Did you get the ‘infinite wisdom of women’ talk too?”

Tsuna snorted, and attempted to stifle a laugh, but the grin on Xanxus’s face made it impossible, and the two of them were soon laughing aloud, enjoying the sound of each other’s voice.

That was until a pair of impossibly warm lips clamped over his, catching Tsuna off guard. A large and calloused hand cradled the side of his face, curling around his jaw and behind his ear. He could feel the blood pumping within his fingertips, which were now clutching the other’s jacket. And suddenly the floodgates in Tsuna’s mind opened, and everything that had muddled and confused his mind he now felt flow freely. The butterflies were set free, and the imbalance in the world suddenly became right again.

Everything would be alright.

*Flails* I'm never been confident in my ability to write pure pointless fluff. I always get agitated and annoyed when it feels like it's lacking something. I tried at least.....

.

Fanfiction.net link

Catalyst - Chapter 2

2008-10-30T03:34:02Z

Title: Catalyst

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Warnings: Swearing, Violence, Character Death BL/Yaoi/etc.

Summary: Everyone believes death is the end. But when death is cheated, and you’re dragged from the land of the dead, what will you have to do to remain among the living?

Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

Chapter 2 - After Effect

Tsuna felt as if he was floating and falling at the same time. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, nor speak. He body was burning up and freezing within, the tips of his fingers tingling and then slowly going numb. Panic slowly swelled within his chest. He tried to struggle, tried to break free and run away, but his body refused to respond. Then his feet found the ground.

The air suddenly cleared and everything became crystal clear. Stumbling as his feet landed on the hard ground, Tsuna opened his eyes and took a startled breath. Looking around in confusion, Tsuna found himself standing at a deserted train station. A few benches sat on the wooden platform that was set next to the tracks that stretched off into the horizon. Surrounding the train station were endless fields of tall grass. A small beaten path cut itself through the grass, leading away from the train station. Tsuna cautiously looked around, curious as to how he got there. His mind felt fuzzy and lethargic, as if he just woke up. Finding little interest in waiting for a train that may or may not come, Tsuna decided to follow the path. Maybe he’d find something there that would tell him where he was. Stepping down from the platform, Tsuna stepped towards the tall grass when a voice called from behind him.

“I wouldn’t go that way if I were you.”

Turning around abruptly, Tsuna was surprised to find none other then Rokudo Mukuro sitting at one of the benches. His head was leaned backwards, looking up at the blue sky. He then slowly rolled his head towards Tsuna’s direction, and his mismatched eyes glittered in the sun, staring directly at Tsuna.

“You never know where it may lead.” He continued, motioning with his hand that he was referring to the path. Tsuna took one last glance at the path, before climbing the steps up to the platform again. Standing awkwardly there, he looked around his surrounding again, then back at Mukuro.

“I must say though, I’m surprised to find you here, Tsunayoshi-kun. Or, at least to find you here so soon.” Mukuro chuckled, and stretched his long legs outwards, making himself comfortable on the bench.

“And where is here?” Tsuna finally spoke. He found using his voice difficult. Like he hadn’t used it in years. Mukuro hummed to himself and turned his eyes back upwards, staring lazily at the sky above. He seemed to ponder the question, finding the right words.

“Here is a place between there and there.” Mukuro motioned with his fingers, pointing at both directions at which the tracks lead. He spoke of the last direction with more force, adding his personal distaste of speaking of it. “We’re at a junction, to put it simply.” He continued. “Everyone comes here, eventually. Everyone comes from there, and then goes there. “ He points once again off into the distance.

Tsuna seemed to contemplate this for a moment, but before he could voice his next question, he was interrupted by the sound of a train whistle, far off in the distance.

“Ah, right on time, as usual.” Mukuro turns a disinterested eye towards the sound of the coming train. He then looks at Tsuna, and gives him a knowing smirk.

“However, it seems that you will not be getting on this train. Not yet, at least.”

Suddenly chains appeared from out of nowhere, and lashed themselves around Tsuna’s wrists and ankles. They dug into his skin and pulled. Tsuna struggled, and attempted to break free, but he suddenly felt weak. His voice refused to work, and pain spiked through his limbs.

“They hurt, don’t they?” Mukuro smiled sadly at Tsuna, watching the teen struggle, but made no move to help him. Tsuna looked at him in confusion. “They’re painful. The chains that bind us to life.”

The chains suddenly yanked upwards, and pulled Tsuna with them. Darkness once again enveloped around him. Then, as if he had been struck by lightning, Tsuna found his whole body tingling with energy. He had the sudden sensation of colliding with the ground. And then another shock of energy and he could suddenly feel everything. He could feel the ground against his back, and a stronger force pressing against his chest. He could feel the cool air against his skin, with the addition of the burning power of flames spreading outwards over him. Cracking his eyes open, Tsuna was greeted with the blurry vision of someone hovering over him, silhouetted by the sun over him. Twin crimson eyes was all he could make out.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, brat.” A rough and deep voice spoke to him.

And then he felt himself slipping back into the darkness once more. The energy that had once been burning within him, slowed down to a trickle, and just pulsed steadily. Despite his attempts to stay awake, Tsuna found himself exhausted, and he allowed to darkness to take him over once more. But this time he neither fell nor floated. He just slept.

Gokudera shifted in his seat, irritably tapping his foot restlessly as he watched over the sleeping figure. He hated sitting and waiting. He hated not being able to do anything. But most of all, he hated being useless. He glanced over to the sleeping figure of Tsuna, who lay completely still on the bed. With the exception of the slight inhale-exhale movement of his chest, showing that he was indeed still alive, Gokudera would have never believed what he saw take place.

Grumbling to himself, he pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. That gruesome and nightmarish scene repeatedly played within his mind over and over again. The blood bursting from Tsuna’s chest. The gunshot bang that soon followed afterwards. The cold stillness of his boss’s body when he caught him. It just happened so quickly, he could barely process what had happened.

Then…those bastards came. The moment the Varia showed up, Gokudera knew something was wrong. Their expressions of disinterest and lack of surprise was highly suspicious. And then Xanxus….

Gokudera slammed his fist against the wood of the table next to him angrily. He didn’t know if he should hate or be grateful of Xanxus. Yes, he somehow brought Tsuna back to life. That much was clear. Though how he did it, Gokudera still couldn’t begin to fathom of how that came about. But what really set Gokudera’s nerves on edge, was that look that Xanxus gave him. It was that same look, all those years ago, during the Ring Battles. That look he used when he’s plotting something, and he’s just moving the pieces according to his will. That bastard was planning something, that much Gokudera knew.

Gokudera was startled out of his brooding by the door slowly opening. Yamamoto stepped into the room quietly, and closed the door behind him. Gokudera stood hastily, but Yamamoto motioned for him to sit back down. Yamamoto took a worried glance at Tsuna, before sitting down in a chair on the other side of the room. He looked ragged and worn-out.

“Any change?” He asked slowly, quietly. Gokudera just shook his head.

“Nothing. He’s still asleep, but he hasn’t stirred a bit the entire time. The doctors said physically he was in perfect shape, but mentally….well….who knows.” Gokudera paused, collecting his shaken thoughts. He seemed hesitant to even think about it. “He was gone, Yamamoto. Dead. But now…he’s back. Just like that. I don’t….I just don’t know what to think anymore.” Gokudera openly admitted, sighing heavily. He laced his fingers together, gripping them, trying to keep them from shaking.

Yamamoto just watched Tsuna silently, giving Gokudera a moment to collect himself. He knew this was hard. It was hard on all of them. So close…they had been so close to losing Tsuna. That future almost came true. But now….he wasn’t sure what to believe. Would things simply go back to being like they were before? No, Yamamoto may be simple at times, but even he knew things wouldn’t quite be the same….at least not for a while.

“I got what you asked for.” Yamamoto finally spoke up. He dug through his coat pocket to pull out a package of cigarettes. He tossed them to Gokudera, who caught it gracefully with one hand. “You really shouldn’t start smoking them again after all this time, but I figured you could probably use one right now.” Yamamoto smiled weakly, as he watched Gokudera hastily tear open the package.

Taking a deep breath of the poisonous smoke, Gokudera sighed deeply and visibly relaxed in his chair. Leaning back, he exhaled the smoke above him, before looking over at Yamamoto.

“So, what did you find out?” Gokudera asked, finally getting down to business. Yamamoto just shook his head slowly in defeat.

“Nothing useful. We sent out scouts to check the woods in a two mile radius, but nothing so far. We know the general direction of where the shot came from, but at that angle, we haven’t got a clue where the shot could’ve originated from. And who could‘ve made the shot is another mystery all together.” Yamamoto sighed, looking out of the window. Gokudera just swore under his breath.

“But we did find it.” Yamamoto concluded, reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket. Gokudera visibly stiffened. He watched as Yamamoto pulled out a small jar, its contents clinking against the glass as it rolled around inside.

“It’s completely unmarked, probably custom made.” He said as he tossed the jar over to Gokudera. “It also looks like it’s coated in some sort of strange substance. I figured you’d want to take a look at it before we sent it off to analysis.” Yamamoto explained, as he watched Gokudera look at the jar with disgust.

Gokudera rolled the jar between his fingers, looking at the oddly shaped bullet that was encased inside. He noted the odd looking surface of the bullet, and the lack of markings which were usually on bullets to identify their size and type. But what stood out the most, was the dark red tint of dried blood that clung to the bullet’s surface. Blood that belonged to the teen that lay sleeping just a few feet away from him. Suddenly feeling ill, Gokudera tossed the jar back to Yamamoto, sick of looking at the tiny object that almost destroyed all of their lives.

Pinching the bridge of his nose again in frustration, Gokudera continued on, taking another long inhale of his cigarette.

“Who did you get a hold of?” He asked. Yamamoto sighed, and put the jar back into his pocket.

“Ryohei is on his way back as we speak. He’ll be here in the morning. Hibari didn’t want to talk to me, as usual, but I left a message with Kusakabe-san, so I’m sure he’ll show up eventually. And Mukuro is MIA. I put an alert out, so if anyone should come in contact with either him or Chrome, they’ll give them the order to return home.” Yamamoto explained, folding his hands together. Even though it had only been a few hours since the attack, it felt as if it had been weeks.

“What about his mother?” Gokudera asked, glancing at the still sleeping Tsuna who hadn’t stirred the entire time.

“I contacted Basil-kun. He is in Japan currently, and said he’d inform Lambo, Futa and everyone else there of the situation. He also added that he’d…soften the story so that Mrs. Sawada would easily understand, yet not be confused or mislead by what really happened.” Yamamoto concluded.

“Ah.” Was all Gokudera said. AKA, Basil would lie and probably say that Tsuna hit his head or something simple like that. No need to worry the woman further.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Reborn stepped inside. Gokudera and Yamamoto stood up in surprise. The Archebelano hadn’t been here when the attack took place. He must have just arrived. Clearing his throat, Reborn nodded slightly to the Storm and Rain Guardians.

“Gokudera, Yamamoto. You look tired, why don’t you go rest. I’ll take over watching him.” Reborn said, walking slowly into the room.

“I’m…I’m ok, Reborn-san. I’d like to be here when the 10th wakes up.” Gokudera stuttered slightly, grinding his burnt out cigarette into an ash-tray.

“No, I’d like some time with Tsuna alone, if you please.” Reborn said more forcefully, but showing his appreciation for their hard work. Yamamoto nodded at Gokudera, and made his way towards the door. Gokudera just took one last glance at Tsuna, before hesitantly leaving the room.

Reborn made his way around the bed, and sat himself in the chair that sat directly next to it. He watched his student for a moment, before turning his attention towards the door that opened. In stepped Xanxus. He promptly closed the door behind him and clicked the lock shut. Walking up towards the bed, he stopped at the foot. Crossing his arms over his chest, he watched the sleeping Tsuna with a mixture of irritation and disinterest.

“Are you going to wake him now?” Reborn asked, settling himself in the chair and folding his arms together in his customary pose.

“I suppose. The sooner the brat faces reality, the better.” Xanxus clicked his tongue in annoyance. “But you’re doing the explaining. I can’t deal with idiots who don’t listen.” Xanxus said firmly.

“I’ll help calm him, but you’re going to explain the rest.” Reborn said, giving his voice a tone that showed the topic wasn’t up for negotiation.

“Che. Fine.” Xanxus huffed in annoyance. Holding up his hand, he watched the ring on his finger glow momentarily, before a tiny flame ignited on the ring. His eyes flicked upwards towards Tsuna, watching for a reaction.

It didn’t take long. Almost immediately Tsuna’s eyes fluttered, and he stirred sluggishly. Groaning slightly, Tsuna’s eyes opened before closing once again.

“Baka-Tsuna. Wake up!” Reborn yelled in annoyance, immediately noticing Tsuna’s habit of wanting to slip back into sleep.

“Five more minutes Reborn.” Tsuna mumbled, his sleep-heavy mind not quite catching up with his current situation.

“Sorry princess, but you don’t have five minutes. I suggest you get up now before I set your sheets on fire.” Xanxus barked a threat, half hoping the brat wouldn’t listen just so he could set it on fire.

This apparently got Tsuna’s attention, because he immediately shot up, looking around the room frantically.

“Wha-Xanxus!?” Tsuna asked, surprised and slightly alarmed.

“Look who decided to join the living.” Xanxus smirked, folding his arms over his chest once more. Originally he hated the idea of dealing with the Vongola brat in any way, but the look of surprise and slight fear in the boy’s eyes made him rethink that opinion. He was going to enjoy this.

So, wow. I was surprised just how popular this story was. Considering how short and not really all that exiting the previous chapter was (in my mind, it was more like a prologue), I was shocked by how many reviews I got!

-quickly runs and hides behind a barricade- I’m sorry this chapter doesn’t really explain anything at all! (and the fact that I wrote this so quickly, but I still haven’t updates Ashes to Flames…). It was surprisingly easy to write. I wrote this chapter in one sitting, about 3 hours total. I was going to write a little more, but I decided to end it here for several reasons. One, I want to switch the Tsuna’s POV, and I figured it would be easier if I just do that at the beginning of a new chapter. The 2nd reason was…well…I was kind of stupid and went exploring around 4Chan…. My brain then proceeded to explode and melt out of my ears. (Stupid, I know). Here’s some advice for you all, never go exploring 4Chan at 3am if you want to keep your intelligence intact.

Anyway! Review Response time!!

-Lunara-Dono- OMG…you have PEOPLE! D8 runs and hides

-KoOri no HouKou - Haha, please don’t bite me! I prefer Reviews to the Extreme! And Thank you!

-Ila Way - Writing about Tsuna dying was a very painful and heart-wrenching thing to do. And it doesn’t help that this theme will continue all throughout the fic. But don’t worry, Xanxus is there to (sorta) make it all better!

-Death2Afangirl - Haha, thank you! Yes, it’s sad how few X27 fics there are. But I’m doing my best to convert and feed the fandom! 8D Thank you!

And as always, thank you to everyone else who reviewed! I love them all!

The next chapter will explain (almost) everything! The plot REALLY gets rolling in the next chapter.

Wish me luck with writing it!

As always, Reviews are awesome to the Extreme!

-Kou Tora

Catalyst - Chapter 1

2008-10-23T00:41:20Z

Title: Catalyst

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

-----

The end was signaled with the roar of flames and cheers of victory. The battle was over. They had once again overcome the odds, survived, and flourished. The Vongola still held their seat on top of the mafia hierarchy. All thanks to the Vongola Decimo.

This newest battle had been short and swift. Yet another rival mafia family had become jealous of the Vongola’s ever increasing fame and fortune. They, like so many other rival mafia families before them, had underestimated the young Vongola Decimo and his equally young Guardians. However, like all the ones before them, Tsuna and his family beat the odds and overcame the challengers.

The results of their hard work could be seen below him. Tsuna hovered high in the air, supported by rich orange flames that poured from the palms of his hands. His crystal-orange eyes surveyed the battlefield. People were scattered about the grounds, some dead or unconscious, others standing and cheering in victory. Subordinates and Guardians alike stood and looked up at him from below, waving happily. Despite his dislike for violence, Tsuna was glad he was able to protect his family once again. From what Tsuna could see, there were no casualties on their side, and very few serious injuries.

Down on the ground, Gokudera rolled up his torn and dirtied sleeves, brushing off the bomb smoke and filth that clung to him. Smiling in satisfaction from a successful victory, he casually lit a fresh cigarette. Taking a slow deep breath, he nearly jumped when a hand suddenly clapped on his shoulder.

“Hahaha, that sure was quick.” The overly cheerful voice of Yamamoto laughed a little too close for Gokudera’s liking. Slapping Yamamoto’s hand away, Gokudera took another slow drag of his cigarette to calm himself.

“Of course it was you moron. These guys were just third-rate thugs. Hardly worth our time.” Gokudera cast a glare at Yamamoto, angry at how the swordsman somehow managed to come out of the battle dirt-free. If Gokudera hadn’t seen the baseball maniac actually fight, he would’ve thought he never took place in the battle. Spitting out his half burned down cigarette, Gokudera turned his head upwards to watch Tsuna, who’s brilliant orange flames were flowing over the sky.

“Jyuudaime!!” Gokudera called happily, waving enthusiastically up at his beloved boss. Tsuna, hearing his name, looked down, and smiled in return. He opened his mouth to return a greeting, but his voice stilled in his throat.

There was no sound, nor even the slightest hint or flicker that could’ve forewarned him. Red specks suddenly filled his vision. Blood, like a flower blooming, spread outwards from his chest. For a full second, the world froze and all went silent. Then, another second ticked by, and came a thunderous roar.

BANG

A third second ticked by, much slower then the other two. Like a candle being snuffed out, Tsuna’s flames were gone. His body hovered for a millisecond, then he fell. Among the startled and frozen family below, Gokudera was the first to react. With a cry of agony, he sprinted forward, catching Tsuna’s body before he hit the ground. Cradling his Boss’s head with one hand, and pressing on the wound with his other, attempting to stem the blood flow, Gokudera called Tsuna’s name like a chant.

But it was too late. Tsuna was already gone.

Yamamoto knelt next to Gokudera, and then calmly, yet shakily pried Gokudera’s hands away from Tsuna’s body from where they had been trying to revive the fallen teen. The rest of the family soon was crowded around, crying and looking on with horror. In less then a minute, they had lost their beloved boss, their sky.

Gokudera cried openly, but he couldn’t seem to get his voice to work. It was bottled up deep within his throat. Yamamoto, also crying silently, placed a hand over Tsuna’s face, and closed the dead glassed-over eyes.

Time stood still once again, as no one was ready to face the future. A future without Tsuna. They all stood around their fallen boss, silently clinging to each other and cried.

Well, almost everyone.

“VOII! Get the fuck outta my way you trash!!” A very loud and very familiar voice angrily called from the back of the crowd. Violently shoving people aside, Squalo pushed his way through the thick crowd of people, followed by the other members of the Varia.

“I said, get out of the way, brat!” Squalo snarled, literally picking up Gokudera by the back of his shirt and tossing him to the side.

“Squalo!” Yamamoto stood up, glaring at the disrespectful swordsman.

“What the fuck do you want!?” Gokudera snarled, also leaping up, ready to fight off the Varia who now stood around their fallen boss’s body.

“Che, so this trash finally bit the bullet, huh?” Squalo snarled in distaste, standing over Tsuna’s body and looking it over with a critical eye. He turned his back to Gokudera, clearing ignoring him.

“You bastard!” Gokudera screamed, rushing forward, but was blocked by Levi A Than, who held Gokudera back from approaching any closer.

“Squalo, why are you doing this?” Yamamoto spoke up this time, watching as the other members of the Varia proceeded to push back the crowd of subordinates away from Tsuna’s body.

“Just making a little room.” Squalo answered, as he kneeled next to Tsuna’s body, examining the ugly bullet wound with detached interest. Gokudera rushed forward now, breaking away from Levi, but was held back by Yamamoto this time.

“For what?” Yamamoto asked, gripping onto Gokudera’s arm, keeping him from attacking the Varia member before he could get his answer.

“For me.” A deep voice answered from behind them. Xanxus now entered into the cleared circle, and swiftly walked forward to stand next in front of Tsuna’s body. Squalo stood up, and the two exchanged a brief look before the swordsman stepped away to stand off to the side.

“Why the FUCK are you here!?” Gokudera snarled angrily, just barely being restrained by Yamamoto.

“Because this piece of trash here just had to go and get himself killed. And you see, that causes quite a few problems.“ Xanxus snapped back as he knelt next to Tsuna’s body, and began to roll up he sleeves.

“But why are you here!?” Gokudera asked again, getting increasing frustrated with cryptic answers.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to fix it.” Xanxus snarled in annoyance, hating to explain himself. Before Gokudera could scream at him again, Xanxus held up his right hand. An intricate ring could be seen on his middle finger, with a deep red ruby imbedded in the center. Suddenly flames surrounded the ring, then quickly his whole hand. The flames pulsed and flashed angrily, but Xanxus held his hand still, and slowly the flames intensified in power. He built up the flames for several moments, to the point where the center was bright white with intense heat. Then, he pushed his hand forward and slammed the flames down onto Tsuna’s chest. The flames hissed angrily and the blast of power exploded, knocking everyone several steps back. Then, the dust settled and the flames dimmed. Xanxus was silent, staring intently down at Tsuna, where he still had his hand pressed against his chest. Then, after a quiet pause, Tsuna’s body suddenly convulsed and lurched upwards. Tsuna opens his mouth and takes a deep and ragged breath, gasping for air. His eyes snapped open, revealing rich crystal-orange eyes.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, brat.” Xanxus smirked, still holding the boy down. Tsuna’s eyes just blinked slowly, focusing just briefly on Xanxus’s face, before slumping back down on the ground. His eyes slowly rolled closed once more, but this time from exhaustion, then from death.

Standing up, Xanxus brushed his hands together, signaling his job was done. Giving a nod to Squalo, Xanxus swiftly turned around and started to walk away. Gokudera, breaking free from Yamamoto’s grip, rushed to Tsuna’s side. He hastily pressed his hands against Tsuna’s neck, feeling the faint but steady pulse beneath the warm skin. He then looked at the wound on his chest. Tsuna’s bloodied shirt had been burned off from the intense flames, but all that remained of the bullet hole was a star-shaped burn surrounded by red scar tissue. The wound had completely closed up.

Unable to even absorb what he was seeing, Gokudera scrambled to his feet once more and dashed after Xanxus who was walking across the grounds.

“How…wha….What did you--?” Gokudera stumbled over his words, unable to even form a proper question.

Xanxus paused for a moment, the turned to smirk at Gokudera with his famous ‘I-hold-all-the-cards.’ type of smile.

“Just paying a little debt.” Was all he said, before walking away.

So, I’m probably going to get shot for not working on Ashes to Flames, but this new little piece has been rolling around in my head forever, and just screamed to be written.

And NO, this is not the end.

This little fic is something I thought of one day, while contemplating Xanxus‘s personality. I decided to experiment a little, and try to develop Tsuna’s and Xanxus’s relationship a little differently. Unlike my other fics, this one will be a lot darker. Xanxus himself will be more like his younger self in the manga (angry, scheming, always looking for ways to manipulate things to work for him etc.), while Tsuna will be more mature (along with other things, but I don’t want to spoil it…)

Good news is, that this fic will be fairly short. Not entirely sure how many chapters exactly, but significantly shorter then Ashes to Flames. I’m still working on the plot, but I’ve got the general idea of what’s going to happen ;)

So…yeah. -scurries away before she’s beaten with a blunt object-

Reviews are food for my writing spirit! Feed it!!

-Kou Tora

Happy Birthday X27!

2008-10-14T04:27:58Z

Because October is the month where both Tsuna and Xanxus celebrate their birthdays 8D

I originally wanted to write a oneshot....but alas....exams have killed me x_x

Click the image to go to my DA page :3 .

Back to studying for those exams that I don't want to take >:/
Hope I survive!

More sketches~~

2008-10-11T23:57:31Z

Two more sketches done randomly.

If only my artistic ambition could somehow transfer over into writing ambition...I could finish the 10,000 projects that I'm working on.

I need to think of a name for that kitten :/

Tsuna is by far, much harder to draw then any other character I've drawn @_@

Both images can also be found @ my DA account 8D

Theme #20 - Pet

2008-10-11T08:23:01Z

Insomnia can bring about the oddest inspirations. It's 3am, and I had the sudden urge to draw fanart (which I haven't done in years).
So, taking one of my 100-theme drabbles, I drew something 8D

20. Pet - Tsuna had to admit that at first he feared for the life of the abandoned kitten he had brought home on a whim one day. But when he walked into the living room to find Xanxus curled up on the couch with the kitten tucked up under his chin, he knew everything would be ok.

Just a quick doodle done in OpenCanvas. Probably took me 30-45 min total.

Xanxus, you need to show up in the manga, like RIGHT NOW D8

http://kou-tora.deviantart.com/art/20-Pet-100391012 <-- Deviantart link

100 Theme Challenge - Set 4

2008-10-05T16:49:25Z

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Rating:….PG but with lots of suggested themes...

Summary: 100-themed drabbles/sentences featuring the epic pairing that is X27 Xanxus/Tsuna .

Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

----

Set 4

52. Sound Effect - Angry hot flames shot dangerously close to Tsuna’s face as he narrowly dodged to the side, “SHOOOM!”. He shot forward to close in, swinging out to punch at Xanxus’s mid-section “POW!”. Xanxus countered with a low kick, “SWISH!” aiming to knock Tsuna off his feet, but Tsuna was too quick, as he shot upwards into the air again ‘PEW!”. Xanxus took this brief moment to fire off a few rounds at Tsuna “BANG BANG BANG!”, who gracefully dodged each shot. Tsuna was about to counter with his own attack when finally Xanxus snapped.

“ENOUGH!!” He bellowed angrily, and threw his guns down onto the ground in frustration.

“What’s wrong?” Tsuna asked, confused as to why Xanxus suddenly decided to stop their sparring match.

“I don’t know about you, but I find it kind of distracting when someone keeps shouting out random sound effects with every move we make!” Xanxus spun around to glare angrily at a innocent looking 7 year-old Lambo, who had been watching the fight with great interest.

“GYAHAHA! LAMBO-SAN MAKES THE FIGHT EVEN MORE EPIC! PEW PEW PEW!” He screamed happily, dancing around and punching the air.

“You want sound-effects? How about the sound of my fist colliding with your skull!?” Xanxus snarled angrily, and began chasing an over-exuberant Lambo ,who quickly made haste and ran away screaming.

53. War- Boots crunched in the ankle deep snow as Xanxus lazily walked to the front door of the mansion, his breath coming out in white puffs. It had snowed last night, and a blanket of the white heavy stuff lay across the Vongola mansion grounds. Xanxus was never much of a winter guy. Too cold, too wet, the power went out all the time, and it was a pain in the ass to drive anywhere. Plus he hated when snow got down his boots. Stamping his feet to rid of the snow that clung to them, Xanxus approached the front door when - “THUMP”

Xanxus froze as clumps of snow fell from where they had collided with the back of his head. Slowly turning around, Xanxus’s blood red eyes glared at the one who dare threw a snowball at him. Across the yard, Tsuna just smiled innocently while balling up another handful of snow.

“This, is fucking war!” Xanxus snarled before bending low to scoop up a handful of snow, and pelting it in Tsuna’s direction, who narrowly dodged the assault.

An epic war, unlike any seen before, then took place. Snowballs were flung through the air like artillery fire. Both sides took heavy damage as the merciless battle dragged on. Xanxus got two snowballs in the face, while Tsuna got one shoved down the back of his coat. It wasn’t until later, when they were both out of breath, faces red and thoroughly covered in clumps of snow was the battle called to a halt.

“Get inside Baka-Tsuna before you catch a cold. Mafia bosses don’t get sick days off!” Reborn called from the third-floor window.

“Yes mother…” Tsuna replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Reborn’s comment. Tsuna was then shot with a real bullet just for the smart-ass remark.

54. Warmth- Despite how much Xanxus hated the cold, using it as an excuse to possessively cuddle with Tsuna was definitely a plus. Sitting in front of a burning fire, with Tsuna sitting between his legs and reclined against his chest, was the best feeling in the world. The whole mansion could be under attack by zombies, and Xanxus couldn‘t have given a damn in the world. He was comfy, and wasn’t planning on moving anytime soon. That was until he accidentally touched Tsuna’s neck with his hand, causing Tsuna to suddenly screech like a girl, and accidentally elbow Xanxus in the gut.

“Fuck! What was that for!?” Xanxus swore, holding his side in mild pain. Tsuna sat up and turned around, rubbing his neck where Xanxus had touched him.

“You’re hands are freezing!” Tsuna said, astonished. He reached down to take Xanxus’s hands in his own, to confirm that they were indeed, cold.

“Well, yeah. I wasn’t exactly wearing gloves during our little war today.” Xanxus mumbled, irritated that the peace had been broken, but didn’t move to take his hands back. Tsuna’s warm hands felt good on his chilled ones.

“You should’ve said something.” Tsuna replied, rubbing Xanxus’s hands between his own. Xanxus just grunted, but chose not to reply. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and a wicked grin spread on his face. Pulling Tsuna closer, Xanxus gripped Tsuna’s side with his cold hands, and leaned up to whisper.

“I know a way to make them warm up really quickly.” Xanxus chuckled, and emphasized his point by sneaking his hands up the side of Tsuna’s shirt, making him squirm from the cold touch. Tsuna’s face however just turned bright red in reply.

55. Hurt - It hurt. Sitting here, watching him in pain, and not being able to do anything to help. Tsuna held his hand, felt the faint pulse that beat within it, and touched the stiff bandages that were slightly tinted red. A slow and steady beeping blipped in the background, drowning out all other noises. Tsuna cradled the hand closer, holding back a strangled cry as a pain spread through his own chest.

“Stop….that….” A low voice, rough and raspy from lack of use, broke the choked silence. Tsuna’s head shot up, relief flooding through him. Hesitantly he wiped away his tears, and attempted to smile, but it didn’t quite hold up.

“How are you?” Tsuna whispered, leaning close and brushing the hair away from sweaty forehead. Xanxus attempted to chuckle, but his dry throat came out in rasps.

“Never felt better.” Xanxus grinned, though only part of his smile could be seen through the wraps of bandages over his face. Tsuna smiled back, but the tears started streaming down his face again.

“I’m sorry…” Tsuna whispered, holding Xanxus’s hand against his, squeezing it, and feeling the warmth.

“For…what?” Xanxus rolled his head to the side, and lifted his hand from Tsuna’s to brush away the tears that fell.

“It’s my fault. All of it. If I hadn’t sent you there, this… would have never happened.” Tsuna sobbed. Xanxus just continued to brush away the tears. His pressed his thumb against Tsuna’s lips to silence him.

“Enough. I did it because I wanted to. It was my duty, and I’ll do it again if I must.” Xanxus gripped Tsuna’s chin between his fingers, shaking it slightly to get his point across.

“But…but…you could’ve died.” Tsuna held onto Xanxus’s hand, afraid to let it go. Xanxus just let out a harsh laugh.

“It’ll take a lot more then a few shitheads with oversized guns to take me down.” Xanxus continued to laugh, until he suddenly hissed in pain and clutching the side. Tsuna immediately turned into a mother-hen, fretting over him until Xanxus was forced to swat him away.

“I don’t want to lose you.” Tsuna finally spoke, leaning over and pressing his forehead against Xanxus’s feverish one. Xanxus just closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He found Tsuna’s hand once more, and interlaced their fingers.

“Then don’t let go.”

56. Mother - Xanxus, not exactly having a lot of parental figures in his life, was thrown through a loop when he met Tsuna’s mother. Bubbly, affectionate, welcoming, and definitely in denial. During their first dinner together, Xanxus mentioned that he worked in the same line of work as her husband. “Oh? You work in oil-fields too?” Was how she replied. Before Xanxus could correct her, a swift kick in the shin and a glare from Tsuna told him to just smile and nod. Yup, definitely in denial. The dinner continued to be slightly awkward, yet pleasant. When it was time to depart, she promptly gave Xanxus a fierce hug, and made him promise to return again. Her final words to him were “Please take good care of my son, and please be gentle with him.” She gave him a knowing wink, and a pat on the arm. Tsuna proceeded to turn a flaming shade of red and sputtered in embarrassment. Maybe she wasn’t so clueless as he originally thought.

57. Father - Xanxus was convinced that Tsuna’s father, Iemitsu, was a freak of nature. Loud, obnoxious, yet quick-witted and nearly impossible to predict, Iemitsu was a force to be reckoned with. During one of his rare visits to the Vongola mansion, apparently Iemitsu caught wind of his son’s relationship with the Varia leader. Xanxus knew this because one night Iemitsu confronted him during one of his nightly wanderings about the manor. Tsuna’s father actually dropkicked Xanxus to the floor, where he then pinned him with his pickaxe. Catching Xanxus completely off-guard, Iemitsu swore on the grave of every Vongola boss that if Xanxus should even think about hurting or betraying his son in any way, then he’ll personally shear off certain body parts with the very pickaxe he held. Despite the fact that Iemitsu was smiling with that goofy grin he’s so famous for, Xanxus knew he wasn’t kidding.

58. Gamble - Xanxus was a gambling man. He lived for high-stakes and high-thrills. Here now, he was risking it all and putting everything on the line. Does he play it safe? Or take the gamble and see how fate plays out? Xanxus just smiled.

“Read it and weep. Full House!” Xanxus slapped his cards on the table, grinning in victory. Tsuna briefly looked at the cards, then met Xanxus’s gaze. His lips twitched.

“Royal Flush” Tsuna simply said, fanning out his cards over Xanxus’s. Xanxus growled in frustration.

“That’s it! No more playing cards in Hyper Dying-Will mode! That Vongola-intuition of yours is fucking cheating!” Xanxus pounded his fists on the table in complaint. Tsuna’s fiery orange eyes just stared at Xanxus, and his lips curved upwards into a small smirk. He slowly leaned forward and said,

“Strip”

59. Censored - Due to explicit sexually graphic nature, this drabble has been censored. (but feel free to speculate whatever kind of situation you’d imagine would take place)

60. Storm - Xanxus often heard people refer to the Storm Guardian, Gokudera, as the mafia pit-bull. Stubborn, fiercely loyal, and willing to pick a fight with anyone who should look at the Vongola Decimo the wrong way. At the moment however, Xanxus believed Gokudera was more of a chihuahua then a pit-bull. He just wouldn’t shut up, and Xanxus had the irresistible urge to just punt him out the window.

Ever since Gokudera “discovered” their relationship (aka, Squalo couldn’t keep his mouth shut), the Storm Guardian took it upon himself to play the protective figure. While generally supportive of whatever decision Tsuna chose, Gokudera had no problem voicing his disapproval of Xanxus himself. He even attempted to throw down and threaten Xanxus. Xanxus thought it was funny at first, especially when Gokudera’s punch only made him blink. The line was drawn though when Gokudera (upon discovering that he could not, in fact, threaten Xanxus) decided to interfere with Xanxus’s…personal time with Tsuna, by sticking to the Vongola heir like a leech. Every time Xanxus thought he’s get a moment of alone time with Tsuna, the chihuahua would jump in and demand Tsuna’s attention. Thoroughly annoyed, Xanxus did punt him through the window then. Unfortunately this hardly deterred the stubborn Italian. When Xanxus finally voiced his complaints to Tsuna, he just simply smiled and said the situation would be cleared up soon. Confused, Xanxus had no choice but to put up with the annoying pest. For three more days Gokudera continued to be a thorn in Xanxus’s side, until suddenly, it stopped. For the next week, Xanxus hardly saw a sign of the silver-haired smoker (much to his delight). When he asked Tsuna what happened to the Storm Guardian (not that he really cared, he just really wanted to know what it took to get rid of him), Tsuna just hummed knowingly, and simply said that the Rain calmed the Storm.

Set 4, DONE! (Whew)

Already past the half-way point now. Another 40 more to go….(dies)

Anyway, as always, tell me what you think!! Also if you have any ideas for themes, feel free to shout them out!

-Kou Tora

-----

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4566549/4/100Theme_Challenge <--FF.net

Enjoy!

100 Theme Challenge - Set 3

2008-10-04T06:25:36Z

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Rating:….PG but with lots of suggested themes...

Summary: 100-themed drabbles/sentences featuring the epic pairing that is X27 Xanxus/Tsuna .

Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

-----

Sorry these are a little late, but they're longer, so they took more thought and time.

Enjoy!

------

Set 3

41. Power - Xanxus was all about power. He was the prime example, with flames and guns that could obliterate any object that stood in his way, and his position as Varia leader, which could snuff out the life of any person he saw fit. Xanxus craved power all the time. It was the whole reason for his pursuit of the title ‘Vongola Decimo‘. But when a scrawny little brat managed to overpower him and bring him to his knees, somewhere in the unconscious part of Xanxus mind, he began to crave for a new kind of power.

42. Future - Tsuna secretly feared the future. His trip to the distant future had left him scarred and hollow. The very thought that that future could possible come true just felt wrong. He honestly didn’t fret over the fact that he himself died (but that still left a certain twinge of pain in his chest). No, what worried him the most was the fact that without him, his entire family fell apart. Xanxus had told him time and time again that the future is not certain, and only we decide how it plays out. Just because he saw one future, doesn’t mean that it is the one set in stone. Tsuna understood that, but his doubt and worry still lingered.

43. Die - Tsuna knew everyone died at some point. But when Xanxus returned from a mission, bloodied and bruised, did it occur to him that even someone as powerful as Xanxus is not immortal.

44. Two Roads - For the longest time, Xanxus knew the road he was going to travel. He knew his goals, and his purpose in life. But when his road suddenly collided with some unknown brat’s, and he was violently tossed aside….well, Xanxus found his own road going up in flames. So sitting there, bruised and bleeding, and watching some fluke of a kid charge ahead and make everything right, well…Xanxus thought that maybe changing roads wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

45. Illusion - “Go away.” Xanxus hissed, cradling his head in his hands, refusing to look up.

“What’s wrong?” Tsuna’s smiling face asked innocently, as he slowly walked around the desk.

“Shut up, and leave.” Xanxus growled warningly, not wanting to see his face.

“I thought you’d be happy to see me.” Tsuna replied, still smiling. He slowly reached out, and briefly brushed his hand against Xanxus’s shoulder. Before he could even blink, Xanxus spun around and violently pushed Tsuna against the wall. With a vice grip on his neck, he squeezed none too gently, and leaned in to the shocked face of his once lover.

“Leave. Leave right now and never come back. And if I should ever see you again, so help me I’ll send you back to the hell you came from.” Xanxus growled dangerously, and shoved Tsuna to the side before slumping back down into his chair once more.

“Kufufufu” Tsuna chuckled as his smiling face briefly morphed into that of the infamous Mist Guardian before disappearing completely.

46. Photo - “Just hold still.” Tsuna pleaded as he fiddled with the camera in his hands, trying to adjust the settings.

“I hate cameras. You know I hate cameras.“ Xanxus brooded (not pouted, mind you) on the couch.

“I wasn’t the one who sent that photo around, so don’t blame me.” Tsuna just mumbled, sticking his tongue out in frustration as he attempted to set the camera on the tripod.

“It came from your e-mail.” Xanxus barked out, replaying the same argument they’ve had several times already.

“Maybe someone hacked into it.” Tsuna did a final adjustment on the camera, aiming straight at Xanxus. ‘Click’ Xanxus just scowled in response.

“Why are we doing this again?” Xanxus huffed, and slunk deeper down into the couch cushions.

“Because we’re making memories.” Tsuna smiled in reply.

47. Ice cream - Tsuna held back a snicker as he watched Xanxus lose at a battle. A battle against ice-cream. “Ah shit.” Xanxus grumbled as he attempted to lick the rapidly melting ice cream that was dribbling down the cone and over his fingers. Tsuna, finishing up the rest of his own cone, just leaned over and decided to help his boyfriend win the battle.

48. Progress - In the beginning, Xanxus suffered a serious case of denial. After the ring battles, the slightest mention of the Vongola heir would send Xanxus into a fit of rage. Squalo thought it was just because Xanxus lost, and he was harboring his usual grudge and hatred. But that hatred quickly developed into an obsession. Squalo frequently found his boss scribbling little pictures of the Vongola heir then quickly lighting the pictures on fire. Again, Squalo concluded that it had to his boss’s infamous stubborn rage just taking its course. But when news reached them that the Vongola heir had mysteriously disappeared, along with a number of his Guardians and the arcobaleno, Xanxus actually ordered one of the squadrons to investigate the situation. When nothing could be turned up, Xanxus’s mood only further turned sour. His entire agenda soon turned into finding his once-nemesis.

When Lussuria (self-proclaimed Lover Expert of the Varia), noticed his boss’s odd behavior, he joyfully (and idiotically) announced that Xanxus must be developing a crush on Tsuna. Squalo secretly agreed with Lussuria, but he was at least smart enough to keep his opinion to himself. Xanxus, after hearing Lussuria’s statement, punched him so hard, that he fell through three floors of the manor. He was confined to the infirmary for the rest of the month.

Finally, Tsuna and his family returned, and their stories of the future quickly spread throughout the Vongola. While Xanxus’s mood certainly didn’t improve after hearing this, it did change. He became withdrawn and even more short-tempered, unwilling and uninterested in dealing with any of the politics of the Vongola. Squalo found this to be the perfect opportunity to confront his boss. He timed it just right, deciding to approach him when it was late in the evening, after Xanxus had several drinks and was more mild-tempered (for Xanxus). This was when Squalo laid it all out, and explained to Xanxus exactly what his problem was. ‘Yes‘, he had some sort of crush and/or infatuation for the Vongola heir, and ‘No’ it won’t go away that easily. Squalo let all of this sink into Xanxus’s head. Xanxus simply stood up, quietly walked past Squalo, and out the door. He then proceeded to scream, swear and flat-out break down as all this information finally filtered through his brain, and reality set in. Lussuria later asked, when Squalo went to visit him, how their love-sick yet seriously clueless leader was doing. Squalo simply said he was making progress.

49. Kick in the head - Despite how hard Xanxus and Tsuna attempted to keep their budding relationship hidden, their secret eventually got out. Of course it was Squalo who just had to find out first. Surprisingly he was overjoyed. “Voi!! Glad to see you finally got laid Boss!”. Xanxus showed his gratitude by kicking Squalo in the head.

50. Breaking the rules - Tsuna awoke to find himself encased in warmth and comfort. Lazily opening his eyes to gaze at Xanxus who was curled around him, Tsuna just signed and shifted closer. Xanxus stirred briefly, and let out a sound similar to that of a deep purr. “This has got to be breaking some rule, some where.” He finally mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep.

“What?” Tsuna asked, his mind not comprehending Xanxus’s statement.

“Me…you…two once mortal enemies now doing well….this.” Xanxus curled further around Tsuna, hugging him closer. “That and the fact that you’re technically my boss.” Tsuna thought it over for a moment before humming in understanding.

“Well, we are mafia. Don’t we break the rules for a living?” He asked with a hint of humor and irony to his tone.

Xanxus just chuckled deeply, and buried his face in Tsuna’s hair. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

51. Soap Opera - Tsuna thought he stepped into some sort of parallel universe, when he caught Xanxus actually watching some cheesy Italian soap opera. “What?” Xanxus barked when he caught Tsuna staring at him like he had grown a second head.

“Are you…actually watching that?” Tsuna pointed to the T.V.

Xanxus just took a quick glimpse at the TV. before snatching up the remote and changing the channel.

“Che, no. Like I’d watch trash like that.” Xanxus slunk into the couch cushions, a light color of red dusting his cheeks. Tsuna just smirked knowingly and flopped down on the couch next to him.

“Did Andrea leave Mario yet?” Tsuna asked suddenly yet subtly.

“No, but she’s cheating on him with Leo.” Xanxus replied before he could catch himself. Tsuna just laughed aloud at Xanxus’s expression of complete mortification.

For some reason, I unconsciously started making these drabbles longer and longer. Because they were become so long, I decided to do 10 in this set, and the next set will be 10 as well.

Tell me if you like these longer versions, or the shorter versions like the previous sets.

Also these themes seem to start tying into each other (which I didn’t realize I was doing until halfway through). Do you like how they sort of follow each other? Or should I stick to random scenes?

Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated!!

See ya tomorrow!

-Kou Tora

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4566549/3/100Theme_Challenge <- FF.net link

Deviantart

2008-10-01T16:08:48Z

So, I finally got a DeviantArt account :3 After seeing so many people have one, and hearing how cool it is, I figured I might as well get one too.

Please visit me! 8D Kou-Tora.devaintart.com

100 Theme Challenge - Set 1 & 2

2008-10-01T16:05:32Z

Series: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Pairing: Xanxus/Tsuna

Rating:….PG but with lots of suggested themes...

Summary: 100-themed drabbles/sentences featuring the epic pairing that is X27 Xanxus/Tsuna .

Disclaimer: I cannot claim the extreme awesomeness that is Katekyo Hitman Reborn. (though if I did, Tsuna wouldn’t be the only character running around in his boxers.)

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In an attempt to jump-start my creativity, I’ve taken up the 100-theme challenge.

Instead of writing all 100 in one sitting, I’ve decided to write about 20 quick drabbles a day. So every day expect 20 new drabbles to be posted. My goal is hopefully these quick drabbles will inspire me to write longer one-shots based off of them. So if there is one particular drabble/sentence that you liked, please let me know!

These themes were pulled from several different 100-theme challenge lists, which I mixed and matched to create my own.

Enjoy!

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1. Beginnings: The end of their epic battle was the beginning of their chaotic yet long-lasting relationship.

2. Middles - Tsuna and Xanxus always met in the middle. Where Xanxus always pushed Tsuna forward - “Come on Sawada! Fight me! Show me what you‘ve got!”, Tsuna was always holding Xanxus back “Please Xanxus. Just open the door next time. Don‘t bust it open.”.

3. Ends - At the end of a mission, the end of a journey, or just the end of the day, they always reached the end together.

4. Insides - Xanxus had no idea Tsuna could affect his insides so easily. When they’re alone, his insides flutter and pulse with every touch. When he thinks about how the future could come true, that the sky could fall, his gut and heart twist so painfully he wants to throw up.

5. Dreams - Tsuna in the mornings would often tell Xanxus of the dreams he had that night. Xanxus would always listen, despite how idiotic they sounded, because he secretly wished he knew how to dream.

6. Hours - Tsuna would count the hours as they ticked by, waiting for Xanxus to return, and hoped that he didn’t send another one of his family to their death.

7. Days - Only once did Tsuna return home after a meeting 3 days late. Xanxus just locked Tsuna in his room for the next 3 days, where he proceeded to make up for the days they missed.

8. Innocence - Xanxus always thought he was tainting Tsuna’s innocence with his sins. It was in fact Tsuna who was curing Xanxus.

9. Doom- Tsuna knew he was doomed the moment Xanxus walked into their bedroom with a bottle of chocolate syrup and a pair of handcuffs.

10. Video Games - Tsuna once tried to introduce Xanxus into playing video games as a source of stress-relief. However after three broken controllers and one TV that was pitched out of the window, Tsuna was forced to rethink his plan.

11. Memory - It wasn’t until after Tsuna was gone, cold and buried six feet underground, did Xanxus understand what Tsuna meant by taking pictures they were ‘making memories’.

12. Fear - Xanxus never felt fear in his entire life. But when he heard that gunshot, and the spray of blood that bloomed from Tsuna’s chest, did fear’s cold hard hand grip his heart for the first time.

13. Freedom - To the people on the ground, Tsuna and Xanxus’s training battles in the sky look like an elegant dance. To Tsuna and Xanxus, it was a brief moment of freedom.

14. Christmas - Xanxus was never one for holidays. He hated the noise, the people, the happy-cheery faces. But the look of pure joy Tsuna gave him when he opened his gift was well worth the trouble. Even if he was forced into wearing the damn Santa hat.

15. Smile - The very first time Xanxus smiled at Tsuna, a real straight-from-the-soul, happy smile, Tsuna’s heart stopped and time stood still. It was then he wished he had a camera to treasure that rare moment forever.

16. Vampire - For the Vongola Halloween party, Tsuna suggested Xanxus dress up as a vampire. Xanxus of course fought with the idea of dressing up (how old were they, six?). In the end, he went along with it, but only if he could ‘feed’ off of Tsuna later that night.

17. Blood - Tsuna would occasionally look at his hands, and say he saw blood on them. Xanxus would take Tsuna’s hands in his, and say that everyone had blood on their hands. The main point was that blood on their hands was the price for not having their family’s blood on other people’s hands.

18. Black - For the longest time, Xanxus thought that he was the black sheep of the family, the one who never really belonged. But Tsuna just pointed out that they were all black sheep. A vigilante bomber who once drifted from family to family, a cursed illusionist who once killed off an entire mafia family and claims to wish to do the same to the Vongola, a happy Japanese baseball player who was also a natural born killer, and a good for nothing boy who couldn’t do anything right. So, they were essentially a family of black sheep.

19. White - Xanxus was told that white stood for purity and innocence. But when Tsuna’s body was lowered in the bed of pure white flowers, Xanxus thought it was the most disgusting and cruel thing he ever saw.

20. Pet - Tsuna had to admit that at first he feared for the life of the abandoned kitten he had brought home on a whim one day. But when he walked into the living room to find Xanxus curled up on the couch with the kitten tucked up under his chin, he knew everything would be ok.

21. Camera - Xanxus officially hated cameras. After finding out that a picture of him and that damn cat sleeping on the couch together had been sent to everyone’s inbox attached to an ‘Important Vongola Memo‘ e-mail, Xanxus knew that someone was going to die.

22. Japan - At first, Xanxus hated Japan. Too many crowds, confusing street layouts, horrible food. But after spending time with a certain Japanese native, he thought it wasn’t so bad after all.

23. Cat - Xanxus wasn’t sure how or when the little furball managed to worm his way into their lives. But when Tsuna left, Xanxus was secretly grateful for the little creature’s company.

24. Loneliness - Tsuna shouldn’t have any need to feel lonely, being surrounded by his beloved family. But every time he and Xanxus had to part, a familiar ache would always return.

25. Insomnia - On the nights when Xanxus simply couldn’t sleep, he found comfort in the sound of Tsuna’s gentle heartbeat, which would eventually lull him back to sleep.

26. Action - Tsuna and Xanxus’s favorite weekend hobby was to watch action movies and comment on how fake the fights were.

27. Cigarette - Xanxus rarely smoked. He never really knew why he picked up the habit, but every once in a while he felt like he just needed one. When Tsuna discovered his habit, he promptly removed the cigarette and leaned up to replace it with his own lips. Xanxus suddenly felt like he didn’t need another cigarette for as long as he lived.

28. Shooting Stars - “Look Xanxus! A shooting star. Make a wish.” Tsuna would smile and point to the sky. “But my wish already came true.” Xanxus whispered back, hugging the smaller body of the one he loved against his.

29. Forgotten - Xanxus knew what today was, but couldn’t care less. No one else knew, nor cared, so why should he? It wasn’t until later that night, when he returned to his apartment, to find dinner set by candle light, and a smiling mafia boss all dressed up, that Xanxus began to look forward to his birthday more often.

30. Boredom - “I’m bored” An irritated Xanxus announced, standing in front of Tsuna’s desk.Tsuna just hummed in reply, not looking up from the paper he was reading. “So, do something.” He replied. “Alright” Xanxus smirked, and promptly hauled Tsuna up over his desk.

31. Sweet - Xanxus generally hated sweets. But his only exception was one chocolate and whipped-cream covered Vongola boss. It was his favorite dessert.

32. Night - During the day, life was all chaos and heat. Life came at them at full force, and they charged forward at breakneck speed. But once night set, the stress of the day slowly unwound. They took things slowly, calmly, and treated each moment like it was their one and only time.

33. Wrath - “You didn’t have to hit the man. And setting his car on fire was a bit overkill.” Tsuna grumbled, looking warily up at a still seething Xanxus. “Fuck that, he tried to give me a ticket!” Xanxus crossed his arms angrily, watching the smoke rise from the destroyed police car. “You were driving at 120mph. I think he had good reason to want to pull us over.”

34. Lies - He thought they were lies. The whispers and rumors, that the tenth Vongola had returned from the dead. Every time he heard them, his stone-cold heart would throb painfully in his chest. But when he finally saw him, the younger version of the one who changed his world, his heart just crumbled further. Life couldn’t have been more cruel.

35. Love - Tsuna thought he knew love when had a crush on Kyoko. But comparing what he once felt for her, and what he feels for Xanxus now, his feelings for her can’t even compare.

36. Movie - “Come on, it wasn’t that bad.” Tsuna laughed at Xanxus’s expression of disgust and boredom. “I’m sorry, but giant robots from space that turn into cars has got to be the dumbest idea - ever. I get next pick.” Xanxus flicked cold pieces of popcorn to the kitten who eagerly chased after each piece. Tsuna just sighed and took the bowl away from Xanxus before he made a mess. “Alright, but as long as it’s not another Saw movie. You don’t need any new ideas on different ways to kill people.”

37. Eyes - Chills ran down Xanxus’s spine every time he saw those eyes. Orange in color, dead yet so alive. Eyes that held the answers to universe.

38. Batman - Tsuna couldn’t help but laugh when he found out that Xanxus had never heard of Batman. “What kind of idiot dresses up in tights and a rubber suit and goes leaping from building to building at night?”

39. Dance - One thing both Xanxus and Tsuna had in common, was that no amount of persuasion, alcohol or blackmail could get them onto a dance floor.

40. 4:29PM - “Time of death, 4:29PM”. When those words were spoken, Xanxus’s heart died with Tsuna’s.

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http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4566549/1/100Theme_Challenge <- FF.net link
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Tell me what you think!!

The next set will be posted later today :3

-Kou Tora

Ashes to Flames - chapter 7

2008-10-01T15:38:28Z

Title: Ashes to Flames

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna

Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar

Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.

Author Note: If you don’t like BL or just this pairing, then don’t read it. Any flames or immature negative remarks will be ignored, because I really don’t give a damn what you think. On the other hand, I LOVE reviews, even if they are well thought out critiques.

Chapter 7: Confrontations, part 2

   “Leave, right now, before I shoot your fucking face off.”

   Mukuro didn’t even flinch when the steel-cold barrel of Xanxus’s gun was pointed mere inches from his forehead. If anything, his grin widened.

   “I must say, this is certainly unexpected. I never imagined you’d be the one coming to the little Vongola’s rescue.”

   “You’re an eye-sore. I said get lost.” Xanxus growled, his finger tightening just a fraction on the trigger. The gun glowed a fiery-orange, as it gathered the flames of rage.

   “To me, it seems the famous berserker of the Vongola has finally been tamed. How interesting.” Mukuro sneered, his whole body tense and tingling with anticipation, yet he showed no signs of it. Only the obvious amusement shown on his face.

   Tension quickly built in the room, snapping and crackling between the two combatants. The crimson eyes of the wolf, filled with fury and hunger for battle, matched the gaze of the cobra with haunting mismatched eyes.

   Mukuro’s red eye briefly shifted, just barest of flicker, as the previous number-character fazed out, only to be replaced with a new one. However that brief moment of movement, not even a full second, was enough to make the tension snap like a whip being cracked in the air.

   Xanxus needed no further encouragement. He pulled the trigger.

   A blast of orange fire and heat shot out from the barrel of the gun with an angry scream. But it did not hit its target, as the fiery blast shot directly through the fading image of Mukuro’s smiling face, and instead impacted with the wall that had been behind him. Plaster and dust momentarily filled the air, as the flames tore apart the wall, leaving a foot wide hole which lead into the next room.

   Tsuna, still sitting on the floor, let out a squawk of alarm when the blast above his head came dangerously close. He covered his head in his arms when plaster and bits of the wall came raining down on him. Coughing as dust covered him, Tsuna looked up in distress and disbelief. What was going on? Why was Xanxus here? Why were they fighting? Tsuna’s fever-induced mind couldn’t seem to keep up with the events that were quickly developing around him. He opened his mouth to speak, to ask what was going on, why they were fighting, but he didn’t get a single work out. Xanxus abruptly spun around, swinging his gun wide and upwards in an arch. His blow was met with the clash of metal, Mukuro’s trident seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Xanxus brought his other arm in front, his second gun already brimming with power, and aimed to fire once again. However Mukuro was too quick, and was already leaping back and disappearing into the thick mist that had quickly been building within the room.

   “Kufufufu. How sad. I expected more from the infamous Varia Leader.“ Mukuro’s signature laugh echoed throughout the room, mocking Xanxus to make the next move. Xanxus’s eye just twitched in irritation.

   It was a well known fact that Xanxus disliked just about everyone (with the exception of a certain Vongola Boss of course, but that is another matter all together). But what wasn’t widely known was that Xanxus tended to hate just about everyone on the same level. He hates Squalo just as much as he hates Gokudera, or one of the stupid subordinates that hover about the place too much. The only real differences between the hatred are the factors of why he hates them. With Squalo it’s because he rarely gives Xanxus a moment of peace, always running to him and chattering away about his latest accomplishment or complaining about something or other. With the Storm Guardian it’s because of his rather annoying defiant streak, and his insistent need to fight with everyone. And with the subordinates it’s just because they haven’t learned to fucking get out of his way yet. But suffice to say, the hatred is equal all around.

   Then comes that rare individual who’s entire existence just pisses Xanxus off like no other, and pushes his hated to new heights. Rokudo Mukuro is said individual. Almost like oil meeting water, Xanxus hates everything and anything that is the Mist Guardian. From that cocky all-knowing smirk, that gleam in his eyes, to that annoying as hell laugh. That, and the fact that no matter what he does, he just can’t ever seem to hit the bastard.

   Growling angrily like a feral dog protecting his turf, Xanxus took an unconscious step backwards, hovering near Tsuna. Raising his arms out and in front of himself, he aimed his guns at a near forty-five degree angle from each other, taking up a stance that allowed him to react quickly to any attack Mukuro may attempt next. The heavy mist that settled within the small room was so dense, Xanxus could barely see his own hands. Knowing better then to trust his eyes and ears against the illusion fueled mist, Xanxus instead relied on the only thing Mukuro couldn’t influence, his reflexes and pure gut feeling.

   He didn’t have to wait long.

   Xanxus felt rather then saw Mukuro’s initial attack. The illusionist struck swift and silently, lashing out like a cobra from the mist, coming in along Xanxus’s blind spot on the right side. But Xanxus’s reflexes were faster, and he gracefully dodged the trident’s strike, countering it with his own attack. Firing off a few rounds in Mukuro’s general direction, Xanxus growled when the Mist Guardian teasingly dodged each shot with ease, dancing just out of the line of fire. Finally having enough of Mukuro‘s obvious game, Xanxus furiously charged at him, deciding to draw him into close combat. Mukuro’s red eye glowed brightly, shifting once again, the character for four appeared within the iris. The State of Ashura, the skill made for close-combat. Raising the trident, Mukuro accepted Xanxus’s challenge.

   The two clashed and danced around each other, each knowing a single strike from either could be the end. Xanxus’s deadly flames could burn limbs and break bones, while a single scratch from Mukuro’s trident would be the end of free-will and a decent into insanity.

   “This really is disappointing. ” Mukuro taunted as his trident clashed with Xanxus’s guns that swung out at him. “The flames of rage that you are so famous for seemed to have dulled quite a bit over the years. You’ve gotten soft.” Mukuro struck hard, forcing Xanxus to raise his arm to block, the staff of the trident colliding with bone and muscle in a painful crunch. “ Maybe spending a little bit too much time with our sweet little Vongola boss here?” Mukuro’s glowing eyes shifted from Xanxus to Tsuna, who was still sitting on the floor. Tsuna and Mukuro’s eyes momentarily met. The illusionist’s grin widened into something sinister, almost lecherous. Looking away however was a fatal mistake.

   Hot angry flames suddenly burst in front of his face, and only his bare reflexes saved him from having his head blown off. Staggering backwards in surprise, Mukuro’s attention snapped back to Xanxus who was looking at him with a smug grin on his face, and a smoking gun.

   “Only dead men look away from me while fighting.” Xanxus growled low and dangerous, but still held that edge of amusement.

   Mukuro paused for a moment, staring at Xanxus in contemplation and a hint of uncertainty. Then, with the wide grin back in place, Mukuro startled chuckling deeply, the laugh echoing about the room. Standing straight, signaling the end of the battle, Mukuro casually wiped away the blood that was dribbling down the side of his cheek.

   “Kufufufu. Maybe you haven’t quite lost your edge as I originally thought. Well done.“ Twitching his hand, the trident disappeared into thin air. Mukuro then proceeded to straighten his clothes and brush off the invisible dust. “However…it seems that my time here is up. I must thank you though, for that joyous piece of entertainment. We must do it again sometime.” Mukuro chuckled again, and gave Xanxus a mock-bow.

   “The next time we meet, I’m putting a bullet through your head.” Xanxus replied, frowning deeply, clearly not amused.

   Mukuro just smirked, eyes narrowing slightly. Stealing a glance of Tsuna, Mukuro caught his gaze once more. “We will meet again, Little Vongola. Until next time.” Mukuro gave another bow to Tsuna, then stepped backwards, disappearing completely with the fading mist.

   As the mist cleared, an awkward silence hung in the air. Tsuna, still sitting in the rubble on the floor, let out a heavy breathe he hadn’t realized he had been holding. Tsuna slowly got to his feet, brushing off the dust and plaster that clung to his clothes. Steadying himself from the slight dizziness from the headache, Tsuna took a quick glance about the room. Burn holes and slash marks lined the walls, and some books were completely destroyed, pages littering the floor. Tsuna had a hand it to Xanxus though, the damage was far less then he imagined it would have been. The hole’s caused from the flames shot from Xanxus’s guns were no more then a foot in diameter, unlike in the past where they use to take out an entire wall. Tsuna concluded that Xanxus must have learned to concentrate his flames into a more narrow shot.

   He shifted his gaze to Xanxus, who was currently wiping off his guns, apparently content with ignoring Tsuna for the moment. Tsuna let the events that just occurred finally sink in. Mukuro had cornered him, unguarded and unarmed. And once again he threatened to possess Tsuna (it was somewhat of a routine now, for Mukuro to threaten Tsuna every time he visited). However something was off this time. The way Mukuro approached Tsuna was far different from his previous encounters. Mukuro liked a challenge, liked manipulating and winning things. Tsuna knew Mukuro wouldn’t have tried to possess him then and there. He didn’t like cheating or striking when backs were turned. Despite his shifty nature, Mukuro liked a head-on challenge. He hated shortcuts. It wasn’t his style. Tsuna’s gut was telling him Mukuro was trying to tell him something. He didn’t get the chance to find out what though, because Xanxus had aggressively stepped in and prevented him from learning Mukuro’s true purpose of visiting.

   Standing there fiddling with his sleeve, lost in thought, Tsuna thought over this new development with Xanxus. What truly bothered Tsuna far more then the fact that Xanxus tried to possibly kill Mukuro, was the fact the Xanxus was being protective of him. Where did that come from? On one level, Tsuna was somewhat grateful that Xanxus actually acknowledged him enough to want to protect him, but at the same time….god-dammit he didn’t need another baby-sitter! Despite his often clumsy behavior, Tsuna was quickly learning the ways of being a good mafia boss. And Tsuna was also quickly learning that there are some thing you just can’t do with a human-shield standing in your way, trying to protect you. Sometimes, you need to be the one standing up front, taking things head on. Tsuna had just started coaxing Gokudera to back off a bit. He didn’t need Xanxus of all people to take his place.

   Shaking his head, Tsuna flexed his hands, curling his fingers into a fist. That was beside the point however. Mukuro wasn’t a threat. He didn’t need to be protected his own Guardian. It seemed no matter how hard Tsuna tried to convince people of that, they didn’t listen. Hell, Hibari was more of threat then Mukuro, in Tsuna’s opinion. Of course, Mukuro’s behavior often didn’t help his case. Which brought Tsuna back to the matter at hand.

   Looking away, Tsuna scowled, thinking everything through. Seeming to make up his mind, he took a deep breath and then turned fully back to Xanxus.

   “You didn’t need to do that.” Tsuna spoke firmly, looking at Xanxus with disproval.

   Xanxus paused, and turned partially to look at Tsuna, an eyebrow raised in mock-question.

   “You didn’t need to come to my rescue. I’m not afraid of Mukuro. I can handle him.” Tsuna continued, his fists clenched at his side.

   Xanxus just snorted in amusement. “Yeah, you looked like you were handling it quite well back there.”

   “I’m serious.” Tsuna snapped, surprising himself, but had no intention of correcting himself. Things needed to be said. Xanxus needed to hear Tsuna’s opinion on the matter, and he was going to make himself heard.

   “No, I’m serious.” Xanxus countered, all amusement from his voice gone. “He had you pinned against a fucking wall. I know his motives, and I’m not going to let him have his way.”

   “Mukuro may act independently, but he still upholds the family’s safety and well-being. He does his job.” Somewhere in Tsuna’s mind, he can recall using these same words in previous arguments, all of them about Mukuro and his questionable loyalty to the family. Tsuna felt like he was having deja-vu.

   “His only motive is his own. He cares for no one else. He’s a threat.” Xanxus growled angrily, stepping closer to Tsuna, towering over him.

   “Mukuro isn’t a threat! He’s one of my Guardians! One of the Vongola!” Tsuna yelled back, angrily looking up at Xanxus in defiance.

   “He’s trying to destroy the Vongola!”

   “So did you!” And the moment those three little words leapt out of his throat, Tsuna wished he could instantly take them back.

   Time froze in the little room. Tsuna stared up at Xanxus, frozen with shock, watching the emotions flicker through the crimson eyes. Hurt. Regret. Confusion. ANGER. Tsuna opened his mouth to say something, to take back the words he didn’t mean to say. His voice was lost however. Xanxus just clenched his teeth, and raised a fist.

   Tsuna flinched as the fist came straight for him, but was surprised when no impact came. The crunch of plaster and wood shattering momentarily filled his ears. Peaking an eye open, he found Xanxus’s fist imbedded in the wall next to where he had been standing. Xanxus’s face was downcast, and his bangs shadowed his eyes. Pulling his fist free, Xanxus didn’t even spare Tsuna a glance as he quickly turned and stomped out of the room, making sure to slam the door hard enough to make cracks appear.

   Tsuna stood in the now empty room. He watched the doorway, listening the sound of Xanxus’s fading footsteps. Clutching his head in his hands, Tsuna crouched down in defeat, his legs feeling too weak to stand.

   “Stupid….idiot…No-Good……baka….” He cursed and cursed himself over and over again, in every language he knew. He silently wished he wasn‘t so afraid of time-travel, because he really wanted to go back just five minutes in time and fix his mistake. So he could fix the broken bond he’d only recently been able to make.

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(Kou-Tora - haha, I was thiiisss close to ending the chapter here. However the idea of a mob with pitchforks and burning torches didn‘t really appeal to me, so I continued on. :P )

   It wasn’t until late in the afternoon when Tsuna was finally able to seek out Xanxus. Shortly after Xanxus’s departure, subordinates had quickly filled the library, wondering what had happened and if he was alright. It took a while to calm them down and to order repairs for the damaged walls. Tsuna knew he was going to pay hell when Reborn found that it was the Library where the fight had broken out. It was one of the very few rooms in the entire mansion where Reborn had strictly enforced no fighting, no explosion, no anything. Other rooms in the mansion could be repaired and fixed, but the treasured books could not so easily be replaced.

   Sighing heavily, Tsuna wandered the hallways, guilt weighing heavily on his mind. Ever since their argument, Xanxus had made himself scarce, hiding away where no one apparently could find him. Tsuna was confident he was still within the manor though, as his subordinates did not spot him leaving the grounds, nor were any cars taken.

   Making his way up to the top floor, Tsuna stuffed his hands in his pockets and slowly stepped through the quiet hallway. How could he have done that to Xanxus? He was only trying to look out for the welfare of the family, and Tsuna just had to go and throw Xanxus’s greatest regret back in his face. Tsuna knew Xanxus regretted what he had done. He had seen it as clear as day, when he spoke those awful words. The pain, misery and guilt, Xanxus had shown it all when Tsuna had brought up his betrayal. And in seeing those emotions, it hurt Tsuna far more then he realized.

   Looking up, Tsuna caught sight of the familiar long black coat and multi-colored feather ornaments belonging to the Varia leader. He had apparently chosen a secluded outside balcony to hide, which was connected to one of the back rooms farthest down the hallway. Sitting in a plush chair, Xanxus was currently working on emptying a glass of liquor. Quietly padding his way towards the open door, Tsuna stopped just before entering. He fidgeted with his sleeve again, looking down at his feet, suddenly feeling nervous. How was he suppose to even begin to apologize? Xanxus had been burned and betrayed a lot in his past. Forgiveness didn’t seem like something he’d earn so easily.

   “Are you coming in, or are you just going to fucking stand out there all day?” Xanxus’s deep voice barked from his spot, but he didn’t move or turn around. Startled, Tsuna scampered inside, slowing a bit as he stepped outside onto the balcony. Hovering just near the doorway (again), Tsuna took a deep breath and opened his mouth to start apologizing, but he was cut off.

   “Well, sit down already.” Xanxus motioned towards the chair that sat next to his, but never took his gaze away from the scenery that was spread out before them.

   “HAI!” Tsuna couldn’t hold back his trademark apology, and quickly sat down. Sitting stiff and tense in the chair, Tsuna steals a glance at Xanxus. He was reclined the chair, savoring his glass of golden liquor, eyes fixed on the setting sun that was dipping below the horizon in front of them. Casting his gaze back down to his hands in his lap, Tsuna slumped in the chair. Fiddling with the corner of his sleeve, Tsuna took a deep long breath.

   “I’m sorry.” He spoke softly, yet without hesitation. He meant it. “I didn’t mean those words.”

   “Yes you did. Or you wouldn’t have said it.” Xanxus spoke, still not looking in Tsuna‘s direction. His voice was not harsh, not cold, but very flat and low. It still made Tsuna flinch.

   “You didn’t deserve it. You were only trying to…to help. And I said something awful in return. I’m sorry.” Tsuna did look at Xanxus now, his deep amber eyes glowing from the setting sun. His hands were now fisted in his lap, slightly gripping the fabric of his pants.

   “You don’t need to apologize.” Xanxus replied, his voice still the same tone. Before Tsuna could voice his reply, Xanxus cut him off and continued. “I did deserve it. I deserve every word.” This time, he did look at Tsuna, tilting his head slightly to the side. His eyes too, glowed, a deep rich crimson.


   “No, you don’t.” Tsuna replied, slightly shocked by Xanxus’s words.

   “Yes, I do. I did try to destroy the Vongola, kill the 9th, kill you. I will forever deserve any kind of punishment for it. ” Xanxus couldn’t look at Tsuna anymore. He tore his eyes away from the young mafia boss, the boy he almost succeeded in killing, and looked back over at the horizon. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore.

   Tsuna just shook his head, still looking at Xanxus. “But you’ve already been forgiven. You don’t need to be chained to it anymore.” His voice was low, soft, and held something….something that Xanxus couldn’t find in himself to argue with….at this time. “So, I’ll say it again. I’m sorry.”

   Xanxus sighed, but just gave a grunt in reply, grudgingly accepting Tsuna’s apology. He drank from his glass again, loving the feeling of the burning liquid down his throat. Tsuna, catching Xanxus’s hint at not wanting to talk about that subject anymore, was at least partially satisfied that he got to apologize, and was apparently forgiven. Settling into the chair, Tsuna looked out over the flowing green grounds of the manor, enjoying the warmth of the setting sun. A movement caught his eye, and he watched as a black cat padded itself across the lawn, trotting playfully towards the manor.

   Breathing in deep, Tsuna was reminded of the second reason he was out here.

   “You don’t need to worry about Mukuro. I know his behaviors is…odd….” Tsuna began, and Xanxus just scoffed. “But he is kept in check. Not just by me, but by Chrome as well. And despite what he says…I believe Mukuro truly has found his place among the Vongola. I also don’t believe he wishes to destroy it that strongly.” Tsuna laced his fingers together, as he attempted (once again) to explain his beliefs.

   Xanxus was quiet for a moment, before finally answering. “I just hate the bastard.” He finally admitted. “You just can’t trust his kind.”

   Tsuna chuckled slightly at this. “Well, in terms of hating him, I can tell you you’re not alone there. Gokudera and Hibari share a certain level of…dislike…for Mukuro’s presence as well.” Pausing a moment, Tsuna gathered his thoughts. “On trusting him…all I can really say is…he’s not a threat. Just trust me on this.” Tsuna wanted to say more, but he was unsure if he could fully explain it. There were too many factors surrounding Mukuro, all of them pointing to the fact that he could be trusted, however Mukuro himself states that he should not. Thinking too deeply about it was making Tsuna’s head hurt even more.

   Xanxus chose not to comment, but just hummed in reply. It was neither a ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but it was at least a confirmation that he had listened.

   A movement caught his attention, and he turned to notice the black cat had somehow managed to climb all the way up to the balcony that was connected to the room next door. It sat on the edge of the railing, eyes closed, contently licking and cleaning itself.

   Tsuna, glad somehow that the issue was at least partially resolved, reached out to the small table that sat in between them, reaching for the bottle of liquor. He was tired and stressed, and he was desperate enough to try anything to relax a bit. He wouldn’t lie that he was also just a little bit curious as to what was so great about alcohol. However, he was quickly thwarted in that plan when the bottle was snatched away before he could grab it.

   “Don’t even think about it.” Xanxus growled, half amused, half serious.

   “There’s more then enough for me.” Tsuna protested, for some reason confused by Xanxus’s protest to him having a little drink.

   “You’re underage.” Was all Xanxus replied for an excuse. ‘And I don’t want a repeat of last time.’ Xanxus silently thought to himself.

   Tsuna didn’t reply, but somewhere in the back of his mind, that line struck a cord of nostalgia. Where had he heard that before? Why did this seem familiar? Shouldn’t he remember? Tsuna gave up the argument for the alcohol (not entirely that interested), and slumped further into his chair, pondering over this new feeling.

   He was quickly brought out of his thoughts though when he heard an animalistic growl come from Xanxus. Looking up, he watched as Xanxus downed the last bit of liquid from his glass, then proceeded to pitch the glass at the cat that was sitting not too far from them. The cat gracefully danced out of the way as the glass shattered into a million pieces. Trotting lightly along the railing, the cat flicked it’s tail high in the air and calmly walked away, clearly taunting Xanxus. The cat paused for a moment, revealing mismatched blue and red eyes, before leaping down off the railing and into the dark cast shadows below.

   “I really hate that bastard.”

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UGH~ Why does this feel like a complete FAIL chapter…. It played out so perfectly in my mind, but then somewhere in the transition from my brain to my fingers, it got all garbled.
I have also learned that fight-scenes aren’t really my specialty. They’re really quite hard to write.

Well, anyway, I want to say (as usual) THANK YOU for all the amazing reviews. 6 chapters in, and Ashes to Flames already has well over 120+ reviews! I’m blown away by the huge response I’ve been getting. THANK YOU!!!

Though, I will quickly mention a few things that have been brought up a few times. On Tsuna’s and (especially) Xanxus’s OOC-ness. I’ve realized that with Ashes to Flames, I picked one of the hardest scenarios to portray accurate characters. Both Tsuna and Xanxus have not yet appeared in the future arc of the manga, so what they are like is a complete unknown. Also, one of my major themes for Ashes to Flames is “Change”. A lot of the sub-plot will revolve around how Tsuna has changed since getting back from the future, and how Xanxus has changed from his complete defeat during the Ring Battles. So I’m gradually trying to introduce ‘how’ and ‘why’ they changed. So, taking that into account, please tell me if I’m doing ok, or failing miserably.

Second thing I’ll mention is that I somewhat hinted a lot in this chapter about some issues that will appear again later in the story. There are at least 3 that I mentioned (though a few more can be implied ). Can you guess them? ;) I’ll give you a hint. Tsuna ranted about all three.

So, that’s it for now. The only thing I have left to say is…..geez Mukuro laughs a lot. I was re-reading the few times he’s actually appeared in the manga, and he’s laughing like every other panel…hence the reason I have him laughing all the time here. The guy’s crazy.

Next Chapter: Fluff is back. The plot *gasp! Yes there is plot!* takes off.

Following tradition REVIEW WITH YOUR DYING WILL!   (and then I’ll probably write with my dying will)
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http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4057975/7/Ashes_to_Flames <- FF.net link

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LATE POST IS LATE TT_TT I'M SORRY *needs to get into the habit of updating her LJ more.....*

Ashes to Flames - chapter 6

2008-06-25T15:07:39Z

Title: Ashes to Flames

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna

Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar

Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.

Tsuna was never one for confrontations. In fact, he’d rather avoid them like the plague. But looking back over the years, Tsuna couldn’t help but notice the rather large number of confrontations he had inadvertently been thrust into. Continuing to think back, Tsuna could probably pick through each one, and count on one hand the number of fights, arguments and possible conflicts that he himself had instigated. So, Tsuna couldn’t help but come to the conclusion that he, himself, was a human magnet for trouble. Despite all his efforts at trying to keep peace, a conflict of some sort was bound to generate around him.

“Ah! M-Mukuro….when did you-” Tsuna stuttered slightly, nervously looking up at mismatched eyes that seemed to pierce right through him, making his already throbbing head spin.

“Greetings, Sawada Tsunayoshi. It has been a while, has it not?” Mukuro all but purred, his eyes fixated on the small Vongola boss. His trademark smirk curved upwards on his face.

Yes, Tsuna was quite sure he did not care for confrontations. Not one bit.

Tsuna took a moment to assess the situation at hand. Here he was, leaning heavily against a wall in the Vongola private library, with Rokudo Mukuro practically leering over him. Did he mention he was alone, and his head pounding viciously with a slight fever? Yeah, Tsuna didn’t particularly like his situation at all.

How did he get into this situation anyway? Tsuna couldn’t help but repeatedly ask himself that same question.

His day started out much like any other.

Well, ok. That was a lie. Unlike most days, today hadn’t involved the usual morning death threats from Reborn, explosions and angry screams from Gokudera, over-cheerfulness from Yamamoto who was a morning person, and constant proposals to go run a marathon from Ryohei, who was too much of a morning person. No, today hadn’t been normal, because it had been normal. A gentle stillness had greeted Tsuna when he woke, and he found he liked it, despite it being a little unnerving. After a whole year of waking up to mass chaos, the sound of quiet was a little odd.

Breakfast too hadn’t been normal, for it too had been a silent affair. Tsuna sat in the kitchen, eating his toast and fried eggs in solitude, mostly, if it wasn’t for the brief appearance of Xanxus.

He silently entered the kitchen, grabbed a large coffee pot that had been prepared earlier and proceeded to fill his coffee mug. No even looking up at Tsuna, Xanxus seemed perfectly content with ignoring him. Tsuna munched on his toast, observing from the corner of his eye, and briefly debated if he should say ‘Good Morning’. Tsuna had learned early on that saying ‘Good Morning’ to a non-morning person wasn’t exactly the wisest move. It was like trying to pet a sleeping lion, because the lion would definitely wake up and bite your face off just to get you to stop. Tsuna guessed from the scowl on Xanxus’s face, and how he was glaring down into his mug of coffee, that cheerfully greeting the Varia leader wasn‘t the best idea. So Tsuna continued to remain silent, and watched Xanxus as he fixed his coffee with cream and sugar. Tsuna couldn’t help but wonder if this was Xanxus’s first or second refill of the day.

Taking a long swig, Xanxus turned and stared directly at Tsuna over the rim of his coffee mug. Tsuna, startled by the sudden attention he was receiving, was caught mid-bite into his toast, as he stared right back into those crimson eyes. Xanxus’s gaze seem to be searching for something, as it analyzed and studied the teen who was looking rather nervous and confused. Seeming to find what it was searching for, Xanxus gave a slight nod to Tsuna, and then promptly left. Tsuna’s gaze followed Xanxus as he strolled out of the kitchen, wondering in his head what that was all about.

Downing his juice, Tsuna slouched back in his chair, and rubbed his temples. His head still hurt like something wicked, and he toyed with the idea of taking medicine for it. But once again he discarded the idea as quickly as it came. Medicine usually either made him queasy, or knocked him out cold. He didn’t particularly like either, so he opted to just ignore the pain and hoped it would go away.

Still rubbing his head, Tsuna’s thoughts were brought back to the previous night. He suddenly flushed in embarrassment. He still couldn’t remember what happened last night. All he remembered was that he was talking with Xanxus in the kitchen. And even that was a vague memory. He partially wanted to go and ask Xanxus what had happened. On the other hand, he figured he didn’t want to know, for it’d probably leave him even more embarrassed then he was now.

Standing up and clearing his dishes, Tsuna was suddenly struck with a realization. Here he was, in the Vongola mansion, alone. Well, not entirely alone, as there were still various subordinates and other Vongola members busily working within the manor. But the main point was, there was no Reborn, no Guardians, and especially no Varia (with the exception of one). He was free. No one was around to pester him, give him work, or overall turn his day into complete chaos. He could have a peaceful, quiet, and relaxing day, and no one could tell him otherwise.

And it felt glorious.

Suddenly feeling better by this new revelation, Tsuna nearly skipped out into the hallway (but he didn‘t, because mafia bosses certainly didn‘t skip),and hummed a little tune as he was fully prepared to enjoy this day to its fullest.

“Good morning, Juudaime!”

“Greetings Boss!”

“How are you today, honorable 10th?”

Tsuna was greeted by several people as he happily strolled through the Vongola manor, and he politely nodded and said hello to each one. However he did not stop, for he was on a mission. A mission to do something he’d been dying to do ever since he’d moved to Italy.

Sneaking into the Vongola private library, Tsuna checked to see if anyone was around. Satisfied that the room was empty, Tsuna walked to one of the far walls of the room, scanning the vast bookshelves that were stuffed full of old and ancient books. Running his fingertips along the spines, he stopped abruptly when he spotted the book he had been searching for. Brushing the dust away, Tsuna pulled out a large red book titled Storia del Vongola. Running his hand across the broad cover, Tsuna studied the intricate details of the Vongola family symbol which was engraved there. Setting the book aside, Tsuna then reached into the empty slot where the book had been previously, and pulled out several comic books.

“If you want to hide a tree, put it in a forest.” Tsuna chuckled to himself, replacing the red book once again to its proper place, and cradling his precious comic books against his chest.

Ever since he was officially titled the 10th Vongola Boss, Reborn had restricted and prohibited most of Tsuna’s “lazy and juvenile habits”. Not that Tsuna minded (or was able to complain). In his line of work, one couldn’t afford to be a kid anymore.

But that still didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy an occasional comic book from time to time.

“Good thing I asked Gokudera to smuggle these in for me. Reborn would’ve burned them on site if he found them.” Tsuna held back a nervous laugh as he plopped down into a comfy leather chair and began flipping through the comic book.

About an hour or so passed in blissful silence, as Tsuna continued to read through the stacks of comic books. Tsuna had now moved onto a some silly manga about an overactive orange-clad ninja.

“Hahah, that Lee guy is kinda like Ryohei. Better not let him read this manga, or he‘d start wearing green spandex too.” Tsuna sweat-dropped at the very very bad imagery that suddenly floated into his head from that thought.

Continuing with his reading marathon, Tsuna was so immersed within the fantasy-world that he failed to notice the thin film of mist that clung to the edges of the room, hovering around the floor. Nor did he notice the shadowy figure that crept into the room, tendrils of mist following it about. What did snap him out of his reading, however, was the haunting sound of a very familiar laugh.

“Kufufufufu…” It echoed about the room, almost like a whisper.

Startled slightly, Tsuna hastily dropped the book, and jumped up, moving away from the chair and standing in the middle of the room. He eyed the room for a moment, before sighing and slouching his shoulders.

“I know you’re there Mukuro. These tricks don‘t work anymore.” Tsuna called out, amber eyes scanning the room. After dealing with the illusionist all these years, Tsuna was more then use to Mukuro’s odd appearances. He had learned, that if you don’t show your fear or surprise, the Mist guardian would quickly get bored.

“Oh really? Such a shame. I always find enjoyment in our little games.” A silken voice practically whispered into Tsuna’s ear.

This time, Tsuna almost did jump right out of his skin. Whirling around, he was suddenly face to face with none other then Rokudo Mukuro himself.

“Mukuro….you’re…here?” Tsuna looked at the Mist Guardian in amazement and confusion. Mukuro was currently standing in front of Tsuna, in his real body. Tsuna was more then a bit startled by this. In all the years Tsuna has known the illusionist, only three times has he seen him in his real body. The first was obviously during his first introduction to Mukuro, at Kokuyou Land all those years ago. The second had been when Tsuna used his influence as the 10th Vongola to release Mukuro from the Vindice prison. Tsuna had personally been there when Mukuro was freed from his watery cell. The third time had been when Tsuna was officially appointed as the leader of the Vongola. Mukuro had actually appeared in person during the ceremony, and took his place next Tsuna, as one-half of the Mist Guardian. That ceremony had been the first and only time all seven of Tsuna guardians were gathered in once place at the same time.

Whenever Mukuro did decide to show up (which was a rare occasion), he’d be borrowing either Chrome’s body, or some poor soul, be it person or animal. When he wasn’t around, the Mist Guardian was next to impossible to find. Sometimes Tsuna wished he hadn’t freed him from his watery prison, as at least he knew where he was then.

Mukuro’s smile just widened ever more, and took a bold step towards the young Vongola boss.

“Greetings, Sawada Tsunayoshi. It has been a while, has it not?”

And thus, we’re brought back to Tsuna’s current predicament. To re-cap, here he was, pressed up against a wall that one Rokudo Mukuro had oh-so-easily cornered him against, with the Mist Guardian leaning dangerously close, well beyond the personal-space barrier that he seemed to determined to intrude upon.

So much for Tsuna’s perfect day of peace.

“Mukuro….what an unexpected surprise. I didn’t know you would be arriving today.” Tsuna tried to act casual and unaffected by the heavy gaze he was currently under.

“Ah, yes. I decided to drop in for a little visit. It has been quite sometime since we last saw each other….face to face….” The Mist Guardian purred, leaning in just a smidgen closer.

“And to my surprise! I arrive to find out that none of the little puppy dogs that oh so eagerly follow you around, are here. They’ve all been sent away, from what I hear, by none other then yourself. Even the arcobaleno is gone!” Mukuro’s eyes lit up with excitement, and one of his hands rose to rest on the wall right next to Tsuna’s head.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much enjoyment that brings me. It’s almost like Christmas.” The illusionist’s voice dropped very subtly, rolling over his tongue in a deep rich tremor. He inched closer to Tsuna just a little bit more, fingers curling on the wall on either side of Tsuna’s head loosely.

“Enough Mukuro. What do you want?” Tsuna tried to growl out in a threat, but ended up sounding more like a kicked puppy.

Mukuro just laughed, deep and huskily, with his trademark ‘Kufufufu’.

“Haven’t I said it before? It’s you.” Mukuro suddenly grabbed the front of Tsuna’s shirt, fisting it in his hands and holding firm. He pressed the fisted hand against Tsuna’s chest, pinning the brunette against the wall.

“Wha!? Mukuro!” Tsuna let out an surprised yelp. Startled by the sudden physical contact, he grabbed onto Mukuro’s wrist that held him against the wall, and attempted to break the grip.

Now, had Tsuna taken the medicine that would’ve cured the vicious headache that left his reflexes and rational thoughts just a bit sluggish, Tsuna might have had a chance to avoid this rather compromising situation. Had Tsuna brought his gloves with him, instead of opting to leave them in his room (because who needs to carry them around in your own house?) he might have had a chance to fight back, and properly defend himself. Had Tsuna not sent away all his Guardians, and snuck away to a secluded spot, telling no one of his whereabouts, this situation would have never occurred in the first place. But unfortunately, everything that could go wrong, did. And Tsuna had practically set the whole thing up.

“I’ve been telling you this for years, little Vongola. Practically spelt out my entire plans of vengeance to you. Possessing you has been, and still is, the one and only reason why I joined your little famiglia.” Mukuro used his free hand to pull at one of Tsuna’s wrists, pinning it to the wall behind him. Using his weight, Mukuro lifted Tsuna just slightly up into the air by his shirt, with his back still heavily pressed against the wall. Eyes glittering dangerously, Mukuro leaned in even closer, with leaving nothing but a hair’s breath between their two bodies. Tsuna squeaked when he felt Mukuro’s knee slide between Tsuna’s.

Tsuna’s brain had officially gone into over-load, as it desperately attempted to think of a solution our of this dangerous situation. So far, the only conclusion Tsuna managed to reach was ‘I’m screwed’.

That was, until the familiar sound of a gun clicking, startled them both. Mukuro’s eyes widened slightly, and swiveled to the side when he felt the cold metal of the gun pressed against the back of his head.

“Ah. Seems there was still one puppy on guard duty. How disappointing.” Mukuro chuckled, suddenly releasing Tsuna, and turning around to face his challenger. Tsuna, who had apparently been holding his breath, let out a heavy sigh, and slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

“Leave, right now, before I shoot your fucking face off.”

TBC

--Notes from the Author--

First off, I’M SORRY!

I didn’t mean to take so long with this chapter. It’s been a rather hectic month for me. Plus, this chapter was proving to be a particular challenge to write. Mukuro is such a mysterious character, and since he’s shown up in the manga only a handful of times, trying to write him in character is a bit of a struggle (for me anyway).

Also, I’M SORRY AGAIN for leaving it off at such an awful spot. I didn’t think this chapter would be so long. But after plotting it out, and then finally writing it, it’s turning out to be quite the monster. I decided to cut it here, because the 2nd half has some action, a lot of dialog, and a lot of emotion. I figured you all waited long enough, so I decided to split the chapter in half. The 2nd half is really fresh in my mind, so it shouldn’t take me very long to write it. I’m going to try to get it done this week, if not, definitely the next.

Next, OMG I LOVE YOU ALL! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! 95 REVIEWS! YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!

Seriously, my mind is blown by the massive amounts of feedback I’ve been receiving. I get all giddy inside when I check my inbox and I see a New Review e-mail sitting there. It totally makes my day. That, and I get inspired to write, like, instantly.

That brings me to my next huge thank you! FANART PIMPAGE!

Junez-chan totally surprised me with this AMAZING piece!

junez-chan. deviantart. com/art/KHR-Deep-in-thought-83758100 (remove the spaces)

melts into a puddle of goo It’s so pretty! I seriously cannot put words together on how much this made my whole WEEK! I demand you all to go look at it and worship her!

And speaking of fanart, I’ll be posting all the links to all the fanart I receive in my profile. So if you hate removing the spaces or going from chapter-to-chapter to find them, they‘ll all be listed there.

Urja Shannon recently brought up an interesting point (and I’m sorry, Urja, for not replying to your Pms. I got them and read them! I’m not ignoring you! ’s IM system really kind of confuses me, but I’ll try to reply soon!).

I openly welcome fanart of any kind for any of my fics. You don’t need to ask for permission! I actually feel honored that my fics actually inspire fanart! My only little request is for maybe a link to my fic, crediting the inspiration/source, and sending me a link so that I can totally fawn over it and pimp it to the world! :D

One last thing I want to blab about, then I’ll shut up. I’m currently debating getting a DeviantArt account. I’d love to comment and favorite on the fanart I’ve been receiving, and I’d possibly submit some of my (sucky) sketches that I myself have done. The real question I’d like to ask you all is, should I post Ashes to Flames chapters or any of my other fics there? Good idea? Bad idea? For those who have DA accounts, and those who post fanfictions there, what’s your opinion? Any feedback would be great!

Ok, I’m done for now. On to a few review responses! (there are so many!)

--REVIEW RESPONCES--

bitterchoco - Hahaha, actually, when I was toying with the idea of a spin-off series, adding Lal and Colonello as supervisors was something I thought of. I think the Guardians would all die though from the hard-core training.

firedraygon - yes, I know of my insanely annoying habit of switching tenses. I’m so horrible at it, yet I do it totally subconsciously. cries And the SpannerTsuna fic would be fun to write sometime. I’ll probably end up writing it when the proper inspiration strikes.

ChibiChaos- hahaha, yes, I definitely have a Jealous!Xanxus and Possessive!Xanxus planned. A little bit of it will show up in the next chapter, but it’ll develop a lot more in later chapters. Xanxus is in for a rough time. (hehehe)

shizouo- Awww, thank you! I’d hardly call myself a prodigy, but I try atleast to write creatively. Mukuro is going to be quite the little instigator of tension between those two, as messing with people’s minds is what he does best! And don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about Hibari. He’s going to show up later, but he’s definitely going to cause a big commotion.

SesshouNoKon- Thank you!! :D Hahaha, Tsuna being all bad-ass was really surprisingly popular! I’m definitely going to try to show that side of Tsuna again in the future. In fact, looking at what I’ve got planned thus far, there are still several sides to each of them that I’ve yet to reveal. Their “relationship” has just barely scratched the surface, and the both of them will evolve and change dramatically as it grows. Just wait and see! And again, thank you for all the reviews!

Junez-chan - like I said above, OMG THANK YOU! The artwork was AMAZING!- rolls around in joy- Every time I look at it I can’t but squeal like the fan girl I am. XD

Wayra - whaaa thank you! Haha, I fan girl squeal just by writing it! And I totally welcome fanart! And it most certainly will NOT be fail! Any fanart is full of epic-win in my book! :D

Quicksilver4 - I’m not sure what inspired me to write the whole insomnia bit about Xanxus. It just kinda popped in my head when I was trying to think of an excuse to make Xanxus go wander the halls at night. It really does fit though, doesn’t it? Maybe that’s why Xanxus’s so grumpy all the time, he just never sleeps. XD And oh yes, Tsuna will sadly be oblivious for a little while longer. Because Tsuna’s just dense, and Xanxus will be in denial. XD

urja shannan - haha, X27 is an addicting pairing. And I’m sorry if I made Xanxus too OOC. I’m definitely going to gradually explain the sudden change of attitude, as it’s one of major points of the whole story, but I can say this much. The kindness thing, yeah…that’s just around Tsuna, as you’ll see eventually. XD

Orange-Butterfly100 - Yes! Converted another! -evil laugh-

Flippant Wisdom- Thank you! Yeah, the subtle romance hints are vague at first, but it’ll definitely build momentum over time. Both of them are just too dense to just jump into things, so they have to realize it over time.

warflame001- Thank you!! The boot camp story would be fun. Sadly, I have next to nothing at the moment on what would happen, other then the fact it would be probably 99 percent crack and chaos! Just gotta wait till the inspiration strikes me.

Sorry if I didn’t reply to your review. I still read them all (several times), and I appreciate every single one of them!! Reviews are my writing-fuel! 8D

Next Chapter: Emotions build and conflicts are created. Oh, and a little bit of fluff on the side.

REMEMBER! REVIEWS ARE THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD! (The next chapter may even update faster with more reviews!) ;D

-Please fangirl/boy responsibly.

-Kou Tora

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4057975/6/Ashes_to_Flames <- Fanfiction.net Link

Infection of the Heart - chapter 1

2008-06-15T18:27:07Z

Auugh!!! Curse you Kingdom Hearts fanfictions!! Why are you so addicting!!! D8
I've been completely obsessed with kingdom hearts fanfictions over the past few weeks. Especially Cloud/Leon!!! MY OTP!!! I love these two!

So, because of my recently discovered undying love of these two, OF COURSE I had to start my own fanfiction.

Enjoy~~ <3
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Title: Infection of the Heart

Rating: PG-13 for swearing and blood

Pairing: CloudxLeon

Warnings: Swearing, violence, blood, and probably Yaoi :3

Summary: Leon falls victim to Darkness, and the only one who may be able to save him in conflicted by Darkness of his own.

Author Note: If you don’t like BL or just this pairing, then don’t read it. Any flames or immature negative remarks will be ignored. I’m very good at ignoring :3

“Leon wait! Come back!” Aerith called desperately to the retreating form of Leon as he stormed out of Merlin’s house.

But Leon didn’t want to go back. He didn’t want to listen to lectures and bullshit, and he certainly didn’t want to deal with one stupid idiotic blonde by the name of Cloud Strife.

This certainly wasn’t their first argument, and it certainly wouldn’t be their last, but this one…definitely hurt more then the others. The words had stung more, and the memories that came with them were just as painful. And Leon blamed it all on a certain blonde and his inability to leave the past in the past, especially other peoples.

He angrily kicked at a rock that just so happened to be within reach of his boot, sending it skidding across the dusty ground. He then found a second rock and quickly sent it flying too. Taking one last glance back at the town below, Leon climbed his way towards the edge of town, along the cliff sides.

Cursing the entire way, Leon unhooked his gunblade from his belt and swung it in the air a few times, feeling the familiar weight. His argument with Cloud left him irritable and itching to kill something. Lucky for him, something to kill wasn’t hard to find.

The familiar silent whoosh of darkness was the only warning before several Heartless appeared before Leon. Smirking, Leon felt the rush of adrenaline fuel his blood as he charged at the dark mindless creatures.

They weren’t much of a challenge. A few slashes of his gunblade and they quickly vanished as fast as they had appeared. They were more of a nuisance now a days rather then a threat. The security system that he and Cid had installed kept most of Heartless out of the city center, and forced them back to the edges of town. With Malifiecent seemingly gone, and Sora working hard as ever saving other worlds from the clutches of Darkness, the Heartless at Radiant Garden had dwindled. Only small drones appeared, with some of the larger ones every once in a while, and boss-class Heartless were now non-existent.

Irritated by the lack of challenge, Leon wandered amongst the cliff paths, not particularly thinking of where he was going. He eventually came to a cliff edge, forcing himself to stop and examine his surroundings. He had apparently wandered into one of the untouched areas of Radiant Garden, as the entire area was nothing but razor sharp cliff edges and drops. To either side of him were towering rock walls, and in front was a large pit that dropped down into darkness.

Walking to the edge, Leon peered over it, attempting to see the bottom. He kicked another rock, sending it plummeting down into the pit. After a moment, the echo of it hitting the bottom floated up from the misty darkness.

Already bored, Leon turned to leave. Looking at the sky, he was surprised to see how long he had been away. It was close to nightfall, maybe another hour or two of daylight left. He figured he had sulked enough. It was time to go home.

A movement suddenly caught Leon’s attention to his side, and purely through reflexes did he manage to raise his gunblade in time. The sound similar to that of metal on metal screeched in Leon’s ear, as he gripped his Gunblade dangerously close to the side of his face, blocking the incoming attack.

And just as quickly as the attack came, it was gone.

Leon whirled around, searching for his attacker, but he saw nothing. The dust whirled in the air slightly, signaling that something had definitely been there just moments ago, but had now vanished.

Or so Leon thought.

“A little Heart has come to ME” A whispered voice, low in Leon’s ear, seemed to fill the area, bouncing off the cliff sides and sent chills down his spine.

“Oh how long I’ve slept, and now I’m HUNGRY” The voice hissed again, low and singsong.

“Who are you!? Show yourself!” Leon angrily shouted, annoyed by the hide-and-seek game. He couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from. It felt like it was just behind him, but no matter where he looked, nothing was around. It irritated him to no end.

“The Heart has Darkness. Oh such lovely Darkness. Nice and BLACK” The voice purred the last word, this time lashing out.

Leon was just barely able to dodge the blow, as it came low and fast. He swung his Gunblade out at the attacker, which back flipped away from Leon, and scurried up the side of a cliff wall. Now Leon was able to get a good look at his foe.

It was a Heartless, that much Leon could tell. But it was vastly different from all the others he had dealt with before. It wasn’t overly large, maybe the size of a large feline, like a tiger or lion at most. It crawled on all fours like a lizard, with its long legs clinging to the rock side. On one front foot though, four dagger-like claws, each easily 3 feet in length, scrapped against the rock. It’s eyes, huge and wide on its round and almost feline like face, focused entirely on Leon. Its mouth was wide and curled into a cruel smile, with its sharp teeth glittering dangerously. Horns and spikes decorated its entire body, each curved and twisted.

Leon took immediate notice of the Heartless symbol, which was stretched across the creature’s backside. He looked at it with an odd fascination, because, unlike all the other countless Heartless he had seen, this one’s was different. The bottom of the heart symbol stretched downwards more, and formed the shape of what Leon could only describe as a trident, with 3 sharp arrows pointing downwards. In interior of the heart was not the typical vine with thorns marking either. Instead, it appeared to be a star-burst, or some hideous version of one.

But the thing that made chills of dread run down Leon’s spine, was the fact that this Heartless was talking to him. Taunting him, no less.

“This Heart will be wonderful, oh so wonderful. Must have it, must eat IT” The Heartless hissed out in pleasure, a long forked tongue sliding out of the Cheshire-cat smile each time it spoke.

“What the hell is this thing….” Leon whispered to himself and took a hesitant step back, Gunblade raised and ready.

But not ready enough.

The Heartless all but vanished, it moved so quickly. Leon didn’t even have time to react, before he felt the strike. A long bloody gash appeared on his left thigh, and he grunted in surprise and pain.

Turning on his heel, he just barely blocked an incoming strike to his back. But the Heartless was too fast. It circled around for another strike, this time on his shoulder. Leon let out low strangled cry of pain as blood soaked into the fabric of his jacket. The wound throbbed and burned like crazy.

The Heartless continued this routine, circling and striking, far too fast and too nimble for Leon to keep up.

‘Fast! I’ve never seen anything like it!’ Leon thought in despair. He was getting tired and his vision was blurring from blood-loss. But he couldn’t use any potions or magic. He just didn’t have time. The Heartless’s attacks were becoming quicker and more constant, slicing and stabbing whenever it circled around.

‘But never anything fatal.’ Leon suddenly thought, confused. ‘It just aims for the non-vital areas…’

Blocking another blow, Leon then suddenly realized something else. The Heartless, this entire time, has yet to attack Leon with the four dagger-like claws on it’s left front foot. It has only been using it’s smaller claws and spikes to strike at Leon.

Taking a step back, the heel of Leon’s boot met empty air. Looking over his shoulder, Leon looked down in surprise and sudden fear. He now stood at the very edge of the cliff, which led down into the dark pit. Suddenly, something clicked.

‘This bastard’s been toying with me! Its just been driving me back.’ Leon growled in frustration.

“This Heart is strong, yes it is. Take some time, it will, to turn this Heart into dark. But savor it I WILL” The Heartless sung out again.

“Shut up you bastard!” Leon snapped at it, acting like a wild lion backed into a corner.

“The Darkness calls to you, I see. Darkness, Darkness, you and ME” The Heartless’s smile only seemed to grow in more delight, as it prowled in front of Leon like a predator taunting it’s prey.

“I SAID. SHUT. UP!” Leon yelled in fury, raising his Gunblade and moved to charge the Heartless.

But he never made a single step.

His Gunblade clattered to the dusty ground by his feet, slipping from his fingers. A painful cough escaped his lips, blood spilling out of the corner of his mouth. Shaking, Leon stared face-to-face with the grinning Heartless, which but a few inches from his. Their eyes locked, storm-grey with wild neon-red. Tearing his gaze away, he eyes briefly traveled downward, his eyelids drooping with every weak blink.

Four claws of the Heartless’s left hand were imbedded deeply in Leon’s abdomen.

The Heartless purred deeply, before retracting the claws, blood dripping from each razor sharp tip.

“Call to Darkness, Cling to Darkness. It is the only way to end the PAIN” The Heartless whispered to Leon, before vanishing in a cloud of black smoke.

Leon swayed for a moment, the shock of what just happened making him shake. His vision was already blurring, and all the warmth had left his fingers. He felt no pain though. Just a bone-chilling numbness.

Letting out a gurgled cough, he attempted to stand straight to start walking. All the strength just suddenly left him though, and his legs gave out. His body swayed dangerously, and he lost his footing. Letting out one more strangled cry, Leon tumbled over the cliff, down into the darkness below.

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I wrote this bloody chapter at 4am because I just couldn't SLEEP until I had written it down. *shakes fist*
So, please excuse any retarded typos and such. My grammar becomes non-existent past midnight.

More later lovelies~~~ <3

-Kou Tora

Do not Disturb

2008-06-15T18:10:26Z

So, I decided that I need a second project to help keep me motivated in writing. Fear not, I am NOT abandoning ‘Ashes to Flames’. I’ve just sort of hit a dry-spell in terms of creativity with it. (curse you Mukuro, and being so difficult to write!). I’ve decided to work on some short one-shots to help inspire me.

That being said, I am looking for ideas for these oneshots! Send me prompts, suggestions, inspiration, anything!! These one-shots can have nothing to do with the ‘Ashes to Flames’ verse, so it’s open for anything! AU, OOC, rating from cute fluff to full-blown Mature. Whatever! Heck, your ideas may even influence ‘Ashes to Flames’ later on! Give me food-for-thought! (om nom nom nom)
But please remember, these one-shots will be purely Xanxus/Tsuna. There can be interference from other characters, but the pairing will always be our lovely X27.

Thank you!

We now will start our Feature Presentation.

----------------

Title: Do Not Disturb

Rating: PG-13 for minor swearing

Inspiration: Randomly thought of the phrase "Do not Disturb" when picking my brain for plot ideas.

Disclaimer: Sadly, Tsuna, Xanxus and the rest of the Katekyo Hitman Reborn characters do not belong to me.

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Do Not Disturb--

Who knew that just three little words could throw Tsuna into a fit of anxiety.

‘Go find Xanxus.’ Reborn had commanded.

‘Get that report from him.’ Reborn had demanded.

‘Don’t come back without it,… or else.’ Reborn had threatened.

Tsuna did not want to know what the “else” was.

Unfortunately, the gods, spirits or maybe even karma did not smile upon Tsuna that day. Upon reaching Xanxas’s office, he was soon confronted by three little words. DO NOT DISTURB. They were written on a sheet of paper, taped to the door, in big red letters. Probably with the blood of the last poor fool who knocked on that door.

Tsuna wrung his hands nervously, debating on what to do. He looked from side to side down the hallway, desperately looking for anyone to help him. No such luck, the hallway was deserted.

On one hand, he could go back empty handed, and be used as a target for live rounds from Reborn. In the other, knock on the door and be burnt to a crisp from Xanxus’s flames. It was like choosing between a rock and a hard place.

So the young mafia boss stood there, weighing his options. Who did he fear more?

Tsuna scoffed, and laughed at himself. Honesty, that was a stupid question. No offence to Xanxus, but Reborn was four times more bloodthirsty and about twenty times more psychotic.

Straightening himself, Tsuna gave the door a hesitant knock, and then waited. Hearing no response, Tsuna slowly pushed the door open, and peered inside.

“Xanxus?”

At first glance, Tsuna thought the office was vacant. Then he caught the sound of slow shallow breathing. Stepping lightly into the room, Tsuna was quickly sent into yet another state of panic.

There sprawled on the extremely comfy and plush looking leather couch, was Xanxus. Asleep.

Now, Xanxus any time during the day, Tsuna could deal with. It was a sleeping Xanxus that Tsuna had quickly learned never to disturb. Ever. Unless you had a death wish. That was guaranteed.

‘Well shit.’ Tsuna actually swore in his mind. ‘Now what?’

So he did the one thing he only knew how to do in this situation. He started pacing.

Not a frantic pace. That would be too loud. No, this was a quiet ‘I’m in deep shit, and I don’t know what to do, so I’m going to pace on this rug and hope the floor swallows me whole.’ sort of panic.

‘WhatdoIdo?WhatdoIdo!? Can’t go back, Reborn will kill me. Can’t stay here, Xanxus will wake up and then kill me. I’m dead either way!’ Tsuna cried in his mind, tugging at his hair and continued to pace back and forth on the rug.

“What are you doing?” A low voice snapped from behind Tsuna.

Startled in mid-turn during his pacing, Tsuna tripped over his own feet and with a loud yelp, fell backwards over a chair.

“Itai!” Tsuna sat up slowly, clutching his head in agony. Then suddenly remembering his situation, he clapped a hand over his mouth and looked over to the couch.

Xanxus, with a wide yawn, sat up on the couch and looked over at Tsuna with disinterest.

“I-I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you Xanxus! R-Reborn sent me here to get a report from you, but you were asleep, and I didn’t want to wake you, but you know how scary Reborn can be when he doesn’t get what he wants, but I know you don’t like being woken up so-” Tsuna waved his hands frantically in the air, babbling nonstop.

“Sawada, Shut up.” Xanxus grumbled, rubbing a scarred hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry!” Tsuna apologized quickly. Standing up, he brushed himself off, and took a few hesitant steps towards Xanxus.

“Umm…so…that report…I mean…” Tsuna looked warily at Xanxus, hoping the Varia leader wasn’t in a particularly bad mood and wanted to smash Tsuna’s face in for waking him up.

“No.” Xanxus replied.

“Eh?” Tsuna looked at him in confusion and surprise.

“No, I don’t have it.”

“Eeeh!?”

“I haven’t even started on it. So obviously I can‘t give it to you.”

“NANI!?” And thus Tsuna started panicking again.

“What am I suppose to do now!? I can’t go back! Reborn is going to slaughter me!”

Xanxus glared at Tsuna who was doing a splendid job of impersonating a chicken with its head cut off, running around in circles and squawking. He quietly began to countdown in his head, calming his urge to strangle the young mafia boss just to get him to shut up.

“Sawada.” Xanxus called out calmly, but Tsuna didn’t hear him, as he was too caught up in listing all the different ways Reborn could kill him in his sleep.

“Tsuna!” Xanxus tried again, but again, to no avail. Tsuna had moved on to how Reborn would kill him at dinner, with a serving spoon.

Growling irritably, Xanxus reached his hand out and grabbed the front of Tsuna’s shirt, pulling him forward and down onto his lap. Tsuna, cut off mid-rant, yelped in surprise, but was quickly silenced by a pair of lips that pressed up against his own. Tsuna gasped, one of his hands clutching Xanxus‘s shoulder for support. Xanxus pressed more urgently against Tsuna, quieting any complaint. After another second, Xanxus pulled back, but his hands settled on either side of Tsuna’s hips, preventing the young mafia boss from standing again before he could resume his pacing. Tsuna’s face was flushed, either from embarrassment or anger, Xanxus couldn’t tell.

“I hate it when you do that.” Tsuna murmured angrily, as he glared at Xanxus with a pout.

Xanxus just grinned. “Maybe, but it’s great for shutting you up.” Oh yes, Xanxus had discovered that particular tactic was especially effective in quieting the usually frantic mafia boss, and had used it many a times previously.

“Yeah, but it still doesn’t help with my current death-sentence you know.” Tsuna glowered at Xanxus. He fidgeted in Xanxus’s lap which he was currently straddling, but Xanxus wasn’t about to let him go. His hands still gripped Tsuna’s hips, fingers twitching occasionally against the fabric of his shirt.

“Just stay here then.” Xanxus suggested with a shrug.

“Eh? How’s that going to help?” Tsuna looked half bewildered and half irritated, as he pinched a wandering hand that was attempting to slide up under his shirt.

“It won’t take me long to write up that report, and Reborn knows better then to come here. You can just hide out here until I’m done.” Xanxus pulled the mafia boss just a little bit closer, smirking mischievously up at Tsuna.

“Well, I suppose that could work…” Tsuna gave a hesitant nod, looking suspiciously at Xanxus. He suddenly felt like he was looking into the eyes of a wolf. A wolf that spotted its prey.

“Good.” Was all Xanxus said before suddenly pushing Tsuna to the side, making him fall onto his back on the couch.

“Whaa!? What’re you doing!?” Tsuna all but screeched as Xanxus hovered above him like a dangerous predator about to eat its prey. One of his hands had found it’s way underneath the boy’s shirt, while the other held Tsuna’s wrists together above his head.

“You woke me up from my nap. You should no better then to do that. Time for punishment.” Xanxus smirked, red eyes glittering dangerously.

“Iieee! No wait! Xanxus! Not now, what are you- Wait, where are you touching - stop thaaaa--!”

“Baka Tsuna. How long does it take to get one simple piece of paper?” Reborn mumbled irritably as he stomped his way to Xanxus’s office. He stopped at door, glaring at the three big red letter words that were still tapped there.

‘Damn. Guess I can’t use Xanxus as a threat anymore. …. Well, at least they’re not fighting anymore.’

Scratching his head, Reborn looked at the door thoughtfully. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and grinned a smile fit for a devil. Leon, who had be sitting peacefully on his hat, suddenly scurried down Reborn’s arm, and in his usual transformation of rainbows and sparkles, transformed himself into a camera.

‘Blackmail material is always the best form of motivation.’ Reborn snickered to himself, and quietly snuck into the office.

@Fanfiction.net

<3 Kou-Tora

Ashes to Flames - Chapt. 5

2008-04-24T07:48:17Z

Title: Ashes to Flames

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna

Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar

Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.

Chapter 5: Nighttime Meeting

   A nagging feeling pulled at Xanxus, rousing him from his deep sleep and dragged him away from his blank dreams. Grumbling a little, Xanxus sat up and took note of the time. 3:30 am. He sighed.

   For some strange reason, Xanxus was never able to fully sleep through the night. Every single night, he would wake roughly around the same time, between 3 and 4 am. It had become so predictable, that it’d developed into some sort of ritual or routine.

   Additionally, every night he’d have the vague feeling that he’d been dreaming, but he could never remember what it was about. He didn’t believe they were particularly frightening or haunting though. Every time he woke, he’d be strangely calm, yet fully alert. Because of this, he was never able to fall back asleep until quite a while later.

   Yawning, Xanxus swung his feet over the side of the bed and stepped down onto the floor. Not particularly bothered by the cold, Xanxus stood lazily and gave a slight stretch. Dressed only in loose sweatpants and a white tank top, he walked out of his room and down the dark hallways, bare feet stepping quietly across the floor.

   Xanxus had to admit, his ritual of waking up every night wasn’t so bad. The nighttime always gave him a slight thrill. The silence that hung about the manor attracted him, and he savored every moment of it. He was always more of a night person anyway.

   Wandering quietly about the halls, Xanxus breathed in the cool night air. His footsteps barely echoing, he lazily made his way towards the east wing kitchen, which was closest. Another part of his nightly routine was to have a nightcap or two. Alcohol in his stomach always calmed him down and helped him sleep easier.

   Even though the Vongola estate had a full sized kitchen complete with professional chefs, each wing of the estate had an additional smaller kitchen for personal use. Tsuna and his Guardians especially took advantage of the smaller kitchens. Though they appreciated the exquisite meals that the cooks prepared for them, they often liked cooking their own meals, especially when it was at odd-hours in the night.

   Rounding a corner, Xanxus was surprised to see the light coming from the kitchen at the end of the hall. Apparently he wasn’t the only one awake tonight. Stepping quietly, Xanxus approached the open kitchen door. He peered inside, curious to see who was currently occupying it.

   He wasn’t sure if he should be surprised or not when he saw who it was.

   Currently sitting at the small table in the middle of the kitchen was Tsuna. He was still fully dressed in the clothes he was wearing earlier that day, which told Xanxus that he hasn‘t even slept yet. He was slightly hunched over on the table, with a glass of water pressed against his forehead. His eyes were closed, and slightly knitted together in pain.

   “Isn‘t it past your bedtime, Sawada?” Xanxus asks, stepping into the kitchen. He apparently caught Tsuna completely off guard, because he jumped in his chair and almost dropped the glass he had been holding.

   “Xa…Xanxus! Ahhhh, geez. Don’t sneak up on people like that.” Tsuna sighed heavily, one hand pressed against his chest as he attempted to calm his frantic heart.

   Xanxus just chuckled, walking past Tsuna and began rummaging through a cabinet. “Couldn’t sleep either, huh?” Xanxus asked, while pulling out random bottles of alcohol and reading the labels.

   “No…ah…well...I haven’t exactly tried to sleep yet.” Tsuna says sheepishly, swirling the water and ice in his glass, watching the liquid.

   Xanxus pauses from his inspection of the liquor cabinet to turn his head and give Tsuna a look. “I didn’t take you for an insomniac.”

   “Well, I’m not really. I’ve just been working on some things. Finishing up loose ends here and there. Ya know, the usual.” Tsuna explained, never looking up from his glass.

   Xanxus, his back turned to Tsuna, frowned. This news of Tsuna working well past the quitting hour didn’t sit well with him. Not only was he working endlessly during the day, but apparently well into the night as well.

    After finally choosing a drink that suited his tastes, Xanxus fixed himself a large glass. Capping the bottle, he took a seat across from Tsuna at the table. Leaning back into the chair, he takes a swig of the powerful liquor, and exhales heavily as it burned his throat. Good stuff.

   “So, why are you up, Xanxus?” Tsuna asks, finally looking up at him.

   Xanxus takes another sip of his drink, savoring it before swallowing. Taking a breath he sets the glass on the table, and leans back. He drapes one arm over the back of his chair, and the other is playing with his glass, pushing it back and forth with his fingers.

   “Hmmm…you could say it’s my routine. I wake up just about every night around this time.” He begins to explain.

   “Ehhh? Really? How come?” Tsuna asks innocently, crossing his arms in front of him on the table, abandoning the now empty glass.

   Xanxus looks from Tsuna to the ceiling, thinking it over. He then just shrugs, and picks up his glass again, pressing it against his lips.

   “Dunno. I just do.”

   “Then, don’t you ever get tired during the day?” Tsuna asks, apparently intrigued about learning of Xanxus’s nighttime routine.

   Xanxus just shrugs again. “I take naps here and there, but I’ve never been one to sleep a long time anyway.” He takes another sip.

   Tsuna seems to ponder this for a moment, as silence fills the room. The look of curiosity on Tsuna’s face however soon shifts into one of pain, as he begins to rub his temple.

   “What’s wrong?” Xanxus asks, catching Tsuna’s pained expression.

   “What? Oh, it’s nothing.” Tsuna says immediately, dropping his hand and giving Xanxus a weak smile. Xanxus on the other hand doesn’t buy it. He gives Tsuna a look, crimson eyes locking with Tsuna’s amber ones, and practically telling him to spit it out. Tsuna, pressured from Xanxus’s heavy gaze, quickly caves.

   “It’s just a headache. It’s nothing serious, really.” Tsuna tried wave it off, looking down at his empty glass, holding it between his fingers.

   Suddenly something soft and warm presses against Tsuna’s forehead. Startled, Tsuna looks up to see Xanxus leaning over the table, the palm of his hand pushing up Tsuna’s bangs as his fingers press against his temple. Tsuna’s eyes unfocused slightly, as the comforting touch almost soothed his headache away. Almost.

   And just as quickly as it happened, it ended. Xanxus, realizing what he was doing, pulled his hand away as if he had been burned. Sitting back down in his seat, Xanxus nervously looks to the side, and crosses his arms over his chest. He coughs slightly, clearing his throat that suddenly didn’t seem to want to work properly.

   “You, uh…You feel a bit warm. Be… be careful you don’t get sick.” He quickly spoke, his tongue tripping over itself.

   “Oh, uh….yeah. It’s …probably just because I haven’t slept much these past few days. …It‘s nothing.” Tsuna looks down at the glass which was still clutched in his hand. A slight blush spread across his cheeks.

   Xanxus is silent for a bit. Arms still crossed, he studies Tsuna who’s taken a sudden interest in the glass in his hands, because he’s yet to take his eyes off of it. Xanxus wasn’t lying when he said Tsuna felt abnormally warm, but he wasn’t too hot for Xanxus to immediately think it was a fever developing. It really could be just from lack of sleep. Which Xanxus could easily believe from the dark rings that lined Tsuna’s eyes.

   Reaching out, Xanxus takes his own drink and downs the rest of the powerful liquor, and then stands. Walking back over to the liquor cabinet, he pulls out two bottles. Carrying them over to the table, he uncorks one, and promptly dumps a good amount into the glass Tsuna was holding.

   “Drink that. I’ll help you get to sleep.” He explain, as he re-corks the bottle, and then moves to the second bottle, which was for himself.

   “I can’t drink this! I’m still underage!” Tsuna protests, looking at the suspicious liquid.

   Xanxus laughs, sitting back down in his chair. “Says the kid who’s the leader of a mafia organization which deals with almost every sort of illegal trade and business.”

   “Touché” Tsuna sighs, then sniffs the golden liquid cautiously. After a moment, he gathers up his courage, and takes a gulp. The powerful liquid feels like fire as it burns its way down his throat and into his stomach. Tsuna coughs and makes a face, sticking out his tongue at the strong taste.

   “You’re suppose to sip it slowly, not inhale it.” Xanxus chuckles from the other side of the table, taking a swig of his own drink. Tsuna made a face, but didn’t say anything in return.

   The two sat there for quite a while, chatting idly about little things here and there, occasionally sipping their drinks. At first conversation was all politics, taking about Vongola business and other affairs. But slowly, without either of them noticing, the subject shifted to each other. They began talking about the past years, and what each of them had been up to since the Ring Battles. Nothing too personal though, as Xanxus avoided talking about his trial and punishment for betraying the 9th, and Tsuna avoided talking about his trip to the future. It was an unspoken rule to leave the shadows of the past, in the past.

   A loud ringing suddenly caught the two off guard. Xanxus grumbled irritably, and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. He had forgotten he had put it in his pocket before leaving his room. He looked at the name flashing on the screen, before standing up.

   “Sorry, gotta take this.” He grumbled, and turned to step out of the room.

   Tsuna chuckled softly, listening to Xanxus’s angry muffled voice from the hallway. Rubbing his head briefly, he took another big gulp of his drink.

   A short while later, Xanxus re-entered the kitchen, grumbling about stupid idiots with no knowledge of time-zones. He opened his mouth to once again apologize to Tsuna, but stopped short. Tsuna’s head was on the table, resting on his folded arms. His eyes were closed, and mouth slightly parted, breathing slowly. The glass next to him was completely empty. Xanxus shook his head, and walked over to the table.

   “You were suppose to sip it.” He mumbled, picking up the glass along with his, and setting them into the sink.

   Leaning over the boy, Xanxus shook Tsuna’s shoulder, attempting to wake him up.

   “Oi, wake up. You can’t sleep here.” Xanxus tried to rouse the boy, but he failed miserably, as Tsuna was out cold.

   Xanxus scratched the back of his head, and looked around nervously, unsure of what to do. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t just leave Tsuna here. There wasn’t anyone else around either to take him back to his room. That meant the duty fell to Xanxus.

   Xanxus closed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, cursing whatever gods or spirits that apparently were mocking him. Taking a breath, and gathering his courage, Xanxus awkwardly wrapped an arm around the back of Tsuna’s shoulders, and the other under his knees. Xanxus then lifted Tsuna out of the chair, and cradled him against his chest, carrying him bridal style. Tsuna’s head rested against Xanxus shoulder, his hair brushing against Xanxus’s neck. Fighting a blush, Xanxus headed out of the kitchen, making his way towards Tsuna’s room. He had little difficultly actually carrying Tsuna, because he was surprisingly light. Though Tsuna was defiantly taller then the last time Xanxus had seen, him all those years ago, and he had developed more muscle from continuously fighting and training, he was still small compared to the rest of his Guardians. Xanxus once again couldn’t fathom how so much power could come from such a small frame.

   Entering his room, Xanxus laid Tsuna down on the bed. He had half the heart to just turn a leave, but seeing the boy sprawled on the bed, looking uncomfortable and in pain, Xanxus sighed in defeat. Gathering up his courage and letting go of his pride, Xanxus leaned over to loosen Tsuna’s tie, which clung tightly around his neck.

   He then proceeded to take off Tsuna’s shoes, setting them on the floor next to the bed. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he then took Tsuna’s thin wrists into his hands. Xanxus removed his watch and various rings, that he wore, placing them onto the nightstand next to the bed. He paused momentary upon seeing the Vongola Sky ring on Tsuna’s middle finger. He gazed at it with a mixture of fear and awe. To think such a small thing, could change so many lives in so many different ways. Hesitating slightly, he slipped the ring off of Tsuna’s finger, and quickly deposited it too on the nightstand. He told himself long ago that he was over it, and wouldn’t obsess over it any longer. He had lost the battle, and had to admit defeat not only to Tsuna, but to the fact that he would never hold the seat of Vongola Boss. He moved on.

   Unrolling the blanket that sat folded at the foot of the bed, Xanxus covered Tsuna with it, pulling it up over his shoulders. Tsuna’s eyes furrowed in pain momentarily, groaning as he shifted his head to the side. Xanxus watched him, and he frowned slightly. The kid was obviously in pain, yet he had tried so hard to hid it. Brushing his bangs back, Xanxus placed his hand on Tsuna’s forehead. It still felt hot, but still not quite a fever. Xanxus made a mental note to make Tsuna take some medicine tomorrow, as he doubted the kid would actually do it himself.

   His hand lingered for a moment, watching Tsuna’s face relax once again. Xanxus didn’t know the reason, but it was obvious that Tsuna was pushing himself too much. If he kept up with this break-neck pace of working and fighting, he’d only end up burning himself out.

   Grumbling a little under his breath about idiots and always causing trouble for others, Xanxus stood. Taking one last glace before leaving, he quietly walked out of the room, closing the door with a soft click.

-------

   Tsuna groaned and rolled over, burying his face into his pillow, attempting to block out the overly bright sun that was determined to wake him up.

   Wait. Sun? Pillow?

   Tsuna shot up quickly, then immediately regretted it when his head started pounding. Groaning in pain, Tsuna waited for the world to stop spinning before opening his eyes. Taking a quick glance, he realized he was in his room. Shifting the blanket aside, he was surprised to find that he had also slept with his clothes on, with the exception of his shoes. Clutching his shirt, he then realized that his rings and watch were gone. Including the Vongola Ring. Panicking, Tsuna looked around franticly, until he spotting it on his nightstand. Sighing with relief, he picked it up, and slipped it back onto his finger. He had fought to the death and back over this silly little thing. He wasn’t about to lose it now.

   Sighing again, Tsuna leaned back against the headboard, and attempted to organize his thoughts. How did he end up back in his room? The last thing he remembered was drinking with Xanxus in the kitchen. Almost unconsciously, Tsuna lifted his hand and placed it on his forehead. He had a brief flicker of nostalgia, the warm feeling of something pressed against his head. Tsuna shook his head, laughing at himself. The thoughts in his head were beginning to get foolish. Honesty, where had he gotten the idea that Xanxus was the one that brought him to his room? The very thought of it was extremely outrageous, if not down right embarrassing.

   Looking out the window, Tsuna saw that it was once again a beautiful day outside. Suddenly feeling refreshed, Tsuna got out of bed and stretched. Despite having a headache, Tsuna had gotten a good rest last night. In fact, it was one of the best he had had in a while. Taking one last moment to again feel his forehead, Tsuna headed for the bathroom, where he prepared to start the new day.

----------
After the HUGE review response I got from the last chapter, how could I not get super-inspired to write the next chapter?

Seriously peeps, I feel totally blown away by the response I’ve been getting from this.
First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who’s reviewed. I’ve responded to a few of you below, but to those I didn’t get to, I just wanted to say thank you for the love and sticking with me so far!

Second, I want to send a MASSIVE THANK YOU to urja shannan, because they drew this insanely awesome piece of Fan Art of chapter 4. I encourage all of you to check it out, and give Urja lots of love for it! http :// camiyu.deviantart. com/art/ Tsuna-snap-hitman-reborn-83558065     (remove the spaces)

So, for some time now I’ve been thinking of my next KHR fanfic project (not that I’ll be finishing this one anytime soon. It still has a LONG ways to go). I have three pairings/ideas in mind, but hardly enough content to actually start anything.

The first one is a collection of XanxusTsuna drabbles and one shots. They’ll range from AU situations to other scenarios that could’ve happened in the fic, but never did. Pretty much whatever comes to mind.

The second is a spin-off series from Ashes to Flames. It would follow the Guardians and Varia in their adventures at boot-camp. It would probably be mostly crack, and the main pairing would be Gokudera and Yamamoto (because I seriously love those two.) Sadly, haven’t got the slightest idea on what would actually happen….

The third possible fic would be a newer pairing that I’ve become a huge fan of. SpannerTsuna anyone? Again, I’ve got zero plot for it, but it’s something I’ve always considered writing.

Lastly, to wrap up my endless chatter, I just wanted to say how much it shocked me that you people wanted Mukuro and Hibari to appear. I just wrote that little tidbit about them not being around as a side-thought, not really planning much with them. You’ll be happy to know that I have now written them into the story, and yes, there will be a jealous Xanxus.

Now, for some Review Responses! (trying to remember where I left off last)

Kibou Yami - I’m so glad that I’ve managed to keep Xanxus in character. He’s quite a challenge to write, because the only time we’ve seen him in the manga, is when he’s all crazy with rage and anger. Thank you!

RoxasIsReal13 - LOL, YOU’RE WELCOME! And you’re totally allowed to be excited. I encourage it in fact! :D

urja shannan - Don’t worry, I’m definitely not going to push either of them together too fast. They’re going to “learn” about each other first, before really getting together. Also, later on I hope to explain gradually Xanxus’s dramastic change since the ring battles, and his reasoning for not hating Tsuna anymore. Also, since you mentioned it, I realize now I haven’t explained in huge details their appearance and such. I have images of them in my head, but I’m stupid and forget to work that into the story itself. In the first chapter, I vaguely mentioned a timeline, though, I’ve never really come out and said it. Tsuna’s around 19 in the fic. Immediately after graduating from high school, he was appointed Vongola Boss, and has been so for about a year. To be honest, I haven’t the slightest idea on how much older Xanxus is then Tsuna….

Quicksilver4 - You can easily call Xanxus adorable, just make sure he isn’t around when you say it! :P And yes, Xanxus is totally in denial, while Tsuna will remain oblivious for some time. Thank you!!

Quinn Quinn - Lol, Xanxus can’t be smooth all the time. When up against a person like Tsuna, it’s bound the throw anyone off guard. And Tsuna will remain clueless for quite some time, because that’s just who he is. :P And fear not! Jealous!Xanxus soon to come, shortly occupied by Possessive!Xanxus!

SesshouNoKon - OMG, pigeons! That’s genius! (writes it down) The Venice thing was totally a whim, but people caught onto it so much, I just had to write it in. It’s still far off, but it’ll come eventually!

Junez-chan - Thank you for the fuel! Om nom nom nom. And thank you!! All of the Varia are fun to write, because they’re just so crazy! And your wish of Mukuro and Hibari causing some trouble for our duo will definitely be granted.

Madashes2ashes - (Is choked by a ryohei bear-hug) Lol, thank you! I’m glad I managed to make that crowded dialog scene clear (whew). It was especially hard with those lunatics, the Varia, because they definitely don’t act like normal people. Heck, NONE of the characters in KHR are normal…

Wayra - LOL, I’d DIE if chapter 4 actually happened in the the anime or manga. It would be full of epic-win. And thank you!!

Again, sorry that I didn’t get to respond to everyone, but I read every single review, and I love them ALL!

Next Chapter: Kufufufufu, guess who arrives?

And, I doubt I have to say this anymore, but REVIEW AS IF YOU WERE TO DIE!

Until next time!!

Chapter 6

Fanfiction.net link -->> http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4057975/5/Ashes_to_Flames

It's 4am, I should be asleep. But no, because this chapter demanded to be finished!

Ashes to Flames - Chapt. 4

2008-04-22T00:55:10Z

Title: Ashes to Flames

Rating: PG-13 to eventual M

Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna

Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar

Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.

Chapter 4: The 1st Reaction

The moment Xanxus stepped through the front door to the Vongola manor, he knew something was wrong. It wasn’t the lower subordinates’ behavior, their fearful eyes and hesitant steps, that set his nerves on edge. Nor was it the thick tension in the air that could be felt from miles around. Oh no. What tipped Xanxus off that something was terribly wrong, was the fact that the entire estate, was dead quiet. No screaming, no yelling, no explosions or the sounds of combat. Complete and total silence hovered throughout the estate.

Stepping into the entryway, Xanxus clicked the door shut, and almost winced as the sound echoed through the hallways. Quietly pulling out one of his guns, Xanxus warily eyed the empty corridors. He cautiously, yet swiftly walked towards one of the large living rooms, where he could hear the low murmur of whispers and sensed the presence of life. Pausing briefly by the doorway, he rounded the corner and stepped inside, gun held high.

And suddenly, Xanxus felt like he had walked straight into the Twilight Zone.

There, sitting together very quietly and still, were the Guardians and the Varia.

“Boss!” Squalo called from his spot on the couch next to Gokudera. Rushing up to him, Squalo clutched the front of Xanxus’s jacket frightfully.

“You’ve gotta help us Boss! He’s snapped! He’s gone total bat-shit!!”

Xanxus looked from the pitiful Squalo who was latched onto him, to the others in the room. His Varia team were looking just as shaken as the white haired swordsman. The three Guardians that were present, Gokudera, Ryohei and Yamamoto, were looking even worse. They all looked like they’d seen a ghost, or some sort of devil.

“What the fuck is wrong with you all?” Xanxus finally spoke, pushing Squalo off of him and crossing his arms over his chest, signaling that he will not tolerate any more touching of his personal self.

In the far back of his mind, Xanxus was just a bit freaked out. What could possibly have scared both his ruthless Varia team and the Guardians so much, that they were forced into tolerating each other’s presence through fear? Xanxus wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“He’s going to murder us all Boss!” Squalo repeated again.

“Yeah, I got that already. Who?” Xanxus gritted out. Squalo was starting to sound like a broken record.

“That shitty- I mean… the 10th, Sawada Tsunayoshi.” Squalo practically whispered, looking around nervously, as if he expected Tsuna to pop up out of nowhere.

Xanxus raised an eyebrow at this. The spineless little Vongola boss did this to them? Now Xanxus was even more convinced that he’d stepped into some sort of parallel universe. Either that, or the creepy Mist Guardian, Rokudo Mukuro, was somehow messing with his head.

Xanxus looked up at the other Guardians to confirm what Squalo had said. Gokudera wasn’t looking at him, but instead at his lap. His fists were clenched at his knees, and he looked absolutely mortified. Yamamoto was sheepishly scratching the back of his head, nodding, but looking very pale and nervous at the same time. The last one, Ryohei, was wearing an expression that looked to be a mixture of excitement and fear.

“It’s true! Tsuna was scary to the EXTREME!” Ryohei pumped his fist in the air for emphasis.

“Yeah Boss! That kid looked about ready strangle us with our ties!” Levi piped up.

“His killer aura gave me shivers. Oh how beautiful yet deadly it was. You should‘ve seen it Boss.” Lussuria swooned, hugging himself.

“Shi shi shi shi, the Prince is amused. Such a royal threat, it was almost enough to rival my own.” Bel seemed to be the only one amused by the situation, thoroughly enjoying himself.

“Alright, alright. Shut the fuck up already, would you?” Xanxus put his hands up, trying to quiet the babble.

“You” He pointed to Squalo. “Explain.”

Squalo nodded and swallowed heavily.

“It started like this Boss…”

“Vooooooiiii Can’t you see I’m sitting here? Get lost.” Squalo shoved Bel aside, who was attempting to squirm his way onto the couch which Squalo was currently sprawled on.

“Shi shi shi shi, The Prince demands to have the best seat. Only royalty may sit there.” Bel smirked, pushing Squalo’s feet to the side so he may sit next to him.

“Then sit over there. I’m sure that couch is just a royal as this one.” Squalo pointed to the other couch which was directly across from the one he was sitting on, while attempting to kick Bel in the face. Levi, who was currently sitting on one side of the couch, proceeded to ignore them and flipped a page in the comic book he was reading.

Bel glanced briefly over to the other couch, catching Squalo‘s foot in mid-kick, then promptly looked back at him.

“The Prince does not sit with peasants.” He deadpanned.

A vein twitched on Levi’s forehead, but he said nothing. After years of working with the royal pain in the ass, he’d gotten somewhat use to the commentary.

“Come on Gokudera! The big game’s on!” An energetic voice called from the hallway outside the living room, catching the Varia’s attention.

“It’s just a stupid baseball game. The world’s not going to end if we miss 5 minutes of it. And why the fuck do I have to come anyway?” Another voice called out bitterly, as footsteps thumped closer.

“Because it’s more fun with more people, that’s--ah…”

The owner of the voice, Yamamoto, soon entered the living room, with Gokudera closely behind. The two stood quietly at the doorway, eyeing the Varia who stared right back.

“Are you here to watch the game too?” Yamamoto finally broke the silence, his voice a little hopeful.

“The Prince does not watch commoner riff raff.” Bel answered, smiling triumphantly as he managed to secure his seat on the couch.

“The fuck do you two want?” Squalo growled, glaring at the two Guardians.

“We’re here to watch T.V. dumbass. Why else would we be in here? Certainly not for your cheerful company.” Gokudera spat back.

“Vooiii! As you can see, this room is currently taken. And as you just said you didn’t want our company, you can just leave. Fuckin brats.” Squalo sneered, leaning back into the couch, and putting his feet on the coffee table.

“How about your asses leave, since it’s all just wasted space anyway.” Gokudera flicked the ashes from his cigarette in their general direction.

“Come on Gokudera, let’s just leave. We can find another T.V. somewhere else.” Yamamoto tried to reason with the silver-haired Italian, attempting to stop the quickly approaching fight.

“No! I’m sick and tired of these assholes pushing us around as if they owned the place! They--” Gokudera was cut short however when three knives whizzed by his face and imbedded themselves into the wooden doorframe just next to his head.

“The Prince does not tolerate peasants getting his boots dirty.” Bel hissed, brushing off the small flecks of ashes from Gokudera’s cigarette that had landed on his boots.

“Well excuse me, Princess.” Gokudera growled, flicking three bombing in between his fingers, cigarette already positioned to light them.

“Vooiii, the little brats want another ass kicking. Apparently they didn’t get enough last time.” Squalo stood up, swinging his sword swiftly through the air, as he prepared himself for battle.

“Mah, Mah, you guys. Let’s all just relax and watch the game together!” Yamamoto once again tried to calm the building tension in the air.

“Screw that! Everybody knows football’s(1) better then your retarded baseball!” Squalo barked out in laughter. He was surprised however when a flash of steel swiftly struck against his raised one.

“I’m afraid I can’t let that comment slide. You’re going to have to apologize now.” The natural-born killer eyes of Yamamoto bore down into Squalo from behind the clashed swords.

“Hooooooo, seems I hit a sore spot!” Squalo grinned in delight.

“Forgetting someone?” Gokudera called from behind as he launched his bombs at the silver-haired swordsman, aiming for his side. None of them reached their target however, as they were ricocheted away by Bel’s flying knifes. Unfortunately one of them hit the previously preoccupied Levi, who was happily ignoring the bickering, and quietly reading his comic. The blast barely harmed Levi, but the comic didn’t have such luck, as all that remained was the few pieces clutched between Levi’s fingers. The vein on Levi’s forehead multiplied tenfold.

“Alright you bastards! You asked for it!” Levi barked, standing up, fists clenched.

And thus the melee began. And oh how it was a vicious battle of epic proportions. If a spectator were to stand along the sidelines, they would only be able to describe it as pure chaos. Swords and fists swung to and fro, clashing and banging with each hit. A constant barrage of bombs and knifes were continuously flying through the air, with little regard for their target. The battle only escalated when the Sun Guardian entered with a flurry of fists, demanding to be let in on the so called “EXTREME indoor training.”. The last contestant to enter was the flamboyant apron-dressed Lussuria, who was attempting to announce that lunch was soon to be served. It only took a fist to his face for him to join in on the brawl.

Sadly, the T.V. was the only casualty, as it took several critical hits from both sides. It did not survive.

An earth shattering slam soon brought the fight to a standstill. The warriors all froze in place, as footsteps could be heard stomping through the hallways, heading in their direction.

“Shi shi shi , sounds like Boss. Maybe he‘s coming to play?” Bel giggled.

“Vooiii, no way! He’s going to be pissed! He threatened us to stop fighting in the manor, or he’d personally rip our tonsils out.” Squalo swallowed, and stepped back hesitantly.

Everyone braced themselves for Xanxus’s fury when the footsteps stopped in front of the living room door, and the door swung open.

They were not however, prepared for the fury of Sawada Tsunayoshi.

A thick ominous aura poured from the small Vongola boss. His head was slightly bowed, and his eyes where shadowed from the bangs on his face. One of his hands clenched the doorframe, his knuckles white.

“Shi shi shi, it’s just the littlest brat of them all!” Bel giggled, apparently too high on the battle adrenaline to sense the killer intent that Tsuna was emitting. He swung his hand at Tsuna, sending three of his knives in his direction.

Tsuna caught all three of the knives mid-air with one hand, without his gloves, and without even looking up. Bel then gave a small eep, and stepped back.

“Sit. Down.” Tsuna spoke firmly, finally looking up, and practically piercing them with his glare.

They all sat down immediately, scrabbling around like children playing musical chairs. Yamamoto and Lussuria apparently took the command very literally, because they promptly sat down on the floor where they stood.

After a brief moment of suffocating silence, Tsuna finally spoke.

“You guys…have got to be the most immature bunch of morons I’ve ever met.” His words pieced them like rods of ice.

“ I’d like to think I’ve been lenient with you. That I didn’t ask too much, just simply… get along. We’re a family, are we not? A family is suppose to support and look out for one another. Sure, some families have arguments from time to time. But this…this is bordering madness.” Tsuna walked slowing further into the room, eyeing each person. As he stepped closer, they attempted to scoot away, well out of striking range.

“A family…is not suppose to fucking attempt to KILL each other every day!” Tsuna snapped, his foot stomping harshly on the floor.

“But 10th…!” Gokudera attempted to explain, but was stopped short by the intense glare Tsuna shot at him, his words dying in his throat.

“This. Has. Got. To. STOP! I feel more like I have a bunch of elementary kids for a Family, then a group of supposedly mature adults.” His fist arched in front of him, indicating exactly who he was referring too.

Tsuna paused briefly, taking a deep breath, and calmed himself. He straightened his posture, and looked directly at his Guardians and Varia once more. An expression of disapproval and frustration fixed on his face.

“ As I said, I think I’ve been too lenient. That apparently is going to change.” He placed his hands behind his back, and stood very professionally.

“Reborn, would you please accompany me to my office?” Tsuna called out, not bothering to look behind him, as the arcobaleno appeared in the doorway. He’d apparently been listening the entire time.

“What do you have planned?” He asked in a rather humorous voice. He was totally loving this.

“Punishment and a solution.” Was all Tsuna explained, before turning around and walking towards the door. Just before leaving, he turned briefly, sending the frightened-stiff mafia members another icy glare.

“Don’t even think about moving from this room. That includes you too, Marmon.” Tsuna then turned and left, clicking the door shut as the Mist arcobaleno seemingly materialized out of thin air.

“And we’ve been sitting in here ever since.” Squalo finished his story.

“Ooooo, I bet the two of them are plotting many horrible and cruel ways of killing us. I can only imagine!” Lussuria added as he wept into his feathered boa.

Xanxus was silent as he gave them all a single look over, surveying the situation again once he’d gotten the full story. He then pushed Squalo out of his way, and turned to leave.

“Che, this ain’t my problem. You dug your own graves, dig yourself out.” And he promptly left, ignoring the wails and pleas for help.

However, Xanxus certainly wasn’t going to ignore the situation. Oh no. This was by far the most curious and interesting thing he’s witnessed since he started living at the Vongola manor two weeks ago.

So, after leaving the living room, Xanxus immediately started walking towards Tsuna’s office, where he and the arcobaleno Reborn were said to be plotting the demise of the Guardians and Varia members. Of course, Xanxus wasn’t going there to help his idiot team. Far from it. He fully hoped that the 10th gave them a sweet and painful punishment. And Xanxus was going to be right there when it happens, enjoying every moment.

Even so, Xanxus would be lying if he said he wasn’t worried about his own safety. Would Tsuna direct his rage at him as well? Xanxus thought back on his actions over the past two weeks, and honestly, he could find much that Tsuna would get angry over. Sure he was the one that broke the front doors off their hinges last week by accident. He was also responsible for practically emptying the liquor cabinet, as well as a few scorch marks here and there. But it wasn’t anything too extensive…right?

Once again finding himself in front of the door that lead to the 10th office, Xanxus knocked on the door, this time with determination.

“Enter” was soon heard from the other side.

Stepping into the room, Xanxus took notice at the change in atmosphere. The curtains were drawn back fully, letting the bright afternoon sunlight fill the room, giving it a warm glow. However, despite it’s sunny look, Xanxus suddenly felt chilled to his bones.

“Ah Xanxus, just in time. Please come in. Join us.” Tsuna called from his desk, with a bright smile on his face. A shiver ran down Xanxus’s spine from the malicious aura that filled the room. Reborn was sitting to Tsuna’s side, his trademark smirk on his face. It was clear that these two had been in the midst of plotting something devilish.

“I take it you saw my Guardians and your Varia members recently?” Tsuna asked innocently, as Xanxus took a seat in the chair in front of Tsuna’s desk.

Xanxus snorted. “Che, yeah. They were crying like a bunch of sissies.”

“As they probably mentioned, Reborn and I have been discussing a possible solution for their….teamwork issues.” Tsuna laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them, his innocent smile never wavering. “We’ve managed to come up with a plan, and would like your opinion on it.”

“Oooh?” Xanxus raised an eyebrow, looking from Tsuna to Reborn, and back. “Please, continue.”

And so, Tsuna explained their plan, with Reborn commenting here and there. Xanxus patiently listened. On the inside, his excitement grew, overcoming his previous fear that he felt just moments before. He decided that he rather liked this merciless Tsuna, granted he wasn’t on his bad side.

“So, that’s what we’ve managed to come up with. Your thoughts?” Tsuna finished.

Xanxus was quiet for a moment, scratching his chin, lost in thought. Finally, a wide toothy grin spread across his face as he gave a low, rough laugh. “Not bad, brat. Not bad. I have no objections.”

“Perfect. Shall we go and deliver their sentence then?” Tsuna clapped his hands together and stood up, with Reborn following. Tsuna walked out of the room, with Reborn and Xanxus at his heels.

Xanxus couldn’t seem to stop smiling, cause damn, the kid finally grew a backbone. He supposed hanging around Reborn so much was bound to have an impact eventually. But, shit, he’d never guessed the kid would adopt the arcobaleno‘s devilish side.

Upon entering the living room, the Guardians and Varia sat perfectly still, staring up at Tsuna like they were kicked puppies. Tsuna stood proud and tall, arms crossed over his chest, and smiled at them.

“We’ve come to a decision. You’re all going to hell.” He spoke with such an cheerful and joyous smile on his face.

Xanxus could’ve sworn that at least half the people in the room all had a heart-attack at the same time, because they appeared to have stopped breathing.

‘WE’RE GOING TO DIE!!’ They all thought simultaneously.

“But it’s actually worse then hell.” Reborn stepped up now, directing their attention to him. “You’re going to be spending the next few weeks with me, at boot-camp.” He too, was giving them such a joyous smile, his gun pushing up the rim of his hat.

“Wha…?” Gokudera was the first to breath, confusion written all over his face. However, before he could continue, Tsuna raised his hand for silence.

“Basically, you’re all going on a little camping trip with Reborn, where you’ll be spending the next few weeks training, and working on your teamwork and cooperation skills. And you will not be allowed to return, until said skills have improved.” Tsuna explained.

“But…but Boss! You can’t send us out there with these lunatics! It’s three against six!” Gokudera blurted out.

“Actually, it’s three against five. And I didn’t realize you cared so much about fair odds, Gokudera. But if you want, I can summon Hibari and Mukuro. I’m sure they’d love to join you all.” Tsuna smirked.

Any further complaints died in Gokudera’s throat. “No…just us three will be fine, Boss.” He bowed his head in defeat. The very thought of having to spend a camping trip with ’I’m going to bite you to death’ Hibari, and the ‘let’s screw with your mind’ Mukuro, gave him nightmares.

“Voooiii, wait a minute! What do you mean just five? What about Boss? Why isn’t he going!?” Squalo was next to object, pointing an accusing finger at Xanxus, who glared back.

“Xanxus has been the most mature one out of the entire lot of you. He, since his arrival here, hasn’t caused any major problems, unlike you all.” Tsuna replied, with a bit of a scowl. Xanxus ignored the slight flutter in his stomach. He also denied the fact that he felt happy that Tsuna was defending him. Not that he needed any defense.

“But…he…!” Squalo attempted to say more, but the venomous look Xanxus was shooting him quieted any further comments.

“Ok, enough chatter. You’ll be leaving immediately. No packing required.” Tsuna clapped his hands together.

“But, Boss! We can’t just leave you here by yourself!” Gokudera attempted to once again, trying to change Tsuna’s mind.

“Mah, mah, Gokudera. Don‘t worry. This could be fun!” Yamamoto laughed, clapping Gokudera on the shoulder.

“Yeah octopus-head! It’ll be like….EXTREME training!” Ryohei shouted, already pumped for the trip.

“Yeah! It’ll be like baseball camp!” Yamamoto nodded at Ryohei. The two sports idiots clearly didn’t grasp the concept of it being a punishment.

“You morons! This will not be fun! Are you retarded or something!” Gokudera lunged at Yamamoto, fully intending on strangling the smiling baseball nut. Of course, in the process, he managed to kick Squalo in the shin, who promptly began swearing. Hell broke loose once again.

“Ah-hem!” Tsuna coughed harshly into his hand.

They all froze.

‘Shit!’ They thought. They’d already forgotten what had gotten them in this situation in the first place.

“Reborn?” Tsuna said quietly with his fists clenched at his side. A twitch had developed in his right eye.

“Yes, Tsuna?” Reborn calmly asked, who was in the process of checking the bullets in his gun.

“I’d like to add a few additional conditions to the trip.”

“What would that be?”

“No sports allowed. No weapons allowed. And lastly, no smoking allowed.” Tsuna declared.

Gokudera, upon hearing the last rule, gasped for a moment like a fish out of water, and swayed on his feet. He looks about ready to pass out from shock, as he went deathly pale.

“You heard him. All weapons. Now.” Xanxus stepped up this time. He pointed to a spot on the floor, where they promptly began depositing their weapons. Both Bel and Gokudera stood in front of the pile for a long while, continuously emptying their pockets and hiding spots of their knives and bombs.

“All of them.” Both Tsuna and Xanxus called, when the two tried to sneak away with a few leftover. Grumbling, they each pulled out an additional twenty bombs and knives.

Yamamoto gave a small sniff when he dropped his baseball bat onto the pile.

Both Ryohei and Lussuria smiled sheepishly, as neither of them could exactly give up their weapons, as they fought with their bodies. Squalo, however, tried to act as inconspicuous as possible, as he had yet to give up his sword.

“Squalo, the sword. Now.” Xanxus growled.

“But…Boss, my sword is attached to my arm.” Squalo pointed innocently at his wrist, where the sword was attached.

“Either give me the sword, or give me you whole damn arm. Because I know I can remove that.” Xanxus stepped closer, knuckles cracking. Squalo didn’t need to be told twice. He promptly detached the sword from his artificial arm, and tossed it into the pile.

Suddenly, the room was filled with rapid gunfire. Reborn began shooting at their feet, and started herding them out the door.

“Enough stalling! We’re leaving!” Reborn shouted, enjoying using the idiots for target practice. They reluctantly exited through the front door, where a van was already waiting to transport them.

“But…..Boosss!!” Gokudera called pitifully as he was dragged out by Yamamoto.

“Take good care of them, Reborn.” Tsuna spoke softly to his home tutor who stood next to him, as he watched his family prepare to leave.

“It me who should be saying take care. You’re on your own for now. Don’t do anything stupid, baka-Tsuna.” Reborn smiled at his student. He gave Xanxus a brief look, giving him his all-knowing smile and then turned to leave, running up to the already quarrelling gaggle of idiots who were fighting over who got shot-gun(2).

Tsuna listened to the muffled bickering and swearing as the eight Guardians and Varia pushed and shoved each other into the van. He smiled innocently and waved goodbye as they drove away.

Back inside, Tsuna promptly collapsed onto the very same couch that his family had been occupying not too long ago. He rolled onto his back, with one foot resting on the arm of the couch, and the other on the floor. He draped an arm over his eyes, and gave an exhausted and heavy sigh.

Footsteps soon entered the room, and Tsuna heard the muffled sound of someone sitting on the other couch. Without even looking, Tsuna knew who it was.

“I can’t believe I just did that.” Tsuna groaned, not removing the arm draped over his eyes.

“I gotta hand it to ya, that was fuckin brilliant.” Xanxus gave a small chuckle, settling into the couch, watching Tsuna.

“Do you think I did the right thing? I hope I wasn’t too hard on them…” Tsuna asked. He already beginning to regret what he did.

“It needed to be done, one way or another.” Xanxus replied, his voice soft.

“I hope they won’t hate me after this.” Tsuna’s voice was low, almost a whisper.

“You and me both know that’s not true.” Xanxus gave a low growl. He could already see Tsuna slipping into his state of worry and denial.

“Yeah, but…” Tsuna began.

“But nothing. Listen. You are the 10th generation boss to the Vongola family, one of the most powerful and influential mafia families in all of Italy, if not the world. They know this, and will forever respect you because of that. However, they need to be taught to respect each other. If they actually faced an enemy acting the way they did now, they’d end up getting each other killed.” Xanxus growled fiercely.

Tsuna removed the arm across his eyes, and turned his head to look at Xanxus. He was quiet for a moment, before closing his eyes again and smiling softly.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

(1) Football-- Soccer. I figured since Squalo is Italian, he’s more likely to call soccer “football”.

(2) Shot Gun-- the front passenger seat.

Wooooo -runs around like a crazy woman- Yet another chapter done!

I wish to apologize for this being so late. My laptop, where I had written well over half of this chapter, decided to be evil and crash on me. It took a while to fix, but luckily I didn’t lose any files.

But oh man….this was LONG! On average, a chapter is somewhere between 3-5 pages long. This….was 10. It’s probably riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes. I’ve been mostly writing really late at night (or should I say, really early in the morning). Past midnight, my grammar is usually non-existent.

This chapter was also one of the hardest ones to write. A very pissed off Tsuna and a scared Varia was difficult to portray, because I wanted it to be somewhat humorous, but not too OOC. There were sooo many characters too in this chapter, I just couldn’t give everyone a huge amount of dialog without it dragging on forever and ever. And I just realized that I didn’t give Marmon dialog at all. fail Just imagine he left with everyone else. So, out of all the Guardians and Varia, only, Lambo, Hibari and Mukuro didn’t leave (Lambo is still in Japan, and Tsuna has no idea where the other two are P )

This will probably be the last time you see any of the Guardians or Varia for a very long time. It’s going to be strictly Xanxus and Tsuna from here on out. There will be appearances of other characters, but mostly just brief meetings.

The next chapter contains lots of super-fluff which I know you’ve all been waiting for. I’m really looking forward to it, so I should finish it fairly quickly.

Until next time, lovelies

Remember, Reviews are my fuel for writing!!

Chapter 5

Fanfiction.net link -->> http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4057975/4/Ashes_to_Flames

Review responses will be added next chapter.

Meanwhile, IRL....it's MIDTERMS! 8D *dies*

Ashes to Flames - Chapt. 3

2008-02-26T01:34:04Z

Finally, Chapter 3 of Ashes To Flames!

Mostly just Xanxus's POV, but a necessary transition.

Title:Ashes to Flames
Rating: PG-13 to eventual M
Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna
Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar
Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.
Author Note: If you don’t like BL or just this pairing, then don’t read it. Any flames or immature negative remarks will be ignored, because I really don’t give a damn what you think.

Chapter 3: The 3rd Meeting

Xanxus is a person who rarely hesitates. He’s the type of person who charges forward after what he wants, blasting people to smithereens (literally and figuratively) who stand in his way. Xanxus knows at all times what he wants, and how he’s going to obtain it. He always has a plan.

So it’s easy to say that he’s also rarely felt uncertainty. Despite his rage-filled exterior, on the inside he‘s very calm and calculating. Always plotting, always planning. Xanxus is a man who learns from his surroundings, and adjusts his actions accordingly. There was nothing that Xanxus couldn’t deal with.

Until now that is.

Xanxus, for one of the first times in his life, felt uncertainty. And he was hesitating because of it.

It was just a door. Just one stupid, fuckin door. Yet Xanxus couldn’t seem to bring himself to just open it. Never before has something as simple as a door felt like a steel barrier. Foreign, unknown, and unbreakable.

Why was this?

Because of one Sawada Tsunayoshi, current 10th boss of the Vongola Family.

Xanxus has met a lot of people in his life. It was his job. He meets people, attempts to negotiate, and then usually ends up shooting their face off. Suffice to say, Xanxus has dealt with a variety people in his career.

However, for once, Xanxus had no idea how to approach a person. The 10th Boss had literally thrown him through a loop.

Xanxus, when walking into the 10th’s office the other day, had been expecting a lot of things. Fear, anger, rebellion, maybe even cold rejection. Anything but what he had received. The boy had welcomed him, smiled at him, even asked to chat with him. And a pleasant chat at that.

Xanxus hadn’t been expecting to actually verbally recount his mission. That’s why he had physically typed it out, so he wouldn’t have to talk about it.

But he was asked to. And he accepted.

He still doesn’t know why he accepted. If it had been someone else, he would’ve told them to fuck off, thrown something at them, or just simply walked away. Had it been anyone else.

But for that kid, Xanxus had agreed.

He was surprised at the kid’s sudden interest in being chatty with him. His attempts at an engaged conversation were slightly annoying at first (Xanxus did not like being interrupted with trivial matters), but once he discovered that the brat had yet to actually see Venice, he was a little more willing to add details on the side.

And then the brat had the nerve to laugh at him. Well ok, maybe not laughing at him, but more like his comment about going to Venice (which Xanxus still doesn’t understand how it was funny). With the exception of Squalo, and maybe Lussuria (who was like a cockroach and just didn’t die), the Sawada brat was the only person to actually laugh at Xanxus, and didn’t come out of it with 3rd degree burns and several broken bones.

That stupid cheery, innocent, giggly laugh. There was something clearly inhuman about, because no one, especially a mafia boss, should look that cute. Xanxus almost wanted to smile just looking at that face.

Almost.

Snapping back to the present (where Xanxus was still standing in front of the door, just staring at it), Xanxus groaned. He did NOT just call the kid cute. Sure he looked nothing like the stereotypical mafia boss, with his roundish baby face, unnaturally huge eyes, slim but now toned figure, and that silly little smile that he always wore on his face….

‘Fuck!’ Xanxus swore in his mind. He was stopping that train of thought right there in its tracks. Immediately.

Groaning again, Xanxus banged his head against the door unconsciously, hating his current predicament.

Unfortunately the person on the other side of the door took the head-bang for a knock, and soon a “Enter” was heard from the other side.

Jerking his head up, Xanxus seriously considered just walking away. But then his masculine pride immediately roared, telling him he will NOT run away, because that’s what cowards do. And Xanxus does not tolerate cowardice.

So, taking a deep breath, Xanxus turned the door handle swiftly, and entered the room.

At first it felt like he walked into complete darkness, because the thick heavy curtains were drawn closed, and the ceiling light was turned off. But as he walked further in, allowing his eyes to adjust to the shift in atmosphere, he could see a figure hunched over the large wooden desk.

The figure groped around a second before clicking the desk lamp on, sending a blast of light into the room.

Tsunayoshi groaned and blinked furiously at the harsh light, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. He half-heartily held back a yawn, and motioned for Xanxus to sit.

Xanxus, after closing the door behind him, sat down hesitantly in the plush chair that was set in front of the 10th desk.

“Taking a mid-afternoon nap, Sawada?” Xanxus attempted to mock the boy, but it came out in a more teasing tone then he’d would’ve liked.

Yawning again, Tsuna sat up slightly straighter, and restacked the papers he’d been sleeping on into a neat pile. “Sorry about that. I was up all last night working. Then all this morning I agreed to oversee the new subordinates’ weapon training with Reborn, then have a lunch that I never got to eat with the Guardians, because Gokudera starting fighting with Yamamoto again, and then Ryohei attempted to break up their fight with his fists, which pretty much caused the entire dining room to turn into a war-zone.” Tsuna sighed, and leaned back into his leather chair.

“And so, I come back here only to find this monstrous stack waiting for me.” Tsuna waved his hand at the giant pile of papers that currently occupied the majority of the space on his desk. Xanxus was pretty sure this pile was even larger then the last time he was in here.

“Reborn is still busy with the new recruits, so I thought I’d take a quick nap while he was occupied.” Tsuna grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you.” Again, Xanxas’s voice was a little too sincere then he intended.

“No, no. It’s fine. I probably shouldn’t have been sleeping anyway. Reborn would’ve put a real bullet in my head if he caught me.” Tsuna bowed his head in defeat.

Xanxus couldn’t help but chuckle at that, because it was so true. That arcobaleno could be scary as shit sometimes.

“So, uh, what can I do for you, Xanxus?” Tsuna asked, smiling, giving the man sitting in front of him his complete attention.

Xanxus coughed briefly, before sliding a bound collection of papers onto the desk. Tsuna took the stack, and began flipping through them, raising a questioning eyebrow to Xanxus.

“The final report of…the incident at the Varia headquarters. As well as all the…damage reports from the confrontations between the Varia and the Guardians thus far…” Xanxus trailed off. This was apparently wasn’t the type of news Tsuna was looking forward to, as the boy suddenly started swearing strings of curses under his breath while staring down at the rather large report clutched in his fists.

Xanxus just stared at the boy warily, not quite sure what to do in this situation. The boy looked about ready to snap. Xanxus was really wishing he had just run away before.

After was seemed like an agonizing eternity of Tsuna flipping through the lengthy report, swearing under his breath the entire time, he finally lets out an exaggerated sigh and threw the report on top of his already towering ‘to-do-box’.

“Kami, how did the 9th do this for so many years?” Tsuna mumbles, dropping his head down on the desk with a ‘thump‘, forehead down and arms folded.

Xanxus waited patiently, just watching the boy.

‘Shit, I think he just died.’ Xanxus nervously watched the boy for another moment, before he saw a subtle rise and fall of the boy’s chest.

‘I can’t believe the brat just passed out like that. He must have been tired’. Xanxus shifted in his sit slightly, unsure at what to do in this situation. He studied him, watching the rhythmic yet almost strained breathing.

Never before did the boy look so…defenseless. Which should be physically impossible, considering the massive amounts of battles and obstacles the boy managed to overcome in just the few years he’s been associated with the mafia world. But the small figure currently sitting in front of him showed no signs of such achievements, with the exception of the Vongola ring that adorned his finger.

His shoulders looked thin, even through cloth of his suit. No signs of battle scars or wounds could be seen. And most of all, he still managed to hold onto his humanity. Even after all the battles, deaths and sins committed. Xanxus heard stories that Tsuna would always somehow find time to pray for those who’s lives he ruined.

How Tsuna managed to uphold his ideals and still continue with his line of work was beyond him.

Looking at the boy now, Xanxus believed that this was a rare glimpse at the defenseless side of the 10th Vongola. Where his shoulders looked just a little bit too small for the massive responsibility he must uphold.

Something suddenly felt off inside of Xanxus. A twinge of guilt and worry wound itself around his gut. Xanxus realized he didn’t like seeing the boy like this.

Grumbling a little, Xanxus stood up. Reaching over, Xanxus ruffled the boy’s hair, startling him awake.

“I’ll talk to my guys, see if I can get them to quit all the shit they’ve been causing lately.” Xanxus eyes shifted around, trying not to look at the boy who was blinking up at him with a confused look on his face. He coughed into his hand roughly, and continued.

“I’ll also try to keep the arcobaleno busy for a while. So you can take it easy.” Xanxus mumbled to him, before quickly turning and exiting the room, clicking the door shut quietly.

It took Tsuna several moments to process what had just happened. When it finally sunk in, he smiled at the closed door. Yawning loudly, and refusing to even look at the piles of papers around him, Tsuna clicked the light off, surrounding himself in darkness again.

Not even a minute passed before light snores drifted through the room.

Yosh!!! 3rd chapter done!!

Not as much Xanxus/Tsuna interaction as I originally hoped for, but this chapter was a necessary transition to Xanxas's POV. And I suddenly realized that I keep making Xanxus refer to Tsuna as "boy", even though (in my mind), Tsuna is technically suppose to be 19-20ish in the fic. ...Tsuna probably still has a very boyish appearance to him, even though he's older. :P

Next chapter is the first "reaction", as Tsuna finally snaps from all the stress his Guardians and the Varia have been giving him. --insert evil laugh---

Also, I'm still looking for a Beta! Please send me a PM or e-mail me if your interested!

Review Responses---

quinnquinn - So glad I converted you to being a X27 fan:D hehehe. This pairing really made sense to me, because both Xanxus and Tsuna are soooo different, that they kind of compliment each other. Like they say, opposites attract! Thank you so much for reading!

waterbaby12us - After writing the whole "burning the inbox with the dying will" part, I secretly wish I had the dying will, just so I could do that with my homework. :P It would be so wonderful.

emberalda - I agree, the world does need more X27!

Masaharu - Lol, a rabbit playing with a lion that's a great comparison! And I agree, Xanxus and Tsuna aren't really the type to suddenly have intimate attractions toward each other at first sight (as one kind of tried to kill the other...). I'm really trying in this fic to make their relationship develop overtime- gradually and steadily. Thank you for reading!

Kouga Myazawa - Lol. My tolerance towards flamers and just general immaturity comes from many years of critiques (and hanging out in GaiaOnline way too much.). I just learned to ignore them.

Pain au Chocolat - Your welcome and Thank you:D

cyne - Your welcome!! I love spreading the love that is X27!!

hya - Yelling at me to update doesn't inspire me to write faster in the least bit, plus, I write when I find time, so chapters will come when they come. Next time, please write something more constructive, k:3

ruk21 - I'll admit, writing Tsuna and Xanxus has been a challenge thus far, because we really haven't seen them interact with each other that doesn't involve fighting (in the manga). Keeping Xanxus somewhat to in-character, and still have an interesting personality for the fic, has been tough... I'm trying though. :3

Andrea Weiling - It's obvious that the TYL! arc in the manga has really had an impact on the fanfictions, with the Vongola's rather dark and depressing future. Though, I feel the focus of what happened between those ten years is really lost, thus my reason for setting this fic. about mid-way, where Tsuna's just learning the ropes of being the 10th. I've yet to actually decide if I want to eventually lead either this fic, or another up to the TYL! arc. But, anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!!

warflame001 - I originally wrote the whole Venice thing on impulse, but now I'll definitely be using it in the future. X3

Witchchild - Lol, I'm glad I'm not the only one who laughs when reading this. (My roommate thinks I'm losing my mind, cause I start laughing randomly when writing it. XD ). The next chapter will definitely have you rolling on the floor laughing, cause it's one of my favorites thus far. Hell, I keep laughing at it, and I haven't even written it yet:D

Anave Lipad - The action starts next chapter, I promise. These first few chapters were necessary just to establish Tsuna's and Xanxus's POV. The good stuff starts in chapter 4. :3

AuraBlackWolf - Hmmm, a jealous Xanxus...I hadn't originally considered that scenario, but that is definitely something to ponder on. Because I like that idea very much now :3 Thank you!!

sexypancake - Thank you!! At first I didn't really like this chapter, but it was really necessary. It was interesting trying to get inside of Xanxus's head and trying to write about him X3.

And a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone else who read and reviewed!!! Sorry I didn't get to everyone, but I just want to let you know I read every review and I really appreciate all the support and encouragement I get!

Chapter 4

Fanfiction.net link ----->> http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4057975/3/Ashes_to_Flames

Meanwhile, in reality, life continues to kick my ass X_X
School workload is really piling up, and I have 3 major projects due 3 weeks from now (which is NOT nearly enough time).
I'm ready for spring break....now. X(

Ashes to Flames - Chpt. 2

2008-02-10T04:22:01Z

Chapter 2, for your viewing and hopeful reviewing pleasure :3

Title: Ashes to Flames
Rating: PG-13 to eventual M
Pairing: X27, aka, XanxusTsuna
Warnings: Swearing, violence, BL and eventual Yaoi. Oh, and the fact that this is Un-Betaed and probably has crappy grammar ^^;;
Summary: Every meeting had a reaction. Each reaction builds upon the next, meeting after meeting. But every reaction has a consequence.

    It seemed the world was always mocking him. Laughing at him and finding every opportunity to make his life as unpleasant as possible. Today’s little headache included the one thing Tsuna hated the most, and that was paperwork.

    The damn stuff just followed him everywhere. He hated doing it in school, and now his whole work revolved around paperwork, and how much of it he can sign and shift through. Tsuna had lost count on how many business transactions he’d read, how many damage report or flight requests he’d processed. He’d certainly lost count on how many times he’d written his own name. Tsuna had once suggested to Reborn about getting his signature made into a stamp, which would make processing paperwork so much faster. However, he’d received a quick kick to the back of the head in response. Apparently stamping your name wasn’t professional enough for a mafia boss.

    Look up at the mountain of papers that overtook his “to-do-box”, Tsuna resisted the urge to ignite his dying will flame and just burn the entire stack to a crisp.

    Letting out a heavy sigh, he leaned back in his large leather chair and swiveled around to stare out of the large picture window that looked out over the Vongola estate. The sun was shining beautifully, and the weather looked warm.

    Tsuna suddenly had the desire to sneak outside and take a nap beneath one of the large trees that sat in the gardens. Not that he would, because if Reborn caught him napping…let’s just say he’d be given a quick and painful retirement from his job, and life.

    But it really was so nice outside. It should be considered illegal for a person to be cooped up in a stuffy old office on a day as nice as this. Birds were singing, the wind gently blowing, bombs were exploding.

    Tsuna groaned, holding his head in his hand and covering his eyes, refusing to look at the destruction that was taking place just outside.

    Tsuna was suddenly reminded of his second headache. The Varia.

    Three days. They have been here for a totally of three days, and already the manor was starting to look like a war zone. In fact, Tsuna had a sneaky suspicion that at least a forth of the paperwork that sat on his desk was because of the Varia, and their constant bickering with his Guardians.

    And the worst part was, it wasn’t even the Varia in its entirety. Just the original six from the Ring Battles (Gola Mosca was never replaced apparently). Of course, that alone said enough, because just those six were all battle-crazy lunatics. Tsuna was convinced they got the urge to fight from just breathing air.

    The Varia and his Guardians were like oil and water. They just refused to co-exist, to the point where they couldn’t even bare to be in the same room as each other.

    Tsuna hadn’t exactly heard the whole story, but somehow the Varia’s headquarters, which was in a separate location from the Vongola’s main headquarters, had become damaged to the point where it was uninhabitable. Tsuna knew that much, simply because the damage and repair reports were currently sitting on his desk. So, while construction was underway, the main Varia officers were to live at the main Vongola manor. The other hundred or so members apparently had other accommodations.

    Tsuna was suddenly reminded of his most recent little surprise encounter with the Varia, or more specifically, Xanxus.

    Ever since the Ring Battles, Tsuna hadn’t seen the Varia at all. He’d only hear occasional reports and rumors about their activities. In fact, that had been the first time Tsuna had seen Xanxus in years.

    To say he had been surprised, was an understatement. Even though their encounter only lasted barely 30 seconds, Tsuna had been rendered speechless by the vast changes in him.

    Gone was the aura of pure hatred, the killing intent, the anger.

    Well, no. The anger was still there, but it seemed different. Calmer, more contained.

    He has yet to see the Varia leader since he returned. When he asked Squalo about Xanxus’s whereabouts, the swordsman grouched and replied “The hell if I know, you shitty brat. Probably off killing something.”

    Tsuna concluded that he was probably off on a mission. Or at least, that’s what he hoped.

    A solid knock on his door stirred Tsuna from his thoughts. “Enter.” He called, not turning around, still trying to ignore the series of explosions and mindless destruction just taking place outside his window.

    He heard the door open and the heavy footsteps of someone walking in. Another explosion, this one a little too close to the manor for Tsuna’s personal comfort. He groaned again. They only got away with it because Reborn wasn’t even in the country. Had the arcobaleno been here, they would’ve just used verbal threats and fists.

    The person behind him coughed, attempting to get his attention.

    “Ah, I’m sorry. What was it---” Tsuna trailed off, as he swiveled around to face the person.

    Well speak of the devil.

    “Xanxus”. Tsuna spoke calmly, yet not quite hiding his surprise.

    There stood the Varia leader himself. Dressed in his standard attire of black suit and tie, along with the odd little ornaments that hung off of his jacket. Tsuna had always wondered why Xanxus wore random animal parts, but he really never had the opportunity to ask. All the fighting and battles and attempts to kill each other kind of made it hard.

    Getting a good look at the him now, Tsuna could tell he had grown a little taller. His hair remained relatively the same, still as wild as ever. Scars still littered his face and hands, but they seemed more blurred now, less sharp and noticeable.

    “Ah, Xanxus…uh, what can I do for you?” Tsuna asked hesitantly. He was kind of caught of guard, with Xanxus walking into his office and all, without the flames and yelling or death threats. The look of annoyance was clearly written on his face, but there was no killing intent. Which was the only reason why Tsuna wasn’t fleeing for his life at that very moment.

    “Here.” Xanxus finally spoke, and tossed a stack of papers that he’d been holding onto Tsuna’s desk.

    “And these…are….?“ Tsuna picked them up slowly, casting a glance down at them.

    “My report.” Xanxus deadpanned, and moved to leave.

    “Ah! Wait.” Tsuna called urgently, his mouth moving before his brain.

    Xanxus stopped, and cast a questioning glance. His crimson eyes bore into Tsuna, telling him he’d better not waste his time.

    “Well…I, uh. I didn’t really hear much about what you were out doing. So can you, tell me about it?” Tsuna was starting to think his mouth had become possessed.

    Xanxus studied him for a moment, with eyes that seemingly could find any trick, any lie, any folly. His questioning glare traveled all over Tsuna, piercing his very soul, looking for any reason to deny his request. He could’ve just said ‘No’, to ‘just read the fuckin’ report.’ But he didn’t.

    “Fine” Xanxus said, plain and harsh. And then he sat down in the chair that was in front of Tsuna’s desk.

    Tsuna was once again, rendered speechless.

    And so, Xanxus began telling his report. And Tsuna listened.

    It was very formal, and straight to the point, Xanxus recounted how he had tracked down a mole within the family. A double agent who wasn’t only feeding the Vongola information, but giving information away. Information that wasn’t his to give.

    It was partway through that Tsuna realized Xanxus was actually quoting his report, word for word. But he didn’t mention anything, and continued listening.

    And so, Xanxus explained how he somehow had to track down the seemingly invisible man, who was apparently very good at hiding and remain hidden.

    “The target was eventually found in Venice. I--”

    “How was Venice? Is it nice there?” Tsuna blurted out, again, without thinking. He resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead.

    “I, uh, I’ve never been there, see. Kinda sad. I’ve been here for over a year, and I’ve yet to see such a famous historical place.” Tsuna hastily continued, trying to explain his outburst. It felt more like he was digging his own grave, however.

    Tsuna waved his hand in front of his face. “Nev--Never mind. Contin--”

    “It’s nice.” Xanxus cut in. “You need to go. A Vongola boss who has never visited Venice is pretty damn pathetic.”

    “Hehe, yeah, it is kind of pathetic really.” Tsuna scratched the back of his head nervously, giving Xanxus a goofy smile. He then coughed, and motioned Xanxus to continue.

    Which he did, but a bit more informally. Xanxus explained how he found his target, who was hiding in a secret shack underneath the waterways. Xanxus had actually stopped and explained the layout of the city, and how it was literally a city on water. Which Tsuna found he enjoyed listening to.

    It didn’t surprise Tsuna the least bit when Xanxus began going into full details about the captured man’s eventual torture and death. But Tsuna just accepted it. It’s something that came with the job, and it’s was Tsuna’s sin to bare as the 10th Vongola boss.

    “Overall, it was an unnecessarily boring and troublesome mission.” Xanxus concluded, leaning back into his chair.

    “Then why did you take it?” Tsuna asked, curiosity getting the better of him. This type of mission really didn’t strike as Xanxus’s type to take. Especially when there were plenty of other Varia assassins that could’ve easily have done the job (some of whom Tsuna wished had taken it, just to get them away from the manor).

    “ I wanted to go to Venice.” Was Xanxus’s straightforward reply.

    Tsuna paused, blinked, then proceeded to break out into a hearty laugh. He covered his mouth to attempt to silence himself, but he shoulders still continued to shake with each laugh.

    Xanxus’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and annoyance.

    “I’m- I’m sorry.” Tsuna breathed deeply, calming himself down. “It’s just, that was the answer I was least expecting to hear from you.”

    “Hmph” Was all Xanxus said. He then stood up, and pulled at his jacket straightening it out. “Well, if that was all, I’ll be taking my leave, 10th.” And Xanxus turned to leave.

    “Tsuna”

    Xanxus stopped mid-step, but didn’t turn around.

    “Call me Tsuna.”

    And then Xanxus left, clicking the door shut as he went.
---------
Chapter 3

Fanfiction.net link -----> http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4057975/2/Ashes_to_Flames