A week had passed, and everyone who knew Tsuna had a heavy question mark floating above their heads—maybe even three. Everything had changed since that day, but they couldn't tell if this change was for better or worse, or even how it had happened. It was sudden and unexpected, and it didn't seem to be going away. Tsuna wasn't helping much; he just offered a faint smile and a confused look whenever they brought it up, as if he didn't understand the problem. The change wasn't unwelcome, but it felt unsettling. It was like having a stranger among them, a stranger who was familiar but whom they couldn't quite place. This description couldn't have been more accurate; Tsuna had seemed like a stranger ever since he had slept through an entire class.
His warm, expansive smile was gone, replaced by a small, almost imperceptible one that rarely appeared. When it did, it often felt forced, or carried a hint of pain and sadness. It gave the feeling that he was hiding something that hurt him, trying to say he was okay so as not to worry them. The same sadness lingered in his eyes. He also remained unnervingly calm most of the time, not speaking much and giving away no clues with his placid demeanor.
Another peculiarity was his tendency to get lost in thought, staring into space. He never spoke about it, though it always seemed to be the same topic. He was often bored in class, and this was usually when he would doze off. At first, the teachers had left him alone, perhaps still processing the shock of his new behavior, but after three days, they grew annoyed. They began throwing the most difficult questions at him, which he answered with even more boredom than before, before returning to his thoughts. All his answers were correct, leaving everyone shocked. The students had now truly left him alone, treating him as if he didn't exist. Only a few teachers, those unaffected by his lack of enthusiasm or unable to accept that Dame-Tsuna had disappeared, dared to call on him.
He also tended to avoid any personal questions, no matter who asked. He was polite about it, but unpredictable, often leaving people with their mouths agape. Beyond all this, there was one thing that impressed everyone: he didn't take anything out of his backpack, didn't write notes, and didn't pay attention, yet his grades were perfect. This was attracting attention from superiors, as was the fact that he no longer stuttered and always spoke with confidence. At the same time, he showed no signs of a big ego or superiority—none of the traits that highly talented or intelligent people often develop. He wasn't conceited or self-centered; he was simply calm.
Regardless, the bullies kept picking on him, much to his friends' frustration. Tsuna hadn't shown any physical change at school. Unfortunately, that was the least of it. Now, Tsuna didn't run away or fight back. He would simply let them beat and rob him, usually with a face of total and absolute boredom. But if anyone tried to harm his friends, he would leave the bullies completely wrecked. However, he was becoming careless about himself, making no effort to retrieve his stolen belongings, even as he went to impossible lengths to get something for his friends, whether it was a pencil or a coin.
They had also noticed that he ate very little, slowly and elegantly, as if he had been strictly educated for it. He reminded them of a king or some great dignitary from a movie. They only noticed because he was so quiet. Despite how thin he was becoming, he was slowly starting to eat more, though they didn't know why. They were just relieved to see it.
All week, he had gotten up at exactly six in the morning, without an alarm clock. Reborn could no longer read his mind, but only he knew that. It was Wednesday, and Reborn, after having his coffee, decided to wake his student up early for once. It was 6:45 a.m., but he didn't see his "useless student" anywhere in the house. What had he done? Reborn thought he would just have to have fun with it, but then a voice spoke up.
"Good morning, Reborn," came the greeting, without a hint of malice. "Tsu-kun, could you help me here?" Nana's cheerful voice called. "Here I go," he replied happily before disappearing behind the kitchen pantry.
Reborn tried to read his mind to see if this was a cruel joke, but he received only silence. "Ah, Reborn-san, Tsu-kun has been up before us, isn't that great?" Nana said. "…Has he had another nightmare?" Reborn asked.
He drank his coffee, the shock was too big. He hadn't even heard the alarm clock. Wait a minute… the alarm clock had been broken since Monday, and he hadn't seen a new one today.
Sadly, the surprises weren't over. Tsuna now walked and acted with a certain formal elegance, not at all clumsy. He seemed not to notice it, nor how some girls on the street were looking at him. He was wiser and more careful than before, secretive, as if he was afraid of something. He hugged his mother every day with great affection, as if he might not see her again. With the children, he played more and wasn't afraid of the things Lambo would pull out of his hair. He hid everything, even the toilet. With all they had seen, they could build a whole house.
Now, anything that used to scare him, he would simply ignore. This included the chihuahua that always chased him. Even when it bit him, his attitude didn't change; in fact, he was completely expressionless. He didn't complain about anything or refuse anything Reborn made him do. He would do it quickly and without hesitation, no matter how cruel and ruthless the task was. This baffled Reborn as well, since there was nothing on his face but indifference. It took the fun out of the matter, and there was no hatred or fear. He didn't speak or say anything, acting as if he had no voice or say. He would do what he was told, and that was it, unless it was something very serious or very important. It was scary; it was like a machine without a soul. Even Reborn had to be careful, as Tsuna would push himself to the limit without a word and could faint in the middle of exercise and get hurt badly. If he wasn't careful, there could be permanent damage. However, it was hard to notice those moments when he didn't speak or react.
On the other hand, he wanted to be alone most of the time. It was very difficult to get him to go out with them, and he no longer proposed plans as he used to. He preferred to lock himself in his room, blocking all entrances, and he would stay there for a long time. They didn't know what he was doing, but the children said they were sometimes woken by sobs in the middle of the night, so he might be crying. But if so, why? He had no apparent reason, and it was driving them all crazy.
The only thing that seemed to hold an answer to most of their questions was an old, wrinkled, and deteriorated photograph found by his mother under his bed. It was almost unrecognizable. However, no one dared to take it, because Tsuna seemed very attached to it. Who knows how he would react if he realized it was gone? They didn't think it would be pretty. Tsuna might seem cute and cuddly like a bunny, but for a reason, his box weapon was a lion cub. They had seen him in battle enough times to know that if that picture was valuable to him and they took it, there would be hell to pay, especially if he used his Hyper Dying Will Mode. They didn't doubt his ability or strength, but they weren't bloodthirsty enough to go all out against him.
Today was the day they would get him out of there, whatever it took. If they continued like this, they would begin to envy that picture if they weren't already. They missed their friend. Everyone had already agreed on a plan, and the situation was desperate enough for them to collaborate without any arguing. The plan was simple and short-lived: they would start today and end tomorrow. They couldn't be geniuses, but they weren't foolish enough to put a lot of pressure on Tsuna without knowing how he would react. It could end up much worse.
They opened the door silently and were surprised that it was open, not closed with lime and stone. Tsuna was on his bed, lying down, looking at the ceiling and affectionately caressing Natsu, who was purring on his stomach, completely happy and relaxed. He was asleep or very close to it. They couldn't tell because they weren't close enough. It was a pure miracle that Tsuna hadn't noticed them yet; anyone would have heard the door creak. Speaking of Natsu, that was another mystery: no one knew when he named him that, but he called him Natsu as if he had done it all his life, and they had only known each other for a few weeks! To make matters worse, Natsu was just as affectionate, like a puppy with its father or brother, and very protective. It was something they wanted to understand. Just like how he managed to make Natsu become a ring and come out whenever he wanted, without being called. His only answer when asked was, "Everything in due time… you will find the answer yourself when the time is right…"
And despite that answer, they still wanted to know how he accomplished such a thing. Perhaps Tsuna had a very good reason not to tell them, in which case they wouldn't get the true answer easily. It was his way of protecting them—by carrying the burden alone. They hated that he did that, but they couldn't blame him, since they sometimes did the same thing. Natsu meowed happily as Tsuna scratched his left ear.
They weren't ashamed to admit it to themselves: they were very jealous of that puppy. He looked as happy and as close to their friend as if they had known each other all their lives, and Natsu seemed to know what was going on with his friend. No matter how much they denied it, they wanted to be in his place. They wanted to know what was happening and make Tsuna happy, like he was doing. Natsu was the only one who made him smile like that, even if it was small. It didn't have any hint of pain or sadness. He was happy… happier than when he was with them. And Natsu didn't even have to try very hard.
"…You like this, huh?" Tsuna murmured softly with a slight smile, more to himself than to his companion, scratching his other ear in the same way.
"Gao, gurrr…" Natsu purred, unable to help himself. Tsuna was sure that if he wasn't careful, he would start drooling. Now that he thought about it, could felines drool? And box guns? Maybe he should ask Spanner… maybe…
"I wonder if…" he sighed deeply, changing the subject. "…It's okay to stay here…"
"Gao, Gao Gao," the puppy immediately replied, trying to get up so his master could see the seriousness of his answer, but he failed horribly in the face of such soft hands.
"Yes… you're right. I'm sorry…" Tsuna laughed slightly, somewhat amused watching Natsu melt. His undiscovered companions frowned at the same time. Did he just understand the puppy, or was it his intuition, or had he just assumed the answer?
"Gao~" Natsu sang loudly.
Tsuna looked at him for a moment before smiling and laughing. "Hahaha, yes, it's true…" he confirmed, still smiling, amused. "…You're very smart…"
There was a comfortable silence between master and pet, but for those not yet discovered, it was the opposite. They felt they were invading a private moment. Gokudera tried his best not to apologize right there or make his companion swallow one of his bombs for making him come here and not knock on the door. They were invading Juudaime's privacy! That deserved a great punishment. Unaware of Gokudera's mental fight or the fact that he was being watched, Tsuna raised a hand to the ceiling, suspended in mid-air, and then muttered sadly:
"In spite of everything… I already… I can't get to them…"
He left the sentence hanging, but it seemed very important. Natsu didn't say anything, he just purred, trying to comfort his master. With that answer, the cub obviously knew what Tsuna was talking about. It must be something very serious to leave Tsuna so depressed and for Natsu to not make any comment or anything, except to try to comfort him. They wanted to know what was happening; they wanted to help. Maybe they should have Spanner build a lion translation machine, or ask Reborn for one, and kidnap that cub somehow and force him to talk. They didn't know what to do! And forcing Tsuna to talk…
"…Sawada!" the English teacher shouted for the fifth time, already quite annoyed. "…What?" Tsuna mumbled sleepily and bored. "Give me an example of Present Perfect."
Tsuna slowly glanced at the blackboard. "I have done what you told me to do," was the first line. Below it said: "Present Perfect is formed using have/has plus a verb in past participle. The main structure is: subject + have/has + verb in past participle + complement…"
"And well, Sawada?" the teacher pressed after almost three minutes. Tsuna didn't even blink.
"I don't want to do it, and I won't," he replied simply. "That will cost you-" "For what it matters to me…"
That left the professor totally upset for the rest of the day. However, when they returned to the classroom after recess, they found something that left the students pale and a professor in a murderous mood.
On the blackboard, in perfect English, was written:
"I remember when I was younger I used to try to please everybody I could, now, I have been doing what boredom tells me to do. Of course, if boredom could talk, I would be insane by now; it just feels like doing nothing and that's how it talks to me. Not the best logic, I know.
By the way, have you been annoying all day for me? How sad for you. I really haven't been paying attention to you, or anybody else today for that matter. So, could you stop for a while and let me be? You have had enough, haven't you? I might be bored, but you looked like a devil in the few minutes we had before the break.
Sincerely, Sawada Tsunayoshi"
In a way, it did please her: he used the Present Perfect. But, no, they didn't want to end up with something like that. Tsuna didn't seem at all affected by the visit to the Principal's office or the detentions for the entire week; in fact, he just seemed quite amused by it. The principal could do nothing but give him a warning. He had written well and politely, a little too sincerely, but they couldn't do anything to him because he hadn't done anything outside the norms. He had written perfectly in English, not to mention that it could have been anyone else who wrote that. And if it was really him, they would be punishing someone who knew the topic very well, and there were worse students who really deserved punishment. At least he knew how to get away with it. The best part was that the following days he gave all the correct answers in fluent English, just ask him when he wasn't too sleepy and was in a bit of spirits—something the teacher learned very well.
Even if Tsuna was in a good mood, they highly doubted that he would tell them, so they had better not press the topic, lest he do something like that to them or get angry. An angry Tsuna couldn't be pretty at all. In spite of all these reasons, and more that they didn't even want to think about, they wanted to be with him without limits, without so many secrets or a fog in which to do or say. They loved him like a brother and didn't want anything to happen to him, but they could do nothing to prevent it.
"…Tsuna," Yamamoto muttered without thinking, getting a stomp from his companion.
The reaction was immediate. Tsuna got up too quickly and hit his head very hard against the upper bunk. At that moment, Yamamoto felt horrible, and he completely forgot about the pain in his foot. His intention was not that; it was just an accident. He just wanted to get his attention and get him out of the depressing state he was in, but he did it without thinking. Gokudera wanted to kill his partner for doing such a thing. He knew very well what his intentions were, but he had to remember that Tsuna was no longer the same, and therefore, they had no idea how he was going to react. Who wouldn't be scared after being alone with their pet for who knows how long? It was to be expected that he would react, but how, no one knew. Even if Tsuna was basically the same, he wasn't the same as before. They could not predict how he would react; they didn't know him well enough to do so. They had to remember that.
Natsu meowed worriedly before licking his cheek in an attempt to distract him from the pain, and looked at them in a way that instead of eyes looked like daggers, obviously telling them that he was very angry with them. Even with his intentions to distract his master, his actions didn't seem to have any effect, as the blow was too strong. Tsuna had a wrinkled face and eyes tightly closed, as well as his lips, in a strong attempt not to let out the scream that rose up his throat. His hands supported the top of his head, which was the affected area, and his body shrank in on itself, trying to lessen the pain. As if it were some enchantment thrown at them, they could still hear the blow ringing in their ears, leaving them paralyzed with the help of the deadly gaze that the puppy directed at them. However, even with all the desire to hurt the two of them, Natsu forced himself not to give them any more attention, more worried than angry now to see that nothing he did had any effect. He meowed as loud as he could while licking his face, seeking in some way to console him.
"…I'm fine…" he managed to say through gritted teeth. He didn't need a worried puppy or one in the mood to hurt right now. "Ahgg, what a blow…"
Natsu sighed with relief and proceeded with his task, calmer but still worried, after seeing his eyes again, since Tsuna had opened them cautiously while speaking. Now he gave him a look that clearly said he would stop filling him with saliva, which Natsu clearly ignored. Tsuna removed one of his hands carefully; he must have recovered quickly, both to prevent Natsu from continuing to fill him with saliva and his friends from "waking up." Sadly, when they saw her, they froze, which caught the attention of Tsuna. He looked at his hand before doing what he wanted: pushing Natsu out of his face. Of all those present, he was the only one to look at his blood-covered hand with curiosity instead of horror, as if he had been through it before and it wasn't a big deal. It was even somewhat comical; as if he only had tomato sauce on his hand and no blood.
"No wonder it hurt so much…" he said to himself in a loud voice. He removed his other hand in the process, his hair starting to drip slightly in the wet part that the blood took when it came down. It wasn't much, but it was still blood.
They looked at him with disbelief. How could he act so normal in the face of something like this? He was hurt! Shouldn't he be crying or screaming? They were sure that this must hurt like a blow from Hibari in any part of the body. Tsuna only raised an eyebrow. What? That was what he wanted to tell them. Those looks and faces were making him somewhat uncomfortable. But he didn't pay much attention to them. He didn't have time to try to understand them, nor did he want to, so the best thing was to ignore it and that's it. With that decision, he bent down to take something from the next table, which turned out to be a handkerchief.
"Could you bring water?" he asked them before proceeding to press the tissue against the wound to stop the bleeding, which was not much but he did not want to go anywhere for something as small as this.
He bit his lips and that was all he did against the slight pain, looking at them a little annoyed. He didn't like to have eyes fixed on him for long, less in this way. After a tap made by Tsuna's feet, both boys woke up from their daze, and looked at each other before going to look for the requested object. When they returned, they realized that Tsuna was waiting for them patiently, calmly even though he looked a little annoyed, still pressing the handkerchief on his head.
"Will you give it to me, please?" Tsuna tried to be as kind as possible, but he was losing his patience. He wasn't doing anything unusual, was he? As far as he remembered, he got hurt a lot in the past by battles or anything that the family would end up arguing about, and therefore usually fighting with him in between. This wound was nothing compared to the ones he got on those occasions.
They did not wait for another repetition before giving him the water he requested, and to his amazement, what he did was to remove the handkerchief and moisten it in the still clean part, and then began to clean the rest of the blood patiently. It only lasted a few minutes; there wasn't much blood to clean up. It was a pity they thought he wanted water to drink, but it was still water. It all happened under the watchful eye of Natsu, who was now more focused on killing them with his gaze. As much as they wanted to deny it, this was another proof: knowing him, he would be crying and maybe screaming from the pain of that horrible blow. He would have at least screamed at the blow, but he didn't shed a tear about it; in fact, he wasn't even worried or scared. Anyone would already be in a sea of tears by now. Tsuna had become truly strong, brave, and wise. If he had cried, screamed or something, they would not only be worried and scared, but in complete panic. He was very intelligent; he prevented them from entering that state. But right now, they would be the comforted ones and would have hurt him in some stupid way or something like that. Even so, he was able to take care of them.
"Ne… Don't scare me like that again, okay?" he said politely, but the look he was giving them said: "If you cherish your lives don't even dare to think about it." It was a very intimidating look on a friendly face.
"…" What could they do other than nod?
"Oh come on, look, I'm fine, nothing happened…" Okay, maybe I'll do a little too much… but that is not done, at least not that they realize that you are there, besides… I didn't give them permission to enter, so I know… well, in any case this silence is not good…
"But Tsuna…" Yamamoto complained immediately, but Tsuna quickly cut him off:
"It's over, you don't have to get like that for something so small…" It was just a little blood, I'd be more worried about Natsu, he'd bite them if he didn't know I wouldn't like him to do that…
"…" Something small? If that was small… what was big? Their disbelief was noticed, due to:
"What? Don't look at me like that… that blow is very small compared to everything we have been through… this is nothing really…" Let's see… being beaten and shot daily by Reborn, sometimes bitten to death by Hibari-san, threatened with possession by Rodoku-san… Murder attempts that happen randomly, even being attacked by any of the family for any or no reason… and I can go on and on… There's something I'm missing, isn't there?
Even so, they couldn't help but look at him with surprise. Although it was true that worse things had happened than that, and even more so as he is the one who protects them and fights the most important battles, however… a blow was a blow, no matter where you look at it from, it still hurt. It still caused pain. Even if he told them that to cheer them up, it wouldn't quite work. They couldn't let that go just like that, not when they knew it was to make them feel better. Natsu meowed softly before turning into a ring, a shimmering, pearly golden ring with its shape on his master's finger, leaving them alone to deal with the problem. Although Tsuna didn't seem to find any problem other than his damp and droopy hair, so he was combing his hair carefully so that when it dried, it wasn't a bush or something. This after having wiped Natsu's saliva from his face, something they did not realize, distracted by his words and the situation.
"So…" she began, finishing combing her hair. "Do they need anything?" His answer was a fixed and somewhat sad look, for a brief moment.
"Don't change the Juudaime theme… are you sure you're okay?" "Why shouldn't it be?" What is wrong with them? Since when does it matter if I am well or not?… Oh right, this is the past, silly me, here they worry about almost anything, and sometimes they don't even care about what they really need to worry about… Pretty entertaining, but I'm not in the mood for this now… "I feel fine and it doesn't hurt much, so stop worrying so much, will you?" Without really any other options, you can only say:
"…Okay then…"
Strangely, Tsuna smiled slightly, a strange smile. It wasn't happy or sad; they couldn't give him any description, except maybe: expressionless. Before they could ask what the reason for that was or anything else, Tsuna spoke softly:
"…I'm surprised you didn't kill Yamamoto, Gokudera-kun… or that you're not apologizing for walking in without even knocking on the door."
Automatically, Gokudera remembered what he must have been doing, but Tsuna beat him again:
"It's okay, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't do too much damage to Yamamoto and didn't use any bombs please… Later we can have a sleepover if you like. It's late, so I suggest you choose soon… Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go take a bath."
With that, Tsuna left the room, laughing lightly behind the door when he heard the screams of a bomber who could not use bombs, and of a baseball player who could not free himself or make his teammate understand that it had also been his idea to enter without knocking, and evading blows, failing to calm his aggressor. This is what I called fun… at least no one will die, maybe Yamamoto-san will end up with a headache, but then he will share what I feel, besides… It's very entertaining to hear… too bad I'll have to stop them in a few minutes…
"I think that's enough, Gokudera-kun…" 10 minutes, I'm surprised his throat doesn't hurt. "Anyway… what do we do? And no, Gokudera-kun, it's okay so don't apologize."
"I'm so sorry, Juuidame!" Did you ignore what I said? Well… funny and very irritating at the same time… "I must have been-"
"What are you going to do? I can go and get the pillows if you're going to stay…" Tsuna hid a wry smile when he saw Gokudera depressed for having been ignored.
"I'll stay, Juuidame, I'll go get the pillows and the things!" He did not finish speaking when he was already out of sight.
"Hold on!" Too late. "…Do you even know where they are?" he said to himself, curious. "What about you, Yamamoto?"
The answer was simple: "Just let me call my dad, Tsuna, then I'll go get the treats."
However, he left the room before Tsuna could open his mouth.
"…Do you even know where Mom hides the candy?" he paused. "Oh well, it's not my problem if they get lost, I just hope they don't make a fuss or a mess…" Which was almost 100% sure would happen. Maybe he should stop them or tell his mom. Any of those actions wouldn't help much, so… naaahhhh, let them fend for themselves. He didn't want to be a babysitter.