Important A/N: Hello everyone! This Fon27 two-shot is for Metamorcy's contest~ I think this is quite a cute pairing, though kind of rare. Fon is younger than Tsuna in the first chapter, and in the second chapter, its 10YL~ Sorry if there is a bit of OOC-ness, especially if it's Fon...he's kind of a hard character to write ^_^; oh, and Tsuna is mentioned cross-dressing, but you can't really tell.
Other... A/N: Ack! And just a little message for those who are following my two other stories: they are on a long hiatus because of school -_-; sorry for not putting that on my profile, I didn't have much time to go on FF because of...school o-o so, I will be continuing them, fear not!
On with the story, now that the boring A/N is done P;
DISCLAIMER: If I owned KHR, Tsuna wouldn't know who Kyoko was. So I don't. Own. erm. on with the story. =_=;
Japan, 10 years earlier
The bright, golden sign proudly read 'Royal Cherryblossom Boarding', and flashed in the bright sunlight as Fon gazed at it in wonder. He was amazed that a building could be so big! Father did say that we were going for 'official' business...Fon thought. He remembered Mother telling him to behave well on this trip, or else Father would be mad. Control the wildness that rages inside of you, Mother had told him, smiling brokenly. Or else we will all suffer the consequences...Fon shuddered, remembering when he was younger and didn't know how to control himself. Father used to have him and Mother punished for little things...
Shaking his head to clear the dark thoughts that clouded his mind, he walked through the gold encrusted front door. He paused to take in the main parlor. There were two large crystal chandeliers dangling delicately from the ceiling, warmly casting candlelight onto the quiet world below it. The floor was made of white marbled veined with black streaks, and the walls were painted a pastel crème and pink mix that went perfectly with the gilded furniture.
Every footstep he made echoed hollowly, and the other guests perched on various futons eyed him warily, sipping cups of tea. The calming scent of oolong drifted through the room, blending nicely with the sweet scent of flowers. All in all, it was a wonderful place to be.
Fon slowly stepped up to the low wooden reception desk, where a pretty geisha was kneeling and writing figures with a practiced hand. The geisha glanced up demurely, pausing in her calculations. Fon hesitated, and then bowed, smiling politely. The geisha nodded calmly, and gestured toward the stairs.
"Xui-dono is waiting for you in his private rooms on the fourth floor. Please take a flower and pin it to your...suit, Fon-sama. It will identify you and grant you clearance to Xui-dono's rooms," the geisha murmured respectfully. Fon noticed the pause on the word suit and glanced down. He was wearing his usual red garment. He shrugged internally and reached out to pluck a flower randomly from the large bouquet on the table. He pinned it to his clothes and trailed up the long staircase. Peaceful music echoed from above.
Fon continued up the stairs, passing countless geisha and other guests along the way. He ignored them all. Finally, he arrived at his father's rooms. The entire floor was quiet; unlike the others, which seemed alive with noise in comparison. Fon paused at a door and knocked sharply. His father opened the door, nodding coolly at him.
"Fon. You're late. Make sure to be on time more often. Understood?" His father said, voice clipped. Fon dipped his head, making sure to keep calm.
"Yes, Father. I'm sorry; it won't happen again," He answered serenely, stepping into the room. His father stared at him for half a second, then turned away abruptly. Fon noted that his mother was nowhere in sight. After a few minutes of tense silence, there was a knock on the door.
His father walked past him and opened the door. A geisha was waiting patiently, and bowed deeply when the door opened. She straightened again and said,
"Xui-dono, you are requested to go to the main dining room to discuss matters with Oyang-dono, Yamamoto-dono, and Hibari-dono." His father nodded briskly.
"I will be done in a moment. Send over someone to watch over my son, preferably around his age. I want him entertained." The geisha dipped her head in acknowledgment and shuffled away quickly.
In a few moments she returned, bowing furiously. Someone was behind her, but Fon couldn't make out who it was. All he could see was a blob of brown hair and an extremely red face.
"X-Xui-dono, we have found a geisha around his age." She nearly shoved a child into his father. Fon saw that her hands were trembling slightly. His father caught the child, steadied him, and steered him in front of Fon. Fon distantly heard a small voice mutter apologies, and he automatically replied that it was fine, but he was busy watching his father. His father nodded at him, and disappeared along with the geisha, closing the door behind him.
Fon stared after his father for a moment; then turned around, heading deeper into the room, ignoring the geisha accompanying him. Fon heard the shuffling of the geisha following him, before hearing an unexpected thump. He whirled around, cursing silently when he saw that the girl had tripped and fallen flat on her face.
"Are you alright?" Fon asked politely, slightly concerned. He saw the girl raise her head slightly, sniffling; then with no warning, burst into tears. Sighing, Fon knelt and lifted the girl without any difficulty. The girl gasped and made a high-pitched squeal that hurt Fon's ears. He carefully placed the girl on the bed.
"Where do you keep the...stuff?" Fon asked again, turning around to get some tissues. Do they even have tissues in this hotel? Seems too fancy...Fon thought in resignation. He hadn't even taken two steps before he felt a small tug on the back of his robe.
"P-Please don't hurt me..." Fon sighed again and turned around. Why did she assume that I was going to hurt her? Wait...Fon's eyes narrowed.
"Do they beat you here?" He asked, eyes flashing. The girl shrank back from him, trembling like a cornered animal. Fon forced himself to relax.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I scared you...I'm Fon, what's your name?" Fon asked softly, crouching to meet the frightened girl's eyes. The girl hesitated, then spoke quietly.
"I-I'm Tsuna, F-Fon-sama..." Fon raised his eyebrows. Tsuna...That's a boy's name, isn't it? Tsuna flinched, closing his eyes, as if expecting to be hit. Fon sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. He reached up and fluffed the geisha's hair. Tsuna blinked, peering at Fon with a childish innocence.
"Fon-sama...?" Tsuna whispered, eyes wide. Fon smiled in a tired fashion, rocking back on his heels. Tsuna seemed to be having an internal argument with himself; finally spoke again.
"Sorry Fon-sama. I've been causing you trouble, haven't I? I better leave now—" Tsuna babbled rapidly, moving to get off the bed.
"No, stay Tsuna-kun. I want you here with me." Fon said almost lazily, sitting down next to the surprised boy. Tsuna lowered his eyes, staring at Fon nervously.
"R-Really? You mean it?" Tsuna asked shyly, slowly shifting towards the other boy. Fon nodded, unsure of how to respond. Tsuna slowly smiled, cheeks flushing a deep pink. Fon smiled back, blushing slightly. How adorable; he looks just like a fluffy little kitten.
"Tsuna-kun, are you really a...boy?" Fon asked curiously. "I mean, you are dressed up as a traditional geisha, so I was wondering..." Tsuna shook his head, turning red.
"Of course I'm a boy!" He sounded a little offended. "I'm nine already! Kyoko-chan told me I look manly without my make-up..."He trailed off when he saw Fon was chuckling.
"You're nine? You look more like a six year old!" Fon smirked when he saw Tsuna pouting.
"So? You look like a...a...two year old!" Tsuna attempted to glare at Fon, but only succeeded in making Fon more amused.
"I'm seven, but I look older than a nine year old, huh?" He laughed as Tsuna managed lunge awkwardly at him, and somehow miss him completely. He scooped Tsuna up as easily as he would have scooped up a whining toddler. Laughing, he tickled Tsuna into submission.
"Do you surrender, Tsuna-kun? Or do you risk being tickled to death?" Fon teased, smiling when Tsuna huffed and looked away, pointedly trying to ignore him. Fon grinned, taking this as a signal to continue the tickle war.
"Mou, Fon-sama~ Why are you so mean?" Tsuna gasped while laughing uncontrollably. Fon stopped tickling Tsuna abruptly, looking thoughtful. Tsuna sighed in relief, wiping the tears that came from laughing too much.
"You know Tsuna-kun, you don't have to call me Fon-sama. I want you to just call me Fon, and I'll call you Tsuna, okay?" Fon watched Tsuna carefully, trying to gauge his reaction. As usual, Tsuna reverted to his shy self.
"W-WHAT! F-Fon-sama—" Tsuna protested in vain. Fon stopped his words quickly by putting his finger on Tsuna's lips. He sighed.
"I thought you would react like this. But we are friends now, are we not?" Fon smiled at Tsuna's wide eyes.
"F-Friends?" Tsuna looks cute when he's confused, Fon thought, smirking inwardly but keeping a calm expression on his face. Tsuna tilted his head to the side, as if that would make him understand better.
"What are 'friends'?" Tsuna asked softly, eyes darting around. He had a faint blush on his face, as if embarrassed that he didn't know what the word meant. Fon blinked in surprise, finally showing some sign of emotion.
"You don't know what a 'friend' is?" Fon almost wanted to laugh or possibly cry; he didn't know whether it was sad or funny that Tsuna didn't know what most people instinctively knew. Tsuna cringed, his blush erupting bright crimson on his face, desperately trying to hide his face; he said nothing.
"A friend is...someone who you are safe with, someone you trust, someone you know that will always be there with you...it's hard to explain, really. Everyone has their own definition of what a friend is," Fon explained, forehead wrinkling slightly. Even he was now a bit confused. Who knew such a simple question was so hard to answer? Tsuna looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but still sat pondering.
"Well, how do you know when someone is your friend?" Tsuna finally asked, looking at Fon more seriously. Suddenly, it seemed like Tsuna was different, somehow. His eyes deepened from their caramel color to an amber hue, and unexpectedly, he looked...older. More...masculine? Was that the word? Fon met the new Tsuna's eyes with more respect.
"Everyone knows a different way. There is no correct answer, you just follow your intuition." Fon reached over slowly and tapped Tsuna on the forehead smartly, a faint smile on his face. Tsuna winced slightly, reverting back to the Tsuna he was familiar with.
"Hey, that hurt! No fair...F-Fon..." Tsuna blushed, looking down. Fon smiled, surprising Tsuna when he reached over and ruffled his hair affectionately. Fon laughed when Tsuna seemed embarrassed by the gesture.
Tsuna bent forward hesitantly, seeming unsure of what he was going to do. Fon sat still patiently, waiting for whatever Tsuna was going to do. Tsuna appeared to have made up his mind about something and leaned forward; Fon's eyes widened. Tsuna pressed his lips on Fon's forehead almost tenderly. Fon looked down, a nearly invisible blush painted itself unwillingly on his face.
"What was that for, Tsuna?" Fon tried to control the shaking that threatened to appear in his voice. Tsuna beamed confidently, though still blushing a little.
"I'm older than you! I should be the one taking care of Fon! So..." Tsuna faltered, then whispered, " Thank you...for being my friend." Tsuna's blush, of course, didn't fail to reappear on his face. Fon smiled, the first real smile he had smiled in a long time, meeting Tsuna's slightly watery eyes. He said nothing, just leaned over and hugged the older boy.
After a few more minutes of innocent cuddling, the time passed by quickly as the two new friends had fun with each other. Fon glanced at the time, and stunned to see that it was almost time for him to leave. That's right...Father said we were only staying for the meeting, then going back to China...Fon thought sadly. He couldn't believe that he had only been friends with Tsuna for a day; it felt like they had been friends for their entire lives. Tsuna sensed that there was something wrong with Fon.
"Fon?" Tsuna asked innocently. Fon met Tsuna's eyes hesitantly. Instantly, Tsuna knew something was definitely off with his new friend.
"Tsuna...I didn't tell you that I'm leaving for China tonight, did I?" Tsuna's eyes fell. No, of course I didn't mention that helpful fact, Fon thought, annoyed with himself.
"Fon...You'll come back, right?" Tsuna asked, hopeful. Fon shook his head slowly, hating the way he was breaking the news to Tsuna, but he had no other choice.
"I'm not sure I'll be able to..." He finished quietly. Tsuna, who had been nearly ecstatic a few minutes before, was now starting to tear up.
"B-But..." Tsuna started before bursting into tears. Fon shushed him, gently cradling him in his arms and petting his hair carefully. Slowly, Tsuna grew calmer, sniffling occasionally.
"Tsuna," Fon said, laying his head on top of Tsuna's. "I promise, I will definitely come back one day, even if we are both old men when I do." Tsuna grew still, sniffles dying away.
"Do you mean it? Do you promise?" Tsuna turned around, facing Fon. Fon stared. It was him again, mature Tsuna. Tsuna's burning gaze never left Fon's own black eyes. Fon pressed his forehead comfortingly on Tsuna's, and linked their pinkies together, without breaking eye contact.
"I pinky promise," Fon breathed, feeling Tsuna's forehead burning against his. Did Tsuna suddenly catch a fever? Fon thought worriedly. Tsuna continued staring at him, searching for something. He finally spoke again, closing his eyes as if content with what he found.
"Take care of Tsunayoshi for me, Fon Xui." Before Fon could say anything else, Tsuna opened his eyes again. Fon could have cursed. Why did mature Tsuna suddenly disappear? Tsuna smiled at Fon, taking his breath away. When did Tsuna get...beautiful?
"Thank you, Fon," Tsuna hopped off Fon's lap, and took something out of his kimono. It was a small, crystal...pacifier? Fon's eyebrow twitched, but he said nothing, again waiting for Tsuna to speak.
"To make sure you remember our promise, here!" Tsuna held it out proudly. Fon stared at it, then took it tentatively.
"Now you give me something, Fon!" Tsuna continued to hold out his hand, expecting Fon to place something in it. Fon thought wildly. I didn't bring anything personal with me today, dammit. He caught sight of the white rose pinned to his robe. He unpinned it gently and placed it in Tsuna's outstretched hand.
"This isn't anything special...but it reminds me of you," Fon confessed, smiling at the blush on Tsuna's face. He heard a knock on the door. Tsuna quickly straightened his clothes, and Fon composed himself. Time to go.
Random A/N P1: (you can skip this first part, just my thoughts on this chapter)
...Meh. I know, weird language in this chapter. I just finished reading Loveless a few days ago, and Soubi is just messing up my system with flashbacks of his flowery language. FFFFUUU. Of course. Anyway, I think I didn't do too bad with pacing, but I don't like re-reading all my work after I've finished it to check; just a quick read for grammars and stuff. So I can't really change it. Poo. Well, I think the fluff was okay too.
P2: I need some angst and jealousy though! So that's what the next chapter will contain! There is a quite obvious (well...maybe kinda obvious. Not extremely obvious, anyhow.) hint in the above chapter about who (or...two whoms) will be appearing next chapter. Just something to get Fon a little ruffled about, hehe. Basically, another pairing besides Fon27. I wasn't really planning it, but I thought it would be a bit boring with just fluff. Not begging or anything...But reviews are welcome~ (there's an obvious hint). I'll be posting the next chapter by Sunday or Monday, I'm halfway done with it already; and also! Thank Metamorcy, Fon27 fangirls/boys for sponsoring this contest. She's helped me get my butt moving and writing!
See you guys next chapter ;)