The Other Me

A Katekyo Hitman Reborn Fanfiction

Disclaimer: All rights go to Akira Amano. I am just creatively using her characters and I am not profiting from this.

Author's Note: I thought of this idea, while writing chapter thirteen and fourteen of Hungry for Tsuna and I couldn't allow the plot bunny to escape.

Chapter One: The Second Son

Nana should have known….

There were early signs about this strangeness that surrounded her son. At first, she didn't notice it but from retrospect, she realized that such a moment related to the current situation she was having. As she diligently chopped a radish, she remembered an incident that she overlooked. She should have realized, when her easily frightened Tsu-kun, stopped his tears after being attacked by the neighbor's puppy. The puppy was such a new existence to her isolated child that when looking upon the creature he burst into tears. She remembered how the dog's tail wagged to and fro, despite her little boy's crying the puppy only wanted to play with him even more. Suddenly, the crying stopped and Nana, believing that her son realized that puppy wished him no harm, went back to her chores.

As, she went into the house, for quick second, to retrieve something, she heard a loud whine and then a whimper. Hurriedly, she rushed back to Tsuna, thinking that horrible dog had injured him, to find the puppy running away from the small brunette with his tail between his legs. She stared at her son as the whimpering of the dog died down in the distance. Tsuna turned to his mother, looking as normal as ever and continued to play with his ball quietly. She assumed that dog must have been scared off by something else and her Tsu-kun had nothing to do with it.

As the old memory left her, her attention shifted back to her cooking. Nana's cat paw (hand position) held firmly onto the carrot as she chopped the vegetable into small slices. While continuing her tedious but loving work, she recalled another occasion that explained her son's predicament. She should have guessed from that call that she received during Tsuna's elementary school days. When she had heard the reason for the call, she couldn't believe it. They must have gotten the wrong child. She refused to believe that her darling, discipline-abiding son suddenly challenged his homeroom teacher to a fight. It was so unlike Tsuna, who was so against fighting…mostly because her son lacked physical strength.

At the same time as she stirred the vegetables around in a murky broth, Nana pondered even further to another event. She should have predicted with her son's unusual violent behavior, as of late, that this would happen. Her son's relationship with his father was very strained. And she knew that, Tsuna disliked his father for being absent during his upbringing. However, she hadn't even thought that her son vent his anger towards his father in such a way. As soon as her son walked in from school and saw his missing father sprawled out on the floor, drunk as a mule, she anticipated him to do what he normally did: Turn his nose up in disgust and lock himself in his room until his father left. At first, her son made a move to do just that but, he didn't. Instead, with fire in his eyes, he lunged for one of the empty sake bottles on the floor, picking his father up by his shirt with incredible strength and proceeded to beat his papa senseless with the fragile object.

However, oblivious to her son's condition, she believed that her adolescent son was going through a phase. A very violent one. Yet, the psychologist broke the awesome news to her. Her son had another personality. Nana was overjoyed. Not only did she have one son but now she had two. What was a mother to do? Although, the psychologist could not figure out why this other personality emerged, Nana didn't question it. She was too elated.

So, anxious to meet her other son, she coaxed him out by making a big feast. She fixed a glorious dinner as a way to celebrate a great occasion, such as her husband coming home or Tsuna's promotion to the next year. Nothing was too good for her son or should she say her two sons. Nana's plan had worked. The brunette was lured in by the aroma of his mother's delectable cuisine. As Tsuna sat down to eat, Nana's maternal intuition told her, that this boy was not Tsunayoshi but her other son. She tried her hardest to suppress the glee that dared to burst from her bosom.

"How is it, Tsu-kun?" She asked the boy, who quietly helped himself to the feast set on the table.

The boy just nodded, briefly, giving his reply and continued to eat.

Disappointed that her second son wasn't much of a talker, just like her first son, Tsunayoshi, she pressured the other to reveal himself to her. She said slowly, putting emphasis on her first son's name. "That's good. Eat as much as you like...Tsunayoshi."

Suddenly, the brunette paused in mid-munch. He looked up at Nana, slamming his plate harshly on the table but not shattering it. His tawny eyes glared at the woman before him but Nana was unnerved by this gesture. Then, the brunette replied smoothly, "That's not my name."

Her second son's voice was leveled but the way he spoke, made her heart race just a little faster. Her second son had his father's charm. She continued to marvel her son, despite the glare she was receiving. Her second son has such beautiful eyes. His glowing tawny orbs glowered at her with such intensity that, the gaze reminded her so much of how Iemitsu would look at her. She concealed a blush…this was her son, after all. She smiled gently at the brunette. "Oh...I'm sorry. What is your name? This is the first time I am meeting you."

Realizing that he had slipped, the brunette looked at his mother with new respect. She was quite sly and he had assumed that she was the most oblivious person he has ever come in contact with. He had promised Tsunayoshi, to not cause his mother so much trouble but, he knew after that psychologist got involved, it would be inevitable. Even though, he was taken off guard by Nana's tactics he still presented himself with an air of poise. He then answered. "Ietsuna. Sawada Ietsuna. Tsuna for short."

"What a lovely name!" Nana exclaimed. Her second son's name was even as beautiful as his eyes. She felt so lucky to be mother to such a being. "Well, it's nice to me you. It's nice to know that I have another son. Mother gets really lonely, you know."

Ietsuna didn't say a word; he just smiled and continued his eating. Nana really had a way to a man's heart. His dead-beat of a father was lucky. He reminded himself to give the bastard, a few whacks to the head for leaving such a saint to worry over his worthless self. Nana watched endearingly as her other's son personality continue to eat. It was almost like watching her own little boy. However, this person before her was more confident in his actions whilst her son, of who she was more familiar with, ate timidly as if the world was watching him place every grain of rice into his mouth.

But Nana, already knew that Ietsuna wasn't so bad after all. Any boy who respected his mother wasn't such a bad apple.

Chapter End

Ietsuna- I didn't make this up. Supposedly, Akira Amano used the given names of the Tokugawa clan for the names of Tsuna's family lineage (Tsunayoshi, Iemitsu and Ieyasu (aka Giotto)). According to Wikipedia, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa had an elder brother named Ietsuna Tokugawa. Ietsuna and Tsunayoshi are both sons to Iemitsu Tokugawa...so I thought this name would fit Tsuna's other personality, perfectly. Also, since the both of them go by the nickname, Tsuna, I thought it would cleverly explain why Tsuna's dual personality was not noticed before.

Author's note:

Hope you enjoyed it. Although, it's really short. More to come soon.