Summary: Hayato Gokudera didn't expect a weirdo in an orange dress named Tsunayoshi Sawada to pop into his life… repeatedly. However, looking back on it, this was probably one of the best things to ever happen to him. Semi-AU. Fem!Tsuna. Eventual 5927
Finding C Major
1
. .
Apathetic jade eyes scanned the crowd, taking in each face and occasionally lingering on those they recognized before moving on. Around the large ballroom, people milled about, low lighting from wall sconces and chandeliers lending itself to creating a warm, social atmosphere. The low buzz of polite conversation and quiet laughter filled the room. Hayato Gokudera took a sip from his water glass and quietly snorted as a large woman wearing an obnoxiously gaudy dress walked past his hiding spot in the corner.
His father became a major sponsor for a recital featuring up-and-coming young musical talent from across Europe. Of course, since his son was considered a piano prodigy, Hayato found himself added to the roster of participants, performing alongside other children hailing from England to Russia.
When the day of the recital came, his sister, Bianchi, gave him some cookies, as usual. And, as usual, he was forced to eat them. Despite the nausea and disorientation, Hayato performed his piece to the best of his abilities. As the last chord lingered in the air, enthusiastic clapping rose from the audience.
Idiots, the lot of them. Hayato knew his performance sounded like shit.
A reception followed the recital and his father dragged him along, showing Hayato off to those he mingled with. During the experience, Hayato felt like an exotic bird; he was paraded around, shown off like some strange and captivating animal, then ignored once the fascination wore off. Eventually, he was able to sneak away and find a corner to hide in until either the event ended, or his father found him again.
Hayato hoped for the former.
A woman with long, pale hair glided past Hayato's corner and he briefly felt a pang of sorrow. Bright, kind, verdant eyes of a similar shade to his own filled Hayato's thoughts. Miss Lavina would have been so proud to see him on stage performing for an audience, even if she would have cringed at how badly mangled the piece sounded. Some days, when he sat at the piano to practice, Hayato closed his eyes and imagined Miss Lavina sitting next to him, whispering encouragement and praise into his ears. When he opened his eyes, taking in the empty room, he was forced to accept the whispers as nothing more than his imagination.
Although she had been dead for years now, Hayato still sometimes wondered what life would be like if she wasn't gone.
A tug on his shirt sleeve snapped Hayato out of his thoughts. Warm brown eyes and a smile exuding more warmth than the sun filled his vision. A girl who looked to be his age stood in front of him. She shifted on her feet and her orange dress followed the movement, its hem brushing against her knees. Hayato didn't recognize her as a one of the other performers, so she was probably in the audience watching the recital.
Then again, he didn't remember any of his fellow performers, so, for all he knew, she could have been on stage too.
"Hello," the girl extended her hand and he absently shook it as she asked, "are you Hayato Gokudera?" Her voice was a bit quiet and, when Hayato looked closer, her smile was slightly tense.
His eyes narrowed. Why would this random girl be asking for him? "What of it?"
Hayato watched as her shoulders relaxed and her ramrod-straight spine lost its stiffness. "I watched your performance," she started.
Oh. The performance. "Let me guess," Hayato sarcastically drawled, "you thought it was 'so artistic'", he began making air quotes, "or 'absolutely inspired', right?"
Her answer surprised him. In a quiet voice, yet filled with enough steel and determination to match the blazing fire of surety in her eyes, she uttered, "I really liked your performance. Although I don't understand the finer points of piano music, I could hear the emotion you put into the song. I thought you poured your heart and soul into those keys and into your music. You love playing the piano, so don't degrade any of the music that comes from your heart".
What. The. Fuck.
Hayato gaped at her. After a few seconds, he managed to pull himself together. "You don't even know me, so don't say things like that! How could you judge whether I 'play the piano with my heart'? You're reading too far into it," he sputtered indignantly.
She stared at him, her caramel eyes pensive. Then her face softened and she was back to being the quiet girl from a few moments ago. The girl gave him a sheepish smile and scratched the back of her head, ruffling short, fluffy brown hair. "Sorry about that. Maybe I jumped to conclusions. You seemed like you didn't like your performance, so I had to say what I thought about it." She glanced away, her cheeks starting to redden slightly in the dimmed light of the ballroom. "Erm… I hope I didn't offend you."
Hayato took a sip of his water, his annoyance cooling, and mulled over what she said. He sighed. On the contrary, he wasn't really offended at all.
Most of the people he talked to praised his piano performances as being "abstract" or "modern", absolutely loving how "unique" his music sounded. Hayato, on the other hand, felt sick—almost as sick as he was after eating Bianchi's cooking—when he heard compliment after compliment being heaped on, in his opinion, substandard performances. Hayato truly loved the piano and he loved to play it. He would much rather be getting the same praise for performances when he's not near vomiting on stage. He wanted the audience to cheer for pieces he poured all his attention and concentration into making sure they were perfect and something Miss Lavina would be proud of.
So, when this random girl came up to him and started spouting about how she liked the music he played from his heart.
Well.
"It's fine," he told her, watching as brown eyes lit up, "you didn't offend me. Your words were just a bit unexpected and forward."
She nervously chuckled. "Oops?"
Hayato rolled his eyes and took a sip of water.
The girl straightened up, looked Hayato in the eyes, and stuck a hand out. "Do you think we can restart the introduction again?"
He looked at the hand, glanced at the girl's face, then shrugged. Why not. Hayato grasped her hand and shook it. "You already know this, but my name's Hayato Gokudera and I played the piano earlier today. I thought my performance could have been better."
"I think I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada, but I like to go by Tsuna."
In the back of Hayato's mind, bells started to go off. The name sounded a bit familiar, like he had heard it in a passing conversation. When he tried to follow the thought and figure out why, he lost it. Oh well, maybe it wasn't important. Her beaming smile highlighted warm chocolate eyes and Hayato tucked the name away in his mind.
He cleared his throat. "So, there were many other seven-year-olds playing the piano. Why did you want to talk to me? Surely you didn't come over this corner just to say you liked my crappy playing." Hayato raised his glass to his lips.
Tsuna blushed and played with the hem of her skirt. "Actually, that was part of the reason. I liked your song and I wanted to meet you afterwards," she paused and swallowed, clenching her fists at her side before looking up, eyes holding a spark of the same resolve he witnessed earlier, "but I also wanted to tell you I'm going to learn to play the piano. Everyone looked like they were having fun on stage, so I want to be able to play too. Then I thought it might be more fun to play with another person; I've heard there's such a thing as piano duets, so when I get to be good enough maybe we can both do a duet together."
Hayato almost choked on his water. This girl needed to stop surprising him.
She tilted her head and blinked her wide brown eyes. "What do you think?"
What did he think? He thought this girl might be a little crazy; normal people don't just randomly decide to learn the piano because it looks fun and then expect to be good enough to perform a duet. And why did she want to tell himthis? Maybe she had already wanted to learn to play the piano before watching the recital, but Hayato had the impression that this was a spontaneous decision.
"You're crazy. Learning to play the piano takes a lot of time and dedication; you won't become a great pianist overnight. You will probably struggle with it in the beginning, and you might want to give up and quit. I've been practicing for years and I'm still not nearly as good as other pianists I've heard. I'm not going to accept some crappy excuse of wanting to learn because 'it seems fun' or 'to play a duet'."
Hayato paused and let his words sink in before asking,
"Why do you really want to learn?"
She deflated, eyes falling to the floor. Her voice was a near whisper, "most of the people on stage looked like they enjoyed playing the piano and I wondered how a simple instrument could make people seem so happy." Her voice gradually grew louder with every word, "I asked my papa and he said that it's because they like sharing their music with others. As I listened, I thought I began to understand."
Hayato saw her look up and a soft smile curled at her lips.
"Then you came out. At first, I thought you were scared; you looked so sick under the lights—"
Because he was sick.
"—but then your fingers touched the keys. Sure, the music sounded a bit odd," Hayato grimaced as she said this, "but underneath the music, I heard it. There was happiness in your song… and it made me feel happy just listening to it." She began beaming, her smile glowing like the sun, "so, I want to be able to create beautiful music too. I want to learn how to play the piano."
Hayato leaned back against the wall and thought about what she said. He supposed her reason was as good as any. Honestly, he wondered why she bothered telling him of her desire to play the piano. She didn't know him, so his opinion or approval shouldn't matter to her. They were strangers and would probably never meet again after tonight.
So, why did she look at him like it was his opinion she valued the most right now?
Whatever. If she wants to play the piano, he won't stop her.
"Tch. Do what you want. If you really want to learn how to play, go ahead."
Apparently, those words, as careless as they were, were exactly what the girl wanted to hear. A wide smile stretched from cheek to cheek and Hayato was momentarily dazed. She looked so happy and… were those sparkles?
She laughed. "I'll become a great piano player, you just wait."
Hayato rolled his eyes and sipped his water. Sure, the girl was weird, but if she had the resolve to learn the piano and stick with it, maybe she wasn't that bad.
"Tsunayoshi!"
Green eyes glanced up, and from the crowd emerged a tired blond boy wearing a black suit and blue undershirt. The girl, Tsuna, he remembered, spun around to face the newcomer, orange skirts flaring out at the motion. Her brown eyes blinked in surprise, evidently recognizing the boy. "Basil, why are you panting?"
Sure enough, the boy's breathing was a bit heavy and a thin layer of perspiration coated his face. Basil straightened his tie and tried to compose himself. "Boss panicked when he noticed you were gone. He thought you might have wandered off or gotten lost. I've been looking for a while, but could not find you until now," he leaned in towards Tsuna and whispered in what Hayato thought was Japanese, "thou should not have left thine father, especially upon this night."
Tsuna's eyes lifted to meet the Basil's blue ones. A second later, she gave a slight nod, then pouted, shoulders slumping and eyes sliding toward the ground. "I only wanted to speak with one of the pianists from the recital," she murmured.
At this, Basil's eyes slid from Tsuna's dejected form to Hayato. Hayato stiffened as sharp blue eyes studied him, raking over his body from the perfectly polished black loafers to the clean black suit jacket. When Basils eye's momentarily paused on his left hip, Hayato tried to keep calm, but Basil knew. Earlier that morning, Hayato swiped one of the kitchen knives and slid it into the waistband of his pants, just in case he needed its protection. Considering his father was a Mafia Boss, Hayato sometimes met some of the more unscrupulous characters in the Underworld. Even though tonight was only a music recital, it had become something of a habit to slip a knife somewhere unnoticeable, to the point where Hayato felt defenseless and weak without one.
Hayato knew he was getting good at keeping the knives hidden on his person, and the fact that Basil managed to spot it made him feel on edge. Who was he?
Basil turned back to Tsuna and rested a hand on her shoulder, subtly steering her away from Hayato. "Who is this?" he asked Tsuna.
Tsuna's eyes shifted from Basil to Hayato and must have realized she forgot to introduce them. She stepped forward, away from Basil's hand, and gestured toward Hayato. "Basil, this is Hayato Gokudera." Then she gestured at Basil, "Hayato Gokudera, this is Basil."
Hayato pasted a smile on his face and extended a hand to Basil. The other boy quickly shook his hand, grip tight, before letting go.
Basil nodded in Hayato's direction. "It was nice to meet you, Gokudera, but I'm afraid I have to get Tsunayoshi back to my boss." Basil grimaced, "knowing him, he's likely panicking enough to make a scene."
Hayato gave a polite nod in return, "it was nice to meet you as well," and took a sip of his water.
As Basil began to escort Tsuna away, the girl whipped around and her warm brown eyes landed on Hayato for the last time that night. "I just wanted to say that I hope to be as good of a pianist as you are. And who knows, maybe we can play together some day." Tsuna tossed him one last sunshine smile. "It was nice to get the chance to talk to you, Hayato Gokudera," and was whisked away into the crowd, leaving him to choke on his water. When he managed to stop coughing, Hayato looked into the crowd and saw no sign of Tsuna or Basil.
That girl really needed to stop saying things so unexpectedly.
Hayato sighed and leaned back against the wall. Around him, the reception continued on just the same as it was before a girl in an orange dress tugged at this sleeve, as if the meeting never happened.
If Hayato was being honest with himself, he didn't know what to make of Tsuna or Basil. While he still considered Tsuna to be a strange girl with a strong desire to be a pianist, he didn't know what to make of her friend, Basil. It was obvious to Hayato that the boy had been trained to observe other people and his surroundings, but why would he need that skill if he was just a civilian? Civilians didn't need to constantly check to see if their surroundings are safe, or if a stranger had a weapon hidden somewhere on their person. He could just be paranoid, but his eyes didn't have the mistrustful edge of someone coming from a very damaging environment. Basil could have been a good enough actor to hide it if he had, but Hayato knew there would have been tells to give him away. So, why would Basil feel the need to scan Hayato?
Unless if he was in the Mafia.
Hayato's eyes roved over the room, but he wasn't processing anything he saw. His mind whirred as his thoughts raced. The idea made sense, but if Basil was in the Mafia, then why would Tsuna be so familiar with him?
Who was Tsuna?
Thoughts of the Mafia plagued Hayato as he spent the rest of the night crowd watching from his corner. Sometimes, he thought he saw flashes of orange out dance in and out of the crowd. Whenever he tried to look closer, the orange disappeared, making him wonder if it was just his imagination. All around him, laughter and polite words were exchanged by people he didn't know.
Time passed, he drained his water glass, and his father never found him until the end of the party.
Later that night, when the stars floated in the sky and moonlight illuminated the world, Hayato crept into the music room back at the castle. He sat down on the piano bench and thought about poisoned cooking, about familiar jade eyes, and about duets. Staring at familiar ivory and ebony keys glowing in the moonlight, Hayato let his mind drift.
As far as Hayato could remember, it seemed as if his life revolved around the Mafia. His father was a Mafia Boss, most of the people he interacted with were Mafiosi, and even when he performed at a supposedly civilian recital, the Mafia was still there. Would the Mafia always be a constant presence in his life? Hayato mulled on that thought and wondered if he wanted something different than a life in the Mafia.
In fact, what did he want in life?
The girl, Tsuna, said she wanted to learn how to play the piano to make the people listening feel happy. His sister wanted to make their father proud of her. Even Miss Lavina had once confessed to him on a lazy summer afternoon that her only wish was that those she cared about lived happy and fulfilling lives. Happiness… would finding happiness be his ultimate goal in life?
But what made him happy?
Hayato lightly ran his fingers over the piano keys. Playing the piano with Miss Lavina when he was younger made him happy. He enjoyed her company, her smiles, and the pride he felt whenever he managed to successfully get through a difficult piece. As he got older, after Miss Lavina left him, he still felt happy when he sat down at the piano, but there was a new undertone of melancholy and wistfulness to the feeling. His happiness with the piano continued until he was six—until his father forced him to eat Bianchi's cookies. Now, whenever he played for other people instead of himself, the joy he felt of sharing his music became muted under the feeling of revulsion—
He still loved to play the piano, he didn't know if he would never feel that love, but lately he wondered if there would be a breaking point when he refused to play anymore.
His fingers hovered over the keys—
"Hayato?"
—and he brought his hands to rest on the bench by his hips. "Father? Why are you here so late at night?"
In the shadowed doorway of the music room, a tall figure emerged. Under the moonlight, Hayato noticed his father was still wearing his formal suit from the party. He crossed the room and stood next to Hayato and the piano. In a casual voice, he spoke. "Did you enjoy the recital? I thought it dragged on toward the end. One can only listen to so many performances before they begin to blend together, especially if some of the pieces are repeated."
Hayato wouldn't know what the other musicians did; he was too busy trying to stay coherent to care about what they did.
"However, I did quite enjoy the reception afterward, though the food could have been better. While I mingled with the other patrons I heard some interesting whispers floating through the crowd." He studied Hayato's face before he said his next words. "Apparently, we had quite a few unexpected guests in attendance tonight."
His father never said anything without a reason, so telling Hayato that a few unexpected guests showed up…
He dropped the bomb. "From what I heard, our little music showcase attracted the attention of those from the Vongola."
Hayato stilled.
Anyone in the Underworld knew what the Vongola was. Led by the Ninth Boss and his Guardians, the Vongola was considered to be the most powerful famiglia in the world.
"Why are you telling me this?" Hayato whispered.
His father hummed thoughtfully and contemplated his next words. "For the past few years, there have been rumors that Iemitsu Sawada, the leader of the Vongola's CEDEF, had a daughter. Of course, these rumors had no evidence to back them up. The rumors ended up becoming something of a public secret; Sawada had a daughter, but nobody had ever seen her. Many Famiglias had agents searching for her, but they never succeeded." As Hayato sat on the piano bench and listened to his father, a niggling in the back of his mind gradually grew stronger and Hayato had a funny feeling that he knew where his father was taking this conversation. "Eventually, these rumors began to be ignored as something of a fabrication. A few Mafiosi even began to speculate that the rumor was started by the Vongola to send rival famiglias on a goose chase for something that wasn't there…"
Hayato heard some of the rumors too. Though they were rarely mentioned, anything related to the Vongola was worth remembering.
"…eventually they gave up on hoping to find the Young Lion's child. I even began to think it was all a lie…"
A few pieces slotted into place and Hayato remembered an odd girl in an orange dress professing her desire to learn to play the piano.
"…Until tonight. Iemitsu Sawada attended the recital tonight along with his apprentice and a young girl by the name of Tsunayoshi Sawada."
Suddenly, it clicked in Hayato's brain. He remembered fluffy brown hair and eyes that seemed almost too determined at times. He remembered the maids whispering rumors about Iemitsu Sawada and his nonexistent daughter in passing. Most importantly, he remembered her introduction, "I think I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My name is Tsunayoshi Sawada, but I like to go by Tsuna",and why something about it felt familiar.
His father continued speaking, oblivious to Hayato's mental revelation. "At first we weren't sure if it was her. Sawada introduced her as another protégé, saying he found her on the streets and decided to take her in. It was a believable cover, especially considering his other apprentice came from a similar background, but it had flaws." A pause lingered in the air before his father casually asked his next question.
"Hayato, do know what those flaws were?"
It was a rhetorical question, but with his father's eyes trained on him, gleaming in the moonlight, he felt compelled to answer. Silver hair brushed his cheeks as Hayato shook his head negatively.
"He cared too much."
His father's lips pressed together in a frown, but other than that, Hayato couldn't read his face.
"If Sawada had found Tsunayoshi on the streets like he said, he should have felt more comfortable with letting her out of his sight in a safe environment. Tonight was a music recital, not a Mafia event. There shouldn't have been any reason for him to worry, particularly concerning someone he found recently and shouldn't have formed an emotional attachment to yet. It doesn't make sense, unless he was lying about their connection." His father stroked his mustache. "Of course, she still might not be his daughter, but there's a high probability she is, one I don't want to overlook."
His father's posture loosened and he chuckled. A hand raised to comb is hair back, slightly mussing up the strands. "I've been talking for a while, but now do you understand why I am telling you all this?"
Hayato thought about the information his father told him and attempted to connect the dots, voicing the beginnings of an idea he was unsure of whether he wanted to follow, "it has something to do with Tsunayoshi. You want more information on her?"
The other man chuckled. "Something like that. One of my men told me you were talking to a girl at the reception tonight. She had short brown hair and wore an orange dress. I believe she said her name was Tsunayoshi Sawada?"
Hayato's eyes narrowed. So, even when he managed to slip away, he never truly escaped being watched. "Yes?" he ventured.
"It seemed like she was interested in you." The man's posture straightened and his full attention turned toward his son. Whatever he said next was important. "Hayato, if you ever see her again, attempt to gain her trust. Become her friend. In the Underworld, there is nothing more important than being on the good side of the Vongola Famiglia. If this girl is your opportunity to accomplish this, become her most trusted ally."
In the end, everything came back to the Mafia. Its lingering shadow had been a constant presence in his life and knew, with as much surety as a seven-year-old possessed, he would likely never escape it.
What did he want in life?
"Do you understand?"
But what made him happy?
Hayato did the only thing he could: he nodded. "Yes, father."
Their eyes connected and silence filled the air. A moment later, his father spoke. "Good." Then he strode from the room, leaving Hayato to sit on the piano bench and stare after him. After a couple of seconds, he turned back to the piano, face blank, and closed his eyes.
For a few minutes, Hayato Gokudera sat in front of the piano and listened to the silence. The world continued to spin on its axis and the stars still twinkled in the night sky, as if nothing had changed. Time plodded on, as it always did, while Hayato took a moment for himself.
Eventually, he opened his mouth and asked, "Miss Lavina, what song should I play next?"
Of course, nobody answered.
Thank you all for reading! Please leave a review to let me know what you liked, disliked, or even just to say hi. Your feedback would mean the world to me and I'd really love to know what you all think of the story so far!
On a side note… Gokudera's piano performance. In canon, Gokudera was fed poison cookies by Bianchi since he was six. His first performance after eating the cookies was…well…not the greatest. However, if he's continuously being fed poison cookies before each performance, a poison tolerance has to have been built up. So, after each time, the poison's effects shouldn't be as strong. And since Gokudera takes playing the piano seriously, I'd like to think the resulting performance a year later would be some combination of skill and disorientation. Thus, his performance isn't completely awful, just… off.
As for this story, I'm really excited to keep writing and see where it goes.
-Cyseria