A/N: So here we go, a new story. To those wondering, it was inspired by Araceil's House of Cards (go read it, it's awesome!) and some of you might find that there are some similarities. That is only in the first chapter, though! Our plots are completely different as far as I'm aware! The similarities are because I genuinely feel that this is how the characters would act, and writing them any other way would feel wrong. I've talked this over with Araceil, too, and she's completely cool with everything.
Anyway, onto the story! Obviously, I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or Sword Art Online.
Sawada Tsunayoshi was nine when she first discovered MMORPGs.
It had been a bad day even by her standards. It had started with her falling out of her bed, realising she was late for school, and contemplating staying at home altogether because she just knew that the day was only going to get worse. But her Kaa-chan wouldn't have it and made her go to school, even after she fell down the stairs.
She was late, walked into class accompanied by mocking gazes and whispered insults that turned into full-blown laughter when she tripped, fell right on her face, and everyone probably saw her panties. And to add to her embarrassment, the Maths test that was returned in that class was graded with a twelve. Which the teacher of course proceeded to announce to the whole of the class. And it got even worse after that. By lunch time, two of her textbooks and her lunch money had not-so-mysteriously vanished, which meant she had to go hungry, and the teacher scolded her once again.
And, being hungry, she'd done even worse in gym class than she usually did - she fell flat on her face a total of four times and was, again, laughed at. And was made to clean up after the class by herself.
The only advantage that came from that was that the bullies wouldn't wait for her that long and had gone home by the time she was finished. Though at that point she felt so tired and hungry that she was prone to hurting herself by tripping worse than the bullies would.
Case in point, she accidentally walked into the boys' changing rooms. Thankfully, they were empty, but still…
In the boys' changing rooms, she found it. The magazine.
MMO Today.
That was the beginning.
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At ten years old, Sawada Tsunayoshi was a rather sad example for a member of society. Too small, too weak, too stupid, too clumsy, too dame. Not particularly pretty, and definitely not well-kempt. Her clothes tended to have rips in it, her legs were too skinny, her body too bony, her hair usually a mess and somewhat greasy because didn't shower as often as she should, and most mornings she woke too late to brush it sufficiently. She tended to have dark shadows under her eyes because she had a habit of staying up late playing games.
That was her. Dame-Tsuna, the no-good loser, only good for providing lunch money, entertainment and the occasional stress relief.
But it was fine, because Tsuna had two things that made her life bearable.
One of them was her Kaa-chan, and Kaa-chan loved her unconditionally. Kaa-chan was sweet, the prettiest Kaa-chan in the entire world, and the best cook ever. Tsuna wanted to be just like her when she was grown up, though she knew it was impossible, because Tsuna was dame.
The other thing that made her life okay was Online-Role-Playing Games. Online, she could be someone else, she could fight, be powerful, do all those things that she never could in real life. Those games were her escape. Sadly, that didn't help her in school, in fact, Kaa-chan had even (jokingly, but still!) said that if she played less games, she'd be better at school. But how could she give up the one thing she didn't suck at?
When she found out about the first ever VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, she became obsessed. To be able to live in a different world, where anyone could become whoever they wanted to be, where no one would know she was Dame-Tsuna? Where she could walk with her head held high with no one to bully her, call her names, and take away her food?
She Wanted That.
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"Kaa-chan, did you hear about that new game?"
"Kaa-chan, can I please have a NerveGear?"
"It's not dangerous, it's already been tested! I read that it works with - uhm - microwave transceivers that send signals to the brain. See, I already did lots of research! Please, Kaa-chan!"
"It can be my birthday present! Or Christmas present! Or both rolled into one! Come on, it's my eleventh birthday soon!"
"I'd only play if I'd already done my homework!"
"I'll quit all other games, Kaa-chan!"
"If I work really hard and get scores over twenty in school, can I have a NerveGear? You could even take it away if I do badly in school! Pleeeaaase, Kaa-chan!"
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Tsuna's birthday arrived and even though the game wasn't in the stores yet, Tsuna was hopeful. And indeed, inside her birthday card, Kaa-chan had written, "Tsu-chan gets one wish if she does her best in school and shows improvement! Work hard, Tsu-chan!"
Tsuna worked harder than she ever had in her entire life in a bid to prove to her mother that she was serious about her promises. She quit all her other games, banished all manga from her room, and studied. It was the hardest thing she had ever done and she wanted to go back to her normal lifestyle so badly, but then she'd see the poster with the Sword Art Online Advertisement hanging above her desk, and her willpower would be renewed.
Kaa-chan was so proud when Tsuna scored a 30 of all things! It was the best feeling ever, entirely worth the hard work.
"Papa will be so happy and proud of his smart little Tsu-chan!" Kaa-chan exclaimed, smiling happily at the test she'd pinned to the fridge. "I knew you could do it!"
Tsuna glowed with pride. "So, about SAO…?" she asked tentatively, hoping to take advantage of her Kaa-chan's brilliant mood. "The launch is in five days. People are already queuing up to buy the game, but I don't think we have to worry about that in a small town like Namimori. Or we could buy it online. Or, or, aren't you friends with the guy from the electronics shop?"
"Hmm," Kaa-chan mused playfully, tapping the corner of her mouth with a finger. "Do you promise to work reeaaallly hard and continue to improve your schoolwork?"
"Yes!" Tsuna exclaimed, bouncing up and down on her toes excitedly. "I swear!"
"Mmm… Okay then!" Sawada Nana said, and Tsuna ran forward, fully intent on stormily hugging her Kaa-chan. She tripped though, and fell flat on her nose. But when Kaa-chan knelt beside her, she looked up with a radiant smile, happier than she had been in a long time.
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November 6th, 2022
Tsuna could hardly sleep the night before her Kaa-chan went to the electronics store, she was that excited. Instead, she stayed up and read through the descriptions of Sword Art Online, accounts from beta testers, looked at pictures… anything she could get her hands on. During breakfast, she knocked over her cup of milk, fell off her chair twice, and somehow her food ended up in her hair. It did nothing to calm her down.
The four hours her Kaa-chan was out of the house to buy the NerveGear and game for her, she spent pacing through the whole house and fell down the stairs once or thrice. Even that didn't curb her enthusiasm in the least.
Finally, finally, Kaa-chan came back. "Tsu-chaaaan," she sang happily. Tsuna might as well have teleported for how fast she appeared at the door, eye locked on Nana's shopping bag. With a happy smile, Nana pulled out a box. "The last one available," she said. "So lucky I didn't go later!"
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Tsuna exclaimed. "Can I try it out now? Please, Kaa-chan?" She aimed a pout at her mother.
"Hmm, have you done your homework?" Nana asked, attempting to sound stern, but her sweet smile ruined the effect.
"Yes, Kaa-chan!" Tsuna lied. But really, how could she have even sat down to do homework? She was too excited!
"Well, okay then," Nana decided. "But don't play too long!"
"I won't, Kaa-chan!" Tsuna said, aiming a beaming smile at her mother. Then she snatched the box from her mother's hands and ran upstairs to her room.
It was the last time they would speak to one another for years to come.
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As it happened, the first warnings against putting on the NerveGear and logging into SAO popped up on TV about an hour later. Had Sawada Nana seen them, she could still have stopped her daughter, as Tsuna had suddenly felt extremely guilty for lying to her mother about having done her homework, and so resolved to at least do her History essay.
Unfortunately, it was only ten minutes after Tsuna had disappeared to her room that the phone rang, and Nana instantly headed over since the ringtone, an Italian ballad, told her that it was her beloved husband calling. Overjoyed, she listened as Iemitsu told her he was coming home soon, he only had to finish a little project and then he would be coming home to his sweet, sweet Nana and his darling princess Tunafishie. After much giggling and flirting, Iemitsu had to get back to work.
"I've got to go, Nana-love. Work's calling, we're building an adventure park for the penguins, and a shipment of bricks just arrived. I love you soooo much, Nana!"
Nana giggled. Iemitsu was such a romantic. "I love you more, Iemitsu!"
"Not possible. I love Nana the most!" Iemitsu proclaimed, and then hung up on his blushing wife.
The phone call had taken about thirty minutes. Tsuna's homework only took twenty.
Humming happily, Nana returned to the living room to finish her cleaning. She was dusting off a picture frame holding a photo of Tsuna as an adorable child when words from the TV drifted over and penetrated the fog of happiness that she was in.
"…NerveGear. I repeat, do not remove the NerveGear. Specialists are already looking into the matter, please stay put. A solution will be found shortly." Nana looked at the TV. NerveGear, that was the thingy that Tsuna had needed to play that new game she had worked so hard for. Why would it be on the news?
She would learn the answer mere minutes later.
By then, it would already be too late.
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By the end of the day, Tsuna was brought into the hospital, her distraught mother holding her hand and asking the medical personnel endlessly, "My Tsu-chan will be alright soon, yes?"
But Tsuna wouldn't wake up for two years, and even then she would never be the same again.
Nana tried to call her husband but couldn't reach him during the first few days. Instead, Iemitsu was the one to call her three days after Tsuna had been hospitalised, and before Nana could tell her husband what had happened to their beloved daughter, Iemitsu cut her off, telling her that he wouldn't be able to come home after all as one of his boss' closest employees, a man named Ganauche II, had been caught up in 'that dreadful gaming incident'.
"But Iemitsu," Nana attempted to speak up, but just then someone called for her husband in the background.
"Sorry, Nana-flower, I gotta go, I'm needed here! I love you sooo much! I might not be able to call in a while, so tell my little Princess Tunafishie that I've become a star, won't that be romantic?"
"Iemitsu, please, you have to come home-"
Someone called in the background again.
"I love you, Nana-flower! Bye!"
Her husband never called again after that; and no matter how much Nana tried, she wouldn't be able to reach Iemitsu over the phone, the number having been disconnected.
So eventually she stopped trying.
After a month, Tsuna and the other people caught in the Death Game, as it was now being called, were transferred to hospitals with accommodations for more permanent care. Nana would sit at her daughter's bedside and hold her small and thin hand, desperately watching Tsuna's chest rise and fall, hoping against hope that it would continue to do so. She would rent a cheap apartment in Tokyo near the hospital Tsuna was in so she would be close to her daughter, just in case.
During those two years Tsuna was trapped in the game, Nana was offered a job at the hospital in the children's ward, her soothing and caring nature having made her invaluable to the stressed nurses and doctors there. Naturally, she accepted, it kept her busy and made her feel needed, and she was near Tsuna and could see her anytime she wanted, since she didn't have to respect visiting times as much as an employee.
Eventually, Nana's sadness over her husband's absence would grow into bitter resentment and the desperation over Tsuna's fate would turn into a dull ache. Her innocence and naiveté would die a little more with every moment that her daughter was lying there in the hospital bed like a wax puppet. Nana would learn to stand on her own feet, but her independence came with a high prize.
Nothing would ever be the same again.