Disclaimer;
I don't own Katekyoshi Hitman Reborn - that belongs to Akira Amano. I only own my OCs.
Logging in. Loading... 100%...
Enter chatting room...
Honey and Rei are online.
...
Nico : Yo
.
Honey : Welcome back Nico 😊
.
Rei : Hey~ Glad ur alive
.
Nico : You guys got my msg? 😁
.
Honey : Yup!
Honey : I'm happy we can hang out again ^^ ❤️
.
Rei : Wanna meet on Saturday?
.
Nico : Sure. Where?
.
Honey : Leona's. Exactly at 1100
Honey : Be punctual this time Nico!
.
Nico : Yes Miss! 🙇
.
Rei : LOL 😂 😂 😂
.
Nico : Btw, watch KHR latest chap yet?
.
Honey : I did! It was funny 😂
.
Rei : Totes 😂
Rei : Random ques! Which character do u like most?
Rei : I like Reborn ❤️❤️
.
Honey : Hibari I guess?
.
Nico : FON
.
Rei : why?
.
Honey : He's cool
.
Nico : Cute & cuddly ❤️
Nico : U know. I have a thought
Nico : Wish we cud go to KHR world 😁
.
Rei : Impossible
.
Honey : Though that'd certainly be fun!
.
Rei : Uh huh 😯
.
Nico : Gtg, it's 12 am already
Nico : Night, amigos /kisses
.
Honey : Me too. Goodnight ❤️
.
Rei : Nighty-night 😘
...
Nico is offline.
Rei is offline.
Honey is offline.
NICO'S PART
Shutting off her laptop, the silhouette of a girl could be seen getting up from a chair. She then sluggishly walked towards the single bed inside the dimming room. The bed was arranged neatly beside the window, thus the room's sole occupant always bathed under the moonlight as she sleeps. Feeling the soft pillow beneath her head, she wanted nothing but to have a good sleep tonight. She blinked her eyes open slowly and stared at the night sky above. On rare occasions such as tonight would there be thousands of stars shining brightly in the sky.
Her tired mind recalled back the conversation just now. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"KHR (Kateikyoshi Hitman Reborn) world, eh?"
.
HONEY'S PART
Inside of another bright room, a girl with flowing blond hair was currently lying on her stomach on the Queen bed. The bed's cream cover had cute small flowers sewn on it, the entire room overflowing with the same level of cuteness. The blond girl smiled to herself as she hurriedly typed an entry in her electronic diary.
31st March 201X
Today was fun. We all went out to the city for shopping. Mom bought me new clothes which I can't wait to try them this Saturday! Dad and James left us for some man-to-man talk, they said. Then, we went for lunch at a restaurant we frequent. It was rare for Dad to let me eat as much as I want, so I end up gobbling up more food than planned. Remind me to exercise soon!
Tonight, Nico and Rei were online but we talked short. They once promised to visit me in London one day, and oh they did! We promised to meet at the Leona's, 11 am this Saturday. I'm so excited to meet them again!
The girl checked her entry one last time before closing her laptop and put it on the bedside table. She yawned sleepily while casually pondered over what Nico had said.
"I wonder how it's like. It must be fun to transmigrate there with all the actions and romance. Oh, what am I talking about! Of course, it's impossible to go to an anime world! But... I wish I can go there. Maybe have some adventures with those crazy friends of mine without having to care about the reality."
.
REI'S PART
A girl with long bright red hair sat lazily on the balcony of her room. Her eyes stared at the night sky above and they could vaguely see the tiny flickering stars. She combed through her hair while thinking of a certain issue. Her crazy friend Nico mentioned something stupid: she wanted to go to the Katekyo world. Well, that was interesting. Not to say that she never held such thoughts, but logically it was impossible to casually 'go' to another world.
Even with this era's capable technology and prodigious 'creative' thinking, it was still impossible. Firstly, KHR was only a manga. Mangas/Comics were artistic mediums that allowed humans to let their creative imagination roamed free. Secondly, how could a human in the real world, go into a comic? Bulls.
"Hmph! Here I am, wasting my precious time and energy thinking about illogical and impossible things. This is all Nico's fault. It's because she said something as absurd as that.
...Although I'm sure it's always fun wherever we're all together."
Unbeknownst to the three girls, soon after they tucked in bed, there was a shooting star. It zoomed past into the night sky and disappeared into the horizon. Everything happened in seconds. People said that if you made a wish upon a shooting star, it would come true. But would their wishes come true? Who knows.
Saturday 2nd April 201X
"Excuse me. Coming through! Please get out of my way!"
Running along through a busy street of London, Nico never had thought she would have to exercise this early of the day. Even though she always went for a jog every morning but surely she did not have to do it on holidays as well! While running, all she thought of was to hope no one insane would obstruct her way. She had no confidence to stop in time if that was to happen.
They said not to say it, lest it would jinx you.
Nico groaned when she saw an elderly was walking on her running path. She just shouted for people to move out of her way and see, here a person who did not bother to listen.
Don't make me a murderer, I'm late enough to go to jail! Nico cried in her heart. Luckily Nico trained her reflexes strictly so she managed to cat-leap over a stone wall on her left, pulling herself over in time from colliding with the poor elder.
"What in the world!" The old man shouted in shock.
"Sorry, sir!" She shouted back before she continued running.
Soon, the teenage girl safely arrived in front of a double storey cafe called Leona's. The walls were painted in ivory while the pillars were painted dark brown. There were several flower concept paintings and sceneries across the world framed on the wall. Nico saw none of her acquaintances outside so they should be inside.
"Shit. It's 11.32. Should I go inside?" Nico debated. She looked at her stainless steel watch and groaned inwardly. She was supposed to arrive thirty-two minutes ago.
Why was she ranting outside and not just enter the cafe when she obviously knew she was late? Simple: She was afraid.
Why was she afraid? Because there was a certain blonde who was currently staring at her direction with a calm smile on her beautiful face. That, was Honey. The person who was an epitome of elegance and beauty, gifted with a perfect body figure and temperament. Every time and everywhere she walked people would turn twice just to memorise how she looked like. Females were jealous and men drooled. Yet...
Honey's seating faced directly at the store's entrance so it took only seconds for her to see that indecisive silhouette outside. Nico felt shivers creeping up her body. She was clearly standing under the hot sun but that smile felt like pushing her into a freezer.
"I'm fucked. Goodbye world," Nico said to nobody.
Nico took a deep breath as she awaited judgement. She walked rather tensely towards the smiling blonde. Other people only saw angel's grace but Nico saw differently. Underneath that smile was scorning anger and those big eyes were exceptionally cold. Once near, Honey motioned to an empty chair opposite her. Nico obediently followed. Only God knew how much her heart organ threatened to burst out of her ribcage and ran a five miles marathon now.
"Nico," Honey stated in a calm voice.
"Yes, Miss?" Nico shivered after sneaking a glance to see Honey's expression.
"Explain," Honey ordered curtly.
"I have no excuse. I-I... overslept," Nico admitted nervously while her gaze lowered. Ah, she knew what that look meant.
"Pardon? Care to repeat that?" Honey asked venomously.
From the side came a chuckle. Nico sighed as she sighted a familiar red-haired girl beside Honey. It was her other friend, Rei. The most memorable thing Nico believed about this redhead was her hair. It was a gorgeous shade of blood which caused Nico to call her Red Riding Hood on their very first meeting. The nickname stuck until now regardless of the fact Red Riding Hood actually referred to a girl who liked wearing red riding cloak.
"Calm down, Honey. You should have expected this slight mishap, knowing her all these years," Rei snickered while eating a spoon of double chocolate flavoured ice cream.
"Look who's talking. Time is precious. I'm not like you who would gladly change her schedule for food. How many desserts have you eaten for the past half an hour, Rei?" Honey retorted back.
"Food is life. And this is my sixth," Rei replied with a flirty smile.
Was there not a case where a person died from overeating? Honestly, how did this girl eat so much sugar but never get a stomachache or diabetes? The food monster Fujiwara Rei. Till today, no one knew when she would get tired of eating.
"God knows how we became friends. Come on, let's not waste any more time and get going," Honey sighed in resignation before she let go her anger.
With the matter concluded, the trio left the café and continued on their planned reunion. Nico did not know whether she should laugh or cry when Honey admitted she had purposely set the meeting time an hour earlier because she predicted Nico would be late. In the end, she was safe and not late at all! Give back her wasted sweat and energy!
...
At first, the girls went sightseeing. Since Honey lived in London, she volunteered to be their exclusive tour guide. They went to famous tourist spots such as the Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, British Museum, Warner Bros. Studio and SEA LIFE aquarium. All the while Nico was the model paparazzi. That girl loved taking candid photos. She managed to capture scenes when Rei was devastated seeing her ice cream fell, or when Rei screamed because a squirrel jumped into her popcorn bucket, or when Honey was snuggled by dozens of cats in a cat cafe. They had so much fun the time passed quickly.
It was late evening when they finally stopped by the Thames River. They could see the beautiful view of the London Bridge during sunset. They stopped at a quiet spot, away from other passersby and rested at the edge of the riverbank.
"It's been three years since we last met. Seeing you guys still remain the same as the idiots we are in those times calms my heart. But that's not what we gathered here for, yeah?" Rei began.
"Let's get to the point. What happened, Honey? We received your quite 'depressing' emails but you never elaborate," Nico nonchalantly asked.
"Oi! How blunt could you be? Isn't this why people said that you're ruthless," Rei smacked Nico on the head.
"Nah, it's fine, Rei. That's what I like about Nico. She's honest to the fault that she makes the enemy out of everyone she meets," Honey laughed heartily.
"I object to that claim," Nico complained in defence.
"My problem you see... One could say I was stuck in an impasse. I'm going to tell you guys about it, but promise me not to laugh upon hearing it," Honey pouted before she received their confirmations did she continued, "I don't exactly know why but I'm quite popular at school. I tried asking around why, my school friends said - I shall summarise - it's due to my beauty, kindness and intelligence."
Whoever said that was a fool. Rei and Nico thought simultaneously.
"I am aware my family genetics are excellent but, really? When they praised and looked up to me for those reasons, it made me reluctant to betray their expectations. I have to maintain my 'perfect image' because I fear their admiration will one day change into disappointment or rejection. I'm afraid they would not accept me, myself. Then once you get the ball rolling for a long time, things start to pour down on me like crazy.
I start seeing their expectations as an annoyance. They want me to be gentle and caring, to listen to their woos and cries like I'm some Mother Teresa? Do I look like Cupid, guaranteed to give and point them to love? What love, I never have a boyfriend! In the end, catering to their needs left me constantly under pressure. Having good family background also doesn't help. My family's rich, we live in a mansion, own several expensive cars and branded products so they think I have everything and I can always get what I want.
I hate it, living in that kind of lie. They know nothing about me yet they judge me however they want to."
"What of your family? Based on what you told us, you always confide in your mother. Surely she could have given you some advice," Nico crossed her arms while frowning.
"My family?" Honey chuckled darkly, "I did tell Mother some things, but not everything. Plus, back at home, there's another drama. Every single day I'm told by Father to study and be the best because I'm his heir. I must get at least 97% for every exam or it would not be enough. I'm not allowed to hang out with friends because he thinks it's a waste of time. I can't do fun things because he thinks they will affect my performance. What a load of hoax.
Thank the God that Mother is different. She's nice and understanding, and most importantly does not think having friends is detrimental to my health. I told her everything about you guys, about our meeting today and she helped sneaked me out of the house. She told Father I went on a motivational camp. Right now, I'm staying at the London Bridge Hotel using my aunt's name. Hopefully, this peace can last a bit longer. I'm tired of meeting other people's expectations, to be honest," Honey ended her story.
"It's been tough on you."
"You shouldn't have to bear such a burden. If you can't stand it, just say it to your old man's face. Tell him you need some personal space."
Nico and Rei both sighed simultaneously. Nico understood the pain and Rei could not bear to listen how much her precious friend had suffered.
"Enough from me. What about you two? I noticed Rei's social media status has been pretty 'dark' lately."
"Pretty sure we didn't plan our reunion to hold consultation services, but since we're talking, why not. My story is not as 'dramatic' as you claimed but..." Rei paused slyly.
"Oh, please. Get on with the story," Honey rolled her eyes.
"Fine, fine. Summary wise: You could say that I'm currently in the rebellious stage," Rei pouted as she continued.
Isn't that how you've always been. Nico snorted.
"I haven't been completely honest with you guys. I wanted to come clean-"
"Have you been taking drugs?" Nico asked solemnly, followed by a gasp from Honey.
"What- No! Let me finish before making assumptions! As I said, I haven't been telling you guys something. Last year, my dad died in a car accident. So now, it's only me and my mom."
"What? Why didn't you tell us about that?!"
"Shit. Dude, I'm sorry to hear about that..." Both of her friends shouted in shock.
"Nah, it's fine. I was in a slump after dad died. You guys know how close the two of us are, so when that happened," At this point, Rei's voice trembled, "I just couldn't accept his death and I didn't feel like talking to anyone about it. It took me quite a while to finally move on and accept it. And I also don't want to show that disgraceful part of me to you guys. I'm not trying to say that I think lowly of you guys! But I'd like to keep a nice image of myself in your eyes."
"...Then, what happened? Why do you say that you are being rebellious?" The two agreed to kept silent and quickly addressed the true matter.
"I'll try to keep things short. Do you remember my dad's family? Remember those times when I rant and curse them so much I could have written a thesis on it? Those... people," Rei spat out as if disgusted to use any other word to describe them, "their greed is truly a bottomless pit. After dad died, they shamelessly took our rights over the family's business and left us with nothing to our name. We were forced to vacate the house, which I found out was put on a real estate agency the very next morning. Thankfully one of mum's friends helped us. Mum transferred to another branch outside the state and she's been doing well climbing up the career ladder. The pay was good and we lived better than before. She was busy every day but she never forgets me.
But now, she's an international runway model. She is very occupied with shootings and travelling she rarely comes home. I've got to admit that I'm very proud of her but it gets awfully lonely. Before I realised, I've enrolled myself in a boarding school in Brighton. Without telling mum," Rei coughed sheepishly after considering how impulsive her actions were.
"How did you..."
"I copied her signatures and asked a friend of mum's to settle all those legal mumbo jumbos. He got a crush on my mum so he's quite easy to convince. I really don't mind if he actually gets on with her. He's hardworking, honest, understanding and cute.
Right, back to my story. It took her half a year before she found out about the school thing from the guy. The cat's out of the bag and she fucking grilled me on the phone after 6 months without a phone call. She asked why did I make decisions without discussing with her. I angry at that time so I replied on reflex 'it's a wonder how she remembered she even has a kid back home'. I know, that was rude of me. We have more disagreements over it, I'm so over the drama and decided to quit school."
"You quit school?!" Honey exclaimed in shock.
"So you went home?" Nico asked.
"No. Mum never know this, but dad's been teaching me hacking and IT works since I was a kid. I did some part-time work in middle school to earn pocket money. Coupled with dad's secret stash, I rented a studio in the city. You can say I'm currently on vacation to relieve stress?" Gosh, it was awkward telling them these things.
Both listeners truly did not know how they should respond to this big bomb dropped onto their laps. Should they sympathise with her hardships or should they encourage her to do legal work instead?
"I'm sorry to hear your story," Honey patted Rei's shoulder with empathy and Rei smiled in return.
"It's nice to let everything out."
"I know that feeling."
"What about you?" The two girls looked curiously at Nico who was sipping a can of Coke.
"Oh, it's my turn? I don't think I have anything to say really. But I will! Since we're having this mushy heart to heart talk," Nico shuddered when she received glares screaming injustice.
They all waited eagerly before Nico too, decided to drop another bomb.
"I left the family."
"What?" / "Huh?"
"More specifically, I ran away from home?"
"I beg your pardon?" / "Can you repeat that again? I'm not sure if my ears are working."
"I've told you guys how my aunt Remy took me and my brothers in after our parents' death, how we've been living and such. Last year, there was a guy. No, not for me. It was aunt Remy's. The guy, Roman... proposed to her, said he will take care of her. And us. I could see his sincerity, I did. He tried so hard to get us kids' recognition, you see. He played with us, talked to us, very much like how parents would treat their own kids. I knew he would be good for her."
"So, how did that contributed to your runaway episode? I mean, it sounded like a Happy Ending to me."
Nico hesitated at the question. She looked frustrated, which was a rare scene to behold. The girl gave a grim smile.
"Dramas happened. Some people - keyword, female fans - opposed their love. They believed and claimed how aunt Remy seduced Roman and manipulated him to take us all in. Those women have significant influences in the neighbourhood so no matter what, the majority believed whatever they said. We had all sorts of colourful gossips going around. Those bastards, I just can't stand their scorns so I-" Nico frowned.
"What? You did what?" Rei asked urgently for the continuation. They were at the climax so why did she stop!
"I roughed them up. Pretty badly," Nico smiled awkwardly.
"...Was that how you get into-" Honey added with concern.
"Yeah. And I don't quite like how that place runs and I don't feel like going back so I asked the bar owner of the place I used to work to bail me out. I don't even know how he helped settle with the police and court but he got me away. I thought of just disappearing for good but the owner told me to at least write a letter to the family, tell them I'm actually fine and living. Right now I'm living with a friend of his who owns several bars and nightclubs. Pretty much doing manual labour and behind the scene jobs. Last I heard they all moved away from that awful neighbourhood, Roman and aunt Remy got stable jobs and they are all living better. Which is good, I guess. That's my story I guess..."
"..."
Honey and Rei were overwhelmed by Nico's story, they felt like their problems were not that big after all. The girl had always been too cool, casual and dandy so they would never expect for Nico to have such a story to her life. Sure they did hear a thing or two, but they never knew of the real story if not for today's opportunity. They shared a moment of silence and were glad to have the chance to talk their problems out.
Nico stared at the vast sky above. She somehow felt mentally tired after this heartful session. The one thing she looked forward to was to have a good rest. Three metres away, she saw Honey petting and playing with a stray cat. The feline purred adorably at her caress. In between, she saw Rei opening a recently bought snacks she wanted to try.
Everything was peaceful until she heard statics buzzing in her ears. It felt unpleasant, coming from all sorts of directions around. She tried clearing her ears when she noticed that Honey and Rei were both acting the same. Could they too be hearing that sound?
Suddenly, the girls felt a tingly sensation. A kind of feeling as if small electrical currents have passed through their bodies. It was definitely a weird tingly experience. Before anyone could talk, in the blink of an eye, their surroundings changed drastically from the view of Thames River into something unfamiliar.
They could not see properly as there was a fog obscuring their view. What they knew was that they were alone. Yet, there was the sound of a bell ringing.
All it took was a few seconds for three completely different coloured flames to spread from the tip of their fingers to the surface of their palms. The girls acted logically; screaming in panic over their hands burning like a torch. Weirdly, the fire never spread further.
Not long enough for these girls to digest their current situations, the ground beneath them suddenly fell apart. The girls screamed once again as they were pulled down into the darkness below. Unfortunately, they were pulled into a body of dark water. Not enough with zero gravity fall, now they got to experience drowning. How unpleasant.
The girls struggled uselessly but the current seemed to be dragging them down faster. Eventually, they stopped fighting and slowly lost consciousness.
At that moment, a small light flickered in the distance before it gradually engulfed everything around it.