a lot of change made, please read over again!
no longer dropped!
thank you for the wait, and kisses to those who wished it to continue!
:D
lots of love, Two-Faced Procrastinator.
These Games of Ours
They will never stop. There are much worse ones to play. This was us, two daredevils finding joy in such dangerous activities.
That was what made me love you.
She really didn't expect to fall in love with him.
It was supposed to be just a simple game of cops and robbers.
He was the cop. She was the robber. If he caught her, then it would be over.
Their little game lasted for so long, they forgot when it even started.
It wasn't until she was nearly dead that she realized she loved him more than anything.
And it hurt her heart so badly when she knew without asking that he would never return the feelings. It pained her more than what her body was going through.
When he got married, she knew it was all over. When she saw his child, she knew it was then that she had to give up and find someone else.
But who? Who would love a monster like her? Her, who killed more people than she could count?
It was such a selfish wish. But she wanted her happiness. She wanted her happy ending.
And as she died, she wondered if her next life would be any better.
She hoped, a bright sparkling light of hope, that she would meet him again.
If she could hear that laugh, see that small smile, look into those piercing blue eyes again...
Just once more. Just once more...
I want to see you. I want to see you. I want to see you. I want to see you...
That phrase was chanted like a mantra in her dulled mind as her life slowly but surely drained from her body that was mangled beyond imagination.
With the all remaining energy she had, she pulled out her cellphone and pressed one button.
His number was the only speed-dial she had on it. The only one she'll ever have.
One, two, three rings... A click.
Her lidded eyes widened fraction at the sound of his voice. Silent tears slid down her bloodied cheeks.
He picked up. He really picked up.
"Hello?"
She had to struggle to not let a sob slip past her cut lips. She held her cellphone up to her face with a trembling hand, trying her control her breathing.
"Hey... where are you?"
Why aren't you trying to catch me anymore?
"At the Head Quarters. ...what's wrong? You sound a little off."
A scoff came out. She smiled despite her situation. He could always tell if she was trying to hide something. It was nigh impossible to lie to him.
"Yeah... I'm not feeling so hot right now..."
Her lies never worked on him. Her fibs were always caught, and she eventually had to tell the truth.
"Don't tell me you're sick? Did you catch a cold?"
He was worried? That was something new...
"No... nothing like that... Hey... Speaking of catching... You never did."
This game of theirs was still going. Even after more than two decades of knowing each other, he still hasn't...
"I never did what?"
She felt her heartbeat slowing. It was almost time for her to go.
No, not yet... Just a little longer...
"You never...caught me. Aren't you a...cop? You still can't catch... a robber... over twenty years? Come on now..."
She quickly shoved her phone against her stained clothes as she coughed, chuckling dryly as she saw blood splatter the concrete with dark red, almost black, spots.
"We're both a little too old for children's games. Why are you bringing this up all of the sudden? You...you're not drunk are you? Because I'm not going to talk to a drunkard."
She laughed, a laugh that made her what she was, although it was a little throaty than usual. She knew that he knew that she couldn't get intoxicated by liquid alcohol. Her Dying Will was much too strong for that.
"Hey... If I... told you... where I... am, will you... catch me...?"
She heard him chuckle and smiled a happy smile. It had been a while since she had heard him do that. It had been a long, long while since she had last smiled of happiness. Almost too long.
"Tired of running, are you?"
No... I'm still going. I'm still at it.
"Yeah, something... like that. So... are you... going... to come... or what?"
Her speech was lagging. Her lips no longer could form proper sentences. She had to hurry and say it.
"Sure... why not. Where are you?"
He's going to come. He's really... really...
"...the park...Namimori...where we..."
Where we first met. Where our game first started. Where it all began between you and me.
Where it was all going to end.
"...find me...please...before..."
Before I die. I want to see you again. I'm selfish, so your voice alone isn't enough. Hurry, hurry, come and catch me...
"...I..."
I love you. I always have. Even before I realized it. I love you so, so much.
The cellphone fell from her hand and clattered on the ground. She no longer had the strength to hold it. She desperately wanted to still talk to him. But her vocals didn't work to her bidding any more.
With one last push of determination, she lit her Dying Will. Her last and final Dying Will, to see him before she passed on. It was going to carry it out, she knew that much. Death would be stalled until he came.
She waited for a long time. Dawn was peeking out from over the horizon, painting the sky the lovely colors of gold, ruby, amaranth, azure... It was so beautiful.
And then she saw him.
He looked like he'd ran the entire way. His breaths came out in short white puffs as the result of the cold autumn air. His platinum blond hair was all over the place.
Ha... you never let yourself look anything but proper... but look at you now...
He saw her flickering flame and rushed over, yelling her name.
Finally... he was so late. It wasn't like him to arrive past the time...
A warm, loving smile graced her lips as she gazed into his bright ice blue eyes with her blazing sunset orange ones. Then she closed them, and the fire in both her heart and forehead died out.
She was pretty sure Hell wasn't all sunshines and rainbows.
But her eyes weren't deceiving her. She was staring at a clear sunny sky with a cloud here and there. She was standing in a never-ending field of golden wheat, the nettles under her feet soft and plush even as she curled her toes in delight.
She looked down at her hands, and marveled at the scar-free skin. She saw the white summer dress that stopped at her knees and ran her hands through the silky fabric.
This was not Hell. She was sure of it. But if not, then it was a moment of peace before she went.
Her long brown hair billowed out all around her body as a strong breeze swept past her back. She turned as she felt a presence behind her.
It was man.
Like the Phantom of the Opera, half of his face was covered by a mask, but not enough to hide the scar that mapped his entire left cheek. She could tell that the brim his hat was made of iron by the gleam it gave off.
His face held a mocking smirk, but she saw something else.
She saw a lonely man that wished nothing but to have someone at his side.
The man took his hat off and bowed as a gentleman would. With a small smile she returned the gesture with a slight courtesy. They straightened, and looked at each other for a long time.
He was the one who spoke first.
"You bear much regret inside you."
She responded as honestly as she could. If this man was the person that was responsible for taking her to Hell, then lies would not work. And she was tired of the amount that she had already spoken when she was alive.
"Yes."
She never took her eyes off his face. Noticing the checker pattern etched on the cheek opposite to the one that had the scar, she gazed at it with innocent curiosity. The top of his hat had the same design, and so did his necktie and gloves.
"Do you wish to go back and change it?"
Oh, how she wished. But if wishes were horses then beggars would ride.
She smiled a little more sadly, and she closed her eyes as she tilted her head to the vast open sky.
"Yes. But it's just a wish. I'm already dead."
The cold, hard truth wasn't as unforgiving as she'd thought it'd be. A feeling of acceptance washed over her lithe body, and she sighed quietly in relief.
"You're a strange one. Most people would beg for another chance at life."
She laughed, and stretched her hands parallel to the sky as she twirled once on her toes.
"Yes. I've been told that quite a few times when I was alive. But I'm not like most people."
She grasped the skirts of her dress and spun around, the tall stalks of wheat whipping softly and painlessly against her miraculously flawless skin.
"Would you take it, if it were given to you?"
Looking back at the mysterious man, she stopped her fluttery movements and exhaled quietly.
"Yes. I would."
The man with the iron hat held out a gloved hand in silent beckoning. She went over to him and placed her own on his, a sigh of finality escaping her lips.
This was it. She was going to the place for sinners and cold-blooded murderers. But strangely, fear didn't rankle her as it did when she was still on the plane of the living. Now, whatever that was tossed her away would be accepted without hesitance, understood completely, and embraced wholeheartedly.
Gingerly, as if she were a fragile glass figurine and he was afraid that the smallest touch would shatter her, the man's arms slowly wrapped themselves around her slender form. She smiled and did the same, wondering why such gentle treatment was being given to such a monster like herself.
The world swallowed into black darkness as she closed her eyes once again.
It was going to be Hell.
This time, she was sure of it.
She opened her eyes, half-expecting and half-incredulous to see herself dangling over an endless fiery burning pit and hear screams and wails of agony.
But instead, she was met with a vaguely familiar white plaster ceiling.
She sat up, and froze at the sound of old bending springs. She stared at where her hands were pressing.
A mattress.
She turned her head a little further behind her back, and saw a nostalgic cloud-shaped pillow. She saw the sky blue blankets and blinked ever so slowly.
Door at the front-east of the bed. Window directly to the back. TV at her middle-right, wall to her entire left. Another level of mattress above her. A ladder connected to the side where her head would be lying. Small wardrobe right beside the door.
She took deep breaths to calm her rapidly beating heart, but her mind was swirling out of control. Too many thoughts were at work and it made her dizzy. Shaking her head, she swung her bare legs out the warmth of the duvet and shivered at the chill biting at the soles of her feet. She paid no mind to the scattered game consoles and picture books, making her way to the slightly ajar door.
She glanced down and gasped quietly at the masking tape that was obviously hiding a gaping hole. With a trembling hand she twisted the brass knob and opened the door. She gazed at the wooden stairs below her, and choked down the piling sobs with great effort. She leaned against the wall so she wouldn't fall because of her trembling, laughing dryly as she stepped on the fourth step and heard the expected creak.
Back then, it had been so annoying. Her and the rest of the family tended to skip that step, sometimes making it a game just to pass the time. But now, it was a much-welcomed sound. She had a feeling she would be purposefully aiming for it later on.
Finally reaching the ground floor, she stared distantly at the entrance and lined-up shoes. She remembered how neat their footwear would be in the morning, and how she used to think that fairies had done it before she had "accidentally" walked in on her mother arranging them with great care. It wasn't really a secret, but that didn't stop her for feeling so disappointed.
However, at seeing how lovingly her mother placed the dirty shoes, she hadn't been as upset and was secretly glad afterwards.
She froze, and her lids lowered as she lightly furrowed her eyebrows. How long ago did that happen? How many years passed without seeing her mother, not even once? How had she even forgotten about this simple, happy moment?
How many more did she forget?
Holding the tears and self-loathing back for later, she forced herself to move down the hallway. Her eyes traced and lingered on each and every single photo hanging on the wall, old memories resurfacing and replaying in her head as she stared at the smiling faces of her precious family.
The pictures stopped just before the doorway to the kitchen. The sound of running water and a woman's mindly humming reached her ears. She took a sluggish step into the dim light, and choked at the sight of her mother—her beautiful, compassionate, wonderful mother.
Her eyes widened by a fraction as the gentle-tempered woman turned to her, and her voice escaped her when she smiled with the love only a mother could have.
"Ara, Tsu-chan! You're up early today!" The smile brightened as she looked back down to the chopping board and continued to slice the vegetables. "You haven't mistaken today as a school day, have you?" A good-natured giggle, light and bubbly. "It's Saturday, you know! I'm making breakfast, so you'll... Tsu-chan? Sweetheart, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
Indeed, she was crying. In fact, she was crying buckets. Tears slid down her cheeks and dropped to the floor just as fast as they descended.
"Mama," she found herself saying. Rather, sobbing. "Mama."
She felt like a baby saying her first word, wobbling her first steps to her mother's arms. She wailed like a toddler with her first scraped knee, clinging to her mother's apron and crying onto the shoulder she hadn't seen in a long, long time.
If this was a dream, she didn't want to wake up.
Nana was dead. She died of an illness and the pain of loneliness. She died before her husband, leaving behind four grief-stricken children. Her funeral was at the middle of spring, her favorite season.
But yet, here she was. Perfectly healthy and only a tad bit lonely, the happiness of being with her children making up for any longing she held for her husband. Making an extra serving of food for the man that worked at a place much different than what he'd told her.
Her crying must have been loud, because it hadn't even been five minutes before the pounding of feet was heard all throughout the house.
She turned her head, still clutching her mother's clothes, and saw the two identical boys rushing to her. One had gentle soil brown eyes, while the other had brilliant flaming orange orbs. Both were at the same height, and appeared to be around ten or so years old.
"Sis!"
"Sis, what's wrong?"
"Are you hurt?"
"Is it your heart?"
The waterfall that was temporarily held back came bursting down again. She let go of her mother and fell to her knees in front of them, using a hand each to touch one side of both their faces. Her words were distorted by her sobs and came out as blubbers, but they could be understood.
"Tsuna..." She looked into the meeker twin's doe-like eyes, remembering them as empty and cold before she had died. She looked at the more serious of the two, and the image of his older version lying on the wet blacktop in a pool of his own blood flashed in her mind's eye. "Natsu..."
The twins glanced at one another uncertainly, unsettled by their sister's distress. She had been perfectly fine yesterday—aloof and apathetic as usual. What had happened during the time they were asleep? She must have had a very bad nightmare if it made her hug them like this.
The sound of the front door opening caught the attention of everyone in the kitchen. The identical twins watched with blinking eyes as their older sister shot to her feet and ran to the person coming inside.
The newcomer was a teenager, looking to be around seventeen to eighteen years old. His wildly spiky yet tame blond hair and shining blue eyes made him stand out in the family without a father, but it was obvious that he was loved all the same.
She tackled him into a crushing hug and proceeded to wail into his shirt without shame. She was stuttering his first name, gripping his midsection so tightly he was struggling to breathe. She distinctively heard the twins say something to him and their mother's worried tone of voice.
"She's hurt, big brother."
"Her heart is in pain, big brother."
"I don't know what got into her, Ieyasu... she just suddenly started to cry like this! Is there something wrong with her?"
Ieyasu was the oldest child in their family. He wasn't at the age yet, but in a couple years he would be the leader of the strongest Italian mafia famiglia. He would get shot at point blank range to his heart by one of his most trusted friends and die without friends or family anywhere near him. He would be laid in a bed full of white lilies, his coffin placed in the middle of a forest, visited daily by his beloved right-hand man and constantly mourned over.
But like Nana and Natsu, he was alive and breathing. His traitor of a friend had not turned coat on him. They were still very close partners, trusting each other with their lives and believing that the famiglia could stand for a greater good than a low-life mafia group.
Ieyasu was never in good terms with his younger sister. He went along perfectly fine with the twins and Nana, but with her and him being together in the same room would lead to a disaster. Talk between them was strained and only initiated when it was truly necessary.
So when she had him in a hug out of the blue, his first reaction was suspicion. He was just only recently introduced to the mafia world, and there was a possibility that an impostor had replaced her, waiting at the perfect time to assassinate him.
"Ietsuna," he started, slowly, "is there something wrong?" If this was really his sister, then she would know what concern was not something he held for her.
The brunette pulled back almost immediately, staring at him with wide and disbelieving watery eyes. A frown settled itself on her trembling lips, and she held herself am arm's length distance from him. "What? Are you sick, Ieyasu?"
The only blond in the husband-less family rolled his ocean blue eyes, confirming that it was indeed his sister. He brushed her hands off his arms, scoffing at his previous doubt. As if someone could knock out his bulldozer of a sister. How ridiculous.
"Look who's talking. What's with the tearful reunion?"
The middle child (because Tsuna and Natsu insisted to be one person together) simply shrugged, using the hem of her t-shirt to wipe at her running nose and getting an exasperated roll of the eyes from her older brother at the sight of her exposed midriff. If she explained what happened, she was one hundred percent sure that they would start being wary of her. And since that was the last thing she wanted, she decided that it was best to keep her mouth shut and let them ponder about it instead.
She looked at the clearly alive members of the Sawada family with strong intensity, burning their current forms into her brain and branding them the most important people in her memories so she would never, ever forget.
That man with the iron hat had asked her if she wanted a second chance. Honestly, she had said yes just to be truthful. She hadn't really believed that he would take it seriously and actually grant the seemingly impossible wish.
When she accepted his outstretched hand, was that a sign for consent for him? Was it a gesture to take her back to when everything was just starting to unfold?
He gave her another shot at life.
And this time...
She would not miss.
She will not miss.
She looked down at the worried faces of her little brothers and smiled, sometime they had never seen until now. It was of a warm and kind love, vastly different from the obliged one they had always received before this. They grasped each other's hands, wondering what had happened but not really minding the sudden change. They finally felt like they were acknowledged. They weren't about to point it out and make her change her mind.
She bent down and took their free hands in hers, her earthen-honey orbs shining with gratefulness that no one at the current time were able to understand.
"Tsuna, Natsu, would you like to go out and play? After breakfast, let's go to the playground, or wherever you want to go. Does that sound good?"
They were bewildered by the 180 degree shift in her personality, but playing in the local town park was something they had never done with their older sister. Natsu had always been the more logical one between the two, but the reassuring squeeze from Tsuna was enough to convince him to nod along with his twin.
"Yup! Let's go!"
"Can we get some snacks too?"
Their sister laughed, another new experience for the twins. But it was nice and refreshing, so they weren't complaining. She ran her hands through their equally messy brown hair, humming thoughtfully as her smile widened.
"Sure, why not? As much as you like."
Tsuna's eyes sparkled, and he began to hop on his toes with excitement. "I want a hundred ice pops! And then eat them all at the same time!"
Natsu, however, didn't share the same enthusiasm as his twin and frowned quite cutely. "Your tummy with turn into an ice block if you do that," he warned, and Tsuna froze mid-cheer, his eyes as wide as the moon and mouth agape in horror as he imagined his belly being a solid cube of ice.
Ietsuna cracked a grin at Natsu's grave expression and Tsuna's terrified face. Ieyasu scoffed with a gentle smile, and their mother bent down next to her second youngest and gathered him into a warm hug, giggling lovingly as she sweetly assured the petrified boy that his midsection will definitely not turn into ice.
Natsu crossed his arms, and said—
"You'll freeze to death, then."
With that, he set his older sister off into a fit of uncontrollable laughter and force Ieyasu to stifle his chortles with a fist to tightly sealed lips.
Not to make matters worse, the blond added, "good luck not freezing to death, Tsuna."
To Nana's dismay and fright, Tsuna fainted right then and there.
And somewhere in the vast world, a certain man wearing an unique iron-brimmed fedora smiled as he felt his heart warm with someone else's happiness.
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A/N:
so, yeah.
added a whole lot more.
currently struggling to NOT make it a one-shot.
changed female Tsuna's name.
easier to type and work with, not like "Tsunahime".
and the name "Ietsuna" actually exists in the KHR universe.
(although i don't know the person's gender, whoops? CX)
if you has questions, doos it by review.
if you has stupid constructive criticism, doos it by review with anonymous name so i can delete it after reading like a trollboss.
if you has ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY...
...doos it by review, yas?
updates are sporadic, please feel free to rant.
trollolol.
lots of love, Two-Faced Procrastinator.
[PLEASE POINT OUT ANY MISTAKES NO MATTER HOW SMALL iwillloveyouforever]