A/N: Hello, all! This is my first story that I am putting on this website, although this is not the first I've ever written. I've dabbled a bit in writing, and I wanted to share something that I just wrote with you all and get some feedback about grammar and writing style as well as plot and interest in general. It's an idea I had while reading Kamikami Kaeshi, and although similar in very minimal aspects, it is also very very different. Please enjoy!
As a warning, I may or may not continue this story, and so far I only have this much written out. If I continue depends solely on if I have the time and the motivation to continue.
Summary: Sawada Tsunayoshi was a college student gifted in creating art. When he discovers the existence of gods and creatures of legend, his life is turned upside down. As he gains more family members, he discovers more about the world around him as well as himself.
XxX
Sawada Tsunayoshi sighed and stared out the window. It was beautiful. Cherry blossoms were blooming, and the sun shone brightly overhead. He wished he could be outside, basking in the sun, but…
"Sawada, are you paying attention?"
Tsuna jumped and faced forward again, laughing nervously. "Sorry, sensei, what did you say?"
The professor frowned, eyes narrowed and lips tugged downwards. "Sawada, please pay attention from now on."
Tsuna bowed his head sheepishly. "Yes, sensei."
As the professor turned back to lecturing, Tsuna sighed and gazed back outside.
Tsuna was, in fact, a very diligent student. He worked hard and managed decent grades. While not popular, he also had a close circle of friends, people he could rely on and love. However, as average as he was, he was very exceptional in one area.
Art.
When he drew, he drew not two dimensional things, but wonderful images that grew out of the paper and into the air. When he painted, swirls of colors manifested and flowed around him. When he sculpted, lumps of stone became masterpieces of life. He loved creating things with all of his heart, and his mind was always a swirl of ideas and half-formed plans, ready to be created by his nimble hands.
There was, though, one obstacle that kept him from pursuing his passion.
"Tsuna, you're really talented, really, but you won't make a living out of drawing. Think of all of the artists out there who are more talented. Sure, you're good here in Namimori, but what about all of Japan? No, you're better off finding a real job."
Tsuna sighed again wistfully, wishing to capture the pink hues of the cherry blossoms outside and the light textures of the wind rustling the grass. However, here he was, stuck in a lecture involving math (he honestly had no idea what was being taught right now).
"Sawada!"
Tsuna jumped and faced forward again. He stared up at the angry professor and shrunk under his angry glare.
"Sorry!"
XxX
As Tsuna entered his dorm, his lips twitched upwards. He cheerfully said, "Tadaima!"
"Welcome back, Tsuna-kun," one of his suitemates, Kozato Enma, a clumsy if friendly red-haired male, answered. He stirred the curry on the stove, which was emitting the most delicious smells.
"Is everyone back yet?" Tsuna asked, entering his room and setting down his bag. He collapsed on his desk chair and rested his head on his arms, completely worn out.
"Xanxus-san is out with his group, probably getting drunk again. I think Byakuran-san is out with his friends as well," Enma responded, bringing the pot ladle to taste the curry. He frowned and added more salt. "It's just you and me tonight."
"What about your friends?" Tsuna called from his room and grabbed his large bag of art supplies before bringing them all out to the common room. He pulled out his sketchbook and flipped to the most recent page. Opening his case of colored pencils, he began sketching images that had already been planted in his vivid imagination: the beautiful sakura trees, with pink petals flying in the wind and the sun shining through the leaves so that the branches glowed softly.
"They all have homework. I'm actually surprised that Xanxus-san and Byakuran-san have so much free time," Enma commented before bringing the stove down to a simmer. He sat on the couch beside Tsuna and watched him draw. "I've got an essay to finish too, so I won't be around tonight much. What about you?"
Tsuna shrugged. "I should work a bit on math, but I really don't have the motivation."
The red head frowned. "You should work. You got called out in class today, you know."
"Yeah, I know."
Enma laid back comfortably, his red eyes following the familiar movements of his best friend's hand and watching lines curl around the pages.
"Why don't you take an art class?"
Tsuna stopped drawing. He laid down his pencil carefully and looked at the red head from the corner of his eye. "You know why."
"You shouldn't listen to your dad, you know. I'm sure you'd be very successful as an artist."
Tsuna smiled softly, his brown eyes warm. "Thank you for saying so, Enma-kun. I can't, though. There are thousands more people more talented than me."
The two stared at each other, red challenging brown. The stare-down was interrupted by the shrill beeping of the rice cooker. Enma stood without a word and walked to the steaming device.
"Let's eat, Tsuna-kun."
Tsuna stood as well. "Yes, let's."
XxX
It was when drawing that Tsuna lost himself the most. Painting was fine, and so was sculpting, but it was drawing and sketching that he enjoyed the most. The ability to form figures with a stroke of a pencil, the ability to bring life to dull white paper with a flick of his wrist. He could give eyes life and hands motion. He could give content with scenery or fierce beauty with animals. He could bring things into reality.
Tonight, he sketched the cherry blossom tree. He shaded the sky a bright, bright blue, outlined birds that flew freely, and sketched the green green grass. The work grew to life, and in his mind, he watched the sakura tree grow out of the paper, the felt the bark beneath his fingertips, and smelled the sweet fragrance as the wind brought the scent to his nose…
...wait.
Tsuna paused and sniffed again. He really did smell sakura, which was strange since his window was closed. He brought his head up and glanced around his room. His door was closed too, so it couldn't have come from outside either.
Suddenly, he heard a giggle.
"Hiiiiie!"
He yelped and spun around. Pencils flew to the ground, and the tips broke against the hardwood floor. However, he wasn't concerned with any of this.
He was, rather, focused on the floating girl in front of him.
She was a tiny thing, only two or three inches tall and floating at eye level. She was dressed in a light pink dress, with brown hair flowing over her shoulders and pink bracelets adorning her wrists. Her smile was bright.
"Hi, nice to meet you!"
"Argh!"
Tsuna quickly backpedaled until his back hit the wall. He leveled a shaky finger at the tiny girl.
"Who are you?!"
The girl tilted her head and smiled cutely.
"You humans know me as Konohana Sakuya-hime, but you can call me Kyoko!"
"W-what?" he stuttered, slightly hysterical.
There was a tiny girl floating in his room claiming to be a goddess. Oh kami.
The girl huffed. "Really, Tsu-kun, this is where you're supposed to introduce yourself! Just say 'Hi, my name's Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can just call me Tsuna!' It's not hard at all!"
Tsuna was just frozen, staring at the tiny girl.
The pink girl (because really, the only thing not pink about her was her hair and eyes, which were a warm brown) flew until she was only a few inches from Tsuna's face. She frowned and snapped her fingers. "Tsu-kun?"
"Y-you're a goddess," he stated before mentally kicking himself. He thought he'd gotten over stuttering a while ago! Revealing such an embarrassing fault in front of such a pretty, if tiny, goddess was embarrassing. "How do you know me?"
Kyoko smiled brilliantly. "Well, I'm a goddess, so of course I know you! I know everyone!" She spread her tiny arms to depict the amount of people she knew. The sight would have been amusing, since her arm span was so small, but Tsuna was in slight shock.
Tsuna frowned and relaxed slightly. "Why?"
The goddess frowned. "Why am I a goddess?"
Tsuna shook his head, his fluffy brown hair bouncing slightly. As he looked back up, he saw Kyoko staring at it intently, with a hint of...yearning and want? He blushed scarlet.
"No, why are...why are you here?"
"Oh, silly, because you have great hair!" she replied cheerfully.
...what.
Tsuna patted his brown hair. It seemed normal, if a bit soft and fluffy. He actually didn't like his hair that much. It added so much unnecessary volume to his head, but he never had the motivation to cut it. He did, once, but after the mocking that followed, he vowed never to cut his hair that much again.
"My hair?"
"It's perfect for living in, silly!" Kyoko exclaimed and zoomed around his head in dizzying circles. "Look at how soft, clean, and fluffy it is! So much room, and so comfortable, you could house so many gods in there! Oh, will you let me live here, pretty pretty please?"
Tsuna's wide brown eyes widened. "But I don't want so many gods living in my hair!"
Kyoko looked stunned. "You don't? But think of the recuperative abilities it has!"
"Recuperative abilities?"
"Yeah!" Kyoko pulled a strand of aforementioned hair, and Tsuna winced. "See, we gods love two things above all, not including our domain. We love those who work with paper, and we love those who have nice hair. Paintings and drawings on paper give us life and power. They help us exist. They depict and immortalize their subject. Once painted, the image will never fade, even if the work itself is destroyed. We forever live in the minds of all the people who see it. We take joy when others take joy from such things.
"Hair, on the other hand, gives us a place to rest. When our duties become too harsh, when we need time to recuperate, we do so in the soft strands of hair. Hair's close to the body and the soul, see? It's like a mirror. People who take care of their hair tend to take care of their bodies and their souls. Damaged hair signifies carelessness and disregard, and hair too beautiful embodies vanity. We like clean, simple hair.
"Your hair reflects you perfectly, you know," Kyoko continued. "It's nice and soft, like you. You don't care much for appearances and accept things with open arms. You're caring and loving."
Tsuna's blush, which had disappeared, readily returned. "R-really, I'm nothing special! You're making too much out of me!" he protested, trying to flatten his uncooperative hair.
"See, that's another thing about you!" Kyoko exclaimed, pointing a tiny fist at his attempt to flatten his hair. "You'll do things that are right and will ignore others in favor of your opinions. You won't be oppressed by authority, just like your hair!"
Tsuna wanted to melt into a puddle in the floor.
"I think now you're just making stuff up…" he muttered dejectedly.
This was probably a joke. Somebody up there wanted to play a joke on poor, insignificant Tsuna by sending a tiny girl down here. It was cruel, and Tsuna felt his eyes tear up slightly.
Tiny hands tapped at his cheeks and brought his face to meet the eyes of a gentle goddess. "You're wrong, Tsuna. You're a strong man, you just don't have enough confidence in yourself. Look at your drawing of that sakura. It's beautiful, and you devoted yourself to something that many people don't pay much attention to. You're a good person, Tsuna."
Tsuna stared at the brown eyes, overflowing with warmth. He smiled crookedly.
"Really? This isn't a joke?" he asked.
Kyoko smiled. "No, this isn't a joke. We gods choose our hosts well, and I believe that you are a good person. Please allow me to live in your hair."
Tsuna stared at the tiny goddess. Such a small thing, but she exuded strength from her words and beauty from her expressions. He brought his hands up to Konohana Sakuya-hime, and the goddess of cherry blossoms landed on his hands.
"Okay. For you."
XxX
The next day, Tsuna woke with the strangest dream. He remembered something about goddesses, paper, and hair. He yawned and stretched his arms.
"Oh, is it morning already?"
Tsuna promptly fell off his bed.
As he stared at the ceiling, a tiny, brown headed girl poked her head into his vision.
"Are you okay, Tsu-kun?"
Right, it wasn't a dream then.
"Fine, you just surprised me."
"Sorry, sorry!" Kyoko smiled sheepishly. "You should get ready for college, Tsu-kun. Your class begins in a short while."
Tsuna glanced at his alarm clock and paled.
"Crap!"
He rushed out of his room and sped through his daily rituals. As he finished and dashed into the common room to grab some toast, he smashed into a hard chest.
"Fuck, watch where you're going, trash," a deep, threatening voice warned.
Tsuna looked up and bowed apologetically. "Sorry, Xanxus-san, but I'm late!"
The dark skinned male, significantly taller than the short brunet, snorted. "You're always late, brat. Get going. Kozato has breakfast ready."
Tsuna was about to voice his thanks when a tiny figure zoomed right up to Xanxus's face and peered into his eyes. "Wow, Tsu-kun, your suitemate's so scary!"
The brunet paled, glancing between the scowling taller man and the tiny goddess. The scarred man didn't seem to notice the floating miniature goddess in front of his face, but he did notice Tsuna's increasingly worried appearance.
"Trash! Are you paying attention to me?" Xanxus snarled, bringing his face down so that it was right in front of the shorter male's.
"Hie! Sorry, Xanxus-san, but I'm really late!" Tsuna cried and raced around Xanxus, who was staring at Tsuna in a threatening (and slightly concerned, though he would murder anyone who said so) manner.
"Then scram!" he called after the retreating man.
Xanxus, despite his scary appearance, wasn't that bad of a suitemate. The first time Tsuna ever met him at the beginning of the school year, he nearly wet his pants. Xanxus was nearly always angry and scowling, and did not hold back in dishing out any physical abuse. His friends were similarly violent and eccentric. Tsuna remembered a traumatic encounter with one such friend, a knife-wielding, blond haired man with the most unnerving grin he'd ever seen. Tsuna resolved to stay away from Xanxus and his whole group.
However, when Xanxus's grandfather visited, Tsuna could see the resentment, the anger close to boiling over. While Timoteo, Xanxus's grandfather, was a nice man, he did not voice many of the issues that even Tsuna could see between them. Xanxus was an independent person and hated relying on others. However, Tsuna could see his need for affection and his loneliness, and the way Timoteo treated his grandson was shallow at best.
He learned that Xanxus was adopted by the elderly, and that his parents had died. He could tell that Timoteo had never properly sat his grandson down for a talk about his parents, about what they were like and what their dreams were. He learned that Xanxus was a bastard child, and, since he was from a relatively wealthy family, he was always shunned by the rest of his relatives. Although Timoteo tried his best to comfort his grandson, he had other responsibilities, and so he had let Xanxus stew in his teenage angst, which grew into anger and violence.
"Timoteo-san, I-I think you should talk to Xanxus-san more," Tsuna said one day, when Xanxus was out with his friends and his grandfather had dropped by.
Timoteo was stunned. "I do talk to him, Sawada-san."
Tsuna had just shook his head adamantly, and looked at the old man in the eye. "Talk to him more. He deserves to know so much more, so much more love that nobody's ever given him. You should look after him more. He may not show it, but he wants that recognition and acknowledgement that he's not just a product of an affair his father had. You've only comforted him, right? It reminds him every time that he doesn't actually belong. Make him feel like family, Timoteo-san, and not like an outsider."
Mortified at his brash courage, Tsuna had turned bright red and promptly fled and didn't see the considering look on the elderly man's face, nor did he see Xanxus's stunned countenance as he opened the door, having heard the entire of Tsuna's speech.
Afterwards, Xanxus seemed gentler, if still slightly violent and rough, towards Tsuna. Tsuna learned to relax around the scary man, though he was confused what brought on such an attitude change towards him. He assumed it was because Timoteo had taken his advice and made amends with his grandson.
His nostalgic thoughts flew away at the appearance of his other roommate, a white haired man who grinned like a fox.
"Tsu-kun, good morning!"
"Morning, Byakuran-san!"
"Wow, Tsu-kun, you have such interesting roommates!"
Tsuna yelped and spun around, seeing Kyoko's bright face as she giggled at his reaction.
"Tsu-kun?"
"Ah!" Tsuna jumped and spun around again. Byakuran was frowning slightly, and his violet eyes were aimed directly at Kyoko.
"I never knew you could see gods, Tsu-kun," Byakuran said slowly, a look that that Tsuna couldn't decipher descending on his face. His eyes narrowed, and the frown grew more pronounced. "What's a god doing around you?"
Kyoko puffed herself up. "I'll have you know, kitsune, that I'm living in Tsu-kun's hair!"
Byakuran glanced at the mortified Tsuna, who thought that a goddess living in his hair was very, very embarrassing. "Why can he see you?"
"Because he can, you know? He has the right attributes," Kyoko said happily, betting Tsuna's fluffy hair. "He's kind, gentle, and a good person."
Byakuran abruptly pulled Tsuna to his side, arms sliding around the shorter man's waist. Tsuna found himself facing the taller man's clothed chest. "He's not a plaything of the gods, Konohana Sakuya-hime. Please leave him."
Tsuna looked up at Byakuran, surprised. Why did Byakuran care so much? "She's just living in my hair, Byakuran-san, she's not doing anything bad. It's fine, right?" he asked, peering at the white-haired man's face. Byakuran seemed to be glaring at the goddess, who seemed miffed.
"Exactly, kitsune, it's none of your business. You're Byakuran, clan head of the kitsune, right? God affairs are not your own," Kyoko said stiffly, flying so that she had a handful of Tsuna's hair.
Byakuran's arms tightened around Tsuna. "You can surely find many more people who have the qualities that you are looking for. Do not involve Tsuna."
Tsuna was very, very confused. Kitsune? Byakuran was a kitsune? Tsuna's head spun. Too much information was flowing into his brain. Gods and goddesses were real? Kitsune were real? The next thing he knew, he would probably find a dragon talking to him.
(Later, he realized that he shouldn't have jinxed himself.)
"I will not, kitsune. I chose Tsuna, and you cannot tell me what to do," Kyoko said imperiously, eyes flashing. The smell of cherry blossoms grew stronger in the air.
Tsuna pushed away from Byakuran's chest and looked upwards towards the man, who had looked down in surprise.
"I'm fine, really, Byakuran-san. Kyoko-san's not bothering me," he said, watching as various emotions flitted through Byakuran's eyes. He saw worry, apprehension, and something akin to affection, though Tsuna was sure his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"If you're sure…" Byakuran said slowly, releasing the short brunet.
Tsuna nodded emphatically.
"Now, if we're done here, I believe Tsu-kun's late for class," Kyoko said primly from atop Tsuna's hair.
Tsuna instantly whipped his head around to stare at the clock before tugging his hair fretfully.
"I'm late, I'm so so late!"
XxX
Kyoko was concerned. As a goddess, she'd been around for centuries, since the beginning of spring that brought along the cherry blossoms and the first light wind that carried pink petals all throughout Japan. She'd seen rulers come and go, and she'd seen clans rise and fall.
When Byakuran had first risen as the new clan head of the kitsune, she'd been worried. The man was, granted, foxlike and very cunning, which was not very unusual. However, he displayed a kind of fierceness that most kitsune did not.
Before, the magical foxes had kept to themselves in their own realm, only occasionally venturing out to make sure that Japan was still standing. The gods made sure that no kitsune interfered too greatly, and they created strict rules for the outgoing traffic to the human realm. Their magic was too strong, and their temperament too fickle and too dangerous for humans. The kitsune had agreed before, that they would stay out of humans' lives.
However, when Byakuran rose, the kitsune became more bold. More ventured out into the human realm, and more became involved with humans. Byakuran's defense was that other creatures had always had the freedom to live in the human realm. Tanuki freely lived in forests, and dragons lived under the water, out of sight. If they could, why could not kitsune? They could weave illusions to disguise themselves, and they would no longer be confined to their small realm.
The gods had reluctantly agreed, but many were wary of the white haired leader. A man who could inspire so many, with such charisma and cunning, was dangerous.
Kyoko was surprised to see Byakuran here, living with Tsuna. While she had sense no ill intentions from the man, there had been a look of possessiveness and affection in his eyes when he saw Tsuna, and possessive kitsune were known to be very sly and manipulative. Well, hopefully it was nothing she couldn't handle. If Byakuran hurt Tsuna, she'd hurt him back. She was surprisingly fond of the fluffy haired man, although she had known him for only a night.
"Be careful of Byakuran, Tsu-kun. He's dangerous," she said, flying beside Tsuna as they returned to the dorms after his last class. It had turned out that the teacher was late as well (Kyoko claimed no responsibility for such an event, although there might have been so many sakura petals stuck to the professor's car that he had had a hard time getting it clean enough to drive).
"You should be the one to be careful, Kyoko-san! Everyone will see you!" he whispered back, earning strange looks from other students.
"Only certain people can see me, Tsu-kun, it's fine. Call me Kyoko-chan! I feel so old when you call me Kyoko-san," she answered, making circles in the air as they waited to cross the street.
Tsuna frowned, before his eyes brightened and he pulled out his phone and flipped it open. He pretended to punch several numbers in before bringing it up to his ear.
"Ah, Kyoko-chan!" he exclaimed after a short while. Kyoko was incredibly confused before realization dawned.
How clever! Tsuna was pretending to talk on the phone so that he could talk to Kyoko when there were people around! Kyoko giggled approvingly.
"Anyways, you should be careful of him. Kitsune are known to be very sly and dangerous. Byakuran might be planning something, and I don't want you hurt," she said, resting on Tsuna's fluffy hair as the light turned green and Tsuna crossed the street.
"He's really not that bad, Kyoko-chan. Sure, he was kind of creepy at first, but he's a good guy at heart. You shouldn't judge others so quickly," Tsuna admonished.
Kyoko was somewhat amused that a mortal would scold a goddess, but she was a very tolerant goddess. There was not much that would irritate her.
"Oh?" she asked, playing with a strand of hair in her small hands.
"He treats me very well, and he's always nice. Sure, he may be a bit shifty sometimes, and I swear he was the most underhanded motivations and actions other times, but he's not bad. Even if he is a kitsune, it's his personality that you should take heed of, not what he is," Tsuna explained.
Kyoko was silent. She had liked Tsuna, but now, she absolutely adored him. A man who judged from personality, who gave seconds changes like giving candy, and a man who knew how to accept even the most contradictory characters into his life. He had earned the acceptance of a rough bastard, Xanxus, and the affection of a strong magical creature, Byakuran. He made friends with tentative and skittish people like Enma, whom she had yet to meet but already knew of, and he accepted them all with open arms.
"You're right, Tsu-kun. I judged too quickly. Sorry!" she apologized cheerfully.
Tsuna smiled slightly. "It's no problem."
Kyoko sat back and smiled. She'd chosen an excellent person for her host.
XxX
A/N: I thank you all for reading, and I would really appreciate any feedback you can give me.
Best regards,
distractiongrapefrut