Summary: When she was dragged into the light Sarah didn't think she would end up in the situation she was now with a baby as her father. But then again when did anyone? Unfortunately it took her quite a while to fully comprehend where she was, much less who her father was. OC-Self Insert Acrobaleno as a father.
Warnings: Cursing, Self-Insertion, some AU, mafia violence, a little bit of gore.
Disclaimer: I do not own KHR. Ya-Ha!
{1}
'Ah, I'm dead.' She concluded staring at her rather bloody body with a detached curiosity. She couldn't even recognize herself with all the blood and whatnot. Standing on the sidewalk people stared and murmured amongst each other, someone had called the ambulance but of course it had been too late. It wasn't often that one survived getting hit by a speeding SUV.
'Bastard didn't even have the decency to stop.' She grumbled internally, this was too much like a movie to her. Couldn't she have died a lot later? Preferably when she was white-haired and wrinkled, because dying at age eighteen just wasn't enough time to enjoy life like she should have.
She hadn't even had a boyfriend yet.
Sarah snorted at the thought. 'Who needs a boyfriend anyway?' Normally someone would start freaking out when they hovering above their mangled body; she had never been a normal person. She'd rather bicker with herself then let the brimming panic overflow.
"Poor girl, what will her parents think?"
"She's with the lord now, God rest her soul."
"I hope the police catch the driver that did this. No one deserves to die like that."
She rolled her eyes, the drama. These people would talk about her for a few days then forget and continue on with their lives. That's the way things worked in the world.
Her parents though…Sarah looked down at a crack in the pavement. Her mother would be traumatized and burst into tears, she hated when her mother cried, especially when it was her fault. She wasn't too sure about her father, he was probably too busy getting high with some chick.
Now what? Was she going to be stuck as a wandering spirit for eternity? Did heaven and enteral peace exist?
The blaring sound of an ambulance made her loose her train of thought and Sarah rose a brow as the medics came rushing toward her body.
"You're too late." She proclaimed watching them run around like panicked bees, shouting orders as the police talked to the witnesses and directed traffic. No one so much as looked up as she spoke she guessed being a spirit thing had its downfalls.
The medics made a big show of trying to resurrect her but she was sure just as they were that there was no chance of that happening. Already bored with the scene she drifted off in search of…something, a ray of light or whatever it was going to be that would send her to the after-life. She wasn't religious but it was nice to think about going to an undisturbed peace with no worries or pain.
Surprisingly a few yards away from all the chaos she spotted a small ball of light hovering in mid-air. Sarah stopped a few feet away and narrowed her eyes suspiciously, what a coincidence.
She didn't like coincidences because most of the time they led to unfavorable situations. For all she knew it could be the gate to Hell camouflaged to lure unsuspecting spirits and drag them to the fiery pits of torture.
But what else was she to do? Sarah certainly did not want to haunt houses and watch as the people she loved died. She may be distant but she wasn't completely emotionless.
Mind made up she hesitantly floated closer to the orb, now that she was closer she could feel the warmth radiating off of it. It was like a mini-sun, she mused stopping so the orb was an arm's length away. There was no sudden movement from the orb, she wasn't dragged in by force or hypnotized by its presence so she relaxed just a little bit.
Humming in appreciation Sarah closed her eyes and just basked in the warmth, the orb was so small yet it didn't fail to warm every part of her body. Was what it was going to feel like when she moved on to the next stage? Her mind was blank of all worries and all she felt was absolute peace and harmony, not something someone would complain about really.
Yet…she opened her eyes and inspected the orb closely.
Sarah wasn't one to sit idle for long periods of time and heaven would only make her restless and twitchy.
So haunting poor souls it was. She would just have to leave the state for a while until she was sure her mother had passed on before coming back.
She was giving herself whiplash from how much she was vacillating.
Mind made up she turned and headed to…wherever she ended up.
Unfortunately the orb wasn't too happy about her decision and before she could even react a tendril of light wrapped around her body and pulled harshly.
"Fucking Hell!" She swore and reached forward to wrap her arms around a nearby lamppost. "I knew you were evil!" She snarled turning her head to glare at the innocent ball of light. This is what she got for not trusting her instincts.
Peace little soul.
Her eyes widened for a moment but she quickly recovered from her shock and she hugged the pole tighter. "If you think I'm going to be pacified by the soothing voice in my head you have another thing coming."
Your determination will serve you well little soul, allow it to give you strength as you pass onto your next adventure.
Sarah paused and let a frown grace her features. "You're a fan of Harry Potter aren't you?"
Data has proved that humans are calmed when faced with familiarity.
She snorted and clutched tighter to the pole as the tendril pulled persistently. "Try again mister, Dumbledore isn't very high on my favorite characters list."
Do not worry there will be plenty of hot anime guys for you to ravish and enjoy.
"Eh…?" An uncharacteristic blush dusted her features and she blinked stupidly at the black pole in front of her.
Works every time.
With a strong tug her arms unwound from the pole and she found herself engulfed in a bright, ever encompassing light.
"Mother fu-"
Despite her personality anything to do with attractive guys made her mind blank and she usually found herself daydreaming like a love sick girl.
Ugh, she hated herself sometimes.
Her vision turned white and she felt nothing.
{1}
Despite being a cold-hearted killing machine whose mere presence made the weaklings tremble, Reborn had one weakness.
Said weakness had dark hair, brown eyes that could compare to a Sky's gentle gaze, and a heart big enough to even love someone as ruthless as him. She wasn't special and her flames were those of a civilian, yet he was drawn to her the moment she didn't bash an eyelash at his mafia seduction which had never failed until then.
Atsuko had been his sky, The Number One Hitman had fallen in love despite the nagging knowledge that she would be in constant danger because of him.
Had… She had been alive but now her body lay dead in his arms as a reminder for how he had utterly failed.
"Reborn!"
He didn't glance up at the doctor's voice and continued to stare at the gently smiling face of his lover. She had died smiling in his arms, what a foolish, pure-hearted woman.
'Do not mourn me for too long my dear sunlight, remember that you are not alone. You know what to do.'
"Reborn the baby-"
"I know." And he did, Atsuko had been only three weeks away from giving birth to their child. She would never get to hold the baby she already loved with all her heart, who Reborn had loved just because Atsuko did.
He knew what to do. Atsuko wanted the baby to live, he wasn't about to let the precious being slip from his grasp like he had her mother.
Shamal halted midstride a solemn look covering his features. "I'll do it." He stated kneeling down so the round stomach was within his reach.
"No."
The dark growl made the hair on his arm stand up and he stiffened when the Hitman sent him a threatening glare that was usually save for jobs. "She's my child."
Raising his hands up in a peaceful gesture the doctor nodded, poor girl her father was already vastly over protective over her and she hadn't even been born yet.
With the swiftness of a skilled physician Reborn cut a line down the round stomach making him wince. The Hitman always had an innate skill to detach himself from the world and just do, even Shamal didn't think he would have been able to cut open his lovers body without hesitating.
Despite being a doctor he had to cover his eyes when Reborn proceeded to stick his hand in the profusely bleeding cut. Did the Hitman need to be so brutal?
After a moment he peeked through his fingers just as a small pudgy body was brought up, it was covered in blood but Reborn was completely unaffected and cradled the small being to his chest.
A wail broke through the silence as the baby announced her presence to the world, and Shamal sent a sad smile toward the Hitman who was looking down at the little girl as if she was his life.
She might have well been, Atsuko was lost to them and the baby girl was the only thing the Hitman had left in the world. He knew without a doubt she would be fiercely protected and any suitors would be taken down within moments.
In fact he should probably stay away from her since Reborn would probably see him as a threat also.
"You better." The Hitman growled and Shamal gulped, there was Reborn's mysterious ability to read minds making its appearance.
"What are you going to name her?"
Silence, the Hitman rocked the baby unconsciously as it continued to cry and wiggle around like a fish out of water.
"Takara."
{1}
Being the child of anyone related to the Mafia was dangerous, being the child of Reborn The Number One Hitman was sending an invitation to all assassins to come and give her a shot. Not that her father would allow that, Takara was his treasure that the Hitman would go against Satan for.
They knew that no matter how much of a reputation Reborn had, Takara would be in danger if her birth was known. Rival Mafia Famiglia would send assassins nonstop while allies would reach out to lure her over to their side. Who wouldn't want the daughter of The Number One Hitman in their Famiglia? The blood that ran within her promised the strength of an Acrobaleno to be in their grasp, and if she ended up being a civilian they could use her as leverage against her father or simply breed her like cattle.
Either way she was doomed to always be looking behind her back.
Reborn being who he was knew what danger was in store for Takara, and while he wouldn't hesitate to shoot anyone down if they so much as scratched her, he knew that there might be the slightest bit of a chance that an assassin could slip by and get to her. What happened to Atsuko was plenty of proof that he couldn't be in two places at once.
There was no chance of hiding her relation to Reborn since she seemed to be made of only his genes with his dark eyes and hair. Atsuko would have been delighted.
Holding the wrapped up bundle in his arms protectively Reborn eyed the door in front of him, his decision would be for the best for them both. No assassin would think about going here, Atsuko had made sure that no one would even think that she had a sister in a desperate attempt to keep the older sibling safe. Now it was the only place Takara had left to go.
He looked down at the bundle meeting eyes with his little girl who stared silently back, she was quiet for a baby except for when he had first brought her to the world. He could see the intelligence in her gaze as she watched his every move.
He smirked. Takara really was a clone of him. Yet, he inspected her hair, it wasn't going to be spikey he could already tell it was going to be smooth and straight like Atsuko's had been.
Movement inside jolted the Hitman from his thoughts and a muffled curse made his eyebrow twitch. That woman better not teach his little one such language…
Raising a hand up he knocked firmly on the door and braced himself. Momoko and Atsuko may be related, but they were vastly different.
"One moment!" A crash and another muffled curse. His eyebrow twitched again.
A body slammed against the door and a yelp accompanied by an angry bark came from the house. "Get away from the fucking door if you don't want to be stepped on!" A rough female voice snarled in reply.
Calm, the Hitman cleared his mind of any violent thoughts at the explicit curse, this woman would be able to take care of his little one. That's what he had to focus on.
Finally the door opened and reveled a tired looking woman with her dark hair tied loosely in a ponytail. "How can I-What the Hell do you want." Her lazy drawl sharpened and her eyes narrowed to a glare at the man in front of her.
He ignored the achingly familiar brown eyes and looked down at his little one.
Momoko glanced at the bundle and swore.
"Oh Hell no."
{1}
It was obvious to anyone who had brains what had happened. Based on her small chubby body and the way the black blob carried her around she could tell she had been…reborn.
And it was that stupid orbs fault!
She hadn't been very happy to be tugged out of the warm coon she had been force into and unexpectedly brought out into the freezing world butt naked. Her eyes were glued shut and an unfamiliar pair of hands had held her close.
"Get your hands off me you pervert!" Had been what she meant to say but instead it came out as a shrill scream accompanied with useless babble. Sarah was usually a dignified woman, this situation warranted for a panic attack in her books, especially since some stranger was holding her naked body.
Through all her screamed curses two male beings were carrying on a conversation in a smooth language that she couldn't name, it sounded similar to Spanish but she was too busy freaking out to really think about it.
Eventually as time passed she figured out what had happened to her and honestly, she had no clue what to do about it. She had just finished High School in her past life, an accomplishment in itself truly, so to suddenly be force to start over was less than pleasing.
She didn't want to have to go through school again. Sarah wasn't a people person and had been exuberant when she had finally put High School again, now she wasn't going to have to repeat everything.
The black blob she soon realized was her father after he continued to care for her. He was silent as a shadow and seemed to work in an almost mechanical way that reminded her of a robot. He fed her no more than needed and changed her diapers almost immediately whenever necessary, and honestly he reminded her a lot of herself. He was quiet and distant yet he talked to her reverently as if she was the most important being in the universe.
He made her feel special in a girly way.
Her last father had left, he hadn't looked back and it had broken her heart. The man she had looked up to and loved left her mother and her in the dust to play around with whores and get drunk. He had been so caring once but within seconds he turned into someone she didn't even recognize. But perhaps this man would be different he was reliable and cared for her with all his heart.
Maybe just maybe…
A month of being fed nasty milk, trying to figure out what in the world the man was saying and wishing she could see him properly the man brought her to a woman who smelled like smoke and sweat.
They exchanged what her Otaku mind recognized as Japanese, the woman's voice harsh and sharp while the man's smooth tenor didn't change despite the obviously agitated state she was in.
Then she was passed forward and the smell of smoke was stronger as the woman wrapped her arms around her small body. Was this her mother? If it was why was her supposed father leaving?
Sarah knew when she was being abandoned, even if this woman was her mother the man was leaving her behind and she reprimanded herself for trusting him. For a moment she was back in her past life as an eight year old watching her father's form disappear despite her sobs for him to come back, she was a fool.
The woman murmured something as she unintentionally let out a whimper.
Mentally she brushed off the hurt and squared her shoulders. So what if another man was walking out of her life? She was used to it by now and wouldn't allow depression to overtake her.
She was eighteen internally plenty old enough to take care of herself.
"Okaeri Takara-chan."
{1}
Momoko stared down at the sleeping baby in her bed, that bastard hadn't even given her a warning before dropping the baby on her, bastard.
She had never liked Reborn, what kind of name was that really, he was dark and cold while her sister deserved a man who at least smiled. Now though… now Atsuko was dead and her beloved sunlight had abandoned the baby who was barely a month old.
Curling up on her side so she could stare at the sleeping bundle Momoko wondered what she was going to do. Her job paid enough for her food and the bills, but with another being a baby nonetheless she wasn't so sure it would work out.
Shiro grumbled from the end of the bed as if in agreement, the black lab watching the baby curiously.
"Takara huh?" She mumbled reaching out to stroke her niece's hair. At least the bastard gave her a reasonable name despite how odd his own was.
Momoko knew that something was different about the man, he walked silently and blended in with the shadows like a chameleon. His dark eyes always made a shiver run down her spine at the endless depths and his mere presence made Shiro tuck his tail and crouch submissively. Atsuko had smiled sadly when she had asked yet never opened her mouth to explain.
She was the older sibling dammit, Atsuko wasn't supposed to shut off to her like she had.
Takara cooed in her sleep and Momoko glanced at the baby a scowl forming on her features, that bastard made a clone of himself she was sure because there was nothing of Atsuko she could spot. Well, she mused eyeing the dark hair already covering most of her head, at least Takara didn't get her father's atrocious hair.
The mere thought of the bastard made her blood boil but since Takara also was Atsuko's she would love the little being with all her heart.
"Whatever happens now we're family." She muttered feeling her protective instincts rise. Reborn would regret the day he disappeared without a rhyme or reason and left the little treasure in her hands, she would raise Takara like her own since she would never be able to have children no matter how much she wanted it. Perhaps this was her chance to have the baby she always wanted.
She had a friend who would be more than happy to help them out until she could stand on her own two feet and properly provide for the both of them.
Deciding to call her in the morning Momoko settled herself so her hand was near the precious bundle before she too fell asleep.
{1}
AN: Hmm… tell me what you think? Reborn was in his adult form for most of this but from now on we'll see him as a toddler like we're used to. I hope that you enjoyed this, I certainly enjoyed writing it, and please do tell me if Sarah/Takara ends up being a Mary-sue.
Until next time…