A/N: Yo! Sorry if I have confused you all but the first two chapters are prologues of sorts so all shall be explained later on!
Disclaimer: I do not own the manga Katekyo Hitman Reborn or the song 'The bird and the worm' by The Used.
He wears his heart
safety pinned to his backpack
His backpack is all that he knows
Shot down by strangers
whose glances can cripple
the heart and devour the soul
They were close. That was all he remembered. That was all he was allowed to remember and he hated it.
At first Ren barely noticed the differences with his mother and his brother's disappearance. Her face, every time he saw, wore the same sunny grin that managed to always brighten his day. How his stubby feet would leave a trail of cheerful giggles and sneaky footsteps in his wake as she continued to play, almost every day, with the young blond. Tag, hide and seek… Ren could reminisce about every single time with perfect detail. He could also remember how his mother would make the most awe-inspiring and enchanting food in three addicting meals a day, each one appearing a pieces of magical art in the small boy's eyes. 'Looking back, I'm quite surprised I am as thin as I am now. And still her food is the best in the world!' Chuckling slightly, he again indulged in his thoughts. She was absolutely perfect. All a child could ever want. Love… comfort… happiness… He had soaked it all up like a empty sponge left to expire in a bath of the sun's undeniable rays.
It was only when he noticed the locked room, hiding conspicuously at the end of the second floor corridor that he finally remembered. No… more like found out. When first spying its existence, the short blond couldn't deny it. Childish curiosity was too overpowering for his mind, invisible talons raking across empty memories, tantalising Ren to go and discover what treasures lay behind closed doors. Spying over his shoulder Ren saw no one follow him as he quickly turned the knob, slipping in as he inhaled hefty amounts of dust and grit that fell upon him as if flakes in a snow storm. After almost coughing his poor lungs out the small blond set out to explore. Cardboard boxes piled high like mundane skyscrapers as Ren dodged the tossed out items that laid limp on the floor. Each box was labelled in thick marker writing
Glancing at each, Ren found nothing of interest until his eyes raked over an unfamiliar name.
"Tsuna…" Unconsciously whispering to himself, the blond pulled at the folded lids, opening the flimsy box to reveal tattered pictures ,worn out baby suits and clothes that looked to have stained over the years. The ten year old fumbled over the contents, none appearing important as he tried to disconcern the figures that huddled together in each frame.
'There's Oto-san, Okaa-san, me and…'Sea blue eyes froze instantly as the cogs in his brain began creak and spin at once.
"Who's that?" Slightly chubby hands twisted around one slip of paper, one that held much more colour and depth than the rest as it held the mysterious figure within its frame.
Small tuffs of sienna spikes bounced with familiar playfulness across his face, eyes gleaming eternal innocence as giggles easily rippled through smiling lips.
Where had he seen that before... that once scene of innocence...
"No way...I can't believe I forgot about you Tsuna, my own little brother."
Ren had known since then that his life had twisted into one big lie.
Nana had adopted a perfect façade; even now she still kept her true intentions under lock and key. Hiding ugly secrets in the back of her closet, in chained wooden chests and within the many cobwebs the Sawada residence had collected like trophies over the years.
It shouldn't of bothered him though. Why did it bother him? It didn't bother his mother, its was as if she forgot his existence all together.
'My intuition keeps on nagging at me though, that something important is missing from the bigger picture… but what? What happened to Tsuna anyways...'
"Come on Ren, you can't keep sleeping every day away." Head shooting up, the fourteen year old jumped from his bed before quickly running to the top of the wooden staircase, his azure eyes locked on to a short, spikey mess of black hair.
You also can't spend all day holed up playing video games! You need to get exercise!" Sniggering slightly Ren quickly retreated to his room, grabbed his shoes and rushed down to meet his friend. Ren was thwarted though as he felt his foot slip under his weigh, sending him tumbling down the wooden stairs, head first into jail bar railing.
"You okay Ren?" Blinking, the blond found himself staring into muddy pools outlined by a familiar laughing grin that belonged solely to one sport fanatic.
"Fine, can you just help me up Takeshi?" In response the baseball fan laughed, easily picking up the blond and placing him safely at the bottom of the stair, earning him a cross pout.
"I'm not a child Takeshi, you don't need to keep carrying me around everywhere." Dusting off the invisible lint that had collected on his clothes, the blond quickly stood, trying to hide a giddy smile.
"We'll, it's not my fault if you are so small Ren. Or the fact that you seem to fall over at least a couple times a day." Ren caught sight of the cheshire smile his friend wore before swiftly elbowing the boy in the ribs and quickly leaping off ahead. Takashi recoiled slightly; his smile quickly slipping to replace the small grimace had before worn and tore after Ren, knowing that his friend was instantly attracted to the satisfying smell of breakfast that wafted from the kitchen.
"Come on Enma, stop dawdling and hurry up!" A tall slim girl called out, her raven hair tied back in a long ponytail with small curls springing at the bottom of her tail with each step she took. Dark crimson eyes reflected a look of absolute annoyance as she turned to her friend who took on himself to dawdle a couple metres behind. Enma, with unruly red locks and like his friends crimson eyes to suit, found fake interest with the concoction of crumpled leaves and dirt as he shivered under her fierce glare. He could almost imagine a thin layer of ice shards radiate off the girl, a forever lasting coat of overbearing sharp poison that could easily slice apart any opponent in her path.
'I don't want to tell her that though, I wouldn't survive for one second if I told her!'
"Come on Enma, the quicker we get home the quicker we can start unpacking." Her voice was strict and stern, emphasising her absolute rule over the scrawny boy. Said boy though ignored the rough tone she used, already use to it over the many year she had spent at his side.
'Of course I'm gonna get given the attic.' Enma sighed to himself, thoughts swirling around the new three story building that the Shimon family now inhabited. The three storey house stood on it's last legs as it tiptoed around the edge of Namimori territory, wooden boards barely holding together as walls were engulfed by encroaching mould and roaming hordes of dust that danced fitfully all over the place.
"I wanna go home…" Crying plea's instantly reached his ears, bringing him from the stark landscape of sombre that laid before him to a small object that oddly gleamed against the garbage bin it precariously leaned upon. Shifting his eyes left and right rapidly Enma gradually kneeled down in front the reflecting object, unconsciously drawn to it as he ran a finger round one of the broken edges. 'I must be hearing voices.' Leaning closer, Enma slipped his hands around the shattered piece, cradling the broken shard in both of his hands, twisting it, observing from all angles. 'It looks just like an ordinary mirror shard.'
"Help me…"
Straightening up, Enma spun right and left, his ears trying to pick up on the almost silent pleas he had heard before. The red head tried to dismiss it as small mumblings dancing on the wind but his thought process stop when he felt something shudder in his hands. Looking down the article began to glow; rich crimson reds, golden ochres and cackling yellow coils of light shivered, curling on each other before instantly dispersing, leaving only a hollow black to console the gaping Shimon member.
"Please find me someone!"
'It's coming from the mirror… Since when could mirrors talk!'
"Enma, hurry up!" The red head jumped at the dark tone, flinching as he felt tension run rampage through his veins. Scarlet strands fell on copper eyes, avoiding the steel glare aimed at him as he peered the mirror one last time, trying to find hidden meaning behind its glass face.
"Hurry up Enma!"
Panicking at the dangerous tone Adelheid used, Enma quickly concealed the mirror at the bottom of one of his trousers' pockets. Rough edges of the article gripped and gnawed at the thin layer of material that enclosed it with each step he took, almost giving Enma a sense of comfort with each step he took towards his new home.
All alone he turns to stone
while holding his breath half to death
Terrified of what's inside
to save his life
he crawls like a worm from a bird
A/N: Sorry if its abit rushed but I hoped you liked!
Please review, even if its advice or suggestions they help me keep writing :)