Nana's Secret
Chapter 3: The Gathering
Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its characters belong to Akira Amano
- Reverse harem
- Genderbended Tsunayoshi
Author's Note/Warning: Due to certain animal behavior that will be personified, there is a possibility of the rating going up in future chapters. The story will remain rated T for now, but depending on the next chapters, the rating may go up.
"Tell our daughter, that I've become a star!"
That was the romantic one-liner Iemitsu gave to Nana before he departed.
Tsunami woke up later that morning and instantly knew something was wrong. She climbed out of bed and pitter-pattered down the stairs. She sniffs the air and didn't smell her mother's cooking. She passes the living room and sees no sign of her father lounging about half-naked. Perhaps her father was still in bed? She stands outside the kitchen-dining room and sees her mother sitting at the table. Her face was hidden behind her hands with the elbows resting on the table. Tsunami approaches her mother and strangely her mother doesn't notice her.
"Mama? Mama? Mama!" Tsunami touches her arm.
Nana pulls her face out of her hands and looks at her daughter. Her eyes were red and her cheeks and nose were wet from tears. Nana sniffs and smiles sadly at Tsunami.
"Ma…ma?"
"Tsunami-chan. Your father has become a star."
Tsunami frowns at that, "What's that mean, Mama?"
Several days past and Nana moped about the house. She cleaned through the house slowly, sighed heavily and suddenly would burst into tears when she found some article of clothing that belonged to Iemitsu. Tsunami was bewildered and her concern over her mother began to grow. Her father was always gone for a few days, so why was her mother so upset now?
The Sawada home became a lonely place. Nana hardly said anything except a mumbled morning or a weary good night to Tsunami. It had now been a month since Iemitsu had been gone and Tsunami begins to follow her mother into depression. Tsunami stayed in bed more often after Nana would gently nudge her awake. Seeing the sad state of her mother and realizing that her loud, obnoxious father wasn't home, Tsunami felt that it was pointless to move. The mood affected her eating habits and Tsunami began to become sick again. Nana finally realized what was happening to them and quickly picked up the phone and called home. When she heard her father's voice, Nana burst into tears.
Buiiro himself came to his daughter's house within a few days! He took charge and packed both Nana and Tsunami's clothes into a suitcase. He called for a cab and the cab takes them to the bus station. He purchased three tickets to take them to Namimori Town. During the trip, Buiiro held both his daughter and granddaughter close to him. They sat at his sides, clinging to his kimono, soaking it with tears and snot. Buiiro held his tongue through the whole trip. He didn't trust the words that would come out of him. His daughter and granddaughter didn't need negative comments about the man that stepped out of their lives even if it was temporary. Tsunami began to recover from her sadness as she took in the sights as Namimori became greener and greener. Tsunami had never left Namimori City. She was told through her visiting family members about her mother's home of the fresh air, the people were nicer and the nights were nice and dark. They told her about the Tejinaka cavern. The home that held their clan of over three-hundred bats! It was explained to her that not all three-hundred bats of the cavern were blood relatives, but Tsunami was still taken aback of such a large number.
The bus they road from Namimori dropped them off at the Namimori Town bus station. The bus station was old and rustic than the refine, concrete building back in Namimori City with top-notch electricity and ticket-purchasing machines. It was a wooden little office with a platform. The paint on the outside of the station was dull and peeling off the wood. Inside, the ticketer was an old man snoring with his mouth open, feet propped on top of the desk, hands folded over his potbelly stomach and his hat pulled down to his nose. There were maps covering most of the walls and the bus schedule written on an old green chalkboard. There was a waiting area with only three rows of benches. Buiiro had Nana and Tsunami sit on them while he made a phone call for someone to pick them up. It was summer, so it was rather humid in the waiting area. There was a single, tall rotating fan that sputtered and creaked, doing little to cool them down. Nana was fanning herself and Tsunami felt like she was dying. Their ride finally arrived in a pick-up truck. The driver was a local farmer that had happily volunteered to pick up their local priest and his family.
It was a long climb for Tsunami up the steps towards the Tejinaka temple. Tsunami had grown tired and had to be carried by Buiiro on his back while he carried their suitcase in one hand. Nana held her father's umbrella, shielding him and Tsunami from the sun, though the steps were shaded by the overhanging branches and leaves of the trees. On reaching the very last step at the top of the stairs, Nana was gathered up by her mother, other mothers and her sisters! Nana bursts into tears being surrounded by her family. She felt warm and happy again! Tsunami was received warmly as well. She recognized her aunt, Shini and her two cousins, Takehiko and Mamoru. Along with them, were more cousins and aunt and uncle children! The young aunts and uncles were the offspring of Nana's mothers' and her sisters! All the children were eager to meet Tsunami and were firing questions one after another. They asked her and Buiiro why Tsunami was covered up! Wasn't she hot in the clothes? Is it true she's allergic to the sun? Many of the male children proclaimed how cute she was, which had Takehiko and Mamoru on the alert and acting as bodyguards and tried to push the other children away. Tsunami held Buiiro around his neck tightly, eyes wide of seeing so many children. Buiiro chuckled and assured his granddaughter that she would get use to the clustering.
Within two weeks of Nana's return to Namimori Town, Tsunami became close friends to her family members and to their friends. Within the temple home, all the children shared one large room. Pillows and futons were gathered in the center of the room every evening and the children would snuggle as close and as comfortable as possible next to one another. It was a nightly battle as to who gets to sleep next to their new cousin or niece amongst the children. Most nights the decision was made by Shini, Take or Mamo who were closest to Tsunami. During the day, Tsunami was introduced to temple chores. The youngest Tejinaka children didn't wake up as early as the older members. They were woken up after the adults performed morning prayers which were soothing to Nana. Breakfast was a glass or two of blood. Uncle Yoyori provided human blood for Tsunami; the benefits of being a doctor. After a morning drink, the children mopped up the floors by hand. Tsunami was lead into floor-mop races. She didn't win any of the races, but it was fun just to be a part of the group.
Back in Namimori City, Tsunami didn't play outside very much. She was taken to the park during the times the other children were just leaving for the day. Children back in the suburban neighborhood found Tsunami strange that she wore slightly heavy clothing, especially the gloves. They thought she was sick and avoided her. Iemitsu had tried to help Tsunami make friends by explaining to them that Tsunami was allergic to the sun. Having never heard of such an allergy made them even more cautious of the strangeness of Tsunami.
With some encouragement from the child family members, Tsunami braved going out into the sun. As always, she was dressed, checked over to makes sure no skin was bare and smearing sunscreen on her face before going out. Tsunami enjoyed the activities with her cousins and young aunts and uncles. They played ball, hide and seek and jump rope. Nana was happy seeing her daughter so happy and enjoying herself!
The adults gathered together and began talking of preparations of the gathering. The gathering was a huge get-together, a family reunion, when all member of the Tejinaka colony join together in the caverns to reconnect with one another and bond. This was especially beneficial to members that were tasked out on spiritual missions outside of their territory, like Yoyori. The gathering allowed the bats to introduce their brand new pups to the colony. Even though the Tejinaka bats mate all year around, most pups are born during the summer, products of the mating that happen during the wet spring season. The gathering is held once every season. It had been a few years since Nana had been to a gathering. There was no way Nana could make the trip for Iemitsu wouldn't be allowed to come and it would raise suspension in him that he wouldn't be invited to family reunions. The bats are allowed to be their true animal selves during the night. It takes the Tejinaka that live amongst the humans in the temple some time for them to readjust their sleep schedule. It was definitely hard for some of the children having to go to sleep through beautiful, sunny warm days. But, the thrill of being able to stay up during the night quickly changed their minds.
"Nana? Tsunami was born in a human form because you gave birth to her in that form. Has she fully changed yet?" asks Yoyori.
Tsunami had never changed into her feral bat form. Tsunami had seen her mother take her bat form plenty of times when she would go out to take human blood for Tsunami. Nana had never tried to encourage Tsunami to change at the risk of her not being able to change back in time when Iemitsu returned. Nana hopes that being amongst the colony would inspire Tsunami to change.
It was a dark new moon night as the Tejinaka put out all the lights in the temple. They lead a lightless procession from the temple and into the forest. The eyesight of bats is much keener at night along with the ability to see heat. Buiiro lead the family through the night; silently make a hissing face, sending a very high whistle through his teeth. The sound bounced off all the trees sending an image to his brain of his surroundings. Tsunami clutched her mother's hand filled with nervousness and excitement. Her ears picked up the sounds of crickets crossing their legs and the hooting of an owl calling out curiously to the procession traveling by her tree. Tsunami turns her head when she hears the high-pitch chattering and the flapping of wings of flesh in the air. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear the chittering voices welcoming her and the family. Ahead of her and Nana, she sees the others in the line hold out their hands and a bat would grip their hand or fingers and hung upside down. They exchanged words and the bats would fly away. There were a few bats that darted between the line and some even landed in their hair. Tsunami noticed that the bats that tangled themselves into the hair were smaller than the other bats that flew around them. Many bats flew around her mother and Nana would greet them. She commented on a few of how grown they were and how happy she was to see them too! Again, she hears whispers through the chitter-chatter that almost sounded like human speech, but wasn't.
Buiiro stops before a great sinkhole. The opening of the sinkhole was like some sort of predator baring its teeth. Foliage and shrubbery surrounded the entrance like a green gate. Buiiro takes a deep breath and hunches over so that his hair nearly touched the ground. Nana places Tsunami in front of her to have a clear view of her grandfather. She hears the snapping of bones within him. Buiiro groans and rolls his shoulders. His neck grows thicker and cranes about like a lazy snake. His face turns to a snarl as lips spread and his nose grew large and hog-like. Arms spread out wide as if to catch someone in an embrace. His fingers become thick and long with webbing spreading between every finger like a sail being unfurled from the top of a mast. Tsunami grips her mother's hands. Her mother squeezes back gently to reassure her that everything was okay. Tsunami notices there was the snapping and grinding of bones around them and they too jerked and swayed in their own transformations. There was a gruff bark and Tsunami 's attention was grabbed by her grandfather again. This time, the human form of Buiiro wasn't there anymore. In his place was a great bat, with a wingspan of over fifteen or twenty feet. Buiiro stretches and flaps his wings. He howls into the moonless night. He turns around and crawls towards her. Tsunami stares up at him wide-eyed. Her heart was racing, yes, but there was no fear in her eyes. For some reason, this strange, horrible form that he had gave her comfort and she knew in her heart he wouldn't hurt her. Buiiro leans down and nuzzles Tsunami. Tsunami uses one of her hands to reach up and rub her grandfather's nose. It was soft, like rich velvet.
"Tsuna-chan! Look at mama!"
Nana unwraps herself from Tsunami and as Tsunami turns she gasps in awe, "Mama!?"
Nana had changed herself. She still appeared human, but her hands and arms became long-fingered webbings of flesh. Her ears were now pointed and her eyes were red. But her mother stilled had that same sweet, warm smile. Even her feet had changed to dainty legs with tiny feet with hooking claws. Tsunami looks her mother over, up and down several times. A throaty rumble comes out of Buiiro over Tsunami's amazement.
"You too will learn how to change your form. Let us go and join the others!"
Nana kneels down to the ground, supporting herself with the "thumbs" of her wings. She smiles and tells Tsunami it was time for a piggy back ride. Tsunami scrambles over her mother's back and rests her hands on Nana's shoulders. Looking over her mother's head the others had changed as well as the children. Buiiro folds his wings tight to his body and allows himself to fall forward into the large hole. Tsunami changes the position of her hands and wraps her arms around Nana's neck. Nana dives into the hole and Tsunami forgot how to breathe as the wind whips around them. Nana sighs; her body was relaxed and her wings spread. Her wings catch the wind and she soars through the deep cavern. Tsunami clutched to her mother tightly and had squeezed her eyes shut. She feels the up and down movement of her mother's wings and hears her laugh.
"It's all right, Tsunami! We're okay!" she giggles.
Tsunami takes a deep breath and opens one eye and then the other.
Her mother was flying!
"Mama!"
With her mother under her, Tsunami felt safe enough to enjoy the flight. She never flown in a plane before, but if she did she would have to say flying with her mother would be a hundred times better! She sees her grandfather up ahead through the darkness. He flies deeper and deeper through the cavern and it becomes pitch black dark. But Tsunami and the bats could see clearly as if it was day. She could see the stalactites hanging above them but no one flew too high to hit them. The bats begin to descend and they land on the floor of the cave. Tsunami was in stunned amazement and hadn't let go of her mother's neck. Nana didn't mind and held her daughter beneath her thighs. Buiiro crawls into a hidden nook behind mushroom towers of stone. There was a dead end behind the hill of stone. Buiiro seemingly pushes his head against wall but it goes through! There was a formation in the rock wall that appears to be one wall. But if you keep moving pass the first wall there an opening behind the side of the wall that lead to a secret chamber of the cavern. The space between the two rock formations was only a couple of feet wide, but Buiiro was flexible enough to squeeze through despite his large size. The others simply slipped in between the walls. They walked and crawled through a tunnel that was possibly formed by a river downwards. It was a little slippery but they had their claws out on their feet to keep a grip on the wet rock.
Tsunami hears a commotion drumming through her ears. It was the squeaking and chattering of more bats but there was so many and the volume so great that Tsunami couldn't separate one noise from the other.
"Don't concentrate too hard, Tsuna-chan," advices her mother. "We're heading to the lower chambers.
That's where the rest of family roosts. It's nice and dark; we have large temples built into the rocks. They're a hundred years old, but they're kept in very good condition. Oh, we have underground hot springs, Tsuna-chan! You'll love the springs!"
The tunnel leads them out to the second chamber floor; Tsunami looks up sees the hundreds of hundreds of bats clinging to the ceiling. The bats greet the newest arrivals to the chamber excitedly. The bats that had clung to some of the bats in hybrid form released their grip and fly up to the high ceiling, that was perhaps about hundred stories high! Buiiro coughs out happily and with a snap of his great, powerful wings was in the air. He spirals upwards towards a thick stalactite protruding from the center of the ceiling. He twists himself upside and his feet latches onto the rock icicle. He moans lowly and it echoes through the cavern. The bats reply happily. Nanako and Buiiro's two other mates had flown after him and clung to other sections of Buiiro's perch. Below the roost on the ceiling were the temples Nana mentioned to Tsunami. They were built all along the walls of the second chamber. The temples were also built in a strange way. It was if someone had read the temples' blueprint upside down. The roofs were built on the bottom and top of the temples. There was one temple that protruded from the wall further out. The entrance of the larger temple had a stair-way leading up to the veranda. Above the sliding door was the clan's mon, their symbol, painted above the doors. It was a simple drawing of a bat's outline with his wings spread. The wings were exaggerated and the tip ends of the wings nearly touched creating a circular image. The sliding door opens and a man steps out with a large lantern in his wrinkly but strong-looking hands. Tsunami was shocked by the man's appearance! He looked to be the same age as grandpa Timoteo, but his skin was much paler and he had a long beard that reached down his waist. He had long white hair that was pulled into a messy ponytail. There were some strands of hair that were turn into braid with rosary beads and feathers. The top of his head was in gray-white dreads. His shirt was a red and white tie-dyed tank top, with the neckline far below his collarbone. There was a pair of aviator sunglasses hooked over the neckline. The pants were red, baggy cargo pants held up by a woven, red braided belt.
"Welcome everyone!" The man speaks.
There was power in his voice as it echoes through the chamber making Tsunami shiver. Nana shivered as well. In fact, every bat but Buiiro shivered. The bats become silent when the man began to speak to them.
"To those of you that are new amongst the colony," the man looks around and looks down to see Tsunami. He smiles at her. "I am the land god, Mori. Nice to meet so many of you once again! You have all served me well and my land has continued to prosper…and I am still going strong like a Mac daddy!"
There were snickers amongst the colony. Buiiro shakes his head but he seemed to be smiling too.
"I'll let you get to your bonding sessions. I might stick around and enjoy the hot springs. Ladies, come see me!"
The man was grinning, his pale gray eyes twinkling. Buiiro moans and the batty conversations start up again. He barks at Nana and Nana, making sure Tsunami was secured on her back, flies to the main temple where the land god, Mori, was still standing on. Mori smiles at Nana when she perched herself on the steps.
"Nana-girl, welcome home!"
"It's a honor to be greeted by you, Mori-sama."
Buiiro joins them, shifting into his hybrid form.
"My lord, I have something that I would like to discuss with you."
"Sure, man, whassup?"
Tsunami laughs out loud. Mori raises his lantern and sees Tsunami, "Ohhhhh, is it about her…whooa, I'm sensing incredible vibes coming from her. Is she what you want to talk about?"
"Yes, my lord." Buiiro nods.
Tsunami senses her mother's sudden nervousness making her nervous. Buiiro takes them inside the temple to a room that had a small tree standing as a shrine on a raised platform. Mori takes a seat on the platform in front of the shrine. Buiiro offered a pillow to the land god but the Mori politely declines. Nana and Tsunami sat in front Mori. Tsunami clenches her red hakama pants. Buiiro takes Tsunami's hands and leads her to stand before Mori. Mori stood up straight.
"Hello, Tsunami-chan. As you had heard, I'm Mori the land god!"
"R-really? You're really a god?"
"That's right, sister! I've been around for centuries. My favor era was the 60's and 70's! Maaaan, I miss them crazy days!"
Buiiro rolls his eyes, "You were off your rocker for awhile…"
Mori holds his hands out and open them palms up. He motions Tsunami to take his hands. She places her hands into his and he holds them gently. Tsunami stiffens feeling a great storm of power flowing through the god. Mori's power warms her softly as tendrils of his soul reaches out to hers and soothes her. It was like tiny warm rivers rushing through her body and tickled her. She tries to stand still feeling that this moment was very important. Mori looks through her body and focuses on her soul. The soul is a little ball of white light within the core of a living body. If one had the skill and concentrated hard enough, the soul can reveal to them the personality of the soul which comes in different colors. Tsunami's soul was small, being a young soul and it was a soft color of yellow. Surrounding Tsunami's soul were threads of silver wrapping around it.
"She definitely has the gift. Far out…" Mori was amazed. "I know you have seen the threads, but look at how many threads are woven around her soul. With training, she could have the potential to match your abilities, Buiiro."
"Yes, my lord."
Mori looks at Buiiro smiling, "You finally found the one, eh?"
Buiiro returns the smile proudly and nods. Mori closes his eyes and returns his vision to normal to see the wide-eyed face of confusion of Tsunami.
"You are a special little girl! You have a bright future ahead of you as a priestess of the Tejinaka. There is one thing, Buiiro."
Mori taps the center of Tsunami's forehead and there was a flicker of a golden-orange flame that appears.
"This? What is this?" Mori touches the flames which doesn't harm him.
The flame wavers as Tsunami's confusion continues to grow. Mori notes the connection of her flame with her uncertainty.
"It's like a soul…but not. It's pure and untainted but wavers with Tsunami-chan's state of mind."
"I am unsure, my lord. I I had seen is once, but ignored it sense it wasn't evil."
"Something from the father?"
"Perhaps…but, I am unsure of what it is. Maybe it is some power of his foreign half blood."
"Oh, yeaaaah! I remember! That man with the blond hair, Nana's husband…riiiiiight!"
Mori taps Tsunami's forehead again, buries his fingers through her hair and scrambled it up. Tsunami squeaks and escapes him, running behind her mother. Nana laughs as Tsunami glares at him. Her hair was disorderly as it is thanks to her father's genes. She didn't need her hair to be messier and her father did the same thing and she didn't like it! Never liked it! Mori snickers mischievously and slaps a hand onto his thigh.
"Alright, cool! Buiiro, I leave it to you to train Tsunami-chan to be a good priestess! I'm sure Nana will bring her home every gathering! It would be easier if you moved back here…but, I think the city of Namimori would be of need of Tsunami's skills as she grows in them. Nana, I don't need ask you this, but please continue to support Tsunami."
"Of course, my lord!"
"Groovy! Enough business, man! Let's party with the family!"
Tsunami and her mother and grandfather rejoined the rest of the colony. Music was being played from portable speakers set through the four main wings of the temples. Bats danced in the air in their feral or hybrid forms. Pups were introduced by new mothers to older mothers. Young juvenile bats flirted and chased one another. Pups that weren't old enough to fly were taken within them temples to play with one another. Tsunami was allowed to rejoin the children she befriended and started the process of learning names, faces and scents of the new children. None of the children pointed out Tsunami's complete human form. They both face the predicament that they can't fly, yet.
As she played, Tsunami's thoughts of the private meeting with the land god, Mori, were behind her. All she thought of was how much fun she was having and the hopes of finding a way to sprout her own wings so she could fly like her mother.