AN: WHooo! I'm on a roll with this story! I've been pouring so many ideas out of my head this past week! I can't seem to make my mind up about a few things! For one, I intended for this story to be Tsuya/Hibari… Unfortunately, I like other characters, too. The story might evolve into a Squalo/Tsuya/Hibari pairing, but I'm not too sure about it.
Anyways, this chapter is when Tsuya enters the KHR world! I've decided to stick mostly to the manga storyline, but I'll throw in a few scenes from the anime (like the Varia vs 10th Gen. Vongola Guardian Fight in the hot spring)
Chapter VI: On Her Own (Read the section after the review replies if you want to know a secret!)
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Panic.
All I felt was panic. What would happen if I fell into the portal? Where would I appear? The laws of physics went against everything that was happening right now. Lachance probably didn't intend for me to fall into the vortex, too. Would it wipe their memories clean? Would I have my memory wiped? When would I appear in their world? Will I still be Tsuya when I arrived?
Bottom line was: I was scared. Terrified, actually.
This vortex, which blinded me in all white, seemed never ending. I did not belong. Was this how it would end for me? Was I to fall endlessly in this void of pure white nothingness?
No. I could feel the sensation of falling in the pit of my stomach, but I didn't feel wind.
The sensations ended when I felt my back touch something. Then, I thought that I went blind. No. I opened my eyes to see all white, but the light abyss disappeared and faded out to bring new scenery. Suddenly, I could hear birds chirping. The white landscape melted into a vision of a forest. My body was in the middle of a forest. Wind tickled my cheeks, and I faced the bright tree covered sky.
Blinking rapidly, I slowly sat up to see where in the forest I was. Of coarse, to my disappointment, there were only trees everywhere I looked. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with my body, so I turned my head so that my eyes could linger on my cane, which was placed a few feet away from me.
Rising to my feet, I limped over to my cane in order to retrieve it. Once I regained my balance, I started to walk over to a tree. I set my cane against the side of the rather tall tree, before reaching up to grab a branch and hoisting myself onto it. From there, I proceeded to climb higher and higher until I was able to see above the forest canopy. There was a wooden structure only a few hundred meters away, but I could not see anything beyond that.
Deciding that it was a decent start, I carefully descended the tree to reclaim my cane and started walking in the direction of the small wooden structure.
As I walked through the forest, I started to think to myself.
Was I sent back to my own world? Or did I make it through to Squalo's world? Looking around, I quickly decided that I did make it to Squalo's world because the world looked so much more animated. Smiling, I was sure because I reached the wooden structure, which turned out to be a shrine. In fact, the shrine was the Namimori Shrine. Turning to look at the stairs located opposite of the shrine, I smiled, elated. Somehow, I think that I will enjoy my stay in this world.
Slowly descending the stairs, I glanced at the town of Namimori in excitement. There was much to see.
It was strange. Looking and walking around, the town was quiet and alive at the same time. There was a peace here that I had never experienced before. Right then and there, I decided that Namimori was indeed a beautiful town.
While I was exploring to gain a better grasp with my surroundings, I passed a store that seemed eerily familiar. Then, it clicked that the store was Yamamoto-san's Sushi Restaurant. I blinked at the rather modestly sized establishment with wonder and understanding. If the restaurant was still here, then this must be in the past, or the future after Byakuran's defeat. Smiling, I continued my walk through town, short black hair ruffling in the wind.
Until now, I did not bother with looking at myself and at what I had on my person. Peering down, I saw that I was still wearing my black sandals, long black jeans, white biohazard v-neck, Squalo's jacket, and the Varia Cloud Ring. Patting down pockets, the only things that I found in them were Hibari's armband, a pair of leather gloves, a switchblade, my sunglasses, a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes.
I panicked at my lack of currency and sighed at the pack of cigarettes. They did not belong to me. I've never tried them, but Shinjiro was addicted to the relaxing effects of the nicotine. Right now, I was aching to try for myself, especially after finding out that I had practically nothing on me.
"Eeck!" I screamed when someone crashed into me from behind. Almost immediately, I toppled to the floor from my lack of balance.
Then, I felt hands pull me up from the floor. "I'M SORRY TO THE EXTREME!"
Brushing the dirt off my clothes, I turned around to face the Sun Guardian with a smile. "It's no problem! I shouldn't have blocked the sidewalk."
Before me stood Sasagawa Ryohei, in his mid-teen years, and this fact nailed my spot on the timeline. The boxer grinned at me amiably before handing me my cane and bidding me farewell, running off to no doubt continue his training.
Grinning in admiration at the teen's extreme will to train, I continued on my little exploration, which eventually led me to walk pass Nami-chu.
The middle school was immaculate. The walls were clean, and the grounds were well groomed. I could see the sakura trees planted at the side of the school, but I didn't dare enter the school grounds for fear of the Demon of Namimori. Granted, I had every right to fear the teen. If he did remember me, he would probably beat me up even more because I knew that trespassers were not allowed on school grounds. So, I ended up walking in the opposite direction of the school.
Then, just my luck, I walked pass Sasagawa Kyoko. She was the second person that I recognized in this town, so I paused to the side of the street to think. I wonder if I could live at Tsuna's house. Was Reborn there yet?
"I'M GOING TO TELL SASAGAWA KYOKO HOW I FEEL WITH MY DYING WILL!"
Eyes widening, my whole face swiftly turned to my right just in time to see a half-naked Sawada Tsunayoshi running down the street. Right. At. Me. The Dying Will Flame was perched and blazing on his forehead as he barreled down the street, kicking up dust. My face must have been quite humorous. For a few seconds, I stared bug-eyed, until I had the enough common sense to stumble backwards in order to avoid getting run over.
After Tsuna was well down the street, I came to the frightening realization that I really did not belong here. I was trapped in this world with no connections, no money, and no power. There was no way that I could survive here. Although I was a bit abnormal compared to other girls back in my world, I simply wasn't special enough to survive by myself in this world.
Dread filled my stomach at the sick reality. How could I even begin to believe that I could stay in this world? Suddenly, the thought of going back to my real home was more appealing. But there was no way for me to go back to the real world. I realized the foolishness in the idea of living here too late. Now, I wished to go home. I just want to go home.
The dread quickly evolved into panic as I ran down the street. There had to be some way to go home.
Then, I made the horrible mistake of succumbing to my blind panic. Remember how you're supposed to look both ways before crossing the street? Yeah, that thought went completely out the window. The next thing I knew, I heard the sound of a car beeping, but it was too late. I felt a sharp pain as metal collided into my side and I tumbled over the car windshield, landing with a painful smack to the left side of my body. Screams filled the air as my eyesight started to blacken.
I felt somebody pick me up, so I lazily dragged my eyes up to the person's face. Yamamoto Takeshi stared down at me with worry and horror. I weakly smiled at the boy who was helping me before closing me eyes. Funny. This must be some sick and horrible dream.
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Lachance POV
I watched from my stance on the street as Yamamoto Takeshi lifted Tsuya and ran towards the hospital. I chuckled at Tsuya's predicament, knowing that the poor girl will fall into a coma, much like her mother did. She had zero connections in this world, so she had better adapt quickly. I had erased the memories of all the individuals that I sent to the other world. The only way to survive is if Tsuya helps herself. I was only able to help her once, so I gave her back two-years of her lifespan. If she can adapt, those two years will aid her dramatically. From now on, she's on her own.
I smirked, turning to walk away from the site of the accident. "Good luck, Tsuya."
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I stood wearing the clothes that I fell unconscious with. Once again, I was stuck in a white landscape; white walls, white floors, and a white sky. Or rather, one could say that I was stuck in a conscious of pure nothingness. Was I dead? Or was I merely not dreaming? Death was when a person ceased to exist, there is no conscious thought after a person dies. He simply ceases to be. As a result, I quickly ruled out the possibility of dying from the collision.
"Kufufufufufufu. Interesting. Yet another person to visit in this desolate world."
Turning, with wide eyes, I searched for the source of the voice. This was a rather interesting development. I did not expect to be able to come into contact with Mukuro while unconscious. After all, the ability to communicate with others while unconscious is an ability that belongs to Mist Flame users exclusively. Since I didn't believe myself to have Mist Flames, I have to assume that it was Mukuro that was searching for somebody to come into contact. In other words, he was looking for another person to use as a tool.
Knowledge was the only power that I had right now. I was stuck in this white landscape until my body recovered enough, so I might as well have some company. However, I won't let myself be used by Mukuro. Although I like the Mist user, I was not too keen on becoming another one of his puppets. In the end, I decided to fake naivety.
"Who's there?" I called out, adding a tremble to my voice for extra effect.
"Kufufufu. I am behind you." A smooth voice whispered into my ear from behind me.
Abruptly, I ran forward a few paces before turning around and jumping into a fighting stance, overly cautious from the invasion of privacy. Glaring, I pointed at the indigo haired pineapple headed teen. "Don't do that."
"Kufufufufufufu. You are a very vicious girl. What is your name?" Red and blue eyes peered at me, looking curiously at my outfit, and settling on the Varia symbol on the arm of Squalo's gift to me.
Straightening up, I pretended to let down my guard. "Tsuya. Okita, Tsuya. And who are you?"
"I am Mukuro. Rokudo, Mukuro." The former mafia criminal informed me with a playful smirk.
I hummed before walking over to the leader of the Kokuyo Gang and extending my hand in a sign of greeting. "Nice to meet you, Mukuro."
Mukuro's smirk widened as he shook my hand. "I could say the same, but you are a part of the Vongola." The teen's grip on my hand tightened considerably. "I absolutely abhor mafia."
I may respect Mukuro, but dang it, he scared me right now. Attempting to tug my hand from his grip, I wildly screamed. "I'm not a Mafioso! This jacket was a gift! A gift for crying out loud!" Somehow, I think that having Squalo's jacket on was going to cause me more trouble than what it was truly worth. I should really be more careful.
Instantly, Mukuro released my hand and chuckled knowingly. "You don't seem to be lying. After all, a Mafioso would not have trusted me so easily, and he would have not been so weak."
Ouch, major blow to the ego right there. But carrying on, "I'm unconscious. How are you here?"
Mukuro chuckled before waving a hand to change the scenery. Trees began to form around us, and my clothes changed into a white flowing dress while Mukuro changed into a white shirt and black dress pants… Not that I really knew what he was wearing before the change. I'm not that observant… Anyways… Holy Shizuo! I forgot that illusionists were able to shape the landscape in a person's subconscious.
"I am an illusionist. I can manipulate your subconscious however I wish. I can enter your subconscious at will, and my illusions also apply to real life." Mukuro announced with an arrogant tone, probably expecting me to praise his talents.
Playing the foolish girl was quite difficult for me. I was not naïve to such an extent, and I didn't like playing dumb. If I had knowledge, I usually kept it to myself, but I would not act like I knew nothing. So, to keep up the innocent image, I groaned and facepalmed, saying something true. "Yup. This is definitely a dream. I'm totally dreaming. This is all a bad dream that's going to end soon."
Mukuro smirked, "Well. It may end faster than you think. In fact – I think that you're about to wake up from your coma."
Immediately, my hand fell from my face. "Coma?"
The landscape began to disappear as Mukuro waved goodbye. "Farewell, Tsuya. I hope we meet again." Just before Mukuro faded away, I caught a glimpse of the Vindice Prison's lowestlevel.
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Beep… Beep… Beep…
My eyelids shot open when I heard the sound of a heart monitor, and not the calm silence of my subconscious. I found myself lying on a bed, in a hospital, and hooked up to a heart monitor, I.V, and other stuff. I felt horrible. Despite my fuzzy physical state, my mind was very alert. As soon as I felt that my mind was ready, I lifted the bed sheets to peer at my stomach. I sighed in relief, but blanched at the same time. There weren't stitches in my stomach area, but I was wearing a diaper.
I, Tsuya Okita, was wearing a diaper.
I groaned in mortification. I really didn't know how coma stuff works, but didn't it usually involve a lot of tubes coming out of the body?
Moments later, a nurse came in to check on me, but finding that I was awake, explained that I was out for a few months. There were tubes keeping me alive, but the doctor took them out a few hours ago because I showed signs of regaining consciousness. After being rechecked by the doctor, and being told that I was fourteen years old, I was unhooked from all of the machines and given permission to use one of the patient showers.
Surprisingly, I gained back a year of my life and was able to walk a great deal easier than before the car hit me a few months ago. I was told that Takeshi Yamamoto would visit me at times, which was flattering, but the nurse said that he only wanted to check on me because I was a stranger in need. The man that hit me covered the expenses of my hospitalization, but the man didn't want to be found. So, here I now stand, fully clothed in my old clothes and with my cane at hand.
I have to smile. There's no use in feeling down. Okay, so maybe a scowl is all I can manage for now, but really, who can blame me? A bunch of manga characters appear in my room, and when I fet to shove them back to their world, I trip and go with them. Surely, I'm dreaming. This must all be a really bad dream.
"Ciao-su!"
Oh shoot… Okay, maybe not. I thought to myself, when I turned to look at the baby hitman. "Er… buona sera?" I tried, feeling very awkward. Luckily, the jacket was tied around my waist so that the baby won't see the Varia symbol on it. I seriously have the worst luck in the world.
"Yamamoto, Takeshi said to take care." beady eyes stared into my own before the hitman took off.
Reborn… Somehow, seeing Reborn intimidated me into believing that I was not dreaming. Then, my stomach growled in hunger. "Hm. Hospital food must not be all that appetizing if I'm still hungry." Sighing, I exited the hospital room to go to the front lobby.
Upon checking out, I heard a lot of whining coming through the doors of the hospital. Freezing, I turned to glance at the double doors as Squalo and Belphegor dragged Lussuria into the facility. The appearance of the Sun Guardian startled me, but it also gave me an anchor to what part of the timeline I was in now. The Vongola Ring Battles had just started with Ryohei beating Lussuria. Shivering, I turned away from the door to continue checking out of the hospital, not wanting to encounter the three Varia members. It was kind of difficult, though. I mean, Squalo practically threw the gay boxer into the counter next to me, no doubt in annoyance at the flamboyant man's behavior. When the nurse gave me the all clear, I turned away from the desk, walking passed Squalo and Belphegor to leave the premises before I attracted attention to myself.
After asking for directions, I started to make my way towards the park. Great. I gain more use of my leg, but now I have no home, no contacts, and no money. I mean knowing Japanese only helped me a margin, but you really can't survive as a minor without money or connections. My stomach growled loudly and I slumped over. I'm pretty much screwed.
Gritting my teeth, I continued my walk, deciding to use illegal methods to get resources. I don't approve of stealing, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I had a quick hand, and I was pretty stealthy when I wasn't stumbling over my two feet, so I was able to steal a few people's wallets after slipping on my leather gloves. After taking the money that was inside, I discarded the wallets on the front step of the police station that I passed by.
When I arrived at the park, it was about one in the morning. Nobody was in the playground, so I began to count the money that I gathered. I had gleaned about 110,129 yen from the people that I pick pocketed, which equaled roughly $1,088.41 in US dollars. Looking up into the night sky, I decided to sleep on the children's bench placed under the park playhouse. But, I found that I couldn't sleep, so I put on the Varia jacket and sat with my knees against my chest. "I should get something to eat." I groaned, nearly in tears at my current situation.
Nobody was here to help me, so I have to help myself.
Sighing, I decided to lie down and stare at the ceiling of the playhouse. Crickets chirped all around me accompanied by the steady breeze. No matter how much I liked the sound of crickets and wind, I will always prefer the comfort that came with a house to live, and a bed to sleep in. It was cliché, but now I was forced to learn that a person does not realize the comfort of their everyday life until it is all taken away. I missed the warm twin sized bed that I slept in, and the soft blanket stuffed with feather downs.
No home. No place to belong. I felt lonely once again. Shinjiro wasn't here to comfort and worry about me. My tears overflowed, "Shin-nii… I miss you." I want to be a carnivore. I want to be strong, but I am still human. That night, I cried myself to sleep lying under the park playhouse.
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Anello Della Campana: Thank you for favoring me as an author, and favoring the story! Thank you for calling Tsuya strong! Currently, however, she is quite weak compared to the other characters in the story. Tsuya has a strong will, but in a few chapters, you'll see that she is only about as strong as baby Lambo… I wrote a segment that had one of the characters inform Tsuya that even baby Lambo could beat her if he wanted. I made it quite the blow to Tsuya's ego.
6DarkMirror6: Thanks for favoring the story!
CreativityLsWriting: Thank you for following the story!
Usui3: Thank you for favoring and following the story, and favoring and following me as an author! I wish you the best of luck on your story! hehe… (*sheepish grin) I like pacing my stories a bit too slowly. I'm honored that you look up to my writing.
Neeky-chan: Unfortunately, Tsuya has the luck of a darn… Well, I don't know. If characters remember who she is, she is given an advantage that is a bit larger than life. I wanted to make Tsuya as human as possible, so that readers (like you) could probably imagine the reality of going into a world where you don't exist. It's scary, and Tsuya has to experience the horrible reality. Besides, allowing the characters to regain their memories would be throwing Tsuya a bone. In order for someone to grow mentally, she must experience great burdens and harsh realities. Have you heard of Itachi Uchiha (oh Darts, I'm going to cry)? I sort of base Tsuya's growth on Itachi. The loneliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. And the most damaged people are the wisest. By enduring the loneliness and sadness that came with knowing that she technically never existed in a new world, Tsuya will mature mentally and become less of a crybaby.
Nanael107: Thank you for following this story!
KHRLover1997: Yup, but he doesn't remember her, and he basically dragged her into a world full of hardships that are much more severe than in her own world.
nikess96: Xanxus didn't plan everything through, though… I planned for it to be Hibari/OC, but it might drift to a Squalo/OC/Hibari story… I really wouldn't mind a bit of everything, but for the sake of the readers, and my sanity, the limit is two guys. (I actually wanted a Yamamoto/OC/Hibari, but I'm tired of the lack of Squalo/OC stories… He needs love, too!)
Yamiroo Alice: Thank you for following my story!
xXBloddyIllusionXx: Thank you for following the story! Don't worry, I was fangirling when I wrote that part, too. XD
Devil-O-Angel: Thank you for favoring the story!
purpleicecrystals: Thank you for favoring my story! Also, thank you for the author favorite! She does… XD Hard not to. He's pretty hot and is actually really nice on the inside. Chinese mothers (that are old fashioned) tend to pressure their children, and usually don't see their children for who they really are. I got my head bitten off quite often when I was in my sophomore year of high school, so it really isn't fun. Yeah… Xanxus pretty much screwed Tsuya over. Poor Tsuya can't yell at Xanxus because he doesn't remember her.
pinkus-pyon: Thank you for the favorite! He is crafty, but he didn't really count on the memory loss and ten year difference in the timeline. XD
akuXmafi . chocolate13: Thank you for following the story!
Skyla15699: Thank you for following and favoring my story!
pika04: Thank you for following and favoring this story!
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Bonus:
I wanted to inform you all, that I had a different direction to this chapter when I first wrote it.
1) I had originally written that Tsuya woke up with tubes still coming out of her stomach. When a person is in a coma, the hospital has a tube leading into the stomach for feeding. The doctor's also install a pump in the bladder to make a person go to the bathroom. Likewise, the patient will also have a tube going out of the base of the throat to help them breathe. It was too much trouble to write about such graphic stuff, so I deleted that part and wrote that the doctor knew she was going to wake up. That's why she left the hospital pretty quickly.
2) I originally gave back one year of Tsuya's life span, but since the Varia arc took place in the late fall, Tsuya would end up turning 16 sooner than I wanted, so she's fourteen turning fifteen now!
3) Instead of falling asleep in the park alone and crying, I had originally written that she meets Fon, the Storm Arcobaleno. Fon had seen her pickpocket those people and scolded her nicely for trying to use the dirty money. After getting scolded, Tsuya breaks down crying, and apologizes over and over again. After revealing a small part of her situation, Fon takes pity upon Tsuya and allows her to live in his apartment in Namimori while he goes off on a mission. Obviously, the situation seemed too good to be true for Tsuya, so I scrapped the idea.
Thank you for reading!
