Sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter updated. School started again and I've been super busy. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!
Won't say much so that you can hurry and get to the chapter, but please don't hate me.
You're gonna hate me.
I am so (not) sorry.
DISCLAIMER: After this chapter I don't even wanna own KHR anymore...
The common misconception about mafia dons, Timoteo thought as he skimmed through the paper, it was more paperwork than shooting people. This man wanted this thing, but the other man wanted to stop him at any cost. Please, Mr. Vongola sir, help me and not him. And then there was signing papers about payments. Nothing was free in this world of his, not even time. Snorting at a semi-ridiculous complaint about the toilets in their South Korean office, Timoteo put his pen down and stretched his arms. If only he believed in transcribing his signature into a stamp, his work would be so much easier. His fingers and wrists aching from several hours of writing, he almost seriously considered it. But no, a stamp would be easy to steal.
He picked up his pen again, but sighed loudly instead of getting back to his paperwork. "Reborn, how many times do I have to tell you to use the door? You know, the door? The thing normal people use to get in and out of my office?"
"I am well acquainted with that piece of human technology." The baby said stiffly as he materialized on the surface of Timoteo's desk. "However, I simply choose not to use it."
If only he wasn't the best hitman he had ever seen... Where did the arcobaleno come in from, anyway? The window? The airvents? Whatever, Timoteo didn't even care anymore. "As you have demonstrated countless times. Now, what brings you here today? Not hiding from Bianchi again, are you? I heard the Gokudera girl became fond of you the last time you visited their mansion."
The baby shuddered. "A bit too young for my taste, though she will grow up to be beautiful."
Timoteo refrained from saying that Reborn was younger than her, in the eyes of the world.
"But no, I am not 'hiding' from Bianchi, as you so tactfully stated." Reborn started pacing along the edge of his desk. Leon scuttled to the brim of his fedora, watching Timoteo with his large, unfocused eyes. The leader of the Vongola found the slithering motion of the lizard's tongue as it darted in and out. In and out. In and out. Strange creatures, reptiles were.
Reborn coughed.
Timoteo jumped. "Oh sorry, continue please."
"I've been talking for three minutes now, and you haven't heard I single word I've said." Reborn said sourly.
Timoteo waved his complaint away and motioned for him to repeat himself.
Reborn began again with a shrug. "I said, I just went to visit the Sawada household to finally meet Sawada Tsunayoshi. I figured it would be good for us to introduce ourselves, seeing as I will be training him to take over the Vongola in the future. When I got there, however, the house was empty. Naturally, I assumed he was over at the Varia headquarters. Do you know what I found there? Chaos." Reborn spat vehemently.
"Lussuria and Leviathan were on fire, Belphegor was throwing knives at a hord of snakes, while Squalo was bellowing at the top of his lungs something about missing underwear. And Xanxus? Xanxus was sitting in the middle of it, drunk and randomly firing at his subordinates."
Timoteo nodded philosophically. "There is a perfectly logical reason behind their actions."
Reborn snorted. "I'm sure there is."
Folding his hands together, Timoteo smiled slightly. "Young Mr. Tsunayoshi has left for a month long vacation to Japan to visit his twin brother."
Reborn blinked. "Oh. I shall go buy plane tickets this afternoon."
"Please don't." Timoteo said pleasantly. "The relationship between Iemitsu and his ex-wife are already strained as it is. I do not see how a talking baby with the mentality of an adult showing up spouting stuff about the mafia will help them reconcile."
Reborn opened his mouth and promptly closed it. "Very well then. But I am ambushing them as soon as Tsunayoshi and Iemitsu return to Italy."
"You have fun with that." Timoteo smiled and returned to his paperwork. Reborn left (air vents, though he had climbed in through the window), and all returned to normal in the Vongola mansion.
Perhaps they would have thought differently. Perhaps their conversation would have been different. Perhaps Timoteo would have let Reborn take a plane to Japan that evening had they known that Sawada Iemitsu and his son, Tsunayoshi would never be returning to Italy.
Toshi bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, a grin splitting his features. His mother stood off to the side, looking green and furious and wanting nothing more to hide and escape her troubles. She couldn't do this, her stomach wanting to empty itself though she had not eaten all day. Anticipation ran through her veins like poison, twisting her insides to dust. She wanted to run, she wanted to sink into the ground. It was coming. The monster she had given birth to. The thing that ruined everything. The demon with the brown hair so much like her father's.
She ached with the need to split her skin with her nails and tear out her hair. Anything than coming face to face with it. The evil that had been stalking her since a child, chewing on the back of her brain. How could she possibly see him and not kill him? The creature deserved to die.
The creature should never have been born.
Hugging her middle with her arm, she hid her emotions from her son. Her light. Her salvation. Her beautiful boy with the blond hair so much like her mother's. He was so excited, his warmth almost touching Nana's cold heart. He was misguided. How could he not see things her way? How could he not see the evil for what it truly was?
She needed to calm down. She had a plan, a wrong action now would crumble it to be swept away in despair.
Time stopped for her as the announcement that Iemitsu's plane had just landed blared over the speakers. Her heart pounded in her ears, she could taste bile at the back of her throat. The air just above her sensitive fingertips quivered and her vision went red.
Here it comes.
Toshi let out a cheer of triumph and the world snapped back into place. Nana had not seen him smile so brightly, his pearly teeth shining and his eyes glittering with joy as it looked like to him that nothing could ever possibly go wrong, since he was four years old. One day of this misguided happiness, Nana promised herself, and then she would educate him. She would make him see.
The crowd bobbed around them, but they stayed perfectly still. Waiting. Waiting for the twin brother he's always wanted. Waiting for the harbinger of pain and cruelty she's always dreaded.
Above the heads, Nana spotted the blond hair of her ex-husband. The sudden pain of seeing him again after all these years made her flinch. She had forgotten how much she missed him, the fact that he left her for it still weighing heavier in her mind. She had forgotten that she had fallen in love with him, that she still loved him. Their eyes met. Her eyes full of grief; the eyes of the rightful victim. His eyes cool and composed.
He no longer loved her.
The fury, the injustice of it all blinded her for a moment. She was willing to sacrifice months of training to dispose of the evil tagging along with her ex-husband before her senses came back to her. Head held high, Nana returned the icy stare and nodded slowly.
Toshi struggled to find his brother through the crowd, unable to see over it like his mother. Where was he? And suddenly, he saw him.
An instant connection, like he had known him all his life swept through Toshi's core. Tsuna-nii looked exactly like him, but with brown hair and brown eyes. Toshi might be a bit taller, he couldn't be sure. But that face, that slim nose and incurably wild hair were all the same. Tsuna, as though he could feel Toshi staring at him, looked right into his hazel eyes. A broad, silly smile as big as Toshi's spread across his face and Tsuna let go of his dad's hand. Toshi's dad's hand. His dad too.
Tsuna began to push through the people as Toshi began to run to him. His nii-san, Toshi's other half, the person he had been waiting all his life to meet. He could cry, he could scream. He could pound his feet into the ground. The energy buzzing through his limbs needed to be expelled.
Tsuna caught him in a large hug around Toshi's neck. Wrapping his arms around Tsuna's strangely familiar torso, Toshi finally knew what it felt like to really breath. All his life had been a black and white canvas, barely a life at all. At that moment someone had dipped their paintbrush into a brilliant, shocking orange and began to color his life.
"Happy birthday, tomorrow." Tsuna said, still hugging his twin.
"You too, Tsuna-nii." Toshi laughed.
Good and evil could not be friends. Nana's hands balled into fists. Good and evil could not be mixed. Tsuna could not have Toshi and Toshi could not have Tsuna. She could not allow it. She would not allow it.
Enjoy this day, Tsunayoshi, Nana's mind snarled viciously, tomorrow shall be your last.
Takeshi drifted back home, his baseball bag swinging from his shoulder with the dejection he felt. Today had been his team's first real game, and he had messed up in the last inning, allowing the other team to beat them by a single point. In his minds eye, he was a failure even though deep down he recognized that his team didn't care. They played to have fun, not to win. But he was the team's pitcher, they counted on him to strike people out. If he couldn't do that, he didn't deserve to be pitcher. He didn't deserve to be on the team.
"Takeshi-kun!"
Just like that, Takeshi's heart lightened. His new friend, Toshi, always made his day better. He was still trying to break through the blond's walls, though the process was a difficult one. Toshi had obvious trust problems, and seemed hesitant to completely open up to Takeshi. He was getting there, slowly ever so slowly, and Takeshi was determined to dissolve that barrier.
"Toshi!" Takeshi called out as he turned around. His hand froze, halfway through his wave, as he saw another boy his age tagging along with his friend. The boy had messy brown hair and gorgeous, large brown eyes, and looked exactly like Toshi except for the fact that he was a couple centimeters shorter. That had to be Toshi's mysterious twin that he heard about, or Takeshi was going crazy.
"Takeshi-kun, good afternoon!" Toshi grinned as the two boys caught up. It was the first real smile Takeshi had seen on the Sawada boy, and it nearly blinded him. "Tsuna-nii, this is my friend Takeshi-kun. Takeshi-kun, this is my twin brother, Tsunayoshi."
Tsunayoshi stuck out his hand. "Thank you for taking care of my brother, Takeshi."
Numbly, Takeshi shook his hand. The twins were similar, but so very different. Toshi, if he had to describe him, was like a selective sky, filled with a brilliant warmth that disappeared with the night and returned with the day. He was incredibly loyal, but only to those he deemed fit. Spontaneous, exuberant, blinding. Tsunayoshi, on the other hand, was an encompassing sky, not as extreme as his twin and filled with a softer warmth, but a warmth that lingered and never died. Kind to all, trusting to all. But if someone ever broke that trust, the thought nearly made Takeshi shudder, his wrath would be greater than his warmth. Kind, fascinating, someone worth following.
The same kind of darkness dwelt within Tsunayoshi, the same darkness in Takeshi and Toshi. But Tsunayoshi did not run from it, like Takeshi, nor did he let it swallow him, like Toshi. He embraced it, welcomed it in a way that Takeshi never could. And it changed him, made him into a person whose light shone brighter than his wealth of darkness.
And at that moment, as he grasped the slim hand of Sawada Tsunayoshi, Takeshi knew that he would follow this person to the ends of the earth.
"Not a problem." Takeshi said with a laugh, a genuine laugh. He did not have to be fake for this person, he could be who he wanted to be and instead of being judged, he would be encouraged. "I've heard all about you from Toshi. It's so good to finally meet you, Tsunayoshi!"
"Tsuna, just Tsuna please." Tsuna said with a smile. "I've heard about you too, Takeshi. I dragged Toshi out of his house to come find you, I've wanted to meet you since Toshi told me all about his first friend."
Takeshi laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hopefully he's told you the bad with the good about me. Did you and your dad move to Japan?"
Tsuna's face fell. "No, we're just visiting from Italy. We're going to stay here for a month before going back. During that time, I hope to become good friends with you, Takeshi."
"And I you." Takeshi agreed earnestly.
Toshi was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Want to come with me to take Tsuna on a tour of Namimori?"
Takeshi's heart skipped with pleasure. "I would love to. I just need to go put my baseball gear away. Want to come? I can probably get my dad to give us some sushi."
Tsuna's face lit up with excitement. "Sushi? I've always wanted to try authentic Japanese sushi! My dad and I went to a couple of sushi restaurants in Italy, but my dad says they're not as good as anything you can get here."
"Well, what better place to try authentic Japanese sushi than here in Japan?" Toshi grinned.
Takeshi skipped along with his new friend and his newest friend, the botched baseball game the furthest thing in his mind.
He had lived in this house for exactly one year, Iemitsu reminisced as he stood in the house's backyard. Was that only seven years ago? It felt like a lifetime ago that the love of his life had disowned his oldest son. A lifetime and then some. He felt so old, so worn out.
Nana was somewhere in the house behind him. Probably peeking at him through the blind's on the house's upper floor. He didn't really care what she was doing, he had left the house the moment Tsuna and Toshi had left. Iemitsu refused to talk to her without his sons present. What she had done... what she had said... he would never forgive her for that. Every child deserved to feel a mother's love, every child deserved the chance to live.
She had been the love of his life. He would probably not love another woman for as long as he lived. When their eyes had met at the airport earlier that day, when he had seen her again for the first time in years, he realized he no longer felt even a speck of love for her. Only anger and hate. His son on the other hand, his beautiful blond Toshi, he felt strong father's love for.
Pulling out his phone, he quickly dialed Nono's number.
"Hello?" The leader of the Vongola answered.
"Yo. Just thought I would check in." Iemitsu answered as he stared at the house's pristine white fence. He remembered painting that fence as a happy newlywed.
"How are things in Japan?" Nono asked with a hint of amusement. "Reborn left my office a couple of hours ago. Lucky for you, I convinced him out of taking the next flight out. He's quite keen on meeting Tsunayoshi."
"I"m glad you did." Iemitsu's mouth quirked up. "The arcobaleno brings havoc with him wherever he goes. I'm already dealing with enough of that."
"How is Tsunayoshi? How is he dealing with Nana?"
Iemitsu sighed. "He's doing fine. You should see him and Toshi together, they're so cute even if they're a pair of trouble makers. As for Nana... I think she might have looked at him for a second at the airport, but asides that, she's acting like he doesn't exist. She keeps doting on Toshi though, blatantly showing him off as her favorite. Toshi seemed extremely uncomfortable with that, and I think Tsuna could tell so he suggested they go find Toshi's friend Takeshi. They're gone right now. Tsuna keeps looking at Nana, but he hasn't tried to talk to her. I almost forced the two to have a conversation, but Tsuna didn't want to. This month is going to be long, I can tell."
"I see. Well, you better make sure that the two of you come home in one piece." Nono rumbled. "Xanxus is already going crazy, and you two haven't been gone for an entire day. I don't know how he did it, but your son really changed mine. Tsunayoshi is as dear to Xanxus as he is to you."
"I know." Iemitsu turned to look at the other fence. He could still see the scrapes from his many attempts to mow the lawn. His fists clenched and unclenched. "Nono, I have a favor to ask of you."
There was a pause. "If there is anything I can do, I certainly will try."
"Seven years ago, I ran away." He admitted. "I ran away with one son, thinking it impossible to have both. I didn't even try. It seemed easier to let Nana have the one she wanted and protect the one she didn't. But after coming here, after seeing my sons together, there is no way I can leave with just one. They're more than just brothers, they're twins, and I am their father. I need my Toshi, I need to keep him safe along with Tsuna. If you could pull a few strings, even if it ends up him living in Japan for half the year and Italy the other half, Toshi belongs with me and Tsuna. We're his family too. Please, Nono. I need my son."
"Took you long enough to realize that, Iemitsu. Keep your children close, someday they might just slip through your fingers. I'll see what I can do." With that said, Nono ended the call.
Iemitsu pocketed his phone, his relief greater than his guilt. Nono had lost three sons, and here he was asking him for another.
The back door opened and Iemitsu stiffened without turning around.
"Darling." Nana called out softly. "I made you yakisoba, I remembered that it's your favorite."
Breathing in through his mouth and out through his nose, Iemitsu turned to face his ex-wife. Her short brown hair framed her pale, beautiful face. His sons had inherited her eye shape. Tsuna's chocolate brown eyes were the same shade as hers, and Toshi had his hazel color. Iemitsu could almost smell that lavender perfume she always wore. Could almost feel her lips on his. Somewhere deep down inside he could remember the wild, rollercoaster sensation of loving her. She had made his heart leap and his head swim in loops. She used to be the last thing he thought about at night and the first thing he had looked forward to in the morning.
"That is not my son! I refuse to call that thing my son!"
And that was the end of it. Those words were now what he heard in his nightmares. Her twisted up face, ugly and demonic as she screamed at the doctor was what he saw when he closed his eyes.
"You would know all about favorites, wouldn't you Nana?" Iemitsu said coldly. He walked right passed her and into the house without another word. Perhaps he would go and try to find his sons. As their father, he did worry whenever he couldn't see them.
Somebody needed to worry about them, afterall.
Tsuna loved sushi. No, he adored it. Fantastic, simply fantastic.
"You're being a little too enthusiastic, nii-chan." Toshi said dryly as Tsuna once again moaned as he ate.
"It's so tasty!" Tsuna ignored his twin.
Yamamoto Tsuyoshi laughed heartily as he placed another thing of sushi in front of the three boys. "No problem at all. It's not often Takeshi brings home friends. Do you play baseball with him?"
Toshi and Tsuna shook their heads. "I'm in the same grade as Takeshi-kun." Toshi explained. "I play football, not baseball."
"And I'm Toshi's twin." Tsuna grinned. "I'm visiting for a while. I don't play football or baseball, but I do martial arts."
"Visiting?" Tsuyoshi asked in surprised.
"Dad..." Takeshi groaned, embarrassed.
Tsuna waved it off. "Our parents are divorced. I live in Italy."
"I see." Tsuyoshi said philosophically. They were probably the Sawada boys. He had been pretty good friends with Iemitsu back when he was still a freelance hitman. But he had given that up when Takeshi was born, and fell out of contact with Iemitsu. Tsuyoshi remember him having a problem with his now ex-wife, though. Now that he was back for a bit, perhaps Tsuyoshi would go look him up for a drink. "Well, I better go tend to the customers. Don't get into trouble, you three."
Tsuna polished off his sushi with a glass of water, sighing in content. "Well," He said happily. "what should we do now?"
"We could take you to the art store." Toshi bounced. "I need new color pencils anyway."
Tsuna was already nodding. "I've been wanting to watch you draw. I have the painting you sent me right now, actually."
Toshi's eyes glanced over his brother, trying to find a place where Tsuna could hide a large canvas. "Um, really?"
Seeing his confusion, Tsuna rolled his eyes. "Not the original. I took a picture and then printed it off." He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Toshi.
Yamamoto looked over Toshi's shoulder. "Wow, that's really good. Did you really draw that?"
Toshi blushed. "Yeah." He handed the paper with his painting's picture back to his twin. The fact that his brother carried his creation around with him swelled Toshi's heart so full of warmth that it was almost uncomfortable.
Tsuna stretched. "I want to see all of Namimori! You have to take me to all your favorite places, Toshi."
"Relax." Toshi chuckled. "We have a month to see everything."
Tsuna's smile flickered, but he hid that from his twin and Takeshi.
Today was supposed to be special. The first day with his brother, the happiest day of his life. But it wasn't. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Something was wrong, so horribly wrong that it vibrated against his core and made him dizzy. What was it though? Was something bad going to happen? Was something bad happening right now, or had already happened? For the first time since he had been getting these feelings, he couldn't tell. Whenever he had looked at his mother, whenever he had looked at Nana, the feeling intensified until it was the sole thought in his head. He couldn't even talk to her. If he opened his mouth, he would have thrown up.
The feeling was a constant buzzing against his skull. Why wouldn't it go away?
Why couldn't he enjoy today?
Why couldn't he be happy?
Every breath was ice in his lungs. He didn't want these always-accurate premonitions. There was nothing he could do to prevent this grim feeling of death. Not knowing would be better than knowing.
He glanced sideways at Toshi, who was waving his hands around as he described something to Takeshi. Did his brother not feel anything? It must be just him then. When they returned to Toshi's house, Tsuna was going to borrow his dad's phone to talk to Xanxus and Hayato. They would have to know something about why he felt this way.
Should he tell Toshi?
Tsuna bit his lip. Toshi would want to know, but Tsuna didn't really want him to. It would just make him worried, and it would be no good to have both of them stressed out. Toshi deserved to enjoy this happiness. Tsuna would play along until this dreadful feeling went away.
Clapping his hand together, Tsuna grinned. "What are we waiting for, let's go!"
For Toshi he could pretend.
The family dinner that night was the most awkward thing Toshi had ever experienced. Toshi talked to everyone, trying to get a conversation started. Tsuna-nii and his dad would only talk to him, same with his mother. His mother would not talk to them, and they would not talk to her. Toshi began to feel like he was the only one making an effort. This visit was Nana's idea, shouldn't she at least be trying to get reaquainted with her ex-husband and other son? If Iemitsu had to talk to Nana, he did so in a clipped tone that wasn't at all friendly. Tsuna-nii looked faintly sick and sat on the edge of his seat as if he was ready to run away at a moments notice.
There had been something wrong with his nii-chan all day, Toshi had noticed. But he didn't say anything. Tsuna-nii would tell him eventually. He hoped.
Nana's face was blank. Toshi could not tell what his mother was thinking. When she spoke, she spoke in short sentences, her voice smooth and level and so very fake. There was something wrong with her too, but Toshi cared more about what was wrong with his brother than he did with his mother. His brother had earned his trust, his mother had not.
Suddenly she looked up and put on a plastic smile. "I was thinking, seeing as tomorrow is your birthday," She said, looking at Toshi. "the four of us could go out and see a movie. How does that sound?"
The table was quiet for a moment. Toshi was grateful that his mother had at least said 'us four' including Tsuna-nii, even if she was unwilling to say his name. His brother dad looked hesitant though. You may not like each other, Toshi thought with a deep sigh, but you all could learn to at least tolerate each other.
"Sounds great!" Toshi said heartily. Nana looked relieved. "Can we go see that new robot movie that just came out?"
"If Toshi wants to, then sure." Tsuna squirmed.
Iemitsu looked softly at Toshi. "I heard that the new robot movie is supposed to be really good. And then after the movie, I can give both you and Tsuna your present."
"I have cake and icecream too." Nana said, still looking at Toshi. "I have everything prepared for your birthday tomorrow."
And by everything, she meant everything.
Latter that night, Tsuna-nii disappeared just as Toshi was changing into his pajamas. He came back ten minutes later looking frustrated.
"Something wrong?" Toshi asked, hopeful that his nii-chan would talk to him.
Tsuna angrily pulled his pajamas out of his suitcase. "I just talked to Xanxus-san and Hayato."
Toshi blinked. "And that put you in a bad mood, how?"
Sighing, Tsuna turned his large brown eyes onto Toshi. They were shaded with so many layers that an entire lifetime would not be enough to pick through them all. "I had a feeling that something had gone wrong in Italy, but they told me that everything was fine."
"Do you often get feeling like that?" Toshi questioned.
"Yes." Tsuna answered honestly. "Whenever I get a feeling like something bad is going to happen, something bad always happens." He neglected to mention that now he was certain that whatever bad thing going to happen was going to happen here, and it most likely involved someone close to them. Nana. It hit him like a bullet train. His bad feeling got worse whenever he saw his mother. She was the center of it all. Whatever terrible, horrible thing is intuition was warning him was going to happen, it was going to happen to her. He had a dilemma on his hands. His mother hated him, pretended he didn't exist and had ever since he was born. She deserved no loyalty from him. She deserved nothing from him. Why should he help her when she had thrown him away?
His muscles relaxed in resignation. Nobody deserved to die.
Not even Nana.
He would have to keep a close eye on her, so that he could protect her when the right moment came.
And that, was probably the worse decision he had ever made.
Nana was asleep in her room. Iemitsu had taken the guest bedroom, in between Nana's and Toshi's room where Tsuna was also sleeping in. When Iemitsu had stepped into that room, he had examined it with dead eyes. When they had first gotten married, the two of them planned on having three to four children. Now he had two and Nana only had one.
Tsuna had brought a sleeping bag to lay down on Toshi's floor, but he didn't even open it. After he had brushed his teeth, he climbed right into Toshi's bed and snuggled up against his twin. Toshi grinned and turned to face him. The brothers had laid awake for hours, whispering and giggling under their breaths. Toshi had admitted to Tsuna that he had a crush on Miyoko, one of the female twins in his grade, though Sasagawa Kyoko was pretty cute too. Tsuna had teased him about it for the rest of the night. And before they knew it, they slipped under the folds of sleep.
Tsuna was already becoming legendary in the Vongola for his already developing acute hyper intuition, the power to see through all that all the leaders of the Vongola were born with. His twin also had it, though not as strongly as Tsuna. If the two boys had been awake, they would have seen the small orange flame that flickered to life on Toshi's forehead as he tossed and turned in his sleep.
Blood, scattered like flower petals on the black tar.
He moaned and twisted, sweat glistening on his forehead.
Feeling nothing and then everything all at once. An explosion of emotion. No balm to sooth it, nothing to take it out on. Bottled up inside as he screamed. And screamed again. Nothing he could do but scream and cover his eyes, sinking to his knees on the pavement.
Please kill me too.
Please let this all be a dream.
His pajamas were sticking to him, but he could not wake up. Tsuna shivered as the blanket was pulled off him.
She looked up and then looked at him. Blood on her face. Blood on the tar. Blood in his vision. Blood all he could see. Her face was blank, her eyes dead. And then she smiled, an ugly, twisted smile, her teeth blindingly white against the red. She laughed as he screamed.
Insane.
Falling.
So much blood.
Toshi woke up with a start, his lungs heaving with his quick breaths. He could not remember what he was dreaming about, but he knew he had been dreaming. The same dread that his twin had felt smothered his insides. Calm down, he pressed his eyes tightly together. It was just a dream. You're okay. Readjusting the blanket to cover up Tsuna, Toshi laid his head against the pillow and fell back asleep. When he woke up later that morning, he would not be able to remember the sickening feeling in his gut or that he even had a dream at all.
Tsuna opened his eyes after Toshi's breathing returned to the deep, rhythmic breaths of slumber. It was a good thing his twin woke up when he did, Tsuna was just about to wake him from his nightmare. Turning back over, Tsuna placed a hand on Toshi's back. He didn't think he was going to get much sleep that night.
Tsuna didn't know he had fallen back asleep until he was abruptly woken up by his father. Singing happy birthday. Loudly. And so very off-key that it was physically painful.
"Shut up." Tsuna groaned, surprised that his mouth was working. He was not a morning person.
"How adorable, my little Tsu-fish and my little To-fish sleeping together in the same bed!" Iemitsu grinned, knowing that it would annoy his son. "I should get a camera."
As he did every morning Iemitsu woke him up, Tsuna sent his dad a look that reminded him of the expression 'if looks could kill'. Toshi woke up and yawned, stretching out his arms. "Good morning, daddy." He said with a sleepy smile.
The reaction from his sons was so very different that Iemitsu had to walk out of the room to avoid laughing. Tsuna would not appreciate that.
Toshi poked Tsuna, who had buried his face back into his pillow. "Happy birthday, nii-chan."
Tsuna grunted but did not move.
"Come on, let's go eat breakfast. I'm hungry." Toshi poked Tsuna again.
His brother grumbled something that faintly sounded like "Go away."
Sighing, Toshi popped his fingers as he stretched out with arms. And with a mighty shove, he pushed Tsuna off the bed, covers and all. The brown haired twin tumbled to the floor with a shout, giving Toshi a dirty glare as he laid on the ground.
"Want to go get breakfast?" Toshi asked again.
Tsuna moaned and turned over. Ten minutes later (and many prods, pokes, and arguments), the two were shuffling downstairs to eat. Nana had laid out a large breakfast full of Toshi's favorite food on the table, but she was nowhere to be seen. Iemitsu was already eating, and nodded his greeting as they sat down. Nana appeared minutes later when their mouths were stuffed full of food.
"I just called your teacher to let him know that you'll be missing school today." Nana informed Toshi in the same happy fake voice she used yesterday. "I got tickets for the movie. It starts in an hour, so hurry up and get ready."
Toshi noticed Tsuna's eyes followed Nana around as she moved. Strange, he wouldn't even look at her yesterday. After eating, the twins raced upstairs and got dressed.
"There's going to be a lot of explosions." Toshi was explaining to Tsuna what the robot movie was about. "Which is really the best part of the entire movie. Have you not ever seen an action movie before?"
"I have." Tsuna said uncertainly. "But never in a movie theater. I've only been to the apartment dad and I live in, Hayato's house, Xaxus's house, and the occasional restaurant. Oh, and the Vongola mansion."
"Vongola?" Toshi raised his eyebrows.
Tsuna avoided his eyes and began to hastily brush his teeth.
Deciding to ignore that, Toshi continued. "Well, it's better to go see it in a movie theater. Cause the screen's so big and everything is surreal. I learned that word the other day in school."
Iemitsu poked his head into the bathroom. "All done? It's time to go."
Tsuna spat out the toothpaste. "Yeah, I'm done. Ready, Toshi?"
The blond grinned. "Always."
The twins walked out of the house side by side and toward the movie theater. It was a ten minute walk from Toshi's house. Iemitsu lingered a moment as Nana locked up.
"Don't try anything." He said to Nana's back. "I don't trust you, and I will be watching."
Nana said nothing. She was going to keep Iemitsu when she got rid of that creature, but he had done something so completely unforgivable. He had stopped loving her while she still loved him. And for that, he deserved to die along with the abomination.
She closed her eyes. The movie started at ten. They would get out of the movie theater close to noon. She would then convince them to walk to a nearby restaurant for lunch. On the way there, she would send Toshi into a nearby convenience store to buy her a drink.
Everything would go according to plan.
Nana was forced to watch her blond son walk and laugh with the brown haired monster as they walked to the movie theater. The sight made her skin tingle and her lips curl up with disgust. She would teach him the meaning of evil soon. Once there, she handed Iemitsu his ticket and gave two tickets to Toshi. She would not touch him. She would not look at him. He did not exist. Soon he would not exist.
She sat down in the furthest seat away from the creature as she possibly could. Dimly she was aware of the many explosions and her son's quiet, excited gasps as the movie played. She stared at the screen, not seeing a thing. All she could think about was the plan. She would destroy what destroyed her future. She would take back control of her life. She could always marry another blond haired man, but she had rid herself of the one sitting next to her first. She would prove her father wrong.
The movie was over before she realized, and they were walking back out outside. Steeling her nerves, Nana checked her watch. Just a little after noon. Time to implement the second half of the plan. "Are you guys hungry?" Nana asked pleasantly, looking at her son. "I was thinking about getting lunch at your favorite restaurant, To-kun."
Toshi's face lit up. "Oh can we, can we please?" He asked. But instead of her, he asked Iemitsu. Her stomach flipped and the sensation of cascading water slipped down her spine. How dare he? She was his parent, not him.
"Why not?" Iemitsu shrugged, his eyes on Nana. She narrowed hers to slits and glared right back.
"Come on Tsuna-nii!" Toshi grabbed his twin's hand and began to pull him along. "I'll show you the way."
Tsuna set off reluctantly, making sure they were going slow enough to stick with his dad and Nana. He had to be there when the bad thing happened, he needed to protect Nana for Toshi. The grim sensation had moved up to the base of his throat, threatening to choke him. He had hardly seen the movie, so strong was the feeling. He was drowning in it, drowning just like Massimo. Waves of emotion tugging him to and fro. He was going to get pulled apart. He was going to drown in it.
But he held his head up over the water. He would not sink, Toshi needed him.
The streets of Japan were busy, just like the streets of Italy. But the sight and the smell were completely different. Italy smelt of pizza and harsh spices and cheese. You could walk down a street and smell a new scent at every corner. Japan smelt of spicier and softer spices. Tsuna loved both countries, he decided. But what he loved even more than that was being with his family. Wherever his dad and his twin were, that was home for him.
Cars of all sizes zipped along the streets. Toshi and Tsuna walked down a road with a river on one side, and shops on the other. Toshi was telling him about his favorite restaurant, but Tsuna was only half listening. The river on the other side of the street was beautiful, but the peaceful sight didn't alleviate his dread. It pounded against his throat, repeating the words bad, dread, death in a terrible rhythm.
"To-kun!" Nana called from behind him. "Can you go buy me a drink?"
"Sure," Toshi answered immediately. "What do you want?"
They stopped as Nana and Iemitsu caught up with them. Nana passed Toshi some cash. "Ice tea, if they have it. If not, get me something else."
Toshi pocketed the money and turned to Tsuna. "Wanna come."
Tsuna eyed Nana. "No," He said softly. "I'll stay out here."
Toshi shrugged and walked into the nearest convenience store. He nodded to the cashier and headed towards the refrigerated drinks section. There were many different brands of ice tea in any flavor that could be imagined. Frowning, Toshi stared at them. Which one would his mother like? What flavor did she prefer? Something fruity, or something more mellow?
Giving up, Toshi counted the money given to him. It wasn't much, didn't his mother know that ice tea cost more than regular water? He chose the cheapest drink in his price range and took it to the cashier.
"Anything else I can help you with?" The female cashier asked with a smile. Toshi reflexively smiled back.
"No thanks, I've got everything I need today." Toshi counted the money and handed her the appropriate amount.
Outside, the tension surrounding the three people was strong enough that strangers noticed and stayed well away from them. Iemitsu had his hands folded and was looking resolutely away from Nana. Tsuna had one hand gripped around his dad's pants, and he was staring at Nana with narrowed eyes. Nana shuddered and looked at her watch again. Soon.
Iemitsu's pocket buzzed.
"Hello?" Iemitsu answered his phone.
"I've found you a lawyer." Nono's curt voice came out of the other line. "She's one of of the best lawyers I have ever seen, and she so happened to owe Xanxus a favor. She's going to take your case and help you get Toshihide."
Iemitsu grinned. "Thanks, Tsuna and Toshi will be so excited."
"See you when you get back." Nono hung up.
"What was that about?" Tsuna asked curiously.
"I'll tell you when Toshi gets back out." Iemitsu answered with a mysterious smile. Nana was going to loathe him after this.
Nana checked her watch again. Any second now, her limbs thrummed with anticipation. Seconds later, she heard a deep rumble. Looking down the road, she saw a large semi truck charging down the tarmac. She had checked the company's schedule over and over again until she had memorized the truck's route and times. It had just dropped off a delivery and was heading back to the factory.
Turning to her ex-husband and the creature, Nana took in a deep breath. "Tsunayoshi." The word burned in her mouth like acid. Wrong, so wrong. Evil should not have a name, evil should not exist. Evil should not be recognized by her. But she must, she had to.
Tsuna and Iemitsu froze and looked at her. The monsters eyes were wide open, staring at her with fear.
Fear me. A voice in the back of Nana's mind gloated in triumph. Scum of the earth, fear me. I am the darkness. The truck would be passing by any moment now, inches away from where they were standing.
She had waited seven long years for this moment. But it was worth the wait, it was worth the pain. Her father would be rolling in his grave, knowing that she had beaten him. She had taken her life into her own two hand to manipulate and fix. She was going to make everything better, she was going to rectify her mistakes.
Evil had eyes just like her own and hair like her father's. She could look at him now. She could see every line in his face, the face that look just like her son's. Nana would fix that too. She only had one son, but now she would make that permanent. Staring into those brown eyes, Nana could see everything. She could see the pain, she could see the hurt. She could see the invisible wall he had built between him and the word.
And how she hated him.
She could see the truck now. Bye bye, Tsunayoshi.
"Die." She snarled and shoved with everything she had. The shocked look on his face was priceless as he stumbled backwards and fell.
Just like she predicted, Iemitsu immediately twisted to grab the abomination. He stepped off the sidewalk, hand vainly stretched out to save his son. The truck was coming too fast, it could not stop. She had timed everything perfectly.
Sawada Toshihide walked out of the convenience store just in time to see the truck slam into the falling bodies of his twin brother and father.
The can of ice tea fell to the ground and shattered.
Eyanami - Of course I'm going to write Xanxus' and Hayato's responses to Tsuna's death. All the angst makes me excited!
Bleach-ed-Na-tsu - Hi-ya, birthday buddy!
Ghostunderasheet - I'm glad that I answered some of your questions. Sorry I couldn't do anything about Mukuro. I've had this plot planned out for ages, and I didn't Incorporated that, and to change the plot now would seriously mess things up. I wish I had thought of saving Mukuro, though!
27 - I hope I accurately portrayed Takeshi's feelings towards both of the twins in this chapter. I wasn't going to include him until I read your review, and I thought it would be good to explain the difference between the twins.
Zivyx - I think that Tsuna is going to Japan for some reason...
Lilinanade - Thanks for your birthday wish!
yumeniai - Thanks for your birthday wish!
Harmonic Bunny - Thanks for your amazingly early birthday wish!
booklover1209 - It's an author's goal to make their readers cry.
ShadowSnowdapple - Thanks for the birthday wish!