CGP: Hello there, peoplez! I'm back for this story!
Strike: Nyah~, you got that right! This chapter'll focus on Ashley Kaldwell, Lynn's sister! After all, all of Tsuna's guardians need an introduction so the viewers/readers understand who they are! Even though Chrome didn't have one...
CGP: And last chapter it was Hibari! So now it's Ashley's turn!
Strike: Coldgaze doesn't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, only her OCs. On with the story!
The Enigmatic Wolf
Chapter 10
Lynn's POV
Walking alone to her class, the small brunette hugged her books to her chest, her different shaded following the ground as she walked. It was rare to see her walking alone because her scary older sister was like her guardian angel, protecting her from all the bullies that tormented little kids like her. Many thought she was an albino because of her skin and the way she avoided the sunlight so much. But didn't albinos have white hair and red eyes? The young girl didn't know.
A small, serene smile lifted her lips when her eyes caught what was on her wrist. It was a gift from her dad who rarely came home ever since her family ran out of money. It was a simple beaded bracelet with a heart charm. On that heart charm, the words written in cursive were "I love you". Although it was plain it meant a lot to her since her father wasn't around much.
Lynn stopped in her tracts when she heard annoying clicks that echoed through the silent hallway and loud smacks that sounded disgusting to her. The sources of the sounds came around the corner with a sassy look on their faces.
"Aw, look! Poor Lynn's all alone… Where's your sister? Did she leave you already because of your albino traits?" the one in the middle tested, smirking cockily while smacking her gum in her mouth. It was the three very sassy girly-girls that were supposed to be in the seventh grade already, but they were too dumb to pass fifth grade twice. They always wore too much make-up and too high heels (Lynn always wondered how the hell they could stand up in those). In class they were always texting in class and making smart comments toward the teachers for no reason at all.
She didn't answer, going to brush past the girls, but the one on the right quickly snatched her forearm and dug her long fingernails into the brunette's skin in order for her to stop. And that she did.
A soft growl came from the fifth grader's throat on accident, sounding cat-like and odd to the other girls. The girl holding her arm let go in surprise and disgust as if she had just touched some sort of diseased beast. "What the hell? Are you some sort of albino animal!?" Turning to her stuck up friends, the girl exclaimed, "She just growled! What the hell is with this girl?"
Smacking her lips together, Katie, the leader of her posse, ignored what her companion said and stared at the bracelet. Her eyes narrowed and she hissed with a disgusted look. "What the hell is that? A bracelet? What kind of piece of shit is that?" She reached out to snag it but Lynn stepped away, holding her arm to her chest protectively.
"D-don't touch it!" Lynn shouted, trying to sound defiant but failing miserably.
Katie retracted her hand slightly and smirked proudly, her hand shooting out again. "It seems precious to you, that piece of crap." she stated and successfully caught it before the girl could back away again. With a swift tug the thin wire easily snapped and the beads, including the charm, clattered to the ground.
Eyes wide with horror Lynn watched the beads scatter and roll around. Dropping to her knees she tried gathering them but as soon as she hit the ground, the girls slammed their high heels into her face to stop her. Katie was the only one not doing that. Instead, she was glaring down at the 'albino' with a scowl. "You're so weak. Such a helpless girl. You depend on your sister so much that you're too weak to stand up to anyone." Leaning down to snatch her hair roughly, the blonde brought the girl's head up to face her. Her face was scuffed up and her left eye was closed. "You're weird and weak. You have two different eye shades. Your skin is paler than copy paper. Your fashion choice is horrid. Anyone would run away at the sight of merely your face."
"Tch. Then how come you haven't?"
Freezing at the new voice, the bullies slowly turned their heads to see who said that with a frightened expression. They knew that voice. They knew how pissed she would be. They knew, but they still did it. And it was time for them to pay.
"Ashley…" a voice croaked from behind the blonde and her posse. There was a weak smile on Lynn's lips.
Swords drawn out, Ashley looked livid and absolutely scary with a very dark aura flowing around her. Her eyes were just narrowed, green-blue slits of pure rage. Her deadly twin swords dragged across the floor and sparks followed it because of the friction. To put it short, she was pissed beyond belief.
A very sinister smile curled up on her face and she drawled, "Why don't you leave her alone right now before I slash you to tiny pieces? This is her older sister speaking. I think you all know who I am, and I think you all fear me. After all, I am Ashley Kaldwell."
After taking one glance at her very frightening grin, the girls shrieked and ran away stumbling over their heels. It suddenly dawned them that the shoes they wore were a little too high for their liking. Why were they wearing them again? The thought ran away from them as they ran away from the brunette.
The scary atmosphere instantly faded when the bullies were out of sight, and Ashley sheathed her blades. Walking calmly to her younger sibling, she offered her hand and Lynn gratefully took it, beaming thankfully despite the stinging pain on her face. Ashley sighed, shaking her head with a smile, placing a hand atop of her head. "Let's get you to the nurse's office."
"…and that's how I never got bullied ever again." Lynn concluded to her audience which was only Tsuna. She was on her back on her bed in her house while the male was on her floor, staring at her and listening to her story. Lynn had changed to a loose tank top and some house shorts while Tsuna was still in his uniform.
Tsuna had to admit, that was a pretty interesting story. He was very amazed at what siblings could really do. And to think he thought all they did was squabble all the time! But there was something that kept him from aweing at how cool it sounded. Lynn's look, when she told the story, turned distant and sullen. The light seemed to die out of her eyes as she spoke. It frightened him, mainly because he never seen such a look before, let alone it on her face which was usually bright and cheerful.
Suddenly she jolted up and smiled at him. It was an apologetic smile, he figured, when she said, "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to go on about my life. I was supposed to be learning how to write in Japanese, and instead I was talking about my life. Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize!" Tsuna stammered. "It's fine, really!"
Ashley, who was sitting on the chair in the corner of her room, sipped her soda calmly. What she did next, however, wasn't calm. Springing up from her seat she smiled a cat-like grin and squeaked, "Anime made me have that very scary aura!" Before she could utter another word, a book, probably as thick as Harry Potter books combined, slammed into her skull causing her to topple backwards.
Tsuna flinched, not used to this, and looked at who threw it. And promptly shrieked.
A dark aura was surrounding the usually cheerful and optimistic girl as she was glaring at her sibling. It seemed very frightening, especially since there was a stack of huge books right beside her and the surprising amount of force she threw at Ashley. "No one cares about your damn anime rants!"
"But I wasn't going to rant!" Ashley complained, sitting up with a pout. "I was just stating that anime made me have that scary aura! See, look at you! You have it too!"
"I know I have it because you piss me off! You know what, get out of my room!"
"But- but-"
"No buts! Out!"
"Hehe, you said buts."
"OUT!"
With that, Lynn chucked another monstrous sized book at her sister making the older sibling flee out of terror. Tsuna sweat dropped. The door opened suddenly after Ashley had slammed it and said female's head popped in with a devious smile. "Have fun on your study date!" Before Lynn could throw another book, she closed the door and ran off laughing her ass off.
Face steaming a bright red, the brunette huffed and muttered a few curse words directed to her childish sister. She was brought out of that when she heard a stuttering voice.
"U-uh, Lynn? What was that all about?" Tsuna squeaked, his own cheeks tinged pink after what his neighbor's sister said.
Blinking, Lynn looked at him for a very long moment, contemplating her words. When she spoke, her voice was dead calm. "My sister is a total enigma, even in the family. She is usually locked up in her room watching anime or reading manga. I know, it sounds like a totally different person from my story and at school, and that's what adds a lot of mystery about her."
"She's into anime and manga?" Tsuna inquired. He saw no resemblance in the two sisters, personality or appearance. How could they be related?
Lynn nodded, stretching out and laying on her stomach. That serious, almost melancholic look was back on her face. Something inside of Tsuna clicked without warning, and he was surprised to feel all of these new emotions flowing into him. It was that melancholy feeling, but it was mixed with remorse and helplessness. Why was he suddenly feeling this?
"Before we went to Japan, Ashley was a major fan of anime and such. Whenever we went to the library, she would disappear from the group and go to the manga section to look for some to check out. Whenever she had free time, she would watch anime. She would bug me to watch this anime and that anime, but I just settled on a few that she had the least interest on; just so she wouldn't bug me about the ones she loved. It was like her life was centered on anime.
"But then came school. Watching anime affected her grades drastically, making it drop down to the D's and F's area. Julia fussed about that to her, and paid no mind to me since I was an all A student. The reasons her grades were dropping were because she wasn't doing her homework and she was too focused on anime she failed tests and quizzes that were supposed to be easy. I felt sorry for her, but it was her fault. One day, Julia took away any access to anime she had. Ashley was distraught but still did her homework and studied for her tests and quizzes. Eventually, she got to watch anime again."
Pausing to let Tsuna soak in the information, the female rested her head on her folded arms in front of her and closed her eyes. Her feet that were propped up by the headboard lifted up and began swinging in a childish way.
"What I've learned about anime watchers is that they always had some sort of motivation to watch anime. Usually it was because they had a hard life and anime cheered them up. So that meant Ashley had a hard life and started watching anime. It took me a hard to find out what that was, and even now I regret my curiosity. Turns out, she was…" Feeling the shudder run down her spine, she swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking again. "…raped by a pedophile when she was only 7 years old. She hid it very well, but I noticed it when she was getting out the shower. I've never been so horrified in my entire life."
Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, a small smile formed and she sat up, throwing her legs off the edge of her bed and standing up. She brushed past him, placing a hand on his unruly hair like a comforting pat. "You can go home now. I think you've heard enough for today. Come back tomorrow since it's a weekend and we'll continue what we left off today. And by that, I mean you showing me how to write in Japanese." And with that, she left.
Tsuna's POV
When she softly shut the door behind her, Tsuna blinked at the shut door. Something clicked in his mind as he began packing up, and he paused to look back at the door. There was something that displayed what made those two related. And he finally figured it out.
Ashley Kaldwell and Lynn Kaldwell were both very confusing enigmas.
CGP: And that wraps it all up! I know, not much action in this, but lots of character background. I feel kinda iffy about this so would my dear readers please tell me if they like it or not? I would like that. ^.^
