Chapter thirteen – You and I may not be that different after all
Disclaimer: I only own the loopy plot, everything else belongs to the original creator.
Warnings: Anime logic ahead, please do not expect any 'real' facts (for example, how to move an unconscious body) in this story because you're going to be disappointed. I tried to make this as realistic as I could, but there were bound to be some discrepancies.
Reader Discretion is advised.
"There is some kind of a sweet innocence in being human- in not having to be just happy or just sad- in the nature of being able to be both broken and whole, at the same time."
― C. JoyBell C.
Ripping the gloves off his already unsteady hands, he reached out to Ryo's unmoving body that was sprawled across the asphalt. His limbs were stretched out in odd angles, with his head pillowed to the side on a patch of blood soaked snow. With his knobbly knees, he knelt and tentatively placed a sweaty palm on the man's back. "Ryo-san" he hoarsely whispered, hoping to rouse the man, while glancing at Matsumoto's apartment. They couldn't afford to stay here, he thought to himself. Trying but struggling to remain calm at their current situation, he began to think about ways in which he could get them out of the street and into Ryo's van. As he moved to push Ryo on his back, a hand swiftly whipped out and tightly grabbed him.
He flinched as unforgiving fingers latched onto the bone of his elbow. He fingered the butter knife in his pocket, as he turned.
Tsuna's eyes widened as he didn't meet the visage of Matsumoto, rather a masked boy that seemed to loom over him. Tsuna tried not to panic, as he looked up at the scary white ceramic mask of a clown's frowning face. Tsuna shivered as a hive of goose bumps broke out against his skin as the boy eerily continued to stare down at him. As the dim light from the lamppost flickered, the red paint that lined the mouth of the mask, matched the blood that stickily stained Tsuna's hands.
The mysterious masked boy tilted his head to the right, his eyes pierced through the bravado of the kneeling ten year old. He could see the fear edging its way in those wide brown doe like eyes, could see the adrenaline pumping through his taunt body as he tried to understand whether or not he was an enemy or not. Careless, but certainly not clueless, he smirked to himself.
"LeAvE" the boy harshly grunted as he pulled away from Tsuna. Lips trembling from the cold and the blood on his hands, Tsuna frowned.
"Are you part of this?" Tsuna asked, his hands reaching for the blunt knife in his pocket. The masked boy ignored him, and dug into Ryo's pants for his keys. Without another word, he opened the backdoor of the van and turned to Tsuna. "What are you doing? Who are you?" he questioned, but the masked boy continued to disregard the tiny ten year old.
Tsuna silently watched as the mask boy rolled Ryo on his back and he couldn't help but wince at the condition of the older man's face. His right eye had been swollen to the size of a baseball, with the added colour of an aubergine. Tsuna watched as the boy dragged Ryo by his legs towards the van, wincing at the sprinkle of yellow snow left in the man's wake.
"GrAb HiM" the boy grumbled and Tsuna flew to his feet, ready to do as he was told. He knew for sure that he couldn't trust anyone, especially someone like this boy, but he had no choice to follow his instructions at the moment, seeing as he was actually helping him. He grabbed Ryo by the feet, while the boy pulled Ryo by his shoulders. Tsuna felt the pull of his muscles, as they struggled to push Ryo into the van. "GeT iN" the boy said as he slammed the doors shut, once they managed to get the man to lay in an undignified heap in the back of his vehicle.
"Are you going to drive?" Tsuna asked and the boy seemed to roll his eyes as he walked to the front of the van, with the keys in his hands. Figuring that he had no other choice once more, Tsuna buckled himself up front seat as the boy shoved the key in the ignition. "Do you even know how to drive?" he whispered, and the boy turned to him, as he pulled off.
"No" he laughed and Tsuna's eyes turned as wide as a saucer's as he gripped onto the seatbelt for dear life.
Once they were out of the neighbourhood, Tsuna finally managed to look at the person sitting across from him. He could hear Ryo groaning in the back, no doubt in pain but ignored him for the moment. "What's your name?" he asked but the boy, who was surprisingly a better driver than he let on, hummed. When he didn't answer, he continued "Why are you helping me?"
"NaO" he whispered and pulled at the side of the street. Tsuna frowned as he shut off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt. He hadn't spoken a word since they got in the van, flat out refusing to answer any of the many questions Tsuna directed at him. "My NaMe" he gargled out and pointed at himself so that Tsuna could understand.
"Tsunayoshi" he bowed his head and Nao seemed to freeze for a moment at the gesture. "Nice to meet you" he added and Nao remained completely still, content on staring at Tsuna. He was searching for something, Tsuna realized but whatever it was, he didn't seem to find it and the tension running through his body, bled out for a while as he hopped out of the vehicle. "Wait!" he shouted as he scrambled out the van, and ran after him. "Thank you" he whispered and Nao turned around, so he watch him once more. "I…Thank you for saving me, for getting me out of there" he said and bowed so low, his nose would've touched his knees if he went any lower. He felt fingers on the meat of his arms and he was forced to look at Nao once more.
"EnOuGh" he grumbled, shaking his head and taking a step backwards from Tsuna. He may not have seen his face so far, but from the light twitching of his fingers that were held by his side, Tsuna could tell that he was nervous.
"Who are you?" Tsuna dared to ask and for a moment, he thought that the masked boy wouldn't reply, he heard the grating word, murmured with a vulnerable softness. Tsuna blinked and the masked boy released a frustrated mumble.
"AlLy" the masked boy repeated before he fled away into the darkness of the night, leaving a baffled Tsuna in the middle of the street.
Once Ryo was awake, despite the pain, the man he was currently in, he repeatedly refused Tsuna's suggestion of going to a hospital, so instead Tsuna had no choice but to help Ryo with dressing the bandages around his chest, helped apply anti-septic on his face and helped to set Ryo's nose back in place. "I told you, didn't I? I'm not a fighter" Ryo joked and Tsuna snorted as he wiped away the blood from his hands.
"Oh, yeah. Here" Tsuna said as he got out the box for Ryo. He watched as the man's face slackened with relief and love. Such strange emotions for just one box. "What is in it?" he asked as Ryo kissed it?
"Sorry, kid. I ain't going to show you what's inside" Ryo smirked as he buttoned up his shirt.
"It has to be something worthy, seeing as you nearly got yourself killed for it" Tsuna said as he sat down on the passenger's seat once more.
"It's worth my own life" Ryo said as he placed his seat belt back on. "Ugh, look at my face now. It looks like I was run over by my own fucking van" he muttered and Tsuna tried not to smirk. With clumsy hands, he placed his shirt and coat back on, before pulling his seat belt on.
Tsuna leaned against the door, watching as cars zoomed past them. Now that he wasn't taking pictures of frog men and princesses or even stealing mysterious boxes from angry ogre looking men, he felt home sick. Right now, he could have been cuddled under his blanket, reading his favourite manga or even sipping on his Mama's infamous tea. "You missing home, kid?" Ryo asked as he steered the van back into the street
"A little" Tsuna said as he stared at his own reflection. Did his father even know that he left home to go live with his grandfather? Would he even care?
"Sounds like a lot to me" Ryo off-handily commented as he clicked his tongue. The sounds of the wipers and the low foreign music filled the silence. "You know, I left my home too when I was your age. Worst experience of my life" he added.
"Did you ever go back?" Tsuna asked and Ryo released a soft, strangled groan of surprise.
"I left Italia (Italy) when I was nine years old, after my mamma (mom) died and since then, I've never returned" Ryo said with a sigh though he kept his eyes fixated on the road.
"Is your father Japanese?" Tsuna asked as he turned to Ryo who nodded. "So you moved here with your dad" he confirmed and Ryo smirked.
"Yeah, I did. My father was a real bastard you know" Ryo said and Tsuna made note of the 'was'.
"I know the feeling" Tsuna said and Ryo arched an eyebrow but Tsuna turned to the window once more.
"Is that why you're running away from home?" Ryo asked and Tsuna frowned. "Come on, there has to be a reason why you're so desperate to get to Yokkaichi. Desperate enough to get into a stranger's van and make a 'trade'. Desperate enough for you to create connections in the underground world" he added.
"Yeah, well it's complicated" Tsuna said and Ryo laughed. "What's so funny?" he asked.
"It's just strange for a ten year old kid like you to be rattling off about complications in life. It's funny because I can see myself in your shoes when I was your age" Ryo said. Tsuna hummed but didn't say anything. "So, was I right? You running away from home?" he asked again.
"No, it's more like trying to get there" Tsuna said and Ryo released a 'huh'. "Ryo-san, do you ever miss it? Your home?" he asked and it was Ryo's turn to frown as his grip on the steering wheel grew tighter.
"Every day" Ryo whispered and nodded at the snow covered road. "Every fucking day" he repeated and Tsuna closed his eyes, his own grief overwhelming him. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll wake you up when we get there" he said with a smile. Tsuna nodded and with that, fell asleep.
When he woke up, Ryo was looking at him with an amused smirk on his face. Tsuna wiped the sleep from his eyes, loudly yawned and sat up, looking out the window. They had stopped moving, and they seemed to be in…. "Yokkaichi. We made it" Ryo said and Tsuna's eyes widened.
"How long was I asleep?" Tsuna asked as he clicked the seat belt off. He looked down at his watch and saw that it was around 1:00 am*.
"If you want to get to Iga, you're going to need money but seeing as you're broke…you're going to have to rely on another Underground connection to help you out" Ryo said as he took out a black business card from his pocket. Tsuna looked at the card and saw the words 'Busty Babes' written in pink. He had to stifle the blush that threatened to appear on his cheeks.
"A friend of mine works in that 'soap land'*, as they like to call it. Her name is Rinko-chan. She will be able to help you get some cash" Ryo said and Tsuna frowned. "What?" he asked.
"I'm not going to have to do anything…..sexual am I?" Tsuna whispered, his face hot as he uttered the words. Ryo blinked as he stared at him before laughing. "Shut up, it's not funny" he muttered.
"Sorry….I forgot that you're a little kid still" Ryo said as he ruffled his hair. "And no, Rinko-chan isn't like that. It's not going to be anything too illegal" he told him and Tsuna opened the door.
"I hope not" Tsuna sighed and bowed as he got out of the van. "Thank you for all your help, Ryo-san" he said with a smile.
"I've got to say, you're one strong kid" Ryo said, a fondness tugging in his voice. "Be safe and good luck" Ryo said, taking out a stick of gum from the pack he had on his dashboard before offering it to him. Tsuna thanked him and Ryo smiled.
"You too, Ryo-san" Tsuna said and closed the door, saying goodbye to the man with a fond smile of his own. He hoped that someday, just like with Jin or even Big Aoi, he could get to see Ryo again. With the card in his hand, he looked at the directions and decided that it was time to get moving. He had to make it to Iga by six pm.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" the bouncer asked as soon as he walked up to the 'soap land'. It was located in a seedy part of town and even though it was minutes to 1:30 am, there were a lot of people roaming the streets still.
"I'm looking for a Rinko-chan" Tsuna said and the bouncer, who was exactly as the movies portrayed him (bulging muscles, surly expression) looked down at him. "Ryo-san sent me" he added with a nervous grin.
"I think you should go home to your okaa-san, boyo" the bouncer said crossing his arms on his chest with a firm frown.
"But I need to see Rinko-chan! She's the only one that can get me to Iga!" Tsuna said as the man shook his head.
"You need to leave" the man said, giving Tsuna a little push. "This is no place for a kid like you" he added.
"You don't understand, I have to get to Iga" Tsuna said, placing his foot down (and not metaphorically that time). The man, when he saw the stubborn look on Tsuna's face, picked him up with little ease and heaved him on his shoulder. "Rinko-chan! Rinko-chan! Rinko-chan! Please, Ryo-san sent me!" Tsuna shouted as the man carried him away from the building. He kicked and screamed but the man continued to transport him to the main street, when a young woman ran out to meet them.
"Wait!" the ginger haired woman shouted as she ran on rather high heels. She clutched the front of her jacket close as she struggled to catch up to them. The bouncer turned to her, clearly surprised. "He's telling the truth" she said, huffing and puffing, the little run had apparently tired her out.
"Humph. Okay" the bouncer said and placed him down. Tsuna thanked the man who only growled before returning to his post. He turned around and bowed at Rinko.
"You must be Tsuna" Rinko smiled at him when he straightened himself. He took in her nice round eyes, her heart shaped face and gentle smile. She oddly reminded him of an aged up Cardcaptor Sakura but with different hair. He could imagine her with frilly clothes and a wand...which made stars grow in his eyes.
"Um…yeah I am" Tsuna said when she waved her hand in his face after he stopped listening or speaking to her. "Ryo-san said you would be able to help me" he quickly added.
"You need money" the girl, who was maybe around twenty five said and he nodded. "I think I can help. Go to the Love Shine Café, it's right on the main street corner. Order something warm for yourself. I'll be there in about ten minutes" she said, handing him a bit of money. He nodded and with another smile, she walked back to where she came from, leaving Tsuna to find the café that was named, Love Shine.
"Hot cocoa" Rinko cheerily said as she approached him. Tsuna who was blowing on his cup of cocoa nodded as she sat down. She was dressed in a blue dress, fluffy brown coat, high boots with her hair pulled in a ponytail, a few bangs falling over her face.
"When Ryo-kun told me that he was sending someone to help me out, I didn't think you would be this young" she said politely as she sat down. Tsuna shrugged and she chuckled. "What is your name?" she asked because she knew 'Tsuna' couldn't be his entire name.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi" Tsuna replied and he watched as she placed her chin on her open palm as she openly studied him.
"If you don't mind me asking, but why are you so desperate to get to Iga, Tsunayoshi-kun?" she asked and ordered an expresso for herself when the waiter came over.
"To get to my grandfather" was all he offered. She could see that he held his secrets close to his heart (for good reasons too) and she accepted that. Quite easily too.
"Fair enough. So let's get down to business" she said as she clasped her hands together. "You need money, right?" she asked and he nodded. "Well, if you want to earn some yen, you're going to deliver this package for me" she told him as she placed the large blue, shiny gift bag that she entered with, on the table. Tsuna looked at it with an arched eyebrow but left it as is.
"Who is it for?" Tsuna asked as he placed his cup on the table. Rinko took out her wallet from her purse and showed it to him. It was a picture of a boy, around Teruko's age with Rinko's hair.
"My son" Rinko said and Tsuna' eyes widened. "He lives with his dad and step mother. And since they don't really want me around him, I have to find a way to get this to him" she said as she gave the bag a little pat. "It's his birthday today after all" Rinko sniffed as she wiped away the tears. "I need to give him a gift at least" she whispered.
"Where do I have to deliver it?" Tsuna asked and Rinko flipped the photo to show him the messily scribbled address of the house, the boy no doubt lived in. "I'll get it to him" he added and Rinko smiled through her tears.
"I know it's probably strange for me to rely on someone so young, but you're my only change to get that gift to Yuiji-kun" she said as she hastily wiped her face.
"You must really love your son" Tsuna said and Rinko looked up at him. "Because you're doing all of this, just so you can get that gift to him" he extended his comment with a dust of pink on his cheeks when she sent a fondly inquisitive stare his way.
"I'm just a mother" Rinko gently said as the waiter came back with her order. She smiled her thanks and refocused on Tsuna. "And I can tell that you're a Mama's boy yourself" she added.
"I was" Tsuna admitted and Rinko rubbed his hand just as his mother would do when she tried to comfort him.
"You miss her" Rinko said and Tsuna nodded. "That's good, I suppose" Rinko said and Tsuna looked at her. "That's how you know you love her" she sighed as she longingly looked out the window.
"Do you always love like that?" Tsuna asked before he could stop himself. When he finally understood what he had said, he slapped his hands over his mouth. Rinko on the other hand, was just surprised at such a mature question. Not even grown men could throw such a question her way yet, she wasn't offended. She was only amused and mildly impressed.
"Always" Rinko coyly said as she sipped on her expresso. "My love is the love that leaves" she leaned forward so that only he could hear. "My love is the one that aches, that hurts. My love is only paid and not freely earned" she said with a bittersweet smile on her face.
"Beautiful" Tsuna said and he could see that the older woman was embarrassed at his praise. "Did… did you come up with that on your own?" he asked.
"It was something I thought about when I was at work" Rinko disclosed as she nestled her cup in her hands. "I always wanted to be a writer" she mumbled.
"That's cool!" Tsuna said and when she looked up, she could see the awe ingrained in his eyes. "I love to read, and I write a little myself. I always thought about becoming a writer too" he confessed as he awkwardly chuckled.
"Well, I hope that at least one of us, gets to accomplish our dreams" Rinko said and Tsuna frowned.
"It's not too late, you know" Tsuna said and Rinko shook her head. "Your job doesn't make you who you are or what you're capable of" he rattled off and Rinko could see the tears falling from her face.
Who the hell was this kid? How could he of all persons tell her the words she always yearned-no needed to hear from another human being? Why did the conviction in his voice so easily honest, sway her own self demeaning thoughts about herself? Where did this kid come from? What kind of upbringing did he hail from, that it was okay to not only work for a borderline prostitute but also to care for her?
"Besides, from what I heard, you're really good. If you wrote a book, I would read it and I think that is what matters" Tsuna said as he finished his hot cocoa.
"Thank you" Rinko whispered and Tsuna looked away as she wiped her face. "Hey, why don't we get out of here?" she asked as she got up, tucking the package under her arm. "You have a long wait before you can make it to Yuiji-kun, so why don't we get you something to eat?" she offered as she held her hand out to him.
"Don't you have work to get back to?" Tsuna nervously asked, as he looked at the street where her workplace was hidden in.
"I was ready to leave for the morning. It's fine" Rinko assured him and he hesitantly took her hand. She smiled at him. "This is going to be fun! I always wanted a little brother" she chirped and he couldn't help the grin on his face as they rushed out of the café, giddy as they walked down the street, listening as she started to sing off-key to her so-called favourite song.
He couldn't help but think that she seemed so young and innocent back then. That despite her profession both legal and illegal, she reminded him of an older Kyoko instead of Cardcaptor Sakura now that he knew her a little.
And sometimes, when he looked back on that certain moment, he would always come to regret not saving her.
After all…..that had been such a long time since she was granted her freedom and it would be her last.
*According to Google (because you know, I've never been to Japan YET \O/) from Chita-Handa Station to Yokkaichi via train is 1 hr and 30 mins (approximately) and by car, it's supposed to be around an hour (1) and 1 min or even 24 mins.(it varies). If they left Ryo's mistress' brother's apartment around 9:30 pm, took the time to take cake of Ryo's injuries, the snow, as well as bathroom breaks (don't ask me where, cause I don't have a clue) it took them around maybe (roughly) 3 hours and 30 mins to get to Yokkaichi.
*A soap land is….how do I explain this? According to wiki, it's NOT a brothel but they do offer sort of sexual services…Idk, if you're interested, google it at your own discretion.
Author's notes:
[1] I just wanted to clear something up.
Even though it says that the women working in the soap land aren't prostitutes, I still referenced Rinko to be sort of like one. This was not meant to offend or imply anything about those women working there.
The reason why I wrote it like that, is because Rinko works another job where she IS a prostitute, which is of course illegal.
[2] ~"Who dat boy, who him is?"~ I couldn't help myself ^O^
I'll like to introduce Nao, the strangest bean I've ever had to write about.
He's deaf, as you probably figured out, but he wears his hearing aids, which would be distracting to find, seeing as he's wearing a hideous clown mask and has long flowing, Thor-like locks that cover his ears.
You'll see more of this deranged kiddo, seeing as he's going to be one of the few people who will have to help Tsuna through this death race….
So there you have it, the latest chapter to this story. I hoped you enjoyed this, seeing as I certainly had fun writing it. I answered the last review (I mean I think I did), so if you have any more questions, you can leave them (Just try to be polite, m'kay?) and I'll try to answer them as soon as I can and to the best of my ability.
My prayers for safety also go out to all the families in Houston in such devastating times.
Thanks everyone, see you next Sunday
- Frosty