Title: Let Me Leave Three Words Behind
Rating: M
Warnings: OCs included, Character death, 6918, 6927, Mpreg, OOC-ness
Note: I prefer folding stars over cranes. Enjoy this chapter everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
14: Cranes of Happiness
"Father, why is my skin not as pale as yours?" Ren asked as he skilfully folded a paper crane, popping it into a jar.
Hibari, also folding paper cranes looked at his son before looking back down, answering "Because your skin colour is the same as his skin colour."
Ren twitched a little, his Father enjoyed referring Papa as 'him' sometimes, he seldom used his name much anymore. "Father, why are my blue eyes not the same as your blue eyes?"
Hibari finished folding the crane he was folding before answering "Because you have his eyes"
Ren nodded, expecting that answer, he kept on folding, placing the cranes carefully into the glass jar. "Father, will our wish really come true if we fold a thousand cranes?"
Hibari nodded slowly, concentrating on perfecting his origami skills "Hopefully it will"
Grabbing another square piece of origami paper, Ren asked his Father another question "Father, is your wish the same as mine?"
Hibari did not stop folding his crane, instead he asked Ren "I don't know, Ren, what's your wish?"
Ren looked up from his hand, staring straight at his Father with bright eyes, his smile lighting up the already bright room "For Papa to come back soon of course!"
A small sincere smile graced Hibari's features as he looked at his angelic son, speaking softly, he responded to Ren "I suppose our wishes are different then"
Obviously disappointed, Ren asked once more "Does that mean we have to fold twice as much cranes for both our wishes?"
"Yes, I am sure" Hibari replied
Ryohei and Shamal hid behind a tree to survey the situation. It was only Tsuna and his son. There was no messy black haired kid in sight.
Were they wrong?
Tsuna had said he was going to see the kid, perhaps he was talking about his son, and not Hibari's son, but then why the need to restrict Mukuro's movements? Why the need to distract Mukuro from Ren if Tsuna were to only go see his son? It didn't add up.
Confused, Shamal and Ryohei both scratched their heads, watching Tsuna carefully. He was smiling. His eyes were shining with joy, was it even possible that he had met Ren? Both Ryohei and Shamal came to the same conclusion, it was not possible for Tsuna to look so perfectly normal, so fine and dandy after meeting Ren. For if the two had met, it would not have ended up like so. Definitely.
Slowly turning around, Shamal and Ryohei walked away, careful not to attract too much attention. Both of them rather confused, yet not quite relieved at the same time.
Tsuna watched, from the corner of his eye as Ryohei and Shamal walked away. He placed his focus back towards his son. Holding his thirteen year old son tightly in his arms, Tsuna sighed, relieved.
"Dad? I'm going to school now, see you tonight!" said Tsuna's son before he too ran off.
Waving, Tsuna stood up, ruffled his own hair a little before sighing again. This really was a rather big impact to his mood.
"Papa left on the 5th of May, before I could turn four, I was born on the 21st of October –"
What was Ren going to say next, Tsuna had a hunch, and he did not want his son to know. No, he didn't want to hear it from Ren's mouth either. And that was why he had stopped Ren from talking by catching the attention of his son.
Grabbing a drink from a nearby vender, Tsuna took a gulp before pouring the cool liquid over his head. He needed to think straight. Shaking his head, Tsuna wiped his face, getting rid of the faint tear streaks he had on his face before, hoping his son had not noticed.
His hair blowing elegantly with the wind, Tsuna headed to the convenience store. He had spaghetti to make for his family tonight.
Walking casually in the park in his school uniform, Ren was enjoying his lollypop, to an extent, his concentration on his lollypop prevented him from side tracking too much, thinking of necessary but confusing issues.
Going around trees and bushes, looking at the flower gardens, the water fountains, Ren found that he was troubled.
It was when Ren felt a hand on his shoulder that he broke from his trance, from dwelling too deeply in his own mind. Looking at the owner of the hand, Ren smiled a little. "Why if it isn't the boy from before. What's up?"
Tsuna's son smiled a little. He was suspicious, and so had decided to look for the boy that had suddenly disappeared when he was conversing with his Dad. "Hey Ren" greeted the boy with amber eyes.
Sitting under a rather tall oak tree, the child of Tsuna gestured for Ren to come sit next to him. Ren hesitated a little, but seeing that he had nothing else to do, he too made himself comfortable under the oak tree. Taking out the lollypop Ren gave him, the younger boy popped it into his mouth, smiling brightly. Just like Sawada Tsunayoshi.
"Hey, I never caught your name" Ren said, looking up into the sky.
Popping the last one in the jar, Ren sealed the jar, holding it with both hands, he held it up, showing his father "Look Father! Look at all the cranes we folded together!"
Hibari beamed, taking the jar from his son, Hibari held it up high too, looking at it with admiration "We still have a long way to go, Ren"
Hibari's son chuckled, standing on the table, Ren reached for the jar, taking it back, placing it gently with the other filled jars. "Let's start the next jar!"
Hibari nodded, picking up another piece of origami paper, starting to fold.
"Hey Father" Ren said, also folding neatly, almost perfectly "Why am I named Ren?"
Hibari looked up, not surprised, just hesitant "Well, it was he who named you"
Still folding, Ren kept on asking, he was curious "Was it just random or did Papa have some kind of motivation behind naming me Ren?"
Frowning, Hibari looked back down, folding cranes "He thought that it would be nice to name you after his signature flower, the lotus."
Nodding, Ren placed a finish crane in the empty jar "I see, so it was just that?"
"Ren" Mukuro whispered as he held the hand in his palm tighter, 'that way, you won't be alone even when I disappear' his thoughts ran through his head truthfully as he whispered the child's name once more.
Putting on an emotionless expression, Hibari answered softly "No" but he quickly covered up his answer, avoiding the chance for his son to prod on further "Naming you Ren shows how important you are to your Papa" but in saying so, it provoked a new question in Ren.
"Does it really, Father?"
Hibari placed his crane in the jar, looking at Ren before answering softly "I wish it did"
Just those words from his Father showed Ren how upset his Father really was. Just those words showed Ren that perhaps, his Papa did not see him as important. Just those words planted a seed of doubt in Ren, in which his Papa really might never come back.
"Oh, me? I'm Kai" said Tsuna's son.
Ren looked at the boy next to him "Kai?"
Nodding the boy replied "Yeah, Kai as in change."
"Change" whispered Ren before asking "Who named you?"
Kai took his lollypop out, "My Dad did" he was smiling brightly.
Ren nodded, before returning back to the original topic "So why aren't you at school, Kai?"
Putting his lollypop back into his mouth, Kai answered bluntly "Because you're not in school either."
Ren looked at the other boy with a raised eyebrow "You do realise we're as good as strangers, yeah?"
Kai's eyes narrowed, he smirked "Are you so sure? I thought you were my brother, maybe I got the wrong person." There was an awkward pause as Kai looked at Ren's rather shocked expression.
"I –" stammered Ren, not sure how to reply to something he had never expected.
Suddenly smiling, Kai's tone of voice changed "Not I know you're my half-brother, I've seen a picture of a younger you before."
Ren's heart dropped, there wasn't suppose to be any pictures of him from when he was young.
"Nah Father, what is your wish?" Ren asked, still folding paper cranes.
Hibari grabbed another piece of origami paper as he began folding, but this time, it did not end up as a crane, but as a rose. "I wish that Mukuro will find happiness"
Ren looked at the rose with awe, but he raised his eyes to look at his Father, curious, wondering how that wish is any different to his wish for his Papa to come back home, to his happiness.