Date: Monday, November 01, 2010
Title: The Journal of Memories
Author: Gin Nanashi
Creation Type: Fanfiction
Main Rating: K+
Main Genre: One-Shot Series; Fluff, Friendship
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman REBORN! belongs to Amano Akira; Sasaki Li, Sasaki Xue Fang, Sasaki Daisuke, Sasaki Kiyoshi and every other non-identifiable characters belongs to me (Gin Nanashi).
Summary: Sasaki Li came from a bloodline that allows her to gender-bend. Unfortunately, Li has yet to figure out how to control her ability. Fortunately, it leads to a whole bit of fun for the readers!
The Journal of Memories
Event 29: Snow-Filled Day
"IT SNOWED!"
The delightful cry came from a certain dark brunette as she pressed her palms against the cool pane. Immediately, the window misted over with her warmth before disappearing when she moved away. Lips curved up in a kittenish grin, the gender-bender turned to her friends, "Let's go out!"
A yawn escaped the light brunette as he rubbed his eyes sleepily and murmured, "It's too early, Li…"
"Buu~!" Came the pout as Li puffed out her lips, "It's never too early to play!"
"Li-san," The redhead grumbled, ruffling his hair, "The sun hasn't even come up yet."
Dark-brown eyes widened in an (not) innocent manner as the girl asked, "So?"
Green eyes rolled upwards as their owner drawled, "If the sun's not up, then we're not full of energy."
Cheeks flushed red at remembering Takeshi's words, Li sulked to herself, "No need to repeat it…"
The boys laughed despite their exhaustion before huddling close to the dark brunette, filling up the leftover space on the window seat. A thick patchwork quilt covered the three as a comfortable silence overcame them. Li traced her lopsided name in the square with a violet bird before humming, "Remember when Nana-san started this?"
Tsuna blinked at the mention of his mother before smiling and looking at the comforter.
"Yeah," He started as he thumbed the square with his name under an orange cat, "We all tried to help but…"
Sheepish grins settled around as Shouichi rubbed his name under a Rubik's cube and finished, "Only Daisuke-san was any help."
"Bleh." Li stuck out her tongue, "Papa's pretty girly."
The boys laughed at the statement before paling when she continued, "And Mama's psycho."
"Y-You should be careful, Li-san." The redhead warned, looking around warily, "You never know when she's listening…"
They shivered simultaneously.
"R-Right." The gender-bender nodded in agreement before shifting topics, "Want hot chocolate?"
Shouichi blinked as Tsuna perked up.
"Depends." The former mused with a raised brow, "Are you gonna go hyper on us?"
The image of chibi-Li tripped up on dozens of sugar cubes in her drink and causing overall chaos flashed across their minds.
Arms crossed, she huffed and defended, "That was only once!"
"Riii~iight…" Came the sarcastic remark from the redhead.
Tsuna laughed softly as Li puffed out her lips and sulked ever further, "Buu~ Meanie Shou…"
Shouichi snickered before stretching and sighing, "Darn. I'm tired but can't sleep now."
"It's your fault." The redhead declared, poking the dark brunette, with a light grin, "Fetch me some hot cocoa now."
Dark-brown eyes rolled upwards before the gender-bender gave a mock bow, "Yes, your highness."
A pillow smacked her head as Tsuna pouted, "What about me?"
Li rubbed her messy hair before smiling slyly. Light-brown eyes blinked as the light brunette tilted his head. The gender-bender knelt on one knee and took Tsuna's hand, bringing his up to her lips. Both boys flushed red at the action as Li kissed the back of Tsuna's hand and said cheekily, "Whatever do you wish, my lord?"
The blush darkened as the light brunette squeaked incoherently. The girl laughed before the redhead threw his pillow at her and scolded lightly, "Li-san! You're gonna make him-!"
Thump!
"… faint…" Shouichi sighed as his shoulders slumped.
Li laughed and picked up the boy, nuzzling her nose against his warm cheek and cooing, "Tsuna-Fishy's so cuuu~uute~!"
The redhead facepalmed as the girl set Tsuna onto the window seat before he drawled, "Now what?"
Dark-brown eyes widened with a sparkle.
"Hot cocoa, anyone?"
Li whistled cheerfully as she scooped ample amounts of the sweet powder into three cups.
The redhead shook his head at the carefree girl as he dispensed the hot water from the electric water boiler.
The aroma from the sugary drink filled the kitchen air as Shouichi stirred, making the dry ingredient dissolve completely into the liquid.
The sound of bustling from the gender-bender made the boy look up from his work before deadpanning, "What are you doing?"
Standing on the cool counter, Li blinked while frozen in her reach towards the cabinet. Her fingers were grasped around the smooth handle of the storage space.
She grinned widely and sang, "Hi-mi-tsu~!"
Green eyes narrowed suspiciously at the gender-bender as she smiled back, batting her lashes.
Reluctantly, he turned away since she refused to move.
The moment his gaze averted, the dark brunette finished her task as the cabinet door shut with a soft thunk.
Shouichi blinked and looked back to see the girl humming cheerfully, hands behind her, while swaying in tune.
Pausing in his stirring, the redhead placed his fists on his hips and questioned, "What are you hiding?"
Dark-brown eyes widened as Li adopted her (not) naive look, "Why, whatever do you mean, your highness?"
He narrowed his eyes again and demanded, "Show me your hands."
Lips curved up in a kittenish grin, the dark brunette followed through and showed her hands.
Nothing.
Briefly, a disappointed look flashed through the redhead's eyes before he sighed in acceptance and returned to his work.
An upbeat whistle sounded through as Shouichi focused on placing the warm cups onto a tray before picking it up.
With a turn, the two walked (well, Li skipped) out of the kitchen.
Placing the tray onto the coffee table, Shouichi ruffled his hair before sulking, "Tsuna's so lucky."
Li popped over his shoulder and blinked before opening her mouth to ask but the redhead cut her off with an answer.
"He's getting more sleep." Green eyes narrowed playfully at the dark brunette as their owner teased, "I would've too if it weren't for a certain somebody here."
Lower lip puffed out in a pout, the gender-bender whined, "But it snooo~oowed~!"
Red locks swayed as the boy shook his head and chuckled, "Only you would get so excited over that."
"Not true!" Li denied with her arms in x-formation, "Admit it! You were excited too!"
"I was tired." He deadpanned before adding in thoughtfully, "Still am."
"Nooooosh~!" She waved her arm at him with mock frustration, "You're not tired!"
"Am too." The redhead retorted.
"Are not~!" She responded.
"Too."
"Not!"
"Too."
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"NOT!"
"TOO!"
"NOT!"
"NOT!"
"HA! I got you to admit it!" Li cheered, pumping her fists as the redhead facepalmed and groaned, "That wasn't how it was supposed to play out…"
A raspberry was the girl's (im)mature reply as she skipped over to the light brunette.
Poking Tsuna's cherubic cheeks, Li grinned and sang, "Little Tsuna-Fishy swimming in the sea~! There's hot cocoa unless you want tea~!"
"What kind of greeting is that?" Shouichi deadpanned.
"My kind'a greeting." She smirked.
The redhead was about to retort when the light brunette stirred and yawned, "What happened…?"
Canines flashing in a playful grin, Li knelt down again in a bow and purred, "Greetings, master-"
Thunk!
"Itai~!" Came the pained cry as Tsuna held his head.
Li startled and panicked, "Ts-Tsuna? What happened?"
"He hit his head because of your comment, Li-san." Shouichi sighed and shook his head, "You know that Tsunayoshi-kun's easily flustered."
The comment went over the dark brunette's head as the lighter one flushed red and pouted, "A-Am not!"
A red brow raised before a glint entered green eyes as the older boy grinned, "Are too."
Cheeks darkening, Tsuna huffed, "Am not!"
Grin flickering with traces of a smirk, Shouichi teased, "Are too."
"Am not!"
"Are too."
"Am NOT!"
"Are TOO!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"NOT!"
"TOO!"
"NOT!"
"TOO!"
"NOT!"
"TOO!"
"NOT!"
"NOT!"
"TOO!"
"HA!" The redhead exclaimed victoriously with a point of his finger.
Light-brown eyes blinked in confusion as their owner mused on the argument when suddenly-
THUD!
-the anvil of realization slammed into the fluffy brown head.
Tears coursed down his face as Tsuna waved a hand at the redhead and whined, "That's not fair, Shouichi-kun~!"
The complaint went over the redhead's head as he poked the girl and declared, "That's how it's supposed to go!"
"Too bad." Li blew another raspberry, "I'm special."
"Nuh uh." Shouichi retorted, poking her harder.
"Uh huh." The gender-bender poked him back.
"No." He double-poked her.
"Yes." She triple-poked him.
"No." A quadrupled poke.
"Yes." A quintupled poke.
"No." A sextupled poke.
"Ye-"
"Enough!" Came the light brunette's annoyed response.
"Tsuuu~uuna~!" Li whined, rubbing her red arm, "You didn't have to do that~!"
"Yes, I did." The boy pouted while crossing his arms, "If I didn't, then you'd still be arguing."
"I agree with Li-san." Shouichi sulked as he rubbed at his own abused arm, "You didn't have to poke us, Tsunayoshi-kun."
"You started it." Tsuna retorted and stuck out his tongue childishly, "Otherwise I wouldn't have done it!"
"Tsuna…" The girl sniffled as she wiped away a stray tear.
"If there's one thing to know, kid, it's that you don't play with a girl's feelings."
The memory of Udon-ossan's words flittered across his mind as said boy stiffened and paled, "L-Li?"
"Li-san…" Shouichi started, approaching her carefully, "Are you-"
"WAI~!"
POOF!
White smoke billowed through the air as the gender-bender babbled, "Tsuna's finally become a man!"
Sweatdrops made their way down the redhead as he stared blankly at the scene. Swirls replaced light-brown eyes as Tsuna was spun round and round in a hug by the exuberant Li.
"I'm so proud of you, my little Tsuna-Fish~!" The dark brunette praised, nuzzling his cheek agains the lighter one, "You now know how to stand up for yourself!"
He paused in his twirling and hugged Tsuna close, proclaiming, "You have officially mastered the AWESOME POKE OF DOOO~OOOM~!"
"Li-san…" Shouichi grumbled with a facepalm, "He can't breath."
Dark-brown eyes blinked before-
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!"
-Li panicked and shook the boy vigorously, "WAKE UP TSUNA! DON'T DIE ON MEEE-"
WHAM!
The brunettes toppled over as the redhead squeaked and fussed over them.
"MOU~!" Came the whine from the gender-bender as he rubbed his head and huffed, "WHO THREW A SLIPper… at… me…?"
Li paled as long black hair whipped in tune with the crackling dark aura. Shouichi froze and hid behind the dark brunette, clutching onto him and Tsuna who squeaked out inaudible apologies. Narrowed dark-brown eyes flashed dangerously as their owner growled, "Sasaki Li… It's SIX in the goddamn MORNING…. What the HELL do you think you're doing?"
Said boy laughed nervously, "Good morning, Mama…?"
BAM!
A second slipper met his face as he fell over again, twitching in pain.
Lips widened in a sadistic smile as Fang towered over the terrified three, cracking her knuckles.
"Prepare for your punishment from the 'psycho', boys."
A thick layer of beautifully white snow blanketed the entire neighborhood from the tips of the trees to the shingles on the roofs to the hard concrete sidewalk as-
"WHOA~!"
THUMP!
-three children were unceremoniously thrown out of the Sasaki household.
A red snow hat covering spiky dark-brown locks popped out of disrupted snow as its owner whined, "MAMA~!"
Said woman dusted off her hands and raised a brow, deadpanning, "What?"
Wide dark-brown eyes sparkled with hope.
"Can I at least have my hot cocoa?"
Dot. Dot. Dot.
Expression flattening, Fang suddenly whipped up the tray in one hand.
Li perked up and jumped to his feet, about to run towards her, when her lips stretched into a dark grin.
Rosy cheeks paling, the dark brunette immediately ran the opposite direction.
It was as if everything was coming to a pause.
The sweet drink half-forced to the bottom and half-spilling out…
The cups flying through the air, having lost their stand…
The tray spinning like a shrunken in slow-motion…
Li jumped and caught the tray with both hands and maneuvered to catch the bottom of the cups. Having gained support, the cups teetered to a shaky stop as the dark brunette twisted with his back to the ground and landed with a thump just as the hot cocoa settled back into their open home. He sat up as a sigh escaped his lips.
"That was close-"
WHAM!
Splash...
A depressingly dark aura hung over Li as he twitched, snow falling from its comfortable seat on him.
"Li-san!" Came the worried cry from the redhead as he ran towards the gender-bender while dragging the light brunette with him.
Violet will-o'-wisps floated mockingly around the dark brunette.
"Li!" Tsuna squeaked, kneeling besides his sitting best friend, "Are you hurt?"
Indigo will-o'-wisps were added to the purple ones.
Shouichi sweatdropped before kicking away the brown-stained snow and crouching down, "Come on, Li-san, cheer up! There's still two more cups!"
And, indeed, there were - two cups of cold snow-filled cocoa drinks sat on the leveled tray in all of their awesome cup-glory.
Watery dark-brown eyes turned to the boys as their owner whimpered, "Yeah… Two… But, they're not hot cocoa anymore..."
Sweatdrops doubled as the redhead and the light brunette glanced at each other nervously when the latter had a thought. Lightly tugging on Li's thick red jacket, mindful of the tray, Tsuna smiled and attempted to cheer Li up, "Doesn't your favorite cafe open at six?"
"That's right!" Green eyes lit up in realization as their owner declared, "There's always hot chocolate at a cafe!"
Li blinked slowly before perking up as grin spread over his lips, "Seasonal Cafe?"
"WAI~!" Came the excited cheer from Li as warm air caressed the children's chilled bodies, "WE. ARE. HERE!"
"Li-san," Shouichi scolded without much force, "You're too loud."
"HA!" The dark brunette exclaimed with a point of his finger, "I'm too loud to be a ninja!"
The redhead nearly fell over at the random shift in conversation when the light brunette hummed thoughtfully.
"But, wasn't there a hyperactive ninja in an anime…?" Tsuna mused, tapping his lips, "Something with fish cakes, I think…"
"Nooooosh~!" Li waved an arm towards the other two, "Don't mess up my logos!"
"It's 'logic' Li-san." The redhead sighed while shaking his head with an amused smile.
Li flushed red and was about to retort when a woman's voice rang out, clear as a bell, "Ohayou gozaimasu~!"
The three blinked before the gender-bender perked up and waved wildly, greeting, "Ohayou, Aki-san~!"
Her long brown hair was clipped back by cute flower barrettes as her brown eyes lit up happily. Throwing her hands into the air, Aki allowed a cheerful smile to light up on her lips as she exclaimed, "Finally! You're the only one to actually call me that instead of stuffy, old 'Miura-san'!"
Walking up to the woman, Li grinned and knelt down, taking her hand in his, while declaring, "A lovely lady needs to be called by her lovely name."
Blushes went around, staining the three's cheeks, before Aki tapped the dark brunette's nose and tittered, "You're such a gentleman, Li-kun!
Said boy winked and responded, "And you are my l-"
"LI!" Came the loud squeak as Tsuna slammed the gender-bender to the floor.
POOF!
"Li-kun!" Aki shouted in surprise and worry while waving away the white smoke, "Are you alright?"
The dark brunette twitched and groaned as the lighter one scrambled off with rapid apologies. Fists placed on her hips, Aki frowned disapprovingly and tapped her foot against the tiled floor. Tsuna froze as Shouichi laughed nervously when her eyes landed on them for an explanation. Luckily, they were spared.
"TSUNA-FISHY~!" Li squealed as she tackled said boy into a hug and cuddled him, "TODAY'S A GREAT DAY FOR YOU!"
She pulled back slightly to shoot sparkly eyes of admiration towards the heavily blushing boy, "Not only did you master the 'AWESOME POKE OF DOOO~OOOM~!'" She paused to catch her breath and grinned widely, "But, you also mastered the SUPER-SPECIAL-AWESOME SNEAK-TACKLE OF A GLOMP~! (All made by yours truly.)"
Cheeks burning by now, Tsuna smiled sheepishly, "A-Aa…"
Meanwhile, both he and the redhead inwardly wondered, 'How does she come up with these things…?'
"Li-kun!" The woman cut in while crouching down with furrowed brows, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Dark-brown eyes blinked before Li shot her a charming smile, "Yuppers~! Thanks for asking, Aki-san!"
Aki sighed in relief before straightening up with a smile and ushering them to a table, "Still, rest up while I whip up something."
Cat-ears perked up as Li looked hopefully at the woman, "Hot cocoa?"
A laugh left her lips before Aki nodded in agreement, "Hot cocoa, it is then."
"WAI~!" Came the cheer as the gender-bender pumped her fists, singing, "Hot~ Choco~ Latte~ I love hot choco~ Latte~ So please don't say 'chotto matte'~!"
"Just how do you come up with these things, Li-san?" Shouichi asked with a raised brow.
Swinging her legs lightly, Li leaned forward and whispered, "Do you really wanna know?"
The boys blinked before nodding.
She paused to look around.
No one else was in listening distance.
She beckoned them closer.
They complied.
With a hand shielding her lips secretly, Li whispered, "It's 'cause…"
Lips curved up in a kittenish grin.
"… I am…"
Dark-brown eyes sparked.
"… just that…"
Her grin widened to impossible lengths.
"… AWESOME!"
THUD!
Both boys twitched from their positions on the floor as Li widened her eyes and asked (not) innocently, "Having fun down there?"
"LI-SAN!" The redhead roared, jumping to his feet with the intent of jumping her. The girl squeaked and scrambled off of her comfortable seat before laughing as she danced away from Shouichi's reach.
"Missed me~ Missed me~!" She sang as a frustrated whine left the redhead.
"You two…" Tsuna sighed while slumping over before heat blossomed over his cheeks at her next lyric.
"Now ya gotta kiss me~!"
"L-LI~!" The light brunette flustered, making her pause in confusion.
The redhead cinched the opportunity and tackled her.
… Right into Tsuna.
And down they all go in a pile of confusion.
Surprised dark-brown eyes met with equally shocked light-brown one as they silently stared into one another.
"Itai-tai-tai~!" Shouichi whimpered as he rolled off of the two and rubbed his head, "Well, I'm never doing that again. Hey, you two all... right…?"
He trailed off as green eyes blinked, "Eh...?"
His brain began to work furiously upon seeing the scene: arms on either side of the light-brown head, two pairs of legs tangled, forehead resting against another, darkening red cheeks… and lips not even a hair's width away.
His eyes bulged out in shock.
"EH?"
Just like that, Li tried to jump away gracefully.
Key word being 'tried'.
POOF!
White smoke billowed as a faint thud was heard, indicating a fall.
The obstruction began to clear as the gender-bender whimpered and rubbed his aching back.
Tsuna sat up and blinked.
He slowly brushed his fingers against his lips before his cheeks flared with heat.
"L-Li…! I-I…!" He tried to speak clearly, "Th-That is…! I-I…! U-Um…!"
But, ended up stammering incoherently.
The dark brunette blinked and watched the stuttering boy for a moment before rubbing his cheeks slowly. His cold fingers were a welcoming feeling to the embarrassing warmth. A faint pout flickered over his lips as Li rubbed harder at his blushing face. Slowly, the heat began to cool down.
Satisfied, Li grinned cheekily, "Doesn't this remind you of last year's Christmas?"
Tsuna turned the reddest of all shades of red as the dark brunette purred, "Don't be embarrassed, my little Tsuna-Fishy~!"
THUMP!
A loud laugh left his lips as Li clutched his stomach. Tears strayed from his closed eyes as the dark brunette tried to contain his amusement. Wiping away the wet trail, the gender-bender grinned and crooned, "Aw~ You didn't have to faint, Tsuna~!"
Of course, said boy didn't respond as silence reigned over the gender-bender.
Dark-brown eyes blinked before Li tilted his head and looked around, "Shou?"
They landed on the downed redhead before the gender-bender sweatdropped and sighed, "Not you too…"
"Hahi?" Came the surprised voice of Aki as she placed the tray of steaming drinks and sweet pastries onto a table, "What happened?"
Grinning sheepishly, Li shrugged, "Life?"
Having settled the two unconscious ones onto the more comfortable cushioned seats, Li and Aki sat across from each other, chatting aimlessly. Well, aimlessly for one anyway.
"Li-kun, you're currently going to Namishou, right?" Aki started as she absentmindedly stirred her hot chocolate.
"Yup!" Came the enthusiastic reply as the dark brunette licked his lips, "Tsuna's gonna go there too!"
The woman hummed a bit, glancing briefly at said brunette, before musing, "What about middle school?"
The question went over the boy's head as he focused on the sweets in front of him. With a fork, Li poked his slice of Angel Cake before cutting off a piece and plopping it into his mouth. Lips curved up in a kittenish grin, the gender-bender wriggled in his seat happily before swallowing, "Yummeh~!"
"Glad you like it, Li-kun!" The woman smiled with a blush before remembering and pressing on, "Have you figured out which middle school you want to go to?"
Dark-brown eyes blinked as the boy tapped his lips with his fork before shrugging, "Probably Namichuu."
Aki nearly fell over before sighing and thinking, 'Well, he's only a kid so, of course, he wouldn't care.'
"How about Midori Chuugakkou?," She started, leaning her chin on her enlaced finger, "It's a part of the Midori ladder school that my daughter's going to go to."
Li blinked again and tilted his head, "Your daughter?"
'YES!' Came the victorious shout in her mind as Aki chirped happily, "That's right! You haven't met her yet!"
Suddenly, she whipped out several photo albums from out of nowhere and smiled brightly, complete with sparkles and bubbles, as the gender-bender gaped in awe, 'She has hammer-space!"
Ignoring the shocked expression and dropping the books onto the table, Aki opened one and flipped to a picture of a cute brunette. Her dark hair was pulled into two pigtails and she was playing in the sand at a beach in a summer dress. A victorious smile alit her lips as she completely covered a portly man - her father, Li deducted from their similar traits - with the fine golden grains.
"This is Haru!" The woman gushed over her child, "She's a few months younger than you but isn't she lovely?"
"Heh~?" Li hummed as he leaned over for a closer look before smiling toothily, "She's cute!"
'YESYESYESYES~!' Came the exuberant chanting in the woman's mind, 'Step One: Give Li-kun a good impression of Haru - Complete!'
"But, how do you know she's going there?" Li asked, blinking widely, "Since she's younger than I, she won't start until next April, right? (Tsuna's the same…)"
Aki came to a halt in her cheer and stuttered before clearing her throat and assuring, "Haru's brighter than most! She already took a mock test and passed with flying colors~!"
Hearts floated around the woman as the dark brunette hummed in thought, "She's really smart."
"I failed my mock test for Namishou." He admitted while laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head, 'If it weren't for Mama's threats…'
A chill ran up his spine before he shrugged it off.
The hearts cracked at the blunt honesty and Aki mourned briefly before perking back up, "B-But you can always get better!"
Li stared at his cup before looking up and smiling with a nod, "That's true!"
The woman sighed in relief before nearly falling over when he continued.
"But I definitely wanna stay with Tsuna and Shou!"
Tears of despair coursed down her cheeks as Aki sniffled secretly, 'Ah~ Friendship - I can't beat it but…'
'Nonetheless!' She clenched her fist as flames of determination burned, 'I will sway him!'
'But, how...?' Came the wondering thought as Aki watched the gender-bender.
Dark locks swaying gently, Li hummed softly as he lightly kicked his legs. He popped another piece of his sweet Angel Cake into his mouth before turning to his steaming hot chocolate. His eyes lit up as he pressed his hands against its warmth and brought the top of it to his lips. Parting them and tilting the cup ever so slightly, Li drank slowly and savored the sweetness as his eyes glowed in delight. He pulled away and smack his lips contentedly before smiling brightly at the woman, "Thank you again, Aki-san~!"
'So cuuu~uuute~!' Aki squealed inwardly with a wide smile while pressing her hands against her blushing cheeks, 'As expected! Children truly are little sweet and innocent angels! Just like that time…'
"H-Hahi?"
OOF!
"Daijoubu desu ka, josei-san?"
Brown eyes snapped open in surprise to meet with sharp dark-brown ones.
"H-Hai desu!" Aki startled before blushing upon noticing that she was in the arms of a beautiful woman, "A-Ano…"
An elegant brown raised before the stranger helped her back onto her feet.
"Ah! G-Gomen nasai!" Aki stuttered as she crouched down and scrambled about, "I knocked over everything!"
Slim fingers ran through her long black locks before the woman also crouched down to help, "Don't worry about it. It was an accident, wasn't it?"
"H-Hahi?" Aki squeaked again before bowing her head, "W-Well, yes, but-"
"If it's an accident," The stranger cut her off, "Then it's fine."
"Y-Yes!" The brunette straightened up and bowed briefly, "Th-Thank you and s-sorry again!"
An index finger lifted her chin as her wide eyes met with narrow ones.
A charming smile played on the ravenette's lips, "Be more careful, miss."
Her blush deepened before she squeaked out an affirmative and quickly dashed away.
'Waaa~ I can't believe I met a bijin!'
She never noticed the woman looking confusedly at her with a green object in hand.
Nor did she see her flick the forehead of a child with similar eyes…
"That will be 3720 yen, miss." The cashier stated with a smile as she rang up the grocery.
"Hai~!" Came the cheerful reply from Aki as she ruffled through her purse.
Brown eyes roamed over the variety of objects before widening in surprise as heat blossomed over her cheeks.
"H-Hahi?" She squeaked, rummaging through her bag quickly again before freezing in thought, 'Did I forget to pick it up?'
A frown soon graced the cashier's lips as she caught onto the brunette's problem.
The blush darkened and threatened to become permanent as she attempted to stutter out her excuse under the cold glare.
Being put under pressure, Aki became acutely aware of the growing whispers as her vision blurred.
'No!' She thought to herself, clenching her purse tightly, 'I am an adult. I must be responsible.'
She closed her eyes, about to bow and apologize for wasting the worker's time, when a tug on her dress forced her eyes open.
Watery brown eyes met with familiar, but more innocent, dark-brown ones.
Green then filled her vision.
Blinking away the lingering tears, Aki gasped in delightful surprise, "My wallet!"
Lips curved up in a kittenish grin as a breathless but happy chirp resounded, "Here you go, miss~!"
She curved her fingers around the money carrier and bowed lowly, "Thank you very much for returning this!"
"Hehe~!" Came the somewhat embarrassed laugh, "I'm just glad that I got to return it!"
Aki looked up and froze in surprise.
In front of her was a child, no older than five or six, with (what she thought to be) the most angelic and innocent smile ever.
"You walked reeeaaally fast!" He complimented while waving his arms, "I was so surprised I nearly lost sight of ya!"
'S-So cute!' The woman couldn't help but think as she was nearly swooned at the bright grin directed towards her when a cough snapped her out of it.
Facing the cold cashier again, Aki fumbled with her wallet while shrinking away upon becoming aware of the stares and whispers once more.
Dark-brown eyes blinked at the woman's embarrassment before glancing over to the cashier.
A caret-frown made itself known as the child caught sight of the puckered scowl and round cheeks.
Suddenly, a glint entered his eyes as the frown tipped upwards in a mischievous grin.
Seeing as how Aki was preoccupied, the child snuck around the register and crouched to the floor. His hands stuffed into his pockets before pulling out an interesting container of pale liquid. Silently unscrewing the top, he secretly tipped the container as the floor appeared to shimmer before stuffing the container back into its hiding spot and resuming his place beside Aki who was struggling to hold her bags in her arms.
Grinning widely, the child grabbed one and tugged the woman forward, chirping, "I'll help!"
Cheeks warming again, Aki smiled brightly, "Arigatou gozaimasu!"
"Ah!" She suddenly remembered, "Namae wa nan desu ka?"
"Ora wa Li!" He responded with a smile so bright that the entire area seemed to have lit up with sparkles and bubbles, "Sasaki Li!"
Aki squealed happily and dropped to his level, hugging him tightly to her chest, "You're so cute~ and adorable~ and helpful~ and sweet~!"
As she continued, she never heard the high-pitched womanly shriek from inside the supermarket.
Nor did she hear the heavy crash of a weight falling.
Nor the worried exclamations of various voices followed by more commotion.
And she most definitely never noticed the canines that flashed when Li grinned impishly.
'Waaa~ Li-kun's so cute~!' Aki wriggled to herself in happiness before snapping out of it and gaining that plotting glint in her eyes again as she silently declared, 'I must make him fall for my lovely Haru!'
The fire burned again before extinguishing when the tinkling of the door's bell rang.
"I want a large expresso!" A man's voice rang out, "Straight - no milk or cream or any of that non… sense…."
He trailed off as sweat poured down. The man cowered at the dark aura crackling around the woman. Her hair sway with the murderous intent as her barrettes came loose.
"What-" She whispered with flashing eyes, "-was that, sir?"
He dabbed away his sweat and stammered out a response as Aki complained inwardly, 'WHY - oh - WHY DID YOU HAVE TO INTERRUPT MY PLANS YOU SON OF A B-!'
She suddenly cut off her thoughts and breathed deeply, calming herself and fixing her appearance, before glancing discreetly at the children.
Li continued to snack at his own leisure pace with an oblivious grin as his friends slept.
Aki sighed in relief before turning back to the terrified man and smiling tightly, "A large, black expresso with nothing else, correct?"
An arctic wind blew in between them.
He nodded hesitantly before blinking in surprise when a cup was shoved into his hands.
"Then, here you go~!" She sang, still holding that chilling smile.
A frigid blizzard stormed by before the man squeaked, paid and left in a flash.
Aki blinked in surprise before startling, running out and shouting, "SIR! YOU PAID TOO MUCH!"
"KEEP IT!" Was the fading reply as the man disappeared.
Blinking again, the woman looked down at the currency before shrugging, "Okay."
Stuffing the 500 yen coin into her pocket, Aki was about to return to the children when the door's bell jingled, signifying another customer. She sighed sadly and resigned herself to tending to the influx of customers. Influencing her daughter's love life will have to wait until another day…
It was around seven in the morning now and the business was beginning to pick up. The bright sun's light filtered through the clear windows, lighting up the homey cafe, as the streets outside were slowly filling up with a variety of people. Li watched the woman work for a moment before his eyes flickered over to the sleeping boys. They leaned against each other, hair mussed, and breathed peacefully while unaware of the low buzzing of conversation.
A faint pout flickered over his lips before Li sighed and rested his chin on his folded arms, sulking, 'Meanies. Leaving me to be bored by myself.'
He turned so that his cheek rested against his arm instead and continued to watch his best friends.
Their relaxed demeanor…
Their peaceful expressions…
Their gentle emotions...
Their soft breathing…
Cheeks dusting red, Li attempted to hide his face as his heart thumped quickly. His eyes flickered outside, landing on a faceless woman leaning over a flower pot. Her pale hands gently scooped the snow away, revealing a brilliant yellow color. Slim fingers caressed each petal as the wilted flower seemed to have risen up to the warm touch.
A lone yellow tulip thriving in a dreary world.
Li marveled the small beauty from afar before pursing his lips flatly. Dark-brown eyes returned to the inside and landed on the sleeping two. His hands gripped onto his arms tightly.
Their warming smiles…
Their beautiful laughter…
Their beckoning voice...
Their happiness.
'No matter what...'
Resolve glowed in dark-brown eyes.
'I want to protect their everything.'
(Extended Ending)
The scent of faint roast...
The aroma of sweet cocoa...
Something was tickling their noses.
Sleepy eyes blinked blearily.
They froze at the sight.
The chocolate-brown color…
A pair of big, angular circles…
Two long, wiry appendages above…
Six crooked limbs, three on each winged side…
"GYAAA~AAA~!"
Came the ear-piercing screams before-
THUNK!
-the redhead and light brunette fell over in another dead faint, foaming from fright.
A pout flickered over the dark brunette's lips as he sulked, "You didn't hafta react like that, meanies!"
No reply came from the twitching boys.
(Extended Ending: Extra)
Ignoring the unconscious two...
Li poked the treats in the metal container before musing aloud, "Mama's gonna kill me for stealing her goods."
Briefly, a foreboding chill ran up his spine, making him rub at the goosebumps that appeared.
Cold sweat trickled down his face before the dark brunette shook it off and popped one into his mouth.
Lips curved up in a kittenish grin as Li wriggled around in his seat and hummed happily.
"Mm~ Chocolate covered crickets~!"
Author's Note:
I FOUND ATL! (Anyone who follows me on deviantArt will understand this reference.)
So, yeah, my muse is back but he keeps chewing through the leash. (Whoever said that bunnies are sweet lied - they're evil. Or, at least, my redheaded bunny-muse is evil...)
Anyway... I made a reference to Kuroshitsuji (because I was watching it while typing this chapter up), a dramatized version of an old memory (completely full of pokes and pain), I made up Miura Aki because they never did show Haru's mother but I figured they'd be somewhat similar (going back on my idea that family members act similar) and the pale liquid is cooking/food oil since it's slippery and some are actually close to colorless. Lastly, chocolate crickets are supposedly yummy but they're pretty expensive so I won't be trying some anytime soon. *sighs in disappointment*
So! I hope this chapter was, at least, satisfactory. If not, then I apologize. (I thought that it was pretty cute.)
Moving along... For those who have yet to check out my deviantArt account, check it out - I put up a bunch of pictures for TJoM (and one for each of my other story save for THo74.) I got some pretty good feedback so I don't think you'll be disappointed! At least, I hope not... *sweat* (Plus you can see how I look like! Well, my avatar, anyway.)
Now then, I'm currently working on the next chapter but, with college and everything, I'm a bit back up... *sweats at paper mountain on desk* I'm trying though!
And, once more, thank you for reading/reviewing/etc-ing The Journal of Memories!
Loose Translation:
(1) Hi-mi-tsu~! - Se-cr-et~!
(2) "... So please don't say 'chotto matte'~!" - "... So please don't say 'just wait'~!"
(3) Midori Chuugakkou - Green Middle School; It's the actual school that Haru goes to in the anime (as stated by Reborn!Wikia).
(4) "Daijoubu desu ka, josei-san?" - "Are you okay, miss?"
(5) Bijin - Beautiful Person (May sometimes be used to refer to woman but typically without regard to gender.)
(6) "Namae wa nan desu ka?" - "What's your name?"
Preview:
I'm planning on doing something for New Years... with lots of foreshadowing... don't know if it'll work out that way though. *sweat*