CHAPTER 4:
You're still here! *cries*
So here's the overdue Chapter 4! I hope you like it!
I will also be uploading the edited chapters when I finally get this story completed instead because I realized that updating anything on any of the previous chapters would send it right back up the archive list and I kinda feel bad about it showing up there when people are expecting an update.
ALSO! Thank you for reading this far! I appreciate every view, review, follow and favorite!
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn
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Sinclair Renato stared at a kohai he came upon while waiting at the house across from his (as is his usual schedule).
Said kohai stared back as blandly as she could.
She probably would never have been able to this in any normal circumstance but she was sleep-deprived and in pain dammit.
She never wanted to pee blood monthly! Why did she have to be a girl?!
"Do I know you?" Sinclair-sempai asked.
She really wants to lie down and wallow in misery but the manners instilled in her shone through, "I'm one of Sawada-san's classmates, Sinclair-sempai."
"Ho? Nice to meet you. May I know your name, Miss…?"
"It is very nice to formally meet you too, Sinclair-sempai. My name is Emiya Natsumi," she droned, currently fantasizing about one of the clinic's nice cots and maybe some hot compress. If she drank any more Advil she'll probably overdose. Maybe she should just turn around and go home? She couldn't find her hot compress though. Did she bring any pads? The female bathrooms usually only had tampons and they feel weird to her so she doesn't use them.
Reborn immediately tried to get out of his kohai's mind and tried to shut away from the images of blood waterfalls, evil tampons with pitchforks, and golden-haloed hot compress with wings made of pads.
Some days he cursed his mind-reading abilities.
"If you are feeling unwell, may I recommend staying home?" he suggested.
"I'll live. See you around Sinclair-sempai," Emiya-san replied as she fantasized about stealing one of Belphegor's knives and eviscerating some male's vital regions for the crime of being male and getting exempt from this d*mn pain.
Reborn discretely tried to take a step away from the female kohai he would take careful note to avoid for the better part of the week.
You know, in case she 'found' one of those silver knives.
Those images of what she was going to do to the above-mentioned vital regions were really detailed.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Waking up surrounded by a pool of your own blood? We do it monthly - Women*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi went straight to the clinic of their school, not even bothering to drop her things by her locker or her homeroom chair.
Dr. Shamal was sympathetic to her plight and let her lie down on one of the cots, even giving her an electric heating pad to herself.
She had also been allowed to sleep the pain away.
It was blissful oblivion until she was suddenly woken up by a loud clang of metal against metal.
Natsumi was unsure how to feel about getting so used to the sounds of an on-going battle royale that she only woke up because something hit the metal frame of her cot that made it give off a high-pitch ringing sound.
From what she could make out of the random yells, it seems like Sawada-san had a fainting spell that sent her fanboys into a panic attack, most vocal of which is Gokudera-san and Vongola-sensei.
They seemed to be watching Dr. Shamal's every movement too.
Natsumi sighed and closed her eyes. She somehow went back to sleep.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Sweet mercy of dark chocolates!*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Sawada-san and some of her fan club members somehow ended up volunteering at the orphanage Natsumi frequented.
The straight-haired brunette was glad. The children were energetic and ultimately outnumbered Natsumi one to too many. With the new volunteers' numbers, she was sure that they'll be able to split the children's attention enough that the new volunteers won't get outlasted through sheer numbers.
Vongola-sensei was under a tree, apparently answering a stream of endless questions from 5-7-year-olds because 'he's a teacher so he knows everything.'
About a dozen kids decided they wanted to climb Cavallone-sempai, Gokudera-san, and Cozart-san like a jungle gym. Although Gokudera-san was yelling at the children and Cavallone-sempai was trying to calm the kids down while trying to keep his balance, it seems like Cozart-san was already resigned to his fate. Like he has any other choice, he was already on the ground being dogpiled.
Yamamoto-san, as expected, was teaching a few kids to play catch. Natsumi just hoped the kids come out unscathed. The baseball player does not hold back.
Sinclair-sempai was playing soccer (or more like kick-the-ball-randomly) with five other kids while somehow also simultaneously playing dodgeball with three others. He was also wearing a smirk that was making the children frustrated as minutes ticked by without either losing the soccer ball or getting hit.
Skull-sempai had already gathered an audience, retelling stories of his past stunts. She should tell the children not to attempt to replicate any of what the purple-haired sempai bragged about and then warn the caretakers to keep an eye on them.
Rokudo-sempai was with his own gathered audience though they were whispering. Natsumi narrowed her eyes because those particular children were the pranksters and troublemakers.
And as expected, Sawada-san was a hit with the younger children.
Natsumi suppressed a sigh when some members of the fan club began gawking at the sight of a 'motherly' Sawada-san.
Apparently enough of a distraction that Sinclair-sempai got a worn soccer ball to the gut for not paying enough attention to his own set of kids.
Natsumi opted to help the cooks in the kitchen that week.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Inspired? More like expired*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
It was a week before White Day.
Natsumi would have forgotten about said special occasion if it weren't for her editor's demand of a special chapter dedicated to the holiday.
Preferably a special sequel for that short romance story about the 30-year old woman, only this time it was an account of the males scrambling for something to give to the protagonist.
Preferably in the same length of 40,000 words.
Natsumi wants to cry.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*'Desperation' is the most effective kind of inspiration*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi somehow met that atrocious deadline.
She promptly slept a whole day away out of sheer sleep-deprivation since about half of what she wrote was fueled by last-minute or more accurately hours-before-deadline panic.
When she finally resurfaced that Sunday if only to buy some sweets to reward herself, she only briefly checked in to make sure the orphanage didn't need an extra hand before going straight to her favorite patisserie.
Natsumi is fully aware that she might have been gaining some weight. Her brother had made it his mission to point it out as often as he could but she couldn't care less right now. She deserved those sweets after such a horrible week!
After greeting I-Pin, Natsumi browsed the selection of flavors to pick which one would be her brunch.
She was savoring her choco-cherry torte, relishing the peaceful and worry-free day with no deadlines looming.
And then, there was a distant sound of a stampede, some explosions, and what sounds like gunshots.
Which almost made Natsumi almost break down crying.
Where has her peace gone?
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Bang bang into the roof!*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi was surprised to see a gift inside her mailbox. It was from the three Hibari's.
She carefully removed the light pink wrapping paper patterned with snowflakes, vowing to preserve it. She gently opened the dark blue box revealing a selection of hair ties and hairpins.
She loved them and swore to search for tutorials in styling hair.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*I don't know what a French braid is but I do know what French bread is*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The next week, Natsumi wore her hair in a high ponytail with a hair tie adorned with little plastic blueberries. (She attempted to braid a section then loop it around the tie but it just squished the adorable blueberries so she opted for a plain ponytail.)
Hibari-sempai paused a little at the sight of it.
Hibari-sensei had a slight smirk she didn't know if directed at Sawada-san or her.
Hibari-san gave her a free slice of cake.
Overall it was a nice Monday for a change.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*This is a nice line that is reminding you that you are awesome in your own way*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Tatsuya was able to get a call through even though he had to stand on someone's roof for a consistent connection.
The usual updates on both sides were over but instead of ending the call, Natsumi was now going on about some problem with her novel.
(It was definitely not just an excuse to extend the call with her older brother, the female Emiya would testify.)
"I'm reluctant at introducing a new character this late and so close to the ending. I'm sure my editor wouldn't approve of it," Natsumi confessed from the other side of the line.
"Then why ask me if your editor would likely say no?" Tatsuya asked with a roll of his eyes.
"Because I really can't see a way for the main protagonist to get out of the trap without any outside help," she whined.
"Why did he walk into that trap again? He knew it was a trap, right?"
"Because he's desperate to find his sister and a clue was dangled in front of him as a bait," now his sister sounded annoyed at him for forgetting a detail about her book. How cute.
"Why not get rescued by the sister then?"
There was a pause.
"That's so cliché Tatsu-nii."
"I know, I know! But hear me out! What if he just suspects it was his sister but the rescuer firmly denies it? He'd try to corner her but she'd be able to slip."
"…still sounds cliché to me."
Tatsuya scoffed, "Fine! Don't use any of my ideas then!"
There was a snicker at the other end of the line. "Don't worry Tatsu-nii, I think I'll be able to work with that idea. I mean, if she'll insist to run away, the novel won't get cut off too soon. Plus, there has to be a reason why she doesn't want to be found yet so I could maybe use that for the next novel."
He frowned at that, "Won't you get some backlash for deciding that? Don't you usually ask for a poll on which character would your next book be about?"
"It'll be fine…probably..."
That wasn't comforting at all.
But before Tatsuya could comment on that, their guide was already calling for him to come down. It was apparently time to go.
"You should go now, Tatsu-nii. The man shouting didn't sound too happy."
He snorted, "Nah, he's just like that."
"Uh-huh. Whatever. I love you. Stay safe and see you when I see you."
"I love you too and take care. See you when I see you."
The call ended. Time to find some beavers building their wooden dams.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Dam line break! Haha, overused pun…haha…ha…ha*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi sighed as she put the receiver of the phone back to its proper place.
She knew her older brother's concerns about the potential backlash she might get for that decision were not unfounded.
The first book of her series was about a scribe that fell in love with a noble's daughter. Or your classic forbidden love between classes. Thank her editor's patience for correcting all the things she got wrong about ancient china. (She was sorry for describing a 420-589AD traditional dress when her story was set during 200BCE okay?!)
For the second book, her publisher had the idea of creating a poll to decide which of the numerous background characters would be chosen to be the focus of the book. In the end, the poll decided on the foreigner that briefly accompanied the scribe for about a month. Both the warrior and the scribe were traveling to the eastern seas for tasks assigned to them. For the warrior, it was to prove himself loyal by retrieving a unique fish from the eastern seas.
The third book's poll winner was one of the witnesses in the conspiracy against the warrior from the second book. A normal chambermaid by all standards so she wasn't suspected of helping clear the warrior's name until it was too late. This was a bit difficult to write for Natsumi because it was more focused on politics, deceit, reading body language, and manipulation.
It gave her practice for the chosen protagonist of the fourth book though. It was about an attendee of the wedding between the warrior and the chambermaid. The attendee turns out to be a princess traveling from her home kingdom to another for an arranged marriage. She snuck out to witness a wedding borne of true and enduring love. The princess and her husband have no love for each other but that doesn't mean they couldn't be partners. And together the two had defended their kingdom, their titles, and their reputations while they watched each other's backs and stood as equals.
Which brought her to the latest protagonist of her fifth and current book, a soldier from the kingdom the princess had wed into. The soldier's sister went missing so he left the kingdom, giving up everything he had strived to be, just to find her. He was mentioned to have helped the scribe and noble's daughter flee to the warrior and chambermaid's country. This is why Natsumi was a bit stressed about the plotline almost concluding itself. It was mentioned in book 3 that the soldier had a jagged scar on his temple and following through on a clue about his sister's whereabouts that needed to be followed immediately.
There was no jagged scar yet. There was no clue that needed to be followed immediately. It was still two months before the scene in book 3.
Natsumi buried her face on her pillow and decided to sleep on it.
A less stressed mind might have a better clue on what she could do.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*End of boring details, the author apologizes for not giving ample warning. B-but the pun-!*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi received a package from one of her childhood friends from America.
What was inside was one of the most precious gifts she had received to date.
The note said:
I met him unexpectedly at a restaurant and immediately thought of you, I remember how much of a Keanu Reeves fan you are. I got you an autograph from him, separate from mine of course :P
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It was an autograph of Keanu Reeves, wishing her the best in life and admiring her strength for being able to go through so much and still keep going.
An autograph from Keanu Reeves.
Natsumi is going to buy the most expensive frame she could currently afford and hang it near the wall with her family's pictures.
It's her most precious treasure now.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*My...precious…*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi was so excited to share the news of her new precious property to I-Pin that she nearly toppled the poor girl when she tackled her. She didn't even give the waitress time to recover and started to happily chatter to her about the autograph and how her friend was so lucky to have met such a handsome and kind and humble man. Before going on a tangent on what she'll do once they do meet.
"…and maybe he'll let me give him a hug! Oh, what do I say to him?" Natsumi trailed off because would she even be coherent enough when face-to-face with her crush since childhood?
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*So…yeah…uhmm…uh…hi…?*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi's Keanu Reeves-fueled enthusiasm lasted her all through the end of the semester.
She got perfect exam scores for every subject.
Natsumi did end up on top of the class due to the three males' work ethic, just as she predicted.
Her editor d*mn near cried for the longer chapters and bonus scenes.
Her brother was happy she was happy.
She was riding so high that she should have known she'll fall back down to the ground hard and end up burying herself a few feet under.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*Crash landing in T minus 2 minutes*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Tatsuya had promised to be home on her awarding ceremony for having the top grade amongst her fellow freshmen.
Only to inform her two days prior to the ceremony that he wouldn't make it.
Which is fine, they scheduled a karaoke night together instead and already had the room reserved in advance.
(It's just fine to Natsumi, she told herself. Then repeated it to herself over and over again like a mantra until she believed it.)
Natsumi had to go to the school's stadium alone. She had to sit alone while family conversed together, giving each other proud looks, joking about this and that, introducing and getting introduced to other attendees.
(She's okay. She's not gonna cry. Everything was okay. She's smiling because she's happy today. Why else would there be a smile on her face? There wouldn't be such a happy expression on her face if she wasn't happy. She's smiling therefore she's happy. Simple logic. She's happy. She's happy. Why wouldn't she be? Is there a reason not to be? It's not like she's hoping his brother was lying and planning to surprise her or anything.)
The brief confusion on Vongola Timoteo-sensei's face when Natsumi received her award alone was okay.
(She's okay because she's smiling. Someone smiling means they're happy, right? She's happy and smiling right now so she's okay. The principal's understanding face did not hurt at all. She's happy and okay. Her hope died in her heart.)
When the ceremony was over and the others ran towards their family proudly presenting their achievement, she didn't run out of the venue.
She just walked faster than normal because nature was calling and she wanted to use her house's bathroom instead of taking her chances with the probably crowded public ones at school.
(There's no other reason, she swears. It was just dust getting into her eyes that got her teary, she swears. She didn't cry the whole night, she swears. Her heart hurts.)
It was the day they scheduled their karaoke night and there was no update from her brother.
Natsumi waited alone for hours while the room next to hers blasted music, different voices singing.
She waited past the curfew hours for those under 18.
By the time she heard the people from next door winding down and starting to end their own party, she was completely miserable.
She left without singing a single song.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*This line's chest hurts and it doesn't even have a chest. Help.*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Natsumi was crying her eyes out on one of the swings, in a random playground she had run to when she just couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
When the ache in her chest finally subsided to manageable levels, she finally realized how dangerous it was for an underage girl to still be out way past curfew.
She was almost afraid to remove the handkerchief she pressed her face into.
The playground might be well-lit but there's no guarantee what she'll see after she took a look at her surroundings.
(Hopefully) Noone? A shady man? A ghost peeping out of the trees where the light doesn't reach?
The sound of crunching plastic made Natsumi's fear-levels double and she waited for something to happen to her.
But nothing…
Was it a stray animal that stepped on a plastic wrapper discarded somewhere in front of her?
It doesn't sound like it. In fact, it sounded like someone opening a plastic wrapper.
Natsumi suddenly panicked about whatever it was that was just unwrapped being used against her but nothing was still happening.
She's painfully aware that she was shaking in fright now.
Sniffing pathetically, she slowly removed the handkerchief in front of her face.
With her eyes still closed. She doesn't ever want to open them but she had to. If only to have even just a bit of knowledge on what the threat was. Logically.
It doesn't mean she wanted to do this at all.
Whimpering and gulping she opened her eyes and saw something very white in the vague shape of a man.
She screamed.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*This is a Smol line*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
It turns out it wasn't a ghost or a shady man.
It was a marshmallow-eating albino wearing mostly white. (Was that any better? Natsumi was of the opinion that the answer is 'no'.)
In Natsumi's defense, her eyes were still blurry from tears so she couldn't make him out clearly and mistook him for a ghost.
Of course, she screamed at his face.
He scared her! He has no reason to demand her to compensate him for anything!
Not burst eardrums or hurt feelings!
(Natsumi couldn't help but shiver at the smile on the older teen's lips. He looked like he was about to demand her soul as payment.)
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Is this a cliffhanger? I kind of left that scene hanging when I cut it off there on purpose. It's definitely not because I was having a hard time writing Byakuran down accurately. Definitely not!
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Special thanks to konan248, Glyza, michelous, shadesnake, GinryuFox, Hawthorn96, Frozen-Roses-77, Luna-Zeta, ShisuiOfDaBodyFlick, balancewarlord for the reviews, follows and favorites!
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Cheers to the people who got the reference on the last line *wink* *wink*