Thank you to Marie Yoshina for your kind words and I actually remember that you would leave comments on the older version so it's nice to see that you're reading this newer one.
Same goes to every other reader who take time to read this story.
DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN
Natsuki's POV
I stood in front of the small house reading the name plate above the mailbox. Sawada 澤田. Even from the outside I could hear the children screaming their lungs out. I scowled at the sign. 'I can't believe I'm actually doing this.' Reborn opened the door. He didn't look surprised seeing me standing here. He shook his head and came up to the gate. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to prove a point." After reflecting on Mammon's words, I found that I couldn't look at him anymore. Anytime he entered the room it would become tense. Especially at dinner when we all were expected to gather. Xanxus didn't take our dispute as a proper excuse that we were all forced to eat in the stiff atmosphere. After going through that enough times, I decided that if I couldn't leave for a mission then I might as well make the most of my free time. That meant making fun of Tsunayoshi and proving people wrong. If I didn't change after meeting Varia then I'll try a different environment.
"Then I won't ask any further." He unlocked the gate side stepping to let me in. I entered the house reminding myself that Lambo was not to be killed for being loud. Reborn led the way to their living space.
"Mama, we have a guest." I bowed to her giving introducing myself politely. "This is Natsuki. Until she figures out a few things can we lend her a room?" Sawada Nana turned away from the stove with a ladle in her hand while Tsunayoshi started choking on his food. She smiled warmly gesturing to the dining table.
"Of course! We're running low on space, so you might have to a share a room with Bianchi-chan but you're welcome to stay here for the time being. Please sit down, Natsuki-chan. Breakfast is almost ready if you're willingly to eat." I backtracked at her motherly kindness. With no explanation she welcomed me into her home not knowing the gun I had on my person.
"That'll be lovely. I'll just set down my bag first." I jutted my head to the side at Reborn. He took my message taking the led to her room with Tsunayoshi quickly excusing himself to follow us. He closed the door behind him as I set down my one duffel bag.
"So how does your point relate to us?"
"I'm going to observe Tsunayoshi-kun. As the former candidate for Vongola Decimo I wanted to make sure that the Neo-Vongola Primo is up to date. He's been improving in strength and intuition but no way in attitude. He does not know any basis nor connections so even if he can fight, he doesn't know who to do so. Think of this as a check in."
I couldn't care less about him being the successor as long as he didn't die or mess with Varia. My only goal in coming here is roughly 90% related to what I claim. The other 10% is revolved around watching how Tsunayoshi is able to interact with those around him.
If I was ever going to prove Mammon wrong, then I would need to learn a new strategy. According to Mammon it was my character that refuses to change over any challenge. So I was going to study the personalities that were as opposite from me as possible. And who was more opposite than me then the citizens of Namimori?
Tsunayoshi was going to be my main focus for the time being solely because our blood. He was the only one, minus my father, that I knew that related to by blood. Yet despite that we were on completely different sides of the spectrum. When I drenched myself in blood at the Vongola hotel I describe that as a normal day. He, however, was probably scarred for life. The main difference and still similar factor that we shared was our Sky flames.
His flames were pure and natural for him not counting the seal from when he was younger. Mine were weak and tiring. Skies with a harmonious feeling to them attracted people naturally. Even Xanxus's though filled with anger, attracted those similar to him. Thus, explaining why Varia members would still pledge loyalty to him with pride despite all the torture they were put through. Tsunayoshi was even able to rope in Mafia hating Mukuro into his family in a sense. The more impressive part was Gokudera. He had already had his father as a Sky and plenty others as a freelancer until Tsunayoshi came into the picture. There was a charismatic feature to him that I wanted to explore into depth.
"And how long will this 'check in' be?" If Varia was serious about finding me, then I wouldn't have been able to make it this far. Since I did, it meant that my probation this time was less severe than the others. They probably couldn't care less about where I was at the moment. I had nothing on the enemy so even if I wanted to act 'reckless' I wouldn't have the access to. If the Arcobaleno couldn't find anything in the span of 3 weeks, then I was a hopeless case with a 0.1% chance of finding anything.
"Who knows? Until I find my answer or something important pops up." I shrugged my shoulders. I walked over to Tsunayoshi. Was it his tiny frame that shook whenever in fear? Was it the fact that he kept his uniform so disheveled? The only times I've seen Tsunayoshi stand out was when he was fighting. His flames were the most captivating part of him.
I could never read his eyes though. It was like he was trying to blank out every time he landed a hit. His only focus was more on enabling the opponent rendered useless than defeating them. That made it obvious why Kyoko and Haru adored him but not blood thirsty Kyoya.
He noticed my starring that he tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing at all. You should probably go finish your breakfast. I need to head to Nami Chuu for some student work. I'm going to be attending there for a while."
"Oh come on Kyoya-kun. I just stepped on school grounds." I sat on a tree branch looking down to angry Cloud guardian glaring at me. The other students froze in their spots watching Kyoya emit a murderous intent. He brought his tonfas back up.
"I haven't forgotten that your group was also responsible for school damage and disturbance of the peace." I sighed shaking my head at him. 'Man can this guy hold a grudge.' I took out my extended staff from my belt making him smirk. I tossed my borrowed school bag first at the same time that I jumped down.
Not even having my feet touch the ground, I had to use my staff to block his attack, pushing me back to the tree. I turned by body enough so that my feet planted onto the trunk, launching myself forward. Attacking his tonfa once I pushed myself above his head flipping me away from my corner. Getting behind him I ducked his move, rolling out of range for my bag. I hooked it onto my shoulder grounding my feet into a fighting stance.
"Is this any way to treat a new student?" He stopped his movements having our two weapons meet once more. We forced ourselves against our weapons having finally sealed each other's movements.
"New student?" I shoved him off, shortening my staff to show that I had no intention of fighting.
"Of course. As of today, I'll be transferring to Nami Chuu. In fact, I did a bit of research and saw that the disciplinary committee are supposed to be the ones to register new students."
"What is happening here?" Adelheid Suzuki arrived on the scene. She noticed my staff, placing her hand on top of her thigh where her fan was hidden. I rolled my eyes at everyone being so cautious. I understood that I had the ability to kill everyone here, but I never made one threat since coming here. Besides the people that knew that I was Haunting Shadows, no one had a reason to feel danger near me. To make everyone happy, not counting Kyoya, I put my staff away holding my hands behind my head.
"Happy?" She didn't move. "I'm a new student. Can I do the needed paper work now?"
Kyoya placed his tonfas away. He wasn't happy but was compliant to assist. I followed him waving to Tsunayoshi who looked drained of all his energy. I ran to catch up to Kyoya who was clearly reluctant for me to join. I walked beside him for the most part, surveying the school and its participants. People saw that I clung to the fearful leader, fleeing closer to the sides of the walls.
I could hear them whispering though. Rumors already spreading on who I was. My relationship with Kyoya and how I was able to stand my ground with him. I sighed realizing that fighting with him was probably not the best idea to start my impression on others.
He brought me to their committee's room. I closed the door behind me finally shutting out all the whispering. He moved expertly around his office getting me a few sheets for me to fill out. I took a seat on his desk skimming the sheets. He frowned at my actions but didn't say anything. At this point we both gave up on doing anything about each other. I borrowed a pen off the desk filling in all the needed information with a few lies to cover up who I was.
Once finished I handed the papers back to him to approve. He read it through then handed it back to me. "You forgot your last name."
"Is that actually needed?" I saw that portion, choosing to leave it blank. The last name I prominently went by was Celeste. Yet with the extermination of them, I haven't used that name is so long. I wasn't even comfortable with the name Fia. The name Vongola was already out of question. If for one second outsiders heard that a girl was named Vongola here, a massacre would start to confirm if it was just a coincidence.
"For any official document a full way to address someone is required." He pushed the paper once more at me. I snatched it back scribbling down the first name that came to mind. He read over the name raising an eyebrow at me.
"Is that fine?" He nodded. Placing the papers on his desk, he grabbed me a new girl's uniform and a written note. Going through his cabinet he got out one file. I read the side seeing that it was Tsunayoshi's school records. He took out of paper from the folder placing it on top of the uniform.
"Since this is too short of a notice, your schedule will be the same as the small animals. Give the teacher this note." I took the items, reading Tsunayoshi's class list.
"Wait, Tsunayoshi-kun is two years younger than me. Why aren't I in yours or Sasagawa-san's class?"
"Because you're here to watch over him, aren't you? That would be the only logical reason for you leaving that monkey group that you love so much. That's why your application will not go through the full process so that you can drop out anytime." I gave him an approving nod. Kyoya wasn't fun to play with solely because he was strong. He was also intelligent enough to understand that reading his enemy was an important factor to put into consideration.
"Then I'll be taking my leave. Hopefully I won't run into any trouble while I'm here or else I'll have to speak with Adelheid-san." I poked a bit at his pride, knowing that Adelheid's liquidation committee was second in line if anything happens to Kyoya's team.
I left Kyoya to do his own thing heading to the washroom to change. I kept my belt higher on my stomach than usual to make sure that my flimsy school uniform's shirt fully covered it. I stuffed my clothes into my school bag hiding my gun between the layers. The school bell rang through the washroom walls signaling that first class was about to begin. I was in no rush letting the other students run past me to avoid either of the two law holders catching them.
The hallways were empty by the time that I made it to the classroom. I knocked on the door letting the middle-aged teacher open the door. He gave me a stern look silently wondering who I was. I handed him Kyoya's note explaining who I was. One that specifically stated that all questions regarding me will be addressed by him. I saw him stiffen at the note before side stepping to let me enter. He cleared his throat entering the room behind me, drawing all attention to me.
The boys population was the first to notice my entry. First saying that I was cute then others realizing that I was the crazy girl that fought Kyoya. I stood by the teacher's desk tuning them out. The teacher slammed his hands onto the table to stop their blabbering.
"Apparently we have a new student today." He looked at my transcript laughing. He quickly caught himself remembering who I was. He nervously mumbled an apology to me not letting the other students hear him. They could tell that something was up though.
"Everyone be nice to our new student, Sawada Natsuki." The whispers started again. This time they all did a double take between Tsunayoshi and I at the back of the room. He cowered at the attention. I summoned my courage to ignore them. It was easier to imagine them as targets. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer as they say. My goal was to seduce them in a sense. Seem playful and nice to get close, then learn more on Tsunayoshi. It was as simple as that.
"As sensei said, my name is Sawada Natsuki. Some of you may know my cousin so please treat me with the same respect that you do him." I liked this school. Instead of admiring him like the head boss that he was, here he was Dame- Tsuna. I couldn't study them, so I'll just let them be. Their whispers only reminded me of bad memories anyways.
"Sawada-san, please take a seat. There's an empty one at the back of the class." I bowed once then proceeded to my spot. "Now I have to get some worksheets for Sawada-san from the teacher's office. Do not cause a ruckus."
The moment the teacher closed the door my desk was swarmed by the majority of the class.
"Is it true that you're related to Dame- Tsuna?"
"Why did you transfer to Nami Chuu in the middle of the semester?"
"Where did you come from? Are you fully Japanese?"
"That's a cute dog ring. I can't believe that Hibari-san let you wear it. Where'd you get it?"
"Did you get it from your boyfriend? Is Hibari-san your boyfriend?"
"Are you dating anyone right now?" I listened and filtered each question individually.
"I was raised in Japan but am only half. Tsunayoshi-kun is my cousin and I'll be staying with him until I work out a few problems. My ring was a gift from a friend, not Kyoya-kun. I'm not dating anyone nor am I interested in such relationships. I'm happy that you all are interested but if you can please not crowd around my desk then I'll appreciate it." I asked politely.
I played the role of being nice and innocent since it was easier than having them afraid out of their minds. It can serve as experiment as well. If people were fearful of me in my old school than let's see how they'll behave if I'm gentler.
They all understandingly backed off to give me space. I smiled sweetly making a few of the boys gushed at me. I laughed inwardly at their stupid faces. From the corner of my eye I saw Gokudera criticizing me. I could hear how he insulted his classmates for falling for my trap. I twirled a strand of my hair using my telepathic communication to send him a message.
'I completely agree with you.' I saw him jump shaking his head like a wet dog. I purposely looked the other way to stop myself from bursting out laughing. He pushed himself through the crowd with his friends behind him. He slammed his hands on my desk making me 'jump in fear.'
"Don't try your Mist crap with me you demon-woman!" I batted my eyelashes innocently.
"What ever are you talking about Gokudera-san? I was just sitting here. You should learn to watch your mouth as well; it's very impolite to speak to me like that." A vein popped on his head when his classmates chimed in to defend the new student. Fortunately for them Yamamoto was able to grab hold of him before any explosives went off. When everyone's attention was on him I stuck my tongue out at him. Yamamoto tighten his grip while Gokudera spewed out a string of cusses at me.
"G-Gokudera-kun the teacher will be back soon so let's sit back down. Okay?" The loyal puppy listened his boss's order going back to his seat. I held Tsunayoshi's sleeve back. He gave me a look of curiosity.
"Thank you, my dear cousin." He tensed up. I released my hold on him as he snapped his arm back. I could see him controlling his shaking at my underlying message.
The teacher came back soon letting me get my personal space back. I hardly paid attention to them or the lesson. I would listen to everything to make sure that nothing was strange, yet it went out the other ear. I was already ahead of the curriculum when I was in school, now being in years lower than me with knowledge gained from experiences, I was bored out of my mind. Was high school always this boring? This was, at least, less exciting than a mission.
"Sawada! Solve the question on the board." I perked my head, snapping my attention back to reality. I saw his yelling was directed to the other Sawada in the room. Tsunayoshi buried his head in the textbook quickly reading the section over. Even from the distance I saw the sweat and panic written on his face. I looked to the board realizing that we had already switched to math class. I heard people snickering at him while Gokudera tried to whisper him the answer. I rolled my eyes at him before standing up with an empty notebook in hand.
"Testing out the other possible values of both positive, negative 1 and 2 leaves with only one option equaling 0, being (x-2). So, x equals to 2 meaning that that's the only factor of given equation." I said out loud for everyone to hear. The teacher seemed shocked looking between the two of us.
"Ah yes, that's correct. Sorry but I was referring to your cousin to answer. I-It's fine. Next time I'll be more specific." They turned back to the board not calling on either of us for the rest of the class.
"Is she really Dame- Tsuna's cousin? They're nothing alike." A few people implied with their constant glances. 'Trust me, that's what I'm trying to figure out.'
I gave a sigh hearing the lunch bell go off. I folded my worksheets in half discarding them onto the table. I jumped at people calling my name to have them join them for lunch. It was a strange concept hearing so many people ask for me to eat with them.
I refused all of their offers heading over to Kyoko who was getting her bento out. "Ah Natsuki-chan, do you have something to eat?"
"No but I've done a bit of training to go without food, so I'm used to it. I actually wanted to speak with you." I took the chair from the desk in front of her desk. Lowering my voice, I used my Mist flames to cover our presences for a little bit. Tsunayoshi's family watched me from the distance. "I wanted to ask if you're okay. Last time we met it became a bit intense."
"I'm fine, thanks." I looked her over as she held onto her bento box lid tightly, forcing a smile onto her lips.
"You're doing a lot better than I thought you would. Even if you are covering your eye bags with makeup." She blushed, covering half of her face with her hands. Biting her lip, she slowly lowered her hands with her smile dropping with them. Her eyebrows furrowed together almost like she was about to cry.
"Can you keep this a secret from Tsuna-kun and Onii-chan? They've both been so anxious lately that I don't want them to worry."
"Worrying about you is considered their jobs. Why wouldn't you want them to know? It's not like they're going to cage you in for being a tiny, little bit disobedient." I said with a touch of anger on the scenario. She retracted a bit hearing my tone.
"It's not that I don't appreciate what they're doing, it's just... I don't want to pull them down. Everyone's been stressed since the trip and I haven't been able to think of a way to help them."
"I mean unless you fix the Vendicare and find out who attacked them, I really doubt that there's much that you can do."
"No, not help in that way. I mean I want to support them." I tilted my head. "During that Choice game, all I did was watch. That night at the hotel showed me that I really don't know anything. I thought that when Tsuna-kun told me everything, that boycotting against them was the final step. I listened to him even offered him advice on his box weapon. I never looked further into what they were actually doing. I never took in the danger. I don't want you to tell them because compared to them, me losing a bit of sleep is nothing."
I noticed how her volume slowly quieted as she continued. I examined the look her eyes gave off. It was nowhere near what I expected. I thought that Kyoko would live in fear after being held at knife points. That being near me after seeing that I was the same as those men would make her run away.
Instead she was so focused on helping Tsunayoshi that she forgot about her own wellbeing. "Why Tsunayoshi-kun? Everyone here calls him Dame-Tsuna so what made you think otherwise?" She hummed in thought.
"I don't know. Actually the first time that Tsuna-kun talked to me was when he confessed to me in his boxers." She gave the first laugh that I heard from her. "I was really scared when I realized that I screamed. A senpai thought that he was a pervert that he challenged Tsuna-kun to a kendo fight. The whole thing was rigged in the end and he still showed up. When he won I thought, 'Wow he wasn't what anyone thought he was.' I guess when you ask why I want to be with him and the danger, I would have to say that I know that he'll always do his best. Every day was something new."
I took in her answer and the way she spoke. It looked like a spell was placed on her to make her to relax. That spell was merely a memory of Tsunayoshi and the comfort that he brought with him.
"That's a very nice answer. Just remember that sleep is important as well. I won't tell them like you asked, but in return w-would you like to walk home together today?" I slapped my hand over my mouth hearing myself stutter. It has been so long since I last heard myself do that. My Mist flames stopped covering us as I faltered to keep my mind straight. She blinked a few times then smiled brightly.
"I'd love to! Haru-chan, Chrome-chan, Hana and I were going to the shopping district today if you don't mind. Oh, Hana is my best friend. She can be blunt at times but she's a really good friend to me. You can join us if you want." Hana? That name sounded very familiar. It was a common Japanese name but there was something about the way Kyoko said it that made a bell go off in my head.
"Were you talking about me?" A girl with long black wavy hair approached us the smiley Kyoko made her straight-faced friend stand out next to her.
"Hana, meet Natsuki-chan. She's going to come with us after school if that's okay."
"I don't see why not. You were always bonding with the new students, especially the ones connected to Sawada." She shrugged her shoulders seemingly laughing at Kyoko.
"Uh if I may ask is your surname, perhaps, Kurokawa?"
"Um yeah? Did Kyoko tell you?" I held back my laugh realizing why she was so familiar. I was not expecting to such a unique character here. Meeting her in person rather than the word of mouth was entirely different. Compared to the image that was put on her by associates I expected a more explosive woman than the mature one standing before me.
"Just a guess. We were just talking about Tsunayoshi-kun and her brother, have you had a chance to meet Sasagawa-san by chance?" Her face squeezed up in disgust surprising me once more. Rubbing her temples, she let out a sigh.
"Don't get me started on him. Lately whenever I see him he starts yelling and acting strange." I mentally shook my head at Sasagawa's antics understanding his distress. Though it seemed that even Kyoko was oblivious to his reason. I stood up bowing to her.
"Well I hope that he calms down soon. I have to find Tsunayoshi-kun so I'll see you later." I left the girls to their lunches heading to the concerned boy.
"Y-you didn't say anything weird to Kyoko-chan, right? I noticed that she looked a little sad when you were talking to her. Is everything okay?"
"Oh, some girl talk that's all. I plan on hanging out with them after school if you must know. Though I won't deny your concerns by saying that I don't have another objective in accompanying them. You should have a word with her if you want to convince her not to hang out with me." I was only here to observe him, after all Let's see how he would talk to Kyoko when she's in a time of need. For all he knew I could have threaten her to keep her mouth shut. He shook his head taking his two bento boxes out of his desk.
"I trust you Natsuki-san. You can be scary at times, but I trust you. My mom packed you a lunch box as well if you want it. Thanks for helping me out earlier too." He handed me his extra box. I held back a glare letting him put the lunch into the palm of my hand. He nervously smiled at me, running to his friends once he finished. 'I'm here to observe you. Not be your friend.'
"That is kind of you but unnecessary. Nonetheless I would like to accompany you for lunch. If that is okay?" Gokudera whispered into his ear that he had every right to reject my proposal. Yet his kind nature saw that I stood alone and didn't have the heart to leave me. He looked back to Gokudera pleading with his eyes to consider letting me join to which he couldn't say no to.
Gokudera walked behind his group at my pace. "I'm not going to let you do anything to Juudaime. Even if you are here to watch over him, I know better than to trust you. I don't care who you are or about your status."
"Then maybe you should think about your Boss's. Is his Storm threatening a high ranking Varia member with no provoking? Even after he so graciously allowed me to join them from lunch. What does that say about his leadership? I already warned you to watch your language once. Don't test me. You may have a higher status, but I have more knowledge and experience over your head. Your group has strength but no reputation. All the allies saw from Tsunayoshi-kun so far was him getting a beat down by the Simon. I have the power to completely destroy any authority you have in the Mafia by talking alone." I heard him clenching his teeth and fist together.
"You wouldn't dare." There it was. This was a different form of threatening, one where I wasn't challenging lives but pride. The main thing that set him aside from the rest of them was his background. He was the only one that knew how important influence was. That I had that influence over him.
"Why not? You just accused me of such actions." We reached the rooftop in a short amount of time. Tsunayoshi and Yamamoto were still unaware of the pressure of our conversation as they waved us to come join them. "If you understand the difference between us, then you shouldn't try any further. It's really bothersome that I have to deal with this. I didn't come here to fight. Must I say that to every student here?"
"I'm sorry then." Gokudera spat out through his tight teeth. I kept walking to join them for lunch whispering back to him unheard to his friends.
"That's a lot better."
"Fran!" I tackled the young boy almost knocking him over. With everything around me going so wrong I needed someone like him to relieve my stress.
We originally were going to wait for Chrome to show up but Haru messaged that she would be a little late because she forgot that she had the student duty today. So, while the two girls went to help her out with her that, I went to get Chrome who didn't have a phone for us to contact her with. Seeing Fran was just a bonus that I couldn't refuse. Not to mention that the other two couldn't step onto the land without Fran scaring them with a few low grading prank illusions. Though that explained the rumors of this place being haunted.
"Ah Natsuki-neesan, that explains why I felt Mist flames that weren't Master's. If you're here for Chrome she already left a bit earlier. You can probably catch up to her if you wanted." I unconsciously tighten my hug before releasing him. 'How can you tell me to go when you're the person I need more?'
"I guess so, she shouldn't be too hard to find though. Before I go I can take a request if you want me to buy anything." I held his hands, lowering myself to his level.
"Is there a reason why your flames keep flickering?" I patted his fake apple head to reassure him.
"You already improved this much while I was gone, haven't you? You even grew a little." I praised him for his growth physically and mentally.
Him choosing to go with Mukuro that time was really showing the better side. He could already read me to the point of understanding my emotions based on my flames presence. He probably could have saw it the moment I stepped onto their territory. It wouldn't be surprising if he surpasses his future self soon. "Just a small fight between me and the fairies you met awhile back. I'm working on something to figure everything out so you don't have to worry too much."
"Master told me that if your mind isn't into it then you can't control your illusions. Isn't that dangerous for you to go out like this?"
"I'm not on the job right now. It shouldn't be that big of a problem. Even in my state only experts can detect my flames so I'm not too worried. Namimori is a lot safer compared to Italy which is a nice breather. I can take care of anything that's thrown at me. "
"That kind of thinking can get you killed." I sighed hearing the same criticism from my kouhai as Mammon.
"You also got cocky with yourself." I stretched his cheek out, tsking at his words. He pried my hand off him rubbing his cheek in pain. He pouted making me laugh a little.
"You should go find Chrome now."
"Fine, fine, I get it." I understood his message giving a final ruffle on his apple hat. I made my way down the stairs feeling him release his illusions around their base for a while so that I could leave without any trouble.
"I like anything sweet too!" He yelled through his illusions still in his monotone way. I burst out laughing knowing that he only said that after realizing that I had more money than Mukuro could provide for him to going all out. I calmed myself down heading to the original meeting spot.
Like I expected Chrome was already there somewhat pacing in the spot. It was hard to believe that a small figure like her could probably break anyone's psyche if she wanted. With one order from someone higher up she could find anyone's deepest secrets and create the worst nightmare that anyone could imagine. Taking one more step forward she noticed me widening her one eye moving her feet into a combat stance. I waved at her approaching her slowly.
"Shadows-san, what are you doing here?"
"Right now? I'm a messenger. Haru-chan didn't finish her student duties. Kyoko-chan and Hana-san went to help her out. I transferred to Nami Chuu so they invited me to join you today."
"You transferred there? What about Varia?" She lowered her guard in surprise.
"A small break to visit Tsunayoshi-kun. Though I'm more surprised that you decided to go on this shopping date with them. After Fran said that you returned to Mukuro's side for teaching, I thought that you would have neglected Namimori students until you had to deal with them." We took a seat a nearby bench.
"I did consider that for a while, but I realized that I wouldn't have been able to speak to Mukuro-san without their help."
"Y-you changed his honorific." I was caught off guard when I noticed that Chrome wasn't even that nervous around me. She may have been at first but now that she saw that I was harmless, she spoke to me normally. Even her beloved Mukuro was still treated with respect but on the same level as her. She was even the one to wear the Mist VG despite Mukuro being the first official guardian. It seemed that Fran wasn't the only one to change in my absence.
She shyly scratched the back of her neck, blush on her unusually not pale complex. "He thought it would be better if I become more comfortable with him especially since I would be seeing the physical him more often."
"Natsuki-chan! Chrome-chan!" Haru waved to us in the distance with the other two following after her. She was breathing heavily, resting her hands on her knees once she managed to reach us. We gave her a few seconds to catch her breath while the others took their time to reach us.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm sorry that I forgot. I was about to leave school when one of my classmates told me. Did Haru keep you guys waiting for long?" I shook my head standing up to greet them, Chrome the same thing.
"It's fine I got to visit an old friend with the extra time. Which reminds me, is there a nearby cafe that I could buy a cake for him?" Hana gushed.
"For a boy? If he's older than I'd like to meet him. Can you tell me a bit about him?" 'So she likes older men. Good thing.'
"He's eight and likes to prank random people on the streets." I laughed at her immediately losing interest in him. Should I bring up the fact that I know the best candidate boyfriend for her or should I leave it for him to work on?
"Sorry about that. Hana has a vivid imagination of having a mature boyfriend that she only likes cool, older types." Kyoko apologized. "I know a few cafes that are pretty good that we can try as we pass by them. I might as well get some cakes for Lambo-chan, I-pin-chan, and Fuuta-kun. You're staying with Tsuna-kun, right? Do you mind taking it back to them?"
"Not at all. As long as Chrome-san takes mine back to Fran." She nodded.
"Wait, your friend is not just eight but lives at that abandoned health land? Wow, you have some interesting friends. Sawada and you are defiantly cousins. Even if in school you guys are complete opposites, he was always befriending weird people. Not that you guys are weird." Hana addressed to Chrome and I. Which made sense considering that we were only able to become friends with them because Tsunayoshi was here. Haru was somewhat in that category but she was a different set of strange.
"It's fine. I'm actually pleased that you acknowledged me as his cousin since I don't hear it that often. It's a nice change in role. That's exactly what I wanted to here by coming here."
"You want to be known as Dame- Tsuna's cousin? Now that I think about it, he kind of talks to you formally. Are you guys that distant?" I was impressed by her as her questions were quite observant. She wasn't just mature by word. She showed that she was more suspicious of me and Chrome than she let on. It was almost like Hana found the need to protect the two pure ones of the group from whatever we were involved in. Not that she knew any specifics. I had to applaud him from finding such a wonderful girl in his life.
"That's not so much the case but we have very different mindsets. Even though we're cousins I only met him about a year ago. We grew up with different ideals that most of the time we don't agree on how to handle things. To be frank his friends are the ones to be more disrespectful to me rather than him himself. Tsunayoshi-kun only knows that I'm older that he feels the need to speak formally." That and the fact that he first met me as the Haunting Shadows.
"So where should we go first?" Kyoko asked to relieve any further questions that Hana may have had regarding me. Hana looked between the girls as if asking herself what group she got herself involved in.
"Lead the way." I lagged with Haru who was talking about all the recent things going on with her life since we last met. She rambled on about her working on a up and coming play as a costume designer, inviting me to come watch. It was happening in a few weeks, so I wasn't even sure if I would still be in Namimori during that time. I was about to refuse when I realized that I could travel back and forth if needed. But then there was the problem that I may be busy at the time. That is, if Mammon decides to give me back my jacket and mask. Well wasn't the reason that I was here to find a way to convenience him of giving it back? Jobs were probably piling up like last time as well. Would I have time for a school play? Should I prioritize that over my job? My job was important to me though.
"How about going in here?" Kyoko pointed to a clothing store with a small sign that said that there was a sale going on. Haru forgot her question to wander into the store to browse around.
Kyoko and Haru would circle around the racks stopping occasionally, to recommended to us. They even played around with the accessories to pretend that they were rich. Being surrounded by those types of women during my missions made the two girls look like children. It was refreshing though to not have to shove those women off me for the time being.
"Shadows-san, are you okay?" Chrome approached me after escaping Kyoko's grasp.
"Not use to this type of environment that's all. Are you?" I told her hiding the fact that I mentally scolded myself for not being able to answer Haru's question.
She shook her head, smiling a little at them playing around. "I'm okay with them though."
"I get what you mean." Both of us understood that times like these don't last too long. For me it was times of Varia dinner before it was awkward. When food was somewhat eaten and not me clenching my knife just to stop myself from stabbing them in the bad way.
I looked at Chrome as her gaze was adverted to the windows behind me. I followed them to the dimly yet filled with flashing lights arcade across the road. I spotted inside many high school students playing a variety of games with hopes of winning either a prize or over their friends.
"Have you ever been to an arcade?" I asked.
"I don't think so. How about you?"
"Jobs take you everywhere, even into places like that. For my own personal reasons not really."
"What? You guys haven't been to an arcade before?" Hana holding a few hangers overheard our conversation. "Did you guys want to go in? It's been a while since I went to one too." The two others jumped in, popping out from behind her. I looked at Chrome who shrugged her shoulders for me to decide. I was going to deny any need for the extra effort when I saw that I had a second advantage point in going.
"If it's not a problem than I would love to. Don't cry when I beat you guys in the games though." Haru jokingly rolled up her sleeves in a challenge.
"Oh I don't know about that, I'm pretty good at the dancing games." Kyoko laughed at her.
After paying for a few pieces of clothing that they liked, we went over to the arcade. The loud music and yelling made me think of home. By accident the first game I went to was in shooting. The plastic toy was nothing compared to the real metal that I was used to. It was no close in weight, size or design. I knew zero assassins that would paint red flaming streaks onto a sniper, even the cockiest of them. Though I had to say that the absence of recoil was a nice touch. The overall game was at a low level that made it easy to get a new high score.
Kyoko clapped behind me. Coming up to the platform she looked at the perfect score, giving me a pat on the back. "Sometimes I forget that you are a Mafioso."
"That's not a good idea to do. Would you like a turn or would you like to verse me in another game?" She chuckled a little.
"I don't think that I can beat you in a gun game. I think I'll take you up on a dance challenge though. I'll get Haru-chan too so that we'll see who's the best." I set the gun back into its position as she hopped off to get Haru.
Dragging her over to the dance machine they call me over. Hana and Chrome finished up their pinball game to come watch us. I didn't recognize any of the songs as they were the more popular, more modern, type of pop songs. They ended up picking the song for me at a medium level. I wasn't familiar with the moves as they were as they added in the hand motions, singing along with the song. I was merely following the arrows on the screen matching to the floor tiles.
Though I did get some of it wrong on purpose for their self-esteem seeing how hard they were working. Finishing last was no chip off my shoulder seeing that they were exhausted themselves in dancing the fast-past song.
"See I told you that I was good Natsuki-chan, desu. I can be a champion." Haru who got first bragged. I was going to let them go with the win, but she unknowingly challenged my pride.
"Oh then I call for a rematch. This time I won't be holding back."
"You were holding back?" She jokingly retorted, inconspicuously trying to change the level higher for the next song. I blocked out their singing and dancing to watch the screen. The game was basically a test of reaction speed. The matter of whether or not you know the songs honestly didn't matter, they were to serve as a distracting point. Getting a feel for the size of the board was all that was needed. One time was enough for me to understand.
"Do you ever doubt me Haru-chan?" The song ended. The screen roulettes the numbers for each result. The numbers stopped with me getting another perfect score with a mini character congratulating me on a good job. Haru gave a defeated sigh giving me her title at being the best.
"You really are perfect compared to Sawada." Hana leaned against the dance bar. I bit my lip hearing her sentence under the music. Taking in a deep breath I calmed down. She didn't know about me that would imply an underlying insult. I smiled at her.
"Thanks, but I'm plenty not." I stopped myself from finishing the sentence with that word. Hana seem to shake her head at me probably thinking that I was being modest. "Would you like a turn? I'm okay for another round."
We continued going on a variety of games until they felt exhausted. Keeping to their word they brought me to a nearby cafe to eat some desserts. I looked through the glass case at the few cakes that they still had. I treated Chrome to anything that she wanted and three different slices for myself. Chrome held back on ordering too much that she settled for a small chocolate cupcake.
We decided to sit outside with our sweets after thinking about wanting to get some fresh air. Kyoko was the last one to sit down with her tray. "I'm beat. I'm don't think I want to do tonight's homework when I go home tonight."
"Then I hope that you have a good night's sleep then."
"Natsuki-chan... You didn't." I took a bite out of my cake holding back my smile. She seemed to have, now, understood why I was going through such lengths in hanging out today. With wide eyes she held her hand over her shocked mouth.
"You should finish your cakes before it gets dark. Your brother will have a few words with me if you go home too late." She smiled brightly making me blush. I didn't think much of me tiring her out, but it seem to have an impact on her. It almost made me forget why she troubled in the first place.
"Then I'll leave these with you then Chrome-san." I handed her the white box containing the five cakes for Fran. Not knowing what to buy I choose at random. I assumed that he would enjoy anything but if all else fails Ken looked like the type to eat off of scrapes. Chrome bowed to me taking it out of my hands.
"I'll walk Kyoko home, so we'll see you guys tomorrow." Hana nudged for Kyoko to follow. She mouthed me a thanks and linked arms with Hana.
"I'll be going now too." Chrome bowed to us again, walking towards Kokuyo land.
I faced Haru. "It's not safe for you to go home alone. I'll walk you."
"Eh? But Tsuna-san lives in the opposite direction from me. You don't have to go through that. Besides you should give the kids their cakes before they fall asleep."
"You still walked their almost every weekend to visit them, so it shouldn't be that far. It's no problem if their cakes wait a little longer. It's better that I walk you home to make sure that you don't get into any danger. Besides I love walking in the night time. It's much more peaceful." I gestured for her to lead the way as if I didn't already research where she lived. She had no choice but to start walking though I could tell that she was relieved that she didn't have to walk by herself. How she did it almost every day was a show of how much she valued them.
"Kyoko-chan looked really happy earlier. I'm glad that you came today. It was the first time that we got to see you in a relaxed state."
"Well more relaxed than usual. Namimori is a nice place that I can drop my guard for the most part. There are a lot of surprising things here that I couldn't account for. You count for that as well."
"Me? What for?" The sun had fully set that the street lights had flickered on.
"Very similar to Kyoko-chan actually. The way you ran up to us today shows that you were excited to join us. You even indulged yourself in two slices despite it not being your self-celebrated 'Haru appreciation day'. I could tell that you were trying extra hard to have fun. Perhaps as a coping mechanism?"
She dropped her head, not looking at me she walked ahead. "Was I that obvious?"
"I can be pretty observant. You're handling yourself well though."
"Haru always knew that Tsuna-san was in the Mafia. I put my complete trust in him though. After I acted so selfishly at our boycott I wanted to make sure that helped them in any way that I could. At the hotel..." She drifted off sentence slowing down her pace. I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You don't have to force anything." I nearly pushed her away when she tackled into my chest. I could tell that she was trying her best not to cry by her hiccupping breathes.
"How do you do it?" She whispered.
"Everyone is different. The way you're handling it now is good enough. If you placed your trust in Tsunayoshi-kun, then things will get easier. Hopefully you never have to put yourself in that situation ever again." I spoke quietly.
"I don't want that. I want to be by their side whenever happens to them. But when Kyoko-chan was captured. I-I... sat there." I switched the hand holding the box to the hand that was holding my school bag. With my free hand I rubbed her back like Lussuria always did for me.
"You were in shock. Even if you moved, it would have only made things harder for me to act. You held onto to I-pin which kept her safe since they were after her. Any normal person in that situation would have acted the same."
"Then what about you?"
"Well I wouldn't call myself normal. Did you not see how well I handled that fake gun today? Imagine the damage I could do with a real one. You wouldn't be standing like this in the dark with me if you saw." She let out a weak laugh taking a step back. The street lights showed off her tears brimming in her eyes. My shirt said that she didn't shed one tear yet. She used her sleeve to rub her eyes clear of them, giving a little sniffle.
"Natsuki-chan really is funny." I wasn't trying to be funny. It was enough for her though. I didn't get the two girls today. They were stronger than they gave themselves credit for, yet it seemed that they were stuck inside their bubble of being a damsel in distress.
It wasn't the Mafia that did this but their minds that eventually broke them down. In a way they were similar to me that I did not like seeing them so broken down. I've only seen them as perky supporters, now the roles were switched. The most frustrating part was that the person they should be relying on is at home probably getting a beat down from his tutor.
"Haru-chan, if I may what is it about Tsunayoshi-kun that makes you try so hard? You even go as far as to say you love him. I'm sure that they're other men out there that would be just as cowardly as him. Why the Mafia man?"
"I never told you how I meant Tsuna-san did I?" I shook my head. She walked a little further to a bridge. She leaned against the railing making me a bit worried. Her feet were planted firmly on the ground reassuring me that she wasn't doing anything drastic. "I live on the edge of Namimori that I've only ever heard of Nami-Chuu because of the disciplinary committee. My school was all girls that focused mostly on academics. By chance I met Reborn-chan and thought that he was an innocent baby that needed to be protected by the menace Tsuna-san."
"Menace? We talking about the same boy?" I leaned down to see the calm river beneath us.
"I know, right? I only changed my mind when he saved me from drowning in this very river." I marveled at her as she showed the same look that Kyoko gave me when talking about him.
"So you find the need to repay him with your own life?" I asked in confusion. It wasn't rare for people to feel gratitude towards their savior that they misunderstand it to being romantic emotions. She shook her head though.
"It's because even before it happened all I did was yell at him. I didn't deserve to be saved. At first it was like you said. I only saw him as a knight in shining armor. When I kept spending time with him I noticed that he was exactly opposite. He had his moments when I was so concern about him tripping in battle. He always came back in the end. The relief I feel each time he come backs alive. That's when I realized that I can't bear to be apart from him. To me even if I find another man to love, I don't think I can ever be separated from him."
To give him such a commitment. I never saw the distance between Tsunayoshi and I until I heard them talk today. One by one people were changing around me. Hearing now I saw that Mammon wasn't joking in saying that my progress was spit worthy.
Haru suddenly blushed as she took in her words. "Ah but don't tell him that I said those things. It'll be embarrassing if he heard them!"
I reeled myself back in seeing that they, at least, had their usual quirks. "I understand. Thank you for sharing your story. We should get you home now."
"Those girls are too kind. I'll make sure that they get it tomorrow. Thank you for bringing it back." Nana poured two cups of tea for us as I placed the cake box into the fridge for the kids. She wore her sleep wear as I had come back right before she planned to sleep. I was planning to let her go when she offered to have a nice chat with me.
"I should be the one thanking you. I randomly sprung up today with no explanation as to why. I'm sorry if I caused any problems." She shook her head.
"It was no problem at all. You're not the first one that needed a place to stay. I just hope that whatever problems you have right now will clear up. If there's anything that I could do to help, then feel free to ask." She placed the two cups of hot tea onto the table, taking her seat.
"Thank you but I doubt that you'll understand much about my situation." She sat there with an innocent smile on her face. Waiting a little I found that she didn't deny my statement. "Or would you?"
Intrigued I took a seat in front of her. "I'll be blunt. Are you a part of the Mafia, Natsuki-chan?"
I nodded as I took a hold of my tea cup. Nana sighed playing with her cup handle. "How much do you know about your son and husband?"
"Enough. Not that Iemitsu ever told me anything. There were always strange people following my Tsu-kun and I whenever he was gone. It was scary at first, but they never did anything. Only watched us. I finally figured it when this old man in a Hawaiian shirt came to visit. According to Iemitsu he was a higher up person in his business. You would think that the Mafia would be better at telling if someone was listening in around the corner. They did some sort of flame magic on Tsu-kun and left the next day. Ever since that they day I knew to look out further evidence about what exactly my husband was."
"What you probably saw was my father sealing Tsunayoshi-kun's own set of magic flames. From what I heard he was never meant to have live this life until my brothers were killed. Tsunayoshi-kun was a last resort when I couldn't take over the role. I'm sorry that you had to experience that."
"Honestly the hardest part was that no one told me. I finally pieced everything together when Reborn-kun came. On the first day he shot Tsu-kun and explained everything to him. Things like that just kept piling. Namimori students getting attacked and the next day Tsu-kun is beaten up by coincidence? Lambo-chan getting hit by lightning and rolling down a hill? I don't even know exactly happen, sometimes I believe that it's a dream, but these bandaged creatures attacked me and I fainted. The only way I knew that it was true was when I saw our broken roof."
"Then why do you hide that you know from them?" She lightly blew on her tea, taking a sip.
"It's nice to have a secret to myself every once in a while, I think." I chucked at her playful wink. I covered my mouth to stop myself from getting out of control.
"Sorry, that is quite a unique answer. I've only learned about you from how your family spoke of you. This morning I really believed in their words when you accepted a stranger into your home."
"You're not a bad kid Natsuki-chan. I can tell that much. Same with the rest of the children that come here." My eyes downcasted to the steam floating out of my cup.
"All day I seem to be hearing that. From your son, Kyoko-chan, Haru-chan, Chrome-san they all put their trust in me. Meanwhile back home if I was called a good child I could get kicked out. I remained a good kid for so long that I wanted to rebel by coming here... No, that's a lie. I wouldn't be kicked out for being good. I would be kicked out because I refused to change. Meanwhile everyone else around me grew in character is becoming braver and stronger each day."
"Do you have to change?"
"Doesn't everyone? As I continue my job if I don't change, I could really put myself in danger. Even my cute kouhai told me so."
"Well if it makes you feel better, I think you did change." I scoffed at her.
"How could you possibly know that?"
"Because it's impossible to go without changing. Even if you don't realize it yourself. Can you not name one thing? Not even something as simple as learning how to hold your weapon? Making some friends? Even this morning you were extremely formal to me, now you're sharing a nice cup of tea with me in the night time. Something you should know is that even though you change, it doesn't mean that you must go through a complete make over. Just going out of your way to do something you wouldn't normally do is enough."
'Little things?' I looked back on my actions. For one thing, I wouldn't have thought that I would ever escape from the Celeste's protective egg shell. I didn't think of a day that I would get the chance to go on a shopping trip after school to the arcade and cafes. I even had someone like Fran I enjoyed playing with like a brother. I had heard people at my old school speak poorly of me yet in Namimori, when they called me scary for fighting Kyoya, nothing affected me. And the words that hurt me was from the people that I can call confidently my family. Even with the Celeste I still hesitated.
I felt the warmness of my cup in my hands. "I've been trying all day to figure Tsunayoshi-kun out. Everyone, even if they didn't openly say it, only gave him praises. In a way I wanted to figure out why they loved him. I'll keep it simple but the two of us have this part of our blood that harmonizes with people. I thought that because Tsunayoshi-kun was constantly surrounded by people that the two of us were completely different and I wanted to know why. I think talking to you, or really everyone today, I may have figured out why."
"I'm glad I could help. Are you going back home then? You're welcome to stay for at least for the night." I shook my head.
"I've been told that I have an emotionally drive. I really should be getting back to my family. I do have one more request, but it would require you to keep another secret from your son." She hesitated but nodded.
"I already told you that I think that you're a good kid. If my Tsu-kun trusts you then I should too." I accepted her answer. Standing up I went back to the room that I shared with Bianchi, quietly taking my duffel bag.
I returned to the kitchen where Nana had stood up. She looked nervous in what I could say but stood firm. I placed the bag on the table and dug through a few of my clothes to take out a small pouch. I poured out the extra rings I had onto my hand. I picked out two rings placing them on the table. They weren't Varia rings but were simple A rank, gem in the middle, rings.
"Please deliver the yellow one to Kyoko-chan and this blue one to Haru-chan. I can't give you any more information regarding what these are without getting in trouble. I ask that you give it to them and hopefully they'll understand that these are for self-defense. It's also important that Tsunayoshi-kun doesn't find out until they have it or else he'll throw them away." She carefully slid them off the table holding them tightly.
"You're not going to get them into any danger, are you?" I quickly finished my tea.
"I want to say no." She nodded knowing that I did want the best for them. "Let them know that I'm not forcing them to wear these. I merely saying that it's better safe than sorry. Tsunayoshi-kun can speak to me directly if he wants. I'm going to do this my way."
I opened the door to Varia's main dining hall. I dropped my bag causing them all to stop eating their breakfast. Sensing the tension, the random members bowed quickly to all of us and scurried out of the room. Levi was the first one to speak up. "You came back faster than we thought."
"Where is he?" A Mist flame appeared in the room behind Xanxus' head chair. Mammon walked to the middle of the room with me meeting him half way. "I want my mask and jacket back."
"On what grounds?"
"Their mine."
"You didn't earn them."
"I counteract that I did. I couldn't bring myself to hurt you that night because you're important to me." I gestured to everyone in the room. "You all are. I repeat that to myself so many times that I probably sound like a broken record. That past I had with the Celeste? The past that you want me to get rid of because it shows that I haven't change? It shows way more."
The thing that drew everyone to Tsunayoshi wasn't just his Sky flames, it was the way he used them. He only used them to protect not to force people to him. They admired him being able to stand up when he was needed. What Nana had to point out was that I had my own set of people that I loved. My flames were not as bright or powerful as his or Xanxus' but they would drain me dry before I think to let any of them suffer.
I lit my hands on fire. "These flames show who I really am. My blood, heritage and emotions. As long as I hold those close to me dear I can't get rid of my past. I will always try my best to please people not because I want to look perfect but because I want them to trust me. I go through each tiresome trial to make sure that I don't get left behind. Even if that means going to an annoying arcade and answering simple middle school questions. I want to stay with the people I care about. It can make me predictable, rash and make things turn risky, but that only means that I'll work harder to figure it out."
"What's your point?" I seized my flames, breathing heavily as I exerted more than I wanted during my talk. I knew that Mammon wouldn't take my sappy explanation of how I grew and changed and so prepared another explanation that he would enjoy more.
"I will always complete a flawless execution of orders without hesitation. If that looks perfect to you then it may be. But the point that you fail to realize is that it does not make it a bad thing. As a member of Varia it only holds our status higher than anyone else and that's good in profit."
He materialized my items into his hands. He took a few steps forward. "You should stick to making things more concise explanations. As long as you aren't going to get yourself killed than that's all that was needed. Not throw a whole fit about it."
I tackled him into a hug which he just accepted. I stepped back grabbing my mask and jacket back. "With that I'm going on a job!"
Squalo stood up from his seat. "WAIT, YOU JUST GOT BACK!"
I grabbed my bag off the floor, dashing out the door before he could deny my leave. The moment I sat in the car to the airport my phone rang with an explanation wanting Squalo. He said that when I got back that I would have a problem on my hand for not explaining where exactly I was going. After all the strain on the relationship I had with Varia to go on a job with everything resolved was a large weight off my shoulders. I had the best sleep in the longest time.
A single spot light shined on a man standing in a dark trench coat with a red and white masquerade mask on to cover his eyes. He used his leather checkered gloved to remove his metal hat revealing his sliver long hair. He bent his knee, curtsying to me.
He held a smirk on his face that reminded me of all the problems he caused us. I placed my hand on my lower back to find that my staff was not in its usual place. "You should loosen up a little, Fia."
"What are you planning Checkerface?"