Warnings: Rated T for themes and language. I will be using both manga and anime b/c I like parts of both plots. And errors in grammar, spelling, etc.
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn anything, but I hope to bring my OC into the world of KHR.
Italicized words = I use them to emphasize, when there is a different language, and when the characters are thinking. If it gets confusing - sorry.
Thank you to ALL YOU AMAZING PEEPS who have favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! \(^u^)/ It makes my day when I'm notified of a new follower/favoriter and I'm eager to read any and all reviews I get.
Special thanks to Merendinoemiliano, Eliwood, Fellow-Human9923, Megi Keishii, and Guest for reviewing the last chapter.
And Eliwood I'm actually kinda happy you think Nade is so strong, but I just wanna remind you that canon-Tsuna was pretty weak in the beginning and there hasn't been a fight (till now) for Tsuna to show his awesomeness next to Nade. I think you'll like this chapter cuz BIG BRO TSUNA TO THE RESCUE!
Hope y'all like this chapter! Some minor corrections and add-ins were made to the previous chapters as well so if you notice those, I hope you guys like 'em.
All he felt was pain.
Agonizing, muscle-aching pain. He barely escaped his sibling's and friends' attacks only to get bombed by the Mukuro-controlled Gokudera. Did Reborn shoot him? If he did, why was he still in so much pain? Useless sadistic tutor. He laid prone on the dusty wooden floor, vaguely aware of the ominous approach of his possessed sister.
Then the voices of his friends and loved ones entered his mind - criticisms, worries, prayers, and encouragements.
Tsu-nii!
He could hear Nade's call for help. He could feel her worry and her Flames pushing to reach his. But they felt like they were behind a glass wall. He could sense them, feel them, but they were ultimately blocked from his own reaching Flames by some force.
Tsu-nii! Get up, please!
That's right, he thought. Nade needs me. She's scared, so I have to help her. I'm her big brother and she needs me right now. Now's not the time to be dame, Dame-Tsuna.
He promised her he'd protect her and be there for her the day he realized that she couldn't be strong all the time - that day on the beach.
Flashback
Loud guffaws echoed on the beach from one particular muscled blonde in bright orange swim trunks and a white tank top. Over one shoulder he carried a large rainbow beach umbrella and over the other a large tote filled with other beach necessities.
"Woo! Tsuna! Ko-chan! Today we are at Kioku Beach! Shall we go out to the water? Ne? Ne?" The excited gleam in his eyes blinded him from the obvious discomfort of one of his children. The four-year-old Nadeshiko had a firm clutch to the back of their mother's calf-length plum swing skirt.
For the seven-year-old Tsuna, it was the first time he's witnessed his little sister so upset. From the moment their Papa and Mama mentioned visiting the beach, he noticed how quiet Nade had gotten. Tsuna, on the other hand, was ecstatic to be visiting the beach again. The little he remembered from the last time his family visited the beach - just before his younger sibling was born - was filled with mostly good memories. The only bad part from what he could remember was when his Papa threw him up and down in the air as he stood knee-deep in the water.
The young brunette shivered briefly from that memory. He hoped that Nade made better memories than he did. Hopefully, their Papa would be nicer to her than he was to him since Nade was a girl. Papa said he did what he did - and many other things - to make Tsuna a strong man who can protect his little sis as he did for their Mama.
He noticed as their parents set up the umbrella and mat that Nade's expression was blanking more and more. As soon as a towel was laid on the sand, his little sister curled up in a ball, wrapping her hands around her knees as she stared resolutely in the opposite direction of the ocean.
He crouched beside her, "Nade, ar-?"
"C'mon, Ko-chan," yelled the rambunctious Young Lion of the Vongola, "This is your first time at the beach. Aren't you excited?"
Next thing either sibling knew, their overly enthusiastic father had the younger in his grasp and was approaching the body of blue. Nadeshiko's protests full of scratching, kicking, and vehement shouting were met with the oblivious brick wall of the CEDEF Head who only thought his daughter's actions represented her excitement to walk to the water herself.
A surge of protectiveness welled up inside the tenth-to-be as he watched his usually strong baby sister break down in tears as she looked down at the water she was held over by their ridiculous father.
Surprisingly, Tsuna ran toward the two without his customary clumsiness causing him to trip and tugged insistently on the orange trunks of their Papa. "Papa, put her down! Please? Nade's scared, Papa."
To say Iemitsu was shocked at his typically shy Tuna fish was an understatement. The brown eyes he was used to seeing on the young brunette glowed amber similar to their ancestors. He looked at the trembling child in his hands and was shocked by the acute fear he could now sense from his daughter. Immediately, he placed her back on the sand, "Sorry, Ko-chan. I -"
"Baka-Papa!" she cried as she ran to hug her older brother. The Lion rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Tsuna hugged her just as tightly and did his best to comfort her. Neither noticed when he left the two to calm down knowing that the harmonizing of his son's Sky flames would do more than he could at the moment.
After a few minutes, the young Vongola held his sister's hands and asked, "Nade, are you okay?"
He looked her in the eyes with an earnest gaze. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was the elder mentally but felt like the toddler she physically was. "Ne, Nade, are you afraid of the ocean?"
Her silence and chagrined pout were telling.
"That's okay!" She gave him a skeptical look. "It's okay, imouto. I'm always scared of everything, ya know, so, uh, it's okay."
"And," he continued, "You don't need to worry 'cause I'll help, okay, Nade? You don't need to worry 'cause I'll be with you always. I'll learn to swim, then you won't be afraid of the water. I promise I'll protect you...
"I promise."
Flashback End
It was a childish promise that he at most times felt unnecessary when she seemed to always be two steps ahead of him, but he held the promise deep in his heart. He'd be strong when she couldn't be, even if he was scared or weak, he'd be strong for her. He promised.
Fighting past the ache in his limbs, his hands clenched tight as he slowly positioned himself to his knees. Come on, Dame-Tsuna, you have to stand. She needs to know you're okay. Stand! For her, for Futa, for your friends.
STAND!
A bright orange flame blazed on the forehead of the tenth-generation Vongola boss-to-be. His eyes glowed a bright amber reminiscent of his sisters as they connected unwaveringly to the red and blue eyes of his adversary.
"Mukuro...If I don't defeat you...I could never let myself die!"
Why?! Mukuro internally fumed. He was so close to possessing the Vongola judaime. With the younger Sawada's weakening resistance, he reduced the constant flow of his own flames as he focused on controlling his other puppets. She had played her part in his plans and now he wanted her far from her brother, although that plan was getting less likely as his puppets were made useless.
He could feel their flames trying to resonate with each other and knew that the moment they did that his control over his fellow reincarnation would end and so reinstated his control on the girl.
If only the Vongola would. Stop. MOVING.
First, Ken's attack was rendered useless with the judaime's counter and subsequent knockout. Then, Chikusa's illusion was seen through as his true location was discovered and in the next moment disabled. How the dubbed Dame of Nami Middle was this capable was baffling to the Mist-user.
Mukuro could feel his plans unraveling. The cursed infant's dialogue about the awakening of the Vongola's super intuition changed nothing though. It only meant he had to be craftier.
As Tsuna absorbed the attacks from Gokudera and Bianchi, he noticed how Mukuro kept Nadeshiko back towards the couch where everything began. Sorry, Gokudera, Bianchi. With a swift and hard chop to the nerves on the Italian siblings' necks, they were rendered unconscious.
"Reborn, treat them, alright?" The hitman's reply to his request background noise as his focus was on his last involuntary opponent.
The last of the controlled - his sister - stood confidently in a way so dissimilar to her usual confident posture it fed the flames of his anger and resolve.
"Kufufufu," the laugh felt so wrong coming from his sister, "This is the body of your sister. Can you attack her like you did your friends'? Her body's already exhausted, I can almost feel it," he taunted as if it wasn't his fault she was in that state to begin with.
"Release her, Mukuro Rokudo, or else." Tsuna's flames glowed brighter before the illusionist.
"Or else what? You'll cry?"
The brunette's expression didn't falter, "Or else I'll make your defeat hurt more than it has to."
The glare on his sister's face was twisted in irritation.
"Why don't you fight yourself, Mukuro? I know you're alive."
Out of the darkness emerged the indigo-haired criminal who walked as if everything was fine and he hadn't shot himself.
"Hm, perhaps you're right. Have you "sensed" that there is still a battle skill I haven't used? The fifth realm...the Human realm."
His monologue was continued by Nadeshiko, "Of all realms, it's easily the ugliest and most cruel. I'm not being cynical. I truly find this realm and this skill repulsive."
Mukuro picked up where she left off as a dark and suffocating aura surrounded his body and turned his right hand dark purple, "This Human realm truly is the ugliest and it holds the most dangerous skill. Unfortunately, I can't use this skill as dear Nadeshiko-chan, but even you can tell that the size of my aura matches my strength!" The illusionist charged and swung his trident overhead.
Tsuna visibly struggled to push back the weapon while Mukuro used his distraction to connect an uppercut to the Vongola's middle strong enough to lift the Vongola off the ground. Before his body began its descent, the previously immobile Nadeshiko flew over Mukuro and landed a no doubt painful sidekick that launched the teen across the room.
"Aren't you fragile? And here I am just warming up," Nadeshiko's face held an identical smirk to Mukuro.
"I sure hope you are. And didn't I tell you? If you didn't release my sister, I'd make your defeat hurt more than it has too. Since that seems to be the case now, I'd be disappointed if you didn't even put up a challenge." Tsuna gathered his hands by his forehead as his Sky flames spread to his now transformed gloves. Flames lighting up the room and contrasting significantly to the dark aura of the Mist-user. "My dying will flames aren't auras like yours, Mukuro. They burn."
"Oh, is that so? Care to show me?!" Similar to his previous attack, he came straight at the waiting Vongola heir, but unlike last time Tsuna caught the trident's swing effortlessly, bending the pole, and countering with his own punch.
It was only thanks to Mukuro's quick reaction that he managed to dodge the counter.
It's hot!
Expecting the Vongola to attack him head-on, Mukuro sliced at the teen as he approached only for the brunette to disappear in the blink of an eye. He vanished!
In the next moment, Mukuro felt a disorienting whiplash as the rest of his spirit was flung back into his body.
This is the only opportunity, Tsuna thought as he appeared in front of his sister.
The shocked expression on her face appeared as if in slow motion to him as he landed an open-handed strike pulsing with his flames to her forehead and knocking her back as gently as he could. Nadeshiko stumbled back and onto the floor. A groan was released by the young blonde as she brought a hand up to her forehead.
"Nade?" He couldn't sense Mukuro's presence in her anymore but remained cautious just in case.
"Tsu-nii?" She peeked up at him, wide-eyed and vulnerable before she came to the realization that she was finally free. A genuine smile broke across her face as tears of relief raced down her cheeks. She launched up and hugged him with all her might. Their flames resonated between them and encompassed them in a calming warmth that could only be felt through flame harmony.
"NO!" The siblings were shocked out of their reunion by the enraged roar. Suddenly, the purple-haired teen collected himself and let out an eerie cackle. "This was a miscalculation on my part. I was hoping that Nadeshiko-chan would remain in my control, but this is only a minor set back."
He drew himself up, "I've already explained my plan to Nadeshiko-chan. Possessing her was a worthwhile and enlightening first step. Possessing you, the Vongola heir, would only be the beginning. My goal is much larger. I'd control the world leaders and use them to start a world war - painting this ugly world with pure and beautiful darkness. The annihilation of the Mafia is only my debut. So let's begin...You're mine!"
A dark specter was directed to attack the siblings. Tsuna was prepared for a second attack after dismissing the specter as an illusion, but Nade recognized the distraction for what it was. With the last of her strength, she erected her familiar barrier and blocked the rocks hidden under the illusion. "Tsuna!" her brother moved at her call, seemingly disappearing once again to appear behind the illusionist and deal a mean punch to knock him down into the ground.
Spent, Nadeshiko fell to her hands and knees as her barrier disintegrated into wisps. She did her best to remain awake if only to ensure Mukuro's defeat. From her position, it looked as though it was the end until she saw her brother turn his back to his still conscious assailant.
"Tsu-!" She tried to warn him but before she could Mukuro restrained her brother's hands and flung him toward the trident tip that was stuck in the wall from when the yoyo-user was knocked out. Unfortunately, no matter how much she wanted to move to help him it felt like massive weights were attached to her limbs and prevented her from getting up.
To her great relief, the brunette intuitively used his new X-Gloves to prevent his back from making contact with the blade and propelled himself toward the stupefied illusionist.
As Tsuna stood above the illusionist, his Flame retreated and his gloves returned to their mitten state. She drew closer to the two, or rather three after she saw that Reborn stood beside her brother. A part of her felt like her fellow reincarnated criminal deserved the beating he got, but another part of her worried for the old soul that was twisted from his terrible past.
"Don't touch him! The mafia's not allowed to touch Mukuro-san!" The just awakened Kokuyo criminals crawled closer with all their strength. Tsuna rightfully couldn't understand their loyalty to a person who possessed and used them despite their broken bodies.
When the one in the beanie stated they'd never understand, she accepted that. She figured that no one would understand her if they were never reincarnated with all their memories until Mukuro came along. But when they spoke in her mindscape, she could tell that his experiences were infinitely more painful and dark than hers were. While she could sympathize with his pain, she would never truly understand what he, and from the looks of it the other two Kokuyo students, went through to cause them to attack innocents and start a world war.
They spoke of inhumane experiments conducted on them by their own Family, the Estraneo, until the day Mukuro wiped them all out. Then they were free.
A chill ran down her back suddenly. She looked toward the room's entrance and saw three figures dressed in long black coats with white cravats around their necks and large black tophats. The most unsettling detail, she observed, was the figures' faces, or rather lack of faces as each figure's head was wrapped in pristine white bandages. They vaguely reminded her of an old-fashion version of the horror game character, Slenderman.
Her unease increased with Reborn's statement, "They got here fast."
Chains out of nowhere latched onto the necks of the Mukuro and his allies. The Vindice. Enforcers of the Mafia laws and punishers of those beyond the reach of criminal law. The police of the worst of the worst.
Tsuna and she had to watch with painful hearts as the lawbreakers were dragged away by their necks. Is it wrong to pity your enemy? she pondered.
Nadeshiko only fully relaxed as the Vongola's medical team appeared and swiftly loaded the injured on to gurneys. Suddenly, her brother's body caught up with all the action it was put through and caused him to faint from the stress and pain.
"Good job, Tsuna, you cleared Vongola Ninth's test," congratulated the hitman.
"Some test, huh, Reborn-san," Nade tiredly commented and sighed.
"Rest now, Nadeshiko, you did a good job as well."
"'Good job'? I don't think getting kidnapped, possessed, and being utterly useless at the end of the fight doing a good job, you know."
"You gave me the hint I needed to figure out the reason for the attacks, fought to the best of your ability against an incredibly strong illusionist, and continued fighting till the end by protecting your brother with the last of your strength. I think that's a good enough reason to say you did a good job. I'll just have to train you and Dame-Tsuna more for next time."
"I don't think I want a next time, Reborn-san," she huffed.
"For now, rest. As your tutor, I'm also tired." And with that, the hitman rested against her brother's prone form and proceeded to nap. His signature snot bubble appearing as he slept with his eyes open.
"Yeah. Rest now. Train later," she mumbled tiredly and curled on the other side of her brother. "Night, Reborn."
Kioku = memory (so, Memory Beach lol)
Baka = idiot (so, Idiot Papa)
THANKS FOR READING! (^u^)/
Took a bit of a break 'cuz of school and preparing for grad, but I'M BACK and glad to be back! I've decided on some plot points and character details that I hope you guys enjoy in the coming chapters as well. This story is always on my mind even if updates are constant or regular (sorry).
Was the beach memory written well? I thought Iemitsu's obliviousness was fitting to his character, but what do you guys think?
Review! I love to know what you guys think and it does encourage me to write faster!
*heart*
1/8/20
