A/N Helloo!
If you could've guessed from the title, Tsuna's brief stint in Italy is almost over. I realise there's a lot more she could have done (like meet Gokudera) but it was more about the experience here that affects her rather than her stirring up others... although, there is one more character she meets :)
And a heads up, in this chapter there is some Italian (the italics) that Tsuna understands, but its in a dream so they are able to understand one another through merely that fact (Otherwise I doubt the other would understand the Japanese she's speaking).
~Chapter 3 – Homebound
"I was wondering if you have any tips on night terrors." Iemitsu wondered aloud as he collected a new set of files for his next mission.
"Are you having nightmares?" His elderly boss asked, more concerned than amused.
"Non, Timoteo," The blonde denied, "My daughter has had some terrible dreams of late. Her brother gets concerned and wakes her up if they get too bad, but I worry that her health will suffer at this rate."
"Well, all fears originate from something," Timoteo stated wisely, "If you could get her to talk about her problem she might find some closure…" As they talked, a particular red-eyed teen standing off to the side furrowed his brows. The only reason he was here was because a certain someone had not stopped by lately. Luckily for him he seemed to have just found his answers to her absence, something he appreciated even if it came with a bucket of guilt.
"She can't know," The head of CEDEF clenched his jaw in worry, his next words surprising most in the room besides the old man, "Ietsuna will never be involved with the mafia."
Not even her dreams were safe. When Tsuna slept she saw red and death. Sometimes she got shot, feeling an imaginary pain that tore her heart, and sometimes it was someone else, and that felt just as bad if not worse. She was simply afraid.
"That's not so bad…" Usually she would've been alone to witness the imaginations of her nightmare, today though, there was someone else beside her in the void. They were standing behind her, speaking in a quiet, whispered voices, with the same childlike limbs as hers, hanging just outside of her vision.
"It's horrible." She couldn't tear her eyes away as she envisioned Xanxus getting gunned down, bleeding out on the already red floor.
"So he got shot," Her guest replied, "Personally I think that is an easier way to go…"
"No one deserves to get hurt like that," Tsuna answered naively, as a child would... as they should.
"Even someone like him?" The scene flashed to a man she had only met for mere moments before he was gunned down, and as clearly as she remembered his death, Tsuna also remember how he had aimed his own weapon at Xanxus. "Would you have rather you friend die?"
"No one should have to die, no one should have to be hurt-"
"But that's not how things work, not in the mafia." And then all of sudden she seemed to see something else. Thousands of terrible images intruding and seizing hold of her mind. There was dirtied white and there was cold, steel tables. The sound of kids screaming and crying, the smell of blood and fear and death…
"Get out!" These weren't hers.
"See," The voice sounded far too tired now, "Getting shot isn't so bad. It's a quick end at least-"
"No more," Tsuna felt beyond exhausted and knew she would only wake up feeling worse, "I want to go home."
"When you wake up you will be home-"
"No," She shook her head, "Home isn't here." She didn't want to be 'here' anymore.
"And where will you go?"
"Japan, Namimori, where Mama is waiting." The girl didn't want to dream of death anymore.
"So you're running away? Coward." He taunted her but she got the feeling that he wanted to do the same.
"There is nothing wrong with running." The dream began to fade, a sure sign of her waking, and on impulse she turned. What she caught sight of, however briefly, was a sheen of colour. It was a ghostly shade between blue and purple, and so transparent she doubted her eyes. Her instincts though, would have her remember this colour for years until she met the owner again. And she would, she just knew she would.
"What are you doing here?" Xanxus let out a tired sigh as his men opened the door for the amber-eyed girl. It had been another couple of months and he had doubted she would ever return after seeing the truth of the bloodstained mansion. He reminded himself for the umpteenth time that she was apparently a civilian, and that him shooting someone in front of her had been a major mistake. "I doubt you're lost again seeing as you made it all the way to my room."
"Papa, is at a meeting…" He stared at her, waiting for the questions, but she said nothing and sat herself in her usual spot. He looked her over, noticing the bags she had under her eyes. She was about half his size, less than half his age and suffering with what appeared to be lack of sleep from nightmares most likely cause by him. He supposed he would just let her be. It also helped that she made his office feel a little less stifling. "Did he die?" She asked about a minute into the silence, and for a second he had to think about who she was talking about. Did she mean the no-name traitor?
"Of course," He replied succinctly, "Most humans don't survive a bullet through the skull."
"Oh." The both fiddled with what they had on hand, Tsuna with her book and Xanxus with his papers, neither really doing anything productive. "Xanxus." He tensed, not quite ready for the imposing second question. How would he answer her?
"Yes, Ietsuna?" There was an exceptionally long pause, but eventually she met his gaze with her own. Strong and determined, just a little watery from withheld tears.
"Why?" It was such a loaded question, but he felt she at least had the right to know, despite her father's obvious attempts at keeping her in the dark. So he told her, in the simplest way someone her age could probably understand.
"We are Vongola, and we are mafia."
A single promise from Xanxus was enough to stop her nightmares. It wasn't the one she had asked for, but it was more than she could have hoped for, all things considered. With it Tsuna had begun to enjoy her father's report deliveries as much as Yoshi did, both children eager to see their friends within the mansion. She hummed happily as she watched Xanxus work, diligently reading through paperwork even with his violent tendencies. In the past few months she was slowly but surely working her way through the easier books on his shelf, whilst lying on her favourite couch. She no longer questioned him; in fact, she honestly didn't want to disturb him. Apparently Xanxus was trying his hardest in work so his father would pick him as successor. Despite having three other brothers he thought himself the most worthy, and Tsuna too thought he would do a good job. He was kind after all.
"It's creepy when you smile like that." His rough voice sounded tired, most likely due to the fact he hadn't slept properly in days. He couldn't believe the kid had the gall to lie and that comfy couch relaxing whilst he was slaving away at his rigid desk. "Move." He ordered abruptly, as he walked over, picking her up and throwing her onto the throne-like armchair, taking the couch for himself. He fell asleep quickly, the blurry image of her overlapping with his ancestor as she watched him with those striking eyes.
"Sleep well." The girl chirped as she prepared to leave. By the time she had reached the door his soft snoring reached her ears and she had to stifle a giggle. She was surely going to miss this, and some part of her mind wondered if it would be okay not to tell him. Of course not, her childish judgment reasoned that they weren't even close. She saw him maybe twice a month for a couple of hours, and whilst she enjoyed his company she had no idea if he thought the same. To him, she was likely just another unimportant person that, every once in a while, occupied his couch and read his books. Either that or somehow her papa had gotten him to babysit her, an unlikely but not impossible thought. Tsuna surmised that in the end he shouldn't care if someone like her disappeared.
"Tsu-chan, welcome home." Nana tried her hardest not to cry, but the tears just wouldn't stop flowing after she embraced her daughter. Almost a year after she had left for Italy, the girl had returned, soothing her mother's lonely heart.
"I missed you Mama." Tsuna sighed into the warm hug. She hadn't realised how much she had missed her mother and felt worse for leaving her alone.
"How was Italy? Did you like it there? How are your brother and father doing?" The woman shot out questions like a machine gun, chattering happily as she led her daughter to their car.
"It was loud, full of a lot of different people," the girl replied with a wide smile, "But it was nice. And Papa and Yoshi are doing fine."
"And you Tsuna?" Nana spoke with a softer tone, packing the light luggage into the boot, "Do you think you're ready to try school again?"
"Hai." Brown eyes caught the sight of something swinging around her neck, only then noticing the peculiar necklace.
"What a cute feather," She complemented, unfamiliar with the red-brown markings, "Where did you get that from?"
"A friend!" Her daughter chirped cutely, closing her hand around the soft plumage.
"Well then, next time we go on vacation you'll have to introduce me, ne?" Tsuna smile faltered but she nodded anyway. Honestly she planned to never go back there, especially if her mama wanted to go as well.
Unfortunately for Tsuna, her first day in Namimori elementary was roughly a month into the schooling. Sadly this meant that most kids had already formed their little groups, and though they might find a new student interesting, Tsuna was different. She patted down her fringe one more time, making absolutely sure her eyes were covered, before stepping through the door. No one in Italy had minded, but she still remembered her first day at kindergarten, and how they had been called weird. So, with the problem apparently solved, she stepped through the door and promptly tripped over her own feet.
"Are you alright!" The teacher was quick to help her but the 'damage' was already done, the whole class laughing loudly at her. It was beyond embarrassing but Tsuna stood her ground. It was difficult to see from behind her fringe, but she'd rather be called clumsy for tripping than weird for her eyes.
She fell a lot early on, over her own feet and small ledges, garnering a lot of scrapes and bruises. And then, when she had mostly figured it out, she started to fall because of small, unexpected shoves and pushes. It was only a short while after that she realized she was being bullied. But this much was fine, and Tsuna endured it easily as the days ticked past.
"Hey look, it's Dame-Tsuna," her classmates would say when she entered the room. It was not as if everyone around her was a bully, just that many were, and even more were willing to just sit by and watch. The boys were always the loudest ones, tripping her, threatening her, whilst most of the girls wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, at most carving insults into her desk. It was easy to ignore if she just blocked them out. All she had to do was study, pass the given tests, and graduate.
"Tsu-chan, we're here." Her mother parked the car, dropping her off at an old, traditional building. It seemed while Tsuna was fine with how her life was her mother had other thoughts. At least if her daughter learned some self-defence she could protect herself better when in danger.
"Welcome!" An elderly man greeted as she entered the dojo, "You must be Ietsuna-chan, right?"
"Hai," She bowed politely, surprised the large room was empty, "Did I get the time wrong?"
"Haha, not at all," His eyes were kind and Tsuna found herself relaxing in his presence, "The style of martial arts here isn't as popular as you'd expect. In fact, most people tend to drop it when the work becomes too demanding."
"I see." Even she didn't quite know what she was to be supposed to be doing, her mother opting for one of the vaguer options compared to sports like karate and judo.
"Getting new students is rare though, so don't be surprised if you are alone," He continued, his words relieving Tsuna more than anything else. She wasn't good at dealing with other people so the idea of learning alone sounded pleasant. "So how old are you, Ietsuna-chan?" Her future sensei asked, bending down slightly to address the small girl.
"I turned eight this year." She replied dutifully.
"Hohoho, your making me feel ancient already," He thought she was adorable, and looked to be a hard worker. A promising student if he ever saw one. "I'm Fujimoto Minoru." And maybe, just maybe, she could be the one he had been searching for.
The year ended quietly, with the next one beginning seamlessly. Yoshi found time to visit near Christmas, still looking as happy and as bright as when Tsuna had last seen. He didn't know, her gut told her, he hadn't found out…yet, and it was that 'yet' that worried her. Papa was mafia, and mafia was like the yakuza or something. And maybe Yoshi might be put in danger. But what could do about it? Sawada Ietsuna was, after all, just an ordinary civilian.
A/N Thanks for reading again!
