There was a low, constant hum in the air. The sound of electricity running though the walls and machines. And beeping. A constant, steady beeping. A constant, steady, annoying beeping.
Kazumi opened her eyes to a dimly lit white room. She blinked against the light; once, twice… She turned her head to the side to take in her surroundings, and her mind was slow to process what she was taking in. The beeping that had woken her up was on her right; a machine attached to her through a series of wires. Kazumi's eyes widened with recognition and she sat up abruptly from the shock.
"AAH!" She cried against the sharp sting of pain that short through her side. She pressed her heavily bandaged arm over the injury, attempting to dull the ache as she lowered herself back into the bed. She gasped painfully once she was lying down again, and took quick, shallow breaths as she tried to overcome the pain. Once it subsided to a manageable level, Kazumi once again tried to get her bearings, but with minimal movement this time.
She had already realized she was in the hospital. That was understandable, what with the injuries she was nursing. She just hadn't realized how injured until a moment ago. She also noticed she was alone. A private room then. But how? There wasn't any way he had gone through the trouble of admitting her here, let alone forwarding the expenses. The only other option was…
"Yamashita-san?" A soft voice from the door grabbed Kazumi's attention away from her thoughts, and she found a woman in a nurse's uniform. "Oh good, you've woken up. How do you feel?" She asked as she carefully approached Kazumi's bedside.
"Like I've been hit by a bus and died." Kazumi prompt answer came out broken and dry. She didn't realize how painfully soar her throat was. The nurse, at least, didn't miss Kazumi's attempt at humour.
"Well it sounds like you're in decent spirits despite everything you've been through." She had picked up a clipboard and was writing over it quickly as she spoke and checked the machines.
"May I… ask you something?" Kazumi croaked again after a few moments of silence. "How did I get here?"
"You were brought in by ambulance two nights ago; your friends said they found you unconscious at home, and assumed you had been attacked by someone who had broken in." The nurse answered sadly, giving her a sympathetic look. So she was right. It had been Tsuna.
"And them? Are they alright?" Her voice was quieter than she was used to, and it hurt every time she made to speak.
"Of course. They weren't hurt in the slightest. If anything they were more concerned about you." Kazumi let out a sigh of relief, before cringing against the pain in her body, not realizing she had been sitting with tense shoulders. "The doctor should be by soon to check on you himself and give you the details of your injuries, as well as your recovery plan. Until then, please just do your best to relax." The nurse gave Kazumi a reassuring smile just before plopping the clipboard back in its place and taking her leave. When Kazumi was finally alone again, she took in another unsteady breath and let her mind wonder until the doctor came in to meet her.
xXx
It was late evening when the door to her room slid open again. Kazumi had been resting with her eyes closed until that very moment, and they made contact with Tsuna's, wide and full of endless worry. He looked like he had rushed up to her room the second he had been given his visitation pass.
"You really are awake!" He said, and a relieved smile found its way onto his face as he closed the door behind him. It was then that she noticed Reborn, making himself at home at the foot of her bed. Instinctively her body stiffened, but when it protested and a whimper involuntarily escaped her lips, she forced herself to relax and breathe. Tsuna seemed to notice, immediately sending her a concerned look. "A-are… are you doing alright?" He asked, almost hesitant. Kazumi forced herself to smile, even just a little bit.
"Y-yeah." She managed with a whisper. "I'll be okay. Somehow."
"I'm glad to hear that." Reborn said looking at her in way that made her think he was trying to read her mind. "You had everyone worried. Your injuries are quite severe."
"The doctor said as much." Kazumi remarked. She tried to clear her throat and make her voice more clear, but the pain of the action made her stop. "I hear I owe you my thanks." She turned back to Tsuna, giving him an earnest look.
"N-not at all! You were in trouble. It was only natural." Tsuna responded, blushing at her sincerity. "But…" He hesitated to continue, taking a glance at Reborn before continuing. "Why would anyone do this to you?" Kazumi sucked in a breath, her eyes widening with surprise when the question came out so soon. Too soon. Sure she had been expecting it, but maybe she was being too hopeful in thinking they would wait.
Kazumi ripped her gaze away from Tsuna's, turning towards the only window in the room. The memories from two days prior resurfacing like bad acid reflux. It wasn't like she had a reason to hide anymore, right? Her good hand raised to her neck, remembering phantom pain of even larger hands around it. She turned her sight back to the two of them with resolve in her eyes. She had made her decision after all, she should follow through with it. As Kazumi prepared herself to answer, she thought she might have noticed Reborn express a new degree of caution; paying rapt attention to every little move she made, and remained impossibly still like a predator. It was as if he already had an idea of what she was about to say. And Kazumi didn't have a doubt he did.
"I should explain from the beginning." Kazumi spoke through the scratchy feeling in her throat. "I haven't been completely honest with you." She took a moment to let that hang in the air, to breath, and to see just how Tsuna and Reborn would react. Neither of them were exactly surprised, but there was definitely anticipation. "I am an assassin." She watched as Tsuna took in a sharp breath and his jaw became firmly set, and Reborn drew his gun, but Kazumi didn't flinch as she kept her gaze focused on Tsuna. "That person who broke in, he is Laterza Goro. My father." She let out a heavy breath, already tired from even that small amount of talking, and allowed the other two a moment for the information to settle in their minds.
"Y-your father?" Tsuna stuttered out. "Why would your father do something like this to you? His own daughter?" Kazumi could see the disbelief physically manifest on Tsuna's face before it simmered into anger and disgust. It went without saying that the mere idea of her father purposely harming her absolutely infuriated him.
"I disobeyed." She answered simply. It was about all she could manage at this point.
"You abandoned your mission." Reborn stated, having guessed the meaning behind her words. Kazumi nodded weakly. "Why?" Reborn narrowed his gaze as he made a slight adjustment to his aim. Tsuna for the most part was either confused or wasn't sure how to take the new information.
"I…" Kazumi swallowed hard against the pain again and thought for a moment about her answer. "I thought it was wrong." God her throat hurt. She cleared it, wincing once more as she did. With a sigh, she leaned back into her pillow as far as her beaten body would allow. "My father... He was never kind. Even I've had enough at this point."
Reborn hummed to himself, though he never took his eyes off of her, nor lowered his gun. Kazumi for her part, remained impassive. She was no stranger to the threat of bullets. "Alright, then answer this for me. You know who Tsuna is." Kazumi nodded, despite the question being rhetoric. "How?" At this, a proud smirk graced Kazumi's lips.
"Reborn-san, even you should know that." There was a look of interest and knowing curiosity in Reborn's eyes now. "His Flames really stand out."
"Ho, interesting. Not only do you know about Flames, but you can sense them?" Kazumi nodded slightly, confirming Reborn's suspicion. "Impressive, I'll admit." Reborn complimented before he turned serious once more. "I have many questions for you, but I will settle for having just one answered right now, while you're still giving us information so freely." He pause long enough for the tension to thicken. "Give me one good reason why I don't just kill you."
"REBORN!" Tsuna practically shouted in protest, turning to the infant with wide eyes.
"I don't have one. My life is yours to do with as you see fit." Tsuna turned back to Kazumi, nearly causing her whiplash as he did.
"Kazumi-san! You can't mean that." Tsuna muttered, his brows knitting together as he regarded her. The way he was looking at her now, it was almost like he didn't believe what she had just said.
"I do. I am at your mercy. In my condition, I can't do much of anything without making it worse." Kazumi explained tiredly to Tsuna, then turned back to Reborn. "Kill me, take me prisoner, or whatever. I've already made my decision."
"Very well." Reborn said, releasing the safety of his Leon-gun then paused. Kazumi remained unflinching as she stared down the barrel, and Reborn's empty black eyes stared back at hers, looking into what resolve lurked behind the eyes that were already willing to accept death. In the blink of a moment, Reborn was putting the safety on again and lowering the gun to his side. "Tsuna, you're the Boss. The decision is yours."
"What?" Tsuna asked, taken back by the statement from having been sucked into the tense silence, before quickly recovering. "I'm not going to kill her! Forget it!" He finished on an angry note.
"Then, are you prepared to take on the consequences of what befalls your actions?"
"I won't kill my friend, Reborn." Tsuna answered with conviction, his words surprising Kazumi. Despite hearing the truth of the situation, he was still calling her a friend? She stared at him and Reborn, watching their conversation with a mixture emotions.
"Then from here on, you'll be the one to take responsibility for anything that happens. Whether she has truly had a change of heart, or if she intends to betray you; those things will be your burden to bear."
"Fine." Tsuna answered, looking at Kazumi's bewildered expression as he did. "I trust Kazumi-san." And there it was again; the harmonic call of his Sky Flames, reaching out and trying to connect with hers, offering the promise of protection and comfort like which she had never known. Deep down, Kazumi so badly wanted to accept that promise of peace; to embrace some semblance of that safety and warmth. But she regained control of her Flames once more and settled them deep within herself.
It felt cold. And empty. And very, very lonely.
"Unbelievable." She muttered, sighing as she tried to hide the pain that wasn't physical. "Of all the people I have met in my life, you are by far the most absurdly, optimistically, naive."
"That, Yamashita Kazumi, is something we can agree on." Reborn stated, starring pointedly at his student. "Now you'll have to excuse me. I'm going to have to inform Nono on the circumstances between the two of you. This conversation is far from over, Kazumi. I expect your full cooperation again when the time comes for you to finish answering my questions."
"Of course." Kazumi answered with a slight nod of her head, in place of a bow, from her seated position, until finally Reborn left Tsuna and Kazumi alone in her hospital room. Tsuna had found himself a chair to sit in and was looking at her apologetically.
"I'm sorry. Everything happened so quickly, I completely forgot to ask how you might feel about all of this."
"Please don't apologize to me, I'm the one who owes you that. After all, I'm the one putting you in this situation by breaking some twisted code of ethics." Kazumi explained then paused. "I want to thank you, by the way. For saving me."
"Well, I couldn't just leave you there. You were hurt really badly. I don't even want to think about what might have happened if we didn't decide to go check on you." Tsuna looked away, distress written into his expression. Kazumi didn't bother to answer; knowing exactly what would have happened. He probably already had a good idea anyways.
"Thank you." She said again with as much sincerity as she could muster. She was really starting to get tired now, and she was finally starting to feel comfortable. It must have been the medication. "I owe you my life."
"I wouldn't go that far." Tsuna's face flushed the tiniest bit of red. "I'm sure you would have done the same." Kazumi's small laugh was bitter. She looked away from the brunette and to the window again, where she could see the glow of the sunset, and brought her good hand to her throat as the pain of continuous talking was also catching up with her.
"I think you put a little too much faith in me. I've done a lot of bad things. Very bad things." She whispered, and yet Tsuna could still hear what she said.
"That doesn't make you a bad person." Tsuna stated, bringing Kazumi's attention back to him. "Especially since you didn't want to do those things, right? I believe you're a good person, Kazumi-san, even if you don't think so yourself." He watched as Kazumi's emerald eyes seemed to get a bit glossier before she closed them quickly, blinking back whatever tears threatened to fall.
"Thank you, Tsuna." She spoke hoarsely, but still managed a weak smile.
"You're welcome, Kazumi-san." Tsuna answered fondly. "You should rest so you can get well and better soon." He encouraged, noticing just how tired Kazumi actually looked, despite the agreeable nod she made along with that half smile. It made him feel a bit guilty, having let Reborn put her through the ringer like that. But it looked like his encouragement was enough. He blinked twice, and Kazumi was already fast asleep. "Good night Kazumi-san. I'll visit again tomorrow."
