REPLIES TO REVIEWS:

Dman4869 – thank you! Hahaha but I will try to reign in Tsuna's violent thoughts from now on. It was quite OOC and too much hahaha. But well, it was fun writing it though. Kyoko appears on this one, so I hope you enjoy this too.

Reminders: Italics are, of course, flashbacks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Amano Akira-sensei, thank you for the wonderful people you've made.

AFTER THE RAIN

Mari Kia Aishiteru

Target Four: Nostalgia

She knew was avoiding the inevitable. She already saw her out of the corner of her golden orbs however, the hesitation was stopping her from looking fully at her form. She was afraid of breaking down if that ever happened.

So, when she and her young father—with his best friends, of course, because those three were inseparable—were walking by the hallway and nearing their classroom for their last class for the day, she half hid behind him, when they encountered the young form of her mother, hoping that she and her best friend—Zia Hana—would walk past them.

The fate had other plans though.

"Ah, Tsuna-kun!"

"Hiiiee~ Kyoko-chan!" Tsuna yelped in surprise, since he was distracted with the damn stares the young girl behind him was getting.

"Hmm? Ah, Ciel-chan!"

The young girl gripped his young father's uniform hem, which didn't go unnoticed by the brown haired boy. "Ciel?"

The said girl blinked and gave a small smile towards Kyoko. "Hello, Sasagawa-san."

"Oh, I've been meaning to introduce myself but you already know. I'm glad!" the orange-haired girl brightly smiled, unaware of the turmoil the girl was having.

She gripped his uniform tightly and Tsuna realized that she must be feeling shy, facing her mother 20 years in the past. But he dismissed that, since she wasn't like that with him when they met. She warmed up to him immediately, or was that only him?

Maybe she was just nervous.

Yes, that might be it.

"If you need something, you can always talk to me, Ciel-chan!" Kyoko's wide smile made her gasp and unexpectedly triggered a long-forgotten memory.

"Mama!"

"Ciel!" the five year old girl happily ran in her mother's arms, and snuggled. "I missed you so much, my little Sky."

Tsuna watched as his two favorite girls bonded. He took Ciel with him to Japan for a visit to his mother for a week, and his wife couldn't come with them because of work. He knew both missed each other and seeing them reunite, he couldn't help the wide smile that crept on his face. It didn't go unnoticed by his wife.

"Tsu-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"Well, I just find you two so cute."

Kyoko smiled. "Awww…"

Ciel pulled away and turned to her father. "I bet Papa wants to snuggle with Mama too!" she innocently exclaimed. "Papa missed Mama a lot!"

The thirty-year-old boss of Vongola blushed madly at his daughter's words. It was true but he still couldn't help but feel embarrassed. His eyes turned away from the knowing look of his wife who was grinning at him. "Tsu-kun?"

"Y-Yes, Kyoko?"

The woman stood and with one hand joined with her daughter, they glomped—yes, they really did—on the unknowing male, laughing.

Tsuna—thank goodness for his fast reaction because of his training—got his body balanced and caught the bodies of the two laughing ladies of his life.

"You guys!"

Ciel stared at her parents as her mother hang tightly onto her father, with him gazing at her softly. The young girl was distracted by the bright smile of her mother and said, "We love you, mama!"

Kyoko kissed her daughter's forehead and gently patted her head, with a big smile ever present on her face.

"I love you too, my little sky melody."

Maybe because it was the nostalgia that she felt or she just missed her so much, made her act uncharacteristically. She found herself moving even before telling herself that she shouldn't. She realized her arms unconsciously wrapping around her frame and her head dipping on her shoulder, hiding her face from view. She smelt it, her scent. She felt it, her warmth.

She was 20 years younger, but it wasn't a mistake.

It was her mother's. No one else.

Tears streamed down her eyes and she tried so hard not to tremble in her arms. She knew she was surprised by her actions, but Ciel couldn't help it.

She knew she should pull away now before they start questioning her, but she figured out it would be worth so she stayed still… for this would probably the last time.

Just this one time… I just want to feel her again…

"…Mama…"

Kyoko's eyes widened. She was surprised and confused when the girl—her new classmate—embraced her suddenly. She could also feel her trembling, and wondered if she said something she didn't like, but when she heard her whisper—she almost didn't catch that—she knew there was something more with regards to her sudden appearance.

And she was sure it was related to the Vongola Family.

The boys and Kurokawa Hana were surprised when Ciel lunged towards the orange-haired girl. They all knew—the boys—that she was her mother, but surely, there was a reason why she acted the way she did. Ciel was calm and collected ever since they met her—a character she established because of her training, surely—but right now she was anything but that, and they were confused as to the reason why.

Tsuna watched as his future daughter tightly clung to her future mother and he wondered why. However, his hyper intuition was ringing in his head that it actually hurts, so he was kind of scared of the reason. It might be a bad idea to know.

Ciel was still in the same position. It was as if Kyoko-chan would disappear any moment.

He paused, and his eyes widened in realization and horror.

What if… don't tell me…

Tsuna blinked at the young girl and whispered, "Ciel?"

The girl by some miracle, heard her father—it wasn't, it was because of her hyper intuition, blood of Vongola, remember?—and gasped, pulled away from her young mother and stared at her concerned golden orbs, the same as hers, with tears in her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry… I j-just…" the young girl stuttered. Embarrassed, she turned and ran, passing through her young father's and his best friends' frames.

"Ciel!"

"Ciel-chan!"

The girl just ran without acknowledging anyone. She didn't know where to go, what to do, what to say.

She felt so helpless and it hurts so much to be in her arms, knowing that it wasn't her mother. She didn't even know her.

She was just another classmate to her.

Tsuna clenched his fists and faced his two best friends and asked them to go ahead. The two looked hesitant but nodded. They knew their boss would do something about the young girl.

"I'm sorry, Kyoko-chan." The brown haired boy told the concerned orangenette. "She's just nervous, and your kindness touched her so she… did that."

"It's okay, Tsuna-kun. I don't mind." Kyoko replied, quite suspicious, but didn't ask further.

"Thank you, Kyoko-chan, don't worry. I'll talk to her."

Tsuna ran where the young girl was off to, and Kyoko couldn't help but determinedly find out who she really was.

She was knowing what was happening and wouldn't stop until she did.

"Ciel."

The eleven-year-old ignored the voice and sat still on a golden Nordic sofa, in front of a multi-layered white marbled stone, with orange daisies around it. She stared at a golden picture frame on the orange carpeted marbled stone table, as the girl felt the presence behind her.

The owner of the voice placed a chocolate decorated two-layered cake in front of the girl and sat next to her. She didn't look at him, but she read the labeled heart-shaped chocolate on top of it.

Buon undicesima compleanno, Principessa del Cielo!

Una felicita eterna puo benedirti.

Happy eleventh birthday, Sky Princess!

An eternal happiness may bless you.

She bit her lip and tried hard to stop the tears gathering in her eyes. She promised that day, that she wouldn't cry again, to stop worrying him. She was already eleven, for goodness' sake!

However, in this particular day, she just couldn't.

She loved her family. They were a rambunctious bunch, but they were loving and fun to be with, kind and protective of her to a fault.

Today though, she wanted to be with her because she missed her so much.

She felt a hand on her head, and finally glanced up to find his warm, brown orbs gazing at her softly.

"Papa…"

"It's okay, principessa. You're allowed to show your weakness. No one will judge you."

She turned away, and stared back at the picture, with her bright smile shining back at her, like the sun that light up everything in its path.

Her father did the same with a sad smile.

"You have been suffering for these two years without her and I know because you don't want me to worry."

When the girl didn't respond, the man sighed.

"It's not your fault."

She tensed. Tsuna knew it. In these two years, not only him, but the family, despite them telling her and making her feel that it wasn't her fault, she still felt that it was.

After all, she was a combination of him and her.

"Ciel, you don't have to feel guilty for what happened… you are—"

"But it is my fault!" she relented; tears finally came down in stride on her cheeks as she looked up at her father.

"Because of me, you can't be with Mama anymore! I know you're lonely without her, and you worried a lot about me that you cannot sometimes sleep at night! Also, you and the family became very protective of me. I love you guys, don't get me wrong but it was just suffocating sometimes that I just… I just… think that it was my fault that you became like that…"

The Vongola boss closed his eyes, guilt plaguing his being. It was his fault, wasn't it? Without realizing it, he drove his daughter to think of these things. To think she was so young.

The burden of his daughter of having her mother taken away from her, all because he failed to protect his wife.

He was the boss of the strongest and prestigious Mafia family, but he failed as a father.

He sighed shakily and folded his hands on his lap. His eyes opened and pain could be reflected in those usually warm orbs.

"I'm sorry."

The girl turned to him in surprise and saw her father's shoulder slumped tiredly as he stared at his lap.

"I failed to protect your mother and because of it, I made you shoulder the guilt of her death all by yourself. I failed as a father. I'm so sorry, Ciel."

She sniffed and shook her head. Seeing the guilt in her father's eyes made her heart clenched in pain. She hated it when his father looked like that. She loved him a lot.

"No Papa! It's not your fault! Never! I'm sorry to bring this on you." She told him, holding his hands in hers. "So please, don't blame yourself. I'll stop thinking these things so…"

"Ciel…" Tsuna sighed and touched his daughter's cheek, wiping the tears away. "I think we should stop this blaming game, you agree? Your Mama will be sad if this continues."

The girl nodded and moved to embrace her father. The man welcomed her with open arms and tightly hugged his daughter. "Papa…"

"Hmm?"

Her head turned to stare at the picture once again. "I missed her a lot."

Tsuna followed her line of sight and did the same, with a sad gaze. "Me too, my birthday girl. Me too."

They stayed like that for a while. The girl basked in the warmth of her father, because she knew that whatever happened, he would always be there for her.

Since that day, she decided that she would be strong enough to protect him, to protect their family, so she didn't have to feel the pain of losing anyone.

She swore it to her dear mother's grave.

"Ciel?"

Her ears perked in attention as she felt his presence behind her. She sat on the floor of the rooftop, as she was deep down in her memories. And because of that, she didn't notice his presence until he spoke.

Padrino would definitely double her training if he heard of this.

She sighed shakily and sniffed. Tsuna tensed and with widened eyes, sat next to her. He noticed the track of tears on her cheeks. "Why are you crying?" he asked.

The girl couldn't help but laugh at that. She knew her father was weak to crying women especially if he cared about them.

Tsuna panicked. "Hiiiee! Why are you laughing? Did I say something? Are you okay?!"

Ciel wiped the tears from her eyes and stared at him. "No, I'm fine. Thank you, Tsuna-san." She smiled and gazed at the sky.

The young boy stared and turned away at her, hands on his lap. He wanted to ask, but hesitant to do so. He didn't want to impose after all.

There were secrets that people weren't comfortable to share, and he didn't like to force her to it.

"Ne…"

He looked at her again. "Hm?"

"You are probably wondering why I did that back there."

Tsuna's eyes widened. "How did you—"

She giggled. "I'm your future daughter, of course I have the blood of Vongola too."

His eyes shone in recognition. "Hyper intuition."

She nodded with eyes on him. "Yes."

"Then, is it okay if I ask?" he asked, figuring that she already knew so why hesitate?

He noticed the slumped of her shoulder. She sighed and looked at him, with sad smile. "I missed her, a lot."

He knew she was talking about the orange-haired girl.

"Why? I-Is she sick in the future?" Tsuna asked, quite afraid of the answer.

The girl shook her head and looked up at the sun in the sky. It was bright, as if looking over at her.

She smiled.

"She's dead."

Tsuna's eyes widened. He thought of that as well, but that didn't stop him from getting the shock of his life.

Sasagawa Kyoko, the love of his life, became his wife in the future but lost her life. All because of his involvement in the Mafia. He probably was at fault.

He surely failed to protect her.

Guilt washed his veins, and he bit his lip.

With his head bowed, Ciel knew what he was thinking. Young or not, past or future, this was her father after all.

She chuckled. "It wasn't your fault."

The boy turned to her in surprise. Ciel couldn't help but smile at the nostalgia she felt. Déjà vu was at work.

"You always protect us. But that day wasn't anyone's fault. It was an elaborate set up, so it was very unfortunate."

She grinned at him. "Besides, I'm sure Mom was happy wherever she was now. We hate to make her lonely, so Papa and I decided to stop blaming ourselves."

Wind blew past and the girl stared at the sky once again.

"We moved on, but of course, it doesn't change the fact that we missed her, so earlier… when I saw her younger self, I just… couldn't help it." She sighed.

"I think I should apologize to her later on."

Tsuna shook his head. "Yeah, but I'm sure it's fine with Kyoko-chan."

Ciel smiled. "Yes, I know. My mom is really kind, isn't she?"

Tsuna returned the gesture. "Yeah, she is."

They both laughed and stared at the sky for a while.

"Let's return. I'm sure Hayato and Takeshi are both worried about you." Tsuna offered a hand as he stood.

The girl nodded and held his hand. "Okay."

Both walked towards their classroom. Tsuna decided that he would be stronger and do anything in his power to protect his precious people, his future young daughter included.

After all, he loved the bright smile of the girl and hated to take it away from her.

He hated to say this, but he would take his tutor's training a little more seriously now.

He would never admit it to him though. Not in a million years.

Ciel's bond with her parents and the truth about Kyoko's death will probably be mentioned next chapter. (smiles)

Oh, and a chapter about the Vongola family showering the young Ciel their love will be presented in my other fic, "Family, Forever and Always." Look forward to that too.

RandR. Thanks for dropping by!

#Mari / 6.25.2022