Chapter 22 – Six years later (so you guys won't be too confused on how much time passed)
So from what people are saying, they're a little confused with the age.
Tsuna is 16 here and Teruko is twelve 12 years old.
Warning: There has been a shift from the usage of past tense grammar to that of the present tense.
"I sit beside the fire and think
Of all that I have seen
Of meadow flowers and butterflies
In summers that have been
Of yellow leaves and gossamer
In autumns that there were
With morning mist and silver sun
And wind upon my hair
I sit beside the fire and think
Of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring
That I shall ever see
For still there are so many things
That I have never seen
In every wood in every spring
There is a different green
I sit beside the fire and think
Of people long ago
And people that will see a world
That I shall never know
But all the while I sit and think
Of times there were before
I listen for returning feet
And voices at the door"
― J.R.R. Tolkien
The day he returns home, the sky is clear and blue, while the leaves are a healthy shade of green. He's wearing a plaid shirt, the sleeves long enough to hide the scars on his arms and a pair of washed out jeans along with a dirty pair of chucks. His hair is as wild as ever, fluffy in its chaos, with his bangs falling over his eyes. He's tall (something that surprised even him) and lean with a hint of muscles under his clothes. He fingers the necklace that lays snug on his plain white tee, the pendant is a little silver turtle dove that shines as he walks. He ignores the intrigued stares that are thrown his way as walks down his street, the noise of his luggage clashing against the sluggish noises of the suburb. He glanced at the trees and catches himself thinking about how Nao would just love it here. He smiled at the thought and continued on his way to his house. He missed the other boy, who became the closest thing he had to a best friend.
Nao had insisted that he come, but Tsuna reminded him of how important it had been to have his second stay behind to act as the heir in his place.
So reluctantly, Nao had dropped him off at the airport, flanked with his bodyguards, a frown marring his face. 'I don't want you to go' he signed. Nao, had gotten clingy as they grew closer, afraid that Tsuna would replace him or even leave him behind. So, Tsuna had to remind him, that his place would always be beside him. Even before he could open his arms, Nao launched himself towards Tsuna, hugging the breath out of his lungs.
"I have to do this, you know that" Tsuna mumbles as he pats his back, carefully avoiding his hair. "Teruko-chan needs me" he adds and Nao pulls away. The killer in the other boy surfaced in his eyes and Tsuna laughed. Nao who took years to get comfortable in his skin, who didn't need to wear the mask anymore, smiled at Tsuna.
'Skype me as soon as you get there' Nao signed and Tsuna rolled his eyes but nodded. 'Stay safe' he told him and Tsuna pressed a hand on Nao's chest, right above his heart.
"Always" he responded and left before the tears could roll down Nao's face.
Standing in front of his house, he blinks away the memory, staring at front door, he pauses. There's only silence coming from inside, as expected since his sister is at school and his father is still 'away' at work. His mother, he can feel, is coming around the corner, her haul from the market is in her hands. She's humming to herself as her dress blows in the wind, her sandaled feet crushing the stones that are loose on the street. He can sense the moment she sees his back, a predator inching its ways towards him, her killing intent boiling under her skin at the potential threat on the threshold of her home. However when the realization hits her, the intent shifts and bleeds out of her system. When he turns around, a gentle smile on his face, her feet skids to a halt.
"Hey mom" he greets her and he clenches his calves as she pushes her way into his space. He laughs as brown hair slaps against his mouth as she buries her face in his chest. "What... Dad didn't say you were coming!" she stammers and it's not every day you get the drop on the infamous Blue Angel. She uses her strength to squeeze him close and he swears he hears his ribs creak under the pressure. "Look at you" she says through a breathless exhale. He smiles as she maps out his matured face, taking in the changes that six years wrought on his face. His chubby cheeks had hollowed out, and his brown eyes are no longer as bright as they used to be. Her index finger runs along the thin silver scar around his neck, evidence of the close call that came to ending his life. "How are you even going to explain that to Ruko?" She laughed and Tsuna joined her.
"Makeup" he told her and he held her close as she laughed even more.
After dumping his luggage in his room, escaping the nostalgia that came with it, he joined his mother in the kitchen. He crossed his long legs, watching as she moved around the small space, with his chin pressed against the palm of his hand. "So care to tell me what brings you back here?" She asks as she places a tea bag in each of the two mugs placed on the table. He rubs a hand over his eyes and looks at her.
"We got intel on Hiroshi" he says and her back tenses at the name. "He had been rather busy over the past few years, searching for a particular Kaen as he called it" he informs her, tapping his fingers on the table. "You know exactly what I'm talking about don't you? " he asks but she doesn't reply, as she pours the scalding water in the cups.
"Years ago, when I was the wakagashira (First lieutenant) to the Soke, word had reached the clans, about a man who could wield a mysterious power, something more potent than the CHI we could harness. It was a Kaen that only a select few could possess" she intones and he nods as he pulls out the tea bag. "We sent scouts to Italy, where this phenomenon ravaged the underworld. We could only retrieve a sliver of information from our scouts who we learnt all passed away from 'natural' deaths. We only got two things from the last scout who 'crashed' into a tree on call to the Soke. One: the organization called themselves the mafia. And Two: different families or familgia had different flames, but the most affluent would be the Vongola" she says, as she stirs a spoon in her mug.
"The old man said that the Gen'yōsha placed the investigation on hold but Hiroshi was obsessed with greed" he says and she nods.
"He argued that night I remember. He said 'We are too weak with CHI alone. We can't possibly maintain our title as best in the business until we expand our power. We have to steal that Kaen for ourselves, harness it for our own benefit so the clan could survive'. Dad always listened to Hiroshi and so he took his argument to heart. After that, it was decided they would send another scout to obtain more information and if possible gain their trust" she admits and when she remains silent, he sighs.
He had remembered that particular conversation he had with his grandfather, his face solemn as he listened to everything the old man had to say. He remembers sitting in front of his grandfather, hatred coiled around his heart. "At the time, before Hiroshi's fall, we thought-I thought, it was the only way" his grandfather said, hands clasped together. Their clan had suffered under the last internal war that ravaged through the Gen'yōsha, the one prompted by their own blood, as a means to vengeance. In the end, the loss of both their men as well as their manpower had been too great and so when Hiroshi came up with the idea, his grandfather latched onto it like a fool.
"You" he fills in the blanks and she nods. "You were the one to tell them that the flames were not earned, it was inherited. You lied to your Soke" he whispers and she looks away.
"I didn't love your father for a while" she says as she swirls the cup in her hands. He's a little surprised at her statement but remains passive as ever. "But as I got to know him, as I saw how passionate and kind he could be, I didn't even know it, but I fell in love with him. He's the sun, Tsuna-kun. He lights up my world everyday even when he's not here. So I lied to protect us. I lied because I didn't want to leave him. I was selfish in my love and I didn't care. And then when your grandfather realized that I had lied, I had already married your father and was pregnant with you" she states and Tsuna sipped on his tea.
"And now Teruko is in danger" Tsuna says and his mother looks down at her hands. "He knows about everything. He's coming for her and those rings" he tells her in the quiet of the kitchen. "That hitman, Reborn has already been assigned to her teaching. From what my source tell me, they say he will be here tomorrow" he says and his mother nods.
"We... I thought you would be the one to succeed the Ninth, but... Well you did take after me in more ways than one" she sadly smiles and Tsuna shrugs.
"A legacy is still a legacy, even if it is bathed in blood" he tells her and she snorts.
"You sound like him" she tells him and looks at the concealed scar. "He told me that you dominated No Man's Land" she adds and he frowns.
"You make it sound like it's a good thing" he scoffs and her lips twist in a wry grin.
"It's not every day that you obtain the title of the Soke's heir, Tsunayoshi-kun" she refutes but before he can respond, the door clinks open. They listen as Teruko slams the door shut, scrambling to take off her shoes as she calls out to their mother. He listens to her as she walks to the kitchen, giggling as she tapped on her phone, not even looking at him as she sat down.
"It's been awhile" he softly says as he takes in his little sister's face. She's beautiful with her short blonde hair that touches the end of her ears, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Her face is round as Tsuna's had been and her button nose is scrunched up at his voice. She's tiny in weight and height, every bit of the doll, that their father calls her.
"Oh hey bro" she mutters as her azure eyes, brighter than the sky had been, flicker to him before returning to her phone. He chuckles as she freezes, her phone cluttering to the table as her hands shake. She's gaping like a fish out of water, pointing to Tsuna as she stares at their mother. "Is he...?" she whispers and when her mother nods, she screams like she's being pursued by masked killer. He laughs as she jumps onto his lap, clinging to him like a koala. "Tuna-kun" she sobs and buries her face on his shoulder. He rubs her back soothingly as she cries out six years of anguish at their separation until she pulls away, face red and blotchy.
"You really missed your Aniki, huh?" he teases her, whilst using his sleeves to wipe away the wetness from her cheeks.
"Shut up" Teruko slaps his shoulder playfully and cups his face. "Wow... Are you really …Aniki?" she asks, amazed with what she finds.
"The one and only" he says and she presses her forehead on his chest.
"How long?" She asks and Tsuna looks at their mother.
"Until the end of this semester" he says and she looks up at him.
"Really?" She ask, excitement lighting up her face as she stands up. "Yes, yes, yes!" she screams and claps her hands. She storms out of the room to relay the news to her friends, but stops to kiss his cheek again, before running off.
"As you can see, she's really missed you" their mother says and Tsuna smiles at her.
"How are things on your end?" Tsuna asks as he's folding his clothes in his drawer. Nao is signing away from his position on screen of his laptop, frowning when Tsuna turns. "Yeah, yeah I'm paying attention" he mutters but pulls his curtains back when he senses something outside his window. He looks out at the street and he sees the darkness shift and disappear, a hint of green flashing in the distance. "Well, it looks like Kaito was wrong" he tells Nao, whose eyes narrow at him. "He's already here" he whispers as the curtains slide shut.
'Does that mean Kaito was caught?' Nao asks and Tsuna shakes his head as he crosses his arms.
"It means that he's compromised" Tsuna says, shelving the books that were in his bag.
'He wouldn't betray us' Nao refutes and Tsuna runs a finger down the spine of his copy of "Kafka on the Shore". He can feel Nao's eyes tracking every one of his movements as he sits down.
"I know but I'm not in the position to accept blind assumptions. We'll have to send someone to get us a feel of what's going on over there" Tsuna tells him and Nao nods.
'You think he was forced to give us wrong information' Nao signs and Tsuna nods, rubbing at his mouth. 'We'll look into it' he assures him and Tsuna shoots him a grateful smile.
'I know you will. Look after the old man for me' Tsuna signs and Nao replies with a fond look.
'He misses you. Told me to tell you to avoid any sharp objects' Nao signs and Tsuna smiles.
"Is that so?" He asks and Nao shrugs, his eyes dancing with mirth while his hair shifts from the movement. "There's more?" he asks when Nao shoots him a sly smirk.
'Kiyoshi said the maids caught him crying when you left' Nao admits and Tsuna throws his head back, holding his belly as he laughed.
"That soft bastard" Tsuna muttered as he wiped away the tears. Nao is grinning, smug and pleased. "Take care of yourself" he tells him when he senses Teruko at his door, no doubt listening in.
'Always' he signed and with a pat to the heart as well as a reluctant look, Nao logs off.
Not after a while later, Teruko knocks on his door and he closes his laptop.
"Come in" he calls and when the door opens, he smiles at Teruko who's holding her pillow. "Well, come on then" he pats the bed and smiles as she rushes towards him.
Teruko is floating on cloud nine when she sits down for breakfast. Tsuna is dressed in the Namimori high school's uniform, lazily chewing on a piece of toast. Their mother sings to Plastic Love by Mariya, the tune playfully playing filling the silence. She's happier, Teruko notices, as she dances with an apron tied around her waist and a spatula in hand. "Who do you walk to school with?" Tsuna asks and Teruko smiles.
Before she can answer, the door opens and Kyoko storms in, out of breathe with a flushed face.
"You son of a... "She hisses and a hand clamps over her mouth as Ryohei grins at them.
"It's been awhile" Tsuna says and winces when Kyoko punches him. Before he can apologize, she pulls him a fierce hug. When the scent of oranges assault his nostrils, he blinks away the images and nostalgia that pushes at the walls of his mind. She pulls away, cheeks fresh with tears and punches him again.
"That was for not messaging me on Line, you ass" she snarls and her cheeks burn when she meets Nana's eyes. She bows and apologizes but their mother laughs at her.
"Sawada-san!" Ryohei chirps up, and Tsuna turns to him. "It is good to see you again!" he loudly states and Tsuna arches an eyebrow at Kyoko who shrugs.
"You four are going to be late" Nana says and Ryohei runs off, screaming about a boxing with Tsuna. Kyoko fondly rolls her eyes and follows suit, while Tsuna grabs his back pack from off the floor.
"See you later" he says and kisses his mother's cheek, as Teruko runs upstairs for her backpack. Their heads snap to the roof, sensing the lurking danger before Tsuna sighs. He smiles at his mother and without a word, he's out the door.
"So" Kyoko says as they open the gate. "Tell me everything" she pipes up and he resists the urge to groan.
"Mom, I'm leaving!" Teruko shouts as she rushes at the door but her mom is already at the genkan waiting.
"You're not off the hook yet, young lady" her mom says, placing a bento in her hands and stops her, before she can leave. "You're getting a tutor" she states without any room for argument. In fact, she shows her the failed tests that Teruko tried to hide. Teruko is ready to release a whine and complain, but her mother cuts her off with swift kiss to the forehead. "Go on before your brother leaves you behind" she says and Teruko's eyes widen before dashing off to catch up.
Reborn watches the girl as she races towards her brother and his friend, face flushed with fatigue and exertion. The girl is exactly as he's pictured from the folder both her father and the Ninth had prepared for him.
From what he's read, she's outgoing, loved by her peers, friends and family alike. She has a 'bubbly' personality, that enables her to get along with almost everyone, but like her brother, she's- He arches an eyebrow as she slams to the ground as a result of her unfortunate tumble. Her brother, the one who reminds him of….babbles out an apology as he picks her up, wiping away her tears, and soothing her pain. Luckily the fall doesn't break any skin.
His friend, the pretty girl, splutters at the sight of Teruko's tears, as though somehow her clumsiness is their fault. Reborn watches as they sit her down, the pretty girl uses her own handkerchief to wipe Teruko's cheeks. He sighs, a little, as he watches them coddle the girl once more, before walking off, and jumps down from the wall. Turning his attention to the Sawada household, he approaches the woman humming under her breath, a large hat over her head as she kneels in the dirt. She's tending to the flowers with large padded gloves, unaware of the world outside of her own little bubble she's created, with a blissful smile on her face. "Ciaossu" he says, the squeak of a childish voice, catching her attention. She lifts her head and Reborn's hand shifts to his Leon.
It had been a blip, a mere second, but he swore he felt something cold wrap itself around the woman, as her eyes landed on him. The hairs at the back of his neck are standing on end and even Leon is restless. It could have been a fluke, a testament to how on edge Reborn had been during the past few days, but he knows NEVER to mistrust his own senses.
As a hitman, he's been trained to rely on his senses, especially the one that protects him from danger, a sixth sense if you would please. And this one is screaming and blaring signals, telling him deep within in his core "SOMETHING IS WRONG" as she turns all of her attention on him.
"Yes, dear?" she asks, pulling off the gloves as she bodily turns to him. "Oh, how cute!" she squeals and with her dopey smile, the feelings crumbles to ash as she squeezes him against her chest, pinching at his cheeks.
Nestled against her bosom, his eye twitches in agitation.
He allows it, because if he killed the woman, then that would just make his assignment more difficult than it needed to be. He pulls away from her and fixes his tuxedo, pride blown to pieces as he massages his sore cheeks. "How can I help you?" she asks, leaning back on her heels, goofily grinning at them. Before he can respond, she offers him some iced tea. She doesn't wait for an answer, she picks him up and they walk inside. He shakes off his initial reaction, and relaxes on his chair as she pours him a glass of iced tea.
"I heard you were looking for a tutor" Reborn tells her as she sits him down at the kitchen table. She hums and sits down opposite from him, a contemplative look on her face.
"And how did you hear that, my dear?" she asks with a sweet tone as she watches him sip his tea. She's perceptive.
"You mentioned it to Mrs. Kougi, who referred me to you, as I've tutored her oldest son, Asahi" he responds and she nods.
"I see" she says and taps her fingers against the table. "And how do you plan on helping Ruko-chan? You're just a baby" she tells him and he smiles under his fedora.
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself to you as yet, have I? My name is Reborn and I'm the world's greatest tutor" he proudly announces and retrieves a piece of paper that is marked "MY RESUME". He slides the document to her and as she reads it, her eyes widen. GOTCHA.
"I come with an impressive background and a cheap fee" he says and she claps her hands together.
"Well, it's been decided. You shall tutor our dear, Teruko-chan" she says and they stretch out their hands to seal the deal.
Notes:
CHI: is the energy force that which gives life. In India it is referred to as Prana, the Japanese refer to it as KI (i.e. see Dragon Ball Z), and for Native Americans, they refer to it as the Great Spirit.
No Man's Land: Ok, so like I know I didn't give any context as what or where this is, so don't worry. All you need to know is that it is the last test that the surviving candidates had to pass in order to determine the heir of the Soke.
Line: is a messaging app
A/N: Wow much confusion.
Okay, so there you have it, canon (ish) events.
We had some revelations, and stuff….guys… I'm tired. I didn't even get a chance to read the reviews like….I'll get to it soon. Much love to you all.
I'll see you in the next chapter.
