Luna: To belfranieXS, yeah, that's it for now… but there will be three more chapters by the end of this month, if I work hard enough~ =w=b Thanks! To KitsuneNaru, sorry for the confusion. 'Kyoya Fem Hibari' is me. But I assure you, it will be Male!Hibari in this fic. In all my fanfics, I state when I will be using genderbent characters. To mangopudding, I'm not sure if Xanxus will be in this story, but perhaps he will be. To Vikky Plushie, the other Guardians will still play their part, don't worry~ ^_^ And yes, 'smooth' is the right word. To Namonaihito, I love it too~! And shhhh! Why did you spoil the story!? =w= Thank you very much! To Lexie-chan94, thank you! *bows* To Sylvia-san, shh! Don't say anything else! Your accurate predicting skills cannot ruin the story for other readers! ^_^ To janeseA, here's the next chapter!
Yikes… this fanfic has gotten the best reception so far. O_O Eight reviews, thirteen favorites, and twenty-eight followers for the first chapter! *smiles* Thanks, everyone! This really motivates me to write more!
Kyoya Fem Hibari: (DISCLAIMER) Luna does not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or any of its characters.
"Tsu-Tsu-kun…?"
Tsuna withdrew his finger immediately, wearing an expression that could only be compared to a deer caught in the headlights, and involuntarily took a step back. Mother and son stared at each other for a long moment until Tsuna finally found his voice and said in a strangled voice, "…O…kaa…san?"
Nana's eyes welled up with tears. "It really is you, Tsu-kun…" And she threw herself at him through the doorway and wrapped her arms around his body, crying with happiness.
Tsuna fell back onto the hard ground from the weight of his mother. He winced, feeling the dull pain from the fall, but he smiled all the same as he returned the hug. "Okaa-san…" Suddenly, his brown eyes widened in shock. "Wait, how did you recognize me?" He and Nana had only been able to keep in touch through phone calls, and the last image the woman should have had of him was of his five-year-old self as he left for Italy.
"Of course I knew it was you!" Nana exclaimed. "It may have been nine years since we last met, but a mother knows her son and that's that." She giggled through her tears. "And you've got the same brown eyes, spiky hair, and the cutest facial features…"
"Don't call me cute, Okaa-san," Tsuna grumbled in a mock hurt tone. "I'm a boy, not a girl!" He was getting a bit sick of being mistaken for the opposite sex.
"But you're such a cute boy!" Nana protested, wiping her eyes and holding Tsuna out at arm's length to survey him. "You really have grown, though, Tsu-kun! Look at you! Growing up in Italy has really changed you… although you're still a little on the short side…"
"Ch-changed me?" Tsuna stammered nervously, pushing the 'short' comment aside in his panic. Does she know about the Vongola? Did I accidentally say something wrong or slip up during our last phone call? Does she notice any injuries from mafia fights that I might have forgotten to cover up?
Nana tilted her head thoughtfully, oblivious to her son's inner turmoil. "Well, you seem… older? Not just age, though…" She shook her head. "Ah, it doesn't really matter. Perhaps Timoteo did something. And there is the fact that the last time I saw you, you were still five…" She stood up and beamed. "The important thing is that my Tsu-kun is back after nine years! We have to celebrate!"
"O-okaa-san, you don't have to-"
"I'll cook a big dinner tonight! After having Italian food for so long, you should be able to eat your mother's cooking again! We can't have you forgetting the taste!"
"-cook… for me…" Tsuna trailed of lamely and sighed. I probably shouldn't tell her that the chefs at the mansion gave me all kinds of food, not just Italian… ah well; I missed Okaa-san's homemade food, anyway. He grinned in anticipation, getting to his feet and following Nana into the house...
…where he nearly tripped over a phone.
"Okaa-san, why is there a phone lying in the middle of the hallway!?"
Nana turned around, confused. "A phone- oh! The reason I opened the door in the first place was because our neighbor called and told me there was a creeper pacing in front of my house."
Tsuna choked. Wait- what!?
"I must have dropped the phone when I saw you…" Nana continued. She picked it up and frowned slightly. "Say, Tsu-kun; did you happen to see a suspicious person while you-"
"N-not at all!" Tsuna stuttered, flushed. "L-let's just go in the kitchen, Okaa-san…"
Tsuna sat awkwardly at the table in the small kitchen, his suitcase propped up next to him and a cup of tea in his hands. Nana was humming as she prepared to cook, her back turned towards him. Tsuna took a tiny sip of his tea, which sounded louder than it actually was in the tense silence. He considered starting a conversation, but he wasn't quite sure how.
Thankfully, Nana beat him to it. "Tsu-kun, in your ear…" she began, pulling out various ingredients and tools. "…is that one of the earbuds your friends Shoichi-kun and Spanner-kun gave you?"
"Huh? Oh, umm, yeah," Tsuna replied with a start, not having expected the question. "I've got the other one in my suitcase." He paused, bracing himself for what he was about to say. "Erm, Okaa-san… you do remember what I told you about my music, right…?"
Nana picked up a knife and neatly chopped up some onions and mushrooms. "Yes, I did; and I must admit that I have mixed feelings about the whole thing." Tsuna could hear the frown in her voice. "Why must you rely on music to be who you aren't, Tsu-kun?"
Tsuna winced and mumbled somewhat lamely, "W-well, the music really helps… I mean, it's… easier?"
"Does that mean you can go without your music?" Nana questioned, cracking eggs now. "Is it absolutely necessary for songs to be played 24/7?"
Tsuna fidgeted. "I can manage without music around certain people…"
Nana sighed, pausing in her cooking and turning to face her nervous son. "Listen, Tsu-kun- I fully realize that you depend on your music very much. I'm just worried about you, you know. What if something happens and you're not able to have your music by your side? I don't want you fully reliant on those songs."
Tsuna averted his gaze. "I know, Okaa-san… I'm sorry."
Seeing that Tsuna didn't feel any better at that, Nana added with a slightly more cheerful tone, "Well, if that's how you've lived for the past nine years, then I can't very well expect you to change just like that, can I?" She walked around the table and ruffled Tsuna's hair fondly. "I'm not trying to pressure you into fixing your habits, just… try to work on it, okay?"
Tsuna smiled weakly at the gesture. "Thanks, Okaa-san. That means a lot." If she had forcefully taken my earbuds away, I don't know what I would do!
As if struck by a sudden idea, Nana clapped her hands. "I know! Why don't you help me with dinner? It'd be nice to be able to cook with my son after so long… not that you were able to when you left of course. You wouldn't have been able to lift a pan~" She smiled. "You were still so young back then…"
Tsuna mirrored his mother's smile. "I would be happy to help, Okaa-san!"
"Great!" Nana walked over to the closet, rummaged in it for a bit, then came back with a spare apron in her arms. "Here you go! You're going to need it- we're making Salisbury steak~"
Tsuna visibly brightened up. "Salisbury steak? That's-"
"-one of your favorites, I know," Nana giggled, clearly enjoying her son's obvious happiness. "That's why I'm making it!"
"Thank you so much, Okaa-san!" Tsuna suddenly heard his stomach growl loudly, and he turned slightly red in embarrassment.
Nana laughed. "We better hurry!"
Tying the apron on, Tsuna followed his mother to the counter. He was grateful for the change of subject, but he had a feeling that it wasn't the last time it would come up, whether with her or someone else. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his head. Don't think about that right now! What matters at the moment is that you're home.
"I saw the sunset in the east~
I saw the bees swim in the blue sea~"
Tsuna yawned and stretched as his music turned on, acting as his alarm clock. He blinked his eyes open and looked around, a bit confused. This isn't my bedroom… Normally, he woke up in his oversized and overdecorated bed in his grand room in the Vongola Mansion. However, he was now in a much smaller bed in a rather simple room in what looked like a suburban home.
Oh, right… Tsuna remembered, shaking the sleepiness out of his head. I arrived in Namimori yesterday. He suddenly grinned, relieved that he wasn't going to be waking up in a fancy home for a while. Finally, some normality!
"I saw the trees up in the sky~
I saw the rainbow in the ocean~"
He sat up from his bed, which fit him perfectly (Nana hadn't replaced any of the furniture since he had last left- he was now extremely glad that he had demanded a 'big boy bed' when he was younger), and walked over to the set of clothes his mother had set on the desk in the corner of the room.
Tsuna held up the Namimori Middle boy's uniform and looked over it. Okaa-san did say that she was enrolling me in Namimori Middle, but how did she do it overnight? He shrugged to himself. I guess she has her ways. The brunet changed into the uniform and surveyed himself in the mirror for a moment before running downstairs.
"Is it crazy? Or is it just hazy~?
Don't be queasy, let's just take it easy~"
"Good morning, Okaa-san!"
"Good morning, Tsu-kun!" Nana looked up from the toaster to glance at the clock. "Ah, you better eat quickly- you'll be late for school!"
Tsuna followed his mother's gaze and blanched as he saw the time. "What!? I must have set my music to turn on at the wrong time!" He grabbed a piece of toast with butter spread over it and the empty bag Nana had given him (he would fill it with the textbooks he needed at school later). Running out of the house, he called, "I'm leaving!"
"Have a good day at school!"
"Is it dummy? Or is it just rummy~?
Don't be crummy… just a joke~!"
It didn't take too long for Tsuna to arrive at the gates of his new school. So, this is Namimori Middle… He noticed that the campus was utterly empty and panicked slightly. Shoot- I'm late for my first day! He was just about to dash into the building when a cold male voice that sent shivers up his spine stopped him in his tracks.
"Herbivore. For being two minutes late for class, I'll bite you to death."
Luna: I finished another chapter! Yes!
Kyoya Fem Hibari: Good job, herbivore.
Luna: The song used in this chapter is the English translation of 'Funny Sunny Day' by SxOxU, which is the seventh opening song for Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Kyoya Fem Hibari: Kindly review. All criticism is welcomed.