"What is food to one is to others bitter poison."
Lucretius
"Chocolate cake, strawberry cake, upside down cake, red velvet cake, cheese cake. Ah~ so many cakes yet I have so little time. If only had the stomach of a cow! Imagine the cakes I could consume in one day!"
"Are you honestly going to use your one and only wish…for a stomach of a cow…?"
"Yes. Look Tsuna, if you encountered the same amount of cakes I did…you'd want the stomach of a cow too."
Tsuna shook his head tiredly as he stared at the plates stacked on one side of the table. Each plate had contained a piece of cake, which was now of course resting peacefully in Shizuko's stomach. It had amazed Tsuna how Shizuko could consume so much cake and not die from it after all these years.
"My, my. You two haven't changed one bit have you?"
Tsuna and Shizuko turn their heads as they watched Nana walk in with another platter of assorted cakes. Tsuna declines the offer of one plate but Shizuko readily accepts the plate and takes a bite. She hums in satisfaction as Nana takes a seat in front of both of them. She briefly wipes her hands on her apron and smiles. Nana was one of those people who ages beautifully. You could see the toll of time on her face but her smile still shone brightly.
"I think I've changed," Shizuko says as she takes a small sip of tea. "I mean, I used to be queasy at the sight of blood but ever since I entered the ma—" Shizuko almost chocked on the cake she was eating as she hurriedly corrects herself. Tsuna burnt his tongue from swallowing his tea too fast. "T-The ma…err…maternal ward! Yeah, lot's of blood and screaming there! Haha." Shizuko forced herself to laugh as well as Tsuna. Nana just smiles politely as Tsuna sends a warning glance at Shizuko. She in turn takes the message and quietly eats her cake.
"So, the youngest doctor to graduate huh? That's quite an accomplishment, Shizuko-chan!" Shizuko looks up and smiles brightly. Tsuna turns his head to Shizuko confusingly, not knowing this at all.
"Hopefully," Shizuko says with a puff of pride. "But my professors are breathing down my neck constantly. They just don't think I can be qualified." She stares at her teacup and stirs the tea solemnly. "But, I'll definitely prove them wrong!"
"…Shizuko," Tsuna whispers. She turns her head and stares at Tsuna. Tsuna in turn looks at her and she notices that a glint of pain was in his eyes. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything," Shizuko answers. Nana seemingly noticed the tense atmosphere and leaves the room to get some more tea, even though the teapot was still clearly full.
"Why haven't you…contacted me while you were in England…?" Shizuko could clearly hear the pain in his voice. Shizuko frowned as she turned to the pastry, not as delectable as it used to be. She takes a deep breath and smiles painfully.
"I just thought that…you'd be busy," Shizuko quickly shook her head and closed her eyes. "No, that's a stupid excuse." She turns back to Tsuna and smiles sadly. "I…was just scared."
"Scared? Scared of me?" Tsuna asks, disappointment now taking over his voice. Shizuko slightly chuckles, shakes her head, and looks away.
"No. Even if you become a deranged murderer…I could never be scared of you." Tsuna smiles shyly, happy. "Because I know that Reborn would kill you in a heartbeat if that happened!" Tsuna laughed nervously because he also knew that, that was true.
"I was scared…" Shizuko continued as Tsuna looked at her carefully. "I guess I was just scared that when I called I would…" She took a deep breath before forcing out the words; she turns to Tsuna and smiles a pained smile. "I would hear you so happy…"
Tsuna's eyes widen and with those words alone, something tugged in the creases of his heart. He knew he heard those words before. A long time ago…
That day was a rare time for Tsuna because he was alone. What with the whole mafia thing, it was becoming harder and harder for him to find time to be alone so he decided to take this opportunity to look around town for awhile but just as he was about to walk out of the door, the phone started to ring. With his mother in the market and everyone else gone with, he quickly picked up the phone. The first thing he heard was the faint sound of sobbing and thought that this was just a prank call or somebody just dialed the wrong number. But he waited for a bit until the person on the other end started talking. And the person did, but it was small whisper. So quiet that Tsuna had to strain his ears to hear the words.
I…I'm so scared…I-I just don't know if I can be this happy…I-I feel like if I allow myself to be happy…they're going to be taken away…Tsuna-kun, Gokudera-kun, all of them…just like…mother and father…
Tsuna's eyes widen. He'd never heard of a voice so broken before but he wasn't sure as to whom that person was…but he had a feeling-but he hoped to God that he was wrong.
"S-Shizuko-chan?"
Tsuna had called out but after he said those words, the phone was immediately placed down. Tsuna had never known as to whom that call was intended for and he had asked Shizuko the next day but she had denied ever calling him. He had let that go, thinking nothing of it. But now as he was looking at Shizuko now, that conversation a long time ago was gnawing at him right now.
"W-What does that mean?" Tsuna asks. Shizuko looks at him, searching in his eyes. Prompting him to understand, hoping that he would understand. But he merely looked at her blankly. Something in Shizuko cracked as she forced herself to smile once again.
"I'm just saying that I didn't want to be jealous of you guys. I mean, here I am studying until my brain turns to mush while you guys are having fun travelling and eating Fuuta's cooking." Shizuko laughs exaggeratingly.
Tsuna smiles sadly-feeling that the answer close but for some unknown reason, he still couldn't reach it. "Still a horrible liar."
Shizuko smiled back. "And will always be. But I'll tell you what though. The day I leave for England, I'll tell you the truth."
Tsuna smiles, satisfied for now. But something bothered him about that. "You sound like that will be the last time we'll see you…" Tsuna says half-heartedly and tries to wave it off but the serious look on her face made him think otherwise.
"It will be," She smiles sadly. "After I graduate from Oxford, I'll be leaving for California."
"T-That means…" Tsuna's heartbeat quickened as the thought gradually started to sink in.
"I'll be permanently saying goodbye, Tsuna-kun." A deathly silence fell over them as Shizuko went back to devouring her cakes.
But Tsuna couldn't even process the words that she said because what his heart was shouting out was too much for his brain.
"Stop her idiot!" His heart shouted.
" I can't stop her," His brain fought back with a defeating tone of voice. "I could never stop her...not even back then."
A/N: I just really feel that this chapter is so...blah. What do you guys think?
Anyway! Here's some news that you guys might like~
Due to the fact that my friend is a Yaoi addict-I got infected as well. XD
And now I currently planning on writing a ByakuranxOCxShoichi fic. (I still have to take it easy dammit! Baby steps!)
Right now it's still a plan but if I get a positive response I'll definitely write it! (And this is the first time I've written something for BOTH of them. I always thought that I was going to write something for them...just never thought it was Yaoi XD Hurray for my friend! Who scarred me at first when she showed me that Yaoi manga but eventually made me love them!)
