Second Chances
Chapter Eleven – Tea Time
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyō Hitman Reborn.
A/N: Adult Reborn X Nana. AU. Some OoC. Will update relationships as other relationships appear ;)
Answers to questions/comments can be found at the end of the story. Please read for an important announcement.
Please be sure to leave reviews and helpful hints. R&R!
20 Years Ago
At the end of the day, Nana knew she was infatuated with Rebboku-san; could, maybe, love Yamamato-san; and definitely wanted Shamal for a friend.
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Present Day
Shaking the memories away, Nana looked into the café window as she approached. Smiling, she waved at the doctor sitting in a nearby booth. Slowly, she made her way through the café to sit across from her best friend.
"Konnichiwa, Shamal-kun." Nana said as she approached his booth.
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The two friends enjoyed small talk as they waited for their tea and snacks.
Nana quickly summed up what had happened since her husband's funeral. She finished with, "What do you think I should do about Ren-kun, Shamal-kun?"
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Shamal blinked in surprise. 'So, Reborn thinks he can win Nana back?' His heart quickly sank as he realized he forever remain her friend, and nothing more.
Sipping his tea he pushed his feelings aside and tried to organize his thoughts. 'How much should I tell her about her father? What can I say without incurring Reborn's wrath?'
Clearing his throat, Shamal set his teacup on the table and reached for Nana's hand. "Nana-love, what do you want me to say? You must follow your heart, as mine follows you."
Blushing, Nana pulled her hand from Shamal's to hold it over her heart. "Shamal-kun, you are so sweet! But I know that you love no one." Frowning she continued, "I still have feelings for him, but I do not know if I can trust him again."
The doctor sighed; both because she never takes his love seriously as well as the fact that he would have to reveal the secrets that he had kept for the last 20 years.
"Sweetheart, once trust is broken it has to be earned back. Would you be able to trust him, if you knew why he left and where he has been?"
Nana nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. "But how do I know if he is telling the truth?"
Grasping his teacup with both hands, Shamal looked into its clear depths. Watching the tea leaves float on the bottom, he wished he could tell his fortune. 'Will I make her cry? Will she hate me?'
Looking into her eyes, he began slowly, "Nana… my dear… my love… I have something I need to tell you… Please listen… Please don't leave me."
A tear escaped from her beautiful browns eyes as she moved away from him and into the booth's cushion. Clasping her hands tightly together, she nodded yes, as she placed her hands in her lap.
Releasing his cup, Shamal rubbed his hand across his face. His eyes, unable to bear the look in Nana's, searched for a place to rest. Settling on her clasped hands, Shamal began,
"20 years ago you met Reb- Rebboku-san, Yamamato-san, and I in a café similar to this. My grandmother introduced each of us to you." Taking a deep breath he continued, "What you didn't know is why.
Sweetheart, your father wasn't the man you thought he was."
Nana sucked in her breath deeply and whispered, "Yakuza*… he was yakuza."
Stunned, Shamal stared at Nana.
Staring back, she responded, almost angrily, "What?! He was assassinated… Even I know what that means."
The notorious assassin known as Trident Shamal was taken aback. No longer sure of what the woman of his dreams knew, he continued.
"Yes, your father was yakuza. Actually, he was the oyabun* of his family. He kept this from both your mother and you." He paused as he watched various emotions flit across Nana's face.
"Shortly after your mother's death, he broke an alliance with a larger family from Italy. He then betrayed that family by selling their secrets."
Tears were falling freely now, "H-how do you know this?"
Sighing, Shamal continued. "Your father knew he had been caught and wanted to ensure your safety by finding you a new family… a husband. So, he set up an omai… and the opportunity for his death.
Darling, the woman he hired for your omai, my grandfather, was a known contact for the Italian mafia in Japan."
Pausing, Shamal wanted to reach out and comfort Nana, as she was visibly shaking now. Yet, he didn't he continued his story.
"The two men he chose, Rebboku-san and Yamamato-san, were chosen for a reason. Yamamato-san's family had been serving yours for generations. As samurai, they had long ago sworn that they and their descendants would protect you and yours."
Nana looked into Shamal's eyes as she asked, "Ren-kun. What about Ren-kun?"
Restraining himself from going to her, Shamal suddenly wanted to kill someone, anyone. Steeling himself for the inevitable, he finished his part of the story.
"Rebboku-san was chosen because he was currently contracted as a hitman for the family your father had betrayed."
Nana stood suddenly. Face flushed, she spoke in an even yet deadly voice, "He killed my father?"
As she turned to leave, Shamal spoke again, "Wait! I have one more thing to say."
Nana stopped, but didn't turn to look at him.
"At that time, I was training with the same organization to do the same job as him."
Shamal watched as Nana's shoulders slumped. He continued to watch as she walked out of the café and away from him.
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Nana was heartbroken. Her father was a liar. Her Ren-kun, the man whom her father wanted her to marry, had killed him. Her Shamal-kun, her best friend, had known all along.
And they were all part of the Vongola Corporation. The same one her husband, Iemitsu, had worked for occasionally. What secrets had he kept from her? Was everyone lying to her?
Notes and Answers to Questions/Comments:
(1) No new reviews or questions. I don't need much, just enough to keep me on the right track as to what YOU may want to see happen. I'm thinking of quitting this story due to lack of readership.
(2) Next chapter: First Date!
(3) Please checkout the spin-off/side story Second Chances: Skull. Enjoy!
(4) Definitions:
- Yakuza: transnational organized crime syndicates in Japan, aka Japanese mafia
- Oyabun: yakuza family boss