Waking Up with the Sun Chapter 12: Rainy Way Back Home
Song: Rainway Back Home – Nujabes
Tokyo welcomed Hazuki Hino back with open arms.
The woman felt relief wash over her as she unlocked her Shibuya apartment. The apartment was a long time investment, a gift from her parents when she had finished high school. Tokyo University was about a half-hour train ride away, but she never minded the ride. Except for days when she was running late, having pulled one of ten too many all-nighters. Lucky for her, she made friends who lived closer to school and established settlements on their couches and floors.
The aunt she had lived with back in Namimori took care of her Tokyo apartment every time Hino was out of town for longer than 2 weeks. This same aunt welcomed her home with a warm embrace as the tired woman took her shoes off.
"I'm home, auntie."
"Welcome back, Hi-chan."
Her aunt held her for a little longer than normal, seeing how tired the young woman was. This moment of peace and bliss was interrupted as Hanzou and Bansai entered the home carrying the rest of Hino's luggage.
"Hello, auntie. How are you this evening?"
"Fine, fine, Han-chan. Are you and Ban-chan staying for dinner tonight? I made my famous beef stew."
"Auntie! That stew is mine! Don't let these old men eat my food!"
"Sensei, you're older than I am, though!" Bansai laughed, "Thank you for the offer auntie, but we also have to get home. It's been a long day."
"Ban-chan is correct, auntie. Thank you for your gracious offer," Hanzou smiled curtly, "please take these manju as a sign of appreciation. Hino-sensei worked very hard this past tour, and you are the only one we can entrust her to."
"Ara, ara, it is no problem at all. I consider this girl as my own daughter," the woman smiled, accepting the gift.
The two men affectionately known as Han-chan and Ban-chan bowed politely as Hino's aunt went back to the kitchen to store the red bean treats.
As soon as her aunt was out of earshot, Hino turned to the two men, "Thank you for always being so nice to her. Just remember what I told you when I first signed up for this."
"Your aunt and your family will never be involved nor harmed ever. This is a guaranteed satisfaction. You're not the first one to pass on the past identity erasure, and you surely won't be the last," Hanzou nodded.
"I'm taking tomorrow off. Don't call," Hino said quietly as she saw them out.
"Of course, sensei. Just remember that we have our special guest arriving tomorrow evening," Bansai smiled (genuinely this time).
Hazuki waved this comment off as they let themselves out, the door automatically locking behind them.
*~*U*~*
Hino lay idly on the couch after having taken a nice hot bath and stuffing her face with her aunt's cooking. It was a quarter after midnight. The TV was on, but the volume was so low that it might as well have just been on mute. The bright screen was the only thing that illuminated the room.
If one paid close enough attention, one could hear the Tokyo nightlife through the large glass-pane windows and door that led to the balcony. The gentle hum of the city soothed the woman, having missed the bustling white noise of the Tokyo metropolitan compared to the serene quiet of Namimori.
The silence in that small town was peaceful, yes, but at times it was too quiet that Hino could be so left alone with her thoughts that she felt as if she might go insane.
This quiet that she was in now was more calming to the soul. The business of the streets. People always having somewhere to go or something to do. Tokyo was a busy city with busy people, and now she was back to being one of them. Not for another day, but she was finally home.
*~*U*~*
The plane trip back to Italy was—if Tsuna could sum it up in one word—strange.
Ryohei had surprisingly knocked out early, but mild turbulence woke him up as they were mid-flight, and he stayed up. Gokudera on the other hand, was trying to fall asleep around this time, having finished whatever he needed to discuss with Tsuna.
Hibari and Kusakabe did not leave Namimori, to no one's surprise.
Kyoko and Haru sat in a more isolated corner, covered in soft blankets, having fallen asleep during a movie with their noise-cancelling headphones still on. This was really for the better.
Yamamoto was there, even if he should have followed Hino to Tokyo. He sent one of his people to watch for her. He needed to be back in Italy for a meeting with Squalo, as well as the general de-briefing Tsuna would hold as soon as they got back to the mansion. He would leave for Tokyo within the week.
Tsuna wanted to disapprove his actions, but this was an important protocol that they needed to follow. Plus, regardless of the level of love he held for his friends, he could not stand it when Gokudera and Ryohei fought for more than five minutes.
The Vongola Decimo, or Neo Vongola Primo, according to Reborn, stared blankly out the plane window into nothingness, reflecting on the past few weeks' events. While it wasn't the most chaotic he'd been through, it was definitely one for the books that could never be read by the public eye or anyone outside his trusted circle of Guardians (and Reborn).
The empty train of thought Tsuna had been riding for the past few hours came to a stop as he felt Gokudera tap his shoulder, "Juudaime, I have a report saying that the bastard woman is now at home staying with her aunt."
"That's good to hear. Try to get some shut-eye, Hayato."
The Storm guardian could only roll his eyes, "I would, but now that the turf-top is awake, I don't think that's possible. He just tried to challenge me to a game of poker… twice."
"Oi! Bomb lover! Are we gonna play, or what?!"
"Make that three times."
"Onii-san, Hayato is tired. I'll play with you. I've been going up against Reborn and Bianchi lately, I might have learned something from them," Tsuna called out, giving Gokudera a wink, a nudge, and a sleep mask. His friend only mouthed a grateful 'Thank you', taking the eye-mask and heading towards the back of the plane, where Yamamoto was sitting quietly, filing the report he was sent by his underling in Tokyo on laptop given to him by Giannini.
Ryohei wasn't much to brag, but needless to say, Tsuna lost. Horribly.
It made Tsuna wonder just where the hell Ryohei learnt his poker face, but after putting two and two together, remembering all the times Ryohei's had to lie to Kyoko about not fighting, he admitted defeat.
The boxer scratched the back of his head and gave Tsuna a sheepish grin, "Suman', Tsuna.
"Onii-san, you should try to get some more rest. Everyone's been up all day, and the next few days aren't going to get any better…"
"I know, and that jetlag is just gonna' be fuckin' horrible, ne?"
"The absolute worst. But we'll survive," Tsuna chuckled.
They sat in a not-so-awkard-but-still-kind-of silence. Ryohei was about to open his mouth to speak, a pensive look on his always-expressive face.
"Don't worry about Hazuki-san. She'll be fine. I'm sure of it," Tsuna assured.
"I… Yeah. You're right, Tsuna. You always are. Damn hyper-intuition."
"Get some rest, onii-san."
"Hai, hai."
Ryohei didn't sleep a wink the rest of the plane ride home.
*~*U*~*
For anyone who didn't think it was possible to spend 12 hours in a department store, they would have been immediately proven wrong as Hino carried (read: struggled and lugged) bags upon bags of what she called 'retail therapy'.
Namimori was fun to stay in, but even their biggest department store didn't have what Hino wanted. She was a business woman who lived in Shibuya and worked in Shinjuku. There was a constant demand of the latest and newest in trending fashion, and she had an image she needed to uphold. So, after taking her aunt to lunch and then dropping her off to the train station and bidding her farewell, Hino went shopping.
The back seats and floors of her car could not be seen, large bags obscuring the refined black leather. But the woman did not have any regrets. After all, this was 'retail therapy', and if there was one thing she needed after the past few weeks' events, it was definitely therapy. Besides, she had an important guest arriving that night, and she couldn't afford to not look her best.
Hanzou and Bansai arrived around an hour after she had finished putting away her newly acquired goods, having washed and dried every single article of clothing (sans what needed to be sent to the dry cleaner the next morning), organized her shoes, and so on.
They were dressed to the nines and so was she. Their guest arrived five minutes later. Without even having to check who was at the door, Hino opened it enthusiastically. A tall, lean yet muscular, and very blonde man leapt into her arms. Literally.
They both fell to the floor.
"ANE-GO! IT'S BEEN SO LONG!"
"How many times have I told you not to call me that, JoJo?"
"I told you I'll stop calling you ane-go when you stop calling me JoJo."
The two adults (still on the floor) stared at each other with a serious expression, but no less than two seconds later did they burst out laughing. Sitting before Hino was a man in his early twenties, a golden disheveled mop of hair upon his head, lightly tanned skin, and a youthful look upon his face with hazel eyes that seemed the flash blue and green in certain lights.
The man got back on his feet and helped Hino up, bringing her into a very warm embrace.
"It's been a long time, Jones-kun," she smiled.
The man named Jones returned this smile ten-fold, "So it has, Ms. Hino."
The little moment between the two was interrupted by Hanzou clearing his throat, reminding them that they were, in fact, not the only people present.
"Hanzou my Manzou, what's up with you?"
"You're still as erratic as ever, Mr. Jones. I am well. Please, allow me to take your bags," the older man replied. Bansai waved from the side, smile mirroring that of the young blonde's.
"Howdy, Mr. Jones! How was your flight?"
After giving Hanzou a gregarious hug (in which Hanzou looked more uncomfortable at the massive amount of physical contact than the sentiment), Jones made his way to the other man.
"Oh Bansai my Mansai, it was great! The food was excellent, as per usual. I had a layover in Los Angeles on the way from New York and extended it to two days so I could visit Disneyland, and then I remembered Tokyo Disneyland while I was there! The trip here wasn't so bad, but the movies sucked. But I guess this is what happens when you fly under the radar. You get stuck in economy."
The group of four made their way to Hino's living room as Jones told his story, settling onto the couches.
"Jones-kun, your Japanese has improved significantly. I'm glad to hear that," Hino commented, smiling as she sat next to the man.
"Well, I've had a lot of time to study and anime to watch!"
"… You weeaboo."
"Oi! Wouldn't it be otaku?!"
"Otaku implies that you're Japanese. Remember, I studied in America for a while. You are a weeaboo."
Hanzou and Bansai left the chit-chat to the two, Bansai opening up his laptop and Hanzou heading to the kitchen for snacks and beverages.
"Mr. Jones, I assume you would like your usual preference of American beer?" Hanzou called out.
"Hai, hai! Man, I would drink your stuff, but Japanese beer just doesn't have that same great taste as American beer!" Jones replied.
The tall American felt someone tap his shoulder, and turned to see Bansai with his computer on his lap, the screen and keyboard facing the blonde foreigner, "Mr. Jones, if you would log in, please."
The man nodded casually and took the computer into his hand.
User: [Jones A.]|
Password: [*********]|
Verification #: [1776]|
Welcome to the International Blacklist, current members logged on:
|_A. Jones, United States of America|
"Is your password really 'USAUSAUSA', Jones," Hino asked, looking over at the screen.
She was leaning on the blonde, resting her head on his arm; her face was slightly mushed into the folds of the sleeves of his sweater.
The man laughed and scratched the back of his head with his other arm, "And the verification is 1776. Amazing how I haven't been hacked yet."
"Truly incredible, considering that your account is one of the most important ones in the world. Literally."
He verified his account a few more times, shoving Hino slightly out of frame as it did a facial recognition scan using the laptop's webcam. It was a specially developed computer, used specifically for International Blacklist dealings. When not in use, it was in Hanzou's (or any other assisstant's) care 24/7.
|Logging onto…
|Trading Information
|Confidential Access
|Clearance Level: S-1
|Regarding…
_Alessandro Nioachvi
*~*U*~*
Hino ended up falling asleep as Jones gathered the necessary information. This was a favour he owed to the woman, not just as the representatives of their respective countries, but as friends. Jones could consider Hino to be his most trusted person in this underground organization. When Hino called him a few days ago, crying and explaining everything, there was no way in hell he could stay in New York. He spent the next day and a half tying up loose ends he needed to take care of and told his assistants that he had booked the next flight for Tokyo and would not be back until further notice.
Niochavi was well-known in the IB to be sort of a scumbag—he was a fat, old, racist, bourgeoisie with an affinity for young women and big guns. How he came into power was unknown to any IB representative under the age of 40. The American representative knew that Niochavi would conspire against him one day, but never thought that Hino would have ever gotten involved.
He was the one that found out about the hit placed on her.
He was the one that made sure Jan de Medici's existence was erased from her life. Up until de Medici fucked up and showed his face once more.
He was also the one who was going to strangle the people who dragged her into a mess that she had no part of.
The Vongola family was known by many. Just because he wasn't Italian or even European didn't mean that he didn't pay attention to the different crime syndicates. His job as the American representative varied from military technology and weaponry to continuous work with the International Security Council and various intelligence agencies throughout the world.
Unlike most representatives, who are either elected or brought into the blacklist organization, American representatives are selected through a process that begins in assessing the work and efficiency of possible candidates at an early age. Majority of these candidates are children or mentees of past American representatives or other higher ups in the United Nation bureaucratic circle.
He was currently 22. Jones had known his future since he was 16. He was inducted at age 18. Oddly enough, that was right around the time Hino was based in Los Angeles. They studied together and went through the process of becoming full-fledged blacklist members. The girl was smart but oddly naïve, and her selection to be a Japanese candidate was incredibly suspicious. Most Japan representatives had been well-established businessmen at least 15-20 years her senior. It was definitely more than just strange to see a 21 year old woman with very little real-world experience stepping up to the plate.
She definitely proved herself, though. Within her first year, she had revolutionized the Japanese blacklist trade system and made it even more efficient than the already high Japanese standard, and she made it eco-friendly. One year later, after working with the South Korean, Chinese, and Danish representatives, they were able to transform over half of the market's out-dated systems and create an environmentally-friendly trade system relying on barges using humane labour that lay in accordance with UN by-laws.
She made illegal trading legal, without creating international distress.
For the most part, it was great.
For others, she was seen as young, incompetent, naïve, and would bring about destruction to a system that ran perfectly for centuries. While it was primarily her age that stood out as a defining factor, many of the older generation blamed the millennial ideals of generations X & Y as a main problem. Jones saw these old farts as men who refused to change with the times and accept that a young smart woman was more capable than them.
One of these men was Alessandro Niochavi, who thought he could easily dispose of a nobody with the snap of his fingers.
That plan fell apart when Jones stepped in.
And whatever new plan this was, it was biting Niochavi in the ass upon being informed that the Vongola and Hino had previous ties.
At the moment, the only ones who knew of Hino's involvement with the Vongola were the Vongola themselves, Hanzou, Bansai, and himself. Whatever information Niochavi had on Hino was more than likely altered or false.
He nearly pissed himself laughing when Hino told him the lie she had to come up with on the spot. But the distress that came afterwards was what convinced him to come to Japan. Being a Blacklist representative was tough. And Hino was easily falling apart. The woman would be turning 26 this year, having accomplished a lot for someone her age in this economy, but he could tell that she was burnt out. She had already handed her CosPlay company to a secured and trusted board of employees, and her contract with A Smile for Smiles and the management company expires at the end of the year.
If anything, it looked like she was more than ready to retire. But she wouldn't. She still had to work as the International Blacklist representative until her very last breath, but not really. Any Blacklist representative can step down from their position so long as they give 2 month's notice with fair reasoning. Though they would no longer be a part of the IB, they would still be under constant surveillance by the Blacklist Security Department as well as the International Security Council. They would be monitored until they died.
Jones looked at the sleeping woman and adjusted himself so that she would be lying on his torso instead of his arm. The laptop was off and closed, sitting on the coffee table. Hanzou and Bansai had already taken their leave, Hanzou trusting Jones with the laptop as if it were his life, and really, it was.
The International Blacklist wasn't just a job or a dedicated hobby or an underground organization.
It was a black stain on their lives.
*~* END *~*
New character~~~~~~ god there's a lot of Hetalia in here I'm sorry. But I mean… countries with representatives and my lack of originality when it comes to names… it's a winning combo.