Target Zero Point Five: Childhood and Decisions, Story of a Mother and Child
I'm sorry for being unable to be honest about my feelings
If only I could say "I love you"
Thank you for giving birth to me
I'm happy I was born as your child
The girl, who died and was reborn, wondered why she felt familiar with her new life like she knew what was going to happen. It was almost like the story was an anime she had watched before but she didn't think it was possible.
Or maybe it was?
She really didn't know what to think.
She stopped trying to find a logical reason as to why she had been reborn since it was apparent that she wasn't waking up in any dream. She merely went into pretending that she was a normal girl with an eye disorder.
Trying to not think of anything about her past life, she called herself by her new name and acted like she was only a child. She had felt like it was her second chance to get a happy childhood compared to her previous one so she was making her life worth it.
It hadn't worked that well, especially when his new father had left her and her mother as well.
Her heart tightened just thinking, remembering the blond man saying insensitive lies and her mother suppressing the urge to cry in front of her. It had been all too similar to her past but the color she had seen in her father before wasn't yellow but black.
Her feeling, however, was the same and it might even be stronger. She had gotten used to the man and had truly started thinking of him as the father she didn't have in her previous life. It ached that Iemitsu had also left.
She hated seeing how Nana seemed to keep on smiling despite not wanting to and how the woman suffered so much even if she tried to hide it. Her old mother wasn't like that and she didn't know which one she preferred.
Both of them had suffered from their husbands leaving but while the first had lost her soul from the pain, the other had tried to make things better even through it continued to hurt.
But Tsunako never uttered a word.
She feared what would happen if she were to tell the truth about her origin and her thoughts. She hated doubting the woman, who had given her birth but she wanted to keep the only thing she could possibly call her family.
She hadn't gotten the chance to ever be a family in her past but now that she had a chance to have a family, even if it was just her mother, she seriously wanted it. It didn't matter how guilty she felt for acting differently or for keeping a deep secret.
"Tsunako-chan!" Nana called out for her with the usual bright demeanor that the girl had been used to. She didn't need to see properly to know that her mother was giving a sunny smile.
She felt herself grow a smile as well like many, who had been caught by that smile. It was endearing to know the effect her mother had to people and a part of her wondered how that blond idiot had managed to win her mother over.
'That bastard must have used some love potion on my mother,' a dark thought whispered to her mind before she could help it. She bitterly tried to think of something else than the pathetic excuse for a human that was Iemitsu. 'He doesn't deserve her.'
"Okaa-san!" she replied back childishly, wearing the mask she had perfected in her early six years, and waited for the woman to pick her up.
She had already come to terms that she had been reborn and had acted like the child her body reflected. There were some instances that she had come too mature for re physical change but that was fine.
Others had concluded that it was due to her unusual situation. She never really protested even if she felt guilty for it. Having other children avoiding her and trying to bully her seemed to have strengthened their beliefs.
Bullies...
She felt her heart skip a beat and images of her previous life, her precious encounters with bullies flashed in the back of her head.
Being born into another child didn't make her escape them, it seemed, but at least, she had adults' reluctant (and some willing) sympathy and support this time. Her eye disorder did have its perks.
Unfortunately, she still hadn't been used to being blind. Sometimes, she had instances when she saw like her old self before her hope was crushed after finding out it wasn't true. Being able to see colors instead of darkness caused her to hope everyday and she cursed her stupidity for such actions, knowing it was pointless.
Her blindness couldn't be cured. She would forever be blind for life and would always be the girl with freaky eyes in Namimori, who would be picked on by other children for it.
Somehow, the thought didn't seem as unpleasant as before even with her fear for bullies.
Warm hands enveloped her and secured her into a tender embrace almost as if knowing her pain and providing the comfort she needed. She didn't need to know or imagine the woman hugging her. She simply smiled.
"Did my little angel have fun today?" Nana asked her only child, tightening her old on her as they went back home from the elementary school. They talked cheerfully about how their days had gone like some normal family when they were anything but that. The mother couldn't help but keep close eyes on surroundings for anyone suspicious.
Yes, she was clueless and ignorant about many things concerning her husband but it didn't mean that she couldn't catch even the single hint that Iemitsu was involved in something dangerous. She wasn't stupid.
She had seen the black men a few times before the blond had left them six years ago. She never thought of it as something to be caution of at first but then, she saw her daughter becoming withdrawn and fearfully. She couldn't stop feeling that it was because of those men, who strangely appeared wherever they were.
This intuition grew stronger and heavier as the days had passed and it had only stopped when her husband had drunk one time and packed his things. The black men had even disappeared immediately, too.
She wasn't an idiot. She noticed many things but she didn't dare ask her husband. She trusted him the most (because who wouldn't when the man had proven his loyalty to her in their youth?) and she would respect his privacy.
'Some trust would be nice, though,' some part of her hissed darkly before she shook her head, 'It's fine! Iemitsu trust me! He must have a reason to not tell me.'
Her lips were sealed despite her grave heart.
"Okaa-san," the sweet voice of her daughter snapped her thoughts and her kind eyes wondered about the slight insecurities she found in those innocent eyes. "Can you teach me how to bake?"
Almost as if second doubting herself, the child averted her glance nervously and Nana didn't like the way Tsunako was insecure about herself that she always turned away or looked down. Her daughter wasn't the useless blind she thought of herself.
She gently laid her child on the ground and gave a smile even though she knew that the girl didn't see it. She felt her eyes tearing up. She was just glad that they were already home. "Tsunako," she whispered the name as if calling a deity. "Do you know what your name means?"
Tsunako, for her part, froze.
The tone of her mother was something she never heard before and she didn't know what to do or say. In normal circumstances, she would say "no" because she truly never learned Japanese or was a Japanese in her previous life but somehow, it felt like she needed to say that she did know the meaning of her name.
Inside her heart, a memory was tugging harshly that it hurt.
"Mama, what's the meaning of my name?" a child with such a dazzling smile tugged at the woman (Tsunako thought that they looked too familiar to her and was that her old language she was hearing? Why could she even see properly here?) who she called her mother. "I was curious since my teacher said that all names have meaning."
The mother looked at the child uncertainty like she didn't know how to respond and finally settled with a short answer, "Child with many bonds."
"Child with many bonds? My name sounds great!" the little girl grinned childishly though she frowned when the other glared at her. "Mother? What's wrong?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Names aren't something to be happy about." (What was that? What was that memory? She couldn't remember. She didn't want to remember.)
"A child with many bonds," she blinked in confusion when she heard herself and she felt a string of melancholy at her words. She didn't dwell on them for fear that she would remember her past more than she wanted to.
Nana smiled happily. She didn't question how her child had known the answer. Tsunako was the bright girl and she always asked when she didn't know the answer.
"That's correct," the woman held her tiny hands caressingly. "You are Tsunako, the child with many bonds. You have a good name. You have a kind and warm heart. That's why you can't doubt yourself."
The girl flushed prettily, not used to being complemented in both lives.
"Iem-," the brown-haired woman's voice cracked a little and her daughter tried not to react badly from the taboo name. She stopped for a second and shook her head sadly. It wasn't the time to be mentioning her husband. "I could have given you a cute nickname but you already have a beautiful name, Tsunako-chan. That's why I never change it."
"It doesn't matter if you're blind. As long as you're yourself, I will never be disappointed in you. Wear it with pride."
'Ah...,' the color brown blinded Tsuna. It was a too strong and undying force that took away all of her and made her believe. 'For some reason, my face feels cold.'
"Ara, don't cry, Tsunako-chan," Nana chuckled lightly as if she wasn't having a serious discussion. Her caramel eyes were filled with warmth and adoration. "I only speak of the truth."
Seriously, the girl felt cheated. It wasn't fair that her mother could say such words that made her just want to let everything out.
But then again, how could she not feel like that when she finally gained the affection and love she was longing for?
'I love you, Okaa-san,' she didn't say anything and just hugged the woman tightly, once again keeping her emotions to herself. Her tears continued to fall. 'I'm sorry. I'm still a coward. I can't tell you anything. I can't even say words that I know you want to hear. I can't say it...I'm sorry.'
It was story of a mother and her daughter against the world.
While working until late at night every day
You brought me up until now by yourself
No matter how tired you were, without complaining at all
You always continued giving me a smile
No one had talked about the mental breakdown that happened before. The two Sawada simply went with their lives and enjoyed the peaceful and memorable moments they had though the girl couldn't stop feeling like something was amiss and had changed.
Tsunako continued to her school in the morning, avoiding getting in contact with any neighbouring children.
Those kids just made it their routines to pick on her whenever they caught sight of her. Back when the girl tried to interact with people her age, it amused them greatly that she could fell from air and that she lost in any games.
They had dubbed her as Dame-Tsuna, something she couldn't help but relate to the main character of her favorite anime.
But they had later found her to be freaky with blue pupil-less eyes that they changed the nickname to Freaky-Tsuna, which in her opinion, was offensive since they were only children. She really wondered where the nice kids went.
All she met were brash and insensitive ones.
Still, the brunette never let them bother her too much and let the actions go. She didn't want to trouble her mother anymore than she was already doing.
Nana had made her living as comfortable as possible and took the job of two parents for her with a never ending smile. The woman was her mother, her father, her friend and anyone she could ask for.
The little girl definitely did not want to make things more difficult for her mother. She knew that it took a large amount of work to get her into a special school for children with disorders like her. The tools and equipment she needed were also hard to obtain.
At her school, she found people more understanding and pleasant to her condition and most teachers had been patient with her that she understood many things about her blindness. She had even learned the two types of writing system for the blind though the authorities said that she should use the Braille.
Moon Type was commonly for adults. It'd be suspicious if she were to learn and use that system easier than Braille, which was mostly used for children like her.
Her mother had tried learning as well, something that she still didn't like. The writing didn't have any use for her mother since she wasn't blind.
"Tsunako-chan!" she could remember that the brunette woman had a firm look and she frowned at her. "You are my daughter! Of course, I must learn everything you learn."
Needless to say, Nana was a force no one could win against.
Still, she drew the line when her mother suggested buying a Braille typewriter or some expensive guard dog or other stuffs that just screamed costly. The white cane and the equipments borrowed from her school were more than enough for her (and she didn't want to get the money from that bastard Iemitsu again).
Life in a special school, it seemed, was nicer in comparison to her old school. There were less than twenty students per grade and most had kept to themselves. Tsunako had found the silence and peace odd but still welcomed.
She did well in this timeline and used her past knowledge to get high grades that would make her mother proud (getting a little guilty for the little cheat). She managed to maintain a good, but with respectful distance, relationship with her teachers and schoolmates.
Her classmate had dubbed her as Quiet-Tsuna or Literature Girl but they were better than her older nicknames. It confused her though that some had once called her "Class President" or just "Prez". She wondered who started that ridiculous nickname. There hadn't even been a student council in her school.
Anyway, her mother really should stop worrying about her social life. She had fine ones!
'Even if I don't have friends...,' her thought supplied reluctantly and it continued with uncertainty. 'Maybe I should go find at least one to stop the worrying?'
The thought persisted on haunting her mind until the end of class.
She sighed heavily and waited for her mother in the park near her school. Minutes passed by quickly and the girl was beginning to get bored and concerned. Her mother had never been that late before.
Her pupil-less eyes scanned the area, trying to sense with the intuition she had grown up with. The feeling in her guts had always been correct and she felt very jumpy because of it.
Her ears heard some soft footsteps, mostly a female, and she went to the direction of the noise.
She had quickly learned that being blindness didn't enhance her other senses like she originally thought. Just strongly using other senses many times made it stronger than usual and it was hell to enhance these senses. The payment was good though.
She had only developed her hearing skills. The others were still on progress but she was still six (much older mentally, actually) years old so she had actually done more than what usual children did.
"Hello?" she called out hesitantly. Her intuition had not warned her of anything dangerous but she couldn't see anything except indigo color blending with the green and orange color.
She could only guess that the green color was grass and trees and the orange was the sky setting. Indigo must mean the person so she went closer to it slowly, having received no answer.
She heard the quietest sobs and felt a deep concern for the stranger. (But why should she when she didn't know her or him?) Her heart was screaming to comfort, to touch and to see other.
"Are you okay?" Tsunako dropped to her knees and tried reaching out for something. She didn't care if someone had seen her act like this. For the moment, the stranger was more important. She heard a small gasp from her action, making her lip curve up. "Sorry. As you can see, I'm kind of blind."
She chuckled at her own joke and felt happy that the other gave even the softest laugh. Her hand came in contact with a skin and she gently examined the face she held with so much care and affection.
The image of this stranger, who she seemed to feel connected with, was starting to form.
"My name is Tsunako," she introduced herself and beamed brightly, hoping that she got her expression right. By the other relaxing, she guessed that she did. "What's your name?"
With the long silence, the brunette had thought that the other wouldn't answer but then, a melodic voice whispered, "...Nagi."
As she finally got a 'clear' view on Nagi, her smile got wider. She instantly liked the other and her intuition was pleased with just being with the girl. Her heart started connecting to Nagi.
"That's a great name, Nagi-chan!" her hand slipped downward to hold the slightly larger hands. "For some reason, I really like you. Would you like to be my friend?"
The hand she held started shaking and she frowned sadly, "That's a no?"
She figured as much. No one really liked to be a blind girl's friend. She guessed that she didn't have what it took to gain friends. She didn't even know what friends usually do or how to act to other people without any reason, except wanting to be friends.
"N-no, that's not it!"
The unexpected tug of her hand and the loud shout surprised her that she froze. Nagi seemed like a fragile girl, who never shouted but Tsunako said no word, wanting to hear her more clearly.
"I-I m-mean," the hesitation and stutter was similar to hers that she felt even more kinship to the girl. If she had doubt before, it cleared. Nagi was the friend she wanted. "D-do y-you r-really w-want t-to b-be f-friends w-with m-me?"
"Yes, I want to," the conviction in her voice must have been effective since she 'saw' Nagi smiling a little. She held back the urge to hug the other, who seemed afraid of human contact.
The indigo-haired girl nodded silently for her question before she bit her lip, remembering that the brunette was blind. "I-I'll b-be h-happy to be your friend!" she said shyly with a big blush.
They talked for hours, not noticing that it had gotten dark.
Tsunako's intuition told her that her mother was already there and was watching. It made her wonder why her mother didn't say anything.
Nana, for her part, enjoyed seeing the joy her daughter had at finally having one friend. She supposed being late was a good thing for Tsuna had met Nagi and the sweet girl became her child's first friend.
Tsunako was living up for her name though she had already started when she had interacted with her schoolmates and teachers. The brunette woman didn't know how could not see the respect and awe she received from other children with disorders.
Those reactions made her really confused as to why the children in the neighbourhood found Tsunako weird and disdainful, even.
The girl had certain troubles in expressing herself and had tendency to stare from a far but she couldn't help her blindness. In comparison, her kindness and caring attitudes overwhelmed those flaws. Not to mention, she had a great sense of justice and responsibility. She was even hardworking and loyal to a point.
Her teachers in school had viewed her with admiration and adoration as well. One had even commented jokingly that her child would someday rule the world and another had injected that her classmates followed her like young chicks following their mother hen.
The mother had never been prouder than now. She smiled brightly.
Even though it took everything in her to get her child to the special school and to get her the tools needed to adjust as a blind, it was all worth it.
Hearing the few teachers, who taught her child, complimented Tsunako and mentioned how she's doing well in class.
Seeing her classmate trusted her and seemed to be pleasant with her.
Finally, getting the friend she needed.
Nana had no regret in keeping his husband in the dark about it, in using the money she had gotten from her parents to enroll her child, and in confronting her family again despite it hurting even after this many years.
She could never regret her decision for Tsunako was smiling the brightest she had seen.
What kind of mother was she if she denied her child's happiness?
When we had fought over trivial things, I immediately ran out of the house
I couldn't forget your sad face
When I opened the front door, the usual scent of our dinner
Gently enveloped me
Three years, Tsunako wanted to growl or to attack the man who called himself her father but she managed to get a grip of herself, if only for mother...always for her mother and for Nagi.
Those two were the most important people in her life and if they were to plead for her calmness at the sight of her most hated person, then she would not react badly. A slight glare and frown were exceptions, of course. Maybe, a little outburst, too...
"Tsunako-chan," the warning tone of her mother didn't stop her. There were many things in the world that she could take but seeing this bastard again was not one of them.
She stared blankly at the two men in the room before announcing loudly, "I'm going to Nagi-chan. See you, Okaa-san."
She didn't dare look at her mother's face, not wanting to see her sad face. She had found out that after touching something, it had been memorized by her mind and she was able to get a better image of it. Somehow, she managed to truly see, even just a little.
She was eccentric about it before but she'd rather not see this time.
As if the man didn't notice her obvious hostility, he grinned happily at her like he hadn't abandon them three years ago and the girl wanted nothing more than to go back in time so she could have prevented herself for trusting this man and for touching him.
To be able to get a clear of the man was the worst.
Her sight was supposed to be for her important people, not for someone that abandoned his family. It was supposed to only be done to people she trusted and loved the most, not this man. Never this stranger...
"Tsuna-chan, I'm home!" Iemitsu announced cheerfully and it took everything in her not to snap. She gritted her teeth in anger. "Give your father a hug."
Somewhere in her head, a part of her thought that the blond had only been acting, that he knew what she was feeling and that he hated what he was doing to her and her mother.
She ignored it. Too bitter at being discarded again, she didn't and couldn't believe the intuition she had. The day that her father left them was the day she stopped calling the man her father. Even now, the man was still a stranger for her.
She didn't say anything for fear that she would snap. She didn't care much about this man or the other older man he had brought but she cared for her mother.
Nana had always wanted this moment to happen. She had been waiting earnestly for Iemitsu to return, crying every night for the husband she longed for. This was finally the day she had seen her husband again for three years
Tsunako couldn't bear to take away that happiness for every sacrifice her mother had given.
"Welcome," she muttered lowly and hesitantly for she really didn't want to welcome the other. She didn't call him or anything, though. That was all she was reluctantly willing to give.
She held back the urge to yell at the man once more when he cooed at her actions. She wisely hid herself to her mother's back, embarrassed and angered beyond beliefs.
Feeling the thankful pat of her mother calmed her down a little.
"Can you stay for a while, Tsunako-chan?"
Then, the fire lifted up.
The little girl frowned deeply and almost let out the growl she had been keeping. Feeling the expectant glances of the three adults, she felt intense rage rise up. She also felt betrayed that her mother would ask her of this when her mother knew her feelings about her father.
"Why should I?" her tone sounded so unfamiliar to her, a mixture of coldness and coolness. "It doesn't matter if I'm here."
"It's been a long time since your-," the woman paused for a minute, getting curious stares from the men and continued with a small smile. "Iemitsu came home. Let's make up the lost time, nee?"
Tsuna met her mother's pleading looks before saying nothing. She quietly went to the dining area and sat on her usual chair. Her mother smiled gently at it and gestured the other men to take a sit as well. She prepared a delicious feast for Iemitsu's return.
She had hoped that she could resolve the conflict between her husband and her daughter before the end of the week.
The dinner had been awkward to say the least. Only Iemitsu seemed to have not notice it, or he had simply ignored it. With every bite, the child was slowly losing her patience.
Nana didn't know what to do.
"Ah, my lovely wife makes the best meals!" the blond commented, flashing his brightest grin at the woman, who blushed prettily at the complement. "No one could compare your cooking to anyone I met in my job~!"
He continued to say many things that went through Tsunako's ears. The words he said were nothing but things he had heard and never see. She could even detect some lies, further making her hate the man.
"I'm truly lucky to have such a loving wife and adorable daughter!"
That was pretty much the last draw.
The girl, who had been reborn, stood up suddenly and silence met her abrupt action. Her mother gave her another pleading glance but this time, she ignored it.
She didn't know how or why her mother was keeping quiet at the moment because she was fed up with it already. This Iemitsu, this fucking bastard, was talking as if he knew and was there for her and Nana when it was far from the truth.
It disgusted her.
Without a word or glancing at anyone's eyes but she kept her head high, she immediately ran out of the house.
"I'm sorry," Nana spoke after a moment of silence and her face adopted the unusual sadness she badly wanted to conceal. "Tsunako-chan is having a bad day."
The old man brought a hand in the father's shoulder that had tensed up with shame and guilt. Timoteo smiled at the woman with understanding, "There's nothing to apologize. She's young. Every child has moments like this."
She didn't say anything but she did wonder why her husband had turned silent. She waited patiently for her daughter to come home and tried to block out the argument she had heard from her husband and his boss.
"You can't be serious, Nono!" the fierce anger Iemitsu voiced out had echoed to the silent room, where they had thought no one could hear (but Nana was just there, hearing everything but wishing that she didn't). "My daughter won't survive our world!"
"You saw it with your own eyes, Iemitsu," the older man told him firmly. "She had Sky flames, the purest that I've seen even!"
"It doesn't mean anything! We could have just imagined it!"
"Iemitsu, I know that it's hard but your daughter is most likely going to be a candidate whether you like it or not."
"Then, what have I been doing all this years, trying not to contact my family, Nono? I purposely didn't visit so that no one would notice them, leading to something like this!"
"And I had my sons killed, Iemitsu. There's nothing I could do. Sooner or later, the Famiglia have to decide its heir."
"And my daughter is the only option?"
"You already know the answer to that question."
"That's-"
The memory was interrupted by the opening of the front door. Nana didn't know if she should be grateful for the intrusion or horrified at the horrible state of her child, who seemed to be carrying a small weight on her hands.
"Tsunako-chan!" she immediately went to the younger girl and glanced at the many burns around her body with parental concern. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Almost in daze, Tsuna answered plainly though her voice was filled with apprehension and surprise, "I'm fine. There was just a little accident. I don't have any injuries and the burns don't hurt..."
"Can you take care of this little one instead?" she asked, opening her two hands and letting her mother see the small bird, which had blood dripping from its colorful wings.
The woman shook her head. "Let me attend your burns first," she stated firmly, not waiting for an answer and merely checked her child. Tsunako's wellbeing would always be her top priority before anything else.
After making sure that the girl was okay, the mother had bandaged the injured bird and had identified the bird as a fairy pitta. She could only wonder what happened for her child to be in the state she was in and the bird to be injured.
She could tell from her daughter's eyes that nothing would be said and it hurt.
But she was also keeping the conversation between Iemitsu and his boss a secret so she didn't have any say in it.
Tsunako, for her part, felt sick to her stomach. When she had left home, she had encountered some neighbooring kids throwing rocks to a poor little bird and she had immediately felt on fire. The next thing she knew, she had already gotten in between.
And somehow, she just knew.
She wasn't just reborn into some stranger. No, she was reborn as the female version of Tsunayoshi Sawada, the character from her favorite anime.
Even as she went to her own room, her mind kept replaying the scene like a broken record.
Heart beating so fast...a deep burning heat igniting inside her body...emotions going wayward...her body moving on its account...feeling as if nothing could defeat her...
And then, there were orange flames.
Sky flames...
Kami, she couldn't breathe.
She just wanted to sleep but she knew that she couldn't. Associated by her vision impairment, she had a sleeping disorder, or more specifically non-24-hour-sleep-wake disorder. The day was appreciably longer that 24 hours for her and her mind stopped her from sleeping.
She never told anyone, especially her mother. She didn't want to burden anyone else and she didn't think that it was anything bad. Her sleeping had been the only problem, and maybe some occasionally fatigue as well.
'Please, please just this once. Let me sleep,' she pleaded in her mind and didn't notice her usually blue eyes turning to piercing orange.
Before she knew it, she had closed her eyes and opened them to see a field of flowers around her. She held her ground anxiously. She didn't know where she was or why she was able to see normally.
"What are you doing here?" an unknown voice asked and she turned to the source, indigo colors flowing around the place. She almost felt the same way as when she met Nagi.
"I fell asleep and wake up here," Tsunako answered truthfully, not knowing why she already trusted the other and shifted nervously. She knew that this place would likely be a disadvantage if the other decided to attack her. She couldn't see the other, too even though she could see her surroundings just fine.
The indigo color moved forward. "Huh," the voice sounded masculine and he (amusing, it was a he) continued musingly. "You're telling the truth."
"Fine, I'm feeling merciful so just do whatever you want in my realm," the other seemed to nod and then, the indigo color flared dangerously. "Though this is my dream, free-loader, so don't complain if you die here."
"What do you mean?"
The girl didn't really understand. She hadn't been all that smart in her past life and she had simply started being serious in studying now.
Her reincarnation, her blindness, the rocky relationship in her family and now, this...whatever this thing that happened to her, which caused her to meet this indigo boy...
She couldn't make out what's happening in her life anymore.
She didn't know to do next.
The boy seemed to notice her conflicts and didn't say anything and for that, Tsunako was thankful. She hesitantly sat by his side and thought about the things that had been happening to her.
Quietly, the other moved gracefully and sky-blue hues watched in stunned amazement when the field of flowers had turned into a beautiful snow. His smooth voice echoed around them, "Whatever you're thinking, those things don't matter here because this isn't the reality you know of. Just enjoy yourself while you're trespassing."
The next morning came too quickly for her taste but she had been more refreshed than usual. She had supposed that her body had rested up majestically despite her mind knowing that she was wild awake in some dreamland, conversing with a jaded yet kind boy.
She came down from her room to the dining room.
With the revelation that she was actually Tsuna, she felt awkward in the presence of her mother and her father. She had even realized that the other man was actually Nono.
Whatever thoughts remained with her was eventually forced to change. She couldn't stop hating Iemitsu for abandoning them but she couldn't just ignore the whole mafia business either. She wanted to know if the mafia had something to do with it.
"Good morning," her mouth felt dry at saying these words to the blond but her heart had become lighter when her father was rendered speechless and had dropped his guard, letting her see the man for who he was.
She was an idiot for ignoring her intuition that had hinted of the truth she didn't want nor care for. She had been too angry and in pain to see reasons.
But now, glancing at this man, Tsunako saw a different side of him that she didn't know...not from her old timeline nor in this one. She turned around though she had already decided to get rid of her childish grudges.
Anger still reflected in her heart but there was an understanding as well.
She walked toward her mother and brushed their shoulders together, keeping her glance to the woman, who had raised her. With unseeing eyes, she tried to convey a silent message.
'I'm sorry for everything.'
And Nana merely showed that warm smile that she was known for.
'It's fine. Welcome home, Tsunako-chan.'
You always supported me, encouraging me countless times
I can't tell how many times you've given me your kindness
The first time I confided you about my dreams, you silently
Pressed your hand to my back
A small colorful bird around a girl with sunburnt mane and cerulean orbs flew freely in the sky above, making the human smile in unmasked fondness. Soft hums and shrieking could be heard from her bird and she followed wherever it led her.
People around the two glanced with confusion but it had cleared a little when they saw the pupil-less eyes of owner. However, it created a curiosity among some peers, who didn't think of using a bird as a guiding pet.
Tsunako smiled at the fairy pitta that she had saved. In all honesty, she never thought that the bird would be grateful to her and would follow her around but it happened. She formed a bond with the animal and in return, he (she found out its gender) trailed her loyally.
Once, he had even tagged along when she was going having classes that had prompted the idea of training him to be her guiding pet.
She didn't really want one but her teachers had mentioned about her difficulty in going to places, especially unknown ones. She had been trying really hard but it was a little hard for her to navigate herself.
The little bird had been too excited to be of help that she didn't have the heart to refuse.
That was the time she decided to take the bird as her official pet. Having permission from her mother, she named him "Tsubasa" and had brought all the necessary things in taking care of him.
It had been tricky at first but they had a year to practice and to get better.
A distress in her bird snapped her from her thoughts and her now sensitive ears heard the urgency of his calling, recognizing the soprano pitch. That was one of ways in communication for the two of them, which the brunette had developed.
A soprano pitch combined with an urgent tone meant, 'Someone was in big trouble and danger.'
For others, it would have been impossible to understand or even to differentiate one pitch or tone from another but Tsunako had her Hyper Intuition to thank for that.
Nine years, it had been nine years she had been reborn and many years had changed things.
Her previous hatred for her father had mellowed down immensely and Nana had never been happier though she wouldn't say much about the change of heart. Her mother didn't need to know that she was going to become the Vongola Decima or that Iemitsu was in mafia.
She didn't think that her kind mother would be able to take that fact (but still, a part of her knew that secrets wouldn't be kept all the time and Nana would find out all about it).
She had also been adapting well despite her blindness and she had two friends, Nagi and Tsubasa, for once (although, the former was not around often and the latter was an animal). Though there were weird instances like that dreamland and indigo boy but it had only happened so it's fine. Her new life was truly better than her old one.
She was thankful for Nana for bringing her up and she was glad to be her mother's daughter.
When she found her bird, she had already decided to help out. She wanted to do what she could for other people because that was what Nana told her. That's why she wanted to help those in trouble.
Red and yellow had dominated the colors that she had seen. She hoped that the red color didn't indicate blood. Her eyes had identified five black colors and her brain imagined the scene of a red-haired and a yellow-haired being victims while the five black indicated bullies.
She didn't know. She was merely guessing.
The situation seemed grave and she knew that she was no match for anyone. She didn't really know how to fight. The only thing she had was a pepper spray. In this case, she cursed her tendency to act first before thinking.
"What are you guys doing?" she supposed that she could figure out the situation first before anything else. She fought back the urge to run away. Yes, she was really a coward but she hated running away more than anything in the world.
It had felt like the way Iemitsu had left them and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
"Oh, look what we have here, a small girly," one of the black colors moved forward and had gave off a threatening aura, her guess becoming more factual by the minute, and another demanded, "Give me your money and run along, girly."
The five chuckled like there was a hidden joke and they began to comment about her mockingly. The first one, who had spoken, advanced towards her again.
At the corner of her eyes, she saw the red and yellow color flickering in, what she guessed, concern and fear for a young girl like her. She had felt fear as well but she had hidden her fears well.
Only Nana, Nagi and Tsubasa could tell that she was really afraid.
"I-I d-don't have money," she didn't really have to pretend that she stuttered. She had truthfully stuttered on her own. Her heart was beating so loud. She knew that people could hear it already.
Her hand subtly moved to get hold of pepper spray in her pocket.
The five shadows didn't seem convince. The first had advanced closer until he was in front of the girl, who gripped on her pepper spray and waited for her intuition to act up.
When her intuition did fire up as the other almost touched her, no one really could blame her from spraying too hard that he shrieked in pain. Adrenalin and all...
She could just taste the disbelief in the air as she heard the gasps and dropping of a huge body. Okay, so maybe she had to stop relying too much on her pepper spray. She was starting to feel guilty at using them even if it was to protective herself.
Snapping out of the shock, she blindly followed her intuition and moved towards the two different colors. She held her head high up and with confidence that no one would think a blind girl could produce.
In all honesty, she was scared out of her wits and was already blaming her intuition for getting her into the mess (never mind that the doing was all her in the first place). "Are you two okay?" the girl asked calmly as if she didn't just knock out some delinquent with pepper spray.
She could imagine the two males (she was guessing again) were gaping at her.
"S-shouldn't we be asking you that?!" the red color seemed to light up in worry and Tsunako liked how he would still be worried for a stranger like her. He must be a nice guy though a little, paranoid? "Ugh, my stomach..."
The yellow color seemed to lower its light in comparison, almost as if bored with hinted concern. She heard him say, "Shouldn't you be more worried of those punks moving towards us? I think that they're angry."
Tsuna didn't even bat an eyebrow.
"We'll be fine."
Which to say was not really what she had thought but what her intuition had made her feel. Her mind had already started making her will and had already thought that she would really die. Her intuition sucked at this like this.
She had a feeling that the two, she had saved, were watching her with awe at being fearless. She almost cried at the wrongness in that. She was anything but that.
One...
The four colors had gotten close up. A twitch made its way to her and she heard Tsubasa whimpered in obvious concern over her.
Two...
They were throwing insults and threats along the way. Mentally, she gulped and saw that her bird was going to her. She wished that no one had seen him.
Three...
Tsunako was praying that her pepper spray still work. It was no use. She was weapon-less and defenceless. At least, her bird wasn't seen by others.
Four...
She could hear the other two freaking out and seriously, she wanted to follow their lead.
Five...
"Herbivores, for disturbing Namimori, I'll bite you to death."
If she wasn't herself and she didn't know Hibari Kyoya well, she would have hugged and kissed him in gratitude, flat this second.
But she was Tsunako, the girl, who was had died and lived again (and wow, was that crossing fiction now?) as the female version of the main character in KHR. She had decent self-control over herself though it was her guilty pleasure that she almost blushed at the familiar phrase and the purple color that appeared out of nowhere.
Sometimes, she had forgotten that she was still the Sawada Tsunayoshi of this world and she was living in Namimori, where many characters she had yet to meet had lived. So it would be no surprise if she met other characters earlier than the canon, like the future prefect that protected the town.
'It's Hibari-san!' her fan-girl side almost swooned uncharacteristically before the logical side stopped anything before it turned worse. Meeting your favorite character did that to a person, really.
'Yes, this is HIbari-san but not the Hibari-san I know. I'll be bitten to death before I even say anything so stop the crushing. Plus, he's like eleven years old. I'm also mentally older than him and I seriously do not want to think about that again.'
Her thoughts really were just plain depressing and weird at times.
A small twitch in the purple color made her worry. It wasn't surprising that the other four black were down but it seemed that Hibari had felt tired in the encounter.
"I-it's H-hibari-san!" the fearful yelp of the red-haired boy was oddly familiar but she was certain that she had never meant someone red before though considering he knew Hibari, then it meant that he was around the town.
Strangely enough, the brunette found herself disliking the fear evident in the voice. Hibari had beat up those bullies, who had cornered them so they should be grateful...and wait a minute.
Dull cerulean orbs glanced at the approaching boy, then at the four (five, she corrected, counting the guy she had knocked out) thugs on the ground and back to the boy again. The current danger had finally shrunk into her head.
'Hieeee!' she forced herself to simply shout mentally and a mini-her adopted pair of rabbit ears, running frantically in her head. She repeated words she had thought before and the meaning had finally got into her head. 'This is Hibari-san! He'll bite anyone to death! I'm going to die!'
Gulping cautiously, she hoped that she and the other two boys wouldn't be bitten to death at all. She liked living, thank you very much.
"More herbivores?" the little girl almost dropped her calm facade at the lighter voice of the future Cloud Guardian and she felt like blushing furiously despite the unspoken threat. The KHR had never really given a scene about child Hibari in canon so she never knew what Hibari would act like.
It just so happened that a young Hibari sounded so cute, squeaky and cheeky but still had a mature tone, that she felt like having a crush all over again. And damn it, she was not going through this ever! Especially not when I'll be bitten to death!
She's much older to have a crush on the guy. Hell, most of the characters were way younger than her mentally that she didn't think that she would find a boyfriend at all, which was kind of sad actually.
But then again, who would have a crush on her?
Mentally shaking her head to get crazy thoughts out, she began to realize how quiet it was. She blinked in confusion and wondered why the older (physically) boy hadn't done anything yet. She was about to open her mouth when a loud cry above her head interrupted her.
"Tsubasa?" she called out reflexively for the little bird that had taken her head as a nest. She noted absentmindedly the slight tension on the red color. Red-san seemed like a really nervous boy. "What are you doing on my head?"
The fairy pitta frantically flapped her wings twice, signalling that she was in danger so he wanted to save her. She hummed in understanding before taking the bird gently into her arms, assuring it that she would be okay. She glanced back to where Hibari was supposed to be standing, half-curious and half-fearful.
She breathed in and out mentally, gathering her courage, and said with an even voice despite wanting to just run for it, "Thank you for rescuing us... And please don't bite us to death!"
So she couldn't keep the calm demeanor but could anyone blame her?
As much as she had a crush on the guy in her old life (and might still have one after being reborn), she knew that the guy didn't like anything else except fights and small animals. She didn't even know if the other would be less violent when he's younger.
"Hn," the black-haired boy with purple color moved closer to her and with every step, the girl had frozen in fear. Her intuition was not seeing signs of attack but she didn't dare to lower her guard.
When he was in front of her, it was all too quiet and time had seemed to have stop. Tsunako had been rendered speechless at what occurred next. Hibari took something from his pocket and she felt her pulse quicken. What was that?
A shriek of delight from Tsubasa confirmed that it was food.
"Eh?"
Blinking rapidly and face heating up, the girl tried to move away when she felt the heated glare of the older boy. She stayed in put, waiting for her bird to finish eating. She supposed that it was the only reason why Hibari hadn't attacked.
'He really likes small animals,' she couldn't help the trail of thoughts anymore and she found herself smiling softly at the so-called violent Cloud. 'That's really cute.'
She felt an intense glance on her and found that the purple color was closer to her than before. "Hn," she heard the other mutter quietly. "You're blind."
The brunette felt a twitch. She had guessed that the other was far observant than most children but she didn't expect him to be so frank about it. She was learning many things in this small encounter.
"Correct," she nodded though it wasn't a question.
She didn't try to lie or hide her disorder. Blindness wasn't an issue to her anymore and she already had nine years to get used to having vision impairment. She didn't found it a burden or a weakness. This was a part of her identity, after all.
They didn't say anything and the only sound that echoed the alley was Tsubasa eating his food. Tsunako briefly noticed that the yellow and red colors went closer to her.
"You're blind?" the foreign voice made her strangely thought of her father and she wondered if the other was a foreigner. If she's lucky, maybe he was from Italy or maybe someone Tsunayoshi met in the anime? "You don't act like one."
The girl shrugged her shoulders, "I'm just used to being blind that it becomes a normal thing. My name is Tsunako."
"Spanner," the blond introduced himself apathetically while Tsunako almost choked herself at the name. She seriously hated her intuition at times. "I'd say "Nice to meet you" but the circumstances aren't that great."
"Want a lollipop?"
Wow, this was the first time she had finally grasped what the canon Tsuna meant about having crazy friends and stuffs. She didn't whether to be happy at having more friends or be banging my head at the chaotic life she would have.
For now, the future Vongola Decima would go with the flow.
"Okaa-san told me to not take anything from a stranger," she said with a straight face despite taking the lollipop and proceeded to watch her bird. Tsubasa was already finished with his food and it seemed like Hibari had calmed down already. The purple color had brightened as well and she could only guess that the boy had rested up.
The small bird chirped happily in gratitude and flew back to his owner. The violent child said nothing and merely stared at the strange master-pet duo with an unusual glint.
Tsunako couldn't tell much since she couldn't imagine the face of the other nor could she 'see' him without touching first.
A whoosh and the disappearance of the purple color suggested that Hibari Kyoya had left them alone. Something about the situation was strange for the girl.
That wasn't the black-haired boy she knew of. Somehow, she felt that the boy was more of a lonely boy than an aloof one, which was really OOC.
"That's...," she heard Red-san started talking and she felt a heavy awed (she was confused at this one) glance at her person. "S-so cool! You were able to knock out some guy twice your height and you didn't seem afraid of Hibari-san! It's amazing that you can easily do stuffs when you're blind."
'I hate myself but I'm guessing this is Irie Shoichi,' she thought with a mental sweat-drop at lucky encounter. 'Well, he's slightly different from the anime or manga as well. I was pretty sure that he was already paranoid and reserved since childhood.'
"I was very afraid," the girl wasn't going to deny it but it seemed that her expression failed to express her fear. She was already socially challenged from her former life and being blind just didn't help her express herself to others.
Most of the time, her expression was far off what she was feeling since she couldn't see herself.
"You were able to get the so-called demon to speak without 'biting'. I think that's a wonder itself," Spanner injected with the tiniest curiosity. "Still, what I want to know is how you had easily functioned like an ordinary person when you're blind."
"S-spanner! Don't be insensitive," Shoichi quickly closed the other's mouth and looked at the girl in apology. "I'm sorry about that, Sawada-san! Spanner didn't mean anything by that."
"No," her lip curved up a little, feeling like she had gotten new friends again. She wondered if this was what the real Tsuna felt when Reborn came and he became friends with many people. It had really felt nice and warm. "It's fine. I don't mind."
They had hung out with each other like normal children and it wasn't until she was in her house did she realize that the timeline was a little different. Spanner and Shoichi hadn't met until they had fought in a competition.
She didn't even know that the canon Tsuna met the two and Hibari in an alley. The two didn't even become friends with Tsuna until the future. She changed the canon and now, she's...
What was she thinking? She was scared that she had changed something that would not end up well.
She didn't regret helping them and becoming their friend. She just...she really couldn't understand but she just didn't know. What she wanted, what she regretted, what she truly feared, she didn't know.
"Tsunako-chan, are you okay?" a hand was pressed on her back and her eyes caught sight of her worried mother.
Her mouth moved on its own account, "Okaa-san, can I transfer school?"
If this was the case, then she needed something familiar to the canon KHR to calm her down.
During the times as a child
When I frolicked and fell over, crying
Your warm hand gently caressed my head
Before I knew it, you were becoming smaller than me
This time will I be the one able to protect you?
Nana took Tsunako to a park in Namimori. They had been discussing the pros and cons of transferring the girl to the normal middle school just like she wanted and the only reason why her mother had been hesitating was out of concern.
The woman knew that some of the neighbouring children still found her daughter weird and freaky. She could still see some trying to pick on her girl so her worry was truly justified.
But the young brunette was adamant at her decision.
She didn't say the reason. Business in mafia and anything related to being the Vongola Decima were two things she wanted to keep from her mother. On the other hand, the fact that she was reborn was the one secret she would take from her grave.
Tsuna had already been changing what she saw in the anime by being blind and a female. Meeting other people early and not being a dame also caused her to go in other routes dissimilar to the canon.
She was afraid that changing so much would bring her a problem she couldn't solve so she decided that she would transfer to Namimori Middle School.
That way, one thing in her life was in the canon, and she could just catch up with the other canon version of KHR. It wouldn't be that hard since she had Reborn in her journey.
Still, she didn't want to be a mafia boss as well. It might be because she was also Tsuna in a way but she truly was reluctant to be the boss.
A part of her had hoped that this was like an alternative universe where Tsuna wasn't chosen as a candidate. She didn't think that the Ninth wouldn't be desperate enough to let a blind person lead the Vongola.
She had already started seeing her new life as an alternate universe after she had encountered Spanner, Shoichi and Hibari. Spanner and Shoichi had even become her friends and she had seen Hibari loitering in her house more than usual.
She had once seen him feed Tsubasa and she knew for a fact that her bird would run off to the black-haired boy every time he had time. The unknown future that awaited these changes scared her.
"Okaa-san, I really want to transfer to Namimori Middle School," the young girl stated with determination that her mother had almost agreed. The woman shook her head as stubbornly as the girl.
It was a fight she would not lose.
The daughter was going to say something when her intuition acted up. At the same time, Tsubasa flew over with an urgent soprano pitch. The mother and child shared a look, 'Someone was in danger.'
They followed the small bird quickly. They reached the center of the park and saw a white-haired boy lying on the ground with a light-haired girl was crying for the unconscious boy. The older boys surrounding the two had seen the pair and had immediately run off.
Nana went to the two children and checked the boy's body, feeling heavy disappointment to the other children in the neighborhood. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen to her child if she went to normal school.
Tsunako had a feeling that she had just taken a step backward because of these two but she didn't dwell on her thoughts too much. She awkwardly comforted the small brown color.
"A-are you okay?" she asked softly, not wanting to scare the other and it seemed to have work as a tension disappeared from the color. "Don't worry. Okaa-san will patch your brother up!"
"Thank you," the voice sounded like a girl. A familiar tone actually, maybe she had met the other before? She blinked, feeling a curious glance on her person. It took her awhile to realize that the other was asking for a name.
"My name is Tsunako," she smiled proudly at her name. They had started to walk to the Sawada resident to patch the still unconscious boy. "Sawada Tsunako...And you are?"
"Kyoko. My name is Sasagawa Kyoko and that guy's my brother, Ryohei. Nice to meet you, Sawada-chan!"
Okay, it was official. She was definitely changing school with whatever it took. First, she met Shoichi, Spanner and Hibari? Now, she met Kyoko and Ryohei? What's up with these early encounters?
"N-nice to meet you, too," she forced a smile and simply thought of ways of convincing her mother. Fortunately for her, Kyoko and Ryohei had unknowingly helped her in changing schools.
Having seen a kind future student classmates like Kyoko and the energetic helpful upperclassmen like Ryohei, Nana was finally rest assured to let Tsunako transfer to Namimori Middle School.
She went to thank the two children but instead, she heard a fight between the siblings. "Why are you two fighting?" she tried to stop the two and thankfully, they were obedient. "Is something the matter?"
"I'm asking my brother to stop fighting but he's not listening!" Kyoko cried out in worry and fear while her brother protested loudly, "I'm an extremely man! I EXTREMELY HAVE TO FIGHT TO GET STRONGER!"
"Please stop, Onii-chan! What if you got hurt? Or you die?! Please, onii-chan! I don't want you to fight!"
The future Vongola Boss had heard about that past but being in the scene was different. She felt the moving emotions. They had feelings and somehow, they're the same to what I was thinking. She wanted to protect her mother after all.
She could understand why the girl was afraid of letting the boy continue but the boy had obviously chosen already. "How about letting him do boxing instead?" she suggested, not being able to help herself. "He would still fight but that would be more of a sport than anything."
Their talk had made her think of her mother. She wondered when she could finally save her instead of the other way around.
I'm sorry for being unable to be honest about my feelings
I can't tell how much I've been saved by your "Welcome home."
Thank you for giving birth to me
I'm happy I was born as your child
Life in Namimori Middle School was not perfect for Tsunako but she knew that it was far better than how the original Tsunayoshi had lived. Most people had often ignored her and she had already learned what the teachers were discussing so she had not become a dame.
Her school life in a normal school was pretty average and boring and she herself was average. She usually kept to herself and hadn't gotten any new friends, except for Nagi, Shoichi and Spanner, who were studying in different schools. She didn't know Kyoko or Ryohei that well to be called friends and Hibari was too intimidating and indifference to even consider as one.
Her past knowledge and her diligence had helped her maintain a high grade despite being blind. It had helped that her teachers were informed her disorder and had given her a copy of the lessons already.
Her only downside would be some of her jealous classmates, who didn't seem to like her that much, especially the apparent special treatment the teachers had given her.
Not that she blame them. It was bad enough that the teachers never called her to the board or even called her to answer questions. Letting Tsubasa roam around their class was something they didn't understand.
Then again, her classmates didn't know her disorder as she had kept it to herself and she was never the type to act like one in the first place. She merely let them guess why she didn't really look at people face to face or why she had sometimes fell by her own feet.
Someone had once called her "Dame-Tsuna" because of it, and for some reason, she had liked the familiarity of that nickname more than being a different Tsuna from the anime. It oddly saddened her that people stopped calling her that.
Her life as Sawada Tsunako was way different from what she was thinking or from the anime she had grown up to watch so when she felt her heart tightened badly one morning, she already knew her days would never be the same.
The brunette tried to keep herself calm but her mind kept on going back to what had happened in her school. She felt her mouth go dry. She didn't know when she started but her face was cold from tears. She shut her eyes closed.
"Nagi-chan," she remembered the message she had received from her dear friend's parents and her breathing quickened uncomfortably. She could remember shaking hands tremble as she tightly held her cellphone as her mother read the message, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.
Her body froze and her mind shut down. She barely felt her mother's arm embrace her, trying to comfort her. She was moved to her room and was left alone to grieve.
"Nagi-chan," she cried out for her best friend. "W-why? Why do you have to die? I've finally found my best friend! She wasn't here but she always sent me messages everyday! She always knew what I wanted to know and she always did her best to advice me!"
She remembered something else and her cry got louder, "And not just Nagi-chan...The same goes for Yamamoto-kun as well. I've sensed it. I was there as well and yet I couldn't do anything for either of them!"
Her memories went back to the baseball practice that she had coincidentally walked into. The pitcher had been Yamamoto Takeshi at that time and she never thought much about it. She didn't dwell on her intuition that told her something bad was going to happen.
She never thought that Reborn might not be there when a canon event took place. She never thought that the future Rain Guardian would break his arm like in the canon and drown in a deep depression.
Her eyes that never saw anything but colors saw what the boy had wanted to hide.
Tsunako couldn't stay ignorant at the sadness and loss of drive she had sensed but she hated herself for ignoring them, the signs of the blue color dimming, the feeling of something else happening, the urge to talk to the other and the hatred for trying to be oblivious. All of them, she blocked them out.
'Reborn isn't here yet!' she had thought to herself, trying to stop her guilt. 'I couldn't possible do anything! It would change the canon! And then, something bad will happen! And it's not like Yamamoto-kun will really commit suicide, right?!'
Pathetic, she was too pathetic.
She wanted so badly to punch herself. Just thinking that she was reborn as Tsuna made her lax that everything would go according to what she had read or watched. She thought that since she already knew what was going to happen, she didn't have to worry.
That everything would be alright.
"But nothing's alright at all!" she shouted loudly, cursing every deity she knew for doing this to her. Tears, she had tried to stop, had watered once more and reflected great pain in those blue orbs. "Nothing at all!"
'My eyesight is nonexistent! I have a Mafioso for a father who can't even stay with us! I'm always a bother to mother! I couldn't save my friend from dying! I couldn't even bring myself to try to talk with someone, who, I know, will commit suicide! I couldn't do anything for them! I'm just too much of a coward! Too pathetic to be born again!'
"I wish I hadn't been born," her tired whisper echoed to the small and she was too occupied by her thoughts to notice the door opening. Her hands gently touched the scissor she had taken from her cabinet and smiled in a strange way. "I wonder if I use this, will I...?"
She trailed off absentmindedly, holding the scissor close to her throat. She didn't even notice that the edge had caused her to bleed a little. The only thing she could recognize was the burning glance her mother gave her as Nana slapped harshly the scissor away.
"What are you doing, Tsunako?!"
The girl, who dead and lived again, didn't know many things and she didn't know what would happen in the future. She was afraid of what change she would bring to KHR but her mother was there for her.
She still feared to try and talk to Yamamoto about his depression but she had decided to help him all she subtly could by talking to him about anything to keep his mind from committing suicide.
She still didn't know what to do with Nagi's death but Nana was there for her. She just needed time to mourn. Shoichi and Spanner had even called her to check on her. Tsubasa was also worried. Most importantly, her mother had told her that Nagi would have like her to continue living.
She had vowed to change the canon if she had to. She promised that she wouldn't hesitate anymore. Even if Reborn wouldn't be here when something happened, she would do something.
And the hand on her back comforted me and urged me forward.
Thank you for being there for me
So I could be myself
Thank you for giving birth to me
I want to tell you right now, I'm thankful
I'm glad I was your daughter, thank you
The forty-year old man walked straight into the great hall, followed by a young boy no older than sixteen.
All the men around them got out of the way, leaving a path leading straight towards the huge chair at the end of the room, and the sixty-year old man sitting in it.
"It's been a long time Iemitsu," the old man said with a smile as the two in front of him bowed as a sign of respect.
"It really has Nono," Iemitsu said as he got up from the ground. "Far longer than any of us would like I believe." he smiled back at the man.
"And how do you do Basil?" the old man said, turning towards the young man behind Nazumo. The boy immediately straightened his posture while giving the old man a nervous look.
"I am just fine, Vongola Nono," he bowed 90 degrees from the waist, making his long, sandy locks of hair fly all around him face.
"Is your training going well?" the old man asked, still smiling.
"Yes," Basil said, straightening his back once again, smiling back at the man. "The master is tough but I never leave the training grounds without having learned something, he's a great teacher." the old man couldn't help but to smile at the young boy.
"He seems to really look up to you Iemitsu," he said.
Iemitsu didn't say a word. The unnecessary babble had made him suspicious of what his boss had in mind. It didn't help that Nono's sons were all dead, except for Xanus. He could already know where this was going and he didn't like it one bit.
The boss looked at the boy once more before turning back to the man. "Basil... should be about the same age as your daughter, shouldn't he?" none in the room missed how Iemitsu flinched, is it possible that he didn't want to talk about his own offspring?
"Yes...," Iemitsu said, averting his eyes from the old man and gritted his teeth to stop himself from snapping. "Basil is just a few months older than Tsunako, but she has yet to actually turn sixteen if that is what you're getting at."
The look on his face told everyone that he really wasn't comfortable talking about his daughter, this action made all the men around them wonder just what the hell was going on. Basil on the other hand, wasn't just going to stay quiet about this matter.
"Master...," he said questionably, as if afraid to speak all together. "You never told me you had a daughter..." the old man got a wondering look.
The other men in the room turned towards one another, whispering amongst themselves.
They had heard many stories about how much Iemitsu trusted his apprentice, that he was said to have told the young boy everything. And yet, he had left out a matter that everyone in the whole mafia world knew.
Iemitsu got a dark look.
"Are you afraid that your apprentice will steal your daughter away?" the old man asked, looking at Iemitsu with a great deal of interest.
Iemitsu's hands clenched. "Don't pretend to not know anything, Nono," he muttered as lowly and as respectful as possible but the other men exchanged caution look, having noticed the edge of his tone and his tense posture. Nono's guilty glance didn't lessen the suspicion. "Please get to the point."
"I'm getting old Iemitsu...," the old man started, looking over the faces of his subordinates. They were all dimmed with emotions, and most of them were not so happy. "I'm not as energetic as I used to be."
"What is it you're trying to say Nono?" Iemitsu gritted his teeth in obvious restraint of anger.
"I'm going to start the training program of the next Vongola boss." the man said as a matter of fact, making the eyes of the men around him widened.
"But... but... the only candidate left is...," the blond said, unable to form a complete sentence and he inhaled harshly, his eyes cold and calculative. "You can't possibly be suggesting that."
Basil was surprised to see such face as he was used to his master's cheerful demeanor. In fact, he had never thought that his master was in mafia when they first met because Iemitsu had the joyful and carefree attitude, which most Mafioso lacked.
He shivered in reluctant fear, finally understanding why the other had been infamous as the Young Lion of the Vongola.
"I'm sorry, my friend," the old boss sighed, heavy with remorse. "I have thought long and hard about this matter and have come to the conclusion that the time is right. The clock has already been sent to the location and a tutor has been assigned. I'm really just letting you know since we are friends, Iemitsu."
"My daughter isn't fit to be a candidate to lead in mafia, much less the Vongola Decimo," the father retorted sharply and almost yelled in anger. "She won't survive our world!"
"I can't change anything, Iemitsu," the man said firmly. ""Your daughter is already sixteen years old and I'm in my prime. You should know that children don't stay young forever."
"But why my daughter?" apparently, Iemitsu wasn't just about to stop fighting for his daughter's freedom. "The girl has been blind since birth," he pierced his eyes into the old man, many of the men gasped at the sudden statement, and Basil's eyes widened, as well as the old man's.
The old man rose from his chair. "Sweet Tsunako is blind?" he asked, quite shocked and received a simple nod from the other.
"Something went wrong in her genetic code so that her pupils were never developed," the man sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and looked down to the ground. "Her eyes are nothing but blue all through, she couldn't read and sign a paper even if she wanted to."
The old man sat back down in his chair, looking more tired than ever.
"Never the less...," the man spoke after a moment's silence and he looked up at Iemitsu who looked even more furious by the minute. "One of her guardians can read the papers for her, and a special stamp of approval can be forged to aid her in her work."
"And the training she will be given will enhance her balance, speed and strength," the men around the old man nodded in understanding and agreement.
"And you know that your daughter is the direct descendant of Vongola Primo. Her very blood allows her to become an even greater boss than I am."
Cursing his ancestor under his breath, Iemitsu dropped on his knees, surprising the people around while Timoteo didn't bat an eyebrow at such actions and commented airily, "Does this mean you accept?"
"You and I know that there is nothing I could do even if I don't accept it," his lip curved up in an ironic smirk, mockery dipped in his voice. At the amount of surprise people had shown, he wondered how long it had been since he showed this side, his Young Lion Side. "I have worked with you since my birth and I am not the CEDEF Boss for show."
His tone turned soft, his eyes filled with love and pain as he continued, "Tsuna-chan is the kind of girl that you just have to love. Once you get to know her it's impossible to hate her. "
"Master..." Basil finally found it in his heart to speak, making the man in question turn towards him. "What's your daughter like exactly?"
It was as if every trace of misery washed away from Iemitsu's facial features, instead, his face now had a gentle smile that calmed the spirits of everyone around him.
"The last time I saw her, she always had a gentle smile on her face, no matter what I did it never left her pretty little features," his eyes sparkled with adoration for everyone in the room to see. "She's never once allowed her handicap to hold her back. In fact, she insisted that it doesn't bring her any trouble at all."
This made the men confused.
"She managed to talk Nana into allowing her to transfer in a normal school and she's actually doing pretty well for being blind," he chuckled to himself at the thought of his daughter's stubborn expression. "She's really oblivious though. She can allow anyone close to her without thinking twice about it. The girl has to big a heart."
He sighed yet again. "Perhaps that comes with being blind, since you can't see what others look like," he turned towards Basil and had a hurt look in his eyes, "Maybe, I'm really worried that I will get home one day and find out that she's had her heart broken by a boy that doesn't know her at all."
"It'll hurt more if a person close to me steals her away. I know she's not the perfect little baby she used to be, but I just don't want to see her get hurt."
'Master really does care for his daughter,' Basil thought, smiling at Iemitsu. 'Kind of makes me wish I could meet her, but Master would kill me if I ever ask,' he pouted slightly, but returned to the gentle smile before anyone could see it. 'I'm sure I'm going to meet her one day so I'll just have to suck it up for now.'
"She's as far from the ideal Vongola boss as can be," Iemitsu finished. He had been ranting on and on about how his daughter was a perfect little angel for about fifteen minutes but they had been listening to every last word he had said.
"But it's the fact that she's so different from the other bosses that makes her so perfect," the old man said, smiling once again while silently thanking Basil for returning the old Iemitsu (his Young Lion Side was unpredictable even for Nono). Now, they had a lot of valuable information about the behavior of the candidate. Her tutor would be pleased.
"What do you mean?" the External Advisor asked.
"Your daughter thinks exactly the same as that man," he didn't need to say more than that for everyone to understand just who it was he was referring to and he smiled again. "She just might be able to turn the family into what he always wanted it to be."
"Now that you mention it...," the blond muttered, his eyes calculating yet again.
"Master," Basil said, placing a hand on Iemitsu's shoulder and making the man turn towards him. "Your daughter is already under the protection of the family, so there is no reason for her not to be safe, and if she's trained she'll be able to protect herself, don't you think you should at the very least allow her to be trained to make sure she's not assassinated in near future?"
It was a very likely possibility considering their business. Almost immediately, the man could remember the assassins, who had gotten too close to his family once. His veins pulped in blinded anger.
He couldn't let it happen anymore. Not now. Not ever.
"I never thought about that," Iemitsu was suddenly on his feet again and he turned towards the old man. "Tsuna-chan needs to be trained to protect herself, that I will allow, Nono. But when the time comes, I want her to be able to choose if she's going to take over the family or not, is that alright with you?" he asked.
The old man seemed to be deep in thought, going through the possibilities in his head over and over again in order to come to the right decision.
The men around them had started to talk among themselves.
Talking about how it would be like to have a female as a boss.
Talking about how it would be like to have a man-magnet as a boss.
Talking about how it would be like to have a blind boss.
Talking about how it would be like to have a boss that was as gentle as the flowers that were currently blooming outside in the mansion gardens.
Talking about how it would be like to have IEMITSU'S DAUGHTER as a boss.
The old man cleared his throat.
The room fell silent.
"I agree with your terms Iemitsu," he said. "When the time comes, Tsunako will be given the choice to either take over the family as the new boss, or continue with her life like a normal girl, but we will not look for a new candidate until she makes her decision."
"Thank you, Nono," Iemitsu bowed to the man.
"You are dismissed," the old man said.
Iemitsu and Basil turned towards the door immediately, walking down the length of the carpet on the floor.
As they walked, the other men in the room filled the empty space they had previously cleared when the two had walked into the room, making it appear as if they had never even been in there in the first place.
Once the door closed behind the two, the old man suddenly collapsed in his chair.
"NONO!" Some of the men yelled, running up to the man.
"I'm okay...," the old man said, sitting back up. "I'm just not suited for these intense situations anymore."
"Then why did you agree to let the girl choose?" one of the men asked. "If you're not going to choose a new candidate until after she's chosen."
The old man smiled.
"The tutor I have chosen will make her decide on taking the family, I'm sure of it," the old man smiled his victory smile. "I'm positive I don't have to choose a new candidate when I have such a perfect one within reach."
On the other side of the door, Basil turned towards Iemitsu.
"You did well Master," he said with a smile.
Iemitsu had a clouded expression on his face, looking at the ground as if he wished it to break underneath his feet.
"I can't believe he's actually going to make her do this," he muttered darkly because he knew that Nono wouldn't have agreed on his conditions unless he was sure that it would be subtly void. It didn't matter what his condition was because his boss had already found a loophole.
And he couldn't do anything against it.
Anything he tried would be considered treason and he would only bring more trouble for his family. They might even die. He couldn't risk that.
"Master...," Basil muttered before they continued walking.
'I hope this will all work out in the end,' he thought to himself.
On another side, a baby wearing a black suit smirked at the files he had received concerning the new target he needed to tor-ehem, teach.
"Sawada Tsunako, be prepared to be Vongola Decima."
Chuckles that promised chaos and danger echoed the room and the young brunette in question certainly needed all the warning. The Greatest Hitman was on his way.
And so the next chapter...
Jade-chan: ...right about that long wait, I'm sorry? What? I have my own life, you know. Okay, really. I'm sorry. I've been busy with school. Anyway, I wanted to add more scenes and then, it kept piling. Ugh, the longest chapter I've written. Longer is much better, right?
Alright, don't worry. The next chapter will be faster but shorter (I think). I didn't even plan to change much in that chapter...Again, I think. Also, yes, this chapter is kind of focused with Nana and Tsuna. I planned it that way since I really want Nana to be more involved with this story.
The song in this chapter is "Mother" by 96neko. Japanese song, really but I used the English lyrics and just cut some stanzas and rearrange some stuffs. First version actually didn't have the lyrics but it kind of fit so I added it.
Trivia: Tsuna met almost all of her guardians in this one, except for Gokudera and Lambo (though she didn't know that she met Mukuro and Chrome/Nagi) and it really seems unfair. I just really don't know how I can add them so I replaced them with Spanner and Shoichi. Not the greatest ideas but it just happened.
Iemitsu acted really OOC but excuse me, I just can't believe that the usual Iemitsu would earn him the title of "Young Lion of the Vongola" and the Boss of CEDEF plus he's a Mafioso since birth (Not really stated in the canon but I imagined that it was the case). He can't possibly survive the mafia by being some idiot.
About the special school thing, I figured that Nana would not stand her child to be bullied in a normal school for being blind so she enrolled her to a special school until of course, Tsuna wanted to change schools.
The fairy pitta is really Tsuna's guiding pet (because it just happened...I was going to use something different actually but then, that happens) and do not ask if it was possible for birds to guide blind people. While at it, do not ask about anything I've written about blindness and the other disorder. I merely read them in the internet and added them for the heck of it.
I mean it, do not ask but try to remember them since they might be important in some chapters.
Tsuna's personality is alike to the anime/manga that she's reluctant of being the boss and she has many fears. But in this, she rarely shows them or acts on them and merely thinks of them. Also, Yamamoto's almost suicide attempt is an important scene since it really causes a great change in Tsuna. Same as Nagi's apparent death...which we all know is a lie since Nagi is Chrome.
Also, Tsuna actually didn't know that she was Sawada Tsunayoshi from KHR until Nono visited when she was eight years old, which was funny for me since it's obvious. She must have caught some of Tsuna's and Nana's obliviousness! XD
Lastly, Nana is going to be less oblivious to what's happening. I really wanted to change that and I will get to make a scene where she finds out about the mafia. I don't care if it's in this story or not. I really just want her to finally know.
Pairings: Seriously, I'm leaning towards 1827 at this case! Not gonna lie... I'm really hoping that Tsuna will end up with Hibari but then again, it really depends on what scenes I write. I mean, Mukuro had scenes here as well and I kind of like them, too. Really, you guys decide!