Date: Friday, September 24, 2010
Title: The Journal of Memories
Author: Gin Nanashi
Creation Type: Fanfiction
Main Rating: K+
Main Genre: One-Shot Series; Fluff, Friendship
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman REBORN! belongs to Amano Akira; Sasaki Li, Sasaki Xue Fang, Sasaki Daisuke, Sasaki Kiyoshi and every other non-identifiable characters belongs to me (Gin Nanashi).
Summary: Sasaki Li came from a bloodline that allows her to gender-bend. Unfortunately, Li has yet to figure out how to control her ability. Fortunately, it leads to a whole bit of fun for the readers!
The Journal of Memories
Event 24: EH? Omae Wa Ora No Ojii-san?
Childish eyes gazed cautiously in front of their owner.
A tall and muscled man stood in front of her, clad in casual clothes and looking vaguely familiar.
She narrowed her eyes as his experienced ones gazed back evenly.
The child crossed her arms and gave her caret-frown.
"Who are you?"
The man mimicked her actions with a raised bushy brow.
"I should be asking you that."
Dark-brown clashed with blue as the two attempted to stare each other down.
One could almost see electricity crackle in the air.
In the background, a long-haired woman stepped into the living room with a tired expression.
She was followed by a man with worried grey eyes and the faint traces of a frown.
They paused and blinked.
A sweatdrop rolled down their head.
"What are you doing?" The woman deadpanned as the man smiled, "Why are you staring at Kyuu-chan?"
Light glinted off of the bald one's head as he snapped to attention.
Meanwhile, the girl blinked at the sudden interruption and tilted her head.
The frown stayed on her lips as she opened her mouth, but was interrupted again.
"WO DE NU ER~!"
Pink sparkles shined as the old man held out his arms and ran towards the woman.
SLAM!
His aged face met with the bottom of her slippers.
The old man twitched and fell to the floor as the woman gained a throbbing vein.
"I would appreciate it if you don't talk in Mandarin, Jijii."
Waterfalls coursed down the elder's cheeks.
"(Boo hoo…) You're as cruel as ever, my darling."
The woman clicked her tongue before placing her foot down and crossing her arms, "Well? What were you doing to Kyuu-chan?"
The old man sat up and echoed, "Kyuu-chan?"
Fang jerked a thumb over at the girl who was sulking in a corner.
Blue eyes blinked before the man cradled his chin, thinking.
"Musume-chan, wasn't that the nickname you gave your second child…?"
Silence reigned for a brief moment as both the old man and the child began processing the information.
"… Eh?"
The two paused and blinked before it finally clicked.
"EH?"
They jumped to their feet and pointed to one another.
"SHE/HE'S MY GRANDDAUGHTER/PA?"
A curt nod from the Fang was quickly followed by-
POOF! THUMP!
-a transformation and simultaneous fainting of the two.
Daisuke laughed softly as Fang facepalmed, groaning.
"Oy vey…"
Having dumped the unconscious pair onto the couch, Fang rubbed her temples and sighed, "Daisuke."
"Yes, love~!" The man soothed as he guided his wife to the love-seat before slowly massaging her tense shoulders.
The woman relaxed and leaned into his touch before grumbling out, "Why do they have to be so similar?"
Daisuke smiled at the rhetorical question as his wife continued to rant.
"It's one thing if they were blood-related…" She continued, "Especially since some personality traits are hereditary, but they're not!"
Grey eyes softened before their owner leaned down and kissed Fang's temple.
"Still, you love him as if he were your real father, right?"
The woman paused before exhaling slowly, closing her eyes.
"Yeah… After all, he was the one who took me in after…"
She trailed off as memories assaulted her, 'After...'
"We can't keep her!" A hysteric woman shouted, gripping the shirt of a worn-out man.
"C-Come now, love…" The other started with hands on the trembling shoulders, "She's our daughter-!"
"NO!" Came the adamant response, "We can't afford another girl! And, she's the fourth!"
The man furrowed his brows together, "Yes, but listen. She'll be able to trans-!"
"NO!" The woman shrieked with tears coursing down her face, "We need a boy!"
She crumpled to her knees, sobbing.
"A boy… we need a boy…"
The man looked pathetically at his wife before his eyes trailed over to the partially opened door.
Pitiful brown eyes met with wide ones.
He sighed and turned away.
"Alright…"
Dark-brown eyes reopened dully, '… I was discarded...'
Large hands covered her cold ones and squeezed gently, almost as if Daisuke had heard her thoughts and wanted to banish them.
Fang blinked away lingering coldness before smiling gently at the man.
Daisuke gave a little grin back and kissed the top of her head.
"Aishiteru, Yu Xue Fang."
Thin brows furrowed as their owner groaned before sitting up.
He rubbed the back of his head before blinking.
A sweatdrop rolled down the side of his face as he pulled a flat look.
"Mama… Papa…"
"Yes~?" The man replied with a small grin as Fang nuzzled his neck.
A brow twitched sporadically.
"Can't you guys do your mushy-gushy stuff alone-?"
WHAM!
A slipper kissed the child's face as a vein throbbed on the woman's temple.
THUD!
The dark brunette twitched on the floor as the old man stirred.
The latter groaned before sitting up and stretching with a wide grin.
"AH~!"
The bald one sighed happily, "What a GREAT nap~!"
Daisuke smiled with a small sweatdrop and started to ask, "How are you feeling, Otou-?"
CRACK!
Sadly, he couldn't finish as the smile froze on his lips and the sweatdrop multiplied.
Several strands of his hair drifted to the floor as light glinted off of the long black metal handle; its blade was embedded in the now-broken wall.
'My hair!' The younger man inwardly cried, 'Why is it always my hair?'
The old man's blue eyes glinted dangerously on his shadowed face.
"That's 'Master Dante De Luca' to you, whelp, lest you want a taste of my MIGHTY lance-!"
A blur passed by Dante as-
SLAP!
-Fang's other slipper smacked him upside the head.
A bump grew on the shiny baldness before the old man pouted with tears clinging to the edge of his eyes.
"What'd you do that for, sweetie~?"
The woman merely huffed and turned towards her child (who was busy rubbing his face and sulking).
Tears coursed down his wrinkled face as Dante sniffled, "(Boo hoo…) I'm being ignored…"
Fang nudged Li's backside with her foot, "Kyuu-chan, take your Ojii-san out to sightsee."
Li blinked and gave the woman a flat expression, "Do I have to?"
"Yes." Came the blunt reply.
A pout settled on the child's lips, "But, I don't know him!"
A dark aura surrounded the old man as he huddle into his own corner, "Now, I'm being disregarded by my sweet granddaughter…"
Both gender-benders deadpanned at the comment, "Since when was Kyuu-chan/I, sweet?"
Blue will-o'-wisps were seen floating around the old man.
(Boo hoo… again.)
A caret-frown was seen on Li's lips as he shuffled alongside the old man.
Discreetly, he glanced upwards before-
Glint.
'ARGH! I'M BLIND~!'
-the shininess of the bald head made him look away, cross-eyed and irritated.
The dark brunette sighed and sulked to himself.
Why did he have to do this?
Couldn't Kiyoshi have done it instead?
At least, he seemed to know the guy!
A blur tackled the sulking old man to the ground.
"IT'S OJII-SAN~!"
The joyous shout came from the ever-affectionate grey-eyed gender-bender.
Pink sparkles once more filled the area as Dante swung his grandchild around.
"Kiyoshi, my boy~!" He sang, having completely forgotten the previous event, "How have you been?"
Lips curved up as a similar metaphorical cat's tail quivered in excitement.
"I've been great! Did'ya meet Xiao Li, yet?"
His metaphorical cat's ears perked up as grey eyes sparkled.
"She's sooo cute~! Her soft, spiky head and her adorable eyes and her tiny body-!"
WHAM!
A tiny foot implanted itself into the babbling boy's face and-
THUD!
-brought the whole person down.
A vein throbbed erratically on Li's temple.
"WHO'S TINY, YOU OVERGROWN PUSSYCAT?"
Dante slapped his hands onto his cheeks, horrified, as Fang facepalmed.
Daisuke continued to smile at their daily antics.
A pout settled on the dark brunette's lips as he crossed his arms.
Li didn't know the first thing about the guy!
Well, he didn't know anything but the fact that he was old…
And, bald….
With a mustache….
And a weird ability to create pink sparkles!
(What the heck was that all about?)
So!
Why doesn't Li know that he has grandpa?
Dark-brown eyes closed as their owner thought long and hard.
(And, cue the next flashback!)
"Xiao Li~!"
Said boy yelped as he was suddenly smothered by the older one's embrace.
"Your violence means that you missed me~!"
Li twitched before attempting to push Kiyoshi's face away.
"Do not!" Came the dark brunette's rebuttal, "Besides, I saw you last night!"
"But, that was last night!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, never letting go.
He rubbed his cheek against the opposing hand, "It's been nearly nine hours~!"
A flat expression made itself known as Li sweatdropped, but the younger gender-bender couldn't dwell on his brother's affections.
Instead, Li gazed suspiciously at the old man before nearly falling over at the elder's bright smile.
Kiyoshi took this time to hug the younger boy close and wriggle around in happiness.
Li's sweatdrop doubled in size at the gesture before tripling when small flowers twirled happily around the sibling.
As if that wasn't enough joy, the old man had the nerve to chortle loudly with pink sparkles floating near his shiny bald head!
The dark brunette dropped his spiky head and released an exaggerated sigh, 'Why me…?"
As if hearing the thought, Fang snickered from behind her cup of hot, steaming tea.
The younger boy glared half-heartedly at his mother before pouting at his father.
Daisuke merely gave his child an oblivious smile and held up the teapot.
A dark cloud hung over Li as he whined to himself, 'I give up…'
Wait, that didn't explain anything!
Li scowled and crossed his arms.
His brows furrowed as he concentrated all of his brain juice.
Let's see the next flashback!
One exaggerated sigh later…
Li turned to Kiyoshi and whispered secretly, "Ne, ne. Is he really our grandpa?"
Grey eyes blinked before their owner gave a grinned and nodded enthusiastically, "Yup! That's Ojii-san~!"
Dante continued to chuckle to himself as he brushed through his mustache.
Li deadpanned, "Then, how come I never knew of him?"
Kiyoshi blinked before resting his chin on the younger one's head and humming.
"Well… The last time he visited was on the afternoon when you were off distracting Tuna-san on his birthday…"
Li perked up at the mention of the light brunette.
His lips quirked upwards as he reminisced happily, 'Tsuna-Fish~!'
A metaphorical cat's tail shook at the exciting memory before cat ears twitched as Kiyoshi cut in, "Although…"
Li sulked briefly at the interruption but became alert as his brother continued, "Ojii-san had to run off pretty quickly when it was nearing evening to make a delivery."
Screech~!
Hold up!
Say, what, now?
Li paused in walking and cradled his chin in thought.
A delivery on Tsuna's birthday.
Tsuna's birthday which started at the circus.
The circus in which they played a whole bunch of games and won a whole bunch of prizes.
Prizes that consisted of laughter, plushes and…
A metaphorical lightbulb exploded.
"PLATES!"
The old man also paused and blinked at the dark brunette, "What about plates, Kyuu-chan?"
Li puffed out his cheeks at the nickname, but brushed it off.
Instead, he pointed dramatically at Dante, "YOU!"
A calloused finger pointed at its owner as he chorused, "I?"
"Yes, you!" The boy shouted, "You, you-!"
Dante sweatdropped at the near-convulsing gender-bender, "Calm down, Kyuu-chan, and speak properly."
The dark brunette breathed deeply before exhaling her signature kyuu-sigh before pointing at the man again.
"YOU'RE THE BALDY WHO GAVE US THE NAME-PLATES!"
Dot. Dot. Dot.
Silence reigned as a gust of wind blew past the still two before-
"AH!"
-Dante punched a fist onto his palm.
"I REMEMBER NOW!"
Dot. Dot. Dot.
Another pause as the two stayed in their position before…
DOOM~!
A dark cloud hovered over Dante as he huddled over near a wall, "I remember…"
Li sweatdropped at the action, "O-Oi…"
Blue will-o'-wisps floated mockingly around the old man, "I was delivering name-plates to three kids…"
The dark brunette flapped a hand, "Ano…"
Li's prompts went unheard as the elder ranted, "Because that trigger-happy woman forced me to..."
The atmosphere around the baldy dimmed as the boy pulled a flat expression, 'Even his shiny head lost its sparkle…'
Dante sniffled before sobbing into an arm, "I'm so pathetic! I didn't even recognize my own grandchild!"
The dark brunette turned away with a flat weirded-out expression, 'Oh how I hate to see a grown man cry…'
The gender-bender sighed before a thought occurred, "Eh?"
Dark-brown eyes blinked inquisitively, "Is the 'trigger-happy woman' that woman who was in charge of the air rifle stand?"
The old man nodded with tears still in his eyes, "Yes. That she-devil always makes me do all the hard work…"
Li ignored the still-sulking man and hummed to himself.
'Trigger-happy means that a person's first reaction is to shoot at things…'
Suddenly, the background turned bright with bubbles as Li placed his hands in a praying motion.
'That means that she's good with guns!'
Li's lips curved up as he wriggled around happily with hands on his cheeks and glittering eyes.
'Which means that she's got to have good aim!'
Determination entered the dark-brown orbs as Li pumped his fists by his sides.
'Thus, she can help me with my aim!'
Meanwhile, Dante continued to hover near the wall.
"(Boo hoo…) I'm being ignored again…"
"Ne…"
A nudge to the broad shoulder.
"How long are you going to cry…?"
A poke to the muscled arm.
"I'm gonna steal your fatty tuna."
And a blur went by!
A Toro Sashimi popped into an open mouth before a caret-frown appeared as Li chewed quietly.
Honestly!
The guy was like a REALLY old and REALLY bald version of Kiyoshi!
A pair of wooden sticks poked the Sake Sashimi before gingerly picking it up.
Droplets of tears clung to the wrinkled edge of closed eyes as the old man nibbled on the beautiful salmon.
Li sighed as he slumped over and rested his chin on the cool counter.
Why is it that he got stuck with the old busybody again...?
"… And, after the delivery, Ojii-san had to run off for another job!" Kiyoshi chirped while nuzzling Li's hair.
"He said that he had to waste something called 'Ren' or another; I think it's a flower!"
A thin brow twitched on the dark brunette, "But, 'Ren' can also a name, right…? And, in Chinese, it means person…"
The older boy gave a lop-sided grin, "Yuppers~!"
"Mou~! You're so smart, Xiao Li~!" He cuddled the still-twitching and apprehensive boy, "Wouldn't it be hilarious if he was talking about a person?"
Li sweatdropped and looked away with a flat expression, "As funny as it may be, I really don't care about that…"
Kiyoshi pouted, "You don't care about me?"
The dark brunette didn't bother with a response.
Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes as Kiyoshi sniffled and hugged the younger one tightly, "Why, Xiao Li, WHY? Why do you ignore me so-?"
A finger jabbed into the older one's cheek as a vein throbbed on the younger gender-bender.
"Why do I ignore you…?" He started lowly as his bangs covered his eyes.
Kiyoshi sweated and gulped at the change in attitude.
Dark-brown eyes glanced sharply at the older one, "I believe that the real question is…"
They narrowed as Kiyoshi began to sweat more dramatically.
"Why…" It came out as a soft, almost silent, whisper, like the hissing of a bomb before-
"WHY, oh, WHY do I have to babysit the freaking' BALDY?"
-it exploded.
Tears ran down the older one's face as Li tugged harshly on his cheek.
"I barely know the old man! Why can't you do it?"
The dark brunette pulled once more before abruptly releasing his grip.
Snap!
Kiyoshi's head tilted backwards before he whimpered and rubbed the red spot with tears prickling at the edge of his eyes.
"I would love to help you, Xiao Li, but I got training with Okaa-san."
Li paused in his rant at the excuse.
Suddenly, a dark aura hung over both as the same image crossed their mind.
A tall woman cackled deviously in front of a fiery background with a shadowed face and glinting eyes while flashing her many knives.
Dot. Dot. Dot.
And, there goes the awkward silence.
Li turned away and reluctantly grumbled, "Fine… I'll take care of the old one."
Oh, yeah... That was why.
A loud, exaggerated sigh was released by the dark brunette as he almost oozed out of his seat.
'Mama's always training Kiyoshi.' Came the vague thought, 'It makes me wonder why…'
Dark-brown eyes stared blankly in front of their owner at nothing in particular.
'They don't even use the same weapon!'
He vaguely registered the white movement of the chef.
'Mama uses knives and Kiyoshi uses a kwan dao.'
A faint pout rested on Li's lips.
'But, I guess that that's gotta count for something since they're both blades…'
The gender-bender narrowed his eyes.
'But, Mama typically throws her knives while Kiyoshi focuses on close combat…'
The child puffed out his cheeks and thought harder.
'Not only that, but I like throwing things, so why doesn't Mama train me more?'
A pan of realization smacked onto his spiky brown head.
'Could it be that I'm s-s-sma-' Arms waved around in irritation, '-ARGAGOOSH!'
'I can't even think it…' A dark aura hovered around him as Li sulk, 'Darn it! It's not my fault that I'm only six!'
The gender-bender sighed exaggeratedly and rested his chin back on the table.
'But, it still doesn't make sense…'
The tip of the metaphorical cat's tail twitched rapidly.
'I mean, Mama trained Kiyoshi since he was a kid…"
Brows furrowed and twitched irritably.
'Besides, Kiyoshi's weapon is almost like the old man's lance! Shouldn't they train together instead…?'
Slowly, Li's eyes began to swirl around before-
POOF!
-white smoke filled the area, making the chef and some customers cough in surprise.
"Mou~! I transformed~!" Came the annoyed whine before a sigh, "Kyuu… My brain hurts now…"
A hearty chuckle sounded through the air, making Li blink in surprise.
She turned her head so that she faced the old man, "What's so funny?"
The white mustache twitched as Dante smiled before shaking his head, "I was just remembering."
Li raised a brow at this as the wisps began to clear and the old man continued.
"Musume-chan also had trouble controlling her power."
The gender-bender sat up with wide eyes, ears alert, "Mama did?"
Blue eyes gazed softly upon the child before closing in a smile, "Yes, she-"
"IS EVERYONE OKAY?" A loud voice called out from in front of the two.
Both girl and elder blinked in surprise before looking at the speaker.
It was the owner of the sushi restaurant; a strong man with a currently worried face.
"O-ho ho ho ho~!" Dante chuckled in response, "Quite fine, thank you very much!"
A few others voiced the same answer.
The chef breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness!"
He rubbed his chin in thought, "But, that was strange! White smoke suddenly filled the room!"
A sweatdrop made its way down Li's face as she gave an embarrassed grin.
"Yes! Quite strange!" Dante agreed, making the girl pout out her lower lip, "Almost as if a ninja was in our midst!"
The chef laughed heartily at the comment, "It would be interesting if there were ninjas!"
Li pulled a flat expression as the two continued to chortle in unison as if they were old friends.
'Why am I always referred to as a ninja…?'
The girl grumbled to herself as she rested her chin on the countertop again.
'Can't I be a pirate, like Sanji-san, or something?
An exaggerated sigh was released again as the older men conversed about the food.
"Ara?" Came an exclamation before a familiar carefree laugh was heard, "If it isn't Li the ninja!"
Dark-brown eyes blinked before their owner turned to look in the direction of the voice.
Cue double blinks before Li shouted-
"AH! IT'S TAKESHI-!"
- and jumped out of her seat, but miscalculated the height and-
THUD!
Fell from the tall stool as a certain baseball-fan hovered over her in worry.
"Li! Daijoubu?"
The dark brunette twitched from her sprawl on the floor at the boy's familiar question.
The girl propped up her head and gave a lopsided grin before opening her mouth to respond when a blur smothered her.
"KYUU-CHAN, DAIJOUBU DESU KA?"
Li waved her arms frantically as the old man hugged her tightly, nearly suffocating her, thinking.
'How the heck did he move so fast?'
Tears prickled at Dante's eyes as he blubbered, "I'M SO SORRY! I was too engaged in the conversation! I'm such an AWFUL grandpapa!"
Well, doesn't this scene seem familiar…
Finally, Li pushed away enough from the tight embrace to breathe before gaining a throbbing vein.
"You…"
Her aura crackled dangerously as the bald man sniffled and looked at her with watery eyes.
"BALD OLD MAN!"
SLAM!
A sneaker-clad foot made friends with the wrinkled face as a fiery aura exploded from the child.
"THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORRY AND PANIC, YOU KNOW?"
Li's cheeks were flushed red from the near-death experience as she continued to press her foot down.
Dante cried waterfalls of tears, "(Boo hoo…) I'm so sorry…"
Meanwhile, Takeshi laughed his carefree laugh, "They really care for each other, don't they, Oyaji?"
"Aa!" The chef nodded in agreement with a wide grin, "It's great to see such love!"
In the background, the other customers deadpanned at the sight.
"How is violence, love?"
Li cackled victoriously with Dante below her foot, twitching.
The customers turned away, shaking with one unison thought.
'S-Scary…'
"Kyuu…" Li sighed as she leaned against the tabletop, "I'm tired now…"
In the background, Dante was still sniffling with bumps on his head and blue will-o'-wisps floating around him. A clear shoe-print was imprinted onto his wrinkled face as Tsuyoshi patted his broad shoulder in comfort.
"Maa, maa~!" Takeshi grinned from his seat next to the girl, "The sun's still up, so you can't be tired yet!"
The dark brunette deadpanned, "What the heck does the sun have to do with anything…?"
The boy closed his eyes and flashed his mega-watt smile, "The sun is always bright and shiny so it's always full of energy!"
Dot. Dot. Dot.
Thunk!
The dark brunette slumped over while ruffling her spiky hair.
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR LOGIC, TAKESHI!"
Said boy laughed as if he had discovered the secret behind yummy, soft chocolate-ship cookies before-
POOF!
-white smoke billowed from Li, making him cough a bit in surprise.
"Again?" The dark brunette exclaimed before groaning, "I give up…"
A weight on Li's head made him peek out at the boy beside him.
Takeshi grinned lightly while ruffling the soft locks, "Don't give up!"
Dark-brown eyes blinked at the encouragement before Li sighed again.
"Honestly…" A small smile played on the gender-bender's lips, "You're almost as weird as I am!"
Takeshi laughed again, "Really? Then, that makes us brothers, right?"
Li blinked at the question and echoed, "Brothers…?"
The baseball-fan slung his arm across Li's shoulders and pulled him closer, "Yup!"
A grin continued to play on the carefree boy's lips, "You like football; I like baseball; we both like sports; thus, we're brothers!"
Dot. Dot. Dot.
"I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND YOUR LOGIC!" Li exclaimed before slumping over, exhausted as his soul was tempted to drift off.
A faint thought lightly danced across his mind, 'And, when did I say that I like football…?'
Nonetheless, there was no disagreement as Takeshi continued to ruffle the dark-brown spikes.
Li sighed and rested his head on his arms, "That aside, the old man still hasn't told me anything about Mama…"
He nearly oozed out of his seat in exhaustion, sighing for the umpteenth time, "Kyuu…"
Bright brown eyes looked curiously at the dark brunette before their owner mused, "Why don't you take him the park to talk?"
The boy paused in his meltdown and blinked at the boy besides him, "The park?"
"Yeah." Takeshi grinned, "Remember that park where we met?"
Li perked up before placing his hands on his cheeks with a kittenish grin, "The day you gave me sushi to eat~!"
"Ahahaha~ That's the one!" The boy laughed softly before going on, "Oyaji and I always go there to connect. Maybe going there will help you...?"
The dark brunette glanced over at the crying old man and thought for a moment.
The park where he had met so many of his friends…
If he went there with his grandpa, then would they get closer too...?
Dark-brown eyes watched the bald man who so closely resembled his beloved sibling.
Well, it was worth a try if he wanted to know more!
Li flashed a grin at his baseball-loving friend, "Thanks for the advice, Takeshi~!"
"You're welcome!" The boy replied with a laugh, "Good luck!"
A thumbs-up was his response before Li grabbed onto the back of the old man's shirt.
"Come on, baldy! Let's go to the park!"
The soft dirt ground…
The surrounding tranquil forest…
The occupied swing set…
The large golden sandbox…
The great tall jungle gym…
A kittenish smile appeared on Li's lips as he gazed brightly at his self-proclaimed hide-out.
The vast blue sky, the bright yellow sun and the carefree clouds just added to that beauty.
Turning to the old man, Li questioned, "Ne, ne. Who exactly are you?"
He looked a bit surprised at the question before laughing and crossing his arms, "O-ho ho ho ho~! You're as blunt as Musume-chan~!"
Dark-brown eyes blinked curiously before the man continued.
"I am formally known as Dante De Luca," He introduced himself before adding in a wink, "Loosely translated, that's Italian for 'Enduring Light'."
Dante fiddled with his mustache a bit, humming tonelessly, "I am your mother's father…"
"But, you're not related, right?" Li cut in, attentively, "'Cause Mama's completely Chinese."
Blue eyes sparkled at the girl before their owner nodded, "That's correct. I adopted your mother when she was a young girl, before she first transformed."
The gender-bender perked up at the mention of the innate ability and brought his knees to his chest, "You said that Mama also had trouble with her power."
"I did, didn't I?" Dante chortled before rubbing his chin, "Let's see…"
He closed his eyes briefly before explaining, "Based on my observations (of Musume-chan), the ability to gender-bend corresponds to the strength of feelings, that is the amount of control a gender-bender possesses over the power is based on how intense the emotions currently felt is."
Dot. Dot. Dot.
Dark-brown eyes stared blankly at the old man as Li made a face that said, "I have no clue what you just said 'cause I'm only SIX years old, stupid baldy."
The old man sweatdropped before laughing nervously and re-explaining.
"Basically," Dante simplified, "The stronger your feelings are, the less control you have."
Thin brow furrowed as Li asked slowly, "Then, how do I control it…?"
A sparkly smile and a thumbs-up nearly blinded the kid as Dante declared, "By discarding your emotions, of course!"
Dot. Dot. Do-
BAM!
A foot implanted into the aged face as veins throbbed on Li's temple.
"YOU CAN'T DISCARD EMOTIONS, HAGE-JII!"
Tears coursed down as Dante sniffled, "Why do you hurt me so~?"
The boy turned around and huffed, "You act too much like Kiyoshi."
He stopped sulking and perked up, "Like Kiyoshi?"
"That's right!"
Li had donned glasses and whipped out a pointer while closing her eyes.
She tapped the pointer at a picture showing the older gender-bender huddled in a corner with a dark aura hovering around him and violet and green will-o'-wisps floating mockingly, "This is Kiyoshi's typical reaction to everything."
She then slapped the pointer onto the picture next to it of the old man in the same position, but with blue will-o'-wisps instead, "And this is you."
"Therefore!" She poked the old man in between his eyes, "You equal Kiyoshi!"
The bald head shined as pink sparkles appeared before Dante glomped the girl, "YOU'RE SO PERCEPTIVE, KYUU-CHAN~!"
POOF!
"Mmph-!" Tiny arms waved around frantically, airing away the white smoke, as their owner struggled in the embrace.
"YOU REALLY ARE LIKE MUSUME-CHAN~!"
And, it's time to cue the lovely hearts.
(Extended Ending)
"We did so many things today!"
Dark-brown eyes watched the scene with a flat expression.
"We talked about an assortment of things, like how our first meeting was actually at my job and about Musume-chan's childhood!"
Ears twitched at the sound of an enthusiastic old man.
"Did you know that I was the one who delivered that plate of hers?"
Fingers flexed in a threatening motion.
"And, we shared sushi at Take-Sushi, which I recommend wholeheartedly, by the way. The owner's a great guy, a real professional!"
A vein throbbed in irritation.
"Then, she took me to her favorite pa-!"
SLAM!
"ACK!" Came the strangled cry as Li jump kicked the old man in the back.
A killer aura emitted from her small body as they landed with a thump.
Bangs shadowed the girl's face as she growled.
"Hage-jii…"
She started, eyes glinting dangerously in the shadows.
"Who said that you can blab to everyone?"
Blue eyes stared innocently at the girl before lighting up in comprehension.
"Oh! That's right!" Dante chirped before cuddling his granddaughter, "It's our little secret, right?"
BONK!
"KUSO-JII!"
(Extended Ending: Extra)
As Li abused her grandpa, Fang raised an eyebrow, "When did she start to call him, Gramps?"
Daisuke smiled, "Looks like they really did get closer."
Kiyoshi sniffled in the corner, "Xiao Li, don't forget about me~!"
Suddenly, a metaphorical lightbulb exploded above the girl.
"AH!"
She cried, slapping her hands over her cheeks in realization.
"I OWE HIM ANOTHER ONE!"
(Somewhere else, a baseball idiot sneezed before laughing, "I think I'm coming down with a cold~!")
Author's Note:
*cough* Yeah, this chapter basically dwells into history and the likes... *sweat*
B-But, at least, Takeshi, his dad and sushi appeared! *gets tonfa'd* ^
Anyway...!
Updates will be coming slower with all the things I have to do now.
I'll still try to update at least every week, but it might not happen...
But, either way, I'm not planning on stopping this story!
That aside...
I've uploaded a picture of how Dante looks like.
THANK YOU FOR READING/REVIEWING/ETCETERA-ING THE JOURNAL OF MEMORIES~!
Loose Translation:
(1) WO DE NU ER~! - MY DAUGHTER~!
(2) Jiijii - Old Man
(3) Musume-chan - Daughter
(4) Oy vey... - (Exasperated Expression)
(5) Aishiteru, Yu Xue Fang. - I love you, Xue Fang Yu. (Here, Daisuke uses Fang's maiden name to show that even back then, he loved her.)
(6) Ojii-san - Grandpa
(7) Oyaji - Dad (very informal)
(8) Hage-jii - Baldy Gramps
(9) Kuso-jii - Damned Gramps
Preview:
Sparkles filled dark-brown eyes.
"Will you do it?"
Hazel-green eyes looked exasperate.
"Can't you ask Fang-senpai?"
A pout from the child.
"But, you're cooler!"
BAM!
"Who's cooler...?"
And so, Li enters the danger zone...