Date: Friday, October 07, 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 26: Gentle As Snowfall, Sharp as Fangs.

The Sasaki family's home was quiet as a black-haired woman laid on the living room's couch.

The youngest of the household, Li, was out playing with her friends at the park.

The first child, Kiyoshi, was (of course) seeking out the company of Li whenever possible.

The man of the household, Daisuke, was out shopping for that night's dinner.

It was one of the few times when the woman, Xue Fang, would have the entire house to herself.

A sigh was released by Fang as she closed her eyes, beginning to drift off.

Her vision darkened before images soon flowed.

"Wo de nu er… (My daughter…)" A life-worn man whispered with sad eyes.

His calloused fingers gently brushed away the black bangs that shadowed the girl's face.

"Dui bu qi… (I'm sorry…)" His voice was hoarse and cracked.

Tears slid down his weary face, "Wo zhen de hen baoqian… (I'm so sorry…)"

Wide dark-brown eyes gazed at the man as small hands reached out, "Baba…! (Father…!)"

But, as those innocent hands neared, he disappeared.

A piercing scream…

Then, red.

Thin brows furrowed at the memory as another replaced it.

The cold rain pelted down, soaking into a shivering bundle.

Dirty black tangles fell limp over thin shoulders.

Footsteps could be heard walking towards her.

A shadow casted upon her small body.

The child lifted her head.

Steely eyes locked with dull ones.

The blonde man crouched down and held out his hand.

"Lo sono Dante De Luca. (I am Dante De Luca.)"

The girl blinked slowly before whispering, "Baba…?"

Blue eyes widened as pupils constricted.

They dulled and became conflicted before closing tightly.

A moment of tense silence descended upon them.

He swallowed thickly before bowing his head.

Blonde locks shadowed his face.

The man shifted before his eyes reopened in a soft gaze.

"Si… Lo sono tuo Papa. (Yes… I am your Papa.)"

A soft sigh was exhaled as Fang shifted to a better position.

Dante stared at the child incredulously before whispering.

"Sei un regazzo…? (You're a boy…?)"

Small hands shook as wide eyes stared back.

The child gulped before nodding hesitantly.

Blue eyes softened before the man sighed.

"Lo vedo… (I see…)"

A small smile graced his lips before he ruffled the black locks.

"Cosi finalmente apparso. (It finally appeared.)"

A sparkle entered the man's eyes as he locked eyes with her.

"Ii vostro genere-flessione capacita. (Your gender-bending ability.)"

A small smile graced Fang's lips as she relaxed into her nap.

"Che cosa stai facendo…? (What are you doing…?)"

A thin brow twitched irritatedly as dark-brown eyes gazed at the greying man.

Pink sparkles were emitted as he chortled.

"O-ho ho ho ho~!"

A vein throbbed before a slipper smacked into the man's face.

"Rispondi! (Answer me!)"

Tears coursed down the aging face as the man sulked.

"Stavo facendoti una torta… (I was making you a cake…)"

The gender-bender startled, "Una torta? (A cake?)"

POOF!

Pink dusted lightly across the child's cheeks at the honesty, "P-Perche? (W-Why?)"

Lips curled up at the flustered appeared before the man attempted to glomp her-

"CARINA~! (CUTE~!)"

BAM!

-but ended in another slipper to the face.

Canines flashed in a light smirk before the smile tipped into a frown.

"Papa."

Dark-brown eyes stared resolutely into blue ones.

"Cosa sta succedendo? (What's going on?)"

The greying man furrowed his brows, looking reluctant.

But, he couldn't hide the bloodied corpse from her sharp eyes.

Nor, could he lie to his daughter - adopted or not.

Fang shivered and huddled into a tight ball.

Red blood stained her hands as dark-brown eyes gazed blankly at the bleeding body.

The seventeen-year-old stepped over the corpse and tucked her knives away before pausing.

Crouching down, she wiped her hands on the crisscrossing emblem of her victim's stained clothes.

Suddenly, pain exploded in her shoulder.

A low hiss as a knife glinted in the moonlight and embedded itself into the hidden gunner.

Slowly, the redness began to spread onto her shirt.

She clutched at the wound as footsteps became prevalent.

Retrieving her knife, the young woman leapt towards the open window, disappearing into the star-filled night.

A bead of sweat trickled down her face as she shifted her position.

Breathing heavily, the young woman leaned against the wall of a seemingly empty room.

She peered out the window from her safe spot.

Even in the darkness, she could see several shadows flicker through the street because of their white outfits.

The sound of shuffling caught her attention as she grabbed a knife and threw it.

Thunk!

The light flickered open, revealing a nervously smiling young man with spiky dark-brown hair.

"Ano…" He started before continuing on with an accent, "Chi- (Who-)"

He cut himself off as his grey eyes widened, "Stai male! (You're hurt!)"

The woman tensed as he suddenly appeared in front of her.

His warm breath ghosted against her cold cheek.

A soft hand caressed the wound.

A faint pink color dusted across her cheeks as Fang relaxed again.

"Eh? Sei caduto? (You fell?)"

Wide grey eyes stared into narrow dark-brown ones before the male scratched the side of his face.

"L-Lo vedo… (I see…)" He frowned but didn't question any further.

Ruffling his spiky brown hair, he stood up, walking towards the door, "Prendo qualcosa da mangiare-! (I'll get some food-!)"

Thunk!

"E-Eto…" A sweatdrop slid down his face, "Perche-? (Why-?)"

"Chi sei tu? (Who are you?)" The woman cut in harshly, "Perche mi aiuta? (Why did you help me?)"

He blinked before a bright smile appeared on his lips, "Sono Sasa-Ah! Voglio dire Daisuke Sasaki! (I'm Sasa-Ah! I mean Daisuke Sasaki!)"

"Giapponese…? (Japanese…?)' Came the thought as her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Perche mi aiuta? (Why did you help me?)"

The man blinked at the question before smiling.

"Perche… (Because…)" Grey eyes softened, "Siete stati male. (You were hurt.)"

Lips twitched as the woman mumbled incoherently.

"Lo non approvo. (I don't approve.)" The aging man grunted while crossing his arms.

Dark-brown eyes narrowed, "Lo sto facendo. (I'm doing it.)"

"No, non lo sei. (No, you're not.)" Dante scowled.

"Per fare cosa? (Doing what?)" Daisuke asked, popping up from behind.

SHING!

A lance hit two knives as father and daughter clashed blades.

Daisuke stood in between them as several strands of hair drifted down.

Tears coursed down the younger man's face as he reverted to his native language, "Shite kudasai~! (Please stop~!)"

Both assassins narrowed their eyes at the command as a dark aura surrounded them.

Fang clicked her tongue, but didn't retract her weapons as she stared her father down, stating firmly.

"Mi sposero Daisuke. (I will marry Daisuke.)"

THUMP!

Two sweatdrops fell.

Lips curled up in a similar cat-like grin as a purr rumbled in her throat.

"Tadaima~! (I'm home~!)" Daisuke chirped happily, changing his shoes to slippers.

"Okaeri. (Welcome home.)" Fang responded, poking her head out of the kitchen with an epically failed dish in hand.

A sweatdrop rolled down the man's face as he smiled, "Were you cooking…?"

A bright smile appeared of the woman's lips as she showed him the smoking blackness, "I made Kare Raisu (Curry Rice)!"

Bubbles sparkled happily in the bright background behind her.

"I-I see…" Daisuke chuckled before freezing at the sight of his slumped over son, "K-Kiyoshi?"

The foaming boy twitched to indicate that he was still alive before groaning and shifting to a better position.

His lips wobbled pathetically as Kiyoshi stared at the man with wide watery eyes, "O-Otou-san… (Father...)"

Tears coursed down as he whimpered, "T-Tasukete~! (S-Save me~!)"

Grey eyes flickered between his happy wife and his poisoned son before their owner ruffled his hair.

"I think that I should cook from now on…"

A pout flickered over the woman's lips before her expression contorted.

A white quarter mask glinted in the moonlight, covering the right eye, as its wearer chuckled lowly.

"How interesting."

Fang grunted, bringing up a knife to block the strike to her head before glaring into the visible green eye of her enemy.

"You can keep up with my attacks."

He continued to muse as his grip tightened on the polished black cane.

"But, for how long, I wonder?"

The tip caught Fang in the chin and knocked her backwards though she twisted in the air and skidded on her feet.

The silver dog-head glinted as the cane swung down but Fang managed to block it with a knife before thrusted her other knife towards his abdomen.

The blade cut through fabric, but not skin, as the masked man leapt away just in time.

"Oh~?" Came the amused voice, "Looks like the cat's got claws~!"

Fang clicked her tongue in irritation before flicking her wrist towards him.

He dodged the knife before his left eye widened.

Red splashed into the air as a silver blade dug into the man's right shoulder.

Fang smirked before coughing when the cane slammed into her abdomen.

She backed away and clutched at it with a glare.

The man hissed, gingerly holding his wound, before light shined in his vision.

He leapt away in time as a lance embedded itself into where he was standing.

His green eye glared at the interloper before widening, "You-! You're Dante De Luca!"

The bald head shined in the moonlight as the Italian man lifted his lance onto his shoulder and fiddled with his mustache, "That would be correct."

The masked man scowled, briefly looking over at Fang, "So there's a connection…"

A smirk played on his lips, "That's fine with me."

He began to fade into the shadows, "Just remember…"

His voice echoed through the silent night.

"Karma always comes 'round."

"Tadaima~!" A cheerful voice rang through the quiet house.

Dark-brown eyes fluttered open before their owner sat up and stretched with a small smile.

"Okaeri, Daisuke."

A spiky head popped into the living room before the man flashed a smile and stepped in.

"Taking a nap?"

The woman leaned against the back of the couch with a small smirk, "Was taking a nap."

Grey eyes blinked before their owner mused worriedly, "Did I wake you?"

Long black locks swayed as Fang shook her head, "No."

Daisuke walked over and placed the grocery bags on the low table before sitting next to his wife.

He played with her hair before leaning his forehead against hers, "Were you remembering?"

She blinked before smiling with a sigh, "You can always tell, can't you?"

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, "If I couldn't, then I wouldn't be a very good husband, now would I?"

Fang rolled her eyes at the playful remark, but leaned against the warmth, "I was remembering him…"

Grey eyes widened briefly before narrowing as his embrace tightened, "I see…"

A moment of silence reigned over them before Daisuke smiled, whipping out random things, "Want to play the Game?"

A sweatdrop rolled down Fang's face at the bright background and happy bubbles floating around her husband before she sighed with a smile, "Sure."

With that, a large hand gripped onto slender ones as the man dragged his woman downstairs.

(Extended Ending)

"Tadaima~!" A dark brunette cheered happily as she slammed open the door.

Crack!

A redhead sweatdropped, "Li-san, one of these days, you'll break it…"

Li blinked, not noticing the hole in the wall, "Huh? Break what, Shou?"

Shouichi sighed and shook his head, "Never mind…"

Dark-brown eyes blinked before looking curiously at the light brunette, "Ne, Tsuna-Fish, what's Shou talking about?"

Tsuna gave a sheepish smile, "W-Well…"

"XIAO LI~!"

A blur barreled the girl over.

Thump!

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE MEEEEE~?"

The oldest male rubbed his cheeks against his sister's with tears pouring down his face.

"I WAS ALL LONELY AND-!"

SLAM!

A knee made friendly with the crying boy's stomach before he fell over and twitched sporadically.

A vein throbbed on Li's temple as she crossed her arms, "Baka Kiyoshi, don't tackle me."

Kiyoshi sniffled, "But, I was glomping you…"

"Tch." Came the curt response before Li shot a bright smile at her friends, "Ready for some grub?"

They could only sweatdrop at the contrast of emotions, but before they could respond, Kiyoshi whimpered out.

"I don't think Otou-san made dinner yet."

Li held up a shaking fist as her bangs shadowed her face, "What. Was. That…?"

Flames of irritation bursted forth from her tiny body and crackled dangerously.

"A-Ah, Li-san!" Shouichi panicked as he blocked her vision of the sniffling male, "Please, wait!"

The flames disappeared though a thin brow still twitched.

Tsuna gently tugged on her hand with a nervous expression, "L-Let's just go find Daisuke-san, okay?"

Li stared at her two best friends for a moment before sighing, "Okay…"

They sighed as Kiyoshi huddled in a corner with a depressed aura and violet will-o'-wisps floating around him mockingly.

"Why does Xiao Li like them more than me? We're siblings, aren't we? What am I doing wrong, Ojii-san~? (Boo hoo~!)"

Li simply ignored him and walked away, calling out, "Papa~! Where are you~? (I'm-) We're HUNGRY!"

Meanwhile, Shouichi and Tsuna followed with sweatdrops.

Thunk.

Li perked up at the sound and ran forward, "I think that's Mama!"

Thunk.

Tsuna froze as Shouichi paled, "Y-You mean, F-Fang-s-san…?"

Thunk.

Dark-brown eyes blinked before their owner tilted her head slightly, "Of course! It's not like I have any other Mama!"

Thunk.

"DAMN IT! THAT'S THE LAST ONE!"

The boys jumped and clung onto each other as Li flattened out her expression.

"… She must've ran out of knives…"

A chill ran up the boys' spine as Li walked forward and pushed open the door.

The tall woman stood with her back to them.

The boys gulped.

Her long black hair had fallen out of its ponytail and shadowed her face as she turned to them slowly.

Waterfalls of sweat poured down them.

All around her were pieces of shattered masks, tainted ripped fabrics and strange puddles of red liquid…

Dot. Dot. Dot.

THUMP!

Dark-brown eyes blinked as Li glanced over at her friends.

"Ah? They fainted?"

Fang ran her hands through her hair and raised a brow, "What's with them?"

"Not sure, but it's been a while…" Li said, poking her friends before shrugging, "Anyway! Were you playing Charades with Papa, again?"

A soft chuckle rang out as said male popped out from behind Fang, "No, Kyuu-chan, we were playing the Game."

The girl blinked again, "The Game…?"

Suddenly, a lightbulb flashed over her head as Li slapped a fist onto a palm, "Oh! You mean making those weird masks and then using them as target practice, right?"

"That's right!" Daisuke chirped, patting the similar brown locks.

"Hm~ Ja!" Li started, "Are you done yet?"

Grey eyes blinked before their owner nodded, "Yes, we just finished."

Lips curled up in a kittenish grin, "Then, can we eat now?"

A sweatdrop rolled down his face as Daisuke gave an apologetic smile, "Gomen ne, Kyuu-chan. I haven't started on dinner yet."

Shoulders slumped as disappointment was evident on the girl's face.

Fang raised an eyebrow before shrugging and walking out, "I'll cook-!"

"NO!" Came the loud interruption.

The woman paused in mid-step as a brow twitched before she turned to the man and girl, gritting out slowly, "What. Was. That…?"

The duo glanced at one another before giving a nervous smile, "Err… We'd like to help…?"

Eyes flashed as Fang smirked, "That's what I thought."

That night, a grey-eyed man, a gender-bending brunette and two innocent boys got food poisoning despite the former two's best efforts.

(Extended Ending: Extra)

"Xiao Li~!" Kiyoshi cooed as he hovered over the girl, "Don't worry~! I'll take care of you~!"

Li merely groaned and buried herself in her blanket-cocoon, hiding from her brother.

With her back turned, she never saw the victorious grins and thumbs-up shared between son and mother as they tended to their beloveds.

Nor did she hear the low cackle, "That's for cracking my wall."

Author's Note:

After musing on it, I figured that it's probably easier to understand everything if I left the translation right next to the dialogue.

*scratches head* Um... I realized that the extended ending really was extended? *nervous laugh* I debated whether or not I should've separated it but, when I tried separating it, it felt choppy to me, so I left it as is.

Um... What else...? *muses* Ah.

I uploaded another picture for anyone who has yet to see it. It's of Li and Kyouya during Teen Years. I should've darkened Kyouya's hair, but I was too lazy too. *shrugs*

Oh well.

THANK YOU FOR READING/REVIEWING/ETCETERA-ING THE JOURNAL OF MEMORIES~!

Loose Translation:

Found throughout the entire story.

Preview:

Shichigosan is a special day in Japan that celebrates 3- and 7-year-old girls and 3- and 5-year-old boys. As time passes, however, people are less inclined to hold so strictly to the traditions and, thus, celebrate the day any year within the age gap. So, what'll happen when the trio celebrates the holiday together? And, what's this? A hallucination? Maybe Li shouldn't have eaten that candy...