Author's Note:
All right, a little recap on the main story, we're currently at the last few gag chapters of the Reborn! Manga, a month or two before the Kokuyo Arc. The theme song of the next few Arcs is Boys and Girls by LM.C, as following the main story. All right, onwards, to the land of the rising sun!
Chapter 44: Land Of The Rising Sun
Okinawa, Japan.
We stopped a few minutes ago, the rumbling of the engines had ceased. The interior of the plane was dark, the curtains drawn over the windows for hours. As I sat in my seat, calm and relaxed with my eyes closed, it struck me that silence had filled the room as opposed to the voice of my Famiglia and the bustle of activities they usually have. When the whole scene felt still for a little bit too long, I pushed my body off the seat as curiosity came over me. Whether it was instincts or not, I reached out for the door, and pushed.
Glaring, the rays of the sun pierced through the darkened room, each sliver of light banishing away the darkness. As the light shone into my eyes, it was so bright my palm went over my eyes without my control. Even then, my eyes sought to look beyond the light, what was hiding behind the bright, glaring shine. There was this sense of discovery I felt, as addicting it was, as I walked through the door.
"Ah... Hah... good morning!" I couldn't help but give out the words as I stretched my arms out, bathing in the warmth of the sun.
"Well, it's not really morning, but I can see where you're going..." Sergio's voice was fist thing I hear after the brightness settled. Slowly opening my eyes, I walked down the stairs onto the ground to see the rest of my Famiglia already out. Kiera and the others stood ready to welcome me, with luggage in their hands.
"Indeed, the trip was a bit longer than we expected." Kiera reported to me with an apologetic tone.
"Who cares, we're here, we're finally here! The birthplace of Anime! Hot-blooded J-rock filling the scenes! Flooding the world with their Manga stories, Japan!" Johann must have been rehearsing that line for quite a while now, as the words burst forth as if he couldn't keep it within him any longer. There was a glow in his eyes, pure excitement obvious from the light. It must be his first time out of Italy.
"Wow, it's so pretty here..." Aria commented as she scanned the surroundings, taking one gentle step after another. Following her eyes, a sea of pink came into sight, rows and rows of trees with small, pink leaves. They sway and danced to the rhythm of the breeze. The wind scattered them all around, their petals flicker and floated as they fell. It gave off a very serene feel.
"All right, okay, we'll need to reach the hotel soon." Sergio took the situation in hand rather quickly, taking the first steps towards where we needed to go. Most raised a brow, but I just followed with a smile. As we tread from the runway towards the terminal, admiring the surroundings as we did, everything felt new to us, but it was not necessarily bad.
Pushing myself ahead of the rest, I'm just glad I'm able to visit Japan with my Famiglia. A sense of happiness, regardless of how small it was, corrected my own thoughts. No, with my friends.
"Welcome to the Okinawa Monorail, we hope you you enjoy your experience here and have a pleasant day..." The announcers voice recited the words in English right after the Japanese version as we made our way into the famous line, our luggage dragging behind us. Much to Kiera's protest, I volunteered to carry my own luggage, with my two hands tied with the bags. I can't have her lugging around three huge bags all by herself. My Famiglia followed behind me, Dante and Vito looked around with curiosity, while Kiera looked like she was guilty of something. Is my own decision hurting her so badly?
The station itself was huge, the structure standing tall. The design modern, it looked nothing like the subways back home. The floors were so clean, it almost looked like they were glowing. It really struck me as technologically advanced, the place giving off futuristic feel. I guess they weren't kidding when they said technology in Japan is one of the best in the world. Looking down to the cities below, I saw a mix of buildings, skyscrapers and houses, filled with activity. The city was shining with a life of its own, complimented by its people. It felt different, but, strangely familiar.
"All right then, now we just have to wait for the next train..." I announced to the others, looking around the station. The only problem to the station was the crowd of people filling the scene. Within a few seconds into the morning, I almost lost sight of my Famiglia in the sea of faces.
"Get distracted, and the next thing you know, you'll be swept by the crowds. These places gets mighty crowded." Vito explained, one of the few sentences lacking his usual, sarcastic tone. He sounded like he experienced it before, which only made me wonder how he knew so much.
That was when I saw her, amidst the sea of business suits and trendy clothes, a girl in a white, gothic dress. Though the design reminded me of Kiera's outfit, hers was a lot more intricate, with pendants and necklaces hanging from her neck, a number of symbols embroidered onto her dress, and a pair of tiny wings sprouting from her back. In other words, it was flashier, and it had all but caught my attention.
"Wow..." Strangely enchanted, I begin moving towards her for a closer look. With that costume, she stood out of the crowds like sore thumb, but she didn't seem to be bothered at all. Her brown hair was lighter than mine, her fringe neatly combed to one side, her rather short hair only reaching her neck. Her big, wide eyes, full of light, were in a deep red. Perhaps her most striking feature besides her dress. She stood there waiting with a neutral expression on her face, but even from where I was, I could feel a sense of confidence exuding from her.
As her pupils moved to meet mine, I couldn't help but look away, embarrassed.
"S-sorry for staring..." Next thing I knew, I was already apologizing to her. No emotion was summoned from my actions, though her eyes kept on staring at me. I felt more and more difficult as each second passed.
"Hmph." With much apathy, she turned away a minute later, with her hair and her dress swaying with her movement. Left with a cold, cold shoulder, I was blatantly ignored after that moment. That was also when I realized I had been separated from my Famiglia by the crowd.
"Ah... darn it." I say the words when all attempts to find my Famiglia failed, followed by the arrival of the train. The only hope I had left was to reach the station we're going to, and meet them as we alight. As I was thinking and planning out what to do next, the crowd behind me pushed into me, stuffing me into the girl I was admiring before and into the trains itself. "H-hey! Stop pushing!" I yelled out only to have my words ignored, as the staff of the station continued pushing the crowd into the train.
Much to the girl's chagrin, I was stuck at her side, my body pressed against the opposite side of the doors. Crushed by the crowd and my bags, I could only wait it out as the doors closed behind me and the train started moving.
The seconds that flew by as I was pressed against the glass turned into minutes, as the train moved from one station to the next. The scene in the train, the sound of chatter, had died down a few seconds ago, now replaced by silence, a calm relaxing feel. Looking through the glass, I could see the cities below, filled with building I never seen before. At the train's zooming speed, the scenery would change from buildings to the sea, to mountains and forests, everything was breathtaking. It would have made me forgotten all about being crushed in the train if the sound of snores that came after didn't drew me back.
Turning back inside, I realized most of the passengers had in fact fallen asleep, the few others either listening to their music players or reading a book. Of course, I couldn't hold back the urge and turned to see what the girl was doing. In her pristine costume, she looked past the glass and admired the view as well, her attention never changing. She didn't seem the least bit tired like the others.
Compared to myself, she had secured a rather wide space for herself to stand, leaning against the walls at the corner. I didn't notice it before, but I gotta admit, up close she looked rather... well endowed. Even better than Kiera's and Gina's. Wait... what am I thinking? At the shock, I immediately turned to the other side, emotions overwhelming me, blushing red from the indecent thoughts.
I was left either too embarrassed or just too flustered to look at any girl at that moment. As the stations come and go, more and more people were pushed into the monorail like stuffing into a turkey on thanksgiving.
"Ugh..." The sound of the girl's voice a few minutes later, distinct as it was, grabbed my attention. "Uh.. Huh..." Definitely, she didn't sound very well. Looking towards her once more, I realized the once wide space she had was gone. She was as much pushed to the walls as I was, and the man behind her was still pushing his way way past her personal space.
In the dull, sleepy scene in the train, she kept a strong face as everything was happening to her. As her costume got ruffled, she tries her best to move away from the man. But when the man had his hand grabbing on to her by her chest, her movements were locked. A red tint flushed over her face at the touch, but she did not scream. With trembling hands, she reached out to pull away the stranger's touch.
That was when I realized I was already pushing my way through the crowd. But, I could only go so far before being stuck as well.
As I struggled, I watched as her hands were pushed aside by the strength of the adult. It was horrible, a painful feeling of helplessness, of allowing this thing to happen.
"Hey, watch it!" A stranger yells out as I pushed myself through him, forcing my way through. The thought of helping her got more and more desperate as each second passed. The sight was getting worse, and I wanted to stop it as soon as possible.
"Ow!" A girl cried out after I stepped on her foot, hopping to the side.
Come on, just a few more steps! Wading through the sleepy crowd, I finally reached her, and immediately locked my grip on the man's wrist, pulling it off the girl. Surprised as she was, confused with her eyes wide open, she nonetheless dodged to the side with her bag in hand. As the pervert's face came into light, I saw no regret, no shock, no guilt in his eyes. Pulling him to my side, anger flared in the light of his eyes instead. His utter disregard for the wrong he did shocked me for a second, but it was all he needed.
"Get away from me, kid!" He barked, and with a swing of his arms, pushed me down to the ground. Crashing onto the metal floor, I did my best to cushion my fall. I guess I overestimated my strength when I'm out of my Awakening. It didn't really hurt much, though. Like a monster after his prey, he went back and resumed his hunt, trapping the girl in the corner. Surprised that no one came to help, I looked around to see the scene still as dead as before.
Just as he was about to grab the girl again, another hand reached in and pulled it behind his back in a flash. That was when I saw Sergio's glare as he pulled the pervert out into the open, rage in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing?" He roared out in blistering fury. His Bushido code could never accept what was happening, so of course he was angry. Behind him, Aria and the rest of my Famiglia popped out from the crowd, everyone looking crossed and disgusted.
"Tokyo Station Tokyo Station. Rail transfers to to the Tokyo Monorail as well as access to the Haneda International Airport can be found at this station." Out of nowhere, the announcement for our destination rang off, and the train came to a halt. The doors flew open soon after.
"You're coming with us!" Sergio declared, dragging the man right out of the train despite his heels digging into the floor. Much to his struggling and yelling, he was no match for Sergio's strength.
Ota, Tokyo, Japan
Thanks to my Famiglia's extremely detailed and organized assessment of the situation, as well as Kiera's powerful wordplay, the security was quickly convinced of the crime, and the pervert was soon apprehended by the police. After we the whole thing was done, we found ourselves back at the tracks, waiting for the next train on the Tokyo Monorail. This time however, my Famiglia made it a point to literally stick to my side. Where I sat, my friends would take their seat around me. I got lucky, but of course, nobody wanted to be me to be separated from my Famiglia again. The crowd also returned, this time bigger than before.
Looking at Sergio, he had an extremely annoyed look on his face, constantly tapping his foot on the clean, metal floor of the station. I could see him grit his teeth in frustration.
"Uh... You all right, Sergio?" I couldn't help but asks out after seeing him so upset.
"Sigh... I'm all right. It's just... hours into Japan and this happened. Not what I was expecting..." At Sergio's confession, he relaxed his shoulders as I realized why he was so annoyed. Certainly, I would never want to see these things happen in Italy, in my city. It's natural to be disgusted, annoyed and confused. It must hurt more for Sergio, cause I remember how he said the Japanese hold their values close, and always follow them.
Out of boredom, my steps took me to the girl once more. She was standing in the exact same position she did in the last station, and after just a bit of adjusting, her costume looked as stunning as it was before the incident. If anything, I at least wanted to see if she was okay... and get her name. I walked to her side, my Famiglia right behind me.
"Hey, um... my name's Amato, Amato Zanna. You okay? You're not... hurt, are you?" I asked out awkwardly, to my own surprise. Up close, her red eyes looked calm, strong, complimenting her hair color. To put it simply, she's really pretty, so much that I got nervous the moment I stepped up to her.
"... You're too nice. Why?" Those were her first words as she looked away after hearing my question. Even so, I could see her face turning really red as she remembered what happened, whether it was from frustration or embarrassment. Obviously, she has not gotten over the incident, no matter how much she wanted to hide it.
At a few chuckles from my Famiglia, I gave her my reply.
"Is... that wrong? I can't be too nice?" I admit, the words came without much thought. People always asks me the same question, but I never see the reason behind it.
Suddenly, the frill of the costume flutter past my eyes as something extremely soft was pressed against me, followed by a faint, sweet scent. My eyes were wide open as I realized the girl had jumped on me, giving me a big hug. Her breasts pushed onto my body and I could feel how soft they were, and at that moment, it felt like everything went white. All my thoughts were stopped dead in their tracks. As the time felt like it stopped, the girl hugged me harder as the seconds passed.
"...Thanks." She whispered into my ear, a soft, sweet voice unlike her tone before. It melted me, I think. The relaxing touch only lasted a few seconds before she pushed me to the ground, catching me off guard as I was still frozen from the sensation.
"Ow..." My voice of pain was low and unfeeling, as I stared back at her with wide eyes, still mesmerized by what happened.
"And that was for your failure!" She gave out with a wry smile on her face, turning back to the tracks.
"Hmph, Lord Amato?" Kiera called out to me as she helped me up, bringing me back, slightly annoyed about what just happened. Also, at that moment, the train had arrived, forcing me to get myself together. As we walked into the Tokyo Monorail, we left the station with a lighthearted feel to the situation, with my Famiglia teasing me about what just happened. At a slight glance to the side, I realized the girl was taking the same train as us as well.
"Hey again, I... never got your name." For whatever reason, I blabbered out the question. I guess I really wanted to hear her name. After persisting for a few more minutes, she finally answered to my smile.
"...It's Hinata, okay?" She gave out her name like it was a difficult thing to do, breaking off eye contact and looking away as she did. For some reason, it looked really cute.
"Uh, uh, not good, Amato. Flirting with another girl? You do know I'm telling Regina about this, right?" Sergio casually gave out as he got to my side. Apparently, he had been watching the whole thing.
"N-no! I-I'm just being friendly! Don't tell Gina!" I cried out, throwing my hands all around. Sergio burst out laughing as the train started moving, the scene bringing a smile to my Famiglia's faces. It even made Hinata chuckle. Together, we continued our train ride towards our destination. Whether I overreacted or not, amidst my cries, I was glad my Famiglia wasn't taking the whole mission too seriously. As we glided past multiple sights and cities, I wondered just what other surprises we'll see next.
Well, that certainly took some time to finish! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter, and I also hope that the scenario I wrote is at least a bit believable. The introduction of a new character, do you guys know who she is? Whether or not she has a role in this arc, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out! I promise I'll try to get them up sooner!