Kei-Kei Yuki: Wow, I'm so happy everyone like the first chapter! And I hope everyone enjoys the next one.
Tsunami: Reborn, please don't force me under any harsh training!
Reborn: I'm not making any promises.
Tsunami: Devil.
Kei-Kei: Good-Luck Tsu-chan! Enjoy the new story, everyone!
Beta by: Ana-DaughterofHades
Chapter Two
Future
"Ano..." Tsunami was clueless on how to react to such a sudden and abrupt proposal, not to mention the confirmation that the adorable gray kitten that she had saved the other night turned out to be a very handsome werecat, was a startling revelation. Werecats were a demihuman cat race, which could be identified by their cat-like ears and tail. Tsunami looked at her mother for any help to clear up the situation, but one look at her starry-eyed mother and she knew it was a lost cause.
Her intuition told her to not rely on Reborn for any assistance, so she was left nervously staring into those adoring green eyes and felt helpless. "Why ask me to be your mate? Isn't that a little too sudden?" asked Tsunami.
"No one else is suited to be my mate. You risked your life just to protect mine. Someone like you hardly appears nor ever comes through for me. You are special, and I wish to take care of you for the rest of our lives together. I'll prove to be a providing and strong mate, so that I can protect you from any harm. So please be my mate!" the teen blurted out once again, only this time with flushed red cheeks, yet his eyes were still filled with love and adoration. This was becoming a little too overwhelming for Tsunami, who was searching for a way out.
"I... umm... Oh, school! School! I have to get ready for school, so, umm, I'll talk to you later!" Tsunami bolted from her seat and dashed up the flight of stairs. Once she was in the safe comfort of her room, she slid down to the ground with her back against the door.
"Just what is happening to my life?" Tsunami asked herself, burying her blushing face in the palms of her hands. Not wanting to think about the awkward and embarrassing situation, Tsunami decided to get ready for school. She laid out a plaid, tan and red pleated skirt, a white formal shirt, a dark-blue sweater, and a red tie on the bed before taking a quick shower. After taking her shower, Tsunami got dressed, slipping on the knee length black socks and brown loafers last, before grabbing her school bag. Exiting her bedroom, she ran down the flight of stairs, only to pause once she saw the silverette waiting for her by the door.
"Please let me escort you to school!" proclaimed the silverette.
"You don't have to-I mean I can walk there myself and you can stay here and rest. Not that I'm trying to make decisions for you or anything! I just don't want you to exert yourself too much because of me." Tsunami was aware that she was rambling, though there was some truth to what she said. Spotting the bandages that peeked out from underneath his long-sleeve red shirt, the silverette's expression turned somewhat depressing from hearing this, his silver ears flattening against his head. This action made Tsunami instantly regret what she said before and tried to cheer him up.
"But if you're up to it, I don't mind you walking me to school... umm... I never really got your name," confessed Tsunami. Hearing this, the silverette perked up immediately and straightened his posture.
"Hayato Gokudera!" he eagerly introduced himself.
"Sawada Tsunami, but you can just call me Tsuna-"
"Or Hime-chan!" piped in Nana, sticking her head from out of the kitchen. "Papa likes to call Tsu-chan his precious Sky-Hime or Tsu-Hime-chan!" Nana happily informed him, ignoring the fierce blush that was consuming her daughter's face.
"Tsuna is just fine-"
"Hime-chan! Please allow me the luxury of referring to you as Hime-chan!" Beautiful and hopeful green eyes stared at Tsunami, who felt her resolve crumble and wither away. She released a sigh, knowing a losing battle when she saw one. "Okay. Fine. You can call me Hime, but please take off the chan." Tsunami compromised with the one condition which Gokudera eagerly agreed, nodding his head.
"Alright, let's go if I don't want to end up being late." Clutching the handle of her school-bag, Tsunami made her way down the last step. Gokudera, like a gentleman, opened the door for her, but before she could step a foot out the door, she felt something land on her shoulder.
"Let me guess, you're coming along as well." Tsunami didn't even have to look to know it was Reborn who was now sitting on her shoulder.
"Of course, whether you like it or not. Let's go, Dame-Tsuna," ordered the infant.
Saying a quick goodbye to her mother and to Fuuta who was outside tending the garden, the three left for school. Stopping at the train station to take it the rest of the way, Tsunami was seated in front of Gokudera; Reborn sat on her left.
"Reborn... Are you by any chance cursed?" Tsunami asked, breaking the silence between the three of them and green eyes began to regard the infant with interest.
"Yep... And with a very annoying one at that," Reborn answered. Removing her eyes away from the window, she pointed them down at Reborn who was browsing through the Namimori Times, the city newspaper.
"Is there any way for you to break it?" asked Tsunami, before adding, "How and why are you cursed in the first place?"
"Those are questions... that I will only answer after you pass your finals," answered Reborn, flipping the page of the newspaper in his hands. Even though he appeared interested in the news, his thoughts were on Tsunami. 'She's perceptive enough to pick up the most likely option of me being cursed, after witnessing what happened the other night. Despite her abilities, her intuition is strong. Then again...' A flashback of yesterday night burned in his head. 'She is also not as powerless as others tend to judge.'
Tsunami wondered why Reborn wanted to extend the wait of telling her but couldn't once she heard the train announce its destination. The group departed off the bus, walking a mile before they reached the gate of Tsunami's school. Namimori Academy was a school that taught those who were gifted in the art of magic. The school itself was a large building that branched out into a T-like shape, offering both academic classes and magical classes for students.
"I guess this is where we part-"
"Please let me stay by your side!" pleaded Gokudera with big pleaful sea-green eyes that Tsunami, since this morning, was having a hard time saying no to.
"Gokudera-kun, you are not a student here, so you can't follow me inside," Tsunami tried to reason, though the calculating look on Gokudera's face said he was trying to think of a way around it. Tsunami had to wonder why the teen was so persistence at wanting to stay by her side when white clouds fogged her vision.
"G-Gokudera-kun?!" exclaimed Tsunami once the white clouds had cleared, and she saw, sitting at her feet, the same gray kitten from yesterday.
"Werecats have the ability to change forms. This way he can follow you around school since it permits students to bring animals," said Reborn. Tsunami lent down and picked up Gokudera, in kitten form, in her arms.
"Don't worry, Hime, I will not bring you any trouble!" reassured Gokudera.
"Wait. You can talk in this form?!" exclaimed Tsunami just as the school bell rang.
"Dame-Tsuna, the bell," Reborn notified her. Clutching Gokudera in her arms, Tsunami made her way inside the building. It wasn't until she made it to the classroom that she noticed Reborn had mysteriously disappeared from her sight. With Gokudera in her arms, she noticed how his presence had drawn the attention of a few of her female classmates, some calling him cute and adorable. When Tsunami felt footsteps approach her desk, she nervously drew Gokudera closer who sensed her discomfort and began glaring at the intruders.
"What an adorable kitten. Is he yours?" asked Sasagawa Kyoko, a kind smile on her face as Tsunami began to relax, aware that unlike the majority of her classmates who treated her cruelly, Kyoko was the opposite. She was a girl with fame, who possessed a heart of gold, one of the key reasons why she was loved so much.
"Since when did you get a pet, Sawada?" Joining Kyoko was her best-friend Kurokawa Hana, the two never strayed far from each other and were known to be inseparable. Unlike Kyoko, Hana was the more mature and a straight-point type of girl, who told it how she saw it. She, also like Kyoko, never approached Tsunami with any sense of hostility.
"You can say that; I found him in the forest injured." Tsunami patted Gokudera's head as that seemed to have calmed him down so he would stop glaring at the girls as if they were going to harm her.
"Injured? Poor thing, but he seems a lot healthier now, so that's a good thing," smiled Kyoko, who had a fond spot in her heart for animals.
"So which guild do you think you might join after graduation?" the small group of girls heard one of their male classmates ask another, who Tsunami recognized to be Kensuke Mochida, one of her unsavory classmates. She watched the teen grin proudly, before answering the question.
"Obviously the Varia!"
"The Varia's? Why such a rough guild with an ill reputation as that one?" questioned one of their female classmates, who frowned in displeasure at his choice.
"Because only the toughest and strongest of men can join. There is no place for the weak in the Varia. It's a perfect guild for someone of my caliber to join!" Mochida arrogantly pointed at himself.
"Toughest of men? I'd say a ruthless bunch of monkeys if you ask me," grumbled Hana, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not to mention, it's an all men guild. Though, in a way, I shouldn't be surprised that he would pick a guild," she added, a frown marring her expression.
"Why would you say that, Hana-chan?" inquired Kyoko. Tsunami remained silent, yet wondered the same thing, scratching Gokudera behind his ears as he purred in her lap.
"In the Kingdom of Peloris, there are a large number of guilds scattered throughout the kingdom, but only a small few stand out from the rest. These guilds are recognized and viewed as the strongest in the kingdom. After graduation, you have those who will branch out and try to find jobs in their respective skill of profession, while the majority of others will try to join the guild of their choice, though the first doesn't offer the same experience as one would get from joining a guild," explained Hana, and then added,
"Though there's the issue of joining the right guild. You have guilds that are nice and you have the nasty ones, like Varia. You just have to be careful and mindful of the one you pick. Kyoko and I already made up our mind a long while ago," confirmed Hana as Kyoko smiled.
"Vongola!" Kyoko happily announced. Upon hearing this, Tsunami's eyes widen, along with Gokudera's, who was also caught off guard by their choice of guild.
Tsunami wasn't quite as knowledgeable as Hana when it came to guilds and such things, but even she had heard of Vongola. The strongest guild in the Kingdom of Peloris, it was a name that had been spread far and wide throughout the kingdom. If a person wanted to join a guild, nine out of ten times their number one choice would be that one. Though it was rumored that not all who wished to join Vongola were accepted.
"Both my brother and my uncle are members of Vongola, and I also want to be a member, especially if I want to become a great healer one day like some of the best," replied Kyoko when Tsunami heard some of the other students mention 'Vongola' and their desire of joining the strongest guild in the kingdom.
"Ne, Yamamoto-kun, what guild do you wish to join?" asked one of their female classmate. Her question was directed towards a teen of fairly tall height with short, spiky black hair and brown eyes. His name was Yamamoto Takeshi, a very popular and handsome teen with a cheerful grin on his face, and just when he was about to answer, Nezu-sensei entered the classroom. Kyoko and Hana left to take their seats, along with everyone else in the classroom.
"Alright, so I know the majority of you are aware that final exams are right around the corner, which is a mere three days away. Meaning graduation is coming up, for some of you." At this Nezu-sensei pointed his eyes right at Tsunami, who shrank down in her seat and timidly turned her eyes towards the window. Catching sight of this, Gokudera began to glare at the older man with hatred burning in his sea-green eyes.
"Depending on your grade average, some of you will only need to pass two or even just one of your final exams, but if your grade average fails to meet such requirements then you'll have to pass all three of your finals in order to graduate from here. Now, let's begin class." Upon hearing this, Tsunami began tuning out the rest of class, gently patting Gokudera's head, eyes staring out the window. The sight of the vast, clear blue sky emptied her mind and allowed her to relax. Then a question popped into Tsunami's head, 'Just what do I plan to do after graduation?' she asked herself.
Later that evening when school was out, Tsunami served at the register inside her mother's bakery. Fuuta placed a fresh batch of cookies into the display, and sitting on the counter close to her side, like a guard dog, was Gokudera, still in his kitten form. Reborn also sat close by when Tsunami spotted a familiar customer, only to see that a girl was accompanying him this time.
"Hello, Fran-kun! Never have you appeared two days in a row before." Tsunami smiled kindly at the teen and his guest, who was a very cute girl. Her appearance reminded Tsunami of a doll with her heart-shaped face, a petite build, and large violet eyes; she was wearing a short, black short sleeves lolita dress decorated with ruffles and bows.
'Adorable,' Tsunami found herself thinking as the girl timidly stood next to Fran. "Is she perhaps your girlfriend, Fran-kun?" inquired Tsunami when she saw Fran make a somewhat blanched expression before it returned back to his neutral one.
"No need to get jealous, Usagi-Hime, we're just distant relatives. You are the only one in my heart." This last declaration didn't seem to sit right with Gokudera, who began hissing and glaring at the other. He jumped down from the counter, while Tsunami tilted her head in confusion, once again not understanding the meaning of his words. This also earned a smirking look from Reborn and a stare from the girl standing next to Fran.
When Tsunami saw a cloud of white, signaling that Gokudera had changed forms, she watched him reach out with his hand and seize Fran by the collar of his shirt harshly. "Stay away from Hime, you frog-bastard," he fearsomely growled.
Despite the threat, added with Gokudera's frightening aura, Fran's expression was still the same, tilting his head so he could glance over at Tsunami. "Usagi-Hime, since when did you get pet?" he nonchalantly asked. This seemed to have done nothing but piss Gokudera off even more, and Tsunami got worried that a fight might break out in her mother's bakery.
"Gokudera-kun, please release Fran-kun! He is a precious friend of mine-"
"Shit, I've been friend-zoned," Fran interjected.
"I would really appreciate it if you released him... please." Hearing Tsunami beg him, Gokudera immediately released Fran and began groveling in front of her.
"Please forgive me, Hime! I have upset you!"
"G-Gokudera-kun, I'm not mad." Honestly, Tsunami wasn't upset or mad at Gokudera, she just wanted to save Fran, and at the moment, stop all the weird looks Gokudera had been receiving from the customers in the bakery.
"But as your future mate, I shouldn't cause you distress!" proclaimed Gokudera; Tsunami's face flushed the color of crimson, feeling almost every pair of eyes in the building direct themselves at her. She was the type that hated attention and hated being in the spotlight. 'I should really try to clear up this misunderstanding of Gokudera believing that I'm the right choice for a mate,' thought Tsunami.
"Mate? So another has finally been bewitched by Usagi-Hime's charm," stated Fran. Sometimes Tsunami wished she knew just what on Earth he was talking about.
"You really live up to the name Dame-Tsuna, Tsunami," smirked Reborn, who Tsunami had begun glaring at, though her glare only came out as a mere pout.
"Ano, Fran-kun, the order. We can't keep Nii-sama and the others waiting," the cute girl standing at Fran's side reminded him.
"Oh, that's right. I wouldn't want the Grim Reaper on my ass for forgetting to bring her dessert," muttered Fran, folding his arms behind his head, staring up at the menu behind Tsunami's head.
"Give me four Maple Apple Pies," ordered Fran before looking over at his companion. "Is there anything you want, Weak-Hime-neechan?" he asked. Tsunami sweatdropped at the nickname he gave the cute girl, who stared up at the menu before shyly walking forward.
"Umm... Can I please have a slice of the Rainbow Pastel Cheesecake?" Tsunami noticed how her voice was soft and meek; her mannerisms were timid. She smiled, hoping it would show the girl that she had no reason to fear her.
"Sure! Just wait here until I come back," said Tsunami, missing how taken back the girl was when the brunette smiled at her.
"Her smile... is very pure," murmured the girl, but only Fran and Reborn heard what she had said. It didn't take long for Tsunami to hand them their order and send them off with another smile. The rest of the day went on as normal, Tsunami taking Fuuta's place of washing the dishes this afternoon.
"So Dame-Tsuna, what do you plan to do after you graduate?" asked Reborn, watching how Tsunami dropped the glass plate she was drying in her hands, which was luckily caught by Gokudera who was helping her clean up, having volunteered to do so.
"Huh? After graduation? You know, I haven't really thought about it. Oh, that brings to a mind a question I've been wanting to ask Gokudera-kun," recalled Tsunami, stacking the plate Gokudera handed back to her along with the others.
"Ask anything you want, Hime!" Gokudera eagerly awaited her question, giving her his full undivided attention.
"Shouldn't you be attending school? I mean your the same age as I am, right?" Tsunami asked the teen with a bit of shyness in her voice. Gokudera saw nothing wrong with the questions and answered her honestly.
"I graduated early. After graduating, I decided to join a guild but later decided to leave it. I was currently looking for a place to stay when I was attacked by Night Wolves and later saved by you," Gokudera explained his situation, when suddenly his seized hold of Tsunami's hands, pinning her with a determined stare. "But next time I promise to be strong enough to defend myself and you. To prove to you I am a capable mate!" he proudly exclaimed.
"Gokudera-kun, I am very touched by what you said, but... right now how about we just be friends?" suggested Tsunami, but regretted it when she saw his silver ears begin to flatten, eyes saddening, and his once happy mood was now morse, lacking its energy from a second ago.
"I mean, I still want you at my side, Gokudera-kun! W-We can just worry about mates and stuff later, but for now, let's take things slow. I'm new to all of this." Tsunami wasn't the type that boys fawned over, especially handsome boys like Gokudera. Tsunami saw herself as nothing special, but just plain and average, not cute like Kyoko or a mature beauty like Hana, but just Dame-Tsuna.
Taking a second to think over her words, life found its way back into Gokudera, though he wasn't as happy as he was before, it was better than him being depressed.
Tsunami might've only known Gokudera for a short while, but she hated seeing him sad or depressed. "If Hime wishes to take things slow, then we'll take things slow, but... I'll never give up! I'll prove that I'm a worthy mate!" declared Gokudera.
'But I'm not worthy enough for Gokudera-kun,' Tsunami thought sadly, but kept such thoughts to herself. The two returned to doing the dishes when Reborn spoke up once again.
"Dame-Tsuna, you mean to tell me your clueless about what to do after graduation?" Reborn questioned Tsunami, sitting on the counter located in the middle of the kitchen, watching the two teens do the dishes together.
"I mean, I guess I'll find a job in the field for healers-"
"It won't do you much good. Do you want to know why most students after graduation join a guild instead of finding a job in their profession? It's because the experience is different. Becoming a great healer requires experience, growth, and knowledge. Most who search for jobs in their profession are already at a level where they will only need minimum guidance, while those weaker and striving to become stronger join guilds. A guild serves the purpose of allowing members to take quests, earn money, and yet also allow members to train and hone their magic and individual skills." Listening to what Reborn had to say, reminded Tsunami of Kyoko and Hana earlier in the classroom.
"After graduation, you have those who will branch out and try to find jobs in their respective skill of profession, while the majority of others will try to join the guild of their choice, though the first doesn't offer the same experience as one would get from joining a guild," explained Hana.
"Both my brother and my uncle are members of the Vongola, and I also want to be a member, especially if I want to become a great healer one day like some of the best," answered Kyoko with a smile on her face.
"I bet those two classmates of yours were aware of this and carefully thought out their futures. Dame-Tsuna, you are weak and if you keep going down the road you are now, you'll never grow. It's time for you to think about your future. Besides, you'll be useless to me at your current stage." Tsunami didn't understand what Reborn meant about the last the thing he had said, but on everything else, she reluctantly agreed with him.
Later that night, Tsunami lied in her bed, Reborn sleeping in the room next to hers, and Gokudera was curled up next to her head in his kitten form. The brunette was unable to sleep, staring up at the ceiling with wide open eyes. 'I never once thought about my own future. The only thing I ever worried about was getting through each day. There isn't much I'm good at, but...' Thinking back to Kyoko and Hana, who already had they're future planned out, made Tsunami feel embarrassed.
'Crap, I shouldn't have been slacking off. Maa, maybe some sleep will ease my worry.' Tsunami began to close her eyes and drift off to sleep. Though as she slept, an old memory began to replay itself in her dreams. It took place when she was no older than six or seven, and their small family had just left an amusement park. She stood in between her parents, licking her vanilla ice cream cone her Papa bought for her, and drops of it were getting on the frilly pink princess-dress her mother had put her in when she heard her father ask her a question.
"Ne, Tsu-Hime, what do you plan to be when you grow up?" inquired her father, his usual 'go-happy' grin plastered on his face.
"Grow up? I wanna be a great mage like mommy and papa!" declared the little girl with glee.
"Ara, why do you wish to be like us, Tsu-chan?" queried her mother, not minding how the drops of ice cream were ruining the dress she had picked out.
"Because... Tsu-chan wants not only to heal people like Mama but to protect them like Papa." Releasing her parents' hands, she ran and stood in front of them. "I wish to protect everything that is important to me! But Tsu-chan is not strong yet. So Tsu-chan vows to become stronger, so she can protect Mama and Papa. Cause Tsu-chan loves them very much!" Tsunami beamed a cheery and radiant smile at the two, who, in a matter of seconds, was taken away by her cuteness, cuddling and dotting on such a pure and adorable child she was to them.
When opening her eyes, the next morning, tears leaked down Tsunami's cheeks. Her dream wasn't bad, but it had reminded her of the person she once used to be. A strong sense of nostalgia washed over her as she quickly wiped the tears away; removing the covers, she made her way towards Reborn's room. The infant was already sitting on the bed that was made up, setting the book he was reading down beside him, making eye contact with the brunette.
"So you finally reached an answer." Judging by the tone of his voice, it was as if he had foreseen this outcome.
"Yes." Tsunami's eyes flashed with determination. "My younger self reminded me of a vow I had forgotten I made. Of a person who I once used to be. I'm weak. Useless. Untalented." Tsunami was unaware that standing in the doorway was Gokudera, hearing everything she had to say. "My skills are trash. My healing ability is average at best, but... I once made a vow to become stronger. To protect those precious to me. I'm the type of person who is a coward, but I also don't like going against a vow. I at least owe that to my younger self. So... I wish to join a guild, Reborn! " Tsunami declared with courage.
End of Chapter Two
Hope you all enjoyed the story! :)