Katekyo Hitman Reborn

The Selkie's Secret

By: SakuraSamuraiGirl

Katekyo Hitman Reborn and its story and characters belong to Akira Amano

Part Thee and Me

By Beth Winegarner

I

Last thing I remember before washing up on this shore
Was the bright, jutting pain of the harpoon.
Our blood has stained these seas before,
Birth-blood and death-blood, salt mingling
With the bracken of storm-tossed shallows
And our falling numbers.

We lose our skins here. Sometimes to the trappers
Who hunt for their own greed,
Sometimes to lovers who take us whole
And hide our cloaks so that we must remain.
Among them there are few who know who we are,
But we are.

II

His arms, like liquid gold and just as hot,
Lifted me to the sky. He took me to the woods,
Tried to bury me in blankets inside his blood-red
House. He took me in.

The air was thin, but heavy with white caresses
Of fog wrapped around the dark, pointed trees.
I walked among them, watching the sky,
Which looked like the sea after a storm,
While his eyes, like the sea from below on a sunny morning,
Watched me.

I could go no further than his leash allowed,
Not even when I met the unicorn on the path,
Or the old woman who turned us inside out
And told me he was not the One. But I could not go
Back until I found my skin. The one he stole.

III

One night, high on mushrooms, he walked down
To where the town begins, then returned. "You can hear
The lighthouse out there at night," he explained.

"Do you really need to hear that awful sound?"
I asked. "Every time it blows, it means another
Boat reaches shore safely, while another of my clan
Bleeds to death on its splintered deck
In the dark."

He turned, away from the direction of the sea,
Salt water staining his cheeks. "I don't know why you
Brought me here," I continued. "You rescued me from
Nothing."
I was dying, drying out on his shore, thirsty for greater waters
Than those beneath his eyes.

IV

"I don't know where your skin is," he snarled for the seventh
Time. Sometimes he wished me away.
But I was his prize, won at the edge of the world,
As if in a great battle. His victory. So I walked
Out of that dying red house, and I took the unicorn with me.

He chased me to the waterline, lungs heaving,
Arms flapping, but I discovered my coat under
Sharp and heavy rocks. "Don't go," he begged, watching
As the tide turned the unicorn to a narwhal and set her free.
"I am not yours," I replied.
"She was not yours. We are water through your hands.
We are sand in your mouth."

His hand touched mine, and for a moment he was
True. The wind came and blew him away,
A piece of dry paper, ink already fading the
Promises he'd made. And I slipped into my skin,
Went to the sea, felt her embrace,
And dove under again.

V

Sometimes I return to this shore,
Or shores just like it, and imagine I am looking for him.
But I think the wind stole his name,
Or his memory; either one is
Death to his kind.

My name is forever here, never spoken and always asked
My belly is against these stones,
The cold water sliding off my back.
My heart races with the advancing fog; I linger
As another boat is shipwrecked
In the tide.

Chapter One: Dad's Coming Home!

Tsunami was standing in her mindscape with her beast-self standing before her. She raises herself on her wings and leans forward to nuzzle and lick at Tsunami's face. Tsunami giggles and returns her affections rubbing her nose against the beast's nose. Her beast-self huffs and leaps over the stairs and takes off flying about the cavern. Hyper Dying-Will Tsunami stood close by Tsunami.

"She's happy." Hyper-Dying Will Tsunami comments.

Tsunami nods, "She has been very happy lately. I guess…deep down I was afraid of my beast self. I accepted her as a part of me but not of me. I think I appreciated her more with Reborn's and the other's help in taming that side of me. My mind has become a little clearer but I'm still wild."

Tsunami looks to Hyper-Dying Will Tsunami. Tsunami finds her amazing! Tsunami wasn't given a chance to take in her third's self appearance in her fight with Mukuro. She was overflowing with confidence and looked very mature. She was cool! Her narrow eyes were gold and orange reflecting the sky flames' color she wields. Her third-self laughs and arches a brow.

"Why are you so amazed by me? This is you too."

"Only because of Reborn and that bullet…"

Her third-self turns Tsunami to her and she holds her hands.

"With time, you won't need Reborn's bullets. You'll be able to tap into your power on your own. I myself am not strong enough. There is still something holding me back."

"You can be stronger?"

"WE can be stronger. I am you, you are me. Like Yin and Yang."

Tsunami nods and pulls her third-self into a hug. The Third-Self squeezes Tsunami warmly and sighs. They pull apart smiling at each other.

"Um….I don't really like calling you my third-self…and Hyper Dying Will Tsunami is a mouthful. I want to give you another name!"

"I agree. What should be my new name?"

Tsunami folds her arms and thinks. She looks over her third-self again. She was waiting patiently watching Tsunami think. Her ever flickering flame still rested on her forehead blazing away.

"How about…we add the kanji of flame to my name! Hinoh-nami!"

"Hinoh-nami it is! It's funny though. You're name 'tsunami' is of the water. I am fire. Clever."

Tsunami blushes and shakes her head. She wasn't trying to be smart! Her beast-self returns and lands beside the two of them and croons. Hinoh-nami suggests that her beast-self may like a name for herself instead of just be referred to as a beast. Tsunami scratches behind the bat's ear.

"Let's do the same as you and give her part of my name! 'Koumori' is Japanese for bat. Kou-nami. Do you like that, Kou-nami?"

Kou-nami licks Tsunami's face and chatters her delight. Tsunami and Hinoh-nami laugh and embrace Kou-nami around her neck.

After meeting with her newly named other selves, Tsunami opens her eyes within the Hibari shrine. She sighs softly and turns to Haru seated next to her. Tsunami was happy and a little proud of Haru that she been steadfast in her training as her apprentice. It made Tsunami feel that she was a good teacher. In the middle of her fight with Mukuro through the effects of the Criticism shot, she learned that Haru had a premonition of Tsunami's condition that she was trouble. Ghosts had given her reports of Haru's progress in trying to contact them. They commented that Haru was very kind to clean their graves and leaves gifts behind. Haru especially liked to visit the graves of ghost children, leaving sweets and toys. The ghost children were much fawned of Haru and wanted to talk to her and thank her for taking care of them. Tsunami doesn't tell Haru of what she learned nor passed the message. It would be more satisfying to Haru that she's gains the ability to talk and see ghosts by her own growing power.

Hayato was able to see ghosts too. He gained the ability through his contact with Nekomasa. He didn't realize he was seeing them…until he saw a ghost's face in his toilet bowl one morning! Hayato had mixed feelings of the ability to see ghosts constantly. One part of him was happy to be able to see the most common of supernatural beings. However, he didn't realize how constant they were and as he got to know the ghosts he was seeing, he realized that they were just dead versions of people he found absolutely annoying in the living world! He found that the ghosts of Namimori School of the female variety had a crush on him and tried to get the handsome Italian-Japanese to talk to them. They pester and…haunt him until he couldn't take it anymore and yelled at them in the middle of class! Tsunami had to help him out sometimes and told the ghosts that the same rules they follow with her apply to Hayato as well. She also helped Hayato with the ghost in his toilet. She was able to exorcise the ghost thankfully. Some ghosts desire to be spoken to. They find comfort with those that are alive than other ghosts.

But then there are ghosts like Mukuro that keep to themselves from other ghosts. These ghosts are ones to be watchful over for they would wallow in negative emotions: sadness, loneliness, anger, hate, jealously and would transform into an evil spirit. Tsunami didn't have to worry about Mukuro. He was in close proximity of Tsunami at all times. She always wore Kyoya's collar and Takeshi's bell where ever she went. Tsunami expelled positive spiritual energy from her kind and compassionate soul. Slowly, these helpful energies were nibbling down the remaining darkness of Mukuro's soul. Mukuro was back to his confident, mischievous self now. He could form his ghostly apparition of his soul outside of his prison but couldn't stray too far. He mostly appeared to Tsunami. Sometimes he would lie over her desk in some pose that French painters liked to paint. Asked her questions of when school was over and when he could get started on his good deeds. She had asked her grandfather for guidance. He had said he had an idea but he was making preparations for it. It had been a month since.

Tsunami returns home after training with Haru. The first lamppost on the street had just lit up when Tsunami stepped up to her front door. Something was strange to Tsunami as she opened the door. Before she arrived at the house, on the corner of her street she could smell dinner, but she couldn't exactly identify what it was. That was very strange. It was many scents mixed together. She thought she could smell Udon noodles, tempura shrimp, fried chicken, rice and even some non-Japanese meals! She enters the house and removed her shoes at the door.

"Mom?!" she didn't really had to shout.

"You seem uneasy, Vongola." Tsunami hears him from within the bell.

Tsunami removes her new semester, navy blue sweater vest. She puts it in a waiting basket and unbuttons a few buttons down to her bra. Tsunami moves to the kitchen as she untucks her shirt and to her surprise she feels a full spread across the table! She had guessed right on a few dishes! There were some dishes she had never seen her mother cooked before but looked delicious.

"Mama! Who's going to eat all this!? Ack! You're making more?!"

Nana was singing and dancing as she cooked at the stove. Reborn was munching away from one of the main dishes, which looked to be a large platter of tempura shrimp! Mukuro appears, looking over her head and if he had a stomach, it would growl.

"Delicious." He comments.

Tsunami smiles up at Mukuro and pulls out a mini memorial tablet. It had his full name carved into it and it was set on the table. Mukuro's ghost suddenly feels sensations of smells and he could taste what was on the table.

"What?...How?"

"Why do you think people sometimes leave food in front of their loved ones' graves? It's for the ghost to get a sample of what they had in life. It wouldn't be fair to eat in front of you. That's just torture."

"If you're speaking to Mukuro, he technically is on punishment and should be tortured. You're too kind to be a jail warden. Never go into that occupation."

Tsunami glares at Reborn but focuses back on her mother. Bianchi and the children came from downstairs and dug in.

"You're mother has been cooking non-stop," Bianchi informs with a piece of shrimp in her mouth. "Did you ace a test or something?"

Tsunami shakes her head, "Mama!" Tsunami calls.

She continues to sing and dance as she chops vegetables. Tsunami calls again, but her mother was still lost in her own little world. Tsunami huffs and taps her mother's arm. No matter how loud she was Nana was not going to hear her even with her bat ears!

"Oh! Tsu-chan, you're home!"

"What's going on, Mom?"

Nana giggles and waves the knife she was holding, "You're father's coming home!"

Tsunami's eyes widen. She felt a chill crawl up her spine and grabs her shoulders, "O-oh?"

"Isn't it wonderful? After all this time working in the oil fields abroad!" Nana giggles.

Tsunami turns her head, 'Right...oil fields.'

Futa and Bianchi notices Tsunami's sad expression. Nana sees it too and holds her daughter's shoulder. Tsunami snaps her head up and was looking into Nana's very concern eyes.

"Tsunami? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing…"

"Tsunami."

"It's…it's just that…he left us when I was five, Mama. All you told me was that he had become a star. I didn't get it…so I was confused! It wasn't until we started getting postcards that I realized that he was still alive!"

"Oh, Tsu-chan!" Nana gasps.

"Now, after nine years he decides to come see us! Nine years, Mama!" Tsunami's voice quivers. 'And knowing that he is part of the mafia…there has to be some mafia-business-like reason for him coming home…he isn't here just to see us…'

"I…I'm going to take a bath, Mama…"

Tsunami moves out of her mother's reach and runs upstairs. Nana watches her daughter go and chews on the tip of her nail.

"Oh, I thought she would be happy."

Tsunami shuts the door behind her and begins pacing about her room. She moans as she twists her hands into her hair. Her father was coming home. Her father was coming home! Should she be happy? Should she be mad? Tsunami was so upset because she didn't know which to feel! She had been very young when he had left them. She remembers how depress her mother became with him gone and it affected her. It was a horrible feeling and who knows how bad it would have been if her mother didn't call Buiiro for help! Gods! If her grandfather found out he was coming! She shudders. Her grandmothers told her that Buiiro didn't like Iemitsu the moment he was introduced to him by her mother. Tsunami even knew that Buiiro didn't want Nana to marry Iemitsu. Whether he just didn't want to let her go because he was human or just didn't want her to be taken away period, either way, it took all three of her grandmothers to convince their husband to let Nana have the choice to marry a human. Nana chose to hide her true identity from Iemitsu and married him because she loved him. Nana could still be herself in secret but she had always felt guilty for deceiving her husband. But Nana didn't need to feel guilty. Iemitsu was hiding a much bigger secret from her. Did he feel guilty of his decisions!? He lied about his work! He distanced himself from them! Tsunami groans and falls onto her bed face first into her pillows. She feels Mukuro's soul enter her room. She rolls onto her back and she was face to face with him.

"Vongola."

"…Mukuro-kun."

She raises her hands and touches his cheeks.

"Looks like you have father issues of your own."

Tsunami frowns, "Please, my father issues are pathetic compared with yours. At least, you dealt with yours."

Mukuro smiles, "Do you want to kill your father?"

"…..use to." She mumbles. "Whenever I heard Mama crying."

Mukuro chuckles and reaches down to hold her face as well.

"You're upset. You're father left you and your mother when you were very young and didn't understand. You're father is a part of the mafia. Let me tell you, Tsunami, the mafia talks of family but it's not all hugs and kisses. The Mafia spills blood constantly. There are enemies that seek to step upon other familgia to get ahead. Their projects and schemes need funds and to fund them many are into dirty business….drugs, human trafficking, weapons smuggling….just to name a few."

Tsunami whimpers and covers her face, "Thank goodness, Mama can't hear ghosts!"

Mukuro strokes her hair, "Your father took a risk in evening marrying your mother and having you. Especially knowing that his ancestor was the founder of the Vongola. He left you and your mother here in this country to protect you."

"He should have tried harder…now I'm wrapped up in this craziness!"

"Ku fu fu fu, perhaps you'll feel better with a bath?"

"….that does sound nice."

"Good. It's already running for you."

"…eh?!"

She listens and she could definitely hear the tub being filled. She stares up at Mukuro and he smirks.

"Got the hang of telekinesis thanks to the ghost lessons."

She thanks Mukuro and sits up to prepare for her bath stripping out of the rest of her school uniform and out of her underwear. She digs into her closet and pulls out a fluffy pink bathrobe and wraps it around herself. Mukuro sits cross-legged in mid-air watching Tsunami's every move. It was a bit of a shock to him when Tsunami undressed in front of him so easily the first time. Not bothered by his presence at all. He reminded Tsunami of him being in the room and Tsunami replied that it didn't bother her. She explained to him that she was very comfortable in body and that amongst her clan that she had gotten naked in front of non-relatives and it didn't bother them. Mukuro concludes that being part animal Tsunami didn't have human reservations of nudity. Tsunami's body was pleasant to look at, and Mukuro, as one who has a trained eye for detail to make his illusions as real as possible, was a good judge of what is beautiful or ugly. Tsunami was short as most Japanese girls her age were if not shorter. Her skin was a shade paler than most due to her hiding her skin from the sun from head to toe with hats, layers of clothes and gloves. Tsunami had a healthy slim physique. Her diet was of the bloody liquid kind. Mukuro had gone through Futa's book and had run across a ranking of Tsunami's features. Her bra cup size was a 25B. That was a nice size. Plus there was an added note that they grew ½ inch. Her nipples were a lovely rosy color and blended well against her not-so pale skin. Mukuro had seen Tsunami's feral form during that last full moon. Parts of her body grew fur. Her arms became wings and her fur matched her hair. Her torso was still bare down to her lower regions and her legs up to her mid-thigh were also covered in fur. Feral-Tsunami, even through the current fall season, preferred to wear little clothing, though on rather chilly nights she has her two closest friends, Hayato and Takeshi snuggled under the covers with her. As a human, Tsunami was "furry" but it was trimmed nicely. Mukuro had seen Tsunami used her own claws to trim her panty-area, again, she didn't mind Mukuro watching. This went on for a month until it suddenly dawned on the Italian bomber one day, when Tsunami commented that she had never removed her collar even when bathing, that Mukuro had been in Tsunami's presence when she was naked. Tsunami confirmed it and didn't mind. Hayato and Reborn weren't happy about that and insisted that Tsunami removed her collar before bathing and restrain Mukuro inside. Tsunami was confused by their concern and assured them that she didn't mind. Besides, they had seen her naked as well!

Mukuro really appreciated that Tsunami was his "warden" of his crystal bell prison. There was so much to see of her and her world! He was very much entertained while lacking his own body.

Tsunami felt a lot better after her bath. She thanks Mukuro again.

"Oh! I think that's your first good deed!"

"Hmm, something that small counts?"

"Sure, why not? Please remind me when grandpa finally sends me whatever I need to track your good deeds. He's been working on it for a month…"

Her cell phone goes off, her ringtone of prayer bells ringing. A call from home!

"Hello?"

"Hey, Tsu-chan!"

"Hi, Shini!"

"What's going on? How are you and Muku-kun doing?"

Tsunami giggles as she sits on her bed and glances at Mukuro, "Muku-kun and I are doing find. In fact, he ran me a bath to comfort me. I think that counts as his first good deed."

"How sweet!...Wait, why did you need comforting? Something wrong? Were you picked on again?"

"….I don't think I should tell you over the family line, Shini…"

"…Whoa! It's that serious?"

"Shini, what's wrong with Tsutsu-chan?" Tsunami hears her grandmother, Nanako, from a distance.

"Uh…not sure yet…" Shini wasn't sure how to divert her mother.

"Tsutsu-chan, are you okay?" Nanako inquires herself.

"Um, I…" Tsunami stutters.

"Tsunami?"

Uh oh.

"Y-yes, grandpa?" Tsunami grins nervously.

"What's wrong?" Buiiro's rich and deep voice was filled with concern. It makes Tsunami shiver. He was probably hovering over Shini.

"Looks like you got to fess up, Tsunami." Shini too was affected by her father's voice.

"….dad's coming home…"

There was silence on the other line and then…

"WHAT!?"

Tsunami yanks the phone away. Shini, her grandparents and several other family members that were possibly in hearing distance of the conversation yelled through the phone! There was chaos, running of feet, questions being fired over each other's questions.

"THAT BASTARD IS COMING BACK AFTER NINE YEARS! NINE YEARS!?" Buiiro roars over his family.

Nanako tries to calm down her husband but Buiiro was livid. He continues to curse her father's name and she hears him repeat nine years, nine years over and over. His voice becomes quieter and Tsunami suspects her grandmother had dragged him away to properly calm him. Her mother bursts through the door and her face was flushed.

"Tsunami!"

"…I…I didn't want to tell all of them!" Tsunami whimpers.

Nana takes the cell phone and tries to perform damage control. They quiet down quickly and it was a one way conversation between Nana and her sister. Nana doesn't know when exactly Iemitsu would arrive. But the recent postcard from Antarctica Nana received said that he would be home soon. No date or time, just soon.

"Antarctica!?" the Tejinaka speak as one over the line.

"What the hell is in Antarctica!?" asks a male Tejinaka, a much older uncle.

"What does Iemitsu-san do again?" asks a female Tejinaka, another aunt of Tsunami's.

"He works in oil fields," Nana explains.

"…"

"There's oil in Antarctica?" it was Takehiko in the background.

"WHAT ABOUT ANTARCTICA!? WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THAT BASTARD!?" roars Buiiro, back in the room with Nanako and his two other wives along with him.

"Papa!" Nana whines.

Tsunami flops onto her back on her bed. Mukuro was again floating above her curled into a ball trembling and snickering. Tsunami glares at him and swats at his body but he makes himself insubstantial and her hand just phases through him.

"Wow, so your pop is coming home! Bet you're thrilled!"

"I guess…" Tsunami sighs.

"I honestly didn't think he was alive," said Hayato.

"Really?" Tsunami looks at him. "But, he's Mafia. You never heard of him?"

Hayato flushes, "W-well…I…I wasn't that in-depth with the ways of the Vongola…s-sorry, Hime!"

Tsunami shakes her head and sighs deeply, "…He was an odd guy. He wasn't around. He just left me and Mama when I was five. I don't remember him even saying good bye to me…"

Hayato and Takeshi finally realize that Tsunami was not so thrilled about her father coming home. They looked at each other and wondered what they could do for her. Takeshi stops Tsunami, taking her white-gloved hand.

"Say, why don't we hang out?"

"Baseball idiot's right!"

Tsunami's eyes nearly fell out of her head. Hayato agreeing with Takeshi!?

"You need to kick back, Boss! Forget about your family for awhile. Take it from me it keeps you sane!"

"But school…" Tsunami begins to protest.

"It's Sunday! It's only remedial." Takeshi grins. "Let's make it a group thing!"

"Just don't invite any idiots!"

Seeing Hayato and Takeshi getting along for her sake was bewildering for a minute. But she smiles and is happy that they care about her. She thanks them from the bottom of her heart and also thanks the gods for blessing her with such wonderful friends.

It was quite a group Takeshi had formed in half of an hour! Kyoko and Haru had come along, both dressed in casual clothes. The children were also added to the group: Futa, Lambo, Ipin and Reborn. Reborn was perched on Takeshi's shoulders and told her he expected her to work on the classes she was missing out on. Tsunami sticks her tongue out the baby and called him a killjoy with a smile. Reborn smirks at her cheekiness. Futa brings up the idea of going to the arcade. Takeshi agreed and even Hayato was eager to thrash them. He quickly claims Tsunami as his game partner! He remembers from the cruise what a game master she was! Takeshi pouted but said if he won, Tsunami had to be on his team. Hayato was confident that wasn't going to happen. There was several times on the way to the arcade center that they lost Lambo. It only took a few seconds before Tsunami located the little boy steps away from getting into trouble. Reborn was impressed that Tsunami could keep track of the cow-brat's movements amongst the noise of her friends, traffic and other noises of the bustling downtown area. They were getting close to the arcade and Lambo insisted that he wanted something to drink. Now! Tsunami calms the boy down and takes Lambo to a vending machine while the others waited on them. Kyoko joins Tsunami with I-pin at her side.

"Lambo is a handful, isn't he," Kyoko smiles. "But you're amazing with him."

"Thanks. I have a lot of little cousins. If I can handle an entire pack of those little guys, I can handle a rascal like Lambo!"

The girls laugh as Lambo guzzles down his grape juice. Tsunami rubs his back and encourages him to slow down.

"I was relieved when you returned from Kokuyo. I wasn't sure what was going on but when you came back, you didn't seem different. It really eased my mind."

Tsunami smiles at Kyoko. She was about to thank her for her concern but her ears twitches. She heard sounds of explosions from a distance. It certainly wasn't Hayato's explosives, thank goodness. She hears people screaming and yelling.

"Kyoko-chan…"

"Yes?"

"I think we better go…"

Tsunami takes Kyoko's hand and tells Lambo and I-pin to follow. The children does as she says, hearing the seriousness in her voice. The crackling of cement and smashing of glass rings in Tsunami's ears making her turn to a building that explodes with debris flying everywhere. The people in the area scream in a panic and ran! Her eyes catch movement of something large and organic flying out of the destroyed building. Her eyes widen when she recognizes it as a body of a young boy….and it was heading right for her. Tsunami yells as it collides with her. She could have moved but then he would get hurt! It did hurt her when she was flattened onto the ground with the boy on top of her. The impact knocks her hat off her head. The boy groans and sits up over her.

"I'm so sorry!" he apologizes as if he merely bumped her in passing.

Tsunami moans and looks up at him. They both gasp. The boy was a foreigner with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. But what really had her attention was the blue flame on his forehead! The boy was surprised by Tsunami's appearance as well!

"It is thou…"

Tsunami blinks, "'Thou'? Who says that?" Other than some really ancient lesser gods and spirits she had met!

She hears the voices of her friends rushing to her. Kyoko was at her side, shocked of what just happened. Reborn joins the group as well and his eyes are filled with recognition of the boy, still hovering over Tsunami.

"What's he doing here?" the baby asks.

Tsunami hears the emphasis of "he" in Reborn's voice. This was a mafia thing wasn't it? Wasn't it!? She remembers Mukuro and her hand grabs the crystal bell. He was okay!

"VOOOOOOOOI!"

Everyone looks up and at the top of a building and there was a man in black wearing a black overcoat flapping in the wind. He had long, long white hair that whipped around his face like spider webs. A terrible, mad grin shows off his white teeth. His gray eyes were wide with blood lust. On his left hand was a long wide blade.

"I sense a storm," remarks Reborn.