Iemitsu and Nana have been together for many years. They've been madly in love with each other the second their eyes met. It was meant to be. After a year of dating passed, Nana told Iemitsu about something important. She had a child, a girl named Yona. She took after her grandmother since they both have light brown hair and deep brown eyes. She was almost four. Despite that, Iemitsu still accepted Nana and her child. Though, Yona never liked Iemitsu mostly because in Yona's mind, he was taking her mama away from her. It wasn't long after dating that the two got married. Everyone was happy. Nana's parents thought Iemitsu would be good for Yona. She needed a father in her life to guide her through life and protect her. At the wedding, Yona was miserable and stayed with her grandparents so Nana wouldn't have to worry about her. Yona just glared at Iemitsu the entire time. He knew that and ignored it. Shortly after the wedding, Nana was pregnant. Unfortunately, it was announced on Yona's fourth birthday. Instead of being happy like most kids her age, she was devastated. She did not want to be a big sister. For the rest of her party, she just sat and pouted. It was cute. Nana thought Yona would eventually get over it. It was normal for any child to have this kind of reaction.
"Give him away." Yona said to Nana while she was holding Tsuna.
"Honey, we can't. He's your little brother." Nana said softly. She had just got home from the hospital.
"So?"
"Yona, he's part of our family. We can't give him away." Iemitsu said.
Yona looked right at him and snarled. Nana sighed. Hopefully, Yona will get along with Iemitsu. A year passed and Yona started school. Every parent teacher conference, Nana and Iemitsu would always hear how kind and smart her daughter is. It warmed Nana's heart to know Yona was getting along well with her classmates. One day, Yona handed Nana a piece of paper.
"What's this?" Nana asked and picked the paper up. It was a permission ship for a talent show. "Oh! What did you want to do?"
"Sing." Nana chuckled at how serious Yona was. She's never sung in front of anyone, not even her own mother, before and now she wanted to sing in front an audience.
"What are you going to sing?" Nana asked as she signed her name down.
"It's a secret." Yona took the paper and ran to her room. A few weeks came and so did the end of the school year. Nana, Iemitsu, and Tsuna sat in the back and watched the performances for every student. It was a small graduation for their first year in school. When Yona walked up, Nana hit Iemitsu's arm in excitement.
"Start recording! Yona is up!"
"I got it."
Yona looked serious when she looked at the audience. The peaceful music of a child's lullaby clashed with her expression. It made everything cuter. To Nana's surprise, Yona's voice was good for her age. She was on pitch with every note and didn't seem to be nervous. During the middle of Yona's song, Tsuna started acting up. Some parents looked at them. Nana had no choice but to leave the room to calm Tsuna down. Iemitsu saw Yona's eyes follow her mother with shock. She seemed heartbroken. When the song was over, everyone clapped and Iemitsu ended the recording. Nana wasn't back until the very end of the graduation. Yona refused to go to Iemitsu and instead went to find Nana. When they all reunited, Iemitsu drove them home.
"Your song was beautiful, Yona." Nana said in the car.
"You didn't hear it all."
"I'm sorry. Your brother was being fussy. I had no choice."
"Iemitsu could have brought him out." Yona rebutted.
"He was recording so we can watch it when you're grown up." She scoffed and ignored them all the way home. This went on for a couple of days. They didn't expect Yona to keep it up this long. It was commendable.
Eventually, Yona stopped her cold shoulder streak and acted normal again. Nono went over for vacation to see Iemitsu and his family four years later. After all, he's heard many good things about them. When he arrived at the airport, he could see Iemitsu and Nana. They looked like a very happy couple. That's when he saw Nana's daughter Yona holding a doll in her arms. Her light brown hair made it seem like she could pass as Iemitsu's daughter. She didn't look too thrilled to be there. And then there was the trembling boy behind Nana's legs.
"How was your flight?" Iemitsu asked.
"It was wonderful. You two seem happily married." Nono commented. Iemitsu put his arm around Nana with a big smile.
"Well, she's the best woman and mother in the world. There's nothing that makes me happier than her." Nono noticed how Yona glared at Iemitsu. Nono warned Iemitsu that rushing into marriage with Nana would be a mistake. He needed to take time to bond with her daughter because this would happen.
"Tsuna, come say hi." Nana said, gently dragging Tsuna in front of her.
"H-hello." Yona rolled her eyes at her brother. Nono knew this reaction well since it was the same reaction Xanxus had with his step-brothers. It was cuter on Yona than it was Xanxus.
When they all arrived to the house, Tsuna went out to play. "Yona, go watch your brother to make sure he doesn't get hurt."
"Okay."
When Yona left the room, Iemitsu brought Nono upstairs to his room. "Your children are adorable." Nono commented.
"Thank you. They can be a handful at times."
"How is your relationship with Yona?" Iemitsu sighed.
"She hasn't warmed up to me at all. I've tried, but nothing has worked."
"I told you to create a bond with her before you married Nana. You need to figure things out. Xanxus started out like her." Iemitsu froze and looked at his boss with unease.
"She won't turn into someone like him. Any hint of her flame is dormant." Nono shook his head.
"Trust me, Iemitsu. She will turn on you the second your back is turned. Do not mess this up."
Downstairs, Nana was humming while she made everyone lunch. She looked out and saw Yona teaching Tsuna how to catch a ball. It was nice to see them getting along. The men came back downstairs and sat in the living room. They saw the kids playing. Yona wasn't teaching Tsuna how to catch. She was just throwing the ball at him. Tsuna tried his hardest to catch, but the ball bounced off his face into Yona's hands. Iemitsu sighed and held his head. He has a lot of work.
Since Iemitsu came into mama's life, I knew he was bad news. There was something about him that was unpleasant. He had a stench I didn't like. The only one that noticed was grandma and she saw I noticed as well. Iemitsu tried to play with me to get close. I knew he was only doing this to get to mama. I'd be alone a lot more with Iemitsu in the picture. Mama always went on a date every day. Grandpa was out playing cards with his friends and grandma was reading. She did give me a doll to play with. She had short black hair with blue highlights underneath her hair. She had light blue eyes and a dark blue dress. She was pretty. I still remember what grandma told me.
"This is Aya. She'll protect you and be there for you whenever you need her. She likes to dance."
Grandma talked like the doll could come to life. I didn't believe her, but still graciously took the doll. She was beautiful after all. I'll treasure her. Grandma and I looked alike. I only had mama's eyes. I hardly knew what my real dad looks like. All I remember is the smell of alcohol and mama's muffled cries of help. She told me not to tell anyone, but I told grandma. After I did, he suddenly disappeared. Mama never cried since and even Iemitsu hasn't made her cry. At least, he hasn't yet. I can't let my guard down around him.
When they got married, I sat on grandma's lap the entire ceremony with Aya. I wasn't the flower girl like mama wanted me to be. Instead, they had one of Iemitsu's relatives do it. I remembered it being a big event. There were a lot of weird people. They gave off the same stench as Iemitsu. Grandma knew I was on edge and let me go outside to play when it was around dinner time. I was alone and I'm sure no one noticed. I held Aya in my hands and moved her arms around. I loved her smile.
"What are you doing outside?" I looked and saw a baby with a hat and a reptile. He put me on edge. I didn't like it. It was worse than Iemitsu's presence. It made my heart race anxiously. "Why aren't you replying?"
"Mama said it's not good to talk to strangers."
"I'm a friend of your papa's." I looked at him and shook my head.
"My papa isn't here anymore. He disappeared."
"You don't think of Iemitsu as your papa?" He asked with surprise.
"He isn't my real papa." I replied, putting my attention back on Aya.
"Is that your doll?" I nodded. "What's her name?"
"Aya." The baby looked at the doll and hummed.
"She looks scary."
"She isn't scary. Look, her smile is pretty." I showed him Aya.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I knew he didn't get it. No one would but grandma did.
"Yona!" I looked up at grandma. "Come in and eat. Make sure you bring Aya with you. She needs to eat too."
Reborn took note of Yona's presence. She wasn't like the other kids running around. She had a sense of caution and did her best to conceal her presence. Iemitsu told Reborn of Nana's past and knew Yona was the byproduct of abuse. Her actions said it all. He only wanted to see what kind of child Yona was since she might be introduced into the family. Sometimes, children are more perceptive than adults and Yona was one of them. She didn't even acknowledge Iemitsu as her step-father or even anything other than Iemitsu.
"What are you doing outside, Reborn? Did you want some fresh air?" Fon asked, walking out. He was another arcobaleno that came out of respect.
"I wanted to meet Yona."
"Ah, Nana's child. How did it go?"
"She was immediately weary of me the second I showed myself."
"I'm sure that's why she came outside. Everyone's presence got too her." A couple minutes passed and Yona came back outside. She saw Reborn and Fon and went the opposite direction. She was in a position where she wouldn't be able to completely see them. However, she made the conscious decision to see them from the corner of her eye. Reborn and Fon looked at each other.
"You can tell she doesn't trust anyone here other than Nana and her parents."
"Not even Iemitsu?" Fon asked with surprise.
"Idiot moved too fast and now doesn't have a connection with Yona."
When I found out I was going to be a big sister, I wanted to run away. I knew nothing would ever be the same. I'd be the forgotten sibling. Mama would love the baby more than me because the baby was made out of love. At least, I had Aya. When Tsuna was born, I felt threatened. I wanted them to take him back, but I couldn't have that. Every night, Tsuna would cry more and more. The walls were too thin. I could hear everything, even the softest of footsteps. I covered my head with a pillow when I'd wake up to crying. It was annoying, but I managed. A couple year passed and Tsuna stopped crying in his sleep. I was thankful for it. I was even in elementary school. It was boring and a lot of the boys mocked me for having Aya with me. The girls thought Aya was freaky and possessed by a demon. This resulted in me not having friends, but I didn't mind. During summer vacation, we went to the airport to pick up Iemitsu's dad. I wish I could have stayed home. Tsuna was nervous like usual. I hated his timid nature. When I finally met Iemitsu's dad, I got a bad feeling from him. I didn't like it at all. It was intoxicating.
When we got home, mama wanted me to play with Tsuna. So, I tied to teach him to catch. Though, Tsuna never was good at coordination. It'd be a miracle if he survived through elementary school. Every time I threw the ball, it'd bounce off his face and back into my hands. It was fun. I stopped when I saw a dog in the yard. I put the ball down and approached the small pup. I put my hand out for it to sniff me. It immediately liked me and allowed me to pet it.
"Good boy."
Tsuna ran over to see the dog. Weird enough, the dog attacked Tsuna. He fell onto his back and screamed as the dog stood on his chest, barking at him. He didn't try to bite. Iemitsu came out with his dad. The dog got off Tsuna and stood in front of me.
"What's going on?" Iemitsu asked, looking at me.
"The dog barked at him." I explained. They noticed how the dog was protecting me.
"Do you know this dog?" Iemitsu asked.
"I think he's one of the neighborhood dogs. He just walked into the yard." The dog was shooed off.
"Go inside, Yona. We'll take care of Tsuna." I went inside. A minute later, I forgot I kept Aya outside. I ran out and took her. "Yona?" Iemitsu's dad questioned.
"I forgot Aya."
"I see. Do other girls in your class play with dolls?"
"No."
It's been only three days and the stench has covered the entire house. I hated how it made me feel. Even mama acted differently. She was more of an airhead than usual.
"Mama, how long is Iemitsu's dad staying here?" I asked mama while she was having me help cook.
"Yona, that's your grandpa. He's staying for two weeks." I groaned. "Do you not like him?" She asked.
"I don't like his smell."
"Yona." Mama said in a dangerous tone.
"It's not like that, mama. It's the way grandma smells." Mama went from lecture mode to depressed.
"I'm sorry, Yona. Your grandma told me you were like her in every way. I didn't expect it to be like this." There was something about grandma mama didn't like. I could see it on her face.
"I'm sorry, mama. I won't talk about it anymore."
"You can talk to me about anything. I'll try to understand as much as possible." I knew she wouldn't understand even if I explained it. It would be the last time I'd mention the smell to her. I'd only worry her. I didn't want to do that to her. I told Aya everything like I usually do. Even if she never spoke, I felt like she understood what I was saying.
The next day, we all went to a park for a picnic. Tsuna was playing in the sand with other kids. We were being watched from the shadows and it scared me. I kept Aya close to me.
"Do you want to go play, Yona?" Mama asked.
"No."
"We came to the park so you can play, Yona." Iemitsu said. Was he trying to make me guilty for not playing?
"You don't have to play if you want, Yona. Don't listen to my idiot son." Iemitsu's dad said.
I stood up and went to play in the sand. I left Aya with mama so she wouldn't get dirty. There were other kids playing, but they all avoided me. I noticed some kids from my class. They all thought I was a baby for having a doll. Nevertheless, I still played in the sand. I mostly drew various things in the sand. I noticed something moved and looked at the trees. I went back to mama.
"What's wrong, Yona?"
"I want to go home."
"Why?"
"I don't feel safe." I got a reaction from Iemitsu.
"What do you mean? No one here will hurt you." He said. I shook my head.
"The trees are moving." I said quietly.
"Of course, they are. The wind is moving them." Mama said with a chuckle. I shook my head and took Aya.
"I'm going home." The adults looked at me and then each other. Mama handed me the key.
"Be careful. Don't talk to strangers."
"I know." I grabbed the key and left.
On the way home, I noticed I was being followed. My walk turned into a run when the stench got too much. I bumped into someone and fell.
"Oh my." I looked up and saw a tall man with black hair. There was a boy around my age with him.
"Watch where you're going." The boy said in a cold voice.
"I'm sorry." I got up and looked behind me to see if that strange smell was following. The man crouched down to my level.
"What's wrong, child?"
"Mama said not to talk to any strangers." The man chuckled.
"I'm not stranger. I am the protector of this town."
"Protector?" He nodded.
"Will you tell me what happened?" He asked again.
"I feel like someone is after me. They've been watching all day." The boy let out a small gasp.
"How do you know that?" The man asked.
"I…I can smell them."
"What do they smell like?" I groaned. He wouldn't understand.
"It's hard to describe. Only I can smell them. They were in the trees in the park." The man rubbed the top of my head. He smiled gently.
"Were you scared?" I nodded.
"I don't know where they are now, but they're still watching me. I just want to go home where I'm safe."
"I'll bring you home then." He stood up and held his hand out. I took it and felt how warm his hand was. "Let's go."
When we got to my house, I took the key out. "Well, Yona, do you smell those people here?" Kazuma Hibari asked me.
"No. They're probably watching mama and Iemitsu."
"Is that so? I'll look into those weird people and take care of them. I don't want you to be scared in this town."
"Thank you." I bowed and entered my house. Inside, I went to the phone and called grandma.
"Hello?"
"Grandma, I need help."
"Is everything alright? Did your mama get hurt?"
"They're all at the park. Everything stinks." There was a small silence.
"You're special, Yona. You're just like me."
"I'm scared. It's suffocating me."
"When I have time, I'll have you stay with me. I'll help you."
"Thank you, grandma." When I got off the phone, I sat on the couch and watched cartoons with Aya. When everyone came home, Tsuna ran in to watch cartoons with me.
"I'm glad you got home safely." Mama said.
"Hibari walked me home." Mama looked surprised.
"They did?"
"Kazuma walked me home with Kyoya." I elaborated.
"That was awfully nice of them."
"They're kind people. They keep everyone in Namimori safe." I said, keeping my attention to the television. Mama kissed the top of my head before going into the kitchen with Iemitsu and his dad. Tsuna leaned against me while we watched our cartoons. I didn't mind him when he was being quiet. It helped that he looked like mama.
Soon, Iemitsu and his dad left to the airport. Before leaving, Tsuna and I were given gifts. Tsuna got a toy while I got a red ribbon for me and Aya. I appreciated it, but it was unnecessary. Tsuna and I were going to the park to play. He wanted to show his friends his new toy. He held my hand tightly with a smile on his face. I noticed we were being followed.
"Do you like your new toy, Tsuna?" I asked him.
"I do! I'm sad you didn't get one."
"He isn't my real grandpa, Tsuna."
"Papa told me." We were almost to the park. The stench was getting stronger, thicker. My grip on Tsuna's hand got tighter. "What's wrong, Yona?" I stopped walking and saw a man in a suit walk out from the corner.
"Hello, children."
"Hello." Tsuna said cheerfully. I pulled Tsuna closer to me. Could he not see that man was dangerous?
"I'd like to speak with you, Tsuna. It's about your papa. He and your mama were hurt. I was sent to bring you to them."
"Papa and mama are hurt?" Tsuna asked with tears welling up in his eyes.
"They are. Let's go, Tsuna. I'll bring you to them."
"Okay." I tugged Tsuna back to me before he walked to the man. "Yona?" I didn't answer him and started running. "Where are you going?" Tsuna asked.
"That was a bad man, Tsuna. He was going to hurt you." His eyes widened.
"What about mama and papa?" I bit my lip.
"I don't know. We just have to keep running, okay? Only trust me."