To Be A Normal Kid DISCONTINUED REWRITING

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine: Night One: Memories of the Past

After their lesson in Italian table manners, the class had been subjected to another three lessons on manners in general. They ranged from polite conversation to meeting royal equivalents. By the time dinner was served in the main dining hall - they'd skipped over lunch - the students had lost all ability to function as they had at the beginning of the day. It was entertaining to the Vongola Staff, but they didn't say a thing about it. At least dinner would be quiet?

Of course, they were wrong. As soon as the group of students had food placed in front of them, almost all of them dug in, forgetting all of the manners that they'd been taught for the entire day. Tsuna couldn't help but feel bad, but that was the least of his worries.

"Did you forget what you were taught?" Brow Nie Jr. scolded the class after they were done eating, "You should all be ashamed." He sighed and left the room. "An entire day wasted."

***

It wasn't until after everyone had gone to sleep. that Tsuna pulled out his phone again. It was weird, having to pretend to be something he isn't all day, but it was probably for the best. His concern at catching the attention of the Vongola Family was genuine, but playing the part of a scared mouse in a kennel of cats was easier and more ignoreable than if he were to be himself. He hated being around people, though, so it was a bit draining.

Honestly, it was a reprieve at the end of the day when his classmates all fell asleep. This was the only time he'd get to drop his mask. He knew he had to be careful, though. Sun-chan was watching him, and so was Vongola Nono and his Guardians. It wouldn't be a surprise to find cameras watching the class on top of the Guardian's teaching them.

With his phone in hand, Tsuna sent a quick message to the group chat he had with Shoichi and the Varia. It was a summary of how his day had gone. He had left out the full conversations, but he made a point to include what he'd told Chrome in its own little paragraph. Getting Mukuro out of Vendicare was important to Chrome and it was important to him. What was important to him, he knew his friends - however short the amount of time they'd known each other - would deem important as well. Would they help him? Maybe. If not, he was sure he'd find a way.

"What an eventful day!" Lussaria was the first to respond.

"'Eventful' is definitely a word." Shoichi was next, "Probably not the word I'd use, but it's definitely a word."

Mammon, surprisingly, jumped in at that point, "We're in Italy. Don't do anything stupid."

"Shouldn't I be telling you that?" the brunet teased.

"Oh? Since when do you have audacity?" That one was from Squallo's number, but it didn't seem like something the man would send.

"Shut up, brat." Definitely Xanxus. "We're gonna pay the mansion a little visit. The brat Reborn is training left Namimori before we could fight him. It's only fair we come after him."

"We're a class of civilians."

"If that actually mattered, you guys would have never left Japan."

"...I hate that you're right."

It was then that Lussaria interrupted, obviously having had the message already typed and ready to send, "It's about time you got some sleep, hun. We'll talk more tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright." he agreed, "Can you at least give me a warning before you show up? Just so I can mentally prepare myself."

"Get some sleep, brat." Good ol' Levi.

Tucking his phone away under his pillow, Tsuna turned his back against the wall. He knew Reborn was probably awake, but he couldn't feel anything watching him. That didn't mean he was going to relax, though. Italy was a dangerous place for him and being back in the country was bringing up a lot of unwanted memories. With a soft sigh, he let himself fall into a state between awake and asleep. He knew he'd wake up if he was in danger.

***

His dream was one that felt more like a memory. It was as though he was seeing it from an outsider's perspective. Though he knew it was his own, he didn't remember most of this particular series of events.

He was in the cells in the laboratories with his big brother and little sister. He heard the call to get out, so he did. They got to safety, but left before the adults could spot them. It was cold. Snow? Snow. It was very cold, but anything was warmer than the floor they'd slept on.

They walked the streets of Italy, sleeping in alleyways and stealing what wouldn't be missed to survive. He'd found money one time and they'd gotten to buy fruit for breakfast. Then the man spotted them and they ran. He'd gone back to him after his siblings fell asleep and let the man take them home. He didn't go with them. They deserve to be happy and warm. He'd only bring them down.

Where the blank normally was, he found himself in a castle. It wasn't decorated royally and gave off nearly the same feeling as the Vongola Mansion. There was a group of people who looked a lot like the people Sawada-san usually surrounds himself with. Sun-chan was an adult.

He ran around the castle, playing with the Vongola Guardians and Sun-chan. He liked sitting with Hibari-san. He was mad at Lambo-san, though, because he knew how to send him home. Was it really a home, though? THe streets of Italy could hardly be called that.

There was a blue cloud and he found himself in Japan. It was the house he now lives in. How had he gotten there? He was in Italy, then he was in a castle, then he was in Japan. He'd wondered how it had worked for a long time before he brushed it off as a miracle of some kind. Those were rare, so he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

There were several things in the house he now called his home. Food, electricity, running water, extra money, a card, and a phone. Who had left these? Probably the same person who left the note on the table. "Make me proud." it said. Make who proud? The person who gave him this stuff?

"No emotions, no attachments, no trust." he whispered to himself, or had it been whispered to him? "When did that change?"