A True Sky

CHAPTER 22: GAP

Sawada Twins, five years old…

“Kids, may I have your attention please?”

The rowdy five-year-olds snapped in attention and scurried back to their seats. The kindergarten teacher smiles that the class assigned to her were not trouble makers. They were easy to teach too.

“Okay today I am going to announce who is our Star of the Month. Are you excited to know who it is?”

“Hai, Sensei!” the class replied almost in perfect unison.

“But we already know who it is again,” a boy sitting in the back said out loud and some students giggled knowing it was true.

“Well, it can’t be help. But all of you know that everyone has an equal chance to be the Star of the Month, right?”

“Hai, Sensei!”

“So now, let’s call and congratulate our little achiever. Please stand up, Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun!” the teacher announced and the class clapped their hands.

A small brunet shoots up from his seat and runs to the front where the teacher hands him a star-shaped certificate. He bows down to the teacher who only pats his head before facing the rest of the students again.

“Class, what should we say?”

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you!”

Tsunayoshi beams at his classmates before he runs back to his seat where a blond kid was seated right beside him.

“Nii-chan, look,” he says while excitedly showing the certificate to his older twin brother.

“Congratulations, Tsu-kun,” the other replied with a brief smile.

The brunet’s smile dropped and he quietly went back to his chair. He forced himself not to pout when his Nii-chan remains facing the board and did not spare him another glance. He also did not tell him he did a good job like he always do. He did not even pat his head.

Tsuna turns to the board with a gloomy aura despite the smile he glued on his face. Their classmates near him on the other hand noticed and was worried why he was so sad.

“Are you okay, Tsuna-kun?” Kurihara Nazuna, a beautiful girl with long strawberry blond hair, asked while looking at him in concern. Tsuna just nod and give the girl a beaming smile making her blush from her seat.

“I-If you say so…” she replied with a smile on her own.

The class goes on with the brunet glancing to his twin from time to time and always finding him focusing on the board. He is getting worried that his Nii-chan is sick again but not telling him. He will ask him later.

“This is it for today. See you tomorrow class. Goodbye!”

“Goodbye Sensei!”

One by one, the student pile out of the room to go with their parents that will pick them up. Tsuna quickly pack his things so he could went out of the room with his brother but Ietsuna still finished packing first and already left the room. He fixed his bag on his back and look around to search for his twin. He found him sitting alone under the waiting shed where they will wait for their mother to pick them up. He was about to run towards him when some parents saw him.

“Oh Tsuna-kun, I heard you’re the Star of the Month again. Congratulations!”

“Thank you Kurihara-san!”

“He’s really an achiever, isn’t he?” another mother of his classmates said while smiling at him. “I wish my Jirou-kun is like you.”

“Jirou-san does well in class too, Tanimura-san,” Tsuna replied, quite embarrassed with all the praises.

“You’re very nice and adorable too, Tsuna-kun. Are you and my son friends?” Mrs. Tanimura asked while pinching the brunet cheeks.

“Hai, we played during breaks. Nazuna-chan too.”

“I wanna take him home. Your mother must be really proud with you,” one said and as if on cue, his mother called for him from the shed.

“Kaa-san! Bye bye, Tanimura-san, Kurihara-san!”

“Bye Tsuna-kun,” the two women replied.

Tsuna’s smile widen with excitement that he have something to show his mother. Maybe he could have a kiss from her again. He rush to her and his brother and he immediately show the certificate he earn in class.

“Oh? Very good. Congratulations,” Nana said and pat the head of the brunet. Tsuna beam at her before he attach himself to his twin’s arm who flinch at the sudden contact.

“Let’s go home then so we could clean the house. Your father will be going home next week!” their mother excitedly announced making the twin cheer, especially Tsuna.

♦

Sawada Ietsuna stare at their classroom door for a minute before he decided to go inside. He was alone that morning after he asked his mother to send him early. He didn’t mean to avoid his brother but he wants to be on his own for now.

“Kudo-san, I think the picture got even harder,” he heard one of his classmate, Jirou, said. Ietsuna look over them and find that they were playing a big picture puzzle on the floor.

“Oh, it’s you Ie,” Ichiro, another classmate in the group, called when he saw him.

“What are you forming?” he asked when he moved a little closer to the four.

“It’s supposed to be a playground but we got confused,” the boy closest to the puzzle pieces, Kondo, explained and show him their work.

“I’ll help”

“Really? Yosh, more people—”

“Good morning, everyone!” a voice cheerfully greeted getting the attention of the playing kids. Ietsuna was the first to turn and find his twin smiling from the doorway and almost immediately, their classmate rush to his side.

“Tsuna-san is the best in this game,” one said and the other agreed.

“Can you help us, Tsunayoshi-kun?” another asked and laid the puzzled in front of the brunet.

“Of course. Eto, what are we forming?” Tsuna asked after kneeling down in front of the puzzle.

“It’s a playground. There’s a big slide on the right and swing on the other side.”

“Okay, let’s do this. Hmm, this looks like part of the slide, this too and this…” the brunet mumbled while moving the pieces around.

“Waah. Tsuna-san is really great!”

Ietsuna quietly went back to his seat having nothing to do anymore and just browse his books. He’ll just study more so he would be liked too…like his brother.

♥♥♥

Let’s answer some of those question on ‘what happen’ to the twin since they were so close when they were young.

Ah, I'm getting impatient with the progress of this story.😡😡

Cielo27deVongola