il dente di leone

Summary: I silently despaired. Why Tsuna? Why couldn't I have been reborn as a dandelion weed? At least then I would have a better chance of surviving! SI!fem!Tsuna

Disclaimer: Alas, I am too poor to own KHR. So nope, you won't want my autograph.

Chapter I: In Which the Main Character Takes After Nana

Ever since the creation of Time and Space, infinite universes began to exist. In Universe #000000, the universe in which all souls pass through first, we know these other worlds as the fiction books we've read or the television series we've watched.

A world about ninjas? A world about witches and wizards? A world about sparkly vampires? Yes, all of those worlds really do exist.

Authors, you see, are the links between our world and the next. Visions of the other universes come to them naturally in snatches, and before long each author has enough information to write a book or a series. However, of course, how the author wants to portray the story is up to them. Events are toned down for the audiences, problems simplified . . .

Following that line of thought, have you ever wondered why some characters from one fandom seem similar to other characters in a different fandom? And no, it isn't because some authors are mooching off the skills of another.

The answer is reincarnation. Yes, reincarnation is real too. The first death we see in the world of ninjas, the boy-who-looked-like-a-girl and manipulated ice? He becomes the peach girl with a bun in the world of shinigami. That carrot-head in the world of shinigami? Well, he became the talented American transferee from the world of physics-defying basketball.

Reincarnation exists.

. . . But I really, really wished it didn't.

"To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

"Curse you! I don't want another adventure!"
― Me

In my previous life, I wasn't a particularly slow person. In fact, I could humbly say that my grades were usually ranked in the top 5% of my classes.

Thus, it was rather embarrassing for me to admit that it had taken me almost a full year before I finally realized that I had been reborn.

The first year of my life was quite boring, for lack of better terms. I couldn't do much at all, except for manly withstanding the cooing of the many adults around me. In fact, I didn't really understand much, if anything at all. Where were my parents? What day was it? Did I hand in my English essay yet?

. . . When I think back on it, it's funny what things stick with you even after you go belly-up.

However, slowly my senses cleared and the ever-present fuzziness in my mind disappeared. Before long, I realized that the people around me were certainly not speaking English. Or French. Or Mandarin. But, despite whatever gibberish they were saying, the language felt familiar to me.

The answer popped into my head one day as I watched a beaming and pretty brown-haired woman tidy my clothes. It was Japanese.

My mind immediately brain-farted at that realization. Japanese? Why was I in Japan? Was I kidnapped? Why would I even be kidnapped? I panicked slightly, catching the attention of the woman who bent over and cooed soothingly.

And then, slowly, small oddities I had previously brushed off in my incoherent state popped into my mind.

I couldn't move my limbs that well. I was tiny, or the people around me turned into giants. I couldn't speak anything but monosyllabic sounds.

Fidgeting slightly to bring a hand to my face, I stared with wide eyes at the tiny limb. My tiny limb.

.

.

.

Oh. My. God.

. . . Why did these things always happen to me?

I had been just a normal girl in the other world. One in a sea of millions.

I had decent grades, like I said before. Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't used to failure. I would get tests where I only just barely pass, if I passed at all. My looks were rather average as well; in the very least I was easy on the eyes. I was short and skinny.

I was normal.

The only interesting thing about me was perhaps the fact that I liked music. Or, more specifically, I liked making music. I had picked up violin from a very young age, and by the time I was halfway through high school, I was good enough to become a teacher.

. . . But not good enough to become a top soloist. And in a world where majoring in medical sciences or business was the way to go, my stint in music remained just that: a hobby.

As I turned into a young adult, I had always wished that I had practised more. That I had put more into my music. I knew I could have gone somewhere with my talent, but I had been just too lazy. Too focused on playing outside when I was younger, too focused on studies when I was older. I didn't have enough time for music any more. It was something I was sure I would forever regret.

If only I had another chance. If only I could go back in time.

But now . . .

I stumbled and pulled myself onto the chair before leaning over to change the radio station to one with classical music.

Now, I really did have that chance.

With my new life, I quickly decided to fix all my previous mistakes. I was going to throw myself into music, and absolutely nothing was going to stop me.

.

.

.

I stood corrected. The Mafia and Reborn were going to stop me.

"Tsu-chan!" A cheerful voice called out. I turned around and immediately stumbled toward it.

"Mama! Here!" I replied with a careless giggle, wobbling half-blindly until I ran smack into my new mother's legs.

Sawada Nana, the pretty woman that was always around me, was apparently my mother. I almost tripped in shock when I found out. After all, Nana looked unbelievably young, perhaps in her early twenties at best. I had originally thought that the woman was perhaps my aunt or even an older sister. It certainly explained why she was so oblivious and unconcerned with her only child.

The smiling woman swooped me up to hold me securely at her hip. I blinked, surprised. Nana's smile looked exceptionally bright that day.

Had something good happened lately?

"Mama?" I asked curiously, cocking my head to the side cutely. Nana squealed before twirling me around in pure glee.

The young woman gushed. "Tsu-chan! Your papa, Iemitsu, is coming home this week!"

The smile froze on my face. Thankfully, my overjoyed mother didn't notice.

You see, I already had my doubts when I found out my name was Sawada Tsunayoshi. But I had just brushed it off as my parents being very overzealous fans. After all, I was female, and the Tsuna from the series Katekyo Hitman Reborn wasn't.

That anime slash manga series was something I had been temporary obsessed with, once upon a time in my old world. I was applying for universities at that time, stressed halfway to death when I decided to procrastinate on my supplementary essays and take a break. Katekyo Hitman Reborn, one of my younger friend's obsession, was that break.

I adored the series as I used it to temporarily relieve stress. But though it was a lovely story, that was all it was. A temporary break. I didn't even get to finish the whole series, stopping around the last arc before I had to go back to running around like a headless chicken to get into uni.

When I heard my full name for the first time, I had felt some apprehension and unease. After all, reincarnation was apparently freaking possible so waking up in a manga could be too. But then I remembered my sex and decided that nahhh, it was just a big coincidence.

Of course, it was then did I find out that my mother's name was Nana.

Okay, fine. I didn't even know my mother's name, sue me. It wasn't even completely my fault! Nana kept calling herself as Mama, and before long that was what I had unconsciously named her as. But when I realized her real name, I froze.

Sawada Tsunayoshi. Sawada Nana.

And now we have a Sawada Iemitsu. If one's an incident, two's a coincidence, then three is a pattern.

I gulped quietly as I plastered on a big smile for my beaming mother. I'll believe it when I see it.

.

.

.

I tried not to gape.

My, er, father, came home, blond, burly, and with a bunch of smelly clothes.

If that wasn't enough for a great first impression, Iemitsu also brought back two additional luggages. And by luggages, I meant the Ninth boss of Vongola and a baby hitman in a fedora.

. . .

Okay, I see it now, but I really don't want to believe it.

Cue mental breakdown even as I smiled winningly into pitch-black eyes.

Why am I the main character?!

Why couldn't I have been reborn as a plant? Or-Or, as the chihuahua on my street?

Heck! Even being reborn as Mukurowl would be better!

"Ciaossu." The baby, the baby, greeted. I tried to not let my smile twitch.

Nana squealed from her perch as she clung to a sweaty Iemitsu (which, by the way, ew). "Oh how cute! He looks only a bit younger than our Tsu-chan."

It was true. I was around three, give or take a few months. Time still flew in a manner that confused me.

Reborn, on the other hand, really looked like a tiny toddler. Like, an one year old toddler. Cute pudgy limps and puffy cheeks included. The manga really didn't give his cuteness any justice.

I eyed the chameleon on his hat warily even as I wobbled forward to go over to the only 'kid' with my age. On one hand, I was pretty sure that even black-hearted Reborn wouldn't hurt a cute child like me. On the other hand, he did despise Iemitsu, and I was the offspring of Iemitsu . . .

Ugh, too late to continue that line of thought. I was already in front of the silent baby.

"Hi!" I chirped, holding his stare with one of Nana's patented smiles. Y'know, the one that made flowers bloom and showered you with sparkles? Yeah, that smile.

Even amazing Reborn wasn't immune to it at full blast and up so close. Plus, since I was a cute toddler, it was even more effective. The tiny hitman blinked twice while even Leon twitched. Haha, did they think I was using Mist Flames or something?

". . . Hello." He answered, sounding rather resigned and bemused. I brightened even more at his words. I knew that tone. It was the tone my old friends usually used on me, the 'I-am-so-resigned-to-life-and-too-tired-to-complain' voice. Which meant that Reborn probably wouldn't tried shooting me when I breathed in his space!

Er, I hope. The glare he received from the Ninth was very reassuring too.

"My, Tsu-chan, why don't you and Reborn-chan go outside to play?" Nana giggled as she still clung to Iemitsu like a koala bear. On my side, I tried to not pale in fear.

Let us go somewhere else without the careful watch of the Ninth, so Reborn could murder me and hide my body? Of course. Thank you so much for throwing me to the wolves, Mama.

But really. How oblivious could the woman be? Letting two toddlers out to play without any supervision? Or maybe Nana was more perceptive than I thought and could already tell that Reborn wasn't a normal baby? Hmm . . .

Grabbing one of my cute bouncy balls, I nodded compliantly. "Okay Mama!" Gesturing for the younger . . . er, older?―baby to follow me (I was so not touching him unless the deadly guy allowed me to), I made my way to the kitchen door.

And then crippling déjà vu hit me. I froze.

Wait. Just wait a minute. Had Reborn ever visited child Tsuna back in canon? Actually, didn't Iemitsu and Timoteo visit Tsuna when he was five? Why were they all here when I was only three? Did I already mess up the timeline or something?!

Urg, I didn't think I was going to be so bad at this!

To be perfectly honest, I wasn't too against changing the timeline (I was not going to be bullied, thank you very much), but I also had to take in the fact that canon Tsuna had a happily ever after. The things Tsuna was involved in; any event could have killed or crippled him or his friends. The Mafia world, despite all the rainbow coloured flames and sparkles, was dangerous.

"Are you going to open the door, or are you going to stand there looking like an idiot?" A voice drawled near my ear with complete sarcasm . . . Never mind the fact that I was three years old and technically shouldn't even understand sarcasm.

Nevertheless, I played my part as a small child, screaming and jumping a foot into the air. The sad thing was that it wasn't even faked.

"Mou," I whined softly as I finally got my heart rate to calm down. "You meanie."

An amused glint sparkled in Reborn's eyes as I opened the door, stepped through, and then turned to him and threw my ball gently. What had happened during the Ninth's visit in canon? Hadn't Tsuna's flames been sealed because he was afraid of the dog on our street?

. . .

Okay, er, I was kind of scared of dogs too . . . even the small ones. It was an irrational fear that was created when my Mom, my real mother, told me that she had gotten bitten by a dog before when I had been young. I never outgrew it.

. . . Oh well. If the dog does come by, I could always go and hide behind Reborn. Because I was so not getting my flames sealed. No sirree. There had been too many headcanons made by fans saying how the sealing was the reason why Tsuna became so, um, no-good. Seeing that I certainly did not want to be no-good, I was not going to risk it.

"Catch?" Reborn asked with a raise of his eyebrow. I silently applauded him; it must have taken him forever to train his chibi facial muscles to do that.

Nodding fervently, I smiled. "Because Mama said outside!"

My speech wasn't all that good, even for a three year old. It was totally not my fault. Japanese was hard, and even as an overzealous otaku I hadn't picked it all up yet. My brain was still too geared to Chinese and English . . . Why oh why couldn't I have been reborn into a dubbed Katekyo Hitman Reborn world?!

"Still, catch?" Reborn repeated again, looking none too impressed. I mentally gulped. Uh oh, was that disdain I heard in his voice?

"Eh, you no like catch? Um. . . then . . . shopping?" I seriously pondered my own words. Nana and I lived a quite cushy and comfy life, so I didn't really know if Iemitsu sent home the bare wages of a construction worker or something more. It was why I tried to never ask Nana for something too expensive, a trait I had a feeling would follow me even as I grew up.

But since Daddy Dearest was here . . . perhaps I could get the one thing I wanted since birth.

"Yes, shopping," I beamed at Reborn as I answered my own question, skipping back inside to inform my parents of my decision. "I want new toy!"

"I thought Tunafish wanted a toy?" Iemitsu said in confusion as he followed Nana into the darling little music shop. Both Reborn and the Ninth ("Call me Grandfather, little one!") followed indulgently.

Nana beamed as she defended my actions. "Tsu-chan must have wanted something from here."

Paying the adults and one baby behind me no attention, I wobbled up to the counter and gave the young man behind it my most sweetest smile. He blinked, a bit dazed from the sparkles, before bending down to my level.

"Why, hello there," the young man said. "Is there something you're looking for?"

I beamed again at the man, who according to the tag on his shirt, was the Namimori Music Shop's manager. Perfect.

"Yes," I said before pointing at one of the tiny violins on display with a smile. "I want that."

Iemitsu spluttered while both Reborn and the Ninth looked surprised. That was probably not something they had been expecting. Pfft, were they thinking that I was going mainstream and would want to buy a piano?

. . . Well, then again, I could brush up my piano skills too . . .

The manager glanced at my smiling mother, probably recognizing her as he sensed no resistance. Looking back at me with new eyes, he hummed and selected what looked to be an 1/8 sized violin and a matching bow before handing it to me.

I almost wept as I held the tiny instrument. It had been so, so long.

"You put your head there, hold the bow like this . . ." The man helped me get into position (wasn't going to blow my cover in front of Reborn, of all people) and before long I was already playing a clear A.

I hummed softly, ignoring the surprised look of the manager as I tried the D string. Any violin smaller than a three quarters would usually sound pretty bad and squeaky. The 1/8 I was holding right now was no different. However, it would have to do until I got my full-size. Hopefully, that won't take me a long time.

Nana clapped her hands together happily as she manoeuvred the still confused Iemitsu to the counter with his wallet. "Tsu-chan has a talent in music! Mama is so proud."

I smiled at that, still relishing the feel of polished wood in my hands. Screw the Mafia. Screw Vongola. I was going to play violin whether they liked it or not. After all, if they didn't want a violin player for their Decimo, then they were more than welcome to find a new one!

Chapter I End

AN: I jumped on the bandwagon. Here, have a SI!fem!Tsuna story. This SI will literally be like an SI, or, well, a buttered up version of me. I'll try my best to talk about my faults, but, well, I'm not sure if I can remain completely impartial. This story was created because I wanted to see how someone like me would fare in the KHR world. I'm as bad as Tsuna in some ways, as a child I would trip down the stairs in any new building I visit. My knees were never free of dried blood. I was supremely clumsy, super easy to scare, etc etc. How would someone like that take over as Tsuna?

Reviews, favourites, follows are all very appreciated. Because this is one of my burner fics, expect very irregular updates. Unless this gets popular. Then I'll feel guilty and write more, hahaha . . . Thank you for your support. /bows/

Musical Notes:

1/16 violins to 1/8 violins are for 3-5 year olds, depending on their arm lengths. Nevertheless, even the 1/4 is quite tiny.

If any of the Vongola guys knew music, they would have been as surprised as the store manager when Tsuna made that first sound. Usually when you first start out on the instrument, you sound like a dying cat.

Starting violin at 3 is more uncommon than starting piano at 3, but its not completely unheard of. It is, however, not too recommended, because it takes longer to get the hang of playing violin and not making dying animal noises, so many younger kids tend to quit before they find their potential! I started when I was 7.