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The Light Between Worlds

Chapter I: The Light Between Namimori and the Sky

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." — Eleanor Roosevelt

Nana first took Tsuna on an aircraft when he was 5.

He didn't know what an airplane was, and Nana didn't think to explain, stressed as she was being an all but single mother traveling alone for Tsuna's fifth birthday which Iemitsu missed. Again.

She thought of her husband visiting their abode and finding an empty house with all the lights shut off— no waiting wife, no squealing son— and felt a burst of vindictive pleasure.

Though of course he wouldn't visit. If he hadn't for 4 years, why would he start now?

But still, it was a pleasant thought.

The problem was Iemitsu loved them in the back of his mind. To Nana, who thought of the man she loved every moment of every day, it wasn't enough. His love was poisonous. If she stayed one more week in that quiet, big, empty house that he had left her and Tsu in and that she had once hoped of filling with children (now impossible, empty dreams), she was going to go insane.

So she had splurged and taken Tsuna on a trip to Kyoto for a week, using the vast deposits in her shared account with Iemitsu that usually stayed untouched by her, who preferred both of them to maintain a modest, humble life. It wasn't a long flight, but it was a flight nonetheless.

Tsuna was Nana's pride and treasure. He was the only, and most important thing Nana had left. He had healed most of the scar that Iemitsu had left her. He was so good, that Nana could sometimes forget the way his doe eyes, peeking through a curtain of long, dark lashes, sometimes lit up a burning amber-gold, instead of his typical hues of warm chocolate and coffee. She could forget the vague way it reminded her of her husband.

But sometimes, she could not forget, and she wondered if Tsuna would abandon her in the same way her wayward husband did because of those eyes.

And the thought scared her, because Nana was possessive.

Tsuna belonged to Nana. Not Iemitsu. He vaguely resembled her husband in his aristocratic features— high cheekbones and piercing eyes— the same ones that had drawn her to Iemitsu, but everything else was Nana's. His slender neck, wrists, and ankles. His tiny waist that to Nana was so huggable. And his coloring was crisp Autumn, like Nana. None of Iemitsu's lying, lazing Summer. Tsuna was hewed from warm shades of amber, caramel, and mocha, with messy dark chocolate curls framing his heart-shaped face. He was guaranteed to melt any heart.

But, Tsuna was Nana's, and she would not let him fly far away like Iemitsu and leave her alone to wait forever, never knowing if he would come back alive or dead.

And that thought terrified her because she knew one day she would have to let him go fly, and she didn't know if she would be able to let him go with a smile… or at all.

Tsuna was babbling about one thing or another, and Nana felt vaguely guilty when his dark, innocent eyes looked at her for an answer to a question she had no recollection of hearing.

"Sorry, Tsu-kun. Mama didn't quite catch that. Could you please repeat it for me?"

Tsuna bit down on his soft, lower lip with his pearly milk teeth and complied. "That's okay, Mama. Tsu knows you've been really busy at the air-air... um... airpoll and that Mama is tired. Tsu was just wondering what an airplane was. Tsu can ask later."

Tsuna was usually good about using first person. Sometimes, though, when he was worried about something, he would switch. Was Tsuna perhaps scared of the plane? That wouldn't do…

"No, it's okay Tsu-kun. It's good to be curious. An airplane… hmm… Mama has an idea. Let's make a deal, ne? You can watch through the window, and then tell me what an airplane is. If you guess right, Mama will buy you a treat."

"What if I guess wrong?"

"Hmmmm," Nana said, pretending to think. "Then I want five kisses from Tsu-kun… and a hug."

"But, I give Mama kissies all the time. It has to be a fair, so Mama should get a treat too!" Tsuna said pouting.

Nana laughed. "Mama just wants kisses from Tsu-kun, so don't worry, it's a fair trade."

Tsuna sighed deeply, giving Nana a look she had often seen on her own face when she thought someone was being ridiculous. "Okay, Mama. But if I win, I want both of us to get a treat," he agreed while grabbing one of her slender hands in his smaller, chubbier one.

"Okay, Tsuna," Nana agreed, kissing his forehead. He nuzzled into her hand with his soft cheek, his warm brown eyes softly looking up at her with complete trust and adoration, (A combo that never failed to bring about a sudden surge of love for her son) then began peering intently out the window, his little legs, not quite reaching the ground, subconsciously rocking back and forth excitedly.

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The plane started zooming like a really big car. Maybe that was what an airplane was, a huge, super fast car. It made sense, but somehow, he doubted it.

The seats started rattling, and Tsuna grabbed Mama's hand tighter. She patted his head once in response, murmuring warm, comforting words. She gave him a piece of gum and told him to chew it so his ears wouldn't pop. Tsuna wasn't sure how ears could pop, but it sounded painful.

He continued staring out the round window, determined to find out what this machine was. Suddenly there was a bump and Tsuna no longer felt the smooth wheels turn beneath them.

They were flying! They were flying! In the sky!

Completely captivated, Tsuna continued watching Namimori grow smaller and smaller in the plane window. The sprawling town beneath them seemed both big and small at the same time. It was amazing. Huge hills were reduced to wrinkles in the fabric of life. Silver lakes glowed like puddles on a rainy day. Ant-like cars lazed through dusty paths, stitched like threadwork across Namimori. They were passing miles and miles of land in minutes.

The axis of Tsuna's world trembled and shifted in the wavering air.

Tsuna felt the kaleidoscope of butterflies in his tummy flutter when they hit a bit of turbulence. He gazed in awe as they drifted through a cloud. The plane was veiled in a shroud of mist. Finally, they broke through the clouds and entered the stratosphere.

It was a different universe.

But it felt somewhat nostalgic. Like a dream he had forgotten.

Tsuna's breath caught. Unexpectedly, his eyes grew damp.

It felt like home.

A flood of unfamiliar emotions rushed through him, and deep within, Tsuna's flames resonated in response, turning his eyes apricot-gold. But he didn't notice, enamored by the world outside the window. A sea of clouds with the miniscule curve of the horizon in the distance. A world above the one he had just left. A world he never wanted to leave.

Wide-eyed with awe, he stared at the window until an air hostess caught his attention. He turned his face towards the pretty lady, blinking a few times with his long lashes to accommodate the difference in lighting and to clear the dreamy world that was etched in the awe of his eyes.

She was asking what drink he wanted.

"Could I please have a glass of apple juice?" he asked, politely, like his mama taught him.

The lady practically cooed, and got out a plastic glass.

Tsuna turned towards Nana, eyes alight with wonder. "Mama, I think I figured it out. An airplane is a flying ship that sails through the sky!" Tsuna explained ecstatically, talking with his hands (another trait from his father).

"Correct Tsu-kun. But it's not like a ship. There's no sails."

"Then how does it work?"

"Ummm. See out the window. There are its wings."

"So it's like birdie-chan," Tsuna said excitedly flapping his hands like wings.

"No, it doesn't flap its wings, someone flies it."

"Oh! Like SuperBot!"

Nana laughed. "Uh, not exactly…"

"Then how, Mama?"

"It's complicated," Nana waved off to hide the fact that she didn't quite know herself.

Tsuna pouted.

"If you'd like, I could give him a tour of the aircraft," the air hostess finally interjected, handing Tsuna his apple juice.

"Really?!" Tsuna asked bright-eyed with excitement.

"Yes, if it's okay with you?" The lady asked, turning towards Nana.

"That would be wonderful," Nana agreed easily, smiling gratefully at the lady.

"I'll be right back as soon as I finish giving everybody their drinks."

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"And this is the cockpit," the air hostess announced as they made it all the way to the front of the plane. Their last stop.

Tsuna gaped at the huge windows that showed an unobstructed view of the sea of clouds and at the dizzying number of twinkling buttons.

The copilot came over, and a relief crew member temporarily stepped in. Tsuna gazed shyly at the adult in the crisp, white uniform with three stripes.

"What's your name, son?" The man asked in a slightly gruff voice.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," he immediately answered. "Nice to meet you," he continued softer. He sketched a bow.

"Nice to meet you, Sawada-kun. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Y-yes… If it's okay?"

The man nodded.

"H-how does the airplane fly?"

The man let loose a startling laugh, a warm sound that reminded Tsuna of thunder. "Well, that's Aerodynamics, son. I can simplify it a little for you if you'd like. When we're in the air, wind catches beneath the wings causing a force called lift. This balances out the downward force of the plane. The plane moves down because-"

"Of gravy, right?" Tsuna excitedly burst, remembering when his mother had explained why when he tripped, he always hit the floor. Realizing he had interrupted, he clapped his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

The man laughed again. "No, you're right. But, it's gravity, not gravy," the man explained chuckling. "Now on the wings we have thrusters. These help move us forward, as their force pushing us forward is stronger than air resistance."

"Thrusters? Like SuperBot?!"

"Yes. Much like SuperBot…" the man said with a little smile. "Any other questions?"

"Yes.. Um, what's air resistance? And how does the wind catch under the wings? It never catches me when I fall. And, what does lift mean," Tsuna asked eyebrows scrunched as he attempted to understand the complex explanation.

"You're cute, kid," the copilot absently commented, patting Tsuna's fluffy head. "Don't worry about it, you'll learn it later in school. Do you have anything else you want to ask me?"

"What do all these buttons do?"

"That would take me hours to explain. Generally, they just help us control the aircraft. If you ever become a pilot, you'll have to learn what every button does."

"I can become a pilot?" Tsuna asked incredulously. How could he, the boy the other kids on the playground called Dame-Tsuna, ever be something so cool?

"Yes, if you study well and work hard, I'm sure you can definitely become an amazing pilot," the copilot answered.

The words echoed in Tsuna's head. Study well and work hard.

They looped around like a broken recorder.

He could do that.

"I have to get back to my job now, but take this," the copilot said, handing Tsuna a small plane. "It's a model of the airplane we're flying in right now," he explained.

"Thank you, Mister! I'll take really good care of it!" Tsuna tumbled forward and hugged the man's leg. He felt happiness course through his veins. Nobody but his family had ever given him anything before. Nobody.

The man patted Tsuna's fluffy hair twice and waved goodbye as Tsuna skipped behind the air hostess and returned to his mother.

.

"Did you have fun?" Nana asked.

"Yes! The copilot gave me a m-model of the airplane," Tsuna said, slightly stumbling over the newer words. He narrated his experience in full detail, spending the longest on the cockpit. When he finished, they sat immersed in a cloud of warm silence together.

"Mama…"

"Yes, Tsu-kun?"

"When I grow up, I want to be a pilot," he announced. He peeked at Nana to see her reaction.

"Hmm, a pilot?"

"Yes. Then I can fly like SuperBot," Tsuna explained seriously.

"Ahh, I see. And will you help people like SuperBot too?"

"Yup. And I'll take Mama with me so we can help people together!"

Nana burst out in laughter that sounded like warm rain. "Okay, Tsu-kun. Make Mama proud, okay? You have to be the best pilot you can be!"

"Okay!" Tsuna replied nodding vigorously in agreement.

The rest of the flight, Nana showed Tsuna how to make paper cranes out of napkins while Tsuna babbled about his tour. Finally, exhaustion took over, and Tsuna slept, his tiny head resting on Nana's lap while she stared out the window in contemplation.

A pilot would be fine, as long as Tsuna took the time to fly home sometimes. It wasn't a job that would turn Tsuna into a ghost, like her husband. A pilot would be fine, she repeated in relief as she decided to encourage Tsuna with all her ability.

Besides, wouldn't her boy look handsome dressed in a pilot's uniform?

Nana giggled trying to imagine the sight.

She continued to smile, even as both of them left the airport clutching gelato in opposite hands and wheeling their bags in the other.

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Hi everyone, Mmrose9 here.

I know it's been a while.

Thank you everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited my previous stories!

So do you think I should continue this? I really wanted to explore this idea. It'll also be my first multi-chapter story on here. (-:

I can't guarantee a proper update schedule. My life is about to get pretty hectic. I will do my best if you guys like it though. So please, tell me what you think below.

I do not own KHR, that honor belongs to the lovely Akira Amano.

EDIT (7/28/17): Fixed some tense issues (Thank you, Verixon).

EDIT (1/16/18): Centering issues

EDIT (5/16/18): Formatting and further tense issues

Thank you so much,

- Mmrose9