When the three of them opened their eyes, they found themselves in a grassy plain. Behind them was a huge rock. They sat up and looked at the sky. Both boys were at awe. Headon said they were inside the tower, so why is there a sky here? Kohaku was busy looking inside the bag, wondering what else was inside. She changed the appearance of the bag into a sling and wore it. She looked at Tsuna and Conan, who are in awe. "Kohaku-san, why is there a sky here? Headon said that we're inside the tower, right?" Conan asked her, still looking at the sky.
"That's because the sky you're seeing is a fake. It's made up of Shinsoo." Kohaku answered. Tsuna and Conan looked at her.
"Fake? The sky we are seeing is fake? And what is shinsoo?" Tsuna and Conan asked.
"Yeah, it's fake. And Shinsoo is a substance that flows through and is produced by the Tower. Each Floor has areas of varying amounts of Shinsoo density, increasing with each Floor. The people here can manipulate Shinsoo too." Tsuna and Conan were about to ask Kohaku a question when a voice cut them off.
"Ahem, ahem. Mic test! Mic test! Ah! Ah! One, two, three. Hello everyone! All of the Regulars who have made it to the tower! We sincerely welcome all of you, to the 2nd floor! This is Evankhell's floor. It is also called the 'Floor of Tests'! Because here we carry out the final test to see whether you are qualified to go up the tower! First, let's start the first test! The first test is simple! I will explain the rules, so listen carefully! The rule for the first test is as follows! There are 400 regulars here! Narrow down that 400 into 200! Try every possible means!" The announcer ended.
"Any possible means? Does that mean we can kill other people?" Tsuna asked. His and Conan's face paled when Kohaku nodded.
Kohaku looked at her Pocket, which is in visible mode. "The numbers are going down fast." she commented.
The strong smell of blood fills the air. Conan and Tsuna's face were a bit green, disgusted by the smell. For Kohaku though, the smell is nostalgic. Conan looked at Kohaku. Her face was calm. Her face says she has killed before. "...Kohaku-san, correct me if I'm wrong but, have you killed before?"
The made Tsuna look at Kohaku. Kohaku, however was just calm. She looked at Conan and answered, "Yeah, I killed someone. Although it was self-defense." The three of them were silent.
"Did you know the person you killed?"
"...yeah."
"Who?"
"My father." Tsuna and Conan were shocked at her answer. Her father? She killed her father? Conan asked a question again.
"Sorry for asking but... why did you kill your father? You said you killed is self-defense. If you don't want to answer, it's fine." She shook her head.
"No, it's fine. I want both of you to know anyway." She told them. "My mother died in a car crash when I was 11, then my father became an alcoholic a few weeks later. My father was fired from his job a few months later. I took care of him. Even though he always hit me. He just hits me. He brought a lot of women at home. A few years went past and I became 15. One day, when I came back home, my father and a woman were arguing. The woman slapped him in the face and went out. My father's face was fuming. So he went to find me. I thought that he will hit me, like usual." She paused.
"But he didn't. Instead, he tried to rape me." Both brunet's were horrified. "He tried to take off my clothes. I fought back. I escaped his hold and went to the kitchen. He went after me. In a panic, I grabbed something, closed my eyes, and pointed at him. When I didn't hear anything, I slowly opened my eyes and saw my father's dead body with a knife embedded in his chest. 'I killed him.' was my first thought. I called the police. They saw the my father's dead body. I was questioned. I told them the truth. They let me go. End of story." She finished.
She saw the guilty faces of the boys and smiled. "Don't worry. It's all in the past. I was alone in that world. But in here, I have you two." The two blushed at her words, but nonetheless, smiled at her. The announcement startled them.
"Mic test! Everyone stay where you are!! The first test is over now! All remaining regulars, stop what you're doing and listen carefully! Any Regulars fighting from now on will be eliminated!!" Kohaku was confused. Are there already 200 people? That's fast. "To the 200 Regulars who passed the first test, congratulations to all of you! It may be a bit rushed, but a second test will be carried out right away!"
"Eh?! Right this second?!" Conan screeched.
"Ha ha! Don't be so disappointed! The next test is really simple! Now here is the challenge for the second test! The challenge is 'Getting Teammates'!! There are 200 remaining Regulars! Among those who remain, find two Regulars to be your teammates! In short, this test is to make a team of three!"
"A team of three?" Tsuna questioned. But the announcer wasn't finished.
"For your reference, we're giving you a five minute limit!" The three of them looked at each other. Kohaku just grinned. "Ok, starting now, make a team of three! Of course, if you don't make a team in five minutes, you are eliminated! Oh, and one more thing. To be considered a team, you need to be touching some part of your teammates' bodies when the time limit is over! So, everyone, good luck!"
The two brunets deadpanned at her. "You knew that this would happen, didn't you?" She nodded gleefully. The two boys sighed while Kohaku looked at her Pocket and saw that they have a lot of time remaining. She tore her gaze from her Pocket and looked at Tsuna and Conan. She held out both her hand. Tsuna and Conan was confused.
"Hand." She said and they immediately understood. Both of them held one of her hands and and the three of them went silent. Conan broke the silence by saying, "Sorry." Kohaku was confused. Why was he saying sorry? He continued, "I made you remember a bad memory." She smiled gently at Conan.
"Don't worry about it. I already made peace with that memory. By the way Tsuna, who was the Vongola Decimo? And what's his or her name?" She questioned to Tsuna. Tsuna jumped at being questioned but nonetheless answered.
"My brother was the Vongola Decimo. His name is Sawada Ieyoshi." He answered. He gazed at the ground, not meeting Kohaku's eyes. She just hummed.
"I see. And what is he like? Your parents?"
"My brother was... manipulative and cunning. He acts nicely around people, including his so-called 'friends'. I think he didn't even consider them friends. His act started when we were... 3, I think? Maybe 4... I forgot. So it was developed for a long time. Only I knew about his act and never fell for it. Although, his acting gave me a lot of trouble. He is very smart and athletic. All of the people in Namimori adored him because he was the 'Bright child', while I was dubbed 'Useless' to everyone, including my family.
"My mother was oblivious, but not dense. She knew what was happening to me, yet she didn't bat an eye. She loved my brother dearly, to the point that she wouldn't pay attention to me. When I tried to her attention away from my brother for a second, she hit me. She said that my brother was more important than me. So I stopped trying to get her attention.
"My father was a ditsy old man. When he comes home from his work, he just greets his family and drinks. I really didn't understand why my mother would marry such a guy. He hasn't visited for a long time and when my mother calls for him to come home, he just laughs and says he's busy. His attention was with Ieyoshi, so I instinctively knew that I wouldn't be able to get his attention."
Kohaku was silent, summarizing the information Tsuna told her. "So Ieyoshi's a manipulative moron, Nana's an oblivious jerk, and Iemitsu's a drunken bastard. Huh, that makes more sense." Tsuna spluttered and Conan laughed at her words. She smiled. "Tsuna, don't worry. You have both of us now." Conan nodded at her words. When Tsuna heard that statement, a tear rolled down his face. Both Kohaku and Conan blinked and panicked. Tsuna was crying. How can they not panic? Tsuna wiped his tears with his vacant hand.
"Thank you, Kohaku-san, Conan." He smiled. Kohaku and Conan looked at each other and grinned. "No problem."
"The second test is over!" The announcer exclaimed. "Those who have made a team, keep holding on to each other! The three people holding each other at this moment are considered a team! You'll be sent to the next test spot!"
"So the test is done?" Conan questioned. Kohaku snorted.
"Like hell it is. This is just the beginning."
Tsuna looked at Kohaku and commented, "Kohaku-san, you're really nice." She blinked at that comment.
"What makes you say that?"
"I don't know. Just a feeling. You'd make a good mother."
"...I have no words. Like really, no words." She was speechless. She'd make a good mother? Her?
"At this moment, I'm not gonna be surprised if I called you 'Kaa-san', even if I just met you today." She gaped.
"Me too." Both heads turned at Conan. "I won't be surprised if I called you 'Kaa-san'. You're nice. I already threw away my identity as 'Kudo Shinichi' when I came here. So I'm just 'Edogawa Conan'." Tsuna and Conan looked each other, thinking the same thing. They turned at Kohaku and eagerly asked something that almost made her faint on the spot.
"Can you be our mother?"
"Eh..? M-me? Your mother? Eh?" They nodded. "I-I don't mind, but why?"
"Like we said, you're nice. And also considerate." Conan commented. "So can we call you 'Kaa-san'?" Their eyes were sparkling. They looked like they were puppies. For some reason, she thought about Gokudera.
"Yeah, you can." She said. The both of them celebrated.
"Take care of us, Kaa-san!" They said at the same time. She sweatdropped. She needs to be used to it. And soon.
"Yeah, take care of me too." She smiled.
::
The three of them went inside on Evankhell's Mothership. The others murmured about how powerful the others were. Kohaku was looking for Bam and his teammates.
"Kaa-san, are you looking for someone?" Tsuna asked.
"Yeah. I was looking for Bam and his teammates. I guess I'll see them later." She said. A few minutes later, a fight broke out. Or more like an argument that will become a fight soon enough. She sighed. "These guys have a death wish. Lero Ro's coming soon." Right when she said it, Lero Ro appeared.
"Did you not understand? No fighting during break time." The fight stopped. "You didn't take my words seriously, did you, Regulars?"
"Who's this guy? He looks like a cricket! Do you want to die too?" A guy tried to attack him but was stopped by someone.
"S-stop! I think he's..!"
"I'm the test administrator, Lero Ro." He introduced himself.
Test administrator? Tsuna turned to his mother -His mother. It feels right- and asked, "Kaa-san, what's a test administrator?"
"A Test Administrator is someone who oversees the Tests on a Floor. An administrator is a paid job that Rankers usually take. A test administrator's main function is to keep the absolute rule of the Tower, specially to oversee the Test guidelines to Regulars climbing the Tower. Test Admins wear a "House badge" which is either worn or sewn onto their clothing which identifies them as an Test Administrator." She answered. Tsuna just 'Oh'ed and turned back at the fight.
"Test... Administrator? Then, you are a R-Rank..." The guy stuttered.
"Yes. I'm a Ranker of the Tower." Lero Ro confirmed. The fight stopped.
"Hey, Kaa-san," Conan called. Kohaku hummed, telling him to go on. "what's a Ranker?"
"Hm, well, Rankers are people who reached the top of the tower, which is currently the 134th floor. Well, there is a 135th floor, but due to the difficulty to climb that place, only the High Rankers are allowed to try it. Only one or two out of thousands of Regulars get to be Rankers. They've got a crazy amount of power. One that we currently don't have. So to summarize it, they're amazing people." Tsuna and Conan were at awe. The way Kohaku said it, they sound pretty powerful.
"Regulars, over here! Please focus!" All people turned to Lero Ro. "I will explain the next round! Before that, to give you some brief information about myself, I'm your Test Administrator, Ranker Lero Ro! Nice to meet chu!" He smiled brightly. Kohaku snorted silently. This was too funny. "Now that you've had some time to rest, let's move on to the next test! But before that, there will be a little pretest." Kohaku huffed. 'Pretest' her ass. "For your information, those who don't pass this pretest... cannot take the next test." The people murmured to themselves. "Ha ha! Don't worry! It is a really simple pretest! Relax." He stretched his hand. "Alright, let's begin the pretest. Ok, this way and that way," He shook his hands. "here and there, and everywhere. And boom!" Then a burst of Shinsoo pushed them away.
When Kohaku, Tsuna, and Conan opened their eyes, they weren't surrounded by people anymore. Kohaku heard Lero Ro's explanation. Both Tsuna and Conan listened to Lero Ro. They heard someone shout. The three of them ignored them. Then someone beside them spoke up.
"Um, sorry Mr. Lero Ro. Um, I-I don't know why, but I wasn't pushed out." The three of them turned their heads to see who's beside them. Kohaku's eyes widened. It was Bam. "Um, to take the test, I should go out and come back in, right?"
"Then, isn't that the same for us?" Kohaku said to Lero Ro. Bam was startled. He didn't notice that there was someone beside him. Lero Ro was intrigued. There were 4 people that didn't get pushed.
"No, it's fine. The four of you are in. I think I made a mistake, but that is also part of your luck. You've passed, Mr. Bam, Mr. Conan, Mr. Tsunayoshi, and Ms. Kohaku." He said with a smile. A lot of people shouted.
"Come on Tsuna, Conan. Let's go sit." Kohaku said to the both of them. They nodded and followed her. They sat down beside Bam.
Lero Ro looked at the four of them and had a thought.
'Looks like monsters have arrived.'
::
A/N:
Well, here is another chapter. How was it?
Let me know what you guys think.