Title: Sun
Author:
shiegraFandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Pairing: Sawada Tsuna/Sasagawa Kyoko
Spoilers: general spoilers for the existance of the most recent arc, but other than that I've tried to keep specific spoilers about how the actual events interact with the story pretty vague.
Email:
HERE Tsuna one day returns home to find that Reborn, an Arcobaleno baby assassin, has come to train him to be the Vongola's Tenth leader. While he is distinctly unwilling, the Dying Will Bullet--a bullet that brings you back to life, super enhanced and lacking in clothing as long as you die regretting something--and Reborn's other mysterious methods bring havoc into his life until he is caught up despite himself.
Sawada Tsunayoshi
Dying Will!Tsune
Tsuna...is a loser. He's bad at sports, he's bad at schooling, he's bad with girls; but more importantly, he's a coward. There is little of the 'hidden bravery when his friends are in danger!' in evidence in the start of the series. His first reaction to anything is 'no' and 'why me' and general whining. When he realizes something might go wrong his response is to not even show up, or "just go home" with little regard for the people who've asked him to help out. Despite this he's not a bad kid; just one who has a lot of growing up to do who might turn out right if guided. And Reborn is determined to guide him, if in a direction he doesn't want to go. The only reason, he explicitly states at the beginning of the series, that he even goes to school is to see her.
Sasagawa Kyoko
Kyoko both is and is not your typical shounen heroine; she's cheerful and good natured, yes, but there's a little more to her than that. She also is presented as incredibly dense at times, but as a manga that is significantly comedic, everyone but Tsuna and Reborn act incredibly stupid at least a couple times, and to the extent that I'm not sure if obliviousness-by-way-of-plot-point really counts as canon.
When we first meet her, she's surprised that something her friend Hana and she are discussing is unusual. Her friend affectionately says 'what a wierd girl!' That trend continues; she has an almost alarming habit of taking people squarely at face value and is very good natured and accepting of strange things. When Tsuna, possessed by the Dying Will Flame and wearing only boxers, confesses to her she's alarmed--as anyone would be if a nearly naked guy who's on fire leaps down and shouts 'PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME'--but when she sees him again, she apologizes for getting scared and running away. Not that she's a pushover; when her jackass boyfriend challenges Tsuna and names her as a 'prize', her friends have to grab her to stop her from going after him. She's also pretty perceptive; out of everyone except Reborn, she was the only who figured out I-Pin was a girl 'the minute [she] saw her'. So I'd say that's a vote against 'stupid'.
CANON
Canon is pretty plentiful. The only reason he's actually motivated to do anything in the beginning part of the series is because of her, and this trend continues. When Reborn comes up with crazy schemes, frequently he recruits Kyoko who willingly goes along because of that open mindedness I mentioned earlier, (which can go to scary extent) and by proxy involves Tsuna.
So I'll just pick a few. First the
The Russian Roulette Incident which isn't the most intelligent display ever but trust me, everyone frequently has an attack of irrational stupidity in this manga, Kyoko just gets less opportunity to show her intelligence away from the 'comedic' moments.
First, Kyoko comes over to his house to visit Reborn--there's a story behind that, but not relevant--and Tsuna's mother comes in, misinterprets it in the inevitable manga fashion and apologized to Kyoko for having such a 'no-good-son' for a boyfriend. Embarrassment ensues as Kyoko protests and Tsuna scolds his mother, and after she exits there's something of an awkward silence. Reborn suggests a game: Russian Roulette in true mini-hitman fashion. He says there's a fake bullet on a spring in the gun; he even demonstrates, but then obviously switches to the dying will bullet, resulting in the picture above. Tsuna is furious with Reborn--showing his first true display of backbone against his 'tutor' since he learned exactly who Reborn was--but no worries; looks like Kyoko
had a dying regret after all. She
heads out to fix it, the Dying Will bullet's benefits lending to
this scene. Reborn eventually heads off the demolition by knocking the Dying Will bullet out of her head so that she'll think it was just a dream, and while Tsuna agonizes over the fact that Kyoko's dying regret was apparently to contradict that his mother thought he was her boyfriend, Kyoko at home offers a
different perspective.
Next: The Zoo incident. Reborn decides that he's going to take Tsuna to the zoo to 'train'. Tsuna's response, typically, is to whine, butKyoko shows up he perks up immediately and agrees, as it seems like date. In fact, he's in a daze the whole bus ride to the zoo.
Unfortunately their hopeful date is intruded upon by all the disruptive and chaotic members of his 'family', resulting in Tsuna yanking Kyoko all over the zoo to escape them. Rather rightfully he's apologetic afterwards, but she just laughs and tells him 'it was fun'.
Unfortunately Gokudera, a member of the family, used dynamite a bit too unethusiastically and lions are prowling around. Tsuna, being Tsuna, starts to run away, but when Kyoko is threatened he--Tsuna, the boy with a noodle for a spine at this point in the series--
jumps in. A few moments later, the danger of the lions is eliminated and Tsuna discovers it wasn't a date at all; everyone was in on the 'training' session, which was to pick an animal for Tsuna like Reborn's chameleon. Kyoko says she'd thought a hamster might be suitable (way to deal a blow, Kyoko) but then
amends the statement. Blushing, and understandably making Tsuna considerably happier.
The trend continues throughout the series as Tsuna grows in character. When they are all flung ten years into the future, the future Kyoko calls him 'Tsu-kun'--a considerably more familiar form of address. However soon enough she's brought back from the past too; and her response to seeing him is
this expression. To add to which, when they are attacked, Tsuna not only
throws her out of the way, but she is immediately horrified at seeing evidence of him being wounded.
Later, after they've gotten back to the base and regrouped a bit, Kyoko is horrified to hear her brother's whereabouts are unknown. Shocked and frightened, she rather recklessly decides she needs to get home and slips out of the high security underground base without being detected. When he hears, Tsuna is
horrified, and hurriedly mobilizes teams; one to investigate possible sighting of an ally, one to rescue Kyoko. Guess which one he goes on?
When they meet up again, I think
this scene and the caption is all that needs to be said.
And later, as they prepare for a climactic confrontation on enemy grounds, they bump into each other (while Tsuna is agonizing over having lost a good luck charm she gave him a long time ago, which he says he 'keeps in his pocket'. He assures her that he'll work on fixing everything and Kyoko, who despite bearing up is clearly struggling in this violent, dystopic future where their families could be dead, doesn't seem delighted but instead says
this.
Why, for me:
(emphasis author's, not mine.)
Tsuna: She's...she's so cute...Kyoko is my sun after all...
Kyoko: I knew that it'd be you. I kept calling your name back then, saying "Tsuna"!
They bring the strength out in each other. From Tsuna's only regret when dying being that he hadn't confessed to her to Kyoko deciding she needs to be brave to support him, I love them. I also love their characters; how he's basically a boy with a very devoted crush that has grown to genuine love and however many times he's shoved in bloody situations and traumatizing dilemmas, he's still a boy that she can make blush with a smile. And I like the fact that she's strong with and apart from him; she doesn't so much depend on him as have utter faith in him.
In short, I ship 'em majorly.
+
= LOVE.
There is a quite small fandom, and nearly all of it is boyslash. I've found absolutely 0 fics featuring them on the web. Sad, isn't it? So all I can give you is a couple of my own.
MnemonicShield EDIT: I have some lovely links!
Holding Hands by
xinexpressiblex A Best Friend by
xinexpressiblex An entry on the kink meme titled
Lol angst Two Art Sites with Tsuna/Kyoko on them:
Baby Star Rahmenhypocrite.syarasoujyu I also mod two communities for the pairing:
LiveJournal:
Walking on SunshineInsaneJournal:
Walking on Sunshine