He remembered his stomach hurting from the gapping hole right where his belly button should have been. He remembered Tsuna screaming his name and rushing at him. He remembered the bullet tearing through Tsuna's forehead as his vision darkened.

He remembered dying.

Takeshi opened his eyes to his ceiling. His childhood home ceiling, to be exact. He knew it was his ceiling because a poster of his favorite baseball player was staring right back at him from the nails holding it to the ceiling.

He raised his hands, staring at his slim fingers. Slightly callused but not as rough from the multiple years of swordsmanship.

He sat up, blinking at his scenery. His school book was thrown against the wall, the books spilling out. He squinted.

Oh hey, that was his fourth grade math book.

Shiiiiiiiit.

"Takeshi?" Tsuyoshi's voice sounded from the other side of Takeshi's closed bedroom door. "Are you up?" His bedroom door opened and Tsuyoshi stood there.

Tsuyoshi stared at his son, his heart stopping for a second. His son, staring back at him with shock and surprise and-was that regret? His eyes were guarded, despite the clear emotions going through them, and his demeanor was stiff, ready to fight or flight with any given second.

"Dad," Takeshi breathed out, expression serious . "I'm from the future."

You could hear Hibari's piano theme playing down the block from how silent it was in the room.

Tsuyoshi felt the impulse to bust out the liqour.

"So let me get this straight. You died, somehow got transferred to the past, and, despite everything you've told me - including that you were a hitman trained by THE Reborn, you decide that the most important detail, the one thing that you think means the most for me to know, is that - and I'm quoting your words - you are…'Hella fucking gay for Sawada Tsunayoshi'. Not that you work with Vongola, not that you have killed people, not that you are mentally forty years old, but the fact that you seem to have a crush on that Sawada boy. Takeshi. What the actual fuck." Not for the first time, he questioned his son's stability.

"Haha, when you put it that way, I get why Hayato was always so frustrated with me when I gave mission reports with Tsuna. Haha! I didn't have a crush, pops. We were engaged. Well, once I proposed with the crown, then we would have been engaged but….now that won't happen."

Tsuyoshi held his right hand up, using his left to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"No, god, I don't want to but I have to ask. Why would you propose with a crown?"

Takeshi raised an eyebrow, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Because when people propose, they use the ring as a symbol to show they are, well, united with someone, y'know. Well, rings are so overrated and Tsuna isn't anything like overrated so it'd be insulting, I think. Besides, he'd look so cute in a crown! Haha!" Takeshi laughed and it was so weird for his son, looking 10, to actually be 40 mentally.

"…go get dressed for school," Tsuyoshi finally sighed and Takeshi complied, skipping up the steps with a hum.

Tsuyoshi didn't know if he should be surprised or not when Takeshi came home, dragging Sawada Tsunayoshi behind him. Tsunayoshi, the poor child, was tiny compared to Takeshi and his wide eyes were watery with fear and confusion. Oh god, don't tell Tsuyoshi his son kidnapped the tiny Sawada.

"Hi Pops! Tsuna and I became friends today and we're gonna be upstairs playing video games!" Takeshi greeted as he tugged Tsuna towards the stairs, his larger hand gripping Tsuna's in a firm hold.

"Just a minute. Leave Tsuna here and go put your bags away," Tsuyoshi instructed and Takeshi gave a chilling stare before nodding. Tsuna, by himself now with the adult, fidgeted.

"…tell me honestly," Tsuyoshi spoke and Tsuna jumped, looking like a skittish cat. Tsuyoshi took a moment to regard the child. This was the one who had captured his son's heart? This was the boy who made his child speak with such admiration and love? "Did my son kidnap you?"

Little Tsuna's eyes went wide and he shook his head rapidly, looking funny with how fast he moved. This tiny child would be his future son-in-law?

What the fuck, Takeshi.

"T-Takeshi is-is nice," Tsuna stammered, clenching the front of his shirt. "He-he didn't force me to come here. He-he's my first…friend. He is my first friend." The way the child smiled, so warm and happy and so big, it made Tsuyoshi's heart clench. He crouched down in front of Tsuna, patting his head.

"You'll make a great son-in-law," Tsuyoshi stated and Tsuna just stared back, the words going over his head as he blushed at the parental contact.

It had been a week since Takeshi had turned eleven that Tsuyoshi noticed his son almost religiously measured himself against the doorframe of his bedroom. He had to ask. He didn't want to, but he felt the parental responsibility to ask.

"Takeshi…why…why are you measuring yourself?" Tsuyoshi asked as Takeshi marked where his head rested against the wood. Takeshi stood back and looked at his height mark with a slight frown.

"Tsuna won't be growing much for the next decade or so. Mukuro and Byakuran always used to make fun of him, because he didn't hit a growth-spurt until he was 25. I need to get taller," Takeshi spoke.

"….why?" Tsuyoshi forced himself to ask. You know, for the situation surrounding his son, Tsuyoshi liked to think he handled it pretty well.

"Because," Takeshi stared Tsuyoshi straight in the eyes and the father was reminded of the fact that the Takeshi staring at him was not his Takeshi and wouldn't ever be again. "I need my armrest."

"….what." Tsuyoshi stared after Takeshi as he wandered down the stairs to the kitchen. God dammit, his son was so stupid.

Considering how their friendship came to be (Takeshi towering over Tsuna and declaring the two of them friends without any sudden warning or explanation) both parents of the two children couldn't help but agree that the two were really great friends to each other. Tsuna was still slightly skittish and had the habit to stutter in the company of strangers, but being friends with Takeshi helped give him confidence.

Takeshi, on the other hand, seemed to just use the child as an armrest, constantly using his head or shoulder to rest his elbow. Tsuna either didn't care or didn't notice, but Tsuyoshi did and he wondered - not for the first time - if Takeshi actually liked Tsuna for himself or for the fact that he was a walking armrest.

"Takeshi." Takeshi looked up from his sword polishing to see Tsuna standing in front of him, elegant eyebrow raised.

"Tsuna!" Takeshi jumped up from the couch, startling Lambo out of his nap as the taller male pulled Tsuna into a bear hug. "When did you get back from your meeting?"

"Hi Takeshi -ow, please let go. I got back just a few minutes ago. I'm trying to gather all the guardians up for a little dinner," Tsuna spoke as he stepped away from his touchy rain guardian.

"Ahaha, really? I saw Hayato earlier in your office. He was looking over some damage control papers from Kyouya's area," Takeshi spoke as he moved to Tsuna's side, his elbow automatically finding purchase on the shorter male's shoulder. Lambo sat up and waved lazily as he yawned.

"Ah, really? I guess that means Kyouya's still away on his mission then? What about Chrome?" Tsuna looked up to his left-hand man.

"Um. Chrome is with Mukuro. Mukuro took Fran off for his annual week-long training thing. Kyouya is still gone, yeah. Apparently there's been some issues with a newly founded mafia that Kyouy thinks needs to setted." Tsuna nodded thoughtfully and blinked as he felt Takeshi's elbow leave his shoulder and his arm snake around his waist.

"Takeshi," Tsuna sighed, "what are the rules?" The arm left Tsuna's waist.

"Not to touch your waist unless you are declaring a tickle war," Takeshi spoke in a slightly sulky tone of voice. Tsuna gave a short laugh and slipped out of Takeshi's personal space.

"Come on now," Tsuna spoke as he went over to grab Lambo's hand, seeing as the 25 year old man was beginning to nod off again, "let's go grab Ryohei and Hayato and eat some lunch!"

Takeshi followed behind the two, his eyes falling to Tsuna, who was childishly swinging Lambo's hand in his with a laugh.

Takeshi woke up with a start, bolting up from his bed. He looked to his left to see Tsuna curled up against him, sound asleep. Having been friends for 4 years now, Tsuna and Takeshi had developed a habit of cuddling in their sleep when they slept over together. Reaching the ages of 14, Tsuyoshi had taken Takeshi by the shoulders one day and had said, staring Takeshi straight in the eyes, "Use protection."

Nana thought it was adorable they still shared a bed when they had sleep overs.

Tsuna was oblivious.

Tsuyoshi left condoms at his study desk, near his bathroom sink, and some found their way into his wallet.

Takeshi, for all his years in the mafia and surrounded by crazies, only laughed and stashed the condoms away for (hopefully) future uses.

Takeshi had been a first year at Nami Middle for a few months when he came home one day, eyes empty and his face void of any smiles. Tsuna was, surprisingly, not with him. This instantly caught Tsuyoshi's attention.

"Takeshi…what's wrong?" Tsuyoshi spoke, moving from behind the sushi counter to go over to turn off their open sign. Thankfully it was dead so he didn't have to worry about ushering any customers out. Takeshi threw his bag onto the table, a sudden look of pure loathing crossing his face.

"Tsuna's in the hospital," Takeshi spat out. Tsuyoshi stilled.

"What?" The older (or was he?) Yamamoto questioned.

"Tsuna. He's in the hospital. An assassin went after him," Takeshi explained and clenched his hands into fists.

"…an assassin?" Tsuyoshi breathed, eyes taking in his son's figure without thought. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He got banged up a bit. But don't worry." Something feral flashed through Takeshi's eyes. "The assassin won't be bothering him anymore."

This wasn't his son. This wasn't 14 year old Takeshi. This was 44 year old Takeshi in the body of his 14 year old self.

"Do you know who sent the assassin?" Tsuyoshi spoke after a moment. Takeshi snorted rather uncharacteristically, looking at his father with something akin to smug tugging on his lips.

"Yeah." The smug look fell and all he was left with was a betrayed expression. "Vongola."

"The same Vongola that Tsuna-kun is supposed to lead someday?" Tsuyoshi felt the headache coming on.

"Yeah. But it's okay. I'm going to protect Tsuna. I'll make sure we get to grow old together! Haha!" Takeshi laughed, his chuckles tinged with the desperate echo of hysteria.

He stared at the coffin - black, sleek, marked with a gold X. Byakuran would pay. He'd -

Tsuna screamed his name, rushing towards him as Takeshi fell to the ground, his body shuddering as it felt the warm ooze of his blood flow down his frontside. An echoing BANG sounded as a bullet ripped through Tsuna's skull and flesh, blood splattering as Tsuna crumpled to the ground.

TSUNA TSUNA TSUNA-

"After all," Takeshi spoke as he rubbed his head, "I get what I want if I work hard enough for it, right?"