Delicate eyelids fluttered over now closed eyes, momentarily shutting out the broken, destitute world You remained still as a tranquil breeze gently skimmed over your tense limbs. Its tremors bristled the grass beneath your feet in waves, and swirled the fallen cherry blossoms in whimsical patterns across the sky. Perhaps you would have taken notice at the beautiful progression in weather, had your mind not been elsewhere. You were desperate to cling onto the silence for as long as possible.
As you exhale you open your eyes slightly. Through the hurricane of pink petals, you could see two distinct figures running about in a nearby field. Somewhere in the distance, a fifteen-year old Lambo chased around I-Pin, who dribbled a soccer ball away from the usually lethargic Thunder Guardian. Seeing them so carefree gently eased the wave of discomfort through your body.
Not more than ten minutes ago, you has been seated in a meeting office with majority of the Vongola members. It had been a impromptu meeting called by Tsunayoshi, and you suspected a connotation of urgency in his speech. When you watched the brunet deliver a solemn message, you felt your stomach sink. The grim expression that wore away on his usually lively face certainly did not go unnoticed; his sunny disposition was long gone. After a brief pause, he announced that he would be negotiating an ultanium with the Millefiore in a week's time. His right-hand man was quick to verbally oppose to this meeting, begging to be at least an escort, but Tsunayoshi had quieted him down.
The unbearable tension at meetings, the anticipation of the underground base here in Japan, and the way Tsuna prepared for a "special arrangement" with another family...
It all screamed war in deafening decibels.
So engaged in your own musing, you didn't realize the presence of a figure who was watching over you.
Beside you sat Tetsuya Kusakabe – a man twenty-five years of age who sported a truly distinctive hairstyle. He remarked that faraway look in your eyes, always so gently glossed in an mysterioous pensiveness. And he'd seen it more than usual in the past few months. He usually owed it to your heavy paperwork, which was more or less comprised of a slew of arithmetic and equations. But he was certain that what you were thinking of went far beyond mere numbers.
"Is something on your mind, (Name)?"
Suddenly snapping back to reality, you turned to face Kusakabe.
"Not really," you replied, laughing off the embarrassment of having been caught daydreaming.
"There's no need to hold back," the older man encouraged, twirling a strand of grass in his mouth. His face lit up in amusement when he saw your face turn the slightest tint of pink. "You're always welcome to share with me."
You extended a hand to catch a floating petal in your hands, fidgeting around with it before murmuring something about spring epitomizing the rebirth of life. Kusakabe raised an eyebrow at your sudden interest in the season. As you let the wind carry the delicate pink flower away, Kusakabe smiled kindly. He didn't expect you to speak anymore nor did he urge you to. He'd learned not to pry. Instead, the man started to rise from his seat with an intent to call the two teenagers back into the newly constructed base. He stopped his movements however, when your voice abruptly penetrated through the pregnant silence.
"Do you... ever think about having children, Kusakabe?"
The man chuckled. You lightly slapped his shoulder in good humour, but the Cloud Guardian's subordinate remained unfazed.
So this was the question that was lingering on your mind...?
"I know I shouldn't bring such a topic up, given the current conditions of the Vongola," you stammer, awkwardly trying to patch in the parts that Kusakabe might just misinterpret. "But I -"
"- in fact, I do, (Name)," Kusakabe reassured you, sheepishly scratching his cheek.. "Though it can wait... I'm in very little hurry."
"I just wish we weren't involved in this warfare at the moment," you sighed. "I can't imagine a pleasant outcome to it at all..."
Kusakabe shook his head in disagreement.
"If it's the Vongola who's dealing with it," he spoke, utmost confidence laced in his words. Having been affiliated with said family for the last decade or so, Kusakabe had much faith in Tsunayoshi and his Guardians. "They'll put a stop to it before it has a chance to develop fully."
He immediately noticed a relieved grin gracing your face at his response. You buried your head into your arms, hair splaying over the sleeves of your blazer. The wind around you two began to die down until the world momentarily came to a peaceful still. Almost simultaneously, the late afternoon sun shyly peeked through the mass of clouds who paved way for it.
Kusakabe cleared his throat. He supposed he could let Lambo and I-Pin cherish the final few minutes outside. "And yourself?"
Tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear, you began to articulate your previous desires.
"Maybe after the feud with the Millefiore is over, when all the civilians are safe," you sighed. You hoped it wouldn't be too long before you were able to see daylight as freely as today. "It's too much of a dream now that I think about it, but maybe then I could..."
You didn't even need to continue for Kusakabe to understand the intent of your incomplete phrase. Back turned towards you, the man began to amble over the dry grass. He was certain that your eyes were now filled with a longing hope. A hope for the war to end as fast as it had started.
After all, no matter how much resemblance your future children might bear to Kyoya, Kusakabe supposed that it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to baby-sit one or two more little Cloud Guardians in the future.