Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn as it belongs to Amano Akira. I just own the plot :)
Summary :
It was near summer break when Yamamoto went ill and certain memory of his deceased mother which he had forgotten emerged and he became restless when Tsuna was the one on the line of repeating the same incident.
Rating: T
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"Dad, I'm off to school," Yamamoto said as he closed the door.
It was a week before summer holiday started. Baseball team was busy preparing for the summer tournament. It was common for the members of baseball team to go home nearly at the evening, especially Yamamoto. It would be the last match for third year and to he wanted to make commemoration by winning this season match.
"Hey boy, are you not going home yet? It's going to rain soon," said the gate keeper.
"I will, I'm just going to lock the room," Yamamoto smiled and said.
The sun had already set. Yamamoto walked in slower pace than usual.
"I wonder why today's so tiring... nah, I have to practice hard," Yamamoto thought with full spirit.
"I can't get sick, not now," Yamamoto touched his neck, feeling a bit feverish.
"I'm home," Yamamoto said as he opened the door.
"Late again, huh?" his dad said in solid tone, not letting his worry showed up. "You'd better watch for your health. You can't achieve anything if you work yourself like that," he said as he left to the kitchen.
Yamamoto smiled, knowing that his dad worried him so much. "That old man never changes," he thought. Yamamoto went to his room to put his stuff and prepared for bath. He soaked himself in ofuro. "Today was sure tiring..," he thought as his eyes struggling to keep opened.
[Yamamoto's POV]
"..shi.. Takeshi, wake up. Wake up, dear. Here, I make you some porridge, special for my dearest son," I tried to open my eyes slowly before squinting them, trying to block away the sun ray. I remembered mom smiling at me and giving me a bowl of hot porridge. I reached out my hand to take it, but flinched from the heat.
"Ah, it's still so hot, I think. Here, let me feed you," mom took a spoon of the porridge and blew on it to cool it a few times. She turned to me and said, "Say aaa…"
[normal POV]
Yamamoto opened his eyes and wondering how he remembered those scenes after quite long time. He got out from the bathtub and scratched his head. He remembered his mom as a beautiful young woman with long black hair and cheerful personality. She was clumsy and often forgot things. There was a time when Yamamoto was still in grade 4, she forgot putting Yamamoto's lunch into his bag and finally she went to his school to gave him the lunch box. She was smiling sweetly to Yamamoto as he dashed outside the school gate. He looked at his mother; she was sweating quite profusely, her hair was ruffled, there were even some scratches seen on her cheeks, arms, and legs. She took the lunch box and gave it to him. Yamamoto came closer slowly, looked a bit hesitant. But instead of taking the lunch box, he gently touched the scratch on his mother's cheek.
"How do you get this? Did you fall?" he asked.
"Well, umm... I... I got tripped... a bit, I guess?" she raised one of her eyebrows. "But everything's okay. I'm fine. And your lunch box is delivered safely," she said. She patted Yamamoto's head and smiled so wide that it nearly looked like a goofy smile.
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The thought of his deceased mother had been in Yamamoto's mind since that night. Yamamoto stared blankly at the window and sometimes let a little sigh slip out of his lips. Tsuna took a glance at somehow-look-troubled Yamamoto. On the first break, Tsuna came and sat in front of Yamamoto.
"Everything's okay?" asked Tsuna.
Yamamoto was startled and smiled faintly at Tsuna.
"Yeah, I think. I was just getting tired from the practice. It's no good though, we need to work hard for the tournament," Yamamoto answered calmly as usual.
Still, with Tsuna's intuition, he knew that it was a bit awkward. Tsuna thought that there was something off about the cheerful-all-the-time Yamamoto. Tsuna looked at him worriedly, but then decided to ask no further.
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The wind was blowing hard and the cloud seemed darkened.
"Captain, we can't continue practicing like this… The weather gets so weird and the wind changed the pace of the ball, it's no use…," said one of the baseball team members.
"Right," Kousaka, the captain of the baseball team, looked at the sky and sighed. "Well, it looks like we have to stop here. Boys, grab your stuffs, we're done today. We'll continue tomorrow," he commanded the whole team.
Kousaka was watching the other members taking the stuff back to the club room when he noticed that Yamamoto was still practicing.
"Hey, didn't I say that we're done for today?" Kousaka tapped Yamamoto's shoulder and furrowed his eyebrows.
"Sorry captain, I'll just stay here for a moment," Yamamoto answered and gave him his usual goofy smile.
"Well, I know that you're hard working and you really love this baseball stuff. But, you've been practicing extra hard. Just… take it easy, okay? I don't want to make it a burden just because I'll graduate this year. Don't push yourself too hard, okay? ," Kousaka looked straight at Yamamoto with great concern showed in his eyes.
"I know, Kou. Don't worry. I'll go home right after this," Yamamoto said and smiled faintly as he watched Kousaka leaving.
The truth was Yamamoto had been feeling a little unwell recently and somehow he kept thinking about his mother that he started feeling uneasy. That was why he kept practicing until late to make his mind busy with baseball. Unfortunately, his health was getting worse that way.
"Shoot, it's raining!" Yamamoto ran hurriedly as the rain suddenly poured. On the way home, he felt dizzy and his step became heavier. Finally, he got home, fully soaked from the rain.
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Yamamoto was in grade 5. He was climbing a tree when suddenly the branch broke and he fell. His leg bone was broken and he had to stay at the hospital.
"Mom, pleeaseee… I don't wanna stay here. I don't like this place," Yamamoto pouted and begged to leave the hospital. His leg was covered in gypsum and of course it was no question that he had to stay at the hospital. "And… I don't like being alone," Yamamoto muttered with small voice, almost hard to hear but loud enough for his mother to make her smile slightly.
"I'm sorry, but your dad has to open the restaurant, we can't close. You know it too, right? And as soon as I finish working, I will go straight here. I promise, okay? You need to be here to get better. You're my good boy, aren't you?" his mother smiled warmly and patted his head as she explained to Yamamoto. She worked at the daycare and with her co-worker taking days off for her pregnancy, she didn't intend to make things more out of hand by also taking day off. She looked at Yamamoto with pride and smiled. "I'm sure you could understand," she said.
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At 3 o'clock, his mother would have arrived at the hospital bringing Yamamoto's favorite milk and bread.
"Here your milk for your bone…" she said cheerfully while rustling the bag looking for the milk. "Eh… I think I might leave it at home. Sorry…" she smiled faintly, looked burdened with guilt.
"It's okay, mom. You must be tired coming here every day from the daycare," Yamamoto held his mother's hand.
"I promise I would bring your favorite milk tomorrow," she smiled warmly and gave a kiss to Yamamoto.
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"Thanks for your hard work," the head of the day care said.
Today, the shift ended a bit earlier than usual. Yamamoto's mother was thinking to go straight to the hospital. "If I go to the hospital now, I won't get stuck in traffic jam," she thought as she left the daycare smiling.
"Ah… I forgot to bring the milk," she abruptly stopped the bike. "But it's gonna be too late if I go home to take the milk," she folded her arms then she pointed her forehead and furrowed her eyebrows for several times.
"Well I just need to buy it at the convenient store before the hospital," she finally decided. She smiled and went on riding her bicycle. She stopped at the convenient store near the hospital and she really took time to choose which milk she would buy, whether it was the high-calcium one or the cereal flavor or special chocolate flavor or Yamamoto's favorite plain milk, which she ended up buying all of them. She whistled and looked at the milk happily. "I'm sure he's gonna love it!" she squealed. She was getting ready to ride her bicycle to the hospital, when suddenly…
"CRASH…"
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Yamamoto sighed several times while looking furiously at the window. It was 5 o'clock and he couldn't find his mother anywhere.
"Yamamoto, you have to eat your meal. It's already 5 o'clock, you have to eat to get your medicine," one nurse said worriedly as she looked at the untouched set of meal at the table.
"Where is my mother?" Yamamoto asked the nurse. "I won't eat without her. She promised to bring me something today" he said persistently.
"I… I don't know yet, Yamamoto. But, you have to eat. Please, eat…" the nurse persuaded him once again.
Yamamoto turned his head and stared still at the window like he'd been doing the past 2 hours. The nurse eventually left after once again telling him to eat. It was almost 6 o'clock when the door opened. Yamamoto quickly turned his head just to find his dad.
"Dad…?" Yamamoto looked at him with confused eyes. "Where is mother?" his voice was trembling as he sensed something wrong.
His dad slowly approached the bed. He took Yamamoto's hand and said with small solemn voice, "Your mother… She…" he squeezed the hand of the boy in front of him and closed his old, tired eyes. "She passed away… this afternoon… by car accident" his rough voice was trembling and choked with sadness.
Yamamoto's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. He gasped a few times before tears uncontrollably fell from his amber-colored eyes.
"Wh… where? …. When?" his little body was shaking as he tried to speak. "Is... is it be… because of me? Be... because she has to go here… after work… and... and because she promised… promised to bring me…?" he cried desperately while stuttering out of control.
Yamamoto's dad looked at his trembling child, stunned with great pain in his chest. He hugged Yamamoto, "It's okay, it's okay. It's not your fault, it's not." He heard his own voice shaking as he tried to calm the hopeless son in his arm. He himself then shed tears for his beloved wife without sound. The room was only filled by the sad and painful voice of a little boy crying from his heart.
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