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One Step at a Time

It was hard to get back into his usual routine. Ryohei found himself feeling constantly restless. The aftermath of the fight with the Vendetta Family wasn't something he could easily put behind, and though he tried his best, Ryohei knew he wasn't fooling his sister.

She'd caught him training late at night—past what he was used to. He hated to see the worry in her eyes, hated the fact that he was keeping her up because he couldn't figure out what to do with himself. He couldn't help it though. He was full energy and constantly felt the need to keep moving.

On the days that he tried to force himself to sleep in this state, he ended up staying up the entire night. Ryohei wasn't the type to be held down by regrets, but lately…

His mind kept flashing back to his fight. He kept thinking, if only I had been stronger…

He spent another week agonizing like this before Colonnello dropped by to beat some sense into him. The conversation was a short, somber one.

"It was a rough wakeup call, but that's the reality of it, Ryohei. You've got to make a decision now. You're either in this for life, or you've got to leave it behind now, kora. I'm not saying this will be easy, but… You already know what you've got to do, don't you?" the Arcobaleno said as he looked down at Ryohei with crossed arms from the ledge of his window.

The simple words struck a part of Ryohei that had been jostled out of place. He needed to get stronger. The determination to protect his friends was all the fuel he needed to keep on. He couldn't let all of this weigh him down. He couldn't add to the burden his friends were already carrying. So he swallowed down his doubts and nodded.

"I won't let this get the best of me, shishou. They're counting on me so… I'll do everything in my power to support them," he decided.

And that was that.

The next morning, Ryohei woke up at the crack of dawn and left the house in his workout clothes. His Sun Ring hung around his neck and bounced in front of his chest as he began to jog down the street. Though he had been able to sleep soundly last night now that his resolutions had been made, the itch to get stronger lingered beneath his skin. He jogged around town for twenty minutes, his mind fully focused on his breathing and his body. A thin layer of sweat was beginning to form across his skin, but his boundless energy had yet to fade. Ryohei continued to push himself down the familiar paths, and before he knew it, he was standing outside Yamamoto's house.

It had been a couple days after his first day back and Yamamoto was starting to slip back into his old routine. Waking up early, jogging, and then returning home to pick up his stuff in time to walk with Tsuna and Gokudera to school. However, when Yamamoto stepped outside that early morning, the air still thick with the morning dew only just starting to evaporate with the sunrise, he saw a familiar sight.

"Oh, Senpai." Yamamoto hurried up to the sidewalk where the older teen was waiting. "Good morning." It had been a while since the two had run together and, frankly, Yamamoto hadn't expected to see him again so soon, given what had happened. But he saw the slightly muted energy in Ryohei's eyes and he knew that a little run would do him good. So he did what he did best.

"Ready to go?" He smiled brightly and pointed a thumb down the sidewalk.

Ryohei jogged in place as he waited for Yamamoto. "Hey!" he said in greeting before nodding sharply. "Let's go."

Yamamoto smiled and began his run at Ryohei's side. He was quick to find a pace and felt the warm familiarity fall into place. But he knew that his senpai wasn't so fortunate. "So, how are you this morning?" Yamamoto asked casually, though the question had a much broader meaning.

Ryohei glanced beside him at Yamamoto. The sweat that had formed on his brow slid down the side of his face. He reached up to wipe it off with the back of his hand without losing his pace and thought about his conversation with Colonnello. He couldn't let himself hold everyone back. He had to put on a strong face for them. Just that thought allowed him to leave the hesitations he had with every step he took. "Good!" he said in a strong voice. "We can't let ourselves be left behind, can we, Yamamoto?"

Yamamoto smiled and nodded heartily. "Yeah." He was glad Ryohei was doing better, if only by a little. "Tsuna and Gokudera seem a lot better and Hibari looks like he's back to normal. I don't know about Chrome but I'm pretty sure she's okay." He laughed softly. "Looks like it's just us trailing behind."

Hibari's name caused Ryohei to tense slightly. The frustration he felt at his own weakness made him want to pick up his pace, but he breathed slowly and didn't let it get to him. Us, huh…? he thought instead as he took another brief look at the other.

The scar on Yamamoto's chin caught his eye this time. The other had been injured pretty badly. He remembered supporting him with all of his remaining strength as they slowly walked out of the base dripping blood. He knew Yamamoto had been treated by those people, just like he had been, but Ryohei wondered if he was really okay.

"How are your injuries?" he asked straightaway, unable to keep his thoughts to himself. "If there's anything I can do, tell me. I'll be sure to patch you up straight away!"

Yamamoto looked at Ryohei, his eyebrows rising in innocent curiosity. "What, this?" He rubbed a thumb over the scar on his chin. "It's alright. I mean, my back itches once in a while but it's nothing I can't handle." Yamamoto smiled reassuringly. "How about you, senpai? Are your injuries doing well?"

"I'm healed up to the extreme!" Ryohei said, thrusting a fist up without breaking his pace. They turned at the next corner. "My body's back to top condition. These things sure are useful," he said, pointing his thumb towards the ring hanging off his neck with a slight grin. "Still, now that we've healed up, we've got to train and keep on training. There's still a lot about all of this that I don't get, but… I don't want Sawada to have to be forced to put on that face again," he said in a more serious tone. He stared straight ahead at the road, looking resolute. "And… I don't want to feel that type of helpless again!" he continued, his voice stronger.

Yamamoto stared at his senpai, feeling that normal infectious energy coming off of him in waves. He looked down at his own ring, glinting in the rising sun, on his middle finger. Squalo told him never to take it off. To keep it on at all times because he'd never know when he'd need it. He thought back to that ordeal, the scar on his back itching with phantom pain. But the wounds that were inflicted on him were nothing compared to what he heard and what he saw. That helpless feeling... He knew it too well. "Me too, Senpai!" Yamamoto shouted, thrusting his fist up and mirroring Ryohei's motion. "We'll work hard together and protect our friends!"

"Yeah!"