II


"Why am I in deathperation mode?" Tsuna clenched his fist while staring at his gloves.

"Again with this endless road. I'm tired of this" Tsuna sighed as he entered his dream and walked. "Enma! Where are you?" Tsuna yelled.

"Tsuna-kun! Watch out!"

All of the sudden, Tsuna was greeted by an impact from behind. "I need your help, Tsuna-kun. This monster is too hard to handle" Enma said. Enma pinned the enemy down using Gravity Manipulation, then Tsuna charged his X burner. But just before it hit, the monster got out from the trap and headed straight to Enma.

"Enma! Run!" Tsuna screamed. He wanted to save Enma, but his distance didn't support him. When he thought he didn't make it, suddenly, something from above slashed the enemy into half.

Tsuna ran to Enma to make sure he's fine. "I'm fine, Tsuna-kun. But more importantly, who are you?" Enma asked the person who was currently standing in front of them, wearing a cape with a hood that hid the face. The mysterious person opened the hood and to their surprise, it was a little girl with black eyes and hair.

"Follow me" the girl spoke and walked away.

Tsuna and Enma stood up as they saw the girl walked. "Why are we still in this mode?" Enma asked. "You're right. I can't get back"

"As long as you're in this world, you'll keep staying like that. This world triggers your other subconscious while the real one is sleeping within you" she spoke, then walked away again. "We should just follow her" Tsuna said.

And so, they followed the mysterious girl. After a long hour of walking, they finally arrived at the spot. It was a gloomy and dark beach with nothing but rocks and sands.

After being taken there, the little girl turned around to them and raised her hand on them. A portal behind them appeared as the girl stretched her hand. "You don't belong here. Go back to your world"

Slowly, they were sucked inside the hole. "To the people who loves you… Tsuna"

"Eh? That voice…"

As the little girl said that, her form began to change. From a figure of a 7 year old girl changed into a 17 year old girl. And by that very form and face, he started to widen his eyes.

"Yu… ki? You're… alive?" Tsuna was still mesmerized. He was too surprise of the sight and because of that, he still widened his eyes even after he got back to his world.

The two Decimo finally woke up, but Tsuna woke up in a shocking face. Everyone got confused of his face. "Is that really her, Tsuna-kun?" Enma asked and Tsuna nodded in silence.

"Who? Who is she, Tsuna?" Giotto asked. "I saw her… Yuki. She's alive at that world" Tsuna quavered. Everyone was taken by surprise as he said that, especially Giotto.

"We need to get her out of there, Reborn! She doesn't belong there!" Tsuna said. "I know how you feel, but we have no idea how"

"I do"

"Is it really here, Giotto-san? Are you sure about this?"

"I believe in that person and I suggest you feel the same way" he replied.

"All you have to do is to find the perfect coordination. Miss one centimeters, it'll be all over. You only have one chance, Tsuna. You've been there before. Trust your intuition" he continued.

Then, Tsuna closed his eyes. All he did was to feel. Sometimes, even our eyes could deceive us and we could only trust our sense. Just like those words, Tsuna tried to feel it and as he did it, he said "Now, Enma"

Tsuna and Enma pointed their ring at the spot Tsuna told. They gave up their power and resolve to free Yuki. Although Yuki was still a stranger to Enma, he felt at the moment he saw her, he felt something special from her. It could be because his ancestor, Cozart fell in love with her, but it wasn't sure yet.

Meanwhile, Yuki was standing and staring at the portal. "I figured they would do something like this" she said with sad face. "You deserve to be with them" a man spoke behind her.

"I won't go back. All this time, I've been buried myself with my sins here and this is the perfect place for me" she glanced. "You're just like your mother" the man smiled. "I'm not like her, father. You of all people know who I am"

"But you're still my daughter"

"As long as I'm still me, I'm not your daughter" she spoke as she bowed her head. "You're not", his words twitched Yuki and that word somehow hurt her as she put another sad gaze.

"That's why I want you to go. Behind that portal, every one of your friends is waiting for you. You're not my daughter, but you're also my daughter. You will never become my daughter if you keep staying here. The only way for you to be my child is to be happy at your friends' side"

"But…"

"He's waiting for you too. If you're really care for your father, then be happy and make Giotto happy. And I know he will make you happy too"

The gentle and calming words came from her father moved her to go back. She hugged her father and he spoke "I wish the real me could say those words to you. The truth is, I'm in no position of saying those to you"

"No matter who you are, you're still my father. I will always love your both sides. Just like mother who loved you for who you are". With that separation, Yuki reluctantly left her father with rueful face, though that's not what her father wanted to see, but he still prayed and hoped for her happiness, like a father would do.

The night sky filled with star as the Chronos princess arrived, and it was clear with no clouds standing in the way of the glow of the stars. "Everyone… I…" she couldn't bear to see their faces. She bowed her head, trying to hide her face.

"Welcome back, Yuki" Tsuna said with teary eyes and smile. Seeing the smile, Yuki approached Tsuna and hugged him. "I'm home, Tsuna" she spoke. Then, she stood up and looked at Giotto. "I'm sorry. I lied about my death. I…" once again, she lowered her head, but to her surprise, Giotto hugged her tightly.

"I won't let you out of my sight again" he tightened the hug more. The usual Yuki would try to push him away, but this time, she gripped his shirt and hug back. "You're really warm" she spoke inwardly as she closed her eyes to feel the warm. She really missed being in his arms.

"This calls for a party" Reborn smiled.


After the arrival, everyone left the shore, but not knowing that Yuki was still there, staring at the horizon while holding a necklace inside her clenched hand. As she opened her palm, the necklace began to disappear and she watched the vanishing necklace and said "This is for you, father"

"You're still here?" Giotto came to the shore. Then, he hugged her from her back and said "I love you, Yuki. So much" he buried his face on her hair with a blush.

"Me too"

The two words that she spoken widened his eyes. Yuki turned around to him and stated with a courage and blush, "I love you too, Giotto. I always have… and I never put aside that feeling for a second"

"But I… I don't have the rights to love you" she said with a heart-rending sorrow face and voice.

"You're wrong. Without you, I won't be able to feel real love. I would go crazy if you leave me for another man, and I'm not lying, even if it's for your father. Thinking about you, that's what keeping me alive. Of all battle I've been through with or without you, just the sight of you in my head, even if it's just an image created by my imagination, is enough to help me go through in each day. Even if we share the same feelings, I won't force you to be my lover, because I know you don't want that. Just knowing we share the same feelings… just for you to be by my side… it's enough to fill my empty life" he spoke with suave and calming voice, the voice that always touched her heart.

"And I shall prove that to you now"

Just like he said he would, he leaned his face to her and touched his lips with hers. The kiss he did was a sweet, gentle, and passionate kiss. After few minutes, the kiss broke.

"You have suffered more than enough. So, put that face aside and smile sincerely" he wrapped his hands around her waist and hugged her while burying his face on her head. Yuki's face was buried by his chest. She could feel his heartbeat.

"But just so you know, I won't cry in front of you, never" she spoke, but with hugging him back. "Hahaha… I know. Don't worry. Your weakness is safe with me"

The day after and just like Reborn said, they held a welcoming party at Tsuna's house. The event was really alive. Some of them were quarrelling, but it was really the joyous moments.

"Welcome back, my dear Yuki! I miss you so much!" the pervert king, Shamal came to her while she was sitting quietly and was about to give her a kiss like he usually did to every women, but in few centimeters away, Giotto had already appeared in front of her and blocked Shamal perverted and disgusting face by his hand.

"Keep your perverted face off her, Shamal" he glared at him, which made Shamal backed away in fear.

"Y-You don't have to do that, you know. I can do it myself" Yuki said with soft voice and somewhat embarrassed. "As long as I'm here, no man could lay a finger on you. You're mine" Giotto stated with indulging and smooth tone. And the two entered their own world, forgetting the people who didn't belong to their lovey-dovey atmosphere who were staring at the two.

"So, that's their relationship" Enma said with straight look. "Pretty much. But it looks like they've become closer than usual" Tsuna inspected them. "I wonder what made him become more aggressive" Tsuna mumbled.

"Aho-dera, stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! And an octopus head, too!" everyone was surprised by Lambo's cry. Tsuna and Yuki went outside to check and it seemed that Gokudera did something to make Lambo cry.

Whenever Lambo cried, he let out the ten-year-bazooka, but before he could use it, Gokudera threw his bombs at him and bounced Lambo back. His bazooka flew away from his hands because of the impact and it hit Yuki.

"Ah! Yuki!" Tsuna cried as he saw her got hit. "What's wrong, Tsuna?" Giotto asked.

"Yuki… she's…" before he could complete his sentence, Giotto saw the pink smokes that surrounded the spot were Yuki stood. Then, the smoke began to disappear. But what they saw shocked them.

"Yuki…?" Giotto called as he saw the little girl with her body had been tainted with bloods. The little Yuki turned her head to him slowly. There was no expression or emotion in her eyes as they stared each other. "You're… not my prey" she spoke.

The little Yuki didn't speak anything after she said that. She kept showing no emotions and movement, although Haru and Kyoko who were good at kids tried many times to make her talk. She looked like a body with no soul. She didn't respond to her surroundings.

"What should we do, Tsuna-kun? She won't talk or move no matter what we do" Kyoko claimed.

"And 5 minutes already passed. Is the bazooka malfunction again?" Tsuna said.

"Why don't I take her to the park? I'm good with kids" Giotto suggested and Tsuna gave his permission.

Along their way to the park, Giotto held Yuki's hand, like brother and sister. As they arrived at the park, Giotto picked her up and let her sat on his lap.

"My, what a cute sister you have" a woman's voice spoke next to him. As he turned around his head to the person, he widened his eyes.

"...Nadeshiko?"

"Hm? My name is Shinko, not Nadeshiko" the woman confused. "Anyway, can I talk with you for a while? I need a friend to talk to"

"S-Sure"

The meeting with the mystery woman, it was no mere coincidence. However, Giotto tried to maintain his emotions. He never expected to see such face again. He and the woman chatted for few hours. Slowly, Giotto began to get used to it and managed to talk to her more casually.

At that time, Yuki was completely forgotten by him. Of course, that Yuki didn't mind. She just sat at his lap while doing nothing. But she moved as she saw kittens near the bushes.

She always loved cats since she was a kid and instinctively, she jumped from his lap and headed straight to the cats. After few minutes she played with cats, suddenly, a pink smoke surrounded her again and she switched place again with the current Yuki. She was confused why she was at the park, so she decided to go back.

But then, she stopped her goal as she saw Giotto was talking with a woman.

She wasn't the jealous type, so she didn't mind if Giotto was with another woman. But that woman was different to her. She decided to hide behind the bushes to eavesdrop. From his face to the way he talked, he looked like he was really happy. Yuki heard every conversation as she heard it with a darken face, as if she felt she couldn't do anything but to keep silent. And unknown by Giotto, she left alone.

...

"Yuki! Are you—thank goodness you're back" Giotto sighed in relief. "Giotto-san, what happened? Yuki came here all by herself" Tsuna asked. "Ah, that's… I'm sorry, Yuki. I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay. It looks like you were having a good time with her, so I left you"

"But-"

"Giotto, why are you running like that?" a woman named Shinko appeared.

"You're Tsunayoshi, right? Giotto has talked many things about you. And that baby is Reborn, right? I'm Shinko" Shinko stretched her hand. Then, Shinko and Tsuna shook hands. "Nice to meet you, Shinko-san" Tsuna spoke.

"And you must be Yuki. Wow, you're prettier than I thought. Every time Giotto spoke your name, he blushed for no reason. He must be in love with you" Shinko casually spoke. "Anyway, nice to meet you" Shinko gave her hand and Yuki accepted it.

"This presence…" as their hands touched, Yuki twitched as she felt a stabbing and negative aura from her. She knew immediately that she was no ordinary woman.

"Are you sure about this, Yuki? Is that why you called Reborn and I to your house?"

"I'm positive. There's something that's not right about her. I need to inspect her further"

"Why the trouble? You could just say it to Giotto" Reborn stated.

Yuki was silent at first, then she spoke "I can't interfere with their life. They deserve a quality time together"

"I still don't understand why you still want to go to the future to inspect their life" Reborn replied.

"If I remain in this world, he could just find me and my plan will be ruined"

"But I thought you love him. Aren't you jealous?" Tsuna asked.

"Of course there's a part of my heart that hurts just thinking about it. But she's the reincarnation of Giotto's wife"

"Reincarnation?" Tsuna asked as if he was having a hard time to understand. Yuki nodded and said "If you were me, you would do the same thing, Tsuna"

"I… I suppose we can't stop you. But be careful"

"I will, Tsuna. I'll be back in a few months. Until then, I'll leave my house to you"