CHAPTER I

"Good morning, Tenth!"

"Yo. Good morning, Tsuna"

"Good morning, Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto too"

At usual and peaceful morning, they met together like always walking to the school. They talked about many things and laughed together. Although Gokudera always annoyed about Yamamoto and called him "baseball freak", the atmosphere was friendly and everything just felt so much better. After they arrived at each class, Gokudera approached Tsuna and whispered to him.

"Tenth, what do you think about Yuki-san?"

"Eh? I think she's very pretty and strong. And reliable too. Why you ask?"

"It's just… I sense something out of the ordinary from her"

"Like what? I thought you recognize her"

"Well, I do. I first met her when I was a kid and I didn't sense that from her. But now… "

"Take it easy, Gokudera-kun. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about" Tsuna gave his relaxing smile.

"I-If tenth say so…"

A while after their conversation, they heard a commotion from the students. They were saying about a new student. It was said that it's a she and she was well-known and beautiful. The rumors wouldn't stop even though the teacher was already there. "Okay, could we please start the lesson?" the teacher broke the commotion.

"As you all know, a student from a rich family is coming today. But sorry to disappoint you, she's a 3rd grade senior. All classes will be informed that you must be nice to her since she's here to observe and get to know our school as fellow student"

"Aww" was the only reaction they could bring. On the other hand, Ryohei was more surprised of what's coming at his classroom. There was Yuki standing in front of the class introducing herself. The boys were stunned by her beauty and cuteness, as well as the girls. During the break and in a split second, his class was crowded by student. Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were standing there like a bunch of lost kids. Out of nowhere, Hibari appeared and prepared his tonfas. "Ne, all of you. What are you crowding for? I'll bite you to death" with that, the students fled and Hibari walked away.

"It's extremely crowded than I thought, huh?" Ryohei appeared.

"Hey senpai, what's this about?" Yamamoto asked.

"Well…"

"Hm? Why are you guys standing here for?" the semi long black hair girl came out from her class.

"Y-Yuki-san? What are you doing here?" Tsuna shocked.

"What do you mean? I come here to watch over you, of course" she answered innocently.

"You know you don't have to go this far, right?"

"I know. But still… I want to feel what it's like to attend school"

"Don't tell me that Reborn is behind this…"

"Not me, dame-Tsuna" Reborn suddenly appeared behind them.

"Reborn… are you sure it's okay for her? If she really wants to go to school, why she choose middle school?"

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not in this time"

"Then, you…" everyone looked at Yuki.

"I'm sorry for troubling you, Decimo. I know it's selfish for me to do this. This is the only way I can protect you" she bowed.

"Umm… why don't you call me by my first name? And you're too tense. Just relax for once" Tsuna offered her. Having heard that, she was kind of twitched. "I... I will, but you have to call me Yuki. Out with the –san thing". "O-Okay... Yuki" he blushed.

"Tsuna, show her around. It's your job as her boss" Reborn ordered. Tsuna obediently nodded. "This way, um… Yuki" once again, he was being awkward. But Yuki just stood still while looking at Tsuna with glossy eyes. "What's wrong?" Tsuna asked. Yuki shook her head "Nothing's wrong. Well, let's get going shall we?". Tsuna nodded and they both left.

The setting sun and the sky were dyed in orange beautifully. A mafia boss and his guardians were waiting for Yamamoto and Yuki at the school gate. "Yo, everyone!" the cheerful baseball boy waved his hand.

"Yuki-senpai said she will go home alone. The teacher just called her about which club she's going to enter" he explained. "Are you sure it's okay? I mean she just got here. What if she got lost?" Tsuna worried. "Don't worry. She's not hopeless. If she said she will do it, then she will. You're worrying too much, Tsuna. Or do you like her?" Reborn teased him. "It's not like that, Reborn. I don't know why, but I'm really worried about her"

"She can protect herself. You should have faith in her" Reborn stated. No matter how worried he may be, he knew in his heart that he had to trust her. He could only nod, although it was not as simple as it was. At night, Reborn secretly went to the park alone. There he saw a girl sitting on the bench staring at the pocket watch she held.

"What's so special about that watch?" Reborn asked

Yuki flinched and immediately closed the lid. "It's not that special. It's a gift from a friend"

"A friend from Vongola?" Reborn pointed the Vongola mark that was on the watch. "Something like that"

"Fate has started moving. They will encounter a greater deal than before. That includes you too, Reborn"

"Greater deal, huh?" Reborn crossed his arms.

"I'm concern about them, especially Tsuna. He resembles to someone I know so much" once again, a sad eye was seen from her eyes. Reborn looked into her eyes. It was sadder and deeper than before.

"Is that why you care for him so much? Because he resembles to someone?" Reborn questioned.

Yuki shook her head and answered "No. I made a promise to myself that I will be by his side when he needs me. I have to make up all the things I've done" Yuki whispered her last sentence as if it was meant for her and not Reborn. But Reborn didn't asked any of it to her since he knew that she'd rather shut her mouth. "So wherever you are, it seems that the stars always there for you, Yuki. There are always stars at your spot no matter where you go" Reborn looked at the sky. At that night, both of them stared at the same purple sky. The sky filled with stars as it was shining brightly above the depths of sky. No one, except Yuki knew that their fated war would begin in short time.

Two days had passed since Yuki's arrival. Although Tsuna always wanted to walk home with her, she kept saying that she would be okay. At one particular evening, Tsuna was on his way to home along with Reborn. Having no hesitation left, Tsuna finally took the courage to ask Reborn. "Ne, Reborn. Don't you think that Yuki's being distant to us? I mean, since that night, she never talk to us or meet us. I never saw her at school"

"She has her own reason to do that. She did what she told us anyway. You maybe not realize this, but she's always watching you wherever you are and without everyone's noticing". "What? She really goes too far" Tsuna scratched his head.

"Maybe, but-" Reborn was interrupted by Lambo chasing his flying balloon. Annoyed by Lambo, he smacked him. Lambo was tossed away and the 10-year-bazooka flew from his afro hair. Strangely, he couldn't move when he was about to dodge the hit. The bazooka hit Reborn and a cloud of purple smoke surrounded him. To his surprise, the 10 year later Reborn didn't appear. At first, Tsuna confused, but he assumed that he would probably be back before dinner. And so, Tsuna continued his way to home alone. When morning came, Tsuna used his Sunday to search for Reborn. Along the way, he met with Gokudera and Haru. He told them about Reborn and they also help him. After searching throughout the city, Tsuna went back to his house to ask for adult Lambo. He saw the sleeping Lambo and secretly took the bazooka from his hair, but he got caught by Lambo.

"Tsuna, give it back! The boss will be angry at me. He told me not to use it!" he referred the boss of Bovino Family. Lambo grabbed it and they were pulling each other. "Your boss doesn't know that you've been using it too much, Lambo!" they kept pulling and pulling until Lambo slipped his hand and the bazooka flew to Tsuna. As the result, Tsuna was sent to the future.

Dark and narrow was the best way to describe his current location. He was in a lying position and he stretched his hand to the ceiling. "Eh? Can ceiling be this close?" he thought. As his hand reached it, he pushed the top and when it opened, the sun brightly shining onto his face. Then, he lifted his body and found himself in a forest as well as he was in a coffin. "Why am I in a coffin?" asked his inner mind. Tsuna made a confused yet horrified face when he saw the coffin. By the time he looked around, he found a silhouette of a person walking to him.

"T-Tenth?" the man spoke and his pupil were shaking and his jaw dropped. As if he was shocked to see Tsuna. "G-Gokudera-kun? No, don't tell me he's…". "Tenth…" the future Gokudera kneeled before him and gripped Tsuna's shoulders.

"Ouch! That hurts, Gokudera-kun…"

"Ah… I'm sorry, Tenth" Gokudera loosen his grip. Then all of the sudden, Gokudera showed a picture of someone. "Tenth, when you go back, please kill this person"

"What…? Why? And Gokudera-kun, why am I in a coffin?"

"Because of this man, the Vongola has…" Gokudera wasn't able to say much. Tsuna instantly knew that something happened in the future. He was about to ask him, but all of the sudden, a familiar purple smoke surrounding Gokudera and the usual Gokudera appeared. In addition, Tsuna was more troubled and surprised. Gokudera was happy to see Tsuna, but then Tsuna told him what his future self told him. Assuming that there's nothing to worry about, Gokudera comforted Tsuna by saying that they would be back five minutes after their arrival. But, ten minutes had passed and they didn't return to the past. In that situation, both of them were confused and lost. Knowing they would probably end up in another country, they carefully observed the place and while at it, Gokudera picked up a small box that was on his future self's bag.

Out of the blue, someone ambushed them. The person used a gun that attached to the arm. Gokudera tried to fight the person but he was caught in a trap. Tsuna had no choice but to drink his deathperation pill before his fight. Even though he's the boss and he defeated Xanxus, he was completely outclassed by the enemy. The person lit a flame from the ring and injects it to the box that was under the person's cloak. A large centipede with a purple flame on its head came out and surrounded Tsuna. He was bounding Tsuna by restraining him. Tsuna struggled really hard to let go and finally, he got out and dashed towards the enemy. However, the enemy saw that coming and disappeared right in front of Tsuna just before making an appearance behind him.

"If you keep this up, you won't survive in this world" the person pointed the gun at him. Even though the voice was kind of shaky, they knew that "he" was actually a "she". After that, she lifted her gun and dismissed the trap.

"Are you really the Vongola tenth? I could kill you like stealing a candy from a baby" she narrowed her eyes to Tsuna.

"What was that? How dare you talk like that to tenth, you-"

"Lal" she interrupted. "Lal Mirch. I come here to pick you up" Lal turned away. "Pick us up? What do you mean?" Tsuna asked. At one point, Lal glared at Tsuna which scared him. Then, she turned her head away. "We're going to Vongola's underground headquarters"

"Tenth. We can't trust this woman. She just attacked us and nearly killed you. And how do you know she's not lying?" Gokudera as always, being too skeptical about someone. Lal threw a pair of sandal to Tsuna. "Here, it's hard for you to walk with those bare legs, right? You will know once you get there" Lal didn't even give a single look at them. Because of her attitude, Gokudera pissed off, but Tsuna told him to trust her to see whether she's telling the truth.

When the sun was set, Lal told them to rest for a while. She also told them to find their own food instead of making her do it. And so, the boys went to the forest to search for food. While Tsuna went to search at the deeper part, Gokudera saw Lal at the lake. She was crying while holding a piece of fabric. Gokudera was mesmerized yet somewhat lost looking at her expression. At night, they began their course. In the middle of the way, they almost encountered a mechanic robot, Mosca. "Quickly, cover your ring with this" Lal gave them chains. "It's called Mammon chain. It'll make your flame undetectable. You guys need this". They hid behind a rock and the Mosca was walking and stopped in front of them. It turned its head to the rock and detected a ring on its radar.

The reason why they were detected because Tsuna brought more than one ring, which one of it was a ring that someone gave to him. That giving Lal no option but to distract it while they ran to the HQ. Tsuna was completely against the idea, but good for him, someone stroke the Mosca from behind. "Scontro di Squalo" was the name of the attack and it made that machine unable to move.

"Yo, tsuna" that familiar voice had shown his face. "Yamamoto? And wasn't that Squalo's technique…?" Tsuna blinked at the scarred man. "Wow, both of you are really small. Hehe… it's so nostalgic" Yamamoto did his usual cheerful smile fetish. Likewise, Gokudera felt annoyed by him. Yamamoto said he would lead them the way to the HQ. "Wait!" Lal interrupted. "That's not the way to the HQ"

"Oh, about the information you've been given, it's a false one. So, I'm taking you to the HQ now" he spoke while running.

Finally after a long run, they managed to get there safely. Tsuna questioned himself about the HQ as it why it was underground. "This way" Yamamoto led them to a room. Tsuna's eyes grew wider as he saw what he wanted to saw. "R-Reborn…" Tsuna gave a relieved smile, but all of the sudden, someone kicked his head. "Ciaossu. Dame-Tsuna as ever, Dame-Tsuna" the real Reborn showed up while wearing a white suit.

"Reborn, what's with this mixed up reunion? And… what's with that outfit?" he pointed at Reborn's costume. "He can't help it, Tsuna. He needs a protection from outside" a person was standing at the door. "Y-Yuki, what're you doing here?" both Tsuna and Gokudera finally completely lost. They were given many surprises from the start.

"She arrived here before I do, Tsuna. There's something we need to tell you about this future" Tsuna gulped, his nervousness was almost at the peak. After hearing what Reborn and Yuki said, the nervousness turned into a blank look all over their faces. "So… Vongola was destroyed and Yamamoto's dad got killed..? W-What about everyone… Kyoko-chan and the others?" Tsuna trembled in fear and worry. "Lambo and I-pin are on their way to pick Kyoko and Haru. But mama…" Reborn hesitate. "Mama had a vacation to Italy with Iemitsu and she picked the worst time. We haven't heard any news from them…" Reborn averted his eyes.

"That's why we're here to put an end to Millefiore. All of you are the chosen one. Chosen to do this task. If this plan is a success, great things will happen" Yuki said so, trying to comfort Tsuna with her wary smile.

Reborn continued his explanation. "That's why we need to assemble all the remaining five guardians, aside from Yamamoto and Gokudera. After this, go to the briefing room. Gokudera, you go first" Reborn had left the room with Gokudera and Yamamoto leaving Tsuna and Yuki behind. "Eh? Five? Did he miscount?" Tsuna muttered.

"He's not. You will meet this new guardian. Reborn told me not to say it, but I don't want to make you more worry than this" Tsuna saw her looking at him with concern look as he saw her eyes. Although they were deep black, he could tell that those eyes were full of remorse.

"Yuki, did you really got here by the ten-year-bazooka?". That question was out of his mind, but yet, he did ask it. He didn't even know why he asked such obvious question. "Well, you could say that. Anyway, I'm leaving first. See you later, Tsuna"

"Wait…" Tsuna stopped her from going. Yuki turned her body to face Tsuna "Why? Why do you always have such sad look?" Yuki twitched by his question, but she just look at him with blank look. "I know we just met and I don't know much about you, but…"

"If there's something that you've been hiding from us, please tell. I can tell from your eyes that you're enduring something, Yuki"

.

"You know something? A person's eyes can tell the truth about hidden feelings and whenever I saw your eyes, I can tell that you're enduring something, Yuki"

.

Yuki immediately froze and taken aback as she heard that statement. A silhouette of a person appeared on her mind with a sentence that was spoken with soft and calming voice. A voice that she could never forget.

"Y-Yuki? I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that" Tsuna apologized as he saw the girl didn't move her gaze from Tsuna. Slowly, she turned her body back to the door and walk outside just before she made a brief stop. "No, it's not your fault. I just remembered something, that's all" she spoke without looking at Tsuna. "Remember what?"

"Something that I shouldn't remember"