A/N: Anyone else agree that the new sign for the site looks like some strange tribal design or something? Anyhow. Second installment of my first chapter KHR story ever! This story isn't going to be a, 'Oh, I love him! I should tell him! Right this minute!' kind of story, since that's a little bit unrealistic. If you were thrown into the future 10 years from now and read that you were in love with your best friend who had just died, would you immediately accept this as truth and then go off blindly to tell that best friend living in the past that you loved them? No. I don't think so, anyway. Personally, a person should think about everything and figure out their feelings for themselves, not depending on an outside source to tell them how they feel. This can take a while, too. And people can get distracted by things along the way. Just explaining a bit how I'll be writing this. Anyhow, there's probably spelling mistakes, OoCness and other little grammatical errors and such. I apologize. I hope you enjoy the chapter. And thank you for the reviews so far! It makes me very happy to see people enjoy this story and pairing!
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Characters and Places belong to Amano Akira.
"Yamamoto! Yamamoto are you all right?"
Yamamoto blinked as the smoke cleared around him, showing Tsuna kneeling on the ground in front of him—he was still seated as if he were in that room in the future. Looking at the brunet owlishly, the baseball player seemed to forget where he was or what he was doing five minutes ago. Hi hands tightened around something then, and he glanced down to see the old leather journal in his hand.
'Huh. That might be a bit of a problem.'
Without consciously thinking about it Yamamoto slipped the journal into his bag, catching the eye of Reborn. The infant was staring at him with a curious expression—an event in itself, as Reborn's expressions were about as different as eggshell white and off white. He grinned at Reborn then, holding a finger up to his lips in the universal sign of 'don't say anything', before turning to the flailing Tsuna.
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Though that was exciting. What was that, anyway?"
"E-eh?! Uhm, well, you see…it was…"
"Tsuna, you useless idiot." Reborn suddenly jumped to the teens, kicking Tsuna in the back of the head and landing on his twitching body. "It's not rocket science or anything overly complex. What should I expect though, when you can't even understand simple middle school mathematics?" He then turned to Yamamoto, giving his usual baby benign smile. "It's a Ten Year Bazooka. It warps you ten years in the future. A weird, but very rare, weapon made by the Bovina family; I don't know why someone as useless as Lambo has it."
Yamamoto nodded slowly to show he understood, looking around to see Lambo unconscious and I-Pin sitting on him. He grinned at the image, not even wondering how the two had gotten into that state, before turning back to Reborn. "What's up little guy? You look like you're itching to ask me something."
"Did something important happen in the future? Since the adult you acted very strange. He wouldn't say anything, though." Reborn tilted his head mock sweetly to the side, Leon adjusted himself on the baby's fedora. Yamamoto pursed his lips in thought, staring at the Arcobaleno's unblinking eyes for a moment before smiling a little.
'So I wouldn't tell them about what's in this journal, hm? Guess that means I shouldn't spill. I have too much to think about on this anyway.' Yamamoto thought, scratching the back of his head as he smiled apologetically to Reborn. "Sorry Reborn, but if future me didn't think you should know then anything I learned can't be shared." He smiled, shrugging as he stood up and stretched his arms above his head, getting the kinks out of his back. His spine popped with a few satisfying cracks causing him to groan in a relaxed manner. He glanced down as he heard a familiar dark mumbling to see Tsuna sitting up rubbing his head, causing him to inwardly laugh. "Well, I guess I'll see you in school, okay Tsuna? Don't forget the homework tonight! I doubt any dynamite will blow up tomorrow to save you like today." He grinned as Tsuna laughed nervously, before offering a hand to the brunet. The Tenth boss accepted his hand then, and the Rain Guardian pulled him up, bringing him unnecessarily close.
A moment of silence seemed to take over them as Yamamoto took in a breath, inhaling the upcoming rain, fresh air and something so unmistakably Tsuna he couldn't rightfully describe it. It was like heat and regret and sacrifice; love, pain and secrets. It smelt like geraniums, old blood and burning wood.
The silence was broken when Tsuna pulled his hand away from Yamamoto's grasp, grinning in thanks. Yamamoto smiled lightly back, wishing his friend and companions a good night before he turned, leaving the Sawada residence with a slightly bewildered Tsuna and a suspicious Reborn.
Yamamoto slid the door to his room closed quietly, determined not to alert his father that he was home just yet. He didn't want to be disturbed at that moment and he knew that if his father was aware of his presence at home, he'd never get a moment to himself. Sighing a little to himself, he put down his bag by his desk and sat down on his bed, unbuttoning the uniform shirt as he stared off into space. His day had definitely been an interesting one, even if it had started off as ordinary. There was so much to take in after those five minutes he had spent in the future—and even more to take in once he dared to open that journal again.
As his thoughts drifted to the journal, his light eyes slide over to his bag where it was hidden from sight. He frowned slightly, his hands stilling at a button and his eyes narrowing marginally. "I can't believe I took that thing with me," he murmured softly, sighing and finishing off unbutton his shirt, slipping out of it and tossing it to his laundry basket. He stood up then and walked to his bag, rifling through it until his hands touched the worn leather showing age and use. He lifted the journal carefully, carrying it over to his bed where he sat down again and leaned against the headboard, staring at it with contemplating eyes.
"…This tells me what my future's gonna be like…" he murmured quietly, tracing the cracks in the leather. He pressed his palm against it then, memorizing the feel of the leather and the bends and cracks that showed how many times it had been opened and read over the years of its use. "It tells me what I'm like…but…" He closed his eyes, leaning his head back quietly. "Do I really want to know the future? What if I mess it up by reading this?"
"What if you fix it?"
Yamamoto jumped violently at the voice, leaping off of his bed and grabbing Shigure Kintoki, moving into a stance of the Shigure Souen Style, the bamboo sword transforming into the lethal blade he had inherited from his father. He narrowed his eyes and looked around the room before glancing at the window, seeing the tiny silhouette of Reborn sitting there, looking at him; dark, beady eyes gleaming at him and his smile permanently on his face. "Oh, hey little guy," the baseball player said with a sigh of relief, relaxing and leaning the reverted bamboo sword on the wall next to his bed. He then sat back down on his bed, a little wary but less on guard now that he knew who it was in his room. He didn't even bother asking how Reborn had gotten to his house, or to his room window. It was Reborn. "What was that?"
"The future," Reborn repeated, kicking his legs out childishly and staring at Yamamoto with a quiet intensity that unnerved the teen. "I'm going to assume that the journal you have is the property of your future self, and has information on what happens ten years from now. What if, if you read it and things happen that shouldn't have happened you could fix the future so that whatever outcome made the future you look at Tsuna with an expression I didn't quite understand can disappear? I didn't like the look the future you was giving Tsuna, as it was almost as if he were seeing a ghost or something." Reborn frowned then, before shrugging. "But if you're afraid of changing the future and don't want to read it, that's fine. Just follow life as its going, if that's what you want. What'll come will come eventually."
"…The way you say that, it's almost as if you're challenging me."
"Oh?" Reborn tilted his head to the side, smiling again. "Why would you think that?"
"Well…you say that I have the possibility to fix the future. That definitely sounds better than messing it up. It's like you're saying, 'You have the power to change outcomes. It would be completely stupid of you to ignore this and just let undesirable things happen.' It's almost like you're saying that if I don't change the future or something, what'll come to pass if I leave everything alone will be my fault."
"Well, you seem to be reading into things too deeply," Reborn stated matter-of-factly, standing and fixing his hat on his head. Yamamoto could see the bottom part of his face, however, and saw that the infant was smirking. Oh, so he wasn't that far off the mark, then. He smiled at Reborn then, picking up the journal and holding it up. "What are you showing it to me for?"
"Did you want to see it? You seemed interested in knowing earlier."
"I have no need to read your future ramblings. They'll do me no good in the end. I'll let you deal with your own problems." The Rain guardian laughed at this, grinning at the Arcobaleno. Reborn then nodded to Yamamoto and stepped off of the window ledge. Yamamoto blinked stupidly at his sudden departure, before shrugging to himself and sitting back against the headboard, opening up to the first entry again.
"Where was I….Oh, yeah…'And life hasn't been the same for anyone since…'"
"Yamamoto? Yamamoto?? Are you awake?"
Yamamoto blinked rapidly as a hand waved in front of his face, looking up to see Tsuna looking at him with concerned honey eyes. He stared at the boy for a moment, imagining him as older, with a more matured look and a quiet smile, before he was knocked out of his imaginings as Tsuna started to talk again.
"You seem really tired today, Yamamoto. Did you not sleep well last night? Well, I guess you were probably bothered by what happened yesterday. I'm really sorry about that. I know you said you thought it was cool or whatever, but I wouldn't be able to go into the future and be comfortable afterwards. Knowing what's coming has got to put a lot of stress on you when you get back, since you don't know what happened to cause any of that." Tsuna pouted at the thought, sitting down on Yamamoto's desk. It was lunch break, and Tsuna had wanted to ask Yamamoto if he had brought any extra lunch since he had forgotten his at home and Reborn had apparently decided Tsuna needed to start remembering his own things instead of having them brought to him. So what if he starved? Tsuna's fault.
Yamamoto smiled a little apologetically, sitting up and rubbing the side of his head. "It wasn't the bazooka thing, don't worry. I was up reading a…book all night."
"Oh?" Tsuna looked at him curiously. "What was the book about?"
"…It was a future-like setting. It was lying around the house, and I thought I might as well read it to see what the author thought of the future." Yamamoto grinned nervously, hating that he was lying. He was only partially lying, but it was lying all the same. And it was lying to Tsuna; one of the most innocent, honest people Yamamoto had the pleasure of knowing. It was like telling a child that Santa Clause wasn't real or kicking a puppy. You just didn't do it.
'But if I tell him what I was actually reading—my own journal ten years in the future—I don't think he'd be very happy. He'd probably freak out actually. Or he might want to know what'll happen in the future. I don't…really want him to know.'
So far within the journal, Yamamoto had learned the basic structure of the Vongola Family—which Tsuna had created so that they operated differently than most mafia families did—as well as each of the guardians main jobs. It had been odd, reading about him going on dangerous, life-or-death situations and taking the lives of people if it was absolutely needed under Tsuna's orders. It didn't seem like the kind of life that Tsuna would be happy living in, yet whenever future Yamamoto mentioned him, future Tsuna seemed content.
It certainly felt like he was reading a novel half the time, so really, it wasn't like he was actually lying to Tsuna…
He'd keep telling himself that, anyway.
"Oh." Yamamoto turned his attention back to Tsuna as the brunet spoke up. He was looking at him curiously, seeming to notice his sudden silence again. "Well, that sounds interesting. Maybe I can borrow it sometime."
"Yeah, maybe," Yamamoto said lightly, before grinning. "So where's your lunch, Tsuna?"
"Ah, right! Thanks for reminding me. I forgot my lunch at home and I was wondering…"
"No need to ask. Dad made me a ridiculously big lunch today; I'll split with you 50-50." Yamamoto grinned as he stood up from his desk, following Tsuna out of the classroom so that they could eat up on the roof. "Oh yeah, where's Gokudera?"
"He was called to the office just when lunch started. I guess you didn't hear it, though. He should be back soon." Yamamoto nodded, carrying his lunch in one hand while the other was shoved into his back pocket. "Yamamoto…is there anything else on your mind? You seem really spacey today. I know you're tired and everything, but…it just feels like you're not saying something…"
Yamamoto looked at Tsuna with a contemplating expression, impressed that the brunet seemed to be able to sense that he wasn't telling the full truth. Of course, though, Tsuna had always been good at reading people like that. It was one of his greatest qualities. For grinned to his friend, hoping that Tsuna would drop the topic.
As if he could read his feelings, Tsuna smiled a little hesitantly and nodded, opening the door to the stairs that led to the roof.
The rest of the day was spent much like the first half had been spent, with Yamamoto not really paying much attention to anything. This had eventually led to him getting a detention as he had not been able to answer the teacher's question and then he had had to admit he hadn't been paying the least bit of attention to the teacher. So as the last bell for school sounded, Yamamoto collected his things and sat at his desk, watching as his classmates and friends left. He waved to Tsuna and Gokudera as they trailed out of the classroom, Tsuna promising that he'd talk to him later and Gokudera muttering something about how the 'baseball-idiot was acting weirder than normal'.
Once the room was emptied, Yamamoto turned to look at the teacher who was straightening her desk of papers and turned in assignments. It was quiet for a few moments except for the tick-tock of the clock on the wall. Finally, after what felt like an hour but was really only ten minutes, the teacher looked up.
"Yamamoto-kun," she spoke up then, sitting on the edge of her desk and looking at him worriedly. "I know you aren't one of my best students and that you don't always grasp the subject, but at least you're paying attention and trying! Now you're acting like Gokudera-kun. This isn't at all like you. Are you okay?"
"Eh?" Yamamoto stared at his teacher with raised eyebrows and wide eyes, his mouth dropping open a little. The reason he got a detention was because his teacher was worried about him, in some weird adult way? "Uhm…I'm fine, sensei," he said then, smiling a little uncertainly. "I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night, so I'm a bit out of it…"
"Well, that's unlike you, too. You're always so concerned about your health because you play baseball. Staying up at foolish hours would put a hard toll on your body." She frowned, crossing her arms across her chest and cocking her head to the side. "Really, you're acting so strangely."
"Well, some other things have come up kind of recently. I have a lot of stuff to think about right now. I'll try to pay more attention in class, though. Today was just my carelessness." Yamamoto paused for a moment, before scratching the back of his head. "Uhm…am I doing any real detention work or did you want to just talk to me after class?"
"Oh, you'll be doing real detention work. I want you to work on pages 54-58 in your text book for the next hour, then hand in the work that you've done. After that, if I'm satisfied, you can leave." The teacher paused, staring at the teen for a moment before standing up and collecting her suitcase, straightening her suit jacket. "I'll be in the teacher's lounge. Once you're done your work, hand it in to me there and I'll let you go home. I'll call your father to tell you that you have detention today for being an airhead."
"Right," Yamamoto nodded, pulling out the needed textbook and flipping to the assigned pages, taking out a notebook and pencil to write in. The teacher made sure he was settled to work before turning and leaving the classroom, leaving Yamamoto to his thoughts and his work.
"It's unlike you to not pay attention in class, Takeshi. Is this something Daddy should be worried about?"
Yamamoto sighed as he slipped off his shoes at the front door, walking across the wooden floor of the restaurant towards the stairs that led to the main house floor. He glanced at his father, smiling at him easily and shrugging. "Well, I guess all students have to slack off at least once. At least this is just the first time with me and not a regular occurrence, right?" He raised an eyebrow as he smiled slightly, watching his father's facial expressions. His dad seemed thoughtful for a moment, before he smiled just as easily as his son and nodded. It seemed he understood that something was once again going on in Yamamoto's life and it was best not to ask about it.
Yamamoto grinned at his dad one last time before walking up the stairs towards his room, sliding the door open and stepping in, closing it behind him. He dropped his bag by his desk, walked over to his bed and fell face-first into it, sighing tiredly. "I really did stay up late reading that thing…" he muttered to himself, turning his head to look at the journal in question. It rested on his bedside table with a little bookmark in it marking his place. He sighed, pushing himself up to properly sit on the bed, looking at the journal for a while.
So far, nothing had happened that he needed to try and change. Everyone seemed happy or content with their lives (from what he could tell). No one had died who didn't mean to die; no one in the family had been killed. It was so far alright within the world of the future. He scratching his chin, having just read the story in which someone had sliced him across the chin and given him a scar that he'd carry on within the rest of his days from what he could gather.
"…What am I even doing?" he questioned then, narrowing light eyes in thought. "All I want to do is make sure that somehow Tsuna doesn't die in the future. All I want to do is tell him the truth on how I feel. I hadn't even meant to read the journal. I know Reborn says that I should read it to see if I need to change anything, but doesn't that take the mystery of the future away? All I really care about is the safety of my friends." He buried his face in his hands, groaning in frustration. "I feel like I've totally lost the point of what I'm trying to do."
"You're trying to do something specific?"
"Reborn!" Yamamoto turned around quickly, looking at the infant in surprise. "My god, little guy, you have got to stop randomly appearing in my room like this! Does Tsuna even know you're here?"
"He does not know, nor should he bother to even be informed. He's failing at doing his homework. I left him in Gokudera's charge so that I could check on how you were doing." Reborn sat on the window sill again, getting comfortable. Leon crawled down from his hat and transformed into a paddle with a ball attached with a string. He started to play with it, watching it as he spoke to the Rain guardian. "I didn't hear exactly what you were saying earlier though I thought I caught the words 'Tsuna' and 'die'. Now, unless you were talking about the Dying Will bullet, something bad happened in the future that now concerns me."
Silence followed that statement, the only sound the ball hitting the paddle as Yamamoto stared at Reborn and Reborn stared at the wall.
"Well?" Reborn piped up suddenly, caused Yamamoto to twitch in surprise. "What happened?"
"…" Yamamoto bit his lip, before shaking his head. "I really, really shouldn't tell you. You might tell Tsuna, and he'll freak out." Reborn looked at him, staring hard and Yamamoto got the feeling that the baby was using a scare tactic. It almost worked, but he had stared into the eyes of a human shark and was not all that threatened after a moment. The Arcobaleno then sighed, turning back to his paddle.
"Alright, so you won't tell me that. What about what you're trying to do now?"
"Oh, that." Yamamoto sighed, before falling onto his back on the bed, staring at the roof. "I'm trying to figure out some things about myself."
"Is the journal not helping?"
"No, it's just distracting me. I feel like I should be figuring myself out by myself, and not with the aid of the future. Besides, this is taking away the fun of living for each day towards the 'unknown'. If I know the future, what unknown am I heading towards?"
"Hm," Reborn agreed or disagreed—Yamamoto wasn't sure—before the sound of the ball and paddle suddenly disappeared. Yamamoto looked up to see Leon crawling back onto Reborn's hat. "Well, if you're just trying to figure yourself out, then you should get to work on that. And if you don't want the journal anymore, I could take the ten year bazooka, send you back to the future and you can return it."
"That sounds like a good idea to me," Yamamoto said, smiling. "This has all been way too troubling for my tastes. I just want things to be simpler."
"You're dealing with the future, Yamamoto," Reborn said, turning to step off the ledge again. "Things are never simple."
Yamamoto watched as the baby disappeared.