Namimori Middle School, Sawada Ienari
Nari sighed heavily as he took a broom out of the closet reserved for cleaning equipment. When Gokudera Hayato had enthusiastically announced that morning that he was going to replenish his stock of dynamite, the young mafia boss in training had thought it would be a quiet day. The bomber who, taking no notice of his refusal to let him become his subordinate, had recently appointed himself as his bodyguard was extremely loud and it had been a relief for the blonde boy when he had learnt he would be gone for the day. Yet here he was stuck sweeping the field by himself after PE class. Someone up there must hate him.
He was surprised to hear approaching footsteps and for a moment he dared hope the teacher was coming to tell him he could go home. He turned around.
"Help has arrived!" called Yamamoto Takeshi, carrying a broom on his shoulders.
"Yamamoto?!" he exclaimed bewildered.
Even though he and the baseball player had similar profiles (good in sports and generally popular but abysmal grades) they weren't exactly friends. It wasn't that they didn't get along or anything. They just didn't hang out together. Their groups of friends were different too.
"Thanks for helping me." he said gratefully as the dark haired boy started sweeping alongside him.
"Don't worry about it." replied the taller boy. "Truth is I wanted to talk to you about something."
Ienari glanced at his classmate, visibly surprised.
"Well, more like ask for advice really." corrected the baseball player after thinking for a moment.
The raven haired boy's jovial expression turned into a depressed one.
"Lately no matter how much I practice baseball my average keeps dropping and my fielding is screwing up. At this rate I won't even be a starter. Nari, what should I do?"
The blonde stayed speechless for a moment. He might be popular but no one had ever asked him for advice, especially not someone who was as talented as Yamamoto.
"Well…" he started racking his brain to find something sensible to say. "I guess, the only thing you can do is keep training. Your efforts are bound to be rewarded, right?"
He glanced at the taller boy feeling extremely uncertain.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Yamamoto sounding more like his usual self. "You know, I thought that was it too!"
The baseball player placed an arm around Nari's neck, grinning broadly.
"Alright! Today I'm staying here and practicing like hell!"
The two boys then finished sweeping, talking amicably as they worked. Once they were done, they parted ways. Nari was going home while Yamamoto was going back on the field to train.
From a second-floor window a pair of brown eyes watched the two boys part. The gaze turned thoughtful as he followed Yamomoto's silhouette. A whack to his head made him turn away from the window.
"Sawa! If you're not going to pay attention, I'll stop helping you!" snapped Kurokawa Hana at the brunet sitting opposite her.
"S-sorry, Kurokawa-san. I'll pay attention." said the boy hurriedly, going back to his exercises.
Kurokawa could scary when she wanted to.
The following day, Namimori Middle School, Roof, Sawa Tsunayoshi
Loyal to what was quickly becoming a tradition, Tsuna had left the classroom for lunch break and gone to the roof. He had already eaten his bento and was now standing next to the railing, looking at the city down below. The door's creaking announced a visitor and that, thought Tsuna, was also becoming customary.
He was surprised to see that it wasn't Hibari Kyouya but Yamamoto Takeshi who had stepped onto the roof. The boy looked equally surprised to see him but quickly went back to looking somber and depressed. Tsuna noticed that the boy's arm was in a sling. There seemed to be something wrong with the boy and the emptiness in his eyes told Tsuna what his aim in coming here might be.
"What are you doing here, Sawa?" asked the baseball player, sounding harsher than he meant to be.
The brunet took no offense at the tone employed (partly because he was used to it) and smiled at the newcomer.
"I often come to the roof. When I stand next to the railing I feel somewhat closer to the sky and the sun." he confided, turning back towards said railing. "It's like I'm already half-floating in the sky, it's exhilarating."
While he was talking, Yamamoto had come to stand next to him and was looking curiously at the emptiness beyond the railing.
"Sometimes, I think it would be so much easier to actually jump. I'd fly for a moment and fall asleep forever. It would only hurt for an instant and then I would forget what pain even was." he lifted his eyes towards the sky. "But you know, if I did that…"
He choked on the words, his eyes turning to infinite sadness. Catching his breath and doing his best to ignore Yamamoto's concerned expression, he continued.
"If I did that, I'd never be able to see my dad again. And I…" he fought back the tears. "I can't do it. In the end, I still want to be with Papa, no matter how painful life gets."
He paused and looked into the baseball players eyes. He could see understanding in the boy's eyes and he was glad that he had managed to remind the boy of what was important.
"Isn't it the same for you Yamamoto-san?" he asked smiling, with just a hint of sadness. "Isn't your father very important?"
"Yeah…Yeah he is." replied the dark haired boy.
Silence fell between the two of them as they continued gazing into the distance.
"Thanks Sawa." murmured Yamamoto after a while.
"You're welcome." replied the brunet sounding a lot more cheerful than before.
The baseball player smiled at him before turning on his heels and walking towards the door. He stopped just before he reached it.
"Hey, Sawa…Your father…" Yamamoto seemed unsure of how to ask his question and fidgeted.
The brunet, who had turned around, smiled at him, the shadows created by his bangs hiding the rest of his face.
"Right now, we can't live together anymore. But I'm sure one day we will be able to."
Yamamoto's eyes widened at the confession, he hadn't expected the brunet to trust him enough to answer the question he had meant to ask. Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded once before leaving the roof. As he walked down the stairs towards the classroom, he thought about how foolish he had been to even think about dying. Sawa had obviously had a much harder life and he wasn't jumping, was he? He had been an idiot.
Back on the roof, Tsuna fell back against the railing. Now he had done it. He had talked too much. Reborn hadn't been around at least.
A lone tear rolled down his cheek as he took out his small metallic case.
"One day, for sure." he promised softly as he caressed the photo.
He leaned more heavily against the railing, wiping the tear away and placing the flat box back into his pocket. He realized a second later that this had been a mistake as the wire fence suddenly gave way behind him, causing him to fall back into emptieness. His eyes widened as he lost his footing. He squeezed them shut, preparing for the long and lethal fall, when a strong hand gripped his wrist and pulled him back to safety. Tsuna found himself falling the other way. He collided with his savior and both boys fell to the floor.
The brunet opened his eyes again to look at a white shirt. He lifted his head up and came face to face with a raven haired boy whose bangs fell between his silver eyes, narrowed into a ferocious glare.
"Hi-Hibari-san?" he squeaked disbelievingly.
He suddenly noticed that he was lying on the Prefect, his face an inch away from the other boy's. Slightly panicky, he hurriedly rolled off his upperclassman, letting him sit up. The raven haired boy didn't comment. He simply got up, dusted his clothes and walked away.
"Ah, Hibari-san!" called Tsuna getting to his feet as well. "Thank you for saving me." he told the Prefect who had paused to hear what he had to say.
"Hn." replied the taller boy before leaving the roof.
Meanwhile, Yamamoto Takeshi and Sawada Ienari
When Yamamoto entered the classroom, he was immediately joined by Nari.
"Hey, Yamamoto, how are you feeling?" asked the blonde with a worried expression. "I heard you broke your arm while training yesterday…" he trailed off.
"No worried I'm fine!" reassured the baseball player with a wide grin. "Well I won't be playing for a while, but well…I guess I'm just going to have to take a break. It's no big deal."
His blonde classmate looked immensely relieved by the announcement.
"Yeah, a break might do you good, too." he said, nodding enthusiastically. "There's nothing like a change of pace from time to time!"
Yamamoto slapped the other boy's back with his remaining arm while laughing.
"Exactly! I'll rest and come back even stronger!"
The two boys continued chatting eagerly until the bell rang, announcing the start of the afternoon classes. They left for their respective seats, with a promise to hang out after school that evening.
As he sat down, Ienari felt that he had finally gained a true friend. Reborn who had seen the whole scene from outside the window was more thinking along the lines of 'family member acquired' but the blonde mafia boss in training didn't know that. Not yet, at least…
Namimori Middle School, Tsuna and Kurokawa Hana
"Did something good happen to you today?" asked the dark haired girl as she looked at the smiling brunet sitting opposite her.
The boy looked up from his exercise sheets.
"No, not really." he said cheerfully.
She narrowed her eyes, visibly not believing his words. She decided to drop the subject anyway.
"Where do you usually eat lunch?" she asked in a business-like tone.
"Eh?" the brunet blinked a few times apparently surprised by the sudden question. "The roof but…"
The raven haired girl cut him off with a nod.
"Then tomorrow, me and Kyoko will come to eat with you." she announced. "You have no complaints, right?"
The tone sounded somewhat threatening and Tsuna found himself gulping apprehensively as he hurriedly shook his head.
"Erm…"
"What?" snapped the girl, annoyed by the boy's indecisiveness.
"I'd rather you called me Tsuna instead of Sawa." said the boy tentatively, looking away from his tutor's narrowed eyes.
"Fine. but I have one condition." brown eyes flickered back to the girl. "You have to call me by name as well. Got it?"
The teen looked immensely relieved as he nodded his head hastily.
