Chapter 9: first meetings

"Zero-chan!"

"Good morning Kyoko-san"

"How was your vacation Zero-chan?" Kyoko asked.

"It was great! I visited my Famigli-family and alli- I mean friends in Italy and I almost finished all my paperwo-homework. How was your vacation?" Smooth Zero, you almost revealed the fact that you are in the mafia…

"It was fun, Hana-chan, onii-chan and I had a great time together." She smiled. Onii-chan? Doesn't that mean brother?

"You have a brother Kyoko-san?"

"O I haven't introduced him to you yet." She said before she pushed me forwards. "Let's introduce you guys."

"Kufufufu, sure Kyoko-san…" I laughed, but then I saw her brother. The Knuckle-lookalike. I actually forgot to think for a while as I accidentally said the taboo word.

"Are you a boxer?" I blurted out and I groaned inwardly. I should get ready for-

"Yes TO THE EXTREME! And are you Kyoko's friend?" the white haired teen asked.

the extreme headache…

"E-Estraneo Zero… nice to meet you?"

"Onii-chan, this is the friend I was talking about." Kyoko said. The said brother looked intensely at me before he grinned.

"It's nice to meet you TO THE EXTREME. My name is Sasagawa Ryohei, Kyoko's brother! And you can EXTREMELY call me onii-san or Ryohei nii-san." He said. I sweatdropped. Is the 'TO THE EXTREME' hereditary? If so I know his ancestor… No it can't be, I shook my head in confusion. Priests normally don't get children right?

"Sure… nice to meet you Ryohei nii-san." Why is he asking me to call him brother anyways? I thought as I tilted my head in confusion.

"Look it's Dame-Tsuna" someone snapped me out of my confusion. I turned around to greet my friend… where are his clothes? I blinked as he ran past us and literally dragged Ryohei with him.

"W-what happened just now?" I muttered. Did Tsuna strip agai- no, was that a dying will flame? Kyoko simply giggled and picked her brother's bag from the ground.

"Come let's catch up"

"Sure Kyoko-san…" I nodded. Maybe it was my imagination.

So it wasn't my imagination, I mused as Kyoko, Gokudera and Yamamoto cheered for Tsuna. Tsuna just stripped after getting shot by reborn and was fightin- no boxing with Ryohei… with dying will-flames on their foreheads. I stared at the flames on Tsuna's forehead. Sky flames if my eyes aren't deceiving me… and pure ones too. They kind of reminded me of Giotto's flames, but they somehow bothered me. I got the feeling that something was… wrong with those flames. I had this feeling when I observed Tsuna for the first time too…

"Ciaossu Zero, how was Italy?" Reborn with an elephant hat interrupted my train of thoughts.

"Hello Reborn-san. Well, it was nice to see my Famiglia again. And they were quite… proud because I 'secured' an alliance with one of the most powerful Famiglia's in the world…" I answered. Proud was quite the understatement if you asked me though…

"The alliance is official now." I continued. "I contacted the Vongola Nono in Italy, he was quite… accepting." I frowned as I remembered our meeting. I expected the old man to be wary of me because I was too… young for being a mafia boss. He was, of course, suspicious of me, but the suspicion disappeared faster than I expected. I also expected the meeting to be more intimidating, but it was like the first meeting between Giotto and the Primo of the Chiavarone Famiglia.

Beautifully awkward.

The only difference were the people who were meeting each other and the reason of the awkwardness. While the first meeting between Giotto and Caius was awkward because of an certain incident that involved 'pink hair dye' and 'genetic clumsiness', our meeting was awkward because the older man stared at me. The whole meeting long.

At first the stare he gave me looked as suspicious of me as I expected him to be, after a while his stare turned respectful and after that his stare got a weird glint. I wonder why he looked so hopeful…

"Well that was to be expected." Reborn nodded. "The Neo Estraneo I is one of the most famous rising Famiglia's right now. The weapons of your Famiglia are some of the most popular items in the mafia-world after all." He stated. I tilted my head in confusion.

"We aren't that famous right?" I asked but Reborn only grinned. Were we that famous already? But even if we were… "Even if we are that famous, it doesn't explain his behavior" I stated.

"It's that and the fact that you're around the same age as his successor." Reborn corrected me. So because I'm around the same age as Tsuna, he acted so weird around me? That doesn't explain his hopeful look. Unless… unless. No way right? He wasn't considering me as a possible marriage candidate for Tsuna… right?

Right?

"In fact he is still considering you as a possible mafia wife." Reborn said after reading my mind again.

The young boy looked around as he tried to find his way back to his current home. He only went out to chase the black bird, but now the way lost him. He refused to admit that he was the one who lost the way. The great Lambo-sama never gets lost after all… but what if the way never found him again?

"E-endure." He muttered as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Ignoring the urge to pull out his bazooka he looked down at the ground. Stupid way, did you have to lose me?

"Hmm? Are you lost little boy?" a warm voice asked. The small boy looked up at the girl who was squatting in front of him and stared at her pale purple eyes. They were pretty and somehow resembled the eyes of his late grandmother. Those big eyes showed the same concern and warmth as hers and in a weird way the same maturity, though the girl couldn't be as old as his grandmother.

"Lambo-sama is not lost! The way lost him!" Lambo shouted after he managed to look away from the eyes.

"Kufufufu, sure Lambo-kun. Now, could you tell me where you live? Maybe I can help you."

"Lambo-sama is told to never talk to a stranger." The boy pouted as he remembered Nana's warning him about the danger of strangers.

"Well, my name is Zero and I know that your name is Lambo. So we aren't strangers anymore right?" Zero smiled. Lambo stared at the white haired girl as she stood up and offered him a hand.

"Actually, I don't want to go home yet. Do you want some ice cream too?"

Not long after buying the ice creams we were sitting in a park nearby. I enjoyed the cold treat as I tried to find out why the kid was so familiar. His cow themed outfit was familiar too… I didn't notice that I was staring until Lambo got some ice cream on his nose.

"Kufufufu, Lambo-kun you have some ice cream on your nose." I chuckled as I picked my handkerchief, that Chris insisted me on always taking it with me, and attempted to wipe the ice cream from his nose.

"LAMBO!" A familiar voice shouted. I looked up at Tsuna who ran to Lambo in panic after I wiped the sticky substance away.

"Where were you?! Don't leave so suddenly!"

"Hello to you too, Tsuna-san." I sweatdropped at the teen who jumped up in surprise when he noticed me.

"Hieee! Since when are you here Zero-san?"

"Kufufufu." His reactions are kind of interesting… "Since a while ago Tsuna-san, right Lambo-kun?"

"That is right Dame-Tsuna! Zero-nee has been with me since the way lost me!" The boy smiled.

"Don't you mean that you lost the way?" Tsuna sweatdropped.

"No the way lost me!"

"Ciaossu Zero."

"Hello Reborn-san." I greeted the hitman who appeared out of nowhere. Somehow I wasn't surprised at his sudden appearance, he probably built secret paths somewhere all over the town like Renato would have done. A hitman must always be prepared and Reborn was, probably, my brother's son after all.

"What are you doing while your uncles are looking for you?"

"…Taking a break from paperwork?" I was almost done after all.

"Baka-Zero, you shouldn't run away from your duties as a boss." Reborn scolded me as he hit my head softly.

"Hey don't hurt my subordinate!" Lambo shouted when he saw me getting hit. I sheepishly rubbed the spot where I was hit and turned to the kid.

"It doesn't hu-"

"Like I said Zero, you shouldn't ru-"

"Don't ignore me!"

"Watch out!" Tsuna shouted as he saw Lambo getting some grenades from his hair and throw them in the air in record-speed. I stared at the afro in surprise, what the hell does this kid put in his hair? No wait! This isn't the time to wonder about that!

"Hieee watch out!" Tsuna panicked as the grenades flew to Reborn… and me who was standing right behind him. But before I could even blink in surprise, Reborn kicked the grenades back to Lambo.

"You shouldn't run away from your duties as a boss, Zero." Reborn nonchalantly stated as the grenades exploded behind him. For some reason there was some pink smoke too, adding more drama to the effect. I stared at the hitman, explosion and pink smoke in confusion as my brains tried to understand what the hell just happened.

"Yare yare, did my younger self shoot the ten ye- Zero?" A teen asked as he stepped out of the pink smoke and froze. I recognized the cow printed outfit… and the face.

"L-lambo?" I stuttered as I finally made the connection between the Lampo-lookalike and the afro cow Lambo. How didn't I suspect anything when the kid told me his name?!

"Zero… ZEROOOOO!" he shouted as he ran to me and hugged me. "Where are you? You're missing for three months already!" he cried. I tilted my head in confusion. Why would I be missing? I wondered as the teen continued to hug me to death.

"Lambo-kun? Could you please let me go before you crush my bones?" I asked the now ten years older kid who was indeed almost crushing my bones with his hug.

"Yare yare, that is right. Sorry Zero… I just miss you. This is our first meeting isn't it?"

"We met a while before though…"

"I was talking about my fifteen years old self."

"I saw you one time when you were getting poisoned by Bianchi-san…"

"Ah back then-"

"What were you talking about, useless cow?" Reborn interrupted Lambo with the same green gun he used to threaten me before.

"W-what are you talking about Reborn? I-I don't say a-anything about Zero being missing." Lambo stuttered as he tried to feign ignorance. Tried. He actually betrayed himself just now…

"Missing?" Reborn threated.

"How did you kno- I meant what are you talking about Reborn?"

"Excuse me… but where is Tsuna-san?" I interrupted their conversation. Both Reborn and the older Lambo turned their attention to where Tsuna was standing before in alarm, only to see another figure in the almost dissolved pink smoke.

"I didn't lock the door so I could hear you shouting about Zero again Lambo…" A husky, tired voice stated. I looked at the owner of the voice who was practically seen a carbon copy of Giotto as I first met him… just with a different coloring. And tired.

"Tsuna-san?" I frowned in confusion. The young man jerked his head up and locked his brown eyes with my violet ones.

"Zero?" The brunet asked softly as tears started to appear in the corner of his eyes. He walked closer and squatted in front of me so he could look at me on eye-level.

"It really is you…" He smiled after staring in my eyes for a while. "Ah! It's time to give you this I guess." He stated as he picked a small box from his pocket.

"Tsuna-san?" I asked in confusion.

"Your future self told me to give this to you if I ever saw your past self." The future Tsuna smiled sadly. "She said: you will know what to do when the time comes… Hey Zero?"

"Yes?"

"Please be careful." He said as he suddenly hugged me. I blinked in surprise as the pink smoke appeared again and the future Tsuna disappeared… and the normal Tsuna reappeared. A bit too close to my face as he was only a head taller now.

"Hieee?!" he shrieked as he stepped away from me in surprise and embarrassment. "W-what happened?"

"That is what we all want to know." Reborn stated with a dark expression. I nodded in agreement and looked at the small box in my hand. I wonder what this box is, I thought as I tried to open the indigo box.

"What is that?" Tsuna asked me as I gave up opening the box. It wouldn't even budge!

"Something that the future you gave me." I sighed in disappointment. Maybe I should wait for the right time to come? I wouldn't want to create a paradox after all…

"WHAT?!"

"…You really have interesting reactions Tsuna-san." I grinned as I decided to give up on opening the box for now. "Please take care of yourself Lambo, don't let the way lose you again. I will see you later Tsuna-san, Reborn-san. I have to go home now… paperwork is waiting for me." I stated as I walked away.

I will have to trust my future self's message if I want to know what happened to the future me…

Reborn watched the white haired girl leave the park in confusion. How could she be so calm after hearing that she is missing in the future? he wondered while he ignored the conversation of the two males behind him.

Estraneo Zero… he read the files about her, but he never expected her to be so…

Familiar.

Could she have known Renata? No that is impossible…

"Reborn?"

Then how was she so much like his sister?

"Reborn, hello?"

Zero and Renata are too much alike for it to be coincidence…

"Reborn!"

"Shut up Dame-Tsuna, I heard you." He stated as he jumped on his shoulder. I will observe her for now… Reborn decided as he ignored Lambo.

Maybe she has a connection with Renata…

Omake: meanwhile, ten years in the future

Tsuna coughed as the pink smoke around him started to dissolve and opened his teary eyes… and closed them immediately after that. What the hell is this? he mentally screamed as he saw the enormous piles of… paper?

He stood up from the chair where he was currently sitting on and picked one of the many pages on the desk in curiosity, completely forgetting that he was in a unknown room. Tsuna tried to read the page in his hands but frowned as he didn't recognize the language, he didn't understand anything… except the very last line.

Vongola Decimo, Tsunayoshi Sawada

"Hieee!" Tsuna shrieked as he dropped the piece of paper. What the hell is this? he mentally panicked as he looked around in the room he was in. It was a rather big and luxurious room, Tsuna noticed before his attention was drawn to the picture on the desk. It was almost buried in the huge piles of paper, but Tsuna could see that it was cared for as there wasn't a single fold in the picture.

It was a picture of a young man with brown gravity defying hair and warm smile. There were other people on the picture too, but Tsuna could only stare at the empty space of the picture. Someone cut out a part of the picture… It was like someone didn't want to see the person who was cut away… or like they couldn't bear to see them… Tsuna turned the picture around and read the line on the back of the picture.

Visiting the cliff with …

Tsuna dropped the picture as something in the back of his head warned him for something. Just in time to see the pink smoke again… and pale purple eyes close to his face.

"Hieee?!"

Hey guys, doubleyy here.

And now we know what TYL Lambo was trying to shout last chapter, Zero is missing… What could have happened in the future? And Zero's name in her past life is revealed! Renata is, like Renato, a form of Renatus which is a late Latin name for 'born again'(ignore my bad naming sense please). Does anyone want to know how Joseph/Seth ended up in the Estraneo? I was thinking about writing about that in the next chapter :). A small preview for the next chapter:

"Eh… Zero, do you know why Joseph is like… this?"
"You should stay home today… a troublesome person just arrived in Japan."
"Chris, please restrain him"
This is going to be a long day

Anyways thanks for reading and please review.

Doubleyy out.