A/N: Hey again guys! Thank you for all of you that decided to review the last chapter. I'm really grateful for your continued support guys! It gives me inspiration to continue, so don't stop! This next chapter I bring you is from Gokudera's POV and includes the manga-only-chapter, manga chapter 55, and also manga chapter 56. Manga chapter 56 also has an animated version, episode 38, but it will not be used because it doesn't add anything, and it's also a bit different from the manga chapter because it's conjoined with manga chapter 59 and set during the Varia Arc…so yeah, a bit different XD
Anyway, I hope that all of you guys enjoy the chapter! We're drawing ever closer to the Mukurou Arc! I'm guessing at the moment that after this chapter there will be…at the most…two more chapters? It really depends on how things fall into place and whose POV I'm doing.
On another note, this chapter hasn't been looked over by my betareader yet since she's on vacation for a month, so I apologize for any grammatical screw ups. I really hope I caught most of them!
Tanabata Contest! Lambo's Disappearance!
This was it! Today was the day that I finally succeeded in obtaining my greatest wish! I would be the Tenth's right-hand man by the end of the day for sure!
I smiled excitedly to myself as I walked down the street, carrying a large duffle bag that contained exactly seventy seven throwing daggers. I had borrowed them from one of my neighbors, who worked as a magician's assistant. He had let me borrow some swords and a human-sized crate for a magic trick I did during Reborn-san's Vongola-styled birthday party, and now he was allowing me to use some more of his props for another Vongola Contest. Today was July Seventh, and apparently, it was the holiday of Tanabata, or the Star Festival. Even though I had lived in Namimori for the last year and a half, I hadn't heard of the holiday, and, in fact, had been out of town collecting dynamite supplies last year, so I couldn't experience it. Even now I didn't have any idea as to what the holiday entailed because I had just been called up by Reborn-san to come to the neighborhood's community center for a Vongola-styled Tanabata Contest, where, if I won, I would get one wish granted.
Seeing as this was a last minute thing, I really didn't know what to do exactly for the contest, and that's why I fell back on the plan I had used last time for Reborn-san's birthday, although I'd be doing something slightly different this time. I was planning on teaming up with the Tenth, though, since I knew that Reborn-san would tell him about the contest at the very last minute. Don't worry, Tenth! I've got your back!
When I arrived at the community center, I could see that there were a large group of senior citizens lounging around in an area by a small stage. Seeing as this was going to be a contest, I assumed that the old people were our audience or judges (maybe both), and went backstage to get ready. When I stepped behind the curtain, I could see Reborn-san sitting upon a table that had a large dispenser for hot tea, and some small drinking bowls beside it. Lawn Head, I-Pin, and the Stupid Cow were there, looking like they were pumping themselves up for the upcoming contest, with the kids wearing their regular clothes and Lawn Head wearing a pale-red hoody with the hood covering his head, and black sweat pants. As usual, his hands were bandaged with white tape and he was punching the air like the boxing freak he was. Close by to Reborn-san at the table was the Stupid Woman, Haru. She was wearing a black t-shirt that had the word 'Spring' on it in lilac colored print, a white, dressy-looking over-shirt that she kept open to show off her t-shirt underneath, a white bow-tie around her neck, and a lilac-pleated skirt that reached to her knees. Haru also had what looked to be a script rolled up in her hands and she kept muttering to herself and smacking her forehead like she was trying hard to remember something. What a bunch of freaks.
The only two people that seemed to be acting calm in the back room were Reborn-san (naturally) and…Yamamoto. He was just there sitting beside Reborn-san at the table, and sipping some tea, wearing a blue t-shirt with a black shirt underneath it, along with some black jeans, and seeming unfazed by the contest about to take place. It really annoyed me, for some reason, when I noticed Yamamoto's black jeans. Was it just me or was everyone wearing black today? I was wearing a black polo and off-white jeans myself. Ugh, in some way, it looked like we were all matching…
"Hey, Gokudera! Here for the contest?" I heard Yamamoto ask over the din of Lawn Head's and the Stupid Cow's roars of determination, and the Stupid Woman's incessant mumbling.
"Why the hell else would I be here, Baseball Freak?" I huffed out in slight annoyance, trying to ignore the idiot as much as I could. It was becoming harder to do as of late, it felt like, and I didn't know why. It annoyed me to no end, though.
"Glad that you finally arrived, Gokudera," Reborn-san greeted me with a smile before he handed me a long, narrow slip of paper. "Write the wish you want granted on this tanzuki paper. You remember the rules for Vongola contests, right?"
"Of course, Reborn-san!" I nodded with assent as I took the paper from him and grabbed a pen off of the table. I had always known about Vongola-styled events, and had already participated in a birthday and New Year's contest, so I was pretty sure I knew what to expect for the Tanabata contest. Either way, Reborn-san would probably end up explaining it to the Tenth once he got here, so I could listen in and make sure then.
After I wrote my wish down on the tanzuki paper (I assumed that the paper had to do with something concerning Tanabata, because I had heard of people writing down their wishes on paper and tying them onto trees for them to be granted), I walked away from the group a ways and started carefully placing the throwing daggers on my person. I had worn special harnesses under my shirt so that I could safely store the daggers on my body without harming myself.
Apparently during this time, Reborn-san must have left to retrieve the Tenth, because it was only about ten minutes later that I heard the Tenth's voice asking for Reborn-san, and then Yamamoto greeting the Tenth.
"Everyone's here?!" The Tenth screamed out in surprise before he lowered his voice once he calmed down. "What are you all doing at the Community Center? I mean…guys…"
I didn't stop what I was doing since it was essential that I placed all of the throwing knives on my person carefully. If I didn't, then it could screw everything up when it was my turn to take the stage. Besides, it was obvious now that the Tenth was out of the loop again, so it was even more imperative that I got everything right.
Just as I thought this, Lawn Head started screaming 'Extreme!' and the Stupid Cow was shouting about how he wasn't going to lose. Besides that, I also heard the Stupid Woman continue to mumble to herself, and I-Pin grunting as she probably continued to do whatever fighting practices she was doing. All in all, it seemed like everyone was ignoring the Tenth and focusing on the contest ahead. How dare those bastards! At least I was currently ignoring the Tenth for his sake in the future!
"What's with this unusual atmosphere?" I heard the Tenth ask then, sounding even more confused than he had previously.
"Of course they'd feel a bit different today," Reborn-san answered knowingly. "Today's the Vongola-Style Community Relationship-Building Tanabata Contest."
"What the hell is that?!" The Tenth screamed out incredulously.
"Everyone performs something to do with Tanabata, lets the judges review it, and then we see who gets the highest score," Reborn-san started to explain, which was what I had been waiting for. "The person who wins gets the wish they wrote on their tanzuku granted."
"That's why you took away mine?" The Tenth stated more in understanding than in a questioning tone. I'm guessing that Reborn-san had laid a tanzuku paper trap for the Tenth or something from the sounds of it, and had stolen it in order to get the Tenth to chase him to the community center. How overly elaborate of Reborn-san, but then again, I didn't expect anything less. Still, it wouldn't have hurt him to just tell the Tenth about the contest. I swore that Reborn-san was super sadistic.
"Anyway, forget it!" The Tenth shouted out then in slight embarrassment. "Just give the tanzuku back to me! It's fine even if it doesn't come true! I'm not interested in joining superstitious games like this!"
"It's not superstitious," Reborn-san stated then. "Because of the considerable influence of the Vongola, the success rate of the wishes has been one hundred percent. In the past, people who have won have become kings, and one even became the first man on the moon."
…Neil Armstrong had been part of the Vongola?!
As I stiffened in complete shock at this factoid of information, the Tenth shouted out, "No way! Will it really come true?!" He seemed to calm down afterwards, though, because his tone became softer in understanding. "I see, that's why everyone's so…well, except for Yamamoto…"
Hey, I wasn't acting too weird was I?! I was only stuffing throwing knifes underneath my shirt!
"Hahaha, they're kind of acting weird, right?" Yamamoto laughed out jokingly. Fuck you, Baseball Freak! What I was doing was for the Tenth, and for our future boss and subordinate relationship!
As I thought this, I heard the Stupid Cow mumble out something about winning for sure, and Lawn Head started screaming at the top of his lungs about obtaining his dream. What a bunch of weirdoes.
"Then…I can get my wish granted too…?" I heard the Tenth mutter out excitedly and a little nervously then. I couldn't see his face at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was blushing just by the tone of his voice. I wonder if his tanzuki paper contained something about Sasagawa? That would be why he was so embarrassed when Reborn-san had stolen it in the first place, and why he thought it could never be granted. The Tenth really had no confidence in his dating capabilities.
"Yes, it's simple," Reborn-san started to explain again. "As long as you make these judges happy."
I then heard the rustling of fabric. I'm guessing that Reborn-san had lifted the curtain a bit for the Tenth to see out onto the stage area.
"Whoa—! The elderly people from the neighborhood?!" The Tenth screamed in shock. I guess that Reborn-san had brought the Tenth in through the back of the community center if he hadn't noticed the congregation of old people before now. "Impossible!" My boss continued to freak out, his tone filled with disbelief. "I have no idea how to please old people! Why does it have to be them?"
"For the mafia, communication with the elderly is indispensable," Reborn-san uttered in a knowing fashion. "No matter which country it is, the local elderly are important supporters. Without their trust, it's over."
"Is it really that important—?!" The Tenth cried out in dismay as I heard him running around then. Man, he really was getting too worked up over something like this.
"And, Tsuna," Reborn-san added on a surprisingly pleased note. "You've already signed up, remember? If you try to forfeit now, according to the rules, no matter where on this earth you try to run to, we'll stop your dream from coming true."
"That's horrifying!" My boss screamed in terror as I finished placing the last throwing dagger on my person. "I do want my wish to come true, but I didn't prepare anything!"
It looks like that was my cue!
"You can relax about that, Tenth!" I proclaimed as I got up from my position on the floor and walked happily over to my boss. "I've got it all ready!"
The Tenth just stared back at me in stupefied horror.
"Don't worry, just relax!" I laughed out in a comforting manner. "Let's win this contest and get our wishes fulfilled!"
"Then…" The Tenth mumbled out in slight uncertainty. "Gokudera's wish is…?"
I was so elated to know that my boss was interested in the wish I wanted to fulfill so badly, but was it alright to say it? Would saying it out loud bring me bad luck in this case?
Deciding that would probably be the case, I closed my eyes and turned my head to the side and away from the Tenth, my voice coming out confidently.
"Well, I can't say it now, but my wish is definitely going to be helpful to the Tenth."
"Uh?" I heard my boss question in wonder. "If it has to do with me, then could it be…"
Feeling my excitement take over me against my better wishes, I giddily turned to face the Tenth again and let out, "The hint is that it has to do with the Tenth's right…Ahem, I've said too much already" I coughed then, catching myself just in time from revealing my wish. It definitely would be bad luck to say it before the contest, but at least it would keep the Tenth interested in figuring it out.
A few minutes later, it was finally time for the Vongola-style Tanabata Contest.
For some reason, I saw Reborn-san nod to the Stupid Woman, and she made her way past the curtain and onto the stage. Seeing as I wanted a better view of what the competition was going to be like, and I had insisted earlier to Reborn-san that the Tenth and I should go last, I ushered my boss through the back of the community center and around to the front of the stage area where the senior citizens were sitting. The Tenth and I stood in the back, watching over the seated senior citizen's heads as Haru and Reborn-san carried out a very familiar looking, long black board onto the stage. It had numbers from zero to one hundred in ten digit increments lined along its side. At this point, I could also see a huge banner with the words, "Vongola-Style Community Tanabata Contest" printed on it, and hanging above the stage. The banner also had drawings of shooting stars covering it.
When the black board was properly positioned, the Stupid Woman grabbed a microphone and faced the audience.
"Now, the Vongola-Style Tanabata Contest is about to start!" Haru shouted out excitedly into the crowd before she lowered her voice to a normal decibel and continued. "The MC for this event is going to be me, Miura Haru of Third Street. Everyone, if you feel that the performance is suitable for Tanabata, then please raise these signs." As Haru said this, Reborn-san started walking amongst the elderly people and handing out small circular signs, which were just a plank of circular wood connected to a long slender stick. "Getting one hundred points means full marks," the Stupid Woman continued to explain. "The totals will be counted up on the board."
While Haru explained the point system, I overheard some of the seniors commenting on their small signs. Most of them seemed confused by the apparatuses, and some even mistook them for fans or flyswatters. Holy shit, I hope I never got old and senile…
Feeling like having the senior citizens as our judges might be a challenge in itself, I watched on in trepidation as Haru announced the first contestant.
"Then the first performer is the Namimori Baseball Team's hope, Yamamoto Takeshi-san. His wish is to, 'get into the quarter-finals for the District Tournament'."
"No way!" The Tenth shouted out beside me in shocked horror. "We have to announce our wish in front of everyone!"
This was news to me as well, and I didn't like it. Not only did I feel that having the Stupid Woman announce my wish before my performance would bring me bad luck, but it also really sounded like the Tenth didn't want anyone to know of his wish as well because he found it embarrassing. I would have to make sure that neither of our wishes would be announced.
As I thought this, Yamamoto came onto the stage with his duffel bag that he carried around for club activities. When I saw him place the bag on the ground and then bend down to unzip it, I noticed the glint of a metal bat. Was that a regular bat, or was that the bat that Reborn-san had given Yamamoto that turned into a katana?
While I pondered this, I then saw Yamamoto take out a bunch of yellow and white spiky-looking plush balls. They looked like star candies, but they were as big as Yamamoto's hands.
"For my performance, I'm going to use balls that symbolize the stars to show the Milky Way," Yamamoto explained as he started juggling the spiky plush balls in his hands with a stupid smile on his face. Che! How boring. For Reborn-san's birthday he had juggled sushi, and now he was juggling star balls! This guy really didn't have a creative bone in his body. At least, even though I was performing another 'magic' trick, I was at least going about it in a different way than just juggling something different like Stupidmoto. Besides, juggling wasn't going to amuse the seniors—Why were they cheering and clapping?!
"Ugh…this is bad…" I grunted out in disbelief. "It's more popular than I thought it would be."
As I saw the Tenth nod his head in agreement beside me, I knew then that I had to think of something fast. I couldn't let Yamamoto get good marks!
Remembering the situation a month ago concerning the Tenth's assassination attempt, I decided to use one of the only weaknesses I knew about Yamamoto. This might be my only shot.
"Yamamoto, pass the ball here!" I called out over the crowd as I brought both of my hands up in a catching position. I was going to mess up his juggling act!
"He's not going to fall for that—" I heard the Tenth chuckle out lightly beside me, but, before he could finish his sentence, I saw Yamamoto stiffen on stage, his star balls falling to the ground save for the last one he had caught. He then wound up in a pitcher's stance.
"Watch this!" He called out in determination as he sent the star-ball in his hands flying straight towards me at a remarkable spee—Holy shit it looked like it was on fire!
"Whoa!" I screamed out in fright as I barely dodged to the side in time for the star ball to plow right into the wall behind me. I stared on in horrified fascination as it made a small hole in the wall. What the fuck, I thought the ball had been made of a soft plush material?! Apparently it was a hard ball! I had almost fucking died!
"Oops, sorry!" Yamamoto chuckled out sheepishly then as he waved to us from the stage.
"Y-You bastard!" I shouted back, trying my best to hide how flustered I was, but sadly failing. How those assassins survived being struck in the head by one of Yamamoto's baseballs was beyond me. They must have had protective head gear on underneath those crazy suits of theirs because, otherwise, they're heads would have exploded from the fucking impact!
As I tried to calm down my racing heart (I swear it was from the near-death experience and not from the weird and uncomfortable recollections of Yamamoto holding me prisoner during the assassination event a month ago. Fucking Baseball Freak and his uncomfortable comments), I overheard the senior citizens muttering their disapproval at Yamamoto's display of violence and disrespect to public property.
"Sorry," I heard Yamamoto laugh out nervously as Haru commented over the microphone on how Yamamoto's score would more than likely be affected.
"Yes!" I whispered out underneath my breath in victory, forgetting about my troubling and uncomfortable thoughts for the moment (Seriously, why was I thinking of them in the first place?!). But, before I could feel too victorious, Yamamoto seemed to perk up.
"Oh, right," he called out as he turned around and ruffled through his duffle bag again. He then brought out a large stack of sushi carryout boxes. "My dad wanted me to give out some Tanabata sushi to everyone," he explained as he stood up again. "Don't forget to bring it home with you when you go."
As Yamamoto said this, there was a collective gasp amongst the senior citizens.
"Ah, the owner of Takesushi is your father?" I heard an old lady state more than question.
"You're already this old now?!" An older man exclaimed in surprise. Before I knew it, most of the senior citizens were cheering and raising their circular signs.
"Well, if that's the case…"
"For the sake of an old friend…"
"That's right…" Were just a few of the snippets I heard as a rough majority of the senior citizens waved their signs in the air. I was absolutely livid.
"Wait! Don't you people know the rules?!" I screamed out in rage. "This isn't a part of Yamamoto's performance!" This was un-fucking-believable! The Baseball Freak was getting points based upon his social standing amongst the old people. This was blatant favoritism!
"Yamamoto got seventy points. That's a good start," I heard Reborn-san declare then as I saw the toddler walk onto the stage wearing a green yukata, and with his hair tied up into a covered bun on the top of his head (I'm guessing he was actually wearing a wig, since his hair normally looked even more unruly than the Tenth's). He then slapped a picture of Yamamoto's face next to the '70' point mark on the large black board.
"Thanks, everyone!" Yamamoto laughed out gratefully. I wanted nothing more than to stuff dynamite down his throat. This was supposed to be a talent contest, not a fucking popularity contest!
"Uh…" I heard the Stupid Woman interrupt then, grabbing everyone's attention as the boxes of sushi were passed out to the senior citizens. "Next up is the boxer with the strength of a lion, Sasagawa Ryohei-san, and the Bovino Family's little grown up, Lambo-chan. Please welcome them to the stage!"
Woah, wait, the Stupid Cow and Lawn Head were on a team? Since when? What the hell could those two buffoons do together?
As I thought this, I saw Lawn Head and the Stupid Cow rush onto the stage wearing similar get-up to Reborn-san.
"I want boxing to become a national sport!" Lawn Head screamed out at the top of his lungs as he fist-pumped the air.
"I want to rule the world!" The Stupid Cow cried out a second later, making Haru grunt a little in disapproval since she was supposed to read their wishes to the crowd in the first place.
I sighed out in exhaustion as the two retards on the stage calmed down somewhat and bowed their heads. In my opinion, their dreams would be next to impossible to fulfil, even by the Vongola standards.
"Let's get started, Kid," I heard Lawn Head growl out then in determination, his eyes cast into shadow.
"They're quite into it!" The Stupid Woman announced in excitement a second later, as if to make up for the fact that she hadn't been able to announce the next contestants' wishes. "Let's start the performance!"
As she said this, Lawn Head and the Stupid Cow started to fidget, like they couldn't wait to start whatever the hell they were going to do. What exactly where they going to do anyway? By the way that the senior citizens were talking, they expected a Tanabata skit.
"A skit, huh?" I heard the Tenth comment beside me. "That's more normal than I thought it would be."
Heh, even if this actually was supposed to be a skit, I was pretty sure it wasn't going to be performed normally. This was Lawn Head and the Stupid Cow we were talking about.
Sure enough, just as I said this, Lawn Head and the Stupid Cow sprang into action.
"Of course not!" Lawn Head bellowed out in answer to the crowd's comments about them doing a skit as he threw off his yukata.
"You all guessed wrong!" The Stupid Cow declared beside him as he threw off his yukata as well, only to be wearing…a…Wait, what the fuck?!
"I am a panda!" The Stupid Cow proclaimed boisterously as he stood up on stage wearing a panda suit over his body and only a small pair of panda ears on his head. "I'm gonna give it my all and eat bamboo!" With that said, the Stupid Cow brought out a stick of bamboo from out of nowhere and started biting into it like a rabid animal.
"What does this have to do with Tanabata?!" The Tenth screamed out in confusion as he gawked up at the stage, directly at the Stupid Cow. Though I knew nothing about Tanabata either, even I knew that this was more than a little out there.
"I'm a koala eating eucalyptus leaves!" Lawn Head declared suddenly in a loud, booming voice. When I finally turned my attention to him, I could only continue to gawk at the other's ridiculous get up. He was wearing a koala suit over his body, with only a large pair of koala ears on his head, and a large, black, koala-shaped nose on his face. Not only that, but he really was chewing into a stalk of eucalyptus leaves! Weren't those poisonous?!
"That's even further off!" The Tenth screamed out in a stunned fashion as he stared at Lawn Head then. Now that the Tenth mentioned it, at least the Stupid Cow's get-up was related to Asia in some way! Lawn Head's animal costume was based off an animal only found in Australia for crying out loud! Why the fuck was he wearing it for a Tanabata contest, and what the fucking hell was he and the stupid brat doing eating plants?! This was supposed to showcase talent, not stupidity!
Oh who was I kidding? The Stupid Cow's and Lawn Head's greatest talent was their stupidity…
As I rubbed at my temples, feeling a headache coming on, I noticed how silent the senior citizens were being. When I heard Reborn-san announce then that Lawn Head and the Stupid Cow only received two points, I glanced up in time to see two very senile old people had their signs raised up. I think one was calling out for a waiter, and the other was trying to hail a taxi. I guess Reborn-san took pity on Lawn Head and the Stupid Cow and decided to give them the points anyway.
When the points were announced, Lawn Head and the Stupid Cow fell to their knees on stage, crying out in dismay. Seriously, did they fucking think that they'd actually have a shot of winning?! Before I could yell at them for being idiots, though, I overheard Lawn Head complaining about his stomach being upset from the eucalyptus leaves. Well no-fucking-shit, you dumbass! They were a poisonous plant for fuck's sake!
As the Stupid Cow started complaining that his stomach hurt too, they were ushered off stage by Haru. The Stupid Woman came back a few seconds later with an upbeat smile, like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Sadly, in a way, that statement was kind of correct…
"The next contestant up is cute I-Pin-chan, who wants to see her teacher once again!" Haru announced then as she waved one of her hands outward to showcase I-Pin, who just walked onto the stage. The Chinese toddler looked like she was shaking a bit from nerves.
Oh this wouldn't be good…
I heard the Stupid Woman comment on I-Pin looking nervous then, as if to drive home that fact, before, to my complete shock, every senior citizen in the place abruptly stood up and walked up to the stage.
Wait, what the fuck was going on?!
"It's the bodhisattva of the land…" I heard an old woman comment with gratitude before she brought her hands together and bowed her head.
"That's great…" Another senior citizen agreed as they, along with the rest of the senior citizens bowed to I-Pin. I didn't follow Buddhism (I believed more in Shinto gods than anything else, even though that just depended on the situation), but I knew enough about it to know that these senile old people considered I-Pin to basically be a prophet of Buddhism that had come there to alleviate their pain, just because she sort of looked like a Buddhist monk.
As I thought this, I saw I-Pin breakout into a nervous sweat. A second later, nine pins appeared on her forehead. Oh shit!
"Oh no!" The Tenth screamed out in terror. "She's so shy that her Pinzu-Timed Super Explosion activated!"
Before I could even think of trying to get the Tenth out of there, my boss ran towards the stage screaming 'Danger!' over and over again as he grabbed hold of I-Pin and rushed towards the door. The moment he passed by me and out the door, I noticed how I-Pin was down to two pins on her forehead.
When I saw the Tenth throw I-Pin into the air with all of his might a second later, the Chinese girl exploded shortly after, causing the sky to light up in fiery reds, oranges and yellows.
"Beautiful fireworks!" The senior citizens cheered as they watched on in amazement from the windows of the community center. I noticed how nearly all of them were waving their signs in the air. Damn it, this couldn't be good…
When I-Pin's explosion calmed down, I saw the Tenth walk back into the community center, breathing hard and coughing as he placed a hand on his chest like it was hurting. He must have really exerted himself.
"I-Pin got 95 points," I then heard Reborn-san declare, causing everyone to turn their attention back towards the stage where the toddler placed a picture of I-Pin's face in between the 90 and 100 marker on the blackboard.
"Such an amazingly high score!" The Tenth screamed out in shock as I gawked at the blackboard as well. Damn it! I hadn't been expecting this at all! I was sure that the Tenth and I would be a shoe-in for first…No, I still believed that! I wouldn't let this get me down, because the Tenth was amazing and could bring us the win!
Speaking of which, I realized a little too late that it was actually the Tenth's and my turn to take the stage. By this point, Haru was continuously waving at us in a hurried fashion to get up to where she was.
Rolling my eyes at her with a slight scowl, I told the Tenth that it was our turn and we walked up onto the stage, while the Stupid Woman apologized to the crowd.
"And thanks for waiting!" Haru mentioned gratefully as soon as the Tenth and I were standing next to her on the stage. "The last performance is by the golden pair of Gokudera Hayato-san and Sawada Tsunayoshi-san." It was then that the Stupid Woman glanced down at her hands were she held two strips of tanzuki paper. "Their wishes are to…"
"Whoa! Wait!" The Tenth screamed out in embarrassment as he started waving his arms around frantically. Just as he shouted this, I quickly tore the tanzuki papers from Haru's hands and crumpled them in between my fingers.
"Don't be in such a hurry to read them," I growled out.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" The Stupid Woman shouted at me in anger as she glared up at me.
I rolled my eyes at her comment before I crossed one of my arms over my stomach and brought one of my hands up to let out a distracted cough.
"I want to give someone a surprise," I muttered out in a low voice for only Haru to hear. The last thing I needed was for her to cause a scene out of defiance because she couldn't read the fucking mood. "So please don't read them until we get first place."
The Stupid Woman just huffed at this, but she seemed to understand the situation and stayed quiet. That was good. It disgusted me enough that I had to say please in order for her to understand in the first place.
Well, now that the Stupid Woman's stupidity was out of the way for a moment, it was time to tell the Tenth what we'd be doing for our performance. I had wanted to inform him beforehand, but I had gotten too distracted with the other contestants, so I had forgotten until now. Oh well! I'm sure the Tenth would understand!
"Gokudera…what…?"
Before my boss could completely ask the question I knew was on his mind, I turned to him with a bright smile on my face.
"When you think of a two-person performance, Tenth, don't you think of the kind of magic tricks you play at birthday parties?" I asked excitedly.
"Ugh! That again?!" My boss called out in horrified realization as he gawked at me like I had gone mad.
"I'm not dumb enough to try the same trick twice," I reassured him with an air of confidence as I started reaching under my clothes for my throwing daggers. "Today is the seventh of July so…" I grabbed hold of all of the throwing daggers and fanned them out in my hands for the Tenth to see. "…I'm going to throw seventy-seven knives," I finished with a determined smirk.
"What's the difference?!" The Tenth screamed out incredulously. "You're gonna throw them at me again?!"
"That's the Tenth, all right!" I chuckled out in a pleased fashion as excitement washed over me. "Dodge well, okay?"
My boss just gaped at me in terror for a second before he quickly turned around and rushed for the backstage exit.
"You've gotta be kidding! It's not possible! I'm not doing this anymore!" He screamed in absolute fear.
"Tenth?" I muttered out in slight confusion as I watched my boss run away from me. I hadn't expected him to leave me up on the stage like this.
"What is it?" I heard Reborn-san ask as he stepped in front of the Tenth, halting my boss' progress to the backstage area. "You're going to give up?"
I saw the Tenth cup the side of his mouth with a hand before he started whispering to Reborn-san, his voice sounding panicked even though I couldn't quite make out the words he was saying. Before I could try and figure out what my boss was telling the smaller hitman, Reborn-san transformed Leon into his customary pistol and shot the Tenth in the forehead with a bullet, saying something along the lines that someone who couldn't take community relations seriously deserved death.
A split second later, the Tenth was bursting out of his clothes to stand before the audience in only his yellow and green polka-dotted boxers, an orange flame also burning on his forehead.
"Reborn!" My boss shouted out in a mighty roar. "Perform as if I were to die!" The Tenth then turned to me and demanded, "Okay! Go ahead and toss them!"
"Okay, Tenth!" I called out happily, relieved that my boss was willing to go through with my magic trick after all. "Here they come!" I shouted out as I aimed carefully and threw the first dagger after I situated them correctly in my hands.
The second I threw the dagger, the Tenth was everywhere. He called out for Leon, and the little chameleon jumped onto his head and transformed into a green top-knot. The Tenth also took Yamamoto's baseball bat, which had still been laying out on the stage in his sports bag, and then he also grabbed Lawn Head's yukata that had also been left on stage.
"I am Samurai Tsuna!" The Tenth declared as, with one swift motion, he slipped the yukata on, and deflected my throwing knives with Yamamoto's baseball bat just in the nick of time. The Tenth had swung the bat so fast that it had actually transformed into a katana! So Yamamoto had actually brought his katana bat with him…had he been practicing with it or something? That was kind of a terrifying thought…
"Ah! Tenth?!" I questioned loudly as I stared at my boss in awe. He looked so amazing!
"Wow! This is fantastic!"
"I've been waiting for this!" I overheard the senior citizens cheer as they started waving their signs.
"Oh?!" I exclaimed with pleasant surprise as I turned my head to stare at the clamoring crowd with an ecstatic grin. "It's this popular?!"
"Continue throwing!" I heard my boss demand of me in his fiery voice, followed quickly by a comment from Yamamoto offstage on how awesome the Tenth was. I also heard Haru mentioning something about how the senior's loved period pieces before she started gushing over the Tenth. Ah! Now everything made sense!
"So that's it!" I stated in understanding as I turned my focus back on the Tenth. If the senior's loved period pieces then we were going to give them one they'd never forget! "No one can beat you, Tenth!"
"Bring it on!" My boss growled out in determination as I wound up and started throwing dagger after dagger at him, the Tenth deflecting each one with a swing of Yamamoto's blade and a passionate cry of determination. It was no surprise that we received overwhelming support from the seniors and won first place for the contest!
After pictures of our faces were placed next to the 100 point mark on the board, Haru started up the winning ceremony.
"Then, let's have the awards ceremony!" She proclaimed happily as she presented Reborn-san with a wave of her hand. He was still wearing his yukata and the black wig with the top bun on his head. "The winners, Gokudera-san and Tsuna-san, will have Reborn-chan fulfill their wishes."
Right-hand man! I couldn't stop shaking with excitement at the thought that I had finally achieved my dream! Now Reborn-san was going to declare my position for everyone to hear and report it back to the Ninth! I had finally done it!
"Gokudera's dream is, 'to become Tsuna's right-hand man,' so have this," the tiny man declared as he reached behind his back and started dragging out something big and made of a shiny, yet soft looking material.
"What's that?" I heard my boss question beside me in slight confusion before Reborn-san presented the entire object to us the next second.
"It's a sleeping bag that represents Tsuna's right hand," Reborn-san explained as he handed me a flesh-colored sleeping back in the shape of an arm and hand, with the top portion having fingers coming out of it.
"What a pun!" I heard my boss exclaim in surprise as I just stared at the sleeping bag now in my possession, not knowing what to think or do. I felt entirely numb at that point as my hopes were dashed to the hardest degree.
"Next is Tsuna's wish," Reborn-san mentioned like he hadn't just crushed my dreams and left me to wallow in my failure.
"Hey! Wait!" The Tenth shouted out in a panicked hurry. "Don't say it in front of everyone! It's embarrassing!"
"I knew this would happen, so I already told the Ninth that you had another wish," Reborn-san reassured with a too-happy smile.
"Eh…?" The Tenth asked with a note of surprise and slight fear. "Another wish?"
"Tsuna's wish is 'to become a good tenth leader for the Vongola," Reborn-san announced then with a smirk. "The Ninth was so happy that he cried, and he said that he'd definitely fulfill it for you."
"No!" The Tenth screamed at the top of his lungs in dismayed horror as I just gave up on everything, unzipped the sleeping bag in my hands, and wrapped myself in it, zipping the zipper up to my chest. I did this all in silence as my boss cried in the background (it was probably because he was so happy that he could become the greatest tenth Vongola leader. I was finally the Tenth's 'right-hand' man now…It was what I had always wanted…
…
How was it possible for me to lose so badly when I had won? Life just wasn't fair….
A few days passed by and it was now the middle of the next week. I was still pissed about the fact that I had come so close to receiving the Tenth's right-hand man position, but was duped at the last moment. I had come to acknowledge that I only had myself to blame for it, though. If only I had been more precise with my wish, then Reborn-san wouldn't have had any choice but to grant me what I truly desired, but I hadn't, and now I was stuck with the bitter taste of failure, 'what-could-have-been' and, not to mention, a really creepy sleeping bag in the shape of an appendage.
I'm even more ashamed to admit that I hadn't thrown the weird sleeping bag into the dumpster as soon as I got home. It was rolled up in the back of my closet for some reason. Either I wanted it as a reminder of my failure, or I couldn't bring myself to let go of anything that represented the Tenth. I had a feeling it was both.
Whatever the case was, it was exhausting to think about, so I tried to ignore it as best as I could. Currently, the last bell for the day had rung and I headed down to the lockers to get my shoes after saying goodbye to the Tenth. My boss had to stay behind for class clean-up duties that day, so I wished him luck and prepared myself for the lonely trip home. In all truth, I was kind of glad at the thought of walking by myself, because I felt like I had failed the Tenth in some way, and that I needed to better myself before I could be in his presence again. At the same time, though, I couldn't leave the Tenth's side too often because he needed protection, and who knew what Yamamoto would do in my absence. I didn't need the Baseball Freak stealing the position I was so desperately trying to fill, after all! Either way, I had been around the Tenth since the Tanabata Contest, but, during the whole time, I felt even more unworthy than I usually did. Maybe I should head to a park and do some more training?
With that thought in mind, I changed out of my school shoes and headed towards the park near the Tenth's house. I didn't get too far before I was interrupted, though.
"Hey, Gokudera!" I heard the stupidly-familiar voice of Yamamoto call out to me. I just grumbled irritably to myself and continued to walk without acknowledging him. I knew he'd just catch up to me anyway.
Speaking of which, here was the idiot now, smiling at me like I hadn't just ignored his ass.
"Hey, Gokudera, heading home?"
"It's none of your fucking business!" I growled out at him as I pointedly looked in front of me, trying not to give him the light of day. "Besides, I don't want you walking with me, if that was the case!"
"Oh come on, it's not so bad to walk together once in a while," Yamamoto chuckled out in slight amusement as he playfully bumped his shoulder into mine. I had to resist the urge to strangle him so that I wouldn't upset the Tenth for killing one of his friends. "It's rare for us to spend time together without Tsuna around."
"I wonder why that is," I commented sarcastically under my breath, which, for some reason, only made the dumb idiot laugh. Why the fuck was he finding my degrading comments funny?
"Still, it's nice," Yamamoto said with a blinding smile that I couldn't help but notice, even though I was trying to not look at him. "Thanks for having me, Gokudera!"
"You're such an annoying fucking idiot," I growled out underneath my breath in an exasperated huff. It was useless to argue with this retarded jock anymore. I just couldn't shake him no matter what I tried to do. Not only that, but it was becoming more difficult to be around him. Recently, I've noticed that I've started to become really uncomfortable with the Baseball Freak around. I don't know why, though. Maybe my patience was really starting to wane with the idiot. That's the only logical explanation I had as to why I couldn't stand looking at the other's face for too long. Well, maybe that and because of the fact that seeing Yamamoto's face made me want to punch him for being an annoying bastard. If I'm trying to stay in the Tenth's good graces, I couldn't hurt Yamamoto…too badly, anyway.
I sighed to myself in exhaustion, feeling anger start to bubble up from my gut as Yamamoto just laughed that idiotic laugh of his. I just really wanted to blow something up by this point in time.
Seeming to sense my anger, Yamamoto suggested that we head over to his house to eat some sushi. I yelled at him for the suggestion, wondering if that's all he ever thought about besides baseball. But…I was still pissed off and bitter from last Sunday, and it had been a while since I had had Takesushi…
I begrudgingly agreed, but only because Yamamoto promised it would be free food. With a new destination in mind (I told myself that I would train as soon as I filled my stomach), I changed course as soon as we made it to our regular crossroads. All too soon, Yamamoto and I entered a small business district. The area was known for open markets and restaurants, and many residents in the neighborhood would come to the area to buy groceries or go out to eat.
Just when I thought that my mood might take a change for the better (I would never let that Baseball Idiot know that the thought of sushi made me feel better, though), the Stupid Cow suddenly appeared before me.
"Hey, Hey, Stupid-Dera!" The cow toddler called out as he ran up to me and sneered. "Hey, give me money. I want to buy candy!"
"What the fuck did you just say?!" I yelled at the Stupid Cow, my slightly good mood immediately crumbling. How did this kid even think that he had to right to ask me for money?! And he had done it so rudely, too! "Like hell I'm giving a brat like you money! Go somewhere else, Stupid Cow!"
"Hey, it's okay, Gokudera," Yamamoto butted in with a peaceful tone. "I'll lend him some money."
"No, I want Stupid-Dera's money!" The Stupid Cow demanded with a hissy fit.
"Why the fuck do you want my money, you bastard?! You know I'm poor!" I screamed at the toddler in rage.
"But you always have such nice clothes," the Stupid Cow sneered like he had caught me red-handed. "Stupid-Dera has a secret stash of cash and Lambo wants it!"
"That's it, I'm going to fucking kill you!" I shouted out in anger, feeling even more torqued-off because the Stupid Cow kind of had a point. I did tend to spend a good portion of my money on clothes, but it was for the Tenth! A good right-hand man had to have presentation, damn it!
Before I could so much as reach for my dynamite, though, the Stupid Woman and I-Pin suddenly showed up, and Haru was suddenly in my face.
"How can you pick on poor Lambo-chan?!" The Stupid Woman asked in an angry huff. I noticed that she was wearing civilian clothes by then, so she must have just dropped by her house and changed. She was also carrying a small purse and readying it at her side like she was going to fucking hit me with it. Fat chance, bitch!
"What's it to you, Stupid Woman?!" I hissed back in irritation, which only caused Haru to get even more angry and flustered with me. Seriously, this was none of her fucking business! How annoying!
"What are you doing, Hayato?" A too familiar voice questioned behind me. Before I could stop myself, I turned to glance in the direction of the voice and saw my sister, along with the Tenth's mother, behind me.
The moment I saw my sister's face, I felt bile rise into my throat and my legs go weak. With a cry of pain, I fell backwards. Apparently, I hit the Stupid Woman along the way, because I backed into another body and heard her cry out in surprise. Before I knew it, I was on the ground, barely conscious, and feeling pain in both my bones and my stomach after the collision with the cement sidewalk below me. I could distinctively hear the Stupid Woman complaining that the contents of her purse had spilled out and that they were mixed with mine from my school bag, and I could also hear Yamamoto calling out my name. Had I forgotten to zip up my bag or something?
Feeling too much pain and nausea to care, I soon fell unconscious.
When I opened my eyes again, all I could see was the bleary outline of a ceiling, with a bright light shining down on me from some square, hanging lamp…What?
I groaned pitifully as I felt my stomach turn nauseously at the sight, and closed my eyes again to shield them from the burning light above. It was then that I could feel a cool, wet cloth placed over my forehead, a soft, cushiony pillow below my head, and what felt like…reeds against my back? Confused at this, I slightly turned my head, causing the cloth on my forehead to fall to the floor, and cracked open one tired eye to see that I was laying upon tatami mats. Wait…there was only one person I knew of that had tatami mats at their house.
"Ah! Don't move around too much, Gokudera," I heard Yamamoto dote in a worrying tone. "See, you made your wash cloth fall off."
Not sure on what I should be feeling at the moment besides out of it, I turned back to stare at the ceiling with barely opened eyes as I heard Yamamoto ring out the wash cloth before he placed it gently back on my forehead. Of all people, why the fuck was Yamamoto taking care of me?! And damn it, he was treating me like a fragile piece of china!
"Why…am I here…?" I grumbled out in irritation as I closed my eyes again, feeling like shit and pissed off because of it.
"We were close to my house when you passed out, so I thought it would be best to bring you here until you felt better," Yamamoto explained with ease, a note of concern still in his voice. Oh for fuck's sake, I'm not that fragile!
"Stop sounding like I'm going to break…you bastard…" I growled out in irritation. I was so sick of being considered weak and unhelpful! This was a complete and utter embarrassment! What if the Tenth heard about this?!
At this sudden thought, I abruptly sat up in a startled fashion, my head automatically swimming at the motion. Damn it, I couldn't let the Tenth find out that I passed out again because of my sister. I had already shown my incapability in achieving my goals to him at the Tanabata Contest (my true goals anyway. All I did in the end was embarrass myself with a hand-shaped sleeping bag), and had ended up getting him a wish he didn't completely want, but now I was proving my weakness even further to him by still getting sick at the sight of my sister's face. The Tenth would never take me seriously at this point!
"Whoa, wait, Gokudera, you're going to make yourself sick again!" Yamamoto called out in worry as I felt his hands grab my shoulders to steady me. I weakly slapped them away.
"Don't fucking touch me, Baseball Freak," I hissed out, feeling flustered as my face flushed with heat. Damn it, did I have a fever? "I'm not weak!"
"Yeah, I know, but if you move around more you might make yourself worse," the taller teen insisted. "Come on, it wouldn't hurt to lie down and relax for a while longer, right? Just until your nausea goes away?"
I wanted nothing more than to argue with the idiot, but he was sadly right (I would never admit that of course). My head was swimming and I felt like I was going to throw up if I so much as stood.
"Whatever," I sighed out in a disgruntled fashion before I carefully laid myself back down on the floor again and closed my eyes. "But I'm only staying because your annoying voice is giving me a headache…"
I must have fallen asleep after I said this, because, the next thing I remember, I heard Yamamoto laughing off in the distance, and I was slowly opening my eyes again.
When I turned my attention towards the Baseball Idiot, I realized that I was feeling a little better, and that Yamamoto's father had appeared in the doorway. Was that the Takesushi kitchen in the room next to us? Maybe I was in the living room.
"Ah, Gokudera-kun, you're awake!" I heard Yamamoto's father laugh out with a pleased smile. "Feeling better?"
"Y-Yeah…Of course!" I stuttered out in slight embarrassment. I wasn't used to having a parental figure doting over me too.
"Glad to hear it!" The older man proclaimed with a genuine smile. "Takeshi was really worried about you, so I was concerned for you, too. You should be careful and take better care of yourself so that you don't get sick again."
I just nodded my head uselessly at the comments, feeling a bit stunned at the attention I was getting. How was I supposed to react to a situation like this?
"Here, Takeshi, help Gokudera-kun sit at the table," Yamamoto Senior addressed his son then before he turned his attention back to me with a confident smile. "I hope you don't mind leek soup because I made some for you! It's supposed to be good for colds and upset stomachs."
"Th-Thanks," I muttered out in a stunned fashion as I felt Yamamoto help lift me up into a sitting position. Of course, when I felt the other's touch, though, I swatted his hands away as soon as I was in a sitting position and grumbled that I could seat myself. Seriously, I wasn't a fucking child!
"Haha, you definitely have your energy back," Yamamoto laughed out in a pleased fashion as I stood up on shaking legs and walked over to the low-lying table a meter away from me. When I sat down again, I sent him an annoyed glare before I was distracted by a dish being set down before me.
"Eat up!" Yamamoto's father insisted as he handed me a soup spoon. "You're free to go after you get something in your belly and you're sure you're feeling up to walking home. But if you still don't feel so good, know that it's no burden on us to stay here tonight. You're always welcome here!"
"Th-Thank you, Yamamoto-san…" I uttered in deep gratitude, feeling myself go speechless as the older man's words resonated inside my head. I wasn't used to feeling so welcomed. I mean, the Tenth's mother was always kind to me too, but with my sister, I-Pin, Fuuta, and the Stupid Cow at the Tenth's place, and with the weird stuff that usually happened there, it was difficult to feel even remotely welcomed sometimes, and even the Tenth would seem to be frightened to see me on occasion, like I was going to start trouble. But here, it felt like it was the first time I felt…I don't know…It was hard to describe, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. It made my stomach turn uncomfortably but…it wasn't an entirely bad feeling either…just weird.
Not knowing what to do with myself then, my body went into autopilot and started shoveling soup into my mouth. Yamamoto's father was known for the best sushi in town, and I figured he was just a man with refined skill in the art of sushi making, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that he excelled in other areas of cooking as well. The leek soup was on par with something the Tenth's mother would make! It was delicious!
I must have said something out loud, or indicated that I liked the soup, because I heard both of the Yamamoto's laugh, before Yamamoto Senior chuckled out, "I'm glad you like it! Stay as long as you like, okay?"
With that, the older man was gone and I was left in the supposed living room with Yamamoto and a bowl of soup. At least the bowl of soup wasn't annoying.
I tried my best to ignore Yamamoto as I finished off my soup, but, surprisingly, it wasn't that hard. The idiot didn't say a single word to me, which was actually kind of weird, now that I thought about it. I just ate in peaceful silence, wondering why the Baseball Freak wasn't saying anything.
When I was done, I glanced behind me to note that Yamamoto was sitting, leaning up against the far wall, with his hands behind his head and staring up at the ceiling. He looked like he was in deep thought.
"Don't think too hard, your brain might explode," I commented, almost off-handedly, which took me by surprise. It was like I had intended to say it as a joke instead of an insult, but why the fuck would I want to joke around with Yamamoto of all people? And why did the air between us feel so civil?! It was really starting to creep me out!
To make matters worse, Yamamoto broke out of whatever thoughts he had been having to glance my way with an amused chuckle.
"Haha, I'll keep that in mind!"
Okay, I was chalking up this whole civil, peaceful air between us to be the cause of the delicious warm soup in my system. It was making me sleepy, that's for sure, and that's why everything felt weirdly out of place. I wasn't used to being calm and drowsy, since I was constantly on edge most of the time. Now wasn't the time to let my guard down, that was for sure! For all I knew, Yamamoto might be up to something to undermine my position as the Tenth's future right-hand man!
"So, are you going to stay the night, Gokudera?" I heard Yamamoto ask then as I started to glower at him suspiciously.
"Like hell I'd ever stay under the same roof as you of my own free will!" I hissed out in irritation. "I'll walk home."
"Oh, in that case, I'll walk with you," Yamamoto offered like I wasn't looking at him with hostile suspicion.
"I'm not a fucking girl!" I yelled out, insulted. "I can walk home by myself just fine! I'm not a fucking weakling, so stop treating me like one!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Yamamoto muttered out with a light sigh and slightly tired smile.
"No, you don't seem to get it!" I hissed out in anger as I glared daggers into that bastard's body. "You keep looking at me like I'm going to break in front of you! I don't need your fucking concern, and, for that matter, this whole situation never happened tonight, you hear me?"
"Wha—?"
Before Yamamoto could finish his question, I quickly interrupted him.
"The Tenth is to never find out about my mishap tonight, you got it? I didn't fall sick after seeing my sister's face. We just walked home together, and I ate sushi at your place, got it?!"
"…Got it…?" Yamamoto uttered, looking slightly confused but willing to go along with me.
"Good," I growled out before I stood up. My legs were shaking slightly beneath me, but I ignored them as I left Yamamoto's shop (after bowing courteously to his father and thanking him again for the soup and his hospitality). From there, I decided it was best to cover my tracks. I truly didn't want word to get out of what happened today, so I decided to, begrudgingly, call up my sister. I couldn't call Reborn-san, because I didn't want him to know about what happened either, or else he'd consider me less of a candidate as well. After some annoying negotiations, my sister agreed to get the Tenth's mother, I-Pin, and the Stupid Cow to play along with my version of the story as long as I spent time with her in the near future. I agreed, but in truth, I was planning on not going through with her wish at all. I wanted to live, thank you very much.
With most of the witnesses out of the way, I then texted Yamamoto my version of the story he should follow in case the Tenth asked what happened last night. It was the only time I was thankful for having the idiot's number, because I definitely didn't want to see him again tonight, or hell, even tomorrow morning if I could help it.
After I finished sending the message, that meant I only had to deal the Stupid Woman now. I didn't know where she lived, nor did I have her phone number, so I just opted to tracking her down tomorrow morning before school. I did know what school she went to, after all, and knew that she lived somewhere within a few streets of the Tenth since she was at the community center last week.
Having a plan in mind, I started my trek home.
When the next morning came, I got up early and spent my time trying to track Haru down before school in order to relay my message. Thankfully, I was able to find her when she was on her way to school, and tell her to not inform the Tenth about what happened last night. Of course, the Stupid Woman had to make an annoying fuss and ask me why she should lie about me falling sick and fighting with the Stupid Cow, but after yelling at her for a bit and threatening to shove dynamite down her throat if she didn't go through with it, she slowly conceded. I swear that women were so fucking annoying and stubborn about the most trivial things…
After I arrived at the school, I noticed that the Tenth wasn't there. I was a little worried, since I saw Yamamoto in class, but not my boss. I would have thought that they traveled to school together…unless Yamamoto had baseball practice this morning…
Before I could worry too much, the Tenth entered the classroom a few minutes before the bell rang. He looked a little stressed, and preoccupied with whatever was on his mind. I wanted nothing more than to ask him what was wrong, but the bell for classes cut me off. Maybe I could ask at lunch time?
To my surprise, though, when lunch time came around, the Tenth disappeared somewhere, looking very concerned. I had no idea what was going on, so I tried to search for my boss throughout the lunch period, but I couldn't find him. Just what was going on?
Thankfully, the Tenth showed back up in time for classes, looking a little frazzled but relatively fine despite that. Hmm…I wonder if Reborn-san was making the Tenth do something?
When classes ended for the day, I decided that I was going to go to the school store and buy something for me to eat, and maybe I could get a snack for the Tenth as well. I didn't know if that would help the Tenth with whatever he was going through, but maybe it would lighten his spirits.
As I left the classroom, I got sidetracked by Yamamoto, who was heading to the baseball clubroom for club activities. After yelling at him for a bit to leave me alone and to remember the story I had conjured up last night in case the Tenth asked what happened yesterday, I left him and headed towards the school cafeteria, lighting a cigarette along the way.
Before I could make it too far, though, I happened across the Tenth, who was standing off to the side of the hallway next to a fire extinguisher cabinet for some reason, his back facing me. Had he been talking to Reborn-san? It was then that I remembered that I hadn't talked to the Tenth all day! I should greet him!
"Good afternoon, Tenth!" I shouted out in excitement as I made my way over to my boss. The Tenth jumped in surprise.
"Gokudera-kun!" My boss called out, his eyes wide as he turned to face me.
"How are you, Tenth?" I questioned in concern then. What was bothering him exactly? Was Reborn-san being hard on him? Was the Stupid Cow annoying him?
At the thought of the Stupid Cow, my blood began to boil. I still couldn't believe what that retarded child had demanded of me last night. I swear if I saw him today, I would kill him.
"I-I'm fine…" The Tenth answered my question a little nervously, which made me think otherwise.
"You know, that Stupid Cow really pisses me off," I growled out then as I took my cigarette out of my mouth for a moment, trying to see if I could get the Tenth to talk about whatever was ailing him. If the Stupid Cow was the problem, I would make sure that, by tomorrow morning, he'd no longer be.
"Uh…This…" The Tenth gasped out in shocked disbelief. Had I hit the right button? Was it the Stupid Cow?!
"Can't someone make him disappear?" I questioned in a hinting fashion then as I took a huff from my cigarette. Come on, Tenth, just give me the order! I'd gladly rid you of that problem child!
My boss just gawked at me, though, like he didn't know how to even answer my question. Well, I guess if the Tenth didn't want me to kill the Stupid Cow, there was nothing I could do. And if the Tenth didn't want my help in any other way, that meant that it was probably best that I left so that I wouldn't get in my boss' way.
"Well, then I'm going to go buy some stuff, Tenth. See you later!" I smiled cheerfully with a departing wave as I turned around to leave my boss to whatever it was he was doing. I was still planning on going to the school store and buying stuff for myself and the Tenth to cheer him up, after all.
"Eh?! W-Wait, Gokudera-kun!" I heard my boss call out for me a second later, which made me stop in my tracks and glance over my shoulder at him. "…Um, what did you do after school yesterday?"
"Huh?" I gasped out in disbelief. Of all the times that the Tenth had to question me on what I did with my time, why did it have to be now when something embarrassing had happened to me? He must have been tipped off, then! Someone told him what happened last night!
The Tenth must have noticed my slight panic because he quickly tried to calm me down, looking a bit embarrassed as he did so. "Oh, it's nothing! I just wanted to know what people do with their time…"
"Ohhh, so that's how it is," I sighed out in understanding. Then the Tenth didn't know what had happened last night after all, and no one had tipped him off. This was all just a coincidence. But, seriously, out of all the times…I guess it was a good thing that I had prepared a story just in case this situation actually popped up! "At four yesterday, I was going to go home, but I ran into that idiot Yamamoto, so I had to walk home with him," I grumbled out my explanation with irritation. "And he also forced me to eat sushi with him, so I went to Yamamoto's store and watched boring baseball while eating disgusting sushi. I went home about seven."
As I finished my story, I blew another plume of smoke from my cigarette and took in my boss' gawking face. Had my story been weird? Oh, wait, I forgot to tell a part of it!
"Oh, and I saw your mother and the others eating a whole cake at the cake shop near the train station at around five," I quickly added with a smile. I hope that hadn't looked suspicious and that the Tenth bought the story!
Thankfully, the Tenth seemed to calm down after the part I added because he just nodded his head and thanked me for telling him. I couldn't help but notice the look of concern on his face as I bid him goodbye and started walking towards the cafeteria again. Hmm…I wonder…
I decided then to turn the closest corner and secretly watch what the Tenth was up to from the shadows. My curiosity was just too great to resist. Even though I did want to get some food for myself and a treat for the Tenth to make him feel better, he had been acting weird all day, and him asking me what had happened last night only tipped me off more that something was definitely up. Since my boss wasn't willing to tell me of his own free will, and since I didn't want to be rude and force him to tell me, my only option was to tail him and see what he was up to. Hopefully I wouldn't be found out or else the Tenth might look down on me for sneaking around behind his back, even though I did it out of concern for his safety.
As I peered cautiously around the corner, I noticed how the Tenth was talking to Reborn-san out of the fire extinguisher case, with Reborn-san dressed up in an iconic Sherlock Holmes costume and sitting within an armchair placed within the fire extinguisher case for some reason. A moment later, the two of them left and started walking down the hall in the opposite direction of me (thankfully).
When I deemed the Tenth and Reborn-san were a good distance away from me, I started to follow them slowly, occasionally hiding behind whatever I could find, just to be safe. The Tenth and Reborn-san eventually left the school building and made their way over to the clubrooms. There, I could see that Yamamoto was still in his school uniform but carrying a bat for baseball practice and he was drinking out of a straw from a small carton of milk as he sat along a low wall. Was he taking a break before practice or something?
Feeling even more confused and interested on what was going to happen, I hid behind a tree a few meters away so that I would be able to hear the conversation. I dared not to peek, though, since I was close enough for them to spot me, so I just listened with earnest. A moment later, I could feel my stomach twist with dread as I heard the Tenth ask Yamamoto what he had done last night before he actually recounted the story I had told him minutes prior. Would Yamamoto actually stick to the story? I knew he wasn't the type to like lying to people, and, not only that, but this would be a great opportunity to call me out and tell the Tenth what really happened so that my future position as the Tenth's right-hand man could be compromised. Damn it, of all the times that the Tenth had to be inquisitive about what we did after school, why did it have to be now?!
As I closed my eyes, my body shaking with anger and defeat for what I knew was going to happen, I was surprised a moment later when Yamamoto answered.
"Oh yeah, Gokudera's right. At four, Gokudera and I went home, and saw Tsuna's mom. We even waved at them. Afterwards, Gokudera came to my shop and stayed until seven," Yamamoto stated with ease as I heard him take a quick sip from his milk carton. I felt my eyes widen in shock and my heart still before it skipped a beat. Yamamoto…had actually helped me out even though there was nothing in it for him to lie…
I felt completely floored at what was transpiring. It felt like…everything that I had thought of the other had been wrong.
"See, you're just overthinking things," I suddenly overheard the Tenth speak. Was it to Reborn-san?
"There must be something wrong with your eyes," I heard the tiny man reply with a snarky comment. "Someone is lying," he added with a serious finality.
I felt my heart freeze in trepidation then as I heard the Tenth gasp out in shock behind me. Had Reborn-san seen through my story? How could that be…?
"What are you talking about?!" The Tenth exclaimed then in confusion. "Their testimonies all match up perfectly!"
Testimonies? Had the Tenth talked to the others from last night, too?!
"You know how scared of Bianchi Gokudera is, right?" Reborn-san retorted as more of an answer than a question.
"Huh? Well…" The Tenth questioned before his tone became pensive and understanding. "Well, yeah. As soon as he sees her he keels over. So what?"
"I-Pin says that she was with Bianchi and Maman before they went into the cake shop," Reborn-san answered in a knowing fashion. "That means that Bianchi was in the cake shop, too. Could Gokudera really look at Bianchi and still be able to identify what she was eating? Could he wave at her?"
Shit! How could I have overlooked that?!
"No…No way! That's impossible!" The Tenth shouted out in complete understanding. Shit! This wasn't good!
"Then it means that someone is sabotaging our investigation…" Reborn-san mentioned, his voice becoming surprisingly threatening. Shit! Shit! Shit! I hated to admit it, but I had been thankful that Yamamoto had stuck with my story, and it fucking killed me to know that I was depending on him again to save my hide. But that's all I could do in that moment. All I could do was hope that Yamamoto would stick to the story despite what Reborn-san said or maybe even mention that I had only glanced and got a little sick later after seeing my sister? I mean, that wasn't so hard for someone to come up with, even for a Baseball Idiot, right? Damn it, I really couldn't afford any more embarrassment in front of the Tenth if I was to be taken seriously!
"Well then…" I heard Yamamoto say with a wry chuckle. Damn it, Yamamoto, don't you fucking dare— "Since you already know we're lying…Gokudera told me not to say it, but I guess I have to."
No you don't, you fucking piece of shit!
"Gokudera-kun told you…?!" The Tenth gasped out in a startled manner, his tone changing to that of realization.
"Yesterday we walked together, but on our way we ran into Lambo."
Fuck you, Yamamoto, you fucking prick! That's the last time I ever fucking bring myself to rely on you again, you ass! You fucking traitorous pig!
"What?! You saw Lambo?!" The Tenth shouted out in surprise as I seethed with an almost uncontrollable rage. I can't believe that the idiot almost had me there. I had almost believed that maybe I had been wrong about him, but now I knew that that wasn't the case. He was just out to get me so that he could steal the Tenth's right-hand man position for himself!
"Yeah, then Gokudera started to argue with Lambo over something trivial…" Yamamoto continued with his explanation that almost had me jumping out from behind the tree to shove dynamite down his traitorous throat. That Stupid Cow had started the fight with me first, you ass! And it wasn't over something trivial; it was over my lifetime earnings for fuck's sake! I needed to fucking eat!
"And they even argued?!" The Tenth interjected like he had been slapped in the face. Why did he sound so horrified?
"Yeah, but just then," Yamamoto continued like the fucking soulless monster he was, "I-Pin and Haru showed up, and Haru yelled at Gokudera. So Lambo was forgotten and Haru started to argue with Gokudera then."
"Huh?" The Tenth gasped out in confusion, like he didn't understand what was going on or where Yamamoto's story was heading.
"But, just then, Tsuna's mom and Bianchi showed up!" Yamamoto let out with a light laugh, like my sister showing up and making me sick was actually a laughing matter. Just as soon as his laugh died down, Yamamoto's voice changed into that of sheepish concern. "Gokudera then backed into Haru, dropped his school bag and everything in it onto the ground, and then passed out."
"I can see that happening!" The Tenth exclaimed in total understanding. I felt a stab in my gut at my boss' admittance. So he would always see me as the type to faint when my sister was around? How weak did he take me for? Would I ever be a strong and capable right-hand man in his eyes?
"Also," I heard Yamamoto add in a pleased tone. "I actually took care of Gokudera until he woke up at seven."
Why the fuck did he sound so happy about that?! Was it because he was making himself look good in front of the Tenth?!
"So…that's what happened…" The Tenth let out with an uncomfortable sigh, like it wasn't exactly what he had wanted to hear. I felt like I had no choice but to appear before the Tenth and apologize for my weakness then, or else he'd leave Yamamoto while thinking of me badly. I had to step forward now and turn things around so that they'd hopefully go in my favor once again.
"I hadn't wanted to lie to you, Tenth…" I mumbled out apologetically as I came out from behind the tree and approached my boss and the stupid Baseball Freak.
"Ah! Gokudera-kun!" The Tenth exclaimed in surprise as he turned to look at me.
"I was just…ashamed…and thought you'd be disappointed in me…" I spoke on shaking breath then as I averted my gaze from my boss. "…So I told them all to not tell you what happened…"
"So everyone was lying?!" The Tenth exclaimed in horror.
"I'm so sorry!" I cried out in apology as I fell to my knees and bowed before my boss, slamming my forehead into the ground below me in the process. "I didn't mean any harm!"
"Ack! Wait!" The Tenth shouted out in a flustered manner as I continued to slam my forehead into the ground in apology, begging for forgiveness. "Even though we know the truth now, in the end, we still haven't found Lambo!"
"Did something happen to Lambo?" I heard Yamamoto question in concern as I glanced up at the Tenth, who was grabbing at his hair in worry.
"Actually, he didn't come home yesterday," the Tenth mentioned, his eyes flashing with concern as he dropped his hands to his sides, as if in defeat.
I made a weird noise in my throat as I stood up. Yamamoto gasped in shock at the news of the Stupid Cow's disappearance, while I wasn't sure what I felt concerning the matter. For some reason, I felt mixed on it, but that was probably because the Tenth was worried about the little piece of shit.
"Che! That Stupid Cow made the Tenth worry!" I growled out in irritation as I glanced Yamamoto's way out of the corner of my eye to see him with a pensive look on his face.
"Oh?" The idiotic jock contemplated with slight confusion. "But I actually saw Lambo last night."
"Eh?" The Tenth gasped out in shock.
"It was dark so I couldn't see properly," Yamamoto began to explain. "But I think he was with a middle school girl. I saw them after Gokudera left."
"The culprit is a girl?!" The Tenth shouted out, looking taken aback by this new information.
It was then that Sasagawa's voice rang out through the air, asking if Kurokawa was okay? What were those girls up to now? Before I could wonder on that for a moment longer, the Tenth actually ran off in the direction he heard Sasagawa's voice come from, which was around the corner of the school building, with Reborn-san running after him. Since Sasagawa was involved, I decided to let the Tenth deal with it in favor of staying behind with Yamamoto.
As soon as the Tenth was out of ear shot, I turned around and glared daggers into the stupid jock.
"You fucking bastard! How dare you tell the Tenth what actually happened!" I yelled out in seething anger.
"W-What?" Yamamoto questioned, looking taken aback. "But there was no point in lying anymore since the Little Guy called me out…"
"He didn't specifically call you out, you dumbass!" I practically screamed in the other's face. "All you had to do was keep your mouth shut or add that I hadn't looked directly at my sister and everything would be fine! But, no, you had to tell the Tenth the truth so that I'd look bad!"
Yamamoto's eyes widened at my accusation.
"That wasn't my intention—"
"Bull-fucking-shit it wasn't!" I continued to scream in rage. "I should have expected you to take advantage of the situation and make yourself look better than me in front of the Tenth! This is the last time I'll ever tr—" I quickly cut myself off as soon as I realized what I was about to say "—expect you to do something correctly, you piece of shit!" I quickly corrected myself. Why did I almost say 'trust'? I hadn't trusted Yamamoto at all! I had just expected him to listen to me! It didn't make sense for me to trust him.
But then…why did I feel so…betrayed?
Thinking that my anger was probably making me confuse the emotions I was feeling then, I decided to turn around and walk away from Yamamoto, who was persistently calling after me. He kept saying that he hadn't meant to and apologizing for his actions but I knew that he had to be lying to me. I was too confused at the moment to care anyway.
As I started to leave the school grounds, I overheard the Tenth talking to Haru then, of all people, and the Stupid Woman was actually telling the Tenth the exact thing that Yamamoto had. Okay, that was fucking it. I didn't need to be embarrassed any more than I already was!
Rushing over to the Tenth and Haru, I noticed that the Stupid Cow was actually beside them, and that Kurokawa was beside me, looking livid. When the hell had she shown up? As soon as we approached the Tenth and Haru, Kurokawa started yelling at the Tenth for chasing her down with children strapped to his back (what the fuck was she talking about?!), while I started yelling at Haru for not keeping her damn mouth shut. The Tenth honestly looked flustered, tired, and confused as Kurokawa bitched at him, and while Haru yelled both at me, and Kurokawa for being rude. From there on, I was yelling at both of the retarded women (hell, the three of us were all yelling at each other by this point) until I threatened to blow them up if they didn't leave the Tenth alone.
Thankfully, the bitches took a hint and left, but I noticed that, within that time, the Stupid Cow went missing again too. As I glanced my boss' way, he really looked too tired to care. I wondered then if I had made myself look worse in front of the Tenth. Great, now he probably thought I was weak and abusive to women. It was like I couldn't catch a damn break!
A/N: Finally, the end of another chapter! Just two more to go guys until the Kokuyou Arc *celebrates*
Anyway, for the manga chapters I used for this, there were a few 8059 moments. There was only one in the Tanabata Contest chapter, where Gokudera tried to sabotage Yama's performance by using his characteristics against him. In the end, Gokudera almost ended up hurting himself and getting flustered, and Yama's throw made a huge hole in the community center wall, which comes into play in a later chapter ;D Because of that, Yama and Dera will have to pay off the damages by selling chocolate bananas together, so yeah, Dera unknowingly set himself up for an 8059 moment in the future XD Good job Gokudera!
As for the Lambo's Disappearance chapter, there was plenty of 8059 moments. Yama and Dera got to walk home together, but ended up running into some trouble and Yama ended up taking care of a sick Dera at his house =3 Not only that, but Gokudera was so embarrassed by this that he came up with a story that, in the end, made it sound like he willingly went along with Yamamoto anyway, despite his attitude, and spent time at his house eating sushi and watching TV like they were on a date XDD Nice cover-up Dera XDDD
Well, that stuff aside, the next chapter is definitely going to be fun! Even though I wanted to write these chapters separately, it's actually best if they're both in Yama's POV because the chapters before the Mukurou Arc actually work better in Dera's POV. So, with that in mind, the Beach chapter and the Summer Festival chapter will be next and in Yama's POV! Get ready for the 8059 ;DDD The next chapter is going to be looooong…er XD
