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Chapter 3

An acknowledgement of friendship

Yamamoto Takeshi's childhood was mostly filled with cheer and merriment. When he was enrolled in Namimori elementary, his bright smile that accompanied his curious, sparkling eyes roved around the new surroundings. There were certain kids that caught his attention during his time there. There was Sasagawa Kyoko, a petite cherubic brunette who had a presence as bright as sunshine- yet she sometimes sported a cloudy expression as she stared at her brother's back as he rushed all-round sporting small injuries here and there. Kurokawa Hana, a slightly moody and mature child surprisingly clicked well with her as she freely looked down on the various antics of the boys around her.

Kensuke Mochida who was athletic and a fun playmate with whom he could let loose on different sports equipment. It was all great fun given that the kid got easily riled up- at first (but never learned).

"Takeshi, it's no fun with you." The black-haired child would sulk when he saw how the gym teacher regressed along with the rest of the kindergartner spectators when he hit tiny home runs that soared over their bodies despite them jumping with all their might and scrambling towards the flying ball. The said balls were actually water balloons…

"It's so not fair. The principal denied my request of making a gold trophy of your arm for the sports day festivals from now on…" that gym leader would whine. "I can't even make him change the day to Takeshi day…"

Then Kensuke would proceed to ditch him to find his spotlight, while the other kids would crowd over him to drag him into other games. Takeshi always had a knack for games related to balls and skills involving dexterity. So much so that clean-up duties would be basketball free throws. That would instantly cheer up those who got stuck with it, directing their attention away from the Tsuna as he'd inevitably make things much harder for the lot.

Tsuna was infamous in another way. He was one of the three other kids who had a violent record, the other two being Hibari Kyoya and Sasagawa Ryohei. They all had different reasons for that reputation.

Hibari Kyoya could be sometimes seen on top of the monkey bars, kicking the daring challengers that climbed over them right onto the mud and dirt of the sandbox. He'd then show them a look that was holier than thou before taunting other kids to become the next victims.

Some parents who saw the scene called him Darth Vader, but didn't dare butt in after seeing him throw a child right at his parent for trying to interfere. His reputation of paying people back at double the price didn't help either.

Sasagawa Ryohei, on the other hand, got into fights for justice. The person he was mostly protecting was his little sister. While that attitude was commendable, his approach of fists before words and not picking his fights wasn't. He was effectively a raging bull who was blind to his opponent which became all the more apparent when he got into a fistfight with the principal for after seeing his sister looking teary-eyed, completely misunderstanding how she looked for advice regarding his recklessness.

The power ranger demonstrations the kindergarten would host occasionally did not help in the slightest.

Sawada Tsunayoshi could be thought of as disaster personified- at least to the impulsive, short-tempered kids in Namimori's Kindergarten. Takeshi never talked to him, but sometimes volunteered to stay back to help the kid out knowing his perchance for making things worse from his ditzy clumsiness. To be more specific, he couldn't manage to hold a conversation with him. Tsuna's eyes would always dart around when he was around.

It wasn't fun when he could remember that some kids who'd directly approach him while having a bone to pick with the brunette ended up getting 'along' better with him. They'd pounce on him with the enthusiasm of sinking their teeth onto a new chew toy, and yet the brunette could face them despite looking terrified. It made Takeshi kind of upset and slightly reluctant to stick around and lend a hand- until his compassion occasionally struck for the awkward conversations again.

Tsuna's relationship with the kids who fought with him was downright simple. He'd accidentally ruin their fun and so they wanted to get even.

It was a testament to the different ways people could get into fights when looking at those three.

In Namimori Elementary, their dynamics changed.

Takeshi found love in baseball. The team's coach looked like he'd cry when he muttered that he should start from softball to account for his development before switching over to baseball. The thrill when wind flew through his hair as he narrowly dodged the touch of the players who wanted to stop him from stealing bases. The euphoria when hitting home runs and overcoming particularly hard pitches. The shared excitement among his teammates. The pride that came from taking the role of the team's ace and being relied upon.

The people in the school started calling him the ace of the baseball team. They started calling each other by last names instead of propriety if they weren't close. The subtle distance the children started giving each other and the wide berth they gave him from putting him on a pedestal slightly disgruntled him. Thus, he stopped focusing on the unnaturalness and focused on having fun.

One time he came back to the classroom to get something he had forgotten for his club before pausing at the sight of Kyoko waving goodbye with the usual cheer and seeing that the target was Dame-Tsuna of all people. It was the same kid who'd treated him like some of them did now from all the way in Kindergarten- putting him at a distance, as a source to be admired and intimidated by. It was a constant that he hadn't appreciated.

"I didn't know that you were close to Kyoko-chan. Even though you don't even hang out with us. No fair, Dame-Tsuna."

"Well, uh. Kyoko-chan seemed to like the idea that I suggested. I've gotten into the same stuff… B-besides, she's always been friends with everyone!"

Yamamoto hummed as Tsuna floundered about with excuses. Even though he'd never called him by name- just referring him by his title when talking to other people. The ace cut down the vague feelings of murkiness that swiveled around him to go back and play. Nothing a hundred swings wouldn't solve.

This time it was Sasagawa Ryohei who was the worried one out of the Sasagawa siblings. Mochida had gotten a taste of violence maybe from the influence of his favorite target, Dame-Tsuna. Takeshi thought that he wasn't a good sportsman for using his skills from practicing kendo on untrained kids. While he was getting revered for his skills in competitions, he was also getting that respect from the forceful macho exhibitions.

His ego trip wasn't undercut by Kyoko approaching him more frequently. Apparently, her brother also agreed with his sentiment that he'd sometimes come to grumble to Yamamoto about it.

"My parents were saying that it's a phase. That girls dig bad boys… Even though she always told me not to fight…" the white-haired boy's rare dispirited voice sounded out.

"Won't it all work out in the end? She's got both you and Kurokawa-san to look out for her."

"It's just that… Have you seen the stuff he did to that Tsunayoshi-kid? That guy's got no chill. Who knows what'll he do if my lil sis doesn't pay attention to him. He's even saying that she will be his girlfriend. Not if I have anything to do about it."

'And you're saying that?'

"I can't even challenge him one to one. He says the fight's going to be Kendo or nothing. I even said yes and yet he still called me a cheater!"

"That was because you threw the shinai and made it a fistfight, senpai."

"I can do whatever I want with a weapon right?"

"But it was good that you did that, he usually gives a 20kg shinai to his opponents."

"What?! You mean I missed out on a perfectly good training opportunity?! The next time we should both spar with 50kg each.

No wonder Mochida was upset. I completely disregarded the bro code when he was coming at me seriously to get my approval!

What have I done?!"

"Ahahaha, that'd be interesting to watch."

Needless to say, Mochida ran away at the sight of the boxer from then on.

Hibari, on the other hand, took up tonfas and began to expand his influence to make an excuse to beat more people up. He was frequently found in high places where he could look down on all the plebeians or even swoop up unsuspecting victims. Not to mention how much he showcased the fact that he hated crowds.

While that fact leads to him meeting with Tsuna sometimes seeing how much people liked to gang upon him. The people who picked a fight with the brunette added more itineraries to their motivations like relieving stress, to assert domination or because he was an easy target that stood out strangely. But, their actions remained the same, even exacerbated by the fact that Tsuna almost felt right at home with them. Well, it made him an easy gopher.

Hibari's involvement was initially to mow through crowds, but things developed into a strange direction when Tsuna had shrieked – "If you want to fight crowds so much, you could send people to the hospital and visit it later on.". It was like a eureka moment for the budding demon and hell for the residents of the town.

Now it was a fond hobby that the prefect would do if he was bored enough.

Once, in the classroom, excitement filled the air from a stray suggestion of doing a trial of courage. The school had its own seven mysteries that the students wanted to solve or brave through and the kids either joined from the indignation at being mocked at as a coward or were genuinely curious- or they had been roped in.

A slight silence ascended when Kyoko looked at Tsuna before asking, "What do you think, Tsuna-kun. Do you want to join?" To which angry gazes fell on the shrinking brunette asking how did he become worthy of Kyoko's personal invitation. Pressured and wanting to escape the stares, Tsuna gave a hasty acceptance- but that got Yamamoto's smile to stiffen.

When did they get so close that they became acquaintances? Why did he accept her invitation when he gave many before? Although they were halfhearted jokes, he wouldn't have minded if the other actually took up on his offer. He quickly lost that trail of thought as his friends brought him back to their attention.

The first trial involved a music room like it was a cliché. It was supposedly a piano that played itself which they suspected was the grudge of a student that was suppressed from achieving her dreams. When they reached there, they could hear the sounds of a piano wailing and glimpses of blood red. Yamamoto got curious and opened the door wide open despite his other classmates that were ready to bolt.

Surprisingly, it was the 'musician' who was in the middle of an escape, seemingly from the threat of being caught. It was a student from another school apparently practicing. The redhead put up his hands in surrender.

"N-now, I can explain. I'm not anyone suspicious. I just wanted to maintain my piano skills."

"They don't have a music room in your school?"

"No, no, no. It's not like that. I've just… been banned from the music room there, so I was finding another place to suit my purpose… U-um. Please keep it a secret!"

Well it was no wonder. It would be insulting to call him the next Beethoven… the composer would be rolling around in his grave if he heard that.

Feeling kind of miffed, they decided to look for the second mystery, a mannequin that made sounds like it was the next Frankenstein.

When they reached the biology room, Tsuna had a look of recognition, so did the bullies who immediately figured out the puzzle. "What kind of mystery is that? Dame-Tsuna hides inside them when we came for a little heart to heart."

"B-but, the janitor said that he'd stuff you guys into the closet too the next time he finds me there…"

"What, did you snitch on us?"

"Leave it at that. We've crossed this one out of the list. Is it all going to be this disappointing?"

The third mystery was bright lights from the boxing club. But as Kyoko heard it, she immediately said, "That's my big bro and his club mates. He thinks that's the way to train the members to fight well in unknown surroundings. It doesn't work well because he said that some of them try to take potshots in the dark at those who were fighting."

"But that doesn't explain the lighting-"

"The ones who're fighting were wearing uniforms in neon and paints that glow in the dark. He does these training routines to spice things up. I personally wish he'd stop completely…"

The excitement and nervousness that filled the air completely vanished, leaving behind bored students who decided they'd rather go home than ruin any more mysteries.

"Yamamoto, how about we get some sushi?"

"Hm? Oh sure. How about this, it'll be my treat."

"That's great! At least there's something good we got out of this whole mess."

Seeing Tsuna stealthily make and exit, Yamamoto circled an arm around his shoulder before wheeling him in the others direction saying, "Hm? Dame-Tsuna you've never been to Takesushi before, right? You're in for a real surprise."

The best way to make a person realize that someone isn't one dimensional would be to show their other aspects.

When they reached the shop, Yamamoto reached a compromise with his dad for his impulse decision for a free meal. It was a chance to showcase his skills too.

Seeing his classmates ooh and aah over his sleekness, the ace sported a huge grin as he skillfully cut a fish clean of its bones noticing how Tsuna's eyes stuck to the blade's each and every movement. It was the first time he had gotten the brunette's full attention and it brought his mood up even higher. Even if the gleam in those eyes gradually faded during the actual sushi-making process, the black-haired boy didn't even notice it as he got into the lively atmosphere that surrounded the place.

The next day, things went to normal and nothing changed.

But in that year, the Yamamoto family had the devastating event of the mother dying. Yamamoto wore black funeral clothes, identical to the rest present in the ceremony. The atmosphere was somber and people passed by giving him looks of pity and saying condolences. It felt like they were simply brushing past him, floating through him as he didn't stay grounded to the situation at hand.

Tsuyoshi had brought Takeshi aside when it happened and explained the situation carefully.

"I'll protect you Takeshi."

His red eyes were a telling tale, leaving his friends at a loss of how to cheer him up.

"We're down to two now, but it's all going to be fine. We've got each other after all. Nothing will change. We can still be happy."

His shoulders had a slouch, but his father's back looked like they were carrying the whole world looking at how much the man drooped. It was the first time the other showed his weakness so explicitly.

He had always thought that his parents were invincible. He always dreamt of a future with them.

In school, people kept him at arm's length, treating him like a porcelain doll. It was suffocating. It was a dreary feeling from the fact that people kept reminding him of the current- even if it wasn't intentional.

On impulse, he headed back to the classroom to see Tsuna stuck with cleaning duty.

"Dame-Tsuna. You look as unaffected as always. You probably don't even understand what I'm feeling."

"…I've experienced something similar. My dad's death was sudden."

"…When was this? ...Why didn't you tell me?"

"A month before.

…You're the ace. And besides, it's not really related to you…"

Yamamoto's smile disappeared from his face. It was the first time that his position made him dissatisfied.

He slammed the door and almost ran out of the school when he spotted Mochida. Out of spite, he asked him, "Did you know that Tsuna's dad died?"

"That useless idiot's got some nerve trying to win points from you by trying to match sob stories. Can you believe that kid? He said that they only knew of his death by a postcard. Said something funny like he became a star.

They don't even have a body to bury him with.

I personally think he spiced up the truth to make him seem more like a victim- Hey Yamamoto, what's your problem-"

The kendo captain shouted indignantly at the blatant snub that the other gave him as he left the building right in the middle of their conversation.

While the students tried to stop them from burning a bridge, saying that Yamamoto was just emotionally sensitive right now, that day was when their friendship broke apart.

It was also when Yamamoto became subtly unfriendlier to a particular group of people.

Back to the present.

The start of middle school was filled with new frontiers that the jock could challenge himself on. Expectations on him grew exponentially and his dazzling skills made his teammates rely on him even more. He carried the entire team on his shoulders and worked on his skills excessively to meet those high demands.

The title of Ace- now it almost integrated into his ego. It was a source of pride, but it was bittersweet thanks to Tsuna. And he was currently disappointing people with his stagnant growth period.

People reassured him like they were reassuring themselves that it was just a slump, and he'd quickly get over it, stronger than ever before. It was like they were vicariously living through him and having the experience of living as a genius.

Call it passion, but Yamamoto had always been dedicated to the sport. Part of these results was due to hard work- work that people weren't willing to make, calling themselves ordinary people.

So, Yamamoto tried to pick up their slack, to see the vision he wanted to see come true on the field.

But genius can go only so far. And Yamamoto couldn't see it, thinking that it was a slump.

When he went to the back alleys to prevent another pitying gaze from his friends, having grown sick and tired from it overlapping with the past- he saw a group of people from his rival team in their uniform. They had lopsided grins and sinister expressions, making their intentions quite clear.

At this moment, Yamamoto had a sudden thought.

"You guys want me to drop out of the coming game right?"

"Huh, didn't think that you weren't as airheaded as they described you. But too bad, even if you cry and beg for mercy we're not letting you off. Of course, if you decide to fight back, we'll disqualify you."

Yamamoto reached for the back of his bag and pulled out his bat. The smiles immediately dropped and the bravado faded- after all, they were players, not delinquents.

"I'm willing to play along with that request if you're willing to do something for me."

"…What are you playing at?"

"I have a couple of people in my mind that I'd like you guys to wipe the floor with. If you do that, I'll break my dominant arm. It's a win-win, isn't it?"

"What are the fuck are you going on about?! Why should we do that for you?! You're obviously fibbing- there's no way in hell that anybody's going to do that-"

*Crack* a resounding boom fell on to their ears as they paled rapidly at the lack of hesitation from the ace- currently, the dud of an ace. With a slight cheer, a voice filled with pain continued-

"Now, if you guys don't cooperate, you'd be the ones who're disqualified, maybe even do juvy for a while. Man, that hurts." Yamamoto said waving an id card he had filched from the ring leader during the closeup.

"…W-why are you going so far?"

"I'm outnumbered, so it was going to be hard for me to do it on my own. If you guys have the will to hurt someone, you might as well do me a favor too. This way, there'd be no hard feelings- it's all in the name of good sportsmanship."

This was the perfect opportunity. Now there was no way he could be called the Ace. The ones who swarmed around him would also disappear.

'Now, what would you call me? You'll get no one to compare against for judging who's a friend and who's a foe.

If what you call a friend is one who stays by your side, regardless of what they do to you… Then,

I'll be your best friend.'

The next day, the cast on his shoulder invoked so much panic. People grimaced at him when he said he accidentally overworked himself. They were hysteric as they advised him over and over again to do things in moderation.

The coach looked at him with a somber look as he claimed that recovery would be a harsh road. That he might never reach his full potential again. His teammates looked at him with betrayal for this travesty.

And so, he played along and asked Tsuna in the classroom during the club activities.

"The doc said that even with rehabilitation, it's going to be hard to reach my peak again. Apparently, this is the best time to develop as a player.

Aww… I've really done it now. I heard that people have gotten attacked in a similar incident. Talk about bad luck. I've dodged that one, and yet I've still come injured.

Do you have any advice on what I should do now, Tsuna?"

"…It's not yet hopeless, Yamamoto-kun. It may seem hopeless now, but there might be another door opening for you."

"I might try kendo. It's all so violent nowadays, so I gotta learn how to protect my pops n I."

After all, wouldn't it be easier to fill in a gap? This was all because Tsuna wouldn't make space for him.