Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Summary: I had always thought that high school was all about fun, love and friendship. Of course, who in their right mind would think that high school would involve things such as mafia? *sigh* I should have never associated myself with that silver-haired delinquent.
Black and Silver
Chapter 5: Trickling Sands in an Hourglass
It was a bright Sunday morning. Normally at this time of the day, I'd be somewhere on the shopping district or inside a pastry shop, having the best day with my friends. But unfortunately, midterms are coming up and I'm only halfway through my History notes, and I still got ten more subjects to go. So instead of going outside and being carefree, I'm here, stuck in my room with my notes and books scattered over the bed and the table.
A week had pass since the night I was taken hostage. Though I tried my best to pretend the incident had never occurred, in truth, I was curious to know what really happened. Whenever I was alone, in school or in my room, I found myself recalling the fight over the bridge. There are times when I just want to ask Yamamoto-san about it straight out that I'd call him over in the hallways but only end up greeting him and never get to ask.
Everything had started when Gokudera-san was fighting those two western men. The shock and fright I experienced after that had clouded my memory but I distinctly remember hearing the word "mafia".
I bit the corner of my lip.
Mafia. I don't really know much what a mafia is, just that it's a group of dangerous looking guys. Now that I think about it, those two bastards and mafia does seem to fit in a group with their menacing eyes and malicious grins. What I don't get is: How are Gokudera-san and the others got involved in such things? Actually, I understand if it's Gokudera-san, but Yamamoto-san? I mean, come on! With such honest and cheerful eyes, how can he even get involve in something so... so... well, so Gokudera-san (you know – EVIL)?
"We're related in a very unsual way."
I suddenly remembered these words.
What do you mean, Yamamoto-san? I remembered his fierce gaze as violet-colored giant snake materialize in the sky, his katana in his hands. Would you actually kill those men with your katana? I realized that I never knew what happened to them after Gokudera-san brought me home. From what Sawada-san said, Yamamoto-san was fighting them before we left the city district. I wonder if they killed those foreigners. Of course, I felt no remorse or pity for the two bastards, but thinking that my fellow schoolmates killed them...
Suddenly my shoulders felt heavy as if something was to clinging to it. Then my insides start to hurt as if my intestines are twisting by themselves.
"No, I shouldn't think about that," I told myself shaking my head.
The biggest mysteries of all are those bizarre yet beautiful flames. It was my first time seeing flames burn that way. It was like magic. The flames would suddenly appear and grow but disappear just as fast. Do Yamamoto-san and his friends have some kind of supernatural powers that's why they're involved in the mafia?
I began tapping my pen on my notebook.
Or was it because they have such powers that the mafia wants to recruit them, and that's why they're fighting those men since they refuse to join them? Well, it's not like I have any proof that Yamamoto-san, Sawada-san and Kyoko's brother are members of the mafia. Also, Hibari-san was with them that night and there's no way in hell he'll join any form of groupings! I can't help myself but imagine that Hibari-san single-handedly destroyed a whole mafia group just because they asked him to.
"What are you snickering about?" A soft yet deep voice of a woman asked.
I looked up and saw Ayame eyeing me suspiciously as if I've gone psycho.
Ah, I almost forgot that Ayame and Mina are here with me. Ayame bent over and took my notebook, "You've been frowning and staring at that page for at least ten minutes, and now you're laughing to yourself." She scanned my notes then raised a brow. "What? I thought you're trying to solve a Math problem, since it's taking you so long to turn the page. In the end, it's just History," she said as she threw back my notes on the table.
"Mind your own business, Ayame," Mina said without glancing up from her notes. I stuck my tongue out at Ayame as I retrieved my notebook. Ayame just rolled her eyes and said "I just don't understand why we're here together yet we're studying different subjects. Isn't it better if we study the same lessons then ask each other if we don't understand something?"
At this, Mina glanced up, "Actually," she said, "we'll save more time by distributing the subjects to each of us." She looked down again on her notes then continued, "Besides, we'll be motivated this way. If we failed in one subject, then we can only blame the person assigned to it."
Mina can be a bit scary and intimidating sometimes.
Ayame scoffed and eyed Mina as if wanting to retort about Mina's last words. As for me, I think Mina was just warning us that if she failed any of her subjects, she'll have us to blame. I glanced over to both Ayame and Mina. I haven't told them anything about that night. Well, first of all, I don't know how to say it to them. I can't just go and say, "Hey guys! Nice morning. Oyeah, I was taken hostage last night by some lunatic. Luckily, Gokudera-san and his friends saved me with their rainbow colored flames. Cool, huh?" Then I'd imagine it ending with me saying, "Erm... Why are you looking at me like that?"
They'd think I'm crazy! I just know it.
"Hey, Yuki," Ayame called.
"Hm?"
"You're classmates with Gokudera-san, right?"
"Uh... Yeah. Why?"
"He's smart isn't he? Well, how about you ask him to teach us?" I raised my eyebrow at Ayame as if she's speaking gibberish. "I heard that he barely comes to class yet he always scores the highest. Don't you think he has some sort of secret as to how he did it?"
"Knowing that he is the school's resident delinquent, it may be because he has some cheat codes that's why he gets perfect grades," I said. "Or maybe he's blackmailing the teachers, or even threatening them. We'll never know."
Ayame mouthed an "Ahh," seeming to believe what I said.
"No, I don't think that's the case," Mina said, placing her chin on her hand, "Gokudera-san seemed like the kind of guy to be filled with so much pride, that cheating his way to the top is like having himself beaten up by a girl."
I was taken back by Mina's comment. I never thought Gokudera-san to have such ideology. Strictly speaking, I never really thought much about him before.
"So you're saying that he gets top marks because he studies?" I asked.
"Not really. I'm just saying he's not cheating or blackmailing. Why don't you just ask him how he does it? I saw you talking to him before."
I talked to him before?
"You mean, the time he was called by our homeroom teacher? I just told him the teacher wants to see him, that's not considered as 'talking'!"
"Oh, come on, Yuki! What's so wrong in asking him?" Ayame demanded.
Aha! My dear Ayame, there are so many answers in your questions, I can't even decide whether to tell you or not.
"I don't feel comfortable with him. It's not like he's a cheerful friendly guy, like how Yamamoto-san is. Frankly, he's quite the opposite. Didn't you see the way he scowled at the girls trying to approach him? Clearly, he hates socializing."
"Hmp!" Ayame pouted and narrowed her brows. She always hated it whenever I refuse her demands. And pointing out the reasons why I decline only worsens her mood, even if my reasoning is right.
"Stop it, Ayame. Not with that sour face, again," said Mina, sighing.
"But, it's such a waste! Don't you think? Yuki should take advantage of her resources. Gokudera-san is smart, cool and good-looking! If he was my classmate, I'd make sure I'm one of his peers," said Ayame, waving her hands as if to make an emphasis.
Then be my guest and take him away. Let me see you try to tame that wild cat.
"Well, I'd barely call him a classmate, since he seldom show up in class. But if I say, I'll try to ask him to teach us with Math or Science or whatever, will you let this go so we can go back to studying?" I said monotonously, so as to express my disinterest. Ayame, on the other hand, seemed satisfied enough that she beamed at me and went back to her notes with high spirits. As much as she hated being refused, she's jovial whenever she gets what she wants.
Yes, she may sound like an annoying bitch, but really, she's a good friend. Just in case you don't believe me, I remember back in middle school, if anyone would pick on me or Mina, she'd always be the one to tell them off. See? A good friend! In truth, I admire her straight forward attitude, even if she's a little bit obnoxious. Since Ayame has a tendency to appoint her self as the one in charge, people naturally listen to her opinions and follow her instructions. Fortunately, I'm one of her closest friend, and I get the privilege to share this kind of authority over the others.
Friendship aside, now I'll have to think about how to approach Gokudera-san tomorrow in class.
Ugh... I hate Mondays.
The school bell rung across Namimori High thus, signals the end of the morning assembly. The hallways are filled with noise, as students and teachers went to their respective rooms. As the class settled down, attendance was checked. As usual, Gokudera-san was nowhere to be seen. By now, it seems so natural that even the teacher no longer glance up from the class list. They'd just call his name then immediately call the next one.
I don't really care whether he comes to class or not, but for now, I'm wishing he wouldn't. That way I'd have reason to give to Ayame as to why I still haven't asked him to teach us.
"As you are all aware, the midterms will begin on Monday, next week, and will extend for four consecutive days," our homeroom teacher said over the class. "I expect you to do your best and have the highest average score in your year. I'm not saying this because I wanted to put pressure on you guys, but I'm saying this because you belong here, in the top section of the first years."
I can see the faces of my classmates all gleaming and their eyes flaring with determination. I guess saying that we belong to the top section gives them pride, and believe me, they're not going to let the other class beat them when it comes to exams.
I glanced at the empty seat at the back corner of the room. "Luckily, we have the ace student in our class, which no doubt will rank first in all of the exams," I muttered to myself. "If the rest of us manage to not fail in any test, then I'm sure we'll have the highest average score in the year. After all, there's no one here who could beat Gokudera-san."
I soon realized that I'm not the only one in that line of thought. In between classes, some of my classmates would ask themselves where the delinquent could be or has anyone seen him. I'm starting to sense that they're formulating stories like Gokudera-san caught some serious illness that may prevent him from taking the exams or that someone kidnapped the delinquent, probably from another class, so as to steal away our trump card.
I know I wished he wouldn't come to class, but the way my classmates kept on bugging me and asking me where the silver haired teen is, I almost regret making that stupid wish.
"I told you, I don't know where he is, and I don't have his mobile number," I snapped as a guy from my class asked me the same question I've been hearing since morning. "Why do you guys keep asking me anyway? Go ask Haru-chan, she's friends with him, right?"
It was lunch time and I was eating with Kyoko, Yamamoto-san and Sawada-san in room 1-3. Mina went to eat with her friends from the volleyball team, while Ayame was asked to have lunch by some students from the upper class.
"And no, I have no idea where Haru-chan is," I answered firmly then stuffed my mouth with sushi from Yamamoto-san's bento. He always has the most delicious set of lunch.
"Erm... Actually, I have Gokudera-kun's mobile number here," Sawada-san said as he took out his mobile phone. "Oh, and Yamamoto said he'd seen him earlier this morning."
Yamamoto-san swallowed his food then said, "Yeah, I saw him walk by the ramen shop as I was on my way to Tsuna's. I called out to him, but he didn't hear me and just went on his way," he stroke his chin and said, "I thought he'd come by Tsuna's place if we wait, but he didn't."
"He must have some important things to do. I mean, there are times when we skip school because something urgent came up, right?" said Sawada-san. "Even if he never skipped school before," he murmured to himself. He gave a small laugh trying to look relaxed though I don't think any of us bought it; it's clear in his face that he's worried.
I doubt that there are other things more important to that delinquent than his Juudaime. He's even willing to risk being late and gets beaten up by Namimori High's head prefect as long as he can come to school with Sawada-san. Hn. Maybe it is time to worry about him.
"Then let's try to contact him. I'm sure he'll pick up his phone if Sawada-san is on the other line," I suggested to the group.
Sawada-san set the call on loud speaker and soon we can hear the other line ringing. A couple of seconds later, we heard Gokudera-san's voice. I was astounded at how enthusiastic he is to receive the call.
"Ah, Juudaime!" Gokidera-san said, with a cheerful tone I thought impossible to come from him. "I was really surprised that you called me! Normally, the baseball idiot will be the one calling,"
Yamamoto-san chuckled.
"AHH! Is that the baseball idiot? WHAT ARE YOU DOING LISTENING TO JUUDAIME'S CALL? GET AWAY FROM HIM!" I can hear him growl on the other line. Geez, he gets angry at every little thing. Annoying.
"C-calm down Gokudera-kun," Sawada-san said, frantically waving his hand as if Gokudera-san will hit the baseball rookie, which is, of course, impossible since he's on the phone.
Gokudera-san grunted then said, "Sorry, Juudaime. So, why did you call? Do you need anything? Is there something wrong? Does Reborn-sama have a mission for us? Don't tell me spies from the other family have come to Namimori High? Don't worry, Juudaime! I'm on my way!" soon we heard uproar from the other line. Glasses shatter, metals clank, we can even hear someone shouting in the background and Gokudera-san shouting back, "SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG! JUUDAIME'S IN TROUBLE, DON'T GET IN MY WAY!"
Where in the world is he?
"G-Gokudera-kun! Everything's fine! Don't worry and please calm down," pleaded Sawada-san as his face gone paler and paler. Seeing him panic is a bit cute. "I called because I was worried about you."
As if a switch had been flipped, Gokudera-san was back to his cheerful tone instantly, "Eh? Really? Juudaime's worried about me?" he giggled. If you're the one sitting here, listening to the speaker of the phone, I swear, by the way he giggled; you'd think he's a girl whose boyfriend had just proposed to.
"Don't worry, Juudaime!" Gokudera-san continued, "I'm perfectly fine. I just have some things I needed to do, but I think I'll be able to stop by your house later." I guess there are other things more important to his than his Juudaime.
"It's good that you're alright, but where are you?" asked Sawada-san.
"Hey! Come back over here!" someone called in the background.
"Ah, I gotta go. See you later, Juudaime!"
Beep...beep...beep...
And the line was off.
"Well, at least we know he's alright," I said. He won't be for long though. He sounded to be in trouble with that 'old hag'.
We all sighed. It seems we've been holding our breath for the whole conversation.
"Don't worry, Tsuna-kun. He said he'll come by your place later. You can ask him then where he went," said Kyoko gently.
Sawada-san blushed. "Y-you're right, Kyoko-chan."
Kyoko smiled at him. As if the brightness of Kyoko's smile was too much for his eyes, Sawada-san turned his gaze down then laughed embarrassingly, blushing feverishly.
"Here, you should drink your tea while it's warm," said Kyoko while handing a cup of tea to the brunette.
"Um... Okay, thank you," Sawada-san took the cup, brushing his hand over Kyoko's. And you guessed it, the shade of red on his cheeks spread all the way to his ears and neck. He smiled stupidly then drank from the cup. By the looks of his pained expression and tongue sticking out, the tea wasn't warm – it's burning hot. At least he managed not to voice out his pain.
Kyoko didn't seem to notice this. She was busy offering me a cup of tea.
I just realized that I've been staring at Sawada-san all the while. I quickly trailed my gaze away and hoped my face didn't turn red or anything. I casually glanced to my side. For a fraction of a second, I thought Yamamoto-san was looking at me. I almost felt embarrassed that he might've caught me watching the brunette in front of us but luckily, Yamamoto-san was strangely busy piling up the red beans in his bento.
I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. I'll just believe that he really is busy piling those red beans and not just pretending he didn't see me. Yes, that's right. Erase those embarrassing thoughts.
"Hey, Tsuna! If Gokudera's dropping by your place, then how 'bout I tag along after school? We can even ask him to teach us for the midterms," said Yamamoto-san while I took another sushi from his bento – I couldn't resist, they're just too delicious!
"Sure, that'll be great," replied Sawada-san.
"Oh, it's been so long since I've joined a study group. Can I come, too?" asked Kyoko.
Sawada-san beamed and quickly gave an okay. Of course, having Kyoko in his house is the best treat of his life.
"I'll tell Haru-chan about this later. It's okay if I bring her along, right?"
"Ah, then you should come with us too, Yuki-san!" said Yamamoto-san.
I was surprised that he called me by my first name. Does that mean I should call him Takeshi? Takeshi-kun? Takeshi-san? Err...
"No that's alright, Yamamoto-san," I said. "I barely studied yet. It'd be embarrassing if I slow you guys down." I imagined how Gokudera-san will react when I ask him how to solve a Math problem:
"What? You can't even answer this simple problem, you stupid woman!"
Yep, that's definitely what he'll say to me. So, no thank you. Spare me from his harsh and insensitive remarks.
I was about to take another sushi roll from Yamamoto-san when I noticed his expression a bit... strange, like how he looked before he left the infirmary a week ago. Did my refusal sadden him? Or was it because I'm eating too much from his bento?
I was about to ask him what's wrong when someone cut me off.
"What do you mean you 'barely studied yet'? Minamoto-san, you have to take the midterm exams seriously! Don't forget that we're aiming for top!" exclaimed the guy from my class.
I was startled and turned to look at him. What the heck is this guy still doing here?
"And we're not going to let Gokudera-san teach any of you guys from another class! HE'S OUR ACE!" he declared.
He frowned at me, stomped out of the classroom, and then slammed the door shut. Everyone in the room fell silent.
"I can't believe you refused Yamamoto-san's invitation. Not only will Gokudera-san be in Sawada's residence, but also Haru! And Kyoko! And the popular baseball rookie, Yamamoto-san himself! That's like a roasted turkey served in a silver platter, with tomatoes and veggies and everything, yet you still refused to eat it!" said Ayame dramatically, making sure to emphasize every name she mentioned.
The classes for the day had long been over. Ayame and I are on our way home. We decided to put our group study on hold since Mina's not available due to volleyball practice after school.
"I know, and I'm sorry," I said exasperatedly. "But I'm not that familiar with Sawada-san. I can't just accept the offer and march in his house. That'd be embarrassing! I'm a shy girl, remember?"
"No, you're not. Was it because of Yamamoto-san? Or maybe Sawada-san?"
"What are you talking about?" I demanded.
"Obviously, you're just being conscious of yourself. You keep on acting so timid as if you wouldn't want to look bad in front of them," said Ayame. She stopped walking and placed a hand on her hip, "You always act this way when you like someone."
I opened my mouth to rebuke Ayame but for reasons unknown, I couldn't think of anything to say to her. I tried to twist my face so it'd look like I was mad for what she said wasn't true. But clearly my face wasn't convincing since she just raised a brow and grinned at me.
"So? Which one is it?" asked Ayame playfully.
I frowned, "I don't know." And I'm not lying.
Ayame gave me a look but decided that there's no point in asking me any more. I walked pass her, to let her know that the conversation is over, and then slowed down to let her catch up.
"Hey, remember the hotel I told you about last month?" asked Ayame after we walked for a couple of minutes in silence.
I tilted my head innocently, "You mean the one you saw in a TV commercial?"
"Yup! I heard that they'd started the construction yesterday."
"Really? Didn't you say it belonged to a prominent business tycoon? I'm pretty sure once it opened, the media will be all over the place." Because everybody loves a good story, especially if it's about some foreign billionaire and his newly built hotel.
"Yeah, but I'd imagine Hibari Kyouya will threaten to bite all of them to death. He hates it when the town becomes too noisy!"
"You think he can scare all those people, even if they're from foreign countries?"
We both started at each other.
Yup, Hibari Kyouya can.
We continued our walk in silent agreement.
It was already the third day, and still, no traces of the silver-haired delinquent within the school premises. Ayame nagged me non-stop to take the slightest opportunity of asking Gokudera-san to tutor us. Really, is this even about the studying? Or is she aiming for something else?
"Even if you like Sawada-san or Yamamoto-san or whoever, it's not an excuse to break your promise," Ayame said, for like, the nth – n because I've already lost count, and yeah, I'm applying Math here people! Exams are coming up, it's geek mode on – times!
And I've answered 'yea' for (n-1)th times – minus one because I answered 'no' once. Erm... Wait, I quickly changed that to a 'yea' since Ayame's eyes went from thin slits to large bulging ones. So let me rephrase that: I answered 'yea' for the nth times. I swear it took all the strength of the veins and muscles in my eyes to suppress myself from rolling them!
"Oh, shut it, Ayame," snapped Mina. "My ears can get tired too from hearing the same phrases over and over again."
"Look, Ayame. I'll ask Gokudera-san the first time I meet him, okay? It's not like you can expect me to give you results since he's not even coming to school – And don't even think about telling me to go to his house, which is too much."
Ayame sighed. "Okay. There's nothing we can do about that." She rested her chin on her palm. "Guess, it's just us girls later again," she muttered then she gave another sigh. Seriously, what's with you obsessing with Gokudera-san?
I shook my head to refrain from asking her that then said, "Oh, about that," They both looked at me. "My aunt asked me to pick up my cousin after school, so you should go ahead. The group study will be on Mina's place today, right? I'll just catch up with you guys later."
"You mean Shiro-chan?" exclaimed Ayame. "Aww, I missed him! I wonder how much he'd grown. Ah! Maybe we should go with you later?"
"News flash girls. Sorry, but my house isn't available today. And my mom asked me to do something for her," Mina apologized.
"What? But what about the group study?"
"Well, we already spent the whole day last Sunday, and the afternoon of yesterday. I think we can manage to study on our own today. Let's just resume our group study tomorrow," Mina took a bite from her bento then continued, "I'll ask Sawada-san to join us as an apology, there'll be a chance that Gokudera-san will tag along, so stop looking at me with those frowns."
Ayame seemed delighted at this, "Well that's settled then! We'll have an individual study tonight. Then I'll go on ahead after school, I just remembered I needed to buy a new set of stationery at a bookstore."
The school bell rang across the hallways and soon the students are preparing for the afternoon class.
"We better go back to our room. We'll see you tomorrow," said Mina, as the both of them stood and made way to the door.
"Say hi to Shiro-chan for us!" Ayame added.
"Okay, I will. See you!" I watched them leave the room then waved at them as they closed the door. I heard the girl beside me sit back on her chair.
"Hey, Haru-chan!" I greeted. I haven't spent much time with Haru-chan for the past days. Strangely, she always managed to disappear during break times, and she insists on walking home before us. Moreover, there are times when she seemed a bit anxious.
"Hi, Yuki-chan!" She beamed at me.
"Is everything alright?" I asked out of concern.
"Hahi! Wh-what do you mean?"
"Well, recently you've been off to somewhere and you barely hangout with Sawada-san and the others."
I saw her hesitate for a while then said, "No, uh... I'm just busy with something. But don't worry, I'll tell you about it once things... settle down." She smiled at me.
Everybody seems busy with something these days.
What she meant about 'settle down', I wasn't sure, but maybe she was referring to the disappearance of Gokudera-san. Of course, the class was restless though I don't really care since they only care about having the class rank top in the whole year.
"Have you heard anything about Gokudera-san?" I asked nonchalantly.
She exclaimed 'hahi' for a second time and seemed surprised that I asked about Gokudera-san. Was my dislike of him that obvious?
Once more, she hesitated before answering, "Well, no... But he seemed fine as Tsuna-san told us earlier this morning. Gokudera-san shows up at Tsuna-san's house every night, though at such a late hour."
That's weird. If he still can't live without seeing Sawada-san once a day, then why not just come to school? Seriously, I don't understand how that guy thinks.
I didn't manage to ask Haru-chan any more details as the class was about to start. I absent-mindedly glanced at the empty chair on the corner of the room.
Geez, Gokudera-san. Even if you're no where near school, you're still everybody's source of problems.
Though Namimori is considered relatively small as compared to city giants such as Tokyo and Okinawa, our town still boasts towering skyscrapers and bustling city streets, at the same time, serene residential areas and peaceful shrines. Namimori also have its own airport and railroad system for long distance travels. Another feature in Namimori is that the Tōkaidō Shinkansen Line passes through the city's center, from the north to the south. As a result, the locals would divide the city into 'west' and 'east'.
And in case you're wondering, Namimori High is at the west side of the city, so as most of the residential areas.
I was already on the east side of the town when I received a call from my aunt.
"Hello, auntie!" I said on the receiver.
"Ah, Yuki-chan! Are your classes over yet?"
"Yup! Some time ago, actually. I already passed the Shinkansen terminal. I'd arrive in Shiro-chan's school at about..." I checked my wrist watch, "20 minutes."
"That's good to hear. Thanks again for accepting my request to look over Shiro-chan today. Give me a call once you're both together, okay?"
"Sure, auntie! Good luck on your cafe!"
"Thanks and take care. I'll give your mom a call, and tell her you're already on East Namimori."
"Okay, bye," and after my Aunt bid me good bye, I hang up the call.
Shiro-chan is my eight-year old cousin. He's an only child and is currently attending primary school. His father is an overseas worker while his mom owns a cafe in the east Namimori. Usually, my aunt would ask me to pick up Shiro-chan from school whenever the shop was full and had to close late at night. There are even cases when she had to stay overnight due to some of the customers insisting in finishing their reports and documents inside the cafe. Sometimes I'd wonder how he feels whenever he's mom was away for work and had to spend the day with a hired babysitter. It's a good thing I'm in high school now; my aunt probably thinks I'm reliable enough that she often asks me to watch over her child.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard noises coming from a construction site. At first I ponder what kind of structure is being built, and then I remembered about the hotel empire that Ayame told me about. I went a little closer and looked on the tarpaulin hang up over the site. It showed how the hotel would look like after the construction.
"Hilton-Astor Hotel, huh?" I muttered to myself. Well, it does look like some high class hotel where celebrities would flock over. I expect there'll be more people coming to Namimori after that's finished.
After staring at the tarpaulin for a couple more minutes, I continued on my way to my cousin.
"Yuki-nee-chan!" greeted the eight year old boy as I entered the school grounds. He had his sensei standing next to him. I bowed to his sensei then turned to the young boy.
"Hi there, Shiro-chan! How was school?" I bent down to his level then pat his head. His face turned faint pink.
"It was great," He said a little awkwardly. I noticed that he was holding a piece of paper.
"What's that?"
"Eh? Uhm... We had a drawing session during art class," he turned his head down a little and blushed even more. "Sensei praised my drawing of the trees in the school ground," Then he showed me his sketch.
I took the paper from his hands and said, "Wow! This is really great, Shiro-chan. I'm sure auntie will love it." Shiro-chan then looked at me and beamed with pride.
"Of course!" he exclaimed. I handed back his paper then he held it up over his head, "I tried my best so that we can post it on the door of the refrigerator."
Aww~ He's so cute!
I smiled and gently told him, "Then would you like to show that to auntie before heading home? We can drop by the cafe if you want; it's not far from here. I'll buy you an ice cream as a reward for a job well done!" I winked at him.
"Really?" I can see his eyes glitter with excitement. He took hold of my hand and quickly led me out the front gate, "C'mon, Yuki-nee-chan! Mama's waiting!"
I giggled. I turned to the sensei waiting by the entrance of the school and bid goodbye then walked out to the streets, holding Shiro-chan to my left.
He was humming happily and occasionally glancing on his drawing while I was talking to the phone with auntie. I told her that Shiro-chan was already with me and we're already on our way home.
After I hang up, I looked at the kid by my side then called, "Hey, Shiro-chan." He glanced up at me. "Would you like me to carry your bag for you?" I asked.
For some reason he pouted then answered, "No! I'm a guy after all. I don't need a girl helping me with my stuff."
I laughed a little at how he tries to act mature. He got mad then he let go of my hand and walked ahead of me, stomping his feet. Guess I deserved that.
I walked up to him, "I'm sorry. It's not you that I'm laughing at. I'm just happy that you've grown to be so reliable." I smiled then offered him my hand.
He hesitated a bit but in the end took my hand. As we walked, I started swinging our locked hands back and forth and hummed the same rhythm as Shiro-chan's. This seemed to brighten him up as he also started humming again.
I was completely occupied of merrymaking with my cousin that I was startled when someone called out to me.
"Minamoto-san?" said a voice behind me.
I turned and saw that it was Sawada-san. I was about to ask him what he was doing there but my attention was caught by the little kids with him so instead I asked him, "Who are you with?"
Sawada-san was accompanied by three oddly looking kids. When I say 'oddly', I meant they completely looked like from a different nationality. And clearly they're not related to Sawada-san by blood.
" Ah –" He looked around as if wondering to whom I was referring to. "Well, it's a long story, but my family ended up looking after them."
I didn't completely understand that. Did he mean they are orphans and the Sawada residence adopted them? I didn't feel like prying too much so I let it pass.
"This is Lambo," he motioned for the young kid with snot running down his nose. The little kid was wearing cow printed hoodie and black shorts. He was clinging on Sawada-san's shoulders and is currently gaping at me. I looked a bit disgusted but more importantly, annoyed that Sawada-san is not even bothering to clean the toddler up.
I quickly took Lambo-chan from his shoulders and took a handkerchief from my pocket. I proceeded to wiping his nose clean. "Really, Sawada-san! If you're looking after them, then at least do it properly," I snapped at him.
He turned pale then stuttered to make an excuse. I frowned at him, and he ended up apologizing. Sighing, I thought to myself that how he takes care of these kids is none of my business – I shouldn't get mad at him.
"Ne~ Are you Tsuna's friend? How come I never saw you before? What's your name?" the kid in my arms asked as he held onto my blouse.
"Lambo! You should be more polite when talking to older people!" exclaimed the young girl with braids on Sawada-san's side.
Truthfully, I didn't know how to answer his question. I'm not really sure if Sawada-san and I are friends. We just hang out because of Haru-chan and Kyoko.
"You can call me Yuki-chan if you want, Lambo-chan," I smiled at him and continued, "I attend the same school as your onii-san over there." I motioned to Sawada-san.
I saw Sawada-san smile at us. He took the kid from my arms then said, "Wow, Minamoto-san. I didn't know you're good with kids." I felt myself blush a little at his remark. "A-anyway, this is I-pin," he tilted his head to the little girl with black braids. "And this is Fuuta," he said, placing his hand over the little boy a bit older than Shiro-chan.
"Hello I-pin-chan, Fuuta-chan," I bent down and patted their head as I mentioned their name.
I felt Shiro-chan hold onto the hem of my skirt. I turned at him and took his hand to mine. "This is Shiro-chan. He's my cousin. You could say it was because of him that I learned how to look after little kids," I said to Sawada-san.
The brunette laughed softly then said, "Is that so?" He bent down then held out his hand, "My name's Tsuna. Nice to meet you, Shiro-kun."
I was surprised when Shiro-chan grimaced at him and held my hand more tightly. Of course Sawada-san noticed this. He took back his hand and simply laughed weakly. He probably thinks he's useless when it comes to kids.
"Anyway, what're you doing h-?" But before I could finish my question, Shiro-chan started pulling me.
"I wanna see mama," he muttered while cautiously glancing over the teenage brunette. Kids always have little patience.
"Err... Sawada-san. We were on our way to his mom's cafe and I think we better go ahead," I said apologetically. "Ah, but you could come with us if you want. I'd like to hear more about your little friends over there." I beamed at the three kids.
Fuuta-chan smiled brightly at me then tugged at Sawada-san's pants, "Tsuna-nii, can we go?"
"I wanna play with Yuki-chan, too!" I-pin-chan exclaimed.
"Let's go, Tsuna!" said Lambo-chan as he run towards my side and took hold of my free hand.
Sawada-san looked a bit embarrassed as Lambo-chan started swinging my hand and pulling me. "S-sorry, Minamoto-san. I guess we'll bother you for a bit longer," he said as he rubbed the back of his head.
We arrived at the cafe a bit later than the usual since Lambo-chan wouldn't stop demanding to buy a takoyaki and would throw tantrums whenever Sawada-san told him we'll buy one after we visit the cafe. In the end, we made for a short stop by the takoyaki stand and bought three orders for each of the kids – I bought an ice cream stick for Shiro-chan.
"Yuki-chan!" called the middle aged lady by the counter, with her hair tightly held up in a bun. "What are you doing here? I thought you're on your way home?" she asked while pulling me into a hug.
"Actually, Shiro-chan wanted to show you something. So, we decided to drop by," I answered, hugging her back.
My aunt bent down and gave her son a kiss, "What is it? Did something good happen at school?" she asked as she proceeded to fix the kid's hair with her hands.
Shiro-chan held up his drawing then said, "Sensei praised me for my drawing." His cheeks turned pale pink.
Auntie took the drawing and cuddled the kid. She told him that we should put it on the refrigerator's door once we get back home. Shiro-chan hugged his mom tightly then turned to beam at me.
"Oh –" my aunt exclaimed as she carried Shiro-chan on her arms, "Who're they?"
"Auntie, this is Sawada-san. He also attends Namimori High," I said as I motioned for the brunette.
Sawada-san bowed politely then said, "Sorry for the intrusion, ma'am." Then he stood up straight and continued, "These three kids are Lambo, I-pin, and Fuuta. Currently, they're under my family's care."
"Such adorable little children!" said my aunt in delight. She each gave them a kiss on the forehead then paused in front of Sawada-san. "Are you a friend of Yuki's or..."
"As I've said, he attends the same school as me," I interrupted before she could finish her question. I'd already foreseen these kinds of situations, and I'm not letting it happen! Mission: prevent auntie from asking awkward questions to Sawada-san (like "Are you her boyfriend? Etc...). And the best way to do that is to keep him away from my aunt as much as possible.
"Anyway Auntie, is it alright if I order some drinks for Sawada-san and the kids? They did accompany us to come here, and the least I could do was to repay them with some refreshments."
"No need to ask me that!" she said happily as she let Shiro-chan down. "You kids go find a place to sit and I'll bring over some snacks." She patted my back softly, urging me to go ahead.
"We'll have free snacks? Yey!" Lambo rejoiced as he bounced up and down. "Auntie is the best – erm..." he paused for a while. "No, Maman is the best. So you can be the second best, Auntie!" he declared as he held onto my aunt's dress.
"Thank you, Lambo-chan," Auntie pats Lambo-chan on his head while laughing gently.
"Auntie, we'll help you prepare the food," suggested I-pin-chan.
In the end, the kids went with her inside the kitchen. Sawada-san and I decided to take a seat just at the corner of the store.
"I can't imagine how you manage to take care of three kids, especially Lambo-chan – he's so energetic," I told him.
Sawada-san smiled embarrassingly then said, "Actually, it was my mom who's taking care of them. Sometimes I just take them out for a walk whenever they cause too much trouble at home."
"Really?"
"It's been two years since they joined our family. You wouldn't believe how much one kid could cause a ruckus! At first the neighbors would come over to complain about the noise coming from our house. But as time goes by, they decided to just give up on it."
"When you say 'one kid', do you mean Lambo-chan?"
"You could tell? Well, yes. Good thing that now he can be a bit more tolerable after two years of being annoying."
"Then what about I-pin-chan?" I asked, leaning on the table.
"Ah! I-pin is a good kid. I even appreciate her staying in our house since she would help mom with chores and even look after Lambo. Fuuta, too! He's really kind and acts as an older brother for the two. That reminds me, the reason why we ended up here in east Namimori was because the three of them were playing tag, and Lambo decided to run across the city so as to not be 'it'."
Sawada-san sighed then continued, "We went out to search for him. Honestly, we just managed to find him when we met you across the street earlier."
"Then luckily you found him before the sun sets! You should teach Lambo-chan not to run away like that, since it's dangerous for a kid to wonder off alone."
"Yea, you're right," said Sawada-san while rubbing the back of his head. I smiled at him. Secretly, I wondered why I kept on smiling when I'm with him. While thinking for an answer, I noticed that Sawada-san was looking at me with serious eyes.
"What is it?" I asked.
The brunette must have not realized that he's looking at me so intently. He blinked away his gaze then said, "I-I was just thinking..." He paused, while glancing at me hesitantly. "On that night – I haven't apologized to you properly for what happened."
He turned to look at me, his eyes directly staring at my own. I felt flustered under his gaze but still managed to keep the eye contact as I found myself drawn in by those golden brown orbs. The look in his eyes was just like the ones he had on the night he saved me falling from the building.
"Minamoto-san," I blushed when he said my name. I looked at him unblinkingly. He bowed down from his sit and said, "Please forgive me for involving you that night. When I heard from Gokudera-san that you were taken, I panicked and dread that we might not make it in time to save you. As I rushed out to look for you, I kept blaming myself for involving a stranger in my personal affairs. I mean, I didn't even know who you were back then." His voice broke as if he was about to cry. I saw him clench his fists tighter.
"When I saw you falling from the building, I thought that... I was too late. I can feel the blood drain out of my body as I forced my self to reach you faster. But when I caught you, I felt your body's warmth and then you..." He looked again to my eyes, "...opened your eyes."
Then he turned his head down, "I know that I didn't have the right to talk to you after what happened. But a few days later, you would come to our room and you didn't mind to eat lunch with us even if you're just joining us because of Haru and Kyoko-chan. Then you would engage yourself in a conversation with me and I would start to think that it'd be great if we were friends. Though I felt happy thinking about it, I can feel the guilt of almost having you killed weigh heavier."
"So..." he paused as he wiped the tears forming in his eyes, "I'm really sorry, Minamoto-san."
At first I just stared at him as he wipes his tears away. Aside from the things he said, I have no idea what to do when a guy cries in front of me. I felt uncomfortable as the people around us began to stare. I realized that Auntie would soon come out of the kitchen with the snacks which means I have to put an end to this before she arrives.
I reached out a hand to Sawada-san and patted him gently on his head. It felt awkward but I continued to brush his hair nevertheless.
"I really don't know what to say," I said to him softly. "And I have no idea how to comfort a crying guy."
I paused and saw him blush under his bangs.
"But if hugging you right now would make you realize that I no longer care about whatever happened that night, then I'd hug you tightly."
Sawada-san looked up, his eyes a bit red from him rubbing them. I smiled at him then continued, "I'd even give you a squeeze just to say that I've already thought of you as a friend. I just didn't want to admit it out loud – afraid that you didn't think the same."
Sawada-san slowly gave me a smile then more tears formed in his eyes. He rubbed them away quickly and I heard him sob from under his arm.
I stood from my sit then walked over to him. I hesitated a bit then I wrapped my arms around him. He flinched from surprise and I felt myself burn from embarrassment.
What the hell am I doing? Why the hell did I hug Sawada-san (and in my aunt's cafe no less!)?
I started to panic as I think of a way how to fix my stupidity. My original plan was to comfort Sawada-san – it'll be rude if I suddenly push him away while he takes comfort on my shoulders. I wonder when it'll be alright to break up...
"Ahem!" I heard a voice behind me.
Both Sawada-san and I literally jumped away from each other. Heck, we even had our arms shot up.
"Hear are the snacks," my aunt said, while giving us a look that felt like melting my insides. She placed down the tray with two cups of tea and a plate full of biscuits on the table.
"Ah, right. Thank you auntie," I said, avoiding her eyes.
Sawada-san took a sip from the cup. "Wow! This is first rate tea," he complimented with a laugh that simply showed his nervousness.
"Thank you, Sawada-kun," said Auntie with each word as cold as ice.
I can feel aunt's pressure for an explanation, but there's no way I can tell her that Sawada-san was apologizing to me for being held hostage. As a stroke of luck, Lambo-chan and the others noisily rushed to our side.
"Auntie! Come look! We finished decorating the cake just like you told us. Hurry and see our masterpiece!" Lambo demanded as he pulled the sleeves from Aunt's dress.
"We also finished placing the clean cups back to the cupboards!" said I-pin happily.
"My, my. You kids are so energetic," Aunt gave us another look then turned, "Okay then, let's see what you did."
"Auntie, I just ranked your cafe. And it placed third most visited cafe in Namimori," informed Fuuta as he walked by her side.
"Yes, yes," said Auntie lastly before they disappeared behind the kitchen door.
And then, it's just me and Sawada-san again...
"Then it's alright if I call you Yuki-san?" Sawada-san asked as we were about to leave on our seperate way.
"Sure! Then I'd call you Tsuna-san."
We both laughed at our new way of addressing each other.
"Well, see you tomorrow then. Be careful on your way home," said Sawada-san. The three kids rushed to my sides. I bent down to give them a hug.
"Yuki-chan, you should come to our house! Maman's cooking is very delicious," Lambo-chan said.
"Let's play again next time, Shiro-chan," Fuuta-chan told my cousin as he pulled him to a hug. It seems like they've become friends.
"You guys better get going. Your mom might get worried," I hugged them tightly and saw Tsuna-san smiling down at us. I stood up straight then held out my hand.
"Take care, Tsuna-san."
He took my hand then bid Shiro-chan and me goodbye. As they disappeared through the corner of the street, I turned and said to the kid beside me, "C'mon Shiro-chan. Let's go home." He held my hand tightly then followed my lead.
A few minutes later, we came across the construction site of Hilton-Astor Hotel. I told my cousin to stick close to me just to be safe. We were already halfway through the site when I heard the siren cry across the block.
That must mean the shift is over, or maybe break time? I check my wrist watch and saw that it was already seven in the evening. I panicked since I still have to prepare dinner for Shiro-chan and his mom.
I looked down at Shiro-chan then said, "We better hurry, I still have to cook dinner for you." And while I was looking at the kid, I didn't notice that a man was in front of me. Inevitably, I bumped into him.
I tried to apologize immediately but I was taken aback when I heard the man's voice.
"Watch where you're going, damn it!"
I looked up and my attention was caught by the silver flocks of hair.
"Gokudera-san?"
I stood there gaping at him.
Author's Notes:
Whew~
THAT was a loooong chapter.
I hope it didn't turn out boring. I realized that making a fanfic for KHR is a lot of work. I mean, I have to juggle a lot of casts. But still, it's fun using Akira Amano's unique characters. ^^
Anyway, I could say that this chapter is greatly influenced by Renaerys (id: 1275372). I tell you, she's a great author! Not to mention that she's really considerate of her readers (I admire you *heart*). You should check out her works.
BTW, I'd like to thank those people who included my work in their favourite list.
THANK YOU FOR READING! I'll work harder for you guys. :"D
Look forward for the next chapter, guys!
Read and Review, please~