Chapter 20: Fairytale

(Flashback)

"It is essential that we understand the fundamentals of our project – not Project Guardians, oh, no. We all know it's a farce," Reborn said, taking a few paces back and forth from his desk.

The "Guardians" – Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Lambo sat calmly in their chairs ('calm' may have been an overstatement for Gokudera and Ryohei, however), listening as Reborn spoke. Abruptly, Reborn stopped in his pacing, instead choosing to lean against his desk. His silhouette – one that had formed as a result of the strong sunlight that shone up his back, could make one feel somewhat reminiscent of a sinister being as if they ever peered at him.

He grinned.

"Wonder – why do we see red when we are angry? Feel blue when we are sad? Why do we say when one wears awfully bright garb, that they wear loud clothing? How can the cold be bitter? Can we feel words? Taste emotion? Hear colours?"

He stood up again, returning to his usual pace.

"It's not logical, is it? These age old descriptions. How did they come about?"

"It is not unusual to meet people with a neurological condition, one which gives them conjoined sensory and cognitive pathways. It's not rare after all – these people are called synaesthetes. They're no different from you or me – nothing extraordinary. Most get off without knowing they had it in the first place. They can see sounds or music, or maybe see colours in letters. There are so many forms of this condition…"

"Cut to the point, old man," Gokudera rudely interjected. His patience was running thin.

"Ah, I just need to let go of some things. I'd like you to think about them. Meanwhile…I have a task for all of you.

I would like you to protect that scrawny maid from any mysterious figures. Keep an eye out on her – especially from Mukuro and Byakuran. Don't make it obvious that you are her bodyguards."

The quartet nodded.

"Leave."

As they all made their way up, Reborn retook his place on the table. He let out a chuckle as he picked up his tea cup.

"This is truly why we called you Guardians. Guardians indeed."

It had been weeks since the incident, and thankfully, Yamamoto was mostly well again. Tsuna had done her job of faithfully delivering soup to him every day of his stay in the hospital. Other changes to her life had included Natsu, whose delivery to the mansion was delayed for unspecified reasons.

The little lion cub had grown within the time frame that Tsuna did not see him. He had grown a lot more active, a far cry from his sleeping form when she first saw him. As Fuuta placed Natsu on the shelter's grounds for the first time, he bounded up happily towards Tsuna, rubbing his small back against her ankles.

Tsuna had managed to communicate a lot more with Gokudera as well, as it was always the both of them visiting Yamamoto at his ward. The three had a lot of time to interact with each other – 'interaction' being mostly Yamamoto laughing, Gokudera groaning, and Tsuna scratching her head in all due awkwardness.

Thankfully, ever since then, Gokudera had regarded Tsuna with much kindlier eyes, though sometimes, Tsuna could taste his frustration when he looked at her, and other times, melancholy. Tsuna had never thought much of this. She thought that she felt the very same sentiments from Yamamoto – occasionally it brought back memories of their first meeting – but mostly, she brushed off these odd feelings.

Bluebell, in the mean time, had served a very lovely companion. Whereas the maids normally shunned Tsuna (They had strange, robotic eyes – it was as though they had no emotion. Tsuna felt that she was better off not knowing them, anyway), at least she could have someone to talk to regularly on weekdays, joined by I-pin on the weekends.

Life was falling into regularity – early morning calls from Haru, friends to laugh with, work to contend with – Tsuna was getting used to the slow paced life that she led. Nothing could ruin the absolute tranquility of the moment – but of course, nothing could last forever. Tsuna had been lulled into a false sense of security – one as naïve as she would not have figured that one day, her short moment of peace would be irrevocably shattered.

It was a lovely Friday evening, a few degrees warmer than it had been in the preceding months. Snow already began to thaw off from the previous snowy days. Tsuna had just about finished cleaning up. Bluebell left a lot earlier, having to prepare meals for her family at home.

When she finally put her cleaning tools away, an annoying, shrill screech filled her ears. She reached up with urgency (to end the cacophony, that was) to pick up the call.

"Hello, Sawada speaking."

"Tsuna! How would you like to join Gokudera and I for dinner?" It was the cheerful voice of Yamamoto's that piped through the speaker.

"Uh, Yamamoto-san, good evening! I think I'll pass if you're going to another high end restaurant – I don't think I'd like to be a hassle to you two too much…"

"No, no! It's nothing like that. Today, we're having a humble meal! A picnic under the cherry blossom tree you showed me last time. Remember? You said you wanted to have a picnic here some day, and I figured, today might be a great day to do it – y'know, spend the night just talking, watching the city lights. Sounds good? I'll wait outside the mansion – you're still in there, right?"

"Mm," Tsuna nodded. She supposed it sounded fun – as opposed to just returning to the apartment, facing Reborn, and maybe idling about.

"Yeah, I'll go."

Twenty minutes later, the trio was standing in front of the gargantuan tree.

"Well, this is it," Yamamoto said happily. Gokudera seemed somewhat in awe of the tree, but he fought to mask his excitement. Tsuna smiled as she looked at the grey haired man – he sure had his stubborn and childish traits.

They first began by pitching a tent – though it was not a tent in a sense that it was largely transparent; instead, it was more of an insulator to keep people warm if they ever chose to have outdoor activities in the winter. So in a sense, it acted as a resting shelter in which one could seek immediate respite from the cold.

Yamamoto brought out a portable lamp and hung it at the roof of the shelter, while Tsuna and Gokudera plopped themselves down on the soft mat, laying out the sumptuous spread that Yamamoto had taken the liberty to order. He may have said that the meal was "humble", but it most certainly was not. The only difference, Tsuna could see clearly, was that they were having it outside of the restaurant. Of course, he had cleverly deceived her.

"All set! When we finish up, maybe we could go outside for a bit. It's a pity that the night's too cold to be eating outside, but I guess this is the only time we're all free, aren't we?" Yamamoto never failed the keep the atmosphere up.

"Well, let's eat!" Tsuna said, and the three eagerly dug down into the meal, watching as the grey sky faded to a darker grey, and as the city lit the night. The meal was filled with laughter, groaning, and meaningless conversations. It was times like these that Tsuna felt life could never be more impeccable. She made a note to invite everyone for such a picnic in the near future – hopefully in spring when it was warmer and the trees started blooming.

She packed up the remains of the containers and trays, neatly stacked into bags. Gokudera was lying on his back, looking at the dead branches of the tree and the emptiness of the sky. He grunted, flipping onto his side.

Meanwhile, Yamamoto leaned back, his hands propping himself up. Tsuna had chosen a more restrained way of sitting, deciding that it was only polite to do so. They may have treated her as a friend, but she could not forget that these people were also her "higher ups", so to speak.

"That was fun, huh." Yamamoto said as he pat his belly.

Gokudera flipped around again.

"Pick a better location next time, damn it. You made this place out to be so brilliant, but what I see is a gigantic dead piece of wood."

Tsuna frowned. The "gigantic dead piece of wood" after all, seemed to take on a much greater significance in her life than the degrading title Gokudera had slapped on it.

"Shall we go outside for a little air?" Yamamoto suggested, in order to break the tension.

"You two go ahead. I'd rather stay in here," Gokudera waved his hand dismissively. Tsuna shook her head in his direction, and gave a nod in Yamamoto's.

"You sure, Gokudera?"

"Hngh."

Tsuna had found herself settled on the soft grass again, the brilliant lights of the city reflected in her eyes. The same skyscrapers, the same chirping sounds – exactly the same place she had been on New Year's Eve. The difference was that she was now accompanied by someone. She was no longer alone, no longer in that thin piece of cloth that called itself a windbreaker. That was the difference.

"Haha, we're back here again! Honestly, I wanted Gokudera out here with us, but he's always being a grump. Don't worry though – you'll find out that he's a softie one day. He has his moments too," Yamamoto said, leaning back into the tree bark.

It was silent for awhile, and Tsuna could hear Yamamoto's soft breaths. Was he about to say something? Maybe she should break the silence –

A gust of wind sent Tsuna shivering, and her teeth clacked loudly, disrupting her from what she was about to say. Instead, Yamamoto wrapped an arm around her and forced her to lean in towards him. It felt warm, but most of the heat came from Tsuna's nervousness and blushing. She was far too close to him. As her thoughts ran like a runaway locomotive, Yamamoto placed his hand on her head, patting it a few times.

"But he'd be angry if he found out what I'm about to say to you…"

"Huh?"

"Well, you told me some of your very intimate memories, didn't you? It's only right if I return the favour!"

Tsuna jolted up and shook her head vigorously.

"No! It's alright; I did that on my own jurisdiction. It's ok if you don't want to share them with me, especially if Gokudera-san gets mad!"

Yamamoto did not reply. Instead, he gave a wry smile – one that Tsuna could barely make out if it were not for the city lights that shone at a distance.

"There was once a girl…"

Hibari slammed the car door. He had decided that he was not in the best of moods on that day, having to face Reborn, that stupid Sawada, and that sly bastard all in a row. With practiced calmness, he made his way up to the park.

It had, after all, been a place he had sought respite in for many years counting. It was a place that was special to him. Occasionally that place got visitors – kids who had strayed off the park's path, or maybe the strange girl he had met on New Year's. He never saw her face, nor did he ever see her appear at the same spot again.

It was then, when he walked off the path and up a different hill that his ears perked up and he heard the sound of laughter and conversation. That was strange – people definitely did not find the time to idle to his secret spot. Why were they now crowding around it? This only served to sour his mood.

As he stepped up, past the tall shrubbery and bushes, he saw the reason for the sounds of merrymaking. Yamamoto, Gokudera, and that scrawny maid had made themselves home to the place, eating happily and talking loudly.

"Tch."

They had desecrated his territory, but he supposed that it would be childish of him to disrupt their jollity. He would just have to bite them another day. Then, it came to his attention – what if the scrawny maid was that girl he met that day? They did seem to have the same shade of brown hair – although his vision could not be completely accurate that day, in the dimness of that time.

Hibari caught himself further entangled in thoughts he did not like to entertain. They were not important. For now, he would retreat back to his apartment, and decide on the course of punishment he would prescribe to those idiots.

A/N: So I found motivation to write again..for the first time in 2 months. I'm sorry guys. Also, a certain idiot demanded that I dedicate this once-in-a-blue-moon chapter to her.

School's busy too - I don't think I'll have time to reply the reviews, but I'm very grateful if you leave me some!