A/N: Yay! Another chapter! This chapter is a bit more serious than the previous, because I wanted to include a bit of background to Yotsuba and a little more insights from her. Hopefully everyone will see that Yotsuba is more than what she puts up on the outside! Now on with the story!

Color of Your Soul

Chapter 3: Yamamoto Takeshi

Smile

Smile

I want you to smile

I'm going through life clumsily

I can't do the right, right things for you

Because I can't find them

Yamamoto Takeshi has never really paid attention to girls until he met Mikami Yotsuba. On the day that he met her, he noticed how weak and fragile girls really are. Yotsuba, especially. Not being able to stay awake for more than 9 hours, the girl was really in a big disadvantage despite the tough appearance that she puts up.

Of course girls like Kyoko and Haru are cute and sweet, too. And their liveliness makes it really comfortable for him to be around them. Yotsuba was different. She was strange, lifeless, cool, and clearly missing some common sense. But he was curious about her. When he carried her home that day he noticed how light Yotsuba was. In her sleep, her body was limp, like her life was taken away from her. He was even worried that she will never wake up.

The alarm clock by the bed only rung for ten seconds before Yamamoto clicked it off. Yamamoto whistled happily as he got ready for his baseball morning practice.

"Takeshi! Come down here for breakfast!" his father yelled from downstairs.

"Oh!" Yamamoto yelled back. Being as naïve as ever, he thought about baseball as he ate his breakfast.

"Yotsuba-chan, what happened to you?" Tsuna approached Yotsuba during self-study session in class, anxiety written all over his face.

Yotsuba looked like she came from the Stone Age. Her hair was a mess and she had dark circles under her eyes. Buttons on her uniform were put through the wrong holes. Slowly, she looked at Tsuna with her restless eyes and grunted. Tsuna took a few steps back. If Yotsuba had more facial hair, she can probably pass as a cave woman.

"Oi, woman!" Gokudera kicked her chair, "Juudaime was asking you a question!"

Yotsuba glared at Gokudera, but she turned away soon after while massaging her temples with her fingers. In a grungy voice she said, "I didn't get a good sleep. Some crazy idiot was out of his mind. I don't mind if he wanted to jog in the morning, but he kept yelling 'EXTREME!' like it's the end of the world!"

"That… must be Nii-san…" thought Tsuna, "Yotsuba-chan sure has a bad temper when she doesn't get enough sleep!"

"I swear…" Yotsuba growled, "If I find out who that guy was… I'm going to make meatballs out of him to feed Kabi…"

"Heeeee!" Tsuna screamed, backing away even more.

"Hahaha! Mikami, you don't know who he is? The only person in school that would say 'extreme' like that is probably Sasaga…" Tsuna almost ran into Yamamoto, trying to stop the name from being said. Yotsuba raised an eyebrow at Tsuna; Tsuna smiled awkwardly as if nothing had happened. Sighing, Yotsuba rose from her seat.

"I'm going to the infirmary… I probably won't come back for the rest of the day."

The boys watched her leave the classroom, quiet and speechless.

"Nii-san, why are you doing this?"

"Because this is what I'm meant to be."

"Nii-san, you've changed."

"And you've never changed, Yotsuba. Still childish, immature… you don't know anything."

"You're not my Nii-san! You're not!" Yotsuba cried.

"I'm not," said the red-eyed man coldly, "I never was."

"…-us!" Yotsuba blurted out an unrecognizable word as her eyes snapped open. She panted and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. She closed her eyes again for a few seconds, and then opened them completely. With much effort she sat up from the white bed. Her head turned toward the door to the infirmary as she heard Shamal's voice.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys? I don't treat males!" Shamal said irritatingly.

Yotsuba stretched her neck and tried to peek over Shamal's shoulder.

"Pervert! We're not here for you to treat! We're here to…" Gokudera's voice stopped short, as if he swallowed his own words.

Then came Tsuna's voice, "I promise we'll be quiet! We just want to see Yotsuba-chan!"

Yotsuba was just as surprised to see Tsuna and his friends come in to the infirmary as Tsuna to see Yotsuba awake on the bed. The three boys carried a lot of food, and they set the food down on the table next to the bed. The young Vongola leader's eyes showed much care and sympathy.

"Sorry, Yotsuba-chan," Tsuna said, "did we wake you up?"

Yotsuba shook her head and began to speak, but the dryness of her throat prevented her from doing so. She hasn't drunk anything since she woke up.

"Here!" Tsuna quickly offered a bottle of water.

Yotsuba's eyes scanned the table of food and grabbed the boxed milk as soon as she laid her eyes on them. With a few big gulps she finished the milk. She sighed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Mikami, you like milk?" Yamamoto asked innocently.

"Not particularly. I was just really thirsty" Yotsuba said, "…Sorry. That must've been very unladylike…"

"Che! Are you on that princess thing again?" Gokudera scoffed.

Yotsuba smiled sadly, "I can't help it. Princesses are surrounded by knights, and they're loved by people. If I don't become a princess, then I can't have my knights to protect me…" Protect me like Nii-san used to… Nii-san, Nii-san, Nii-san.

Seeing this new side of Yotsuba made Yamamoto uneasy. He was a simple guy and all, but things like friendship and integrity he knew well enough. His eyebrows furrowed and he felt surprisingly angry. Her sad smile looked so ugly in his eyes. Maybe she'd look better if she'd cried. Yesterday she was fearless and tough against herself. Now she looked pathetic.

Maa, I somehow can't put up an angry face, though…

"Mikami, you don't need to pretend to be anything in front of us!"

Yotsuba, along with Tsuna and Gokudera, turned to look at Yamamoto with wide eyes. Something seemed to be stopping the air going into her heart when she heard Yamamoto's sudden statement.

"Yamamoto-kun?" Yotsuba mumbled.

"Maa, I've only known you for a little more than a day, but," Yamamoto smiled sheepishly, "You can just be what she wants in front of us! It doesn't matter if you're not a princess… if you everything with your utmost effort, we'll all look after you!"

After hearing Yamamoto's words, Tsuna also smiled, "That's right! All of us will be on your side!"

"A…ah! Since Juudaime already said that… I guess I will put up with you a little more..." Gokudera added immediately after Tsuna.

Yotsuba was in her own little world after listening to the three boys. Baka! Yotsuba said to herself in her head. Don't let your stupid brother affect you like that! Now you've made yourself look pathetic in front of them! Facing the two boys' smiling faces (Gokudera was looking away), Yotsuba couldn't say a word.

Letting out a breath, Tsuna offered Yotsuba a sandwich, "We thought since you weren't coming back to class, we should come accompany you for lunch! After all, you do live in Japan alone, right?"

Right after that, several other people also busted into the infirmary.

"Yotsuba-chan! I made some gyoza for lunch today, do you want to try some?" Kyoko said energetically as she came into the infirmary.

"These books are really good," said Hana, holding a few books in her hands, "if you get bored in here for the rest of the day you can read these to pass time!"

Yotsuba was dumbfounded at this scene. Laying her gaze on Tsuna again, she took the sandwich from his hand. Yes... the boy has good eyes...

"Tsuna-kun…" Yotsuba said softly, "… the tenth of the Vongola family… has to be you no matter what…"

"Heee!" Tsuna jumped, "Don… don't talk about that stuff when Kyoko-chan is here!"

"Tsuna-kun, being in the mafia is really great!" Yotsuba said with a smile, clearly intentional. But she wasn't kidding. Even with all the bloodshed, all the crimes, all the hatred and betrayal, it is that world where she found her home.

"Wahhhh!" Tsuna cried. Yotsuba-chan is evil, Tsuna thought, but at least she's back to normal(?) now…

"OOOOIIIII! SAWADA!"

Yotsuba's body tensed when she heard the familiarly annoying voice. A little fire started inside Yotsuba's stomach and her smile darkened. Tsuna gulped after hearing the voice and slowly turned his head toward the door.

"SAWADA! HAVE YOU EXTREMELY DECIDED TO EXTREMELY JOIN THE BOXING CLUB?" Sasagawa Ryohei shouted with his ever-enthusiastic voice, not forgetting to throw a few punches into the air.

Tsuna's jaws dropped and he quickly turned to see Yotsuba's expression. Yotsuba's body seemed to be emit a dark aura and the veins on her forehead widened like crossroads.

"Ne, White-Hair-san," Yotsuba started, "could it be that you go jogging regularly in the morning?"

HERE IT IS! Tsuna cried in his head.

"Ohh! Of course! Jogging in the morning can get you ready for anything EXTREME for the day!" Ryohei said passionately to Yotsuba, "Hm? Are you EXTREMELY Sawada and Kyoko's friend, Mikami Yotsuba? EXTREME! My name is Sasagawa Ryohei! Are you EXTREMELY wanting to join the boxing club?"

THE WORD "EXTREME" IS NOT USED THAT WAY! Yotsuba's smile turned more and more twisted.

"Yotsuba-chan, Ryohei is my big brother!" Kyoko said happily, not noticing the dangerous atmosphere in the room.

"Your brother?" Yotsuba's dark aura suddenly faded. Yotsuba frowned and thought, "What do I do? I can't just beat this guy up in front of Kyoko-chan! She is so sweet and nice after all…"

Just as Tsuna began to think that Yotsuba has given up on the thought to murder Ryohei, Yotsuba grabbed the water bottle on the table and poured the water on Tsuna.

WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THAT? Tsuna cried again in his head.

"JUUDAIME!" Gokudera exploded and readied his dynamites, "HOW ARE YOU POUR WATER ON JUUDAIME?"

"I WANT TO JOIN THE BOXING BOX, SASAGAWA-SENPAI!" Yotsuba yelled suddenly. Ryohei beamed at her and ran in front of her, taking her hand in his.

"An EXTREMELY good decision! Welcome to the boxing club!" Ryohei yelled, not knowing that he was about to be blown away by Gokudera's bombs.

When Tsuna thought things couldn't get any worse, a cold, heartless voice interrupted his thought. Hibari Kyoya stood at the doorway as if sentencing the gathering bunch to death. His narrow eyes swept over everyone's faces in the room and stopped at Yotsuba. Despite seeing Yotsuba still sitting by the bed, Hibari held out his tonfa.

"Mikami Yotsuba," Hibari said slowly, "ready for me to bit you to death?"

Yotsuba sweat-dropped and quickly closed the curtain around the bed, "NO ONE WOULD EVER BE READY FOR THAT!"

"THAT CURTAIN IS NOT GONNA STOP HIM NOW, IS IT?" Tsuna finally shouted aloud.

Just as Tsuna said, Hibari marched to the bed side and tore apart the curtain. Yotsuba hid under the blanket and looked like a human-size onigiri. For some reason, Hibari got really angry at the sight and, without saying a word, swung his tonfa to strike her.

"KONK!"

Yotsuba peeked out from under the sheets after hearing the collision of two metal objects. Hibari was towering over her, and the tonfa that was supposed to have hit her head was interfered by Yamamoto's baseball bat. Seeing that his tonfa didn't hit its target, Hibari glowered at Yamamoto, who was wearing his usual bright smile.

"Maa, don't be like that, Hibari! You're gonna scare her!" Yamamoto said.

MORE LIKE HE'S GONNA KILL HER! Tsuna yelled in his head once again.

Yamamoto Takeshi, Yotsuba thought as she looked at Yamamoto thankfully, I shall take you off my "People to Make Fun Of" list from now on!

"Herbivore…" Hibari hissed, "I guess you want to die first?"

"E..Ehh?" even the naïve Yamamoto knows how scary Hibari can be, "Maa, let's not fight in here!"

Yotsuba watched the two black-haired youths fight, feeling sorry for Yamamoto. She didn't have many experiences in fighting, but at least she could tell who is stronger. Yotsuba frowned. She should be stopping their fight right now, shouldn't she? Why is she just sitting there like it's not her business? As if all the warmth that she received earlier meant nothing to her…

Just like when Nii-san did that thing, she thought, I couldn't help daddy… I couldn't help Nii-san… why am I so afraid?

"REEEEBOOOORNNN!"

Tsuna's loud cry interrupted Yotsuba's thought. Yotsuba looked up to see Tsuna separating Yamamoto and Hibari with just boxers on. Her eyes opened completely at this outrageous sight. Putting her previous negative thoughts way aside, Yotsuba watched in awe as a totally different Tsuna pushed Hibari out of the infirmary. As soon as Hibari was out of the room, Tsuna's eyes seem to turn back to normal and he quickly approached Yotsuba.

"Yotsuba-chan, sorry for all the ruckus!" Tsuna apologized and his big innocent eyes made Yotsuba feel… something that she hadn't felt in a while. It was that moment that Yotsuba made a promise to herself that she'll always be by this young man's side, and that no other man will become a better Vongola boss than Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"Tsuna-kun," Yotsuba smiled, "Your boxers are quite fashionable!"

With that being said, Yotsuba collapsed back on the bed, fast asleep. Yamamoto looked at the peaceful smile of the girl and formed a similar smile on his face.

Be strong, Mikami Yotsuba! Tsuna accepted me in my worst state, and we will all be the same for you!

Yotsuba walked home alone that day with sleepy steps.

"Yotsuba-chan!"

Yotsuba stopped and turned back to see Kyoko running toward her with a big smile. Yotsuba returned the smile and waited for Kyoko to catch up to her.

"Yotsuba-chan," Kyoko said again when she caught up to Yotsuba, "I want to say sorry for my Nii-san!"

"Eh?" Yotsuba was taken back, "Why?"

"I heard your conversation in the morning with Tsuna-kun and the others," Kyoko said sweetly, "it must've been my Nii-san that bothered you in your sleep! I already told him to stop doing that in the morning from now on!"

Looking at Kyoko's smile, Yotsuba felt touched. So nice, she thought, Kyoko-chan's smile… is so nice…

"Kyoko-chan…" Yotsuba said, "is Sasagawa-senpai a good brother?"

"Hm?" Kyoko thought for a while about Yotsuba's odd question, "Yes! I wouldn't want anyone else as my brother!"

Yotsuba smiled, "That's… very nice!" Letting out a big breath, Yotsuba felt refreshed for the first time today.

"Saa, Kyoko-chan! Let's go get some cakes!"

"Ehh? Right now?"

"Yeah! You don't like cakes?"

"I love cakes! It's just… it's not my cake-eating day today…"

"It's' okay, Kyoko-chan! Once in while won't hurt! Girls are supposed to be chubby, anyway, so that boys would want to hug you all the time!"

Kyoko was surprised at first, but smiled nonetheless, "It's my first time hearing that… but let's go, then! I'll ask Haru-chan to come and I'll introduce you to her!"

"Un!" Yotsuba nodded, "Kyoko-chan's going to be a good wife someday!"

"Ehh?"

TBC.

A/N: Reviews? :D