In Their Story, There was a Girl
Chapter 13: Breaking the Cocoon
Yotsuba's body seemed to have stupefied at the sight of the yo-yo player. Gokudera thought strange of Yotsuba's behavior, and wondered what was special about the boy standing before them. His attire was certainly strange. Gokudera has never seen the uniform in Namimori before, and the barcode imprinted on the boy's face was even more mind-boggling.
"What do you want?" Gokudera asked in a rude tone.
"Kokuyou High, 2nd year, Kakimoto Chikusa," replied Kakimoto, not hiding any part of his identity. "I came here to break you."
Gokudera stared into the emotionless eyes of Kakimoto, and let out a sigh. "What is with you gangsters from other schools these days? And here I was hoping for an ordinary life…"
Yotsuba eyed Gokudera worriedly. Thinking that Kakimoto wasn't someone to be underestimated of, she was worried about Gokudera's careless ways. Kakimoto was clearly not affected by the down-talk coming from Gokudera, which showed that he was pretty confident with himself.
Seeing that Kakimoto had nothing to say, Gokudera continued, "All right. Since you asked, I'm not a man who runs away from a fight when invited."
Just then, at the worst time, two men in their early-twenty's stepped out of a café and saw the conflict. Their eyes showed interest, and they didn't seem to want to leave.
"Hey! It's a fight between junior high schoolers!"
"Looks interesting! Let's watch!"
Kakimoto only looked at the two bystanders for half a minute before he shot out hundreds of needles with a swing of arm so fast that his arm looked as if it didn't move at all. The needles hit directly on the two men's foreheads. Blood spewed out from between the metal and the skin, the men's faces were soon covered by the crimson color. Yotsuba and Gokudera were horrified.
"What did you do that for?!" Gokudera bellowed, unbelieving the scene in front of him.
Yotsuba's face went dead white. "You bastard! They had nothing to do with this!"
Kakimoto glared at Yotsuba coldly, "Mikami Yotsuba. You really saved me time; Mukuro-sama wanted you alive."
Yotsuba shuddered at the spoken name. Kakimoto saw the swaying in her eyes and took the chance. Deadly needles were flying at her, toward the exact spot of the old wound. Yotsuba stood frozen in her place, but Gokudera reacted just in time. Surprised that Kakimoto aimed for Yotsuba first instead of himself, Gokudera quickly pushed Yotsuba away, but not quickly enough for himself.
A fine red line appeared under his left cheekbone. The shocking color against his pale skin seemed to have made Yotsuba's stiffen even more. She looked up from the ground to see Gokudera's expression. It was one full of anger and a dangerous air surrounded the silver-haired boy.
"Bastard," Gokudera growled, "Reborn-san said: a good hitman must be gentle toward women!"
With that said, the battle has begun. Grabbing a limp Yotsuba in a hurry, Gokudera dragged her backwards into the nearest alley. Kakimoto chased on without another thought, but was caught in Gokudera's trap. The sky was covered with lit dynamites, all falling down toward Kakimoto. But Kakimoto wasn't that easy; he quickly took out his yo-yo, and, with a few tricks, he stopped the sparks before the dynamites could explode. Gokudera watched the movements of the yo-yo carefully. Clicking his tongue as needles shot from the yo-yo, he grabbed Yotsuba beside him and got out of the alley.
This guy is not a normal junior high student, thought Gokudera. Turning toward a silent Yotsuba, he shouted into her ear, "Idiot! If you're scared then run away! Don't get in my way!"
Gokudera and Kakimoto continued to fight, but Yotsuba stayed behind. Her fists tightened on their hold at the cloth of her shorts. She wanted to help, really. But why can't she move? She was beaten by the yo-yo player once, brutally, could she go against him again? Could she even get a hold of him with those trembling hands? Yotsuba gasped as Gokudera used mini bombs to give himself a push.
Gokudera is fighting hard… while I cower here by myself, she thought, if I could just be braver… If I could just be braver…
"Yocchan… You want to protect them, right?"
An explosion woke Yotsuba from her thoughts; Gokudera has beaten Kakimoto with his double bombs. She widened her eyes in surprise. Gokudera was really that strong? How embarrassing, she thought, Gokudera-kun has beaten the enemy while I just sulked by myself. As if just returning home from work, Gokuder plopped down next to where Yotsuba sat on the ground and took out a cigarette.
"He was the one, wasn't' he?" Gokudera said after taking a long drag.
"Eh?" Yotsuba said confusedly.
"The one that attacked you before," Gokudera said looking at her. "I knew when he used the needles. That explains why you were so scared."
Yotsuba looked away, flustered in the cheeks. Gokudera stared at the silent girl for a while, thinking that she was a lot weaker than he thought. How did such a fragile girl end up in the mafia world, anyway? And how was she involved with dangerous people like Kakimoto? He was about to ask her when she spoke.
"I'm sorry for being useless," Yotsuba lowered her head. "If only I was stronger…"
Yotsuba had always been hard to figure out. Right now, whether or not this is her real self, Gokudera didn't like it. Even if she's pretending, he liked it better when she argued with him and caused troubles for everyone. Gokudera's hand twitched, wanting to loosen the furrowed lines between her brows with his fingers, but he couldn't do it.
"You won't get stronger just by wishing."
Yotsuba peeked at Gokudera from the corner of her eyes; she felt embarrassed of being the way she is. Gokudera must look down on her now, and she didn't like that, but what can she do about it?
"But being strong is not a supposed thing," Gokudera continued, "You can just as you are right now, and I... we will take care of everything else."
Yotsuba turned to look at Gokudera, who took another long drag on his cigarette. He didn't look at her, but she felt a tingling feeling in her chest. Before Yotsuba could say anything to him, Tsuna's wary voice sounded out in the distance. Their heads shot up to see the worried boy run towards them.
"Gokudera-kun! Yotsuba-chan!"
"Juudaime! Why are you here?!" Gokudera exclaimed, immediately sitting up from his lazy position.
"I was just worried… you know, there were rumors about Gokudera-kun being targeted! And Yotsuba-chan was gone for a long time and… she was targeted before and… you know, what if and stuff…" Tsuna said in a rushed a worried voice, his sentences barely making sense. Yotsuba felt, again, that tingling warmth.
Gokudera sat in a bowing position and said proudly, "Sorry for the trouble! But I already took care of the guy!"
"Eh?! So it's true?!"
"He should be somewhere down over there…" Gokudera's voice trailed and his smile fell as he realized that his finger was pointing at something that wasn't there.
"You saved me a lot of time…" a low, calm voice sounded from the side. The three of them turned to see Kakimoto, still alive, standing above them. His uniform torn and disheveled, and blood dripped from his face to his hands. Smoke emitted from his body where bombs hit.
Tsuna was first to panic. Gokudera became alert and prepared to fight again.
"Yotsuba! Protect Juudaime!"
"Ehh?!" Yotsuba was startled at Gokudera's command. When Kakimoto charged again with his yo-yo, her feet wouldn't move. Neither would Tsuna's.
A flash of silver swept over their eyes. Tsuna found himself safe and out of harm, and Gokudera guarding in front of him, sacrificing his own body. Yotsuba's heart almost stopped beating at the sight. Tens and hundreds of needles stuck ruthlessly on Gokudera's chest; his face became dead white. In a voice with barely any power left, Gokudera told Tsuna to escape. After that being said, Gokudera collapsed.
"Gokudera-kun! Are you all right?! GOKUDERA-KUN!!"
Tsuna's shouts echoed in Yotsuba's head. Gokudera was beaten… is he dead? Is he still alive? Tears welled up in her eyes as the pool of Gokudera's blood widened. If she had pulled Tsuna away, Gokudera wouldn't be like this right now. Why didn't she save him? It was always someone else that protected her. If she wanted to protect them so badly, why couldn't she move?
She was afraid. No, she shouldn't be. She wasn't the helpless girl in the rain anymore, she was stronger.
Yet… these tears wouldn't stop falling.
"Yocchan… You want to protect them, right?"
But tears are things that can be wiped away with just a scrub of the sleeve.
With a clean movement of her arms, Yotsuba moved in front of the two boys, iron eyes dry and determined. Her eyes were filled with as much emotion as the ones of Kakimoto. Tsuna looked at Yotsuba worriedly.
"Tsuna…" she muttered, "take care of Hayato-kun, please."
"Eh?"
Yotsuba turned her head around, showing Tsuna a familiar sleepy smile. "I won't let that barbarian hurt you."
Before Tsuna could say anything in reply, Yotsuba took a step and charged at Kakimoto. Kakimoto's eyes widened barely noticeably, but attacked with his yo-yo nonetheless. Yotsuba leapt from the left to the right, dodging the chasing yo-yo balls, her eyes kept on the movement on the balls.
So I was right, she thought, that Mukuro really wanted me alive, or else Kakimoto would've used the needles.
"In that case… I don't have to worry…" murmured Yotsuba, and started to charge straight at Kakimoto.
Kakimoto raised an eyebrow, and attacked without much thought. To his surprise, the girl did not dodge this time. Instead, she watched the yo-yo carefully, and reached out a hand. With one incomprehensible motion, all Kakimoto could see was his yo-yo being diverted back at him. Quickly, he held back his hand and pulled the yo-yo back into his palms. But as he looked forward, Yotsuba was gone from his eyes. Just as he was preoccupied with the yo-yo, she had leapt over him and landed behind him.
If I just look at the yo-yo as a person, I can divert its direction just like I can to a person, she smiled at her success.
Taking out a pocket knife, Yotsuba raised it to strike at Kakimoto from the back. Kakimoto turned back as soon as he realized that she was behind him. The tip of the pocket knife made contact with Kakimoto's shoulder, but Yotsuba's thrill was cut short in only a second. The close distance gave Kakimoto a chance to take hold of Yotsuba, who fell right into the trap. Kakimoto locked Yotsuba's throat with his fingers, making her choke at the sudden restriction.
"Yotsuba-chan!" Yotsuba could hear Tsuna yell in the distance.
Yotsuba glared at Kakimoto, who held her up in the air with his hand. Her heart pounded in her chest, as the murder intent from Kakimoto's eyes pierced through her body.
In a flash of an eye, she was released, as she saw a first collide with the jaw of Kakimoto. Yotsuba landed in someone's arms, and she looked up to see Yamamoto. Yamamoto's expression was angry and rare; it made Yotsuba's heart stopped a bit. The boys stared down at each other. A few breathless moments passed and Kakimoto turned away with a click of his heels.
"You're Ken's prey. I don't want to deal with the trouble if I interrupt," Kakimoto said as he walked away.
When Kakimoto was out of their sight, the three of them rushed over to Gokudera's unconscious body. They shook him and shook him, awaiting him to wake up. Yotsuba felt her eyes water again, and something else blurred her eyes other than the tears. In just a few seconds, she was out cold.
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An alcoholic scent invaded Yotsuba's nostrils and her eyebrows wriggled. She could feel a wait on top of her body, which was lying down on a soft surface. She heard Bianchi's voice shouting something emotionally, but her head hurt so much that she could not understand. She tried lifting her heavy eyelids several times, but they just won't move.
"I WILL ATTEND TO HAYATO'S WOUNDS! IF YOU'RE GOING TO GET IN MY WAY, STEP OUTSIDE!" Bianchi's voice echoed in the room.
Yotsuba's eyes finally gave in and fluttered open.
"Yotsuba-chan! You're awake!" exclaimed Yamamoto, who rushed toward the side of the bed she occupied.
"Takeshi-kun…" she said in her sleepy voice, "thanks for saving me from that guy…"
"What are you saying? It's something I should do!" Yamamoto said, smiling gently.
"Where am I?"
"The school infirmary. Reborn said that the hospital is dangerous, so we brought you and Gokudera-kun here!" Tsuna explained, looking at her worriedly. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine… where's Hayato-kun?"
"He's on that bed over there."
Yotsuba shifted her head to look across the room. Gokudera lied on the bed motionlessly, his chest heaved up and down as he breathed heavily from the oxygen mask. His shut-tight eyes tugged at Yotsuba's heart, and so did the painful eyes of Bianchi, who was tending to his wounds.
If only I was stronger… if only I wasn't afraid…
Yotsuba's eyes closed up again as painful thoughts filled up her brain.
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"That's not fair, nii-chan! You said you'd go easy on me!"
Yotsuba was only six years old when she started to train on fighting. The Ninth had scheduled many self-defense lessons for the little girl, but she was just too unenthusiastic to learn diligently. The girl had skipped countless lessons, and no one seemed to reprimand her. Yotsuba had never realized how weak she was until she went against her older brother, who was merciless even toward a little girl.
"You're not going to survive this world if you don't become strong," the red-eyed youth said coldly.
Yotsuba lied aching on the grassy field, where she was beaten down by own brother. She could not stand back up no matter how hard she tried. The red-eyed boy let out a big breath before picking her up and setting her down under a tree. The two of them sat there silently.
"Why are you so strong, nii-chan?"
"Because you're so weak."
Yotsuba stared at the young man, not understanding his words.
"So if you can't survive this world when I'm not around, I might die somewhere else."
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A grim atmosphere surrounded the city of Namimori the next day. Tsuna put on his favorite clothes, which earned himself questionings from Nana. Tsuna sighed as he studied the clueless faces of his mother, Lambo, and I-pin. He remembered the peaceful and ordinary lives they had just a few days ago. They all seemed so far away all of a sudden. It didn't help when Reborn informed him of the last Dying Will Bullet.
"Is anyone home?" Yamamoto's voice interrupted Tsuna's thoughts.
Yamamoto came into the room with a basket of sushi and tea. Tsuna sweat-dropped at Yamamoto's casual mood; clearly he doesn't realize the danger of their mission. Bianchi also entered the room, threatening Yamamoto with her poison cooking.
"All that's left is Gokudera-kun now," Tsuna said, "It's unlike him to be late, thought."
"He's been outside for a while!" Yamamoto said, pointing outside the window.
Tsuna advanced to the window and found Gokudera creeping around outside of his house, avoiding the face of his older sister.
"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna called out as he exited his house, catching Gokudera in his act.
"Geh! Juudaime!"
"Don't worry, Gokudera-kun! We've successfully persuaded Bianchi to cover up her face so you won't be affected!" Tsuna said assuringly. Bianchi appeared behind him in the squirrel costume.
Tsuna smiled as Gokudera didn't pass out at the appearance of Bianchi. Even though his heartbeat was fast and heavy, the presence of his friends calmed him and made him feel more confident. A rapid footstep came from behind them as they were about to set out to Kokuyou.
"Tsuna-kun!" Tsuna turned to see Yotsuba running toward them.
"Yotsuba-chan! What are you doing here?"
"I want to go with you guys," Yotsuba said, her newfound courage surprising the people present.
"But… are you sure you're all right?"
"If Hayato-kun is fine, I am too," Yotsuba said determinedly, "I just hope I won't be useless this time."
Tsuna frowned, but smiled warmly a second later at her. "You're not useless at all, Yotsuba-chan. If it weren't for you yesterday, I wouldn't have any idea of what to do if Kakimoto attacked me!"
Yotsuba returned the smile just as warmly as Tsuna's. The six of them set out toward their destination together. All their faces showed determination. They swallowed down their fears and let their courage rise. Each of their steps firm as they walked for the same purpose: to protect the ones standing beside them, to protect the days they have lost.
"So if you can't survive this world when I'm not around, I might die somewhere else."
"Then I will protect you, nii-chan! I won't let anyone touch you!"
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TBC.
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A/N: Man, another short chapter… I'm sorry! I seem to have a bit of writer's block lately. I've also been quite busy with school, but I hope I'll be able to create something good for the next chapters! Please bear with me through this low stage! Lastly, the poll is up! Please review & vote!