Posted: November 19th, 2010
Updated: October 2nd, 2011
Chapter Words: 7330
Rating: T (Language, violence, death, dark themes)
Full Summary:It was a crash at an intersection. A mother and her last wish. But when all forces are doing their best to keep this wish unheard, unacted upon, and unfulfilled, what is Watanuki Kimihiro supposed to do with young child, Sawada Tsunayoshi? What brings Watanuki into the world of Mafia and Tsuna into a world of spirits, is never guzen...never coincidence. It can only be hitsuzen.

Warnings:Takes place before Katekyo Hitman Reborn and after Watanuki deals with the whole spider and eye mess, but before Himawari's episode. This story does not require a lot of knowledge of KHR I don't think, but you'll probably be confused if you haven't seen xxxHoLiC because it's going to be in Watanuki's POV. Might be a little OOC but I'll try not to. Will be AU later I think. I'm slow at updating.

Disclaimer: I do not own either Katekyo Hitman Reborn or xxxHoLiC. Christmas is only a month away though…this would be the perfect time to, you know, *cough* pull some strings and maybe gift me with ownership…. Don't sue!

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A Crossroads

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2. Chasms Apart

With a grim face, Timoteo lifted his hand off the ice covered man, torch-light glinting off the jagged spikes of ice in a deceptively vivid manner. Face weary with all his years of age and more, Vongola Nono surveyed his adopted son in silence, man frozen in a moment of furious anger and hatred. Even as shouts and yells echoed from afar, the coup still going strong and oblivious to their leader's status, he remained still and quiet.

Finally, when he heard a scuffle take place close behind him, he turned around to see his lightning guardian with a severe expression, darkly holding a sword to Squalo Superbi's neck.

"Stand down, Ganauche. Squalo should be aware that there's no more sense in this rebellion with Xanxus down." The words felt cold and harsh and even as his son's rain guardian looked stricken, Timoteo felt his own heart crack and weep.

The next statement was aimed at his silent mist guardian, who had entered without anyone else's notice. "Spread the word that Xanxus has been overwhelmed. Make certain the Varia understands that if they offer anymore resistance, both Xanxus and them will face worse than a little frost." Timoteo watched as he nodded in acquiesce and hurried off.

Returning his attention to his lightning guardian, he coldly looked down on young, shaking assassin. Squalo was young, but there was no doubt that he was extremely talented with a sword; a genius at that. Timoteo's face clouded. The idea that his son would betray him… he shouldn't have been so surprised. But Varia quality assassins against his Vongola Family were dangerous, as evidenced by the casualties that day. "Try to capture the Varia alive; for now, keep them separated, guarded, and restrained; that includes Xanxus. After things have calmed down and the Family can present a united front, we'll decide what to do with the rest of them."

"Will do." Timoteo watched distractedly as Ganauche secured Squalo and sent his highest quality subordinates to watch over the assassin in a secure facility. Afterwards, the guardian ran out and notified the rest of his men of the Ninth's orders.

Timoteo shook his head sadly. For now, the rest of his family needed him as the Vongola Nono. Later, he could be the grieving father.

With that, Timoteo took a step forward, and then walked out of the grand hall where Xanxus had confronted him. Ordering the doors to be shut, Timoteo walked on, listening closely as the doors slid, and then clicked close. Left behind was nothing, but his enraged son, frozen in an ice that would never melt.

It was hours before the turmoil ended and all rebels were captured or detained. His orders had passed quickly through the chain of command, so it shouldn't have taken so long, but that wasn't the case. Some group somewhere might have misunderstood the orders, twisted like a childish game of Telephone, but personally, Timoteo thought it stunk of foul play. The dread in the pit of his stomach only increased when he attempted to contact the CEDEF who had shown up as soon as they heard of the attempted coup d'état, offering much assistance.

Iemitsu had been grim, but that wasn't unexpected. As much as Timoteo loved his son, he had been, admittedly, foolish in dismissing his advisor's concerns over Xanxus's growing ruthlessness.

But now, despite the CEDEF's expert training and experience, they weren't returning any calls. When they tried to connect to the standard Vongola radio, or even the private one Timoteo had set up with Iemitsu, they only received static.

The Ninth turned to his storm guardian with a grave face. "Go arrange for a group to check out the CEDEF's headquarters. It's possible that they returned there, or perhaps there's some clues as to their whereabouts in their base." Coyote gave a short reply then began to turn away, but then Timoteo stopped him. "Ah, wait. Before that, contact Ganauche again. At this point, his group should be finishing up with the Varia members. Since they're already out and about, see if they can't keep an eye out for the CEDEF."

Timoteo's eyes clouded. "I have a bad feeling that something's happened to Iemitsu."

There was a crash and then shocked, stunned shouts. "What's going on?" Timoteo demanded as his guardian spun towards the door with a gun aimed at the entrance. They couldn't be certain that there weren't still some rogue mafia wandering around.

The door knob twisted and the finger on the trigger tightened, before another shout came from outside. "What are you doing, idiot? Do you want to get killed? Vongola Nono, we apologize for the disturbance; we have urgent news from the CEDEF! May we enter?"

Timoteo outwardly relaxed, but neither he nor his guardian let their guard down. That was a fast way to get killed in their business. "Enter!" Coyote lowered his gun, but kept his hand on the trigger. When the familiar faces of their intelligence department entered, Timoteo gave a smile, however strained. "You said CEDEF finally replied? What do they have to say?"

The group gave a few side glances, but his guardian quickly barked, "Don't keep Vongola Nono waiting!" All of their nerves were strained, and if the CEDEF had kept radio silence for so long, there must have been some reason.

Quickly, startled, the captain of their group stepped forward and gave a hurried salute. "Turmeric called five minutes ago—that is, 22:39—and he reports that Iemitsu is in critical condition and they request backup immediately in the back garden sector of the courtyard!"

"What?" Coyote growled. He had no particular relationship to Iemitsu, young leader of CEDEF, but the man was the external advisor of the Vongola Boss and there was no way he could be taken down so easily.

Timoteo on the other hand, simply felt even worse. "I see, Coyote, contact Ganauche again and direct them to the garden with all speed!" Coyote paused hesitant, then Timoteo snapped, "Now, Coyote!"

"Yes, Nono!" He turned, coat flapping in his wake as he hurried away, hand on his radio set.

Timoteo turned back to the captain who was attempting to back away and stopped him with a stern voice. "Explain. What else did Iemitsu's subordinate say about his condition?"

The dark haired man gulped before he took a deep breath and dug through his sharp memory. "They say Iemitsu received multiple gun shots from a sniper during the ebb of the Varia's rebellion and that the CEDEF has maintained radio silence until they managed to get to a secure area where they believed they could not be easily stumbled upon. Currently, he has four subordinates with him, one in-training."

At that, Timoteo inwardly flinched, recognizing the action for its meaning and logic. A sniper in the very middle of Vongola Headquarters—the most reasonable explanation was that it came from the Varia, a league of assassins. Yet, while a coup was going on and chaos was abound, there was no true way to determine whether or not another member was trustworthy. Whether with the Varia or not, the sniper could be considered a member of the Vongola.

"They are providing Iemitsu with first aid but they said that Iemitsu had already sustained some injuries and has at this point lost consciousness." The man finished, sending his boss a nervously expecting voice.

"Yes, you are all dismissed. Report immediately should they send any more information. Call the medical wing and have them send the head doctor to my office along with all resources necessary to treat the external advisor of his wounds." Timoteo leveled the nerve-wracked with a stern glance, feeling a little sorry for the group, running everywhere in such rush in order to stay atop of the various groups spread out around the manor. But he needed this to be done precisely and accurately.

"Understood, Boss!" They nodded and swiftly stepped out of his office, leaving Timoteo alone.

He stood still for a few moments, wanting to just sit down and wake up to a normal day, but his Family came first. He exhaled, and with that, his shoulders sank. Timoteo closed his eyes and a million thoughts ran through his head, each with its own value and meaning. Then, he tensed and opened his eyes just in time to see the door open to his mist guardian, Bouche.

The boss nodded to his guardian with a slow smile, a familiar tease coming out his mouth. "You should learn to knock; Coyote was here earlier and about ready to blast off the poor intelligence trainee when he almost ran in."

"So he was here earlier?"

"Yes," Timoteo gestured towards the door Bouche had entered through. "He left a few minutes ago to contact Ganauche."

His guardian nodded. "About the external advisor?"

Timoteo did not reply at first. "Did you know that earlier? When we were searching for Iemitsu?"

Bouche tilted his head slightly and gave the slightest smile, "No, I was just outside while Intelligence was receiving the message. If we don't want leaks, someone should teach them better security and subtlety."

Timoteo smiled in returned, but he could not deny that for a moment he had been wary of Bouche. His son's betrayal had shook him up, and now with his advisor in critical condition and a questionable recovery, Timoteo was not certain of who he could trust, even his guardians that he had spent the last decades with could not escape scrutiny—not if he was to put the whole Family first. Despite the dark contents of his mind, his words remained fairly light. "And who could teach them any better than the Boss's mist guardian, himself? You should know everything there is to teach about stealth."

"Yes, but am I a teacher?"

Timoteo turned his head away and was about to reply with an equally light reply but then Coyote stepped through the open door, frowning. "Who left the door open? That seriously breaches security, especially now!" As he gave a pointed look towards Bauche, Coyote continued, shoving the Intelligence captain from before forward. "He has news. CEDEF is now heading to your offices, Timoteo."

"Y-yeah…sir!" The captain nodded. "And the doctors should be here soon…" He trailed off, and turned around to see said doctors leading a stretcher with a man in it, heading towards him. Timoteo immediately recognized Iemitsu in a bloodstained suit with makeshift bandages around his torso and leg. Surrounding them were medical agents in white coats pulling equipment along, all with serious visages. Following from behind with drawn and pale faces were the CEDEF agents. Timoteo could recognize Turmeric and the young trainee—Oregano—who had been introduced just weeks earlier. He wondered what she thought of all this, not even an adult yet and watching a bloody attempted coup d'état happen right in front of her eyes.

Coyote tensed then pulled the captain out of the doorway, making room for the stretcher into the spacious office. As they rolled his advisor in, Timoteo watched with grim eyes as the physicians immediately set to work in the privacy and security of his office. "Please…do you best, Doctor." Turmeric murmured to the man.

It was a cold night in Italy, but the day wouldn't be over for Timoteo for hours more yet.

About half an hour into the operation (by now, Turmeric had led Oregano out of the room and the Intelligence officer had scurried back to his post), a different worker knocked on his door and asked to be let in, claiming to have more shocking news.

"Yes?"

"Uhm…I apologize for taking your time, Boss, especially in such straining conditions…" The young agent carefully restrained his urge to look towards the closed off section where Iemitsu was being worked on. "But… the external advisor's full name, is uhm, Iemitsu Sawada, correct? And he is of Japanese descent, correct?"

Timoteo's eyes narrowed, but the man seemed honestly concerned and worried. "Yes, he is Iemitsu Sawada. His family and nationality is of no concern to you at this time."

"Ah, but… Among our newsfeeds, there's mention that in Japan, there was a horrendous crash along an intersection and…" Timoteo felt his stomach drop. "I mean, it might not be related so I apologize, b—"

"No, explain please."

"Ahh…" The young man looked just as reluctant to say it as Timoteo was reluctant to hear it. It was undoubtedly bad news at this point. "One of the listed victims was named, ah…N…I believe it was Sawada Nana? Is he—I mean, are they—"

The man received his answer upon Timoteo's sharp gasp. "Show me the news report this instant!" His rising voice caused some of the doctors to lift their heads, but with a wave from Coyote (who had walked over a few sentences ago), they returned their focus to their patient. Coyote's face was bleak, revealing that he too, was sick of all the tragedies that had occurred that day. No doubt, some of his own friends had lost their lives already to that day's earlier disaster.

"Ah, y-yes, Boss! This way!" He immediately spun around and headed out the door, jogging when Timoteo urged him to hurry. The Ninth's worry was fueled with the memories of his frequent visits to the happy family home, interspersed with Iemitsu's boasting laughter, his wife's cheerful cooking, and their son's shy smiles. He hadn't had much time to worry about how he would break the news about Iemitsu's injury to Nana, but faced with the idea of her death… He'd take explaining things to Nana over explaining news to Iemitsu any day. Especially if it wasn't just Nana, but Tsunayoshi as well. Timoteo was, after all, well aware that Tsuna was rarely left anywhere without his mother.

They passed a few rooms within the Intelligence Department until they reached a series of displays playing sets of news from around the world. An Asian woman with headphones on swiveled in her chair when they entered, remarking, "They just moved on to the weather, but I got it all recorded." Smoothly sliding the chair over, she handed another set of headphones to Timoteo. "The other translators missed the first half, but from what I can tell, it's a serious car accident."

He gratefully received them, watching as the woman adopted a more grave face and started playing the newscast.

Timoteo switched his mind to Japanese, taking a few moments to familiarize himself with the language he hadn't used in months. Yet, as the feed moved from the dark-haired reporter to the video camera, seconds before the crash, Timoteo's breath halted and his eyes darkened.

Those five seconds as the car drove forward and crashed into the bus, sending it into the intersection felt like hours to Timoteo as he analyzed and studied the scene. Immediately, his eyes focused on the bus, intuitively understanding that Nana had been in that bus, if anywhere. As two more cars crashed into the bus, the clip cut and Timoteo's fingers dug into his palms.

His head lowered and silently listening to the reporter's voice as she detailed the circumstances of the crash, his eyes closed. In a few hours from now, when things were sorted out, Timoteo planned on having a moment to himself.

Because he had a family, and when his family was hurt, his heart bled.

"…is the scene at 18:04 today at the 26th and 27th intersection. On the right, Bus #13 can be seen slowing down, but coming from farther behind is an unidentifiable black car. It shows no sign of stopping before crashing into bus and sending it into traffic. Police and medical aid have determined the driver of the black vehicle to have died on impact, with no alcohol in his bloodstream. So far, we have not received news on the name of the driver, but witnesses say they do not recognize him as part of the usual Namimori community.

"Witnesses describe the event as exceedingly harrowing. 'It was horrible. People were screaming and trying to find survivors, but it was utter chaos. The police and emergency medical care didn't arrive for a long time and some people were sick or hyperventilating…' Our reporters are currently investigating as to the delay of the first responders, but, as an officer has aptly stated, 'The damage has been done.'

"Among the victims in the wreck, seventeen are being sent to Central Hospital. That includes eleven adults and six minors, but their names are being withheld. However, some of the pedestrians and bystanders here have recognized and named off a few of the victims. We are c…"

"…if you see this man, do not confront him. Call emergency officials immediately. Investigators believe he may have a connection to the crash on 26th intersection earlier today. Please do n…"

The droning voice echoed in Kimihiro's head, but instead of the balding reporter on the television screen, his blank eyes could only replay the video of the crash over and over again in his mind. The black car heading towards them… The shocked witnesses… The blinking ligh—

"Ack!" Kimihiro's head snapped forward from the force of a slap on his head, moaning in pain. His head shuddered and he felt a lot dizzier than a little smack warranted; his thoughts were all shook up and scattered.

"Now, now, Watanuki. Sulking does not become you." Lifting his head, his eyes skimmed past an outrageous outfit to land on an unnervingly smiling face. "I've taken care of the boy and Tsuyoshi-san was kind enough to lend him some of his son's clothes. The boy is now asleep in the child's room, with a spare futon."

Kimihiro immediately sat up straight, worry on his face. "Yuuko-san! How hurt was the bo—Ts…Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"Hmm…" the beautiful woman hummed, carelessly dropping onto the couch. "He received a few scratches and I removed some glass, but otherwise, the only injury he received was a cut and bruise on the head. Head injuries bleed a lot, so it's not as bad as you thought." Still, Yuuko smiled at him, and Kimihiro trusted his employer. He leaned back and sighed in relief.

"Yokatta… I'm glad that you looked over him… Thank you, Yuuko-san." More than that, Kimihiro was intensely glad that Yuuko had showed up. During the last few hours, he had felt like he was just moving spontaneously, hardly keeping up. He had to admit, he felt a lot more certain in his decisions and confidence when Yuuko was there. And not only that, but now he could finally get some answers.

Kimihiro looked away. "Ano…" The thankful smile on his face faded away and was replaced by a vague frown.

"Before I answer your questions, why don't we break out the sake?" With a brilliant smile, Yuuko pulled out a jug of sake and the accompanying cups, cheerfully interrupting Kimihiro's attempt at a tactful conversation opener.

"EH? Yuuko-san!" Kimihiro immediately snatched the sake out of her hands, holding out of her reach even as Yuuko immediately began protesting. "Where did you get this? Don't tell me you're taking it off of our host's shelves!" His other hand was pointing accusingly at the pouting woman.

"Watanuki, Tsuyoshi-san wouldn't mind. At any rate, your accusation's not at all polite, nor accurate." Yuuko leaned forward with a dry smile, hand subtly reaching forward towards the bottle. "You should know, Watanuki. You're the one that brought it, as I requested."

"Eh?" Kimihiro's mind blanked like an unfortunate heart monitor, before he miraculously revived. Just in time to lean back half a meter to avoid the hand that shot out. Yuuko grumbled and sat back. "That sake? I thought I dropped it next to the pile of—I mean, the umbrella!" He reexamined the bottle, now recognizing the label as the same one on the bottle Mokona had threw at him.

Yuuko smirked victoriously at him, setting a cup on the coffee table and gesturing for him to begin pouring, now that he had no valid complaints. Grumblingly, Kimihiro complied, a little voice in the back of his mind admitting that he wouldn't mind a bit of alcohol at the moment. Yuuko elaborated, "I passed by it on the sidewalk (your regurgitated lunch too), and of course, could not let good sake go to waste."

Kimihiro rolled his eyes. "All the while, people panicking around you? I suppose after that is when you found me…?"

When Kimihiro looked back up and handed Yuuko her cup, her smile had disappeared. "Aa."

Kimihiro began holding the small boy gently in his arms, but it was impossible to do so while lifting the both of them out of the bus. He wasn't even sure what he was doing anyway. His actions were automatic and instinctive, with nervous tension buried deep within.

Kimihiro grunted, carefully shifting the boy to his side. Thankfully, the kid was rather light and didn't exhaust Kimihiro much, although that might've had more to do with the adrenaline than any muscle strength. Squinting through the faint street light, he raised his hand and attempted to grab one of the bus poles.

He needed to get out of there. Kimihiro needed to get that bo—Tsunayoshi—out of there. Although his stumbling, mechanical steps had already put the mother (what was her name? He should have asked for her name) out of his sight, Kimihiro still felt like her penetrating, discerning gaze was watching his every move.

Kimihiro wasn't going to fail.

"A-ah…" His arm grasped blindly through the air, flinching when his fingertips brushed cold metal. The teenager paused, almost biting his lip, before he fruitlessly examined the ground. Kimihiro spied the edge of the bus seats. They were narrow, but the highest point he could find, what with the bus on its side. Adjusting his grip on the child, Kimihiro tested the cushiony edge before pulling them up, swaying dangerously afterwards. He automatically cringed, expecting to a certain degree to bump into a metal pole again, like he did when he dropped in.

After a moment from which Kimihiro regained his equilibrium, he straightened himself out. Slowly, he raised his head further with one hand slipping from his hold of the child to reach up and search for a pole to grasp. Not too far above him, Kimihiro could see broken and cracked windows. Golden light reflected off the imperfections, leaving empty darkness in the glass-less spaces. Using this knowledge, Kimihiro centered on the window with the least glass shards, and the least chance of cutting the boys to ribbons.

A slap echoed in the vehicle as his pale hand located the metal pole. 'This is it.' Kimihiro smiled grimly. He once again adjusted the limp body in his grip, before setting half of the boy's body over his shoulder on second thought. He needed both hands to raise the two of them onto the pole, without the child falling.

With a spark of trepidation, (what if it failed? What if he dropped the silent child; what if he hurt him?) Kimihiro pulled the bar with a burst of controlled strength, twisting his body as air rushed past him. His arm snapped off the metal and he swung it around, just barely remembering not to knock the boy off his shoulder before his hand slapped back on the metal pole. For a frozen moment, he hung in the darkness, But the moment passed and gravity pushed him onto the bar, sitting unsteadily, hand slowly reaching up to assure him that the b—that Tsunayoshi—was still there.

Five seconds was what passed.

The next minutes passed in a blur in large contrast to those few, highlighted seconds of pressure. His head was just inches away from their window of escape, a result of his unusual tall stature. Kimihiro blinked up at the glass, freezing when something dripped on his face. Sliding down his cheek was a droplet of water and Kimihiro held his breath.

Then, under the rainless skies he lifted up the small child by his armpits. Kimihiro twisted his head to keep an eye on the window's opening, slow and careful to keep the child's head away from the sharp edges. Despite his trembling hands, he managed to push Tsunayoshi out of the window with only the slightest of scratches. Still, every rip and tear left Kimihiro as still as the dead, afraid of moving another inch. Once, he hadn't even noticed; not until another droplet fell on his face and he realized it wasn't rain.

Kimihiro drew in a trembling breath.

When Tsunayoshi was almost out of the bus, the bright scarf the boy was wearing got caught by the sharp point of the glass. That had been difficult to take care of. The glass had embedded deep into the yarn, and Kimihiro was already having enough trouble keeping the boy upright with two hands—he could hardly spare one. Still, somehow he managed to untangle the vivid scarf, one of the few things that still shone brightly in the darkness.

With the boy resting on the top of the bus outside, Kimihiro was free pull himself up, balancing precariously on the bar off to the side while trying to slide out of the bus without falling back down. It wasn't an easy task with no person to balance him on the bottom or to push him up. In the end, Kimihiro simply clenched his teeth and set his hands off to the sides of the window on the outside of the bus. Glass dug into his flesh, but Kimihiro had to get out. He had to get help, and make sure that mother could live to see her son again, safe and sound.

She made a wish, and Kimihiro wanted to see it granted.

Fabric tore as he pulled himself out of the mangled chamber of metal and breathed in cool, wet air again. Clouds flew overhead, filtering the moonlight that shone on their sorry states.

The teenager shook his head again, hair now dry, yet still cold in the humid air. He was just sitting on the edge of the window, legs loosely draped over the stabbing glass shards the lined the edge. The boy laid next to him, hair haphazardly splayed against the bent surface of the bus and face visibly calm and unworried. They breathed.

Then Kimihiro gingerly scooted back, lifting his long legs out of the bus, sending fragments of glass falling to the ground. They landed with a tinkle, the sound loud in his ears, sending Kimihiro back to the world of the living. It was like all the events of the day just kept pushing the teenager more and more and his thoughts were slipping. With the tinkle of glass signifying the end of their ordeal, an outbreak of sound rose around them, originating from the frantic, solemn people on the ground, the screech of splintering glass and metal, the distant roll of gravel and tires and—and sirens.

He gasped and smiled, hurriedly standing up to start moving the boy down, off the bus, where he would be safer. So it was with a surprised wince that Kimihiro fell back on his bottom, just dodging the dangerous shards of glass that littered the frames of the windows. The soft sound echoed in the area, and Kimihiro gulped, hoping the bus wouldn't break down or anything in the mean time.

More cautiously then, Kimihiro picked up the child with his arms, tattered sleeves swishing in the wind. Holding the boy protectively with both of his arms, Kimihiro carefully headed towards the back end of the bus where the metal was mangled and crushed. There would be more footholds on that end and it should be easier to jump down with the load in his arms.

A flash of shining, long black hair in the corner of his eyes left Kimihiro tripping the last step on his way down. "A…another surprise?" He mumbled, voice breaking from lack of use.

High heels stepped on broken glass, the sound alerting Kimihiro to her location. "Yuuko-san…" He breathed.

She did not smile. "That child…" She raised her black, endless eyes to Kimihiro's stare, serious and evaluating. "…You have a choice to make, Watanuki. Don't you?" The woman stood only a few feet away, dressed in an immaculate, purple gown. Her hair was pulled back and she carried a bag on her shoulder.

He began to stride over, and then hesitated, suddenly realizing that Yuuko did not look calm and confident like she usuall—always—did. She looked…apprehensive. "…What do you mean? …Ah!" He glanced down at the boy in his arms, and quickly stepped forward again, carefully fixing his grip on Tsunayoshi again. "You mean—? T-this boy needs help—but we can just wait for the ambulance, right—? H-his mother…she's still inside, can you watch this boy until I get her out? She needs…" Kimihiro fell silent and looked at Yuuko with determined eyes. "She has a wish. For her son to live and be happy. Can you—will it be granted?"

"…"

She slowly shook her head. "I can't grant it."

"Ahhhhh…." Yuuko took a long swig of sake straight from the bottle, ignoring the cup Kimihiro had poured for her. His vein popped out, but he restrained the urge to rant at the woman like a mother. He was more in favor of throwing his questions in her face.

"Yuuko-san." He hesitated as her eyes slid over, knowing and confident once again. Kimihiro coughed and replaced his reprimanding tone with a more somber one. "Yuuko-san… did you… did you know that would happen?"

She smiled again, and Kimihiro suddenly got the impression that she'd give a worthless reply like, 'Knew what would happen?' even when it was clear to both parties exactly what he was asking about. "Ahh, you think so poorly of me, Kimihiro." He stiffened like a bolt of electricity just ran through his body and glared at the woman.

"I can easily read the emotions on your face, so clear and revealing." He opened his mouth to protest, only to be chided by the laziest wom—the laziest person, period—in Japan, no doubt. Might stretch that to 'in all the dimensions', what with her network of influence. "Don't interrupt me, Watanuki. Let's not get off track. To your question, no. I did not see the previous circumstances ahead of time."

"Then why did you send me out to Namimori, now of all times?" He pressed. "Coincidence?"

She shook her head, smile still and unnerving. "Have you lost all of your senses just because of one, stressful situation? You've been through worse. Surely you remember, there is no such thing as coincidence. There is no guzen—only…"

"Hitsuzen," Kimihiro finished when she paused, obviously waiting for him to do so. His eyes narrowed, "Then why? Why, Yuuko-san? People…people died out there!"

With a shake of her head, Yuuko picked up the untouched cup of sake Kimihiro had poured for her and handed it to the boy. As her bangs fell out of her face, her eyes bored into Kimihiro's. "Because something would change your life today, and hitsuzen is always working, always acting upon the circumstances." She tilted her head up, motioning for him to take a sip already. He rolled his eyes and drank the whole cup. "Watanuki, I asked you to come here today and hitsuzen is what has made this night special." She smiled mysteriously.

"I wonder, if in another ten or so years, if you will regret the choice…you will make."

Kimihiro shook his head, fists clenched. "What choice? I…it's just if you knew people were going to die today, why didn't you tell someone and save them?" Even as he asked his question, Kimihiro could hear the flaw in his argument. After all, what would Yuuko gain from saving those lives? Good karma?

"I did not know a car accident would take place. I could predict it, believe in it, but who else would? What… would be the point, in trying to stop something that had already taken root ages ago? What is the point, in trying to change what has already come to pass?"

Kimihiro recognized the meaning in that sentence, and shut up.

"Watanuki Kimihiro… That woman asked you to grant her wish, not I. And further more… someone with my abilities is not as powerful as you believe. We are… There is not much I can give without payment, and that woman is on the cusp of death whether you realize it or not. She does not have much to lose and the scale of balance is blurred and incomplete."

"What… what are you saying? To me?" Kimihiro felt nervous and the weight of the boy was getting tiring. He brought the boy back to his chest when it was clear Yuuko would not take him. "I… I can't grant wishes."

Her first smile appears at his words. "Do you tell lies because you are afraid of failure, or because you want failure? Sadness, or happiness?" Kimihiro could not say anything; not a protest, not a response.

"I can't tell you all the answers, Watanuki. I can't read your mind."

Kimihiro looked away, wishing Yuuko hadn't hogged all the sake to herself because he wouldn't have minded a refill right then. "But Yuuko-san… Can I really take care of this kid? I mean… I'm not his mother. I can't—"

"You're not supposed to replace that child's mother. But did you not make your choice? Tell me, Watanuki…Are you going to grant that woman's wish?" Her onyx eyes stared into Kimihiro's soul. What could he say? He couldn't just deny it, not when that mother could lose her life at any moment. That boy looked so helpless too.

But it wasn't a matter of whether or not Kimihiro wanted to help them—it was just, was he the best option? They couldn't even bring Tsunayoshi to the hospital because… because—

Yuuko interrupted his hesitant silence and easily grabbed his shoulder, pushing him behind the bus. "If you don't have the resolve to answer that question now, then think on it. Make sure you are certain of it and the consequences before you answer me. Because right now, we're not safe here."

"What?" Kimihiro was instantly on the edge. Yuuko held a much clearer perception of the spirit world than he did, and he was not in the mood to deal with any more curses. "Is there a spirit?"

"No. I should've rephrased that earlier sentence—you're dealing with the consequences of your actions right now. We have to move, Watanuki! We're heading back to the shop." She lunged gracefully to the right, leading Kimihiro towards the emptied alleys, dodging the debris and crowds. "Go! To the bus stop, discreetly!"

"Wait, what?" Kimihiro felt like he'd been saying that a lot, but a hard edge entered his voice. "We're not bringing this boy back on a bus!" The hand on his shoulder lifted a centimeter and then settled back down. She turned her head to reveal a measuring gaze.

He held his breath, ready to argue and defend his statement with all his strength. Despite all of Yuuko's manipulations in the past, Kimihiro wasn't going to joke about this. Whether it was for the benefit of the child in his arms or for Kimihiro's state of mind, he didn't want to step on another bus for years.

"…You are correct. The bus loops probably aren't even working any more with this intersection down." She smoothly pulled Kimihiro along, turning back to the direction they had started. "In that case, there is no easy way back to the shop, considering the circumstances.

"We'll go to the home of an acquaintance of mine. He has some knowledge of the darker edge to life." She pushed Kimihiro into another alley, softening her footsteps and avoiding rubble. Kimihiro tried to protest; after all, the sirens were steadily coming closer and Tsunayoshi required medical attention. He needed to tell them of the mother still trapped in the bus, waiting, wishing for news of her son's safety.

His face was sweating and he tried to twist out of Yuuko's grasp, anger growing in his body.

"Stop it, Watanuki, if you don't want a hole in your head."

That, made Kimihiro stumble and pause, disbelief on his face. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open, inviting more flies inside than the world ought to ever breed. Any hilarity the moment might have deserved though was brushed aside when Yuuko's threat was made very possible by the sudden rise in screaming.

Tires screeched and the sirens were loud. Emergency officials spilled out of the open doors and began their work, all the while Kimihiro and Yuuko ran through the alleys, a boy hidden in the teenager's arms. "What is—?"

Yuuko hissed and pulled him down when a group of darkly dressed men passed. Kimihiro shifted in surprise, almost losing his balance. The woman easily caught him by the collar and lowered him quietly to the dirty ground. He was not appreciative. But Kimihiro stilled his glare when the men passed them by.

Yuuko, Kimihiro, and Tsunayoshi were concealed around the corner wall and the doorway of a wayward apartment. Holding his breath, Kimihiro waited, never having to deal with such perilous human opposition before.

The moonlight caught the group of men as they left the shadows and Kimihiro's pulse quickened. He recognized the gruff man in the middle as the same one he spotted earlier in the streets, carrying a gun. Upon another study of the men in dark suits, he realized they all carried guns. The suits they wore could also be likened to those of Western businessmen; white shirts, black jackets, and ties. But they were far more sinister and—Kimihiro noted—more fit.

Then the gunmen walked on, turning onto a perpendicular alley, miraculously not noticing them. He quietly turned and followed Yuuko's lead as she stood and continued down the path, not a word leaving her mouth. Kimihiro still felt shaken, and couldn't help but tighten his grip on the boy. The student didn't know what those silent men had been searching for, but his instincts said they were dangerous. Yet, Yuuko clearly knew what their target was, and apparently, they were connected. Some questions needed to be answered, and soon.

Twice afterwards, they ducked and sat still when they heard bangs and something Kimihiro could not deny as gunshots. It was never close by, yet it did not seem so loud as to have originated from far away either. The sound reverbrated against the stone walls that surrounded them and made Kimihiro hesitate. It was only when Yuuko turned around and waved him forward again that he would continue.

When his employer finally pulled them onto a regular street and told him to hold the boy like a little brother who had fallen asleep, Kimihiro jumped in surprise. It was dark and late, but the occasional stranger still wandered down the street. "Don't lose your focus, Watanuki. We're almost there."

"…" Kimihiro could not answer Yuuko's question; he wanted more time. He wanted to at least… "Can I….can we wait until Tsunayoshi wakes up first? I want to know… how he feels." His fingers wrapped around the empty sake cup, playing with it in a nervous gesture.

"If that is what you need, Watanuki, then use the time wisely."

His head rose and he gazed at Yuuko with surprise. "I…didn't think you'd be so agreeable." She shrugged and stood up, setting the now empty sake bottle on the coffee table. Clearly, she had been busy while he reminisced.

In a light voice, his employer replied, "Well, we also need a way to return to the shop when that boy wakes up. Since buses don't seem to be agreeable with either of you two, then the cheapest way back would be through akake." At that, a familiar smirk settled on her face and clapped her hands together. "I need to set it up overnight, so you might as well take the time to form your answer. My, it has been a while since I got to see you try to trudge on through the portal."

Kimihiro, who had just been about to question her on what exactly was an 'akake', jolted. "Th-that thing? That portal we took months ago to that computer lady's apartment?" His voice rose as bad memories returned, reminding Kimihiro of the eerie creatures that traversed through the akake and the forbidding aura.

"Mmhm!" Yuuko hummed cheerfully. "Oh! Tsuyoshi-san! I'll be leaving soon, so would it be alright to impose my careless part-timer on you for the night?" She called over, grabbing the attention of the Japanese man in the kitchen.

"Don't give such a blasé reply! Arghhh!" Kimihiro's hands flew up to his head and he crouched over, groaning. "Is that even safe for a kid? He's going to be scarred for life!" Then, of course, he shot up and sent Yuuko an incredulous look. "Wait, what do you mean 'for the night'? I thought we were going back to the shop for that….akake….thing…" Kimihiro shook his head disgustedly.

Still, Yuuko laughed and Tsuyoshi walked in, wiping his hands off on a towel. With a jaunty wave as she headed to the front door, Yuuko explained, "Didn't you want to see Tsunayoshi when he wakes up? You'll only slow me down, so I'll go on ahead to the shop and send the portal in the morning. That is, if that's alright with you, Tsuyoshi-san?" As Kimihiro sputtered and tried to frantically apologize to the host for imposing on him, Tsuyoshi only gave a small grin.

"It's no problem, Watanuki-kun, Yuuko-san. I owe this woman few things, so feel free to spend the night and watch over the kid." The father had a gruff, but kind voice and waved Yuuko off while untying a cloth around his head. "You're coming in the morning right, Yuuko-san? With the akake?"

"Indeed, Tsuyoshi-san. I apologize in advance for any foolishness Watanuki might display." There was a loud objection in the background, but the two adults couldn't be bothered to listen, especially over each other's chuckles. "In foresight, don't bother giving Watanuki your futon; he'll be fine with the couch." Now Kimihiro couldn't object because that would be rude, expecting so much gracious hospitality. That didn't mean Yuuko had to be so mocking about it, though. Kimihiro moaned.

After another quiet round of laughter, Yuuko stepped into her shoes and opened the entrance door. "I'll be back tomorrow by akake." Yuuko walked out and turned around as she slid the door shut.

"By then, have your answer ready, Watanuki."

The door clicked and then it was quiet.

Surrounded by the cool, fresh autumn air in the dead of the night, Yuuko let the smile on her face drop. The shop behind her was dimly lit, decorated by traditional screen doors and mats. There were bright, orange and red filled trees in the vicinity, soon to lose their leaves to winter's frosty chill. The sky above twinkled with starlight, not yet obscured by all sorts of pollution from light, gas, or poison.

And then, there were the strings of fate, criss-crossing the world in front of her, tangled and tied; some cut, some unraveling.

Her pale, white hand lifted up slowly, hovering above the threads. A spindly finger reached down, but then the scene was lost when she made contact with the string. "Ah." Yuuko shook her head exasperatedly, as if scolding herself. Like they were never there, the scene collapsed and the threads disappeared from view. They unwound and faded gone, leaving a still evening behind. "…Oh well. I'll hear the answer by tomorrow."

EDIT: Minor edits. Japanese words are italicized, some sentences made clearer. Sorry if you got an alert.

A/N: Whoops. I just posted an edit of Ch.1 'cause I realized upon looking through the episodes that Yuuko just calls Watanuki without any honorifics. Hmm…what else did I change…nothing big, a few typos, oh! Yuuko's little after-note gag. I think I also made another mention to Tsuna's wearing of his mom's orange scarf. The rest of the edits were minor.

Sorry for the chapter being later than I mentioned. I underestimated my laziness. I didn't mean for the first part with the Vongola to get so long…sorry if it was boring. Iemitsu's condition was important though! I kind of feel not a lot of interesting things happened this chapter, but it was necessary. I mean, Yuuko obviously would have something to say, you know? I originally meant for the chapter to end in the morning after they headed back to the shop, but this was way longer than I expected so I cut it.

Notes:

The akake portal they talk about it was in xxxHOLiC season one of the anime and I think the manga, where they use it to go to a woman's house who is addicted to the computer and Yuuko eventually solves the problem by just slicing through it with an amazing baseball bat. Or at least that's how it happened in the anime. Refreshed your memory?
Ganauche and etc. are the guardians of Timoteo, the Ninth boss of the Vongola Mafia. Their names were revealed in the recent arc, but I actually haven't been reading it so I'm sorry if their personalities were completely OOC! Feel free to tell me if they are though, and I'll make an effort to skim through and try to get a sense of more than just their names XD.
Tsuyoshi: I do not know why I put this person in. He is a real character from one of the series, which you may or may not recognize… I don't know how I'm going to tie this is in, but it's interesting. His character will be revealed next chapter when they eat breakfast and you meet his son. Unfortunately, he feels OOC too to me!
Hitsuzen is very important, and if you don't know what it means, I take it you have not seen xxxHOLiC. You should watch it right now. In any case, hitsuzen pretty much means the inevitable, destined, or fate. It is the opposite of guzen, which means coincidence or rather 'that things just happen for no reason'. Hitsuzen means that every event and meeting, no matter how slight, has meaning and a point. Yuuko always refers to it a lot.

Alright, so thanks for reading and please review and tell me what you think! Next chapter….expect by…December? Hopefully? I do have SATs to study for….XD…I'm planning for next chapter to include dreams, breakfast, Tsuna's reaction (how will that happen? I do not know.), return to the wish shop, and maaayybe Doumeki if I can fit it in the next chapter.

-ShadowTacticianVI