HEY. Meow. If you want to know who the people in the future were, read until the bottom. If you don't, then don't read it.

Chapter 23

As I try to catch my breath after sprinting down hallway after hallway, I think back to the two people who I bumped into.

Those people were holding guns. They knew who I was. I don't understand this world.

"…can't be far…have to…"

"…kill…right…can't live…"

Holy shit, what have I gotten myself into?

Are those footsteps? WHY ARE THEY COMING THIS WAY?

My eyes quickly dart left and right before it lands on an ornate door to my left. The voices were coming closer and closer. Damn it, why'd they force me to do this? Let's cross our fingers I don't die today. I dashed into the room hoping that no one would be there. The door wasn't opening at first and I freaked out again. Then suddenly it opened with a whoosh and I was pulled inside.

There was a hand over my mouth and my jaw, restricting any sound to come out of my mouth. My arms flailed and before I knew it, I pushed the person behind me and myself to the ground. He didn't seem to fall down but rather just stumbled while holding me upright. He let go of my mouth at least?

I coughed and spluttered back to life when I realised I wasn't breathing. Right in front of him(I think it's a him at least).

Um, awkward?

Yeah so while I was coughing my lungs out(possibly my stomach as well) he twirled me around.

Then he tucked a strand of hair that fell onto my face when I was still coughing. My eyes rose up and took in the true overwhelming height of this person.

"What are you-"

He dragged me into a hug and enveloped me with his tall stature.

"I'm sorry we dragged you into this."

"Oi, let go of me! What do you think you're doing? I DON'T EVEN BLOODY KNOW YOU."

*POOF*

"Anna are you okay? You weren't hurt or anything right?! Reborn's going to kill me if he finds out. WHAT DO I DO?!"

Gosh, just when I was going to question the shit out of him.

"…What. Just. Happened Tsuna."

"Some stuff? Well, you were taken ten years into the future but you wouldn't really understand right now. I don't really understand it myself and you know…"

"What do you mean?"

"Err, nothing, nothing at all. Why don't you come inside? We have tea…"

I wiped my shoes on the mat outside the front door before quietly saying 'ojamashimasu (sorry for intruding).

"And Tsuna, though I haven't known you for long have I ever told you that you suck at lying. "

Ten years into the future? It sounds like something straight from a shounen manga. I'm guessing anything makes sense though. This world is freaking crazy.

"AH IT'S ANNA CHAN~"

My point exactly.

A body collided with mine in a hug. The force of the impact caused me to momentarily lose my footing. With a steady hand Tsuna pushed me upright and muttered a soft 'sorry' to me with his shy smile.

It's too bad he's so cute. I can't murder him right here, right now.

The arms around my body seemed to get even tighter until my mouth can't breathe.

I try reaching out to Tsuna but he just backs away with his hands up.

That traitor. Or is it karma?

When she finally lets go, I breathe in and out so quickly I get a little dizzy. She feels so secure for some reason. I steadily take a step back.

"Anna-chan! It's so wonderful that you'll be staying with us from now on! I always wanted a daughter."

I get a good close up of her face and I notice tiny details like the colour of her hair and shape of her eyes. She must be Tsuna's mother. She seems pretty young as well.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I always took care of you when you were younger. You're parents didn't have that much time but Tsuna got a playmate!"

I try not to notice the slight sadness in her voice. Does she always act like this? Does she always put on an act, it seems like she's gotten pretty good at it as well.

"Anyways do you want a cookie? They're fresh out of the oven and they were your favourite when you were younger!"

"Err, sure!"

"I'm going to my room mum!" Tsuna called from the bottom of the stairway before trampling up the stairs like an elephant. And then tripping on the last step. I'm pretty sure she would've realised.

"Tsu-kun! Aren't you going to show Anna-chan her room?"

"Bianchi can do it!"

"It's really okay, I can find it myself." I somehow managed to shout over Tsuna's feet.

"You sure? Then here's a cookie!"

"Thank…you."

As I bit into the cookie, the chocolate chips melted on my tongue. The cookie itself turned into a soft dough and it glided around in my mouth. Like skiing. Except in my mouth. Wait but-never mind.

"This is delicious! How do you make them this well?"

"Actually, I baked them a lot when you and Tsuna were younger. I perfected them when you were 3 yrs old! You didn't like hard cookies and Tsuna couldn't bite them properly so I decided to make them with more butter."

She gazed out the window with a reminiscent look. Maybe she wishes to go back to the times when everyone was young. Or maybe she just doesn't like the present.

"Soooo, where's your husband?"

"He's working at construction sites. He said that I should tell Tsuna that he's become a star! It's so romantic and when he came home recently he gave me the sweetest present. It was a souvenir from his construction site. It was a beautifully crafted star and then he said If stars would fall every time I would think of you, the sky would soon be empty!"

On first glance, anyone would say that this person is deluded but it seems like it's just the isolation that's driving her insane. She must really miss him.

"He seems like a wonderful person…mum?"

"Call me Nana! It's been so long since you called me that, 9 yrs in fact!"

She resumed her rambling to herself. She reminded me of a motherly figure that I can't remember. It tugs at my heartstrings to think of my mother. I'm never going to meet her in person ever again. All I had left were my memories but they're gone too.

Well this is my life from now on, I might as well move on. But I can't. It feels like I'm leaving something behind. I miss 'home' and I don't even know what it is.

"Oh! I just remembered, I should show you our photo albums!"

It could teach me something about my past. No?

"Here they are! They've grown so old, just look at the amount of dust they have on them. So many good memories lie in here."

As she flips the first page, the first picture I see is of my tiny baby body smiling along with Tsuna's crying face. It seems we were total opposites even when we were babies. The next picture is of me gently stroking his head while he's still crying his head off. Whoa, the amount of cuteness blinds me.

The picture after that is a picture of me and two Japanese adults.

"Who are they?"

"They're your parents, don't you remember their faces?"

"Not at all."

So these were my parents, looking brave and courageous. It does trigger some memories but not many. Most of them occurred when I was tiny. A key has unlocked a part of my memory but I'm not sure what else might trigger something.

We flip through the album thoroughly and I make a couple mental notes on what to blackmail Tsuna about if I ever need to…But there were also quite a few embarrassing photos of me. Urgh, why did I come so often to their house?

Soon the room was tinted red and yellow by the sunset outside. The blue hues outside are dancing with reds and yellows along the sky line. The sun is holding hands with the moon as they switch places. I never realised how late it had gotten.

After Nana and I finished flipping through the first album, she directed me to another stack of albums hidden in the cupboard.

How 'bout another time?

SOOOOOOO. Enma is her husband! sakurayukari was correct! Why am I talking in exclamations? Move along, don't mind me.