HEY...

Absolutely not late at all...

I know this should have been updated sooner but I was too caught up in procrastinating all day everyday when my yearlies were over. This chapter was different to how I originally planned it out. BUT ANYHOW it came out okay? :3

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

Chapter 26

"Is that you Enma?"

Her thumping heart competed with the silence. She wished that maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it wasn't them who were carrying the guns the previous time she visited. Maybe it wasn't Enma at all. But the person on the left, looked surprisingly like Tsuna. And she knew for a fact that Enma and Tsuna were close .

Maybe it was him. Maybe it wasn't. Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't.

Random excuses popped into her head for the reason why they looked so similar. Her bubble of hope popped when he next spoke.

"Yeah, I'm Enma."

Her head clouded with millions of theories, reasons and possible answers. Did that mean that she was actually married to Enma? Didn't that make the person on the left Tsuna then?

"How am I married to you?" She blurted out before retracting her tongue.

"You were transported here by a bazooka, correct? It takes you ten years into the future and that's why you can't distinguish us properly. It would be too troublesome explaining everything about our marriage but let's just say that we got closer and poof. Things happened." He replied while smiling familiarly at her.

She felt at ease but also alert. How did things end up like this?

"Then tell me this, why, why the hell are you carrying guns around?"

"It seems like you don't know yet. Should we tell her?" Enma questioned his partner in crime. He nodded after thinking and putting some consideration into his question.

"Okay then. Well, if you say so. I know there's no 'easy' way of saying this so I'll just say it bluntly. We're mafia."

Images of guns, blood and suits flooded through the gates of her mind.

"Holy shit, what the fuck? Mafia as in like killing people and money kind of mafia?"

"No actually our families act like a vigilante group. We don't like harming people unless we are forced into a situation where we have to."

Her head felt dizzy. It was being pried open using force to let her memories escape like butterflies in a jar. There were so many things. She remembered seeing the dreams about the Inheritance Ceremony, seeing her mother die, seeing Tsuna and Enma fight, the fights and the Vindice, Daemon Spade and what seemed like her last memories before the hospital.

Without her noticing, her eyes started to tear up. Everything that had come at her was being absorbed little by little as she stood with her mouth agape and a statue like stiffness.

"Don't you think this is rather odd? It's already been 5 minutes, do you think this is another malfunction in the bazooka?" Tsuna whispered into Enma's ear. His response was a mere nod of the head and his eyes glancing at his watch.

Anna stood like a statue, she was lost for words, lost for thoughts. She couldn't even grasp her memories properly. After being kept in the dark by her friends, it was finally understandable as to why they did so.

"T-then, doesn't that mean that my m-mother died because of you?" she questioned quietly, facing downwards towards the red carpet.

"Possibly. I'm sorry for doing it, being blurred by the illusion of revenge…it isn't enough of an excuse for the people I killed."

"Then, w-where's my father?"

"He, well,…I killed him along with Adelheid after he tried to find us before the Inheritance Ceremony. I'm...sorry."

Staring at her with his crimson eyes, it was hard not to notice the grief in his eyes.

But still, Anna couldn't handle the idea of her parents dying at the hands of him. It was too much to take in that split second and her hand reacted on its own.

He knew that he was accountable for this much. It was somewhat like a bargain in a way.

A slap for murder.

"I'm sorry." He murmured under his breath.

Being so high on anger, he couldn't blame her.

He could still remember how when he was high on anger and vengeance, he'd almost killed the people close to him.

Trying to sooth her in a situation like this was near impossible. She was always stubborn, that was one part of her that hadn't changed in 10 years. So he let her walk away. She needed the time to readjust to reality.

"Are you really going to let her go?" Tsuna's worried face hid the confusion underneath.

" I'm not letting her go. She just needs some time to cool down. We're always going to be connected, whether through this ring or the string of fate."

"I never expected you to be the cheesy type. Still soft at heart as always."

"You should see yourself sometimes Tsuna."

Somewhere on the other side of the building, she was puffing with her hands on her knees. Her hair dropped down to cover her face was tangled and messy after sprinting.

She had told herself not to sprint, but her legs couldn't keep walking at such an unbearable pace. Throwing her hair back, she thumped down a wall. Slowly, she slid down to the ground with her eyes squeezed shut.

She couldn't stop them. She couldn't stop them from overflowing. Her fingers repeatedly rubbed her eyes red whilst she blocked her nose by sniffing too hard. Her breathing was quick like her heart beat. Her vision was blurry with tears and her constantly rubbing hands did not help.

"Tissue?"

The figure of a blurred silhouette bent down in front of her holding a tissue box. It was such a small sign of generosity but she felt immediately better.

She seized two tissues from the box and muttered a quiet thanks. Wiping the majority of her tears away and blowing her nose harshly left her nose irritated and her eyes now dry.

"I don't know what to do. I feel angry just thinking about what Enma did but I feel guilty about slapping him." Anna's voice quivered and cracked midway. "I-I just didn't e-expect it."

"You know he's not a bad guy. He tried killing us once but that was because he was basically possessed." The figure sat down beside her. It had been easy to distinguish that it was a male beforehand but he sounded so familiar as well.

"Yeah that's what I'm talking about. I'm not sure what to do. Part of me wants to scream at him but part of me wants to say sorry." Her hair fell forward as she pinched her eyes.

"I still remember you when you were like this. Like me. Naïve and innocent. The one thing that you have to learn is that, people die and you can't go avenging or mourning them forever. You've got to let go. I know it's hard. But once you stop mourning, you can start focusing on your future." His voice was steady but it seemed melancholic. Like reminiscing a painful memory.

"…" She didn't know how to respond to such saddening words. She never wanted to let go of her parents. They were her parents after all. The same people which raised her. Maybe they weren't her biological ones but they were just as caring. After looking back at her newly regained memories, she could still see those tiny acts of love, that tiny sparkle in their eyes when they saw her, that smile that was their last.

"You're not cutting ties. You aren't cutting a bond. You're just letting them go happily…because, well, it's a bittersweet ending, right?" His tone was warm and soothing. The turmoil inside of her began calming down and she was able to start thinking properly.

Still, when she closed her eyes, she could remember everything. Like it happened in that split second. But it was gone, quick as lightning.

"Yeah, maybe I should try…"Twiddling her thumbs together, a sigh escaped from her. She thanked him and just as he was about to leave (to do more work), she tugged on his sleeve.

"I should probably know your name, shouldn't I? Mr…"

"Call me Yamamoto. I guess I should be going back to do paperwork, want me to take you back to Tsuna's office? It's on the way to mine."

"T-thank you for helping. I'm sorry if I'm being a bother, it's kind of like a part time job." He lifted her up to her feet and held onto her if she was about to stumble. He knew that feeling all too clearly.

"No worries. Nice seeing you so young again, Anna."

As they walked to Tsuna's office, they began recalling stupid stories that everyone had been involved in. From Tsuna not being able to crack eggs properly to Gokudera accidently throwing an explosive at a tree which then rebounded back at him.

Finally, they stood at Tsuna's door. Awkwardly fidgeting, she didn't even know whether or not he was in there. Her hand hesitated to knock when suddenly it opened.

" Reborn what are you do-? Oh I didn't see you there Anna. Come in, come in, I was just having a chat with Reborn and Enma."

A light nudge pushed me into the room and she turned to see Yamamoto's retreating form and the closing door. Then, she recognised a glint in a certain baby's eyes. She nervously tugged the corners of her lips into a smile and sat down in the closest seat she could find.

Unfortunately it seemed like the hardest and most stubborn chair in the room. Why.

"How long does she have left in the future Tsuna?" A toddler like voice asked. When it became obvious that he didn't know, he earned a kick to the head and to her, it felt normal.

"I-I'll check with-"

"Not good enough!"

"Bu-but how am I meant to know when the bazooka malfunctioned on its own…" Oh if looks could kill.

"Did you talk back to me?"

"N-n-no!"

"After training you, you still haven't learnt your lesson Dame Tsuna."

"Hie! R-reborn, please think rationally!"

"Are you telling the greatest hit man in the world to 'think rationally'?"

Tsuna tried to make a mad dash for the door but of course Reborn's reflexes weren't something to trifle with. And it seems that he had a trip wire planned out perfectly as well. Amazing right?

Discreetly, she stood up and plopped herself onto the sofa. Next to her sat Enma who tried to cover a laugh with a cough in hopes that Reborn wouldn't kill him next. Her eyes traveled upwards towards his left cheek and noticed a slight red tinge where she had slapped him.

Immediate regret coursed through her. Though she was angry, she hadn't needed to go that far.

She hurriedly mumbled a sorry but he hadn't noticed. The chaos in the room was too loud especially with Tsuna's yelps of pain every time he tried escaping.

So she tried again, a tiny bit louder. His head tilted towards her and he smiled. Gently he entwined their hands together with no hope of ever wanting to let go.

"I'm sorry too, that you had to go through that. I hope you can forgive me later on in your future."

Maybe it was his eyes. Maybe it was his smile. Maybe it was his gently hands. But all at once it felt like she had been stabbed a thousand times in the heart by Cupid.

And like how she came, she went back to her own time without warning.

"She's back! You were gone for half an hour! Everyone was really worried that you wouldn't come back at all." Faces crowded her view of where she was. So…she laid there like an awkward turtle for 5 minutes after everyone fussed over her.

"Huh? Why are you crying Anna?" Smooth fingers wiped away her tears. She stared into his crimson eyes for a second and everything that happened in the future came flooding back to her.

Abruptly she stood up, stumbling before she clumsily made her way to the bathroom. Trying to keep balance with tears in her eyes was a feat in itself.

Water splashed onto her face. Grabbing hold of the sink, she took a glimpse of her reflection. Pale complexion, bloodshot eyes and a nose like Rudolph.

"A-are you okay?" Enma's face appeared like magic in the corner of the mirror.

Hurriedly, she grabbed a towel and dried off her face. Too scared to face him as she was, she tried to push past him. Sadly he stood in the middle of the doorway.

" You look much paler than when I saw you at my place. You sure you're okay?" His brows furrowed together in an odd manner. Typically, she'd laugh but right now she just wasn't feeling all too well.

"Yeah, I should probably continue with Tsuna's lesson. Otherwise, Reborn's going to kill me." She weaved around him and made her way back. "And you should make your way back home too, Adelheid and Kaoru are probably really worried about where you are."

"Mhmm. If you say so…"

*An hour later*

"AHH! I get it know. You just have to do this and move that to the right side!"

Tsuna's tutoring was finally over. It was only Tsuna and Anna left, everyone else had gone home for dinner seeing as it was 7:30pm.

"Tsu-kun, Anna-chan! Dinner time!" Rushing out of the room, she bolted down the stairs towards a steaming hot dinner.

" It smells...nice." Her stomach growled in response. Of course, she could hear Tsuna's stomach grumbling as well.

"You look a little pale Anna-chan…"

"I'm fine, just a bit hungry!"

It was obvious that Nana hadn't believed her. Even with a smile and a sparkly aura surrounding her, she knew something was off but she brushed it aside for now. For Anna, it was a relief to not be questioned.

Shoving her dinner down her throat, she finished in the span of a second.

…

Of course not literally. That would be utterly crazy.

" Gochiso sama (thanks for the feast/meal)"

It was enjoyable to be in the company of people but she wanted some peace and quiet. Escaping off to her room, she leaped onto her mushy bed. Snuggling within her blankets, she dozed off.

That night, she dreamt of her parents in the past. In that dream, she remembered seeing them being torn from her after they engulfed her in a bundle of arms.

When she woke in the middle of the night, tears were still running down her face. Her hiccups weren't stopping either.

Curling into a ball of blankets, she forced herself to stop crying and to doze off into sleep until the sky was light again.

I'm not too sure about this but I know that the end is approaching. I'm thinking about possibly ending this in the next few chapters. Of course, being me, I might drag it on for a little bit longer if I can't fit everything into those few chapters. :)