Hi, everyone! I am so so sorry to have kept you guys waiting so long on this update. It's been a pretty hectic mess of things, from summer camps to illnesses to holidays and vacations and finals. Due to various reasons (not all of which I completely understand), I had a pretty rough bout of acute depression, which made it rather difficult to find the energy and motivation to continue this story, despite how much I wanted to.
After experiencing that, I just wanted to pass this message along to all of my readers: If you ever feel like you're suffering from depression, even if it hasn't been officially diagnosed or you don't feel like you have any "legitimate" reasons to feel that way, my inbox is always, always open. No matter who you are or what your situation is, I'm more than happy to talk it out with you. I'm far from having figured it all out myself, but talking and discussing it openly is definitely one of the things that I've found the most helpful, so I'd like to make myself available as such a resource. Please don't be afraid to reach out!
Alright, now that I've gotten that out there, I won't put this off any longer! Here's Chapter 12! Hope you enjoy it!
"It should be just up ahead," Yamamoto announced with grin, folding up the map as he fell into a light jog, the rest of them following along behind him.
"Oh. It's…bigger than I expected it to be," Tsuna murmured as the edge of the park finally came into view.
What a massive understatement.
He thought it would be a simple matter of just walking across the street to reach the large expanse of grass and trees – but once they got there, Yamamoto lifted the map back up, had them turn right, and continued walking.
And walking.
And walking.
Tsuna was admittedly not very good at English, but numbers were a sort of universal constant between languages, so he was at least able to read the street signs as they passed by:
70th St…69th St…68th St…67th St…66th St…
He had never heard of a park being larger than a block or two, yet they had already walked through five, and the greenery still showed no signs of ending anytime soon.
"Oi, Baseball Freak, where are you taking us?" Gokudera finally growled as they turned left, leaving behind the streets and their signs, along with any recognizable landmarks. They were headed into the "park", which was beginning to look more like a forest. As much as he hated doubting his friend, Tsuna had to breathe out a small sigh of relief as the bomber said exactly what had been on his own mind.
"Hm?" Yamamoto glanced over the top of the map to look at them. "The meeting place. Did you already forget?"
"Don't give me that crap, we've been walking for at least twenty minutes now! You're the one with the map, so where the hell are we?"
"The park."
"You said the park was back there!"
"It was!" The affirmation was said with such a confident grin that even Gokudera had a hard time disbelieving it. But that didn't mean he did believe it. "Ah, well, I mean…it is!"
"Tch! If you're lost, just say you're lost already!"
"Mm, but I don't think we are! These directions are actually pretty straightforward – we turned on 65th back there, right? Here, look," Turning around, Yamamoto held the map out so the other two could look over his shoulders as he pointed to their destination. "This is where we're headed. We turned back there, and we crossed the street back here…"
"Wait," Tsuna interrupted, reaching across to trace something with his fingertip. "Is that the park?"
"I think so."
"The green? That whole thing is a park?" Tsuna could hardly believe his eyes – it had to stretch across nearly fifty blocks. "Is…is it an amusement park, or something?"
"Maybe?" Yamamoto looked equally confused as he scratched the back of his head. "I don't see any rides, though. I think it might just be a normal park."
"Are they normally this big?" He looked up to stare at his friends with wide eyes, like an infant that had just discovered something for the first time.
"I've never seen one like it," Gokudera replied with an expression of befuddlement, Yamamoto nodding in agreement beside him.
"What about you, Yuri? Have you seen a park like this before in Italy?" Tsuna turned to ask the girl, who had been trailing several feet behind them; her fingers were wrapped tightly around the hood of Ryohei's coat, dragging him along slowly as he stubbornly tried to run in every other possible direction. Glancing up briefly, she just shrugged and gave a vague grunt before turning her attention back to the boxer.
"Oi, answer the Tenth properly when he asks you a question, woman!" Gokudera berated, making Tsuna flinch.
"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like to take over babysitting duty?" She snapped back. "I will gladly give the boss my undivided attention if you'd like to come grab this child. That is, if you can hold onto him for five minutes without bashing his skull in, Mr. Short Fuse."
From the moment he had set eyes on the edge of the park, Ryohei had begun desperately trying to take off on one of his runs while yelling something about "extreme training grounds". They quickly discovered only Yuri and Yamamoto had both the endurance and patience required to keep him on a tight rein when he refused to back down. Since Yamamoto had been in charge of the map, the job had fallen into her hands by default.
"Oi…" Gokudera growled threateningly, the muscles around his eyes twitching in anger, but she was unimpressed.
"What? You wanna fight?" Lifting her arms defiantly, she beckoned at him, daring him to make a move. "I can do this with one hand, let's go." This seemed to catch the boxer's attention, as he stopped struggling and turned to stare at them eagerly over his shoulder.
"Extremely well said, Yuri! Spoken like a true boxer!"
"Settle down, settle, settle," Yamamoto broke into the commotion, holding Gokudera back as the bomber took a step towards the pair with an angry curse on his lips. "We're not lost, and we're almost there, that's all that matters! We'll be late if we don't keep moving, though!"
"Ah, that's right," Tsuna agreed, sagging with relief as the tension slowly dissipated. He never knew when they were going to cause a ruckus, and he really didn't want to get arrested for being a public nuisance. Something told him Reborn wouldn't exactly be willing to help them out of that situation; the hitman hadn't even been willing to tag along on this particular trip. Tsuna couldn't help wondering if the he might actually be getting tired of them.
"Ah, see? There it is!" Tsuna glanced up as Yamamoto broke into a run, pointing at a red brick fixture up ahead.
"That's a carousel?" His confusion dissipated as they drew closer, a distinct entrance and exit coming into view. "Oh, wow," He breathed as they all came to a stop and gathered in front of the entrance. Judging by the locked gate and the empty ticket booth, it wasn't quite open for business yet. "That's a big carousel."
"…Is that all it does?" Yuri asked, her face donning a confused frown as she peeked past the gate, eyeing the stationary horses within.
"Huh? You don't-?" Tsuna cut himself short as he watched her. Of course, with her personality, she looked more skeptical than anything; but there was a certain wide-eyed curiosity to her that reminded him of a toddler at its first festival.
She's never seen one before, He realized.
"Well, it's off right now," Yamamoto took over. "Usually it's all lit up, and there's circus music playing on a loop, and it spins around and around and around while the horses go up and down."
"That…sounds awful."
"It's really not!" Yamamoto laughed. "If it opens up, why don't we ask Kazuo-sempai if we can all take a ride?"
"Pass," Yuri immediately declined, jutting her palm towards him. "Speaking of, where is your friend?"
"He did say to meet at ten. It looks like we're right on time," Yamamoto replied, glancing down at his watch. "Well, don't worry, I'm sure he'll show up-"
His words stuttered to a startled stop as a pair of hands suddenly appeared from behind him, covering up his eyes.
While everyone else let out vague sounds of surprise and instinctively dropped into defensive positions, a pair of bright blue eyes peeked over his shoulder, shining with a playful sort of mischief.
"Peek-a-boo!" A bright, peppy voice sang out. It was unmistakably female. "Guess who?"
Yamamoto's mouth hung open in confusion as he tried to see what was going on around him. After a moment, he turned his head towards whoever was behind him, despite his eyes still being covered.
"…M…Miyuki?"
"Pin pon!" His mouth stretched into a wide grin as the hands fell away from his face, and a petite girl bounced out from behind him. "Exactly right, and on the first try too! Takeppi continues to impress, even after four years!"
"And you're still using those embarrassing nicknames, even after four years?"
"They are not embarrassing! No one ever calls me Miyucchi since we moved to the states."
"Because it's embarrassing!"
"So you won't say it, then? Ah, now I'm getting all nostalgic – you've grown crueler over the years."
Yamamoto laughed as she pouted, pulling her into a one arm hug that resembled a headlock and grinding the knuckles of his free hand into her scalp, ignoring her shrieking protests.
"Ah, stop, stop!" She was laughing as well, despite the minor bullying she was being subjected to. "Give, I give!"
"It's good to see you again, Miyucchi." Yamamoto said as he finally released her.
"That's more like it," She looked impressively absorbed in the task of fixing her hair, meticulously placing every stray black strand back into the neat bob she had originally arrived with, pushing it all back in place with a thick headband.
"So," Once satisfied with her work, she turned and eyed the rest of the group curiously, who had been standing aside quietly and trying to keep their confused mutterings to a minimum. "Who all do we have here?"
"Ah, sorry," Yamamoto exclaimed, suddenly remembering everyone that had accompanied him there. "I'm being rude – everyone, this is Kazuo-sempai's younger sister, Miyuki."
"Hello!" Stepping forward with a bright smile, she gave them a polite little nod.
"And Miyu, these are my close friends from middle school. This is Tsuna – he's really amazing, and he's done a lot for me over the years, so treat him well!"
"Ah, eh, no, I-I'm not-! Th-that is, uh," Tsuna's face grew a bright shade of red at Yamamoto's praise, dipping into a low bow to hide his embarrassment. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi; I-it's nice to meet you!"
"My goodness, he's adorable…" He could hear her murmuring under her breath, which only made his face redden further.
"And this is Gokudera," Yamamoto continued, oblivious to Tsuna's plight. "He's originally from Italy, you know!"
"Really? You must be well traveled!" Miyu stared at him with wide-eyed admiration, though her expression morphed into one of amusement when he replied with little more than a noncommittal grunt. "Quite the tough guy you've got there, Yamamoto."
"Right?" The swordsman laughed, drawing an indignant 'Oi!' from the bomber. "That's Sasagawa Ryohei back there – he's our upperclassman. Oh, and also a boxer!"
"IT'S EXTREMELY NICE TO MEET YOU," Was his enthusiastic reply, making her take a startled step back.
"He can…take a bit of getting used to," Tsuna added, but she just laughed and replied, "I like the energy!"
"And finally," Yamamoto smoothly steered the conversation towards their final introduction. "This is Yuriko. We only just met her more recently, but she's already a good friend."
"It's a pleasure," She greeted softly, dipping her head respectfully.
"Oh gosh," Miyu murmured in response. "You're beautiful."
"…" The liberated assassin could only blink in response to that. "I…what?"
"Ah, sorry," Miyu let out a nervous giggle. "I can get a little ahead of myself sometimes. Ooh, I'm just so excited to meet you all! I hope we can all be friends!" She gave an excited little wiggle at that. "I can tell this big ol' baseball nut holds you all in really high esteem."
Glancing over at Yamamoto, her grin was suddenly replaced with a quizzical little frown. Taking a step back, she leaned in to examine the Shigure Kintoki strapped to his back, poking and prodding at the bamboo slats.
"Is that a shinai? You've taken up kendo, then? Really? You must be pretty serious too, if you're even carrying this around with you…" She gave him a fierce scowl. "Don't tell me I need to start calling you an ex-baseball nut. You haven't dropped baseball, have you?"
"What are you talking about?" Yamamoto laughed as though she had just told a hilarious joke. "Of course not!"
"Oh, good," She breathed out a genuine sigh of relief, backing away once he had given her that reassurance. "You would have broken Kazu-nii's heart if you told him that."
"Ah, right!" Yamamoto suddenly exclaimed, remembering their original intent. "Where is he, anyways? He said to meet here – I didn't even realize you'd be coming along too!"
She blinked twice, giving him a blank look of confusion.
"…He didn't tell you?"
"Huh? Tell me what?"
"…Oh. Right. I probably should have expected that." She shook her head, looking mildly annoyed. "Something came up at the last minute, so he asked me to come meet you guys in his place. We'll be able to meet up with him in a few hours. In the meantime, though, are you guys hungry?"
"W-well," Yamamoto gave a sheepish smile as his stomach rumbled quietly at the mention of food. "We had a little bit to eat for breakfast, but I was so excited I kind of skipped out."
"You also forced us all to leave part way through the meal since you were so worried about being late!" Gokudera scolded.
"Well that's perfect, then!" Miyu interrupted, happily clapping her hands together. "I know a great little restaurant just a few blocks from here, it should be less than a ten minute walk. Let me treat you all to an early lunch!"
"Come on, you don't have to do that," Yamamoto immediately began trying to protest, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.
"Nonsense! I'm more than happy to, and you know I'll only get angry if you don't let me. Just consider it a little 'Welcome to New York' gift! Now let's get all those feet in gear, before I have to start listening to any more protests."
Pivoting lightly on her heel, the pixyish girl took off towards the nearest street with a literal bounce in her step. She was practically skipping along, though she was surprisingly quick, and the others found themselves struggling to keep up with her pace.
"Has she…always been like that?" Tsuna asked, falling into step beside Yamamoto.
"Mm…pretty much. She hasn't gotten any less eccentric, either," The swordsman chuckled, pointing out Miyu's brightly patterned outfit. "I remember she used to wear these tutus to class that were covered in glitter. Eventually the teachers had to make her stop, because she was leaving behind a trail of glitter everywhere she went. The school was starting to look like a snow globe."
"You were in the same class?"
"For one year. We're in the same grade, but it was a small elementary school, so it didn't really matter – everyone knew each other. I only got to know her so well because of Kazuo-sempai, though. People tended to keep their distance from her back then."
"Eh? Why?" She had come across a little strongly, but she was so friendly that Tsuna couldn't imagine anyone disliking her.
"I don't really know, actually," Yamamoto seemed legitimately confused by the memory. "I guess they all just thought she was kind of strange?"
"Or annoying," Gokudera grumbled under his breath, earning a light smack to the back of his head.
"Play nice," Yuri hissed behind him.
"So how did you end up-?" Tsuna cut himself off abruptly as Miyu glanced at them over her shoulder, turning around to approach them again.
"Sorry, am I walking too quickly?" She apologized. "You tend to set the pace a bit fast when you live in a city like this."
"Hey, don't underestimate us," Yamamoto's response was instantaneous, a competitive glint in his eyes. "We can keep up with any pace you set."
"Oh? I know that look. That's a challenge, isn't it? We haven't even spent an hour together and you're already challenging me to a race. Unbelievable," She scoffed, shaking her head. "Save it for my brother, please. The restaurant's just across the street over there, and I'm not wearing the right shoes for running right now."
"Are you wearing heels?" Yamamoto leaned over to get a closer look at her feet. "Oh! You are! I just thought you had grown since I last saw you."
"Hey!" She protested. "I have! Geez, I try to look nice and this is what I get…" She grumbled, but almost immediately got over it. "Okay, okay, enough talk! Let's get some food into you all!"
Leading them across the street, she took them past several small shops and boutiques before turning towards one of the entrances covered by a red awning and pulling the door open for them.
"I hope you all like Italian," She said as they filed in, holding up six fingers to indicate their party size as a waiter approached. He guided them to the back of the room deftly, weaving between rows of closely packed tables and chairs, before getting them seated and passing out several menus.
"It's pretty fancy for a place that's so…small," Tsuna remarked, taking his spot between Gokudera and Yuri. The establishment was lit by what looked like candles suspended from the ceiling, while each table was adorned with live roses, gleaming silverware, and large wine glasses.
"Manhattan isn't exactly known for its spaciousness," Miyu replied, lifting a cold glass of water to her lips. "You're not going to find many spots around here that offer a lot of leg room. That's no reflection on their quality though, the food here is phenomenal. Go ahead and order whatever you guys want; like I said, it's on me!"
Despite their attempts to shrug off the offer, she continued to insist with an impressively stubborn attitude, and they eventually gave in, turning their attention to the menus in front of them. They must have looked like a band of conspirators, all leaning in towards the center of the table to compare dishes and prices as Miyu worked to translate everything for them to the best of her ability.
When the waiter returned to take their order, she rattled off the long list of dishes and beverages as quickly as she could, finishing up with a sheepish smile as he struggled to get everything down. The two of them repeated the order back to each other a few times, making sure nothing was missed, forgotten, or left out.
"Thank you again, Nomiya-san," Tsuna repeated once the waiter had distributed their drinks and left. "This is too generous."
"It's nothing," She waved him off quickly. "The prices here are really manageable, don't worry about it. And don't be so formal, it feels strange to be called by my surname. Just call me Miyu."
"Th-then…thank you, Miyu," Tsuna corrected himself hesitantly, not used to addressing others on such familiar terms quite so quickly.
Pushing the vase of flowers aside from the center of the table, she lifted her glass with a bright grin and said, "I'm really happy to be able to do this, so just relax and enjoy it! Cheers!"
"Cheers," The others echoed, lifting their own glasses and clinking the rims against each other.
"So!" She clapped her hands together as they set their glasses down, leaning forward eagerly. "You haven't told me yet – what's bringing all of you to the states in the first place?"
"Ah, that's…" Yamamoto trailed off as he remembered their original purpose, as well as the fact that they hadn't yet devised a cover story. He gave Tsuna and Gokudera a nervous glance, neither of whom were any more prepared for the sudden question.
"Hm?" Miyu continued to stare expectantly as a heavy silence began to stretch out between them.
"Business internship," Yuri finally cut in, looking down as she unfolded her napkin and spread it out on her lap.
"Ooh. What does that involve?"
"We're just learning the trade, for now. The company has several branches around the world that offer…economic consultation and small private protection firms."
"Wow…that's impressive! I barely understand what that even means, but it sure sounds professional! How did you all end up getting gigs like that? I can barely hold down a part time job over here."
"Oh, um…I just got lucky, I guess – circumstances. I was working a low level job at one of the smaller branches, which is how I met these guys. I was…fortunate enough to be recruited into a better position once Boss ca-" She faltered as she caught her own mistake a second too late.
"Boss?" Miyu tilted her head questioningly, leaning back into her seat as their food arrived.
"That is…I mean, uh…" Stammering, Yuri quickly grabbed a bread stick and began tearing small pieces off, cramming them into her mouth as she tried to stall.
"You must have been really hungry," Miyu murmured, watching with raised eyebrows as she pushed the bread basket closer to the girl. "By all means, get something into your stomach first."
"She's talking about Tsuna," Yamamoto jumped in with a small laugh. Now that Yuri had stalled for a bit, the rest of them had gotten the chance to their wits back about them. "Technically, we work under him. He got us all of our positions."
"Really?" Miyu's eyes widened as she turned to look at their young 'employer'. "How did you manage that?"
"I, uh…" Tsuna swallowed, not having expected to be put on the spot so suddenly. "I…put in a good word…I guess…?"
"The Tenth is the successor," Gokudera jumped in, making the announcement with a bit too much pride.
"Tenth?" Miyu gave them another quizzical stare. "You guys sure do have odd nicknames for him."
"It's because he'll be the tenth generation to inherit the company name," Yuri explained, still recovering from a breadstick eaten too quickly. "There are plenty of fanatics within the company that refer to him as such."
"It sounds like you're living quite a glamorous life," Miyu chuckled. "You'll have to tell me more about what it's like to be a company heir."
"Y…yeah. I'll be sure to," Tsuna promised half-heartedly.
"Ah, but enough about us," Yamamoto took notice of Tsuna's discomfort and cut in, giving the rest of them an opportunity to start in on the meal. "I want to know what you guys have been up to since you moved!"
"If you're looking for exciting tales of life in the big city, you're out of luck," She reached out, took a piece of calamari between slender fingers. "We rented out a small apartment, enrolled in the schools that were closest to us, made some friends, made some enemies. You know, standard fare."
"Enemies?" The notion was more than a little surprising. "Really?"
"Well, we hadn't really wanted to move at the time. Kazu-nii got into a lot of fights at school during our first year here. I…may have played a couple of mean spirited pranks on some girls in my class that I didn't quite get along with."
"You did?"
"In my defense, they started it. But dad convinced us to find outlets, you know? Extra-curricular activities and such."
"You still do ballet, then?"
"I take classes on occasion, but I'm not very serious about it. I do it to stay flexible and keep in shape more than anything – otherwise, I kind of hate it. It's because of one of those recitals that I got scouted out, though, so I guess those years of practice weren't completely useless."
"Scouted?"
"It sounds kind of neat when I say it like that, doesn't it? It was really more of a happy coincidence than anything, though. My old ballet teacher's brother is a figure skating coach, and I caught his eye when he came to one of our recitals. He asked me to stop in at the rink and give skating a shot."
"And you liked it?"
"It's practically all I do these days." She grinned widely, leaving little doubt that she was passionate about the art.
"And Kazuo-sempai turned to baseball?"
"Of course."
Yamamoto laughed, "I bet he's improved a lot, right? He was always so focused."
"Yeah…" There was hesitation in her voice. "Naturally."
"By the way, what kept him from showing up today?"
"Hm..." She hummed thoughtfully, dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "I think I'll just let you see for yourself."
"Huh?" Yamamoto blinked, brow creasing. "Did something happen?"
"Be patient," She smiled reassuringly and pushed her chair out. "I'm going to grab the bill, and we can get going as soon as you're all done eating. You can ask him yourself once we get there."
"Where are we going?"
She hesitated for a moment before answering him.
"The hospital."
Despite being places of healing, hospitals seemed oddly designed to breed discomfort and tension. The white walls and linoleum floors, the sharp but indistinguishable scents, the dozens and dozens of white lab coats walking around…all of it was distinctly unsettling rather than reassuring.
"She just decided to keep this from you?" Gokudera muttered as Miyu lead them into the sterilized establishment. "Seems suspicious."
"I wasn't expecting a tour of the hospital right after lunch," Tsuna agreed quietly, giving Yamamoto a concerned glance. "Are you worried?"
"Nah," True enough, his usual relaxed smile was plastered firmly on the swordsman's face. "Miyu doesn't seem all that bothered. I'm sure it's nothing big, and she must have her reasons for keeping it to herself. She probably didn't want to make us worry. She's just got that kind of personality, you know? They both do."
"Ah, that makes sense. I'm sure you're right," As always, Yamamoto was a reassuring presence, even though he was the only one that would be directly affected by the situation.
"Alright, alright, enough of the conspiratorial whispering back there," Miyu turned to face them as she pulled one of the hallway doors open, gesturing into the room. "Come on in – I'll bet he's excited to see you!"
With an impish grin, she crept in, motioning for them to follow her. As Yamamoto poked his head in, his eyes only found an empty bed and a curtain beside it, but he heard a familiar voice coming from the other side of the curtain.
"Oh, Miyu! You ended up coming? You know you didn't have to do that."
"Stop being an idiot. Of course I came."
"Of course," A lively laugh. "So? Did you meet Takeshi and his friends? Did that punk really get taller?"
"What are you asking me for? Your eyes still work, don't they?"
"…huh?"
Yamamoto grinned sheepishly as a new pair of eyes suddenly caught him staring.
His shoulders had broadened, his voice had deepened, his facial features had grown more chiseled – but the boy lying in that bed was unmistakably Yamamoto's childhood friend, and he wouldn't have been able to smother his own excitement even if he had wanted to.
"Yo! It's been awhile, Sempai!"
"Oi, oi, oi, who's this beanpole?! I sure don't recognize him! Miyu, did you bring a weirdo with you?"
"C-come on, Sempai…" Yamamoto chuckled nervously as Miyu swatted her brother over the head with a folded piece of paper.
"Geez, he comes all this way to visit, and this is how you greet him?" She scolded. "Do it properly!"
"Okay, okay, alright! I give!" The older boy laughed, throwing his arms up in surrender as she continued the weak attack. "I'm just kidding, come on!"
Grinning, he reached a hand out to Yamamoto, beckoning him over. Once he was within range, Kazuo pulled him down into a one armed hug, clapping him on the shoulder several times.
"What are you doing here?" Yamamoto finally asked as they pulled apart. "Sports injury?"
"Ah, you know how it goes. The boys can get rough out on the field sometimes! I'll be back on my feet in no time, though!" The two of them laughed, one oblivious to Miyu's glowering, the other ignoring it. "So tell me, do the heads poking out of the curtains over there belong to your friends?"
There was a soft collection of grunts and curses as the three boys pulled back hastily, the sounds punctuated by an exasperated sigh.
"What are you guys doing?" Yuri grumbled, slamming her shoulder into their backs and forcing them forward.
"Right, you guys still have to meet each other!" Sheepishly, they shuffled over to Yamamoto's side and briefly reenacted their introductions from earlier that morning.
"Man, you all came to visit me?" Kazuo asked once they finished, waving his hand in embarrassment. "That's too much, way too much! Here, pull some more chairs up! They've got several collapsible ones in the corner over there. I'm sure you've got a lot of stories to tell, right?"
As the boys settled down together, Yuri hung back, watching them for a moment before retreating back into the hallway and taking a seat just outside the door.
A couple minutes later, Miyu's head poked out.
"You're not going to join them, Yuri-chan?"
"No," She pulled her knees up to her chest, cringing at the honorific. "And leave that 'chan' off my name. It feels weird."
"Hmm…then, Yuri – you're not from Japan, are you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"I'd just call it a hunch, I guess," Smiling, Miyu pranced out of the room and joined her, sliding down against the wall. "You just seem kind of different from those boys. But don't worry, I won't pry."
"That would be best."
"Mm. Just one thing, though. If I leave the honorific off your name, you have to do the same for me. Deal?"
"…I think I can handle that." Yuri startled slightly as Miyu suddenly reached out and grabbed her hands, grinning from ear to ear.
"Then that means we're friends, right?"
"Huh?"
"Calling people without honorifics usually means you're close to them, right? I know we actually barely know each other, but we can still be friends, right?"
"Ah…yeah. I guess so." Yuri was surprised by her own response, but then again, she had never found herself in a situation quite like this. Besides, though she'd never say it aloud, having someone call her a 'friend' felt really…nice.
"I'm glad," The expression on Miyu's face was so sincere, Yuri felt the urge to look away out of sheer embarrassment. "Thank you, Yuri."
"What, do…do you not have any friends or something?"
"Huh? No, I…Oi. That's not really something you ask someone."
"Are you sure?"
"You're kind of strange, aren't you?"
"Shouldn't that be my line?"
Miyu giggled, but didn't respond.
After a moment, Yuri spoke up again.
"Can I ask you a question, then?"
"Of course!"
"You're not telling Yamamoto the truth, are you?"
Miyu didn't even look surprised, just sad, "Why do you say that?"
"I'd just call it a hunch," Yuri laced her fingers behind her head, casually spitting the line back at her. "I won't pry. But I will say this: if something bad had happened to someone I cared about, I'd want to know."
"…I'll keep that in mind."
Yuri nodded silently, lifting a hand as Tsuna and Gokudera suddenly poked their heads out as well.
"Ah, you're out here?" Tsuna looked relieved.
Yuri was already getting to her feet, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Tsuna responded just as Gokudera jutted his thumb back towards the room and growled out, "Turf-top and that other baseball nut have more in common than they thought."
Creeping forward on her hands and knees, Yuri peeked back into the room, straining her ears to pick up the conversation. As it turned out, that was an unnecessary measure.
"So you have a younger sister too?!" Kazuo was laughing. "Aren't they adorable? Especially when they were tiny! Being an older brother is the best!"
"Extremely! Kyoko was the cutest baby in the world!"
"Somehow…" Tsuna murmured thoughtfully. "It doesn't really surprise me that those two would hit it off so easily."
"Mm…" Yuri hummed in agreement, her lips twitching into a small smirk as Ryohei brought up Kyoko again. It was really very sweet seeing just how much he cared about his sister. "Hey, this Kyoko girl he's talking about – do you know her?"
Tsuna's face immediately grew so hot he may as well have been lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Ah. I see." Yuri had her answer before he could even try to reply. "She must be cute."
An elated gasp was the only warning Yuri had before a set of hands suddenly clamped down on her shoulders and pushed her out of sight, "You have a crush?!"
"Not much tact in this one, is there?" Yuri grunted from under Miyu.
To Tsuna's great relief, the conversation within the room took a turn that suddenly dominated the girl's attention.
"Let me tell you about this time when Miyu was four," Kazuo's exuberant voice drifted out.
"Whoa, no no no, stop right there!" Again, Yuri was shoved aside roughly as Miyu struggled to her feet. "I'm going to have to crash this party! Once Kazu-nii gets started, he's like one of those mothers that pulls out the family photo album and points out all of the embarrassing ones where you're tiny, naked, and probably covered in cake. Nope, nope, nope, stop right there!"
"Did I seriously just tell that girl I'd be friends with her?" Yuri grumbled under her breath as she pushed herself back up, waving aside Tsuna's concern. "I can't keep up with that…"
"Aw, come on," Kazuo was whining as they rejoined the rest of the gang back in the room. "Just let me tell one little story, a teeny tiny really super short one? It's not embarrassing, I swear!"
"No way!"
"I'd like to hear it," Yamamoto said supportively. "It's probably not as-"
"You're just as bad as him!" She pointed an accusatory finger. "Besides, you know all of them already!"
"Not all of them," Kazuo whispered, eyebrows waggling mischievously.
"You may as well just ask me to punch myself." Miyu groaned, covering her face. "Hey, we have a bona fide boxer in our midst! Why don't you ask him, just to really hammer your point home?"
"Alright, calm down," He chuckled, beckoning her over. "Come over here, squirt."
"What is it with you and those demeaning nicknames?" She complained, making her way around to the other side of his bed. When he reached out and grabbed her hand, though, her demeanor softened quickly.
"Thanks for bringing them over, Miyu. This has been fun." He grinned broadly as he turned to the rest of them, and the resemblance between the siblings was suddenly far more pronounced. "But you guys are in New York! Come on, don't spend your time here cooped up in this depressing old room with me – go out and see the sights, get to know the city a little better!"
"But-" Yamamoto was quick to protest, his words quickly followed by others', but they went ignored as Kazuo turned back to his sister.
"Can I count on you to get them outta here?"
"Right now? We've barely spent any time with you."
"There'll be plenty more chances."
"Fine, fine," She sighed, leaning down to peck him on the cheek. "Expect us to be in here on a daily basis. I'll smuggle in some real food for you tomorrow."
"You're the best," Pulling her hand closer, he pressed her knuckles to his lips briefly before releasing her. "Now get out, you dweebs."
"No need to resort to name calling," Yamamoto chuckled as he stood up hesitantly. "We'll visit you again."
"Definitely!" Ryohei agreed energetically.
"Come on, come on," Miyu grabbed their arms, pulling them towards the door. "He won't admit it, but he needs his beauty sleep."
"Oi!" Her brother protested.
"It's true – he gets ugly if he sleeps less than twelve hours a day, it's horrifying. His face gets all droopy and his hands get wrinkly and he actually starts to lose hair!"
"Out!" He laughed, tossing a pillow at her with significant force.
"I-it was nice to meet you!" Tsuna struggled to get a word in edgewise between the banter and Miyu's ushering, Gokudera and Yuri following his lead in dipping their heads respectfully. He could just see the bedbound boy lifting his hand with a wistful smile on his face before Miyu shut the door behind them.
"So, that was fun and mildly traumatizing!" She said with a sardonic grin, clapping her hands together. "But he's right, there's a lot more of New York that you have to see! We've still got several hours before the sun sets – is there anything you guys wanted to do in particular?"
While the others began humming thoughtfully, Ryohei was the first to come up with a suggestion, "An extreme climb up the tallest building!"
"Empire State Building," She was impressively unfazed. "Check!"
"W-wait," Tsuna was apprehensive. "You're not…serious?"
She just winked at him and said, "Anything else?"
"That big green statue is here, right?" She couldn't help laughing at Yamamoto's eloquent description.
"The Statue of Liberty, yeah. It's probably too late to take any of the ferries out to Ellis Island or Staten Island today, though –we should probably stick to the Manhattan area, but I'll make sure to take you guys some other time! Besides those…" Crossing her arms, she looked down in thought. "Well, you guys have only seen a fraction of Central Park. There's also Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Downtown, some museums…" Her eyes widened as she ticked them off on her fingers.
"That…sounds like a lot."
"Yeah, we need to get moving," Spreading her arms out, she began shuffling forward, steering them towards the exit. "Big day ahead of you! Chop chop, let's go go go!"
"I'm not sure whether I should feel excited or terrified," Tsuna said, twisting around to look at her.
"Don't worry, once we get started, you'll be too busy and too tired to feel either!"
She hadn't been exaggerating.
Tsuna had done a lot of walking before, but he never imagined he could possibly appreciate a nicely cushioned chair quite so much. Several hours into the city tour, his feet and his legs had begun to hurt; now, they were just numb.
She had started them out at the Empire State Building, which was admittedly impressive. They ended up spending an hour just on the lower floors and their exhibits before even setting foot in the elevator that would take them up to the observation decks.
Even though he didn't get the chance to really "climb" it, Ryohei was suitably impressed with the building's view. The rest of them had honestly spent most of their time trying not to look like they were associated him in any way as he ran back and forth, yelling at the top of his lungs and feeding coin after coin into the viewing machines. Needless to say, they had spent over an hour up there before they were finally able to pry him away.
Next up had been Times Square, where they really only had time to walk along the main street, gawk for a bit, and grab a quick bite to eat before Miyu had whisked them away to the Rockefeller Center.
The reason behind her eagerness had become clear fairly quickly when a large ice rink came into view, and she had no qualms about getting them each a pair of skates and dragging them out onto the ice.
It had been an interesting experience, to say the least.
Then Ryohei had discovered that there was a viewing deck there as well, and his decision couldn't be swayed. Once they had finally convinced him to come back down to the ground level, there had been just enough time to see a few of the main attractions in the plaza before being ushered onto a bus headed downtown.
Two stops into the ride, they discovered Yuri's predisposition towards motion sickness.
The hard way.
After getting her a bottle of water and some antihistamines from the nearest drugstore, they decided to drop downtown from their plans and just start walking back towards Central Park. With the extra time, and an abundance of stores and small boutiques, Miyu decided it was time to go shopping.
Which was how they ended up sitting outside the women's fitting rooms, massaging their aching legs and hoping the two girls would take their time coming out. Judging by the fact that they could hear Yuri's protests from where they were, it was likely a wish that was too good to be true.
"It doesn't sound like she's enjoying herself in there," Tsuna commented as a particularly frustrated sounding curse drifted out of the rooms.
"Not nearly as much as Miyu had promised she would, anyways," Yamamoto winced as another string of obscenities exploded into the air, followed by a strangled screech.
"Sounds like she's being tortured…" Gokudera agreed with an expression of mild horror.
"Extremely unpleasant." Ryohei nodded, opting to lift his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the girls' bickering from within.
"Oh, come on, Yuri! Just try it on!"
"Hell no!"
"It'll look so cute on you!"
"What's the point in looking cute? There's nothing practical about that!"
"Not everything has to be practical, you know."
"And absolutely nothing should ever leave so little to the imagination."
"No no, look, it'll show off your legs! You're so tall, you need to accentuate that! Highlight your strong points!"
"Is my stomach a strong point?"
"Obviously," The word came out as a scoff. "Look at how toned it is. What, have you been spending your whole life in a gym?"
"O-oi! Don't just suddenly lift a person's shirt up-! Hey!"
"What's this? Oh, what is this? Yuri! Why would you bind your chest like this? I thought you looked a bit flatter than usual, but…oh, this is just cruel!"
"What the hell are you-? Oi! Oi!"
Four faces were growing bright shades of red and pink outside, despite their valiant attempts to avoid eavesdropping.
"There, now isn't that better?"
"How in the world did you do that so quickly?"
"Wow, I'm jealous. They're so perky and cu-!"
"Not. Another. Word."
"Okay, okay. You are absolutely not allowed to do that ever again, though. It's not good for you at all, and it's dangerous! I can't believe you haven't broken a rib or passed out from this before."
"What?" A sudden sharp intake of breath. "...oh."
"Huh? 'Oh'? What do you mean 'oh'?"
"That explains some things."
"…I have half a mind to smack you right now. Please tell me you aren't serious!"
Silence.
"Okay, well, you haven't slept with this on, have you?"
More silence, this time followed by a sharp crack and a pained hiss.
"I can't believe you! I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, but couldn't you have at least done some of your own research?! Geez," The door suddenly opened with a loud squeak. "Stay here, I'll be right back."
"Wh-? Where are you going?"
"Stay!"
Miyu suddenly came tromping out of the fitting room, a long strand of bandages looped around her fist. Tossing it into the garbage can, she walked right by the boys, disappearing into one of the nearby racks.
A few minutes later, she reemerged with what looked like several sports bras in hand. As she passed by the boys once more, she gave them a passing glance and immediately let out an amused snort. Without saying a word, she walked back into the fitting room, still giggling and shaking her head as she left the scarlet-faced gang to simmer quietly.
Not one of them uttered a single word.
"What are those?" Yuri asked as she stepped back into the changing stall.
"The next best thing to a professional binder. Just layer two of these over each other and you'll get the same results without so many health hazards."
"Wh-?"
"Just do it. You don't have much of a choice now, I threw the bandages away."
"…" There was a quiet grumbling as she followed Miyu's instructions, followed up by a surprised little, "Huh."
"Is it easier to breathe? Ribs don't feel ready to snap at any second?"
"No gloating. Smugness doesn't suit you."
"Okay, okay, fine. But in return, will you at least try the dress on? We don't have to buy it, just indulge me a little!"
"But it's so…exposed. Just taking a step in that will give people a view that I doubt they want."
"That's why I thought ahead and grabbed this. And I even picked out shoes. After I went to all that work, you're really just going to-?"
"Fine, give me that already."
An amazingly high pitched squeal filled the surrounding area.
"You're going to make me go deaf."
"And you're going to look gorgeous!"
"Whatever. Zip up the back, will you?"
"Of course! Now the shoes, the shoes!"
"There. Okay? You happy now?"
"Almost!"
"Almost?"
"You have to show the boys!"
"What? What? No, absolutely not, that wasn't part of the, hey, wait just a-!"
The sounds of their struggle grew closer as they made their way down the hallway and towards the entrance.
"You are so small," Yuri grunted, a pair of feet suddenly sliding into view around the corner. "How can you be so damn strong?"
"I'm a force of nature!" Came the jovial response as the pair finally came into view. "Ta-da! I am – oof – proud to present a stunning work of art, if I do say so myself!"
The effect of the satisfied announcement was significantly downplayed by the fact that she literally had her back braced against the self-proclaimed "work of art".
The boys couldn't keep their eyes from widening as their gazes fell upon the rare sight of Yuri in a dress. It was yellow. It was lacy. A strip of sheer fabric exposed her stomach and sides, and the skirt was indeed very, very short. Miyu had given her a pair of black tights to wear underneath, along with a modest pair of ankle boots, but the sight was somehow still…shocking.
"Ahem," Miyu coughed conspicuously, pulling them out of their silence.
"Ah, you look great!" Yamamoto was the first to respond. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a skirt before, but it's really cute!"
"Extremely cute!" Ryohei agreed as Tsuna began nodding mechanically.
"Y-yeah. It really suits you," He said with a genuine smile, even if his words weren't nearly as sincere. It wasn't that she looked bad, but discomfort radiated off of her in waves, making the entire ensemble seem awkward and out of place.
"It doesn't look terrible," Gokudera's effort was subpar, to say the least.
Miyu was the only one that didn't understand what memories were resurfacing for every one of them, the haunting image of Yuri clad in a brothel's suggestive outfit, the disgust on her face, the terror in her eyes.
But those were gone now. The only expression on her face was one of mild embarrassment, her eyes free of dread and dry of tears. She wasn't a girl trapped in a horrific lifestyle, forced to commit crimes against her will – she was a teenager out shopping with her friends.
That thought alone was enough to make their smiles honest and heartfelt.
"Okay, I look good, whatever." Yuri mumbled, fingers tugging at the hem of the skirt, gaze fixed on the ground, her cheeks dusted with red. "Can we just go now?"
"Alright, alright, Pouty Pants," Miyu giggled. "Go ahead and get changed back. I'll take care of the bras."
"You do that," The response was rushed as she literally ran back to the stall.
"…" Miyu waited until she was out of earshot before turning to the boys and whispering, "I'm buying that dress!"
Humming happily, she skipped off to grab duplicates of the ensemble.
"She seems so innocent, but she actually…kind of scares me," Tsuna mumbled, and Yamamoto laughed awkwardly.
"I think she's…gotten worse over the years."
"That's not reassuring."
After some more fussing and arguing, they finally finished up and left the store to begin walking towards their final stop. One twenty minute walk later, they had finally arrived back where they had started: Central Park.
With the sun setting, Miyu made quick work as their guide, showing them what the park had to offer. They passed extravagant fountains and immaculate statues, arches and bridges, lakes and ponds, gorgeous gardens and large recreational fields. Without the fear of getting lost hanging over their heads, it was much easier to enjoy and appreciate the impressive location.
After having seen all of that, Tsuna was shocked to hear that they hadn't even come close to exploring the whole park by the time they returned to the carousel, the sky turning into soft shades of pink and orange above them.
"We're nowhere near the halfway point," Miyu told him with a laugh as his jaw dropped. "Since it's getting dark, though, we should probably stop here. I don't want you to walk home in the dark. The carousel's open now, though," She jutted her thumb over her shoulder, pointing at the lively attraction, sounds of laughing children and whimsical music drifting out invitingly. "What do you say we take a spin, just to commemorate the occasion?"
"Look at my head," Yuri said with a frown. "Do you see it shaking? This is me saying 'no'. So why does something tell me I'm going to be getting on that torture device anyways?"
"Because you learn quickly," Miyu giggled, looping her arm through the other girl's. "Let's go!"
Yuri let out a loud and exaggerated groan, rolling her eyes at the boys as she was pulled along. She already knew by now that it would simply be less work not to fight against Miyu's incredibly strong will.
"Come on," Tsuna said encouragingly as she hung her head while Miyu bought their tickets. "It should be fun!"
"Have you already forgotten today's bus incident?"
"Oh. Um." He had, admittedly. Spinning around in a circle probably wasn't the best activity for someone with motion sickness. "Well…it'll be short?"
"Let's just get it over with," She grumbled, stomping ahead as Miyu waved them forward.
Rushing ahead of them, Ryohei pulled himself up onto the platform and immediately picked out one of the horses that was rearing up on its hind legs majestically. He clambered onto its back clumsily and lifted his fists into the air triumphantly. Many of the nearby children gazed up at him in awe, though his friends weren't nearly as impressed with the display.
Tsuna chose to mount one of the more modest horses, its legs bent mid-gallop, making the body closer to the ground and easier to climb onto. Naturally, Gokudera took the one next to him, while Yuri stalwartly refused to take a seat anywhere, opting to simply stand. A stern glare was all it took to keep even the ride's operators from interfering with her decision.
Surprisingly, Miyu ended up taking a seat on one of the few benches the attraction had to offer, laying her purse across her lap with a content smile. As the platform slowly began spinning again, Yamamoto decided to take the empty spot beside her.
"Not a fan of horses?" He asked casually, making he grin.
"It's not that I dislike them, I just prefer the benches. When I was too small to ride the horses on my own, Kazu-nii would always sit on the bench with me, even though he liked the horses better. I've got more good memories of riding the carousel this way."
"That sounds like him," Yamamoto laughed. They sat in silence for a moment, watching the park's scenery move by as the carnival music played overhead, before he finally spoke up again. "Hey, Miyu…why is he really in the hospital?"
"Are we really that easy to read?" Again, she wore a sad smile, not a single sign of surprise on her face.
"You two were always just as good at lying as I was."
"By which you mean awful."
"By which I mean," He nodded. "So you may as well just come clean."
She inhaled deeply, letting the air out through her nose.
"Alright...he doesn't want you to know, but…I don't think that's fair to you," She murmured. "About two years ago…he took a pretty rough tumble during one of his games. He was complaining about pain in his knee, and we all assumed he had just twisted something. But it never went away. It just got worse."
As she spoke, a tight knot was beginning to form in the pit of Yamamoto's stomach. He already knew it had to be something worse than just a torn ligament or a broken bone, but the tone of her voice told him it was something he should be dreading.
"One day I went to wake him up because he was late for school, and…he was in so much pain. The swelling was…it just wasn't normal. So we took him straight to the doctor; they took an x-ray, and sent us back home, told us to wait for their call."
"Miyu…" Yamamoto spoke softly, unwittingly calling out to the young girl he was envisioning, sitting on a couch with her brother's head in her lap, wringing her hands in worry, fighting off tears for the sake of her family. It was such a vivid image, he couldn't help reaching out to rest his fingers on her elbow, hoping to offer some form of comfort, though she barely seemed to notice. She was just as engrossed in her own story.
But for her, they were memories.
"They got back to us that night, saying he needed to go in for an MRI right away. I remember the nurse on the phone was a woman. She sounded so kind, but her words felt so…cruel. She told us, 'Be strong. You have a long road ahead of you.'"
What an awful thing to say, Yamamoto thought, lips curling into an uncharacteristic frown.
"They took the MRI the next day and came back to us with the word 'Osteosarcoma'."
Yamamoto stopped breathing.
He didn't know the specifics, but one single word went screaming through his mind, and he knew in his gut that it wasn't wrong.
Cancer.
"There was a tumor on his leg. And it had already metastasized to his lungs. They put him on a 29 week chemotherapy plan, and scheduled an operation for his leg. They had to…take out the piece of the bone with the tumor and replace it with a graft. He couldn't walk afterwards. And the chemo…it was painful just watching him go through with it, I can't even begin to imagine how he felt. I'll spare you the details…but he got so thin so quickly, and he eventually needed to use a feeding tube, it was…" She trailed off, swallowing thickly, unable to finish. "A couple months later, he had surgery on his right lung, which removed three small tumors. Two weeks later, the left lung, four tumors this time. He came away with these scars that looked like he had been an angel once, and that his wings had been stolen. It was really kind of…fitting."
That was believable. Kazuo had always seemed like a gift, someone sent to make the lives around him better. He had a heart of gold, a kind word for everyone, a good deed always waiting to be done. Maybe it was true, what they said about good people…
Yamamoto couldn't bear to even finish the thought.
"And then the chemo treatment was done. He made it through the last round, and we were able to go home. We were done…we were done. He enrolled back in school, he rejoined the baseball team – he started getting better."
It was clear from the look on her face that this wasn't the end of the story. So Yamamoto stayed silent, waiting for her to continue, hoping, hoping, hoping she wouldn't say the words that he was so terrified of hearing.
She took a deep breath, licked her lips.
"Every six months, they have him come back in for a set of post chemo scans. Yesterday, he had an appointment." Yamamoto began shaking his head, but she wasn't about to stop for his benefit. He had been the one to ask. She was going to give him a straight answer, no matter how much it hurt. "The CT scan came back with…he…it's back. Two large tumors in the left lung, larger than any of the ones they removed before. A new one in the same leg."
"No," The word was little more than a whisper, barely audible as his head continued to shake and shake and shake.
"They're going to put him on a new chemo treatment. They'll have to…" She bit her lip, blinking hard to free the tears from her lashes. "They're going to have to amputate."
Exhaling harshly, Yamamoto doubled over, dropping his face into his hands.
Amputate.
Kazuo's baseball career was over, before it had even had the chance to begin.
Amputate.
How could he still have looked so optimistic while they were visiting? How could he have grinned and laughed with them, while this crushing knowledge was eating away at him inside?
Yamamoto bit down hard on his lip, the taste of iron flooding into his mouth. He had been naïve, stupidly, stupidly optimistic. Why, why, why-?
A gentle touch on his shoulder.
The world began to slow, the ride coming to a gradual stop.
He felt sick.
"Yamamoto."
Reluctantly, he lifted his face to look at her, the second unfortunate soul that had been forced to bear this burden.
She was smiling.
Her cheeks were dry.
"He's not dead. With today's technology, he can get amazing prosthetics. He's going to fight this. And he's going to win. You know him just as well as I do – he won't give in to something like this. It's just a speed bump. He's going to get past it."
"…yeah." Straightening his back, he rearranged his face to mirror hers, an optimistic smile resting on his face despite the crushing dismay that filled his heart. He had never expected his day would end like this, but giving in to those feelings wouldn't help anyone. He always knew these siblings were a pair of fighters. He needed to follow their example. "You're right. And we'll be there for him, every step of the way."
Miyu smiled and nodded, not realizing how literal he was being.
He was going to stay by his friend's side as he fought this battle.
Even if it meant staying in America.
A/N: Oof, just a little over 10,000 words! Since I spent nearly half a year without writing a single word, it was pretty difficult to get back into the swing of things, so I'm sorry if the quality of the writing in this chapter seems a little...lower than usual. I'm currently working on editing the earlier chapters as well, so updates may be a bit slower than usual, but I promise I don't plan to leave you guys hanging for another six months. As always, thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and supporting me in general - you have no idea how much it means to me. I hope you're all doing well, and happy holidays!