Hiiii!I'm baaaaaaack! Sorry for the one wait (deep bow) and thanks for your patience.

I now present to you the third chapter!

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn (stop reminding me that I don't!), its storyline, or its characters. That all belongs to Akira Amano. I only own the original scenes, Karasu and Alana so far.

Warriors Don't Cry

Chapter 3: My First Love – Karasu

I was sitting alone on a bench. Right in front of me was the baseball field. It was a bit chilly in the evening but I paid no mind. I think clearer when it's cold.

So why was my mind so fuzzy?

Years ago, I used to sit here waiting impatiently for the baseball game to be over so I could tutor Takeshi. I remembered whacking him over the head with a rolled up newspaper every time he got an answer wrong which was a lot.

I remembered…

"Takeshi-kun, I need to tell you something." A younger form of me had said suddenly to a young Takeshi. I took a deep breath and said: "I'm offered a chance to study abroad in America."

Why didn't he stop me?

"Really? That's wonderful! You have to accept. I'm so jealous!" Takeshi had laughed, patting the younger me on the head affectionately. "I'm proud of Karasu-chan but now I have to look for a new tutor now!"

"Takeshi…I'm planning to turn the offer down." I had said.

"No." Takeshi had said forcefully. His cheerful smile had disappeared, replaced by a serious look. "You're going to accept it. It's a chance in a lifetime. You always wanted to go to America to study."

"Wait Takeshi, that wasn't-

That wasn't really what I wanted to tell you. I wanted to see if you would get upset, that's all. I only wanted to see if you would care.

"If you're worried about my grades, I can always ask other girls to help me. That girl Midori seems nice enough to help me. I don't think she would mind." He chattered on. Not even noticing the crumbling expression on my face.

I don't think he knew…

"Right Karasu-chan?"

…And I knew he meant well…

"No," Younger me said in agitation. "Takeshi, I lo-

I love you.

Takeshi had stopped younger me with a hand. "I won't have any of it. You're my best friend and I'm not going to sit back and watch you throw away your dream. Not when I'm standing in your way."

Just a friend

"I think we should stop our tutoring lessons together."

He broke my heart without realizing it.

Younger me gasped and looked down. A bit shocked on how everything turned out. Didn't Hana and Kyoko tell me that this would definitely work if he liked me back?

Did that mean that he didn't?

He was hurting me so much.

Stupid me. I should've known. Naïve me for even hoping that he might've thought of me as more than a friend.

Didn't he see that I-

He just sat there, smiling like the oblivious idiot he was. I knew that if I told him what I really wanted to say, that goofy smile would disappear and our friendship would be ruined. That was why, on that day, I smiled back and agreed on going to America instead of bursting into childish tears. "You're right. I was just a little nervous and unsure about accepting. Now I'm sure. Thanks Takeshi-kun."

The week after that, I was on the plane to America and never looked back.

"Karasu-chan? Is that really you?" A shocked voice brought me back into the present. I looked up and stared at the face of Takeshi Yamamoto. Whoa, speak of the devil and he really does come. I covered my surprise with a calm smile. "Hello Takeshi-kun, miss me? Still playing baseball and slacking off on your studies, I bet." I joked lightly.

Takeshi grinned and took a seat right beside me. "You've changed." He marveled. "Did you take up a sport in America and finally ripped your nose out of a textbook?"

I nodded, surprising him. "Really? Which sport?"

"Baseball, of course. You always played that sport instead of paying attention to your schoolwork," At this, I gave him a pointed look, "so I tried it to see if it was really that great." I finished. Takeshi beamed with pride and patted me on the back.

I weakly smiled at him and leant back. "It's nice to see that you're still smiling. I heard that you're part of Tsuna's family now, is that true?"

"You mean the mafia game?" At this, I resisted slapping my forehead. "Are you part of it too, Karasu-chan? What fun!"

I nodded. "Yeah."

And like that we chatted away for a while, catching up on the years I was away. I wisely left out a few significant pieces of what really happened. Takeshi wouldn't have believed me anyways. "Hey, do you want to visit my dad's sushi shop again? He'll be overjoyed to see that you're back. And we can eat sushi together, like the old times-ne?"

I nodded. "I'd like that."

Takeshi took my hand and led me to the sushi shop.

Takeshi's father almost didn't recognize me like his son at first but, when he did, he made a huge batch of sushi while weeping because "little Karasu grew up into a young woman too quickly". I ate every piece and enjoyed every passing moment with the Yamamoto pair.

"That was a great meal!" I complemented Takeshi's father. "As always! I missed it when I went to America. The sushi they make there is nothing compared to yours!"

Takeshi's father rubbed the back of his neck and waved the complements away embarrassingly. I stood up and excused myself telling them that I had to go home. "Thank you for everything. Tsuna and Mom probably are worrying their heads off for me. I guess more Tsuna than Mom." I added the last part after thinking. "I'll be off!"

"Takeshi, be a gentleman and take the lady home. I don't trust these streets at night." Takeshi's father ordered but Takeshi was already putting on his coat. What a gentleman. "Let's go, Karasu-chan. I'm not letting go of you yet. I'll take you home."

I nodded and followed him.

We both walked in companionable silence.

"Hey, Karasu-chan." Takeshi interrupted the silence suddenly. I glanced at him to show him that I was listening. "Do you remember when you told me about the offer to study in America?"

Something inside of me began to ache. Like an old battle wound starting up again. How could I forget? "Yeah, I remember. Why?"

"Well, looking back at it, you were trying to tell me something. I didn't listen but you really wanted to tell me something. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you back then." Takeshi apologized sincerely. I froze. He…didn't know? When he said those things he wasn't rejecting me? I replayed the scene in my mind and realized that it made sense. "But I'll listen now. What was it you wanted to tell me?"

"Takeshi-kun…"

There it was. It was the chance that I thought would never present itself to me. I could finally confess my feelings like I had always wanted four years before.

"I lo-

"You've changed." I remembered Takeshi saying before.

"…I look up to you. You always had that confidence that I admired and I wanted you to know that. You are the perfect best friend that any girl would ever want and I feel lucky for that. Thank you." I said honestly. Takeshi grinned and patted my head. "I feel the same way, Karasu-chan. You're the perfect best friend that any boy would ever have. I'm happy that you're back."

I had my chance and I blew it again. But this time, it was purposefully. I'm not the same person as I was four years ago even though Takeshi never changed. Maybe he did change a little, but not as much as me.

Bookworm Karasu Sawada who had the biggest crush on Takeshi Yamamoto doesn't exist anymore.

I left her when I got onto that plane to America.

I love you.

And those feelings as well

Right now I am Karasu Sawada, the sister of Tsunayoshi Sawada, and the shadow of the soon-to-be Tenth Vongola Boss. I am a completely different person. I have survived the equivalent of the pits of hell and returned with my personal right hand woman (a.k.a Alana Kim, Sweet Tooth, Over Protective Best Friend, etc.) in tow.

I have killed.

I have seen many friends die.

I lost so many things. I've seen so many things change before my eyes during the span of one day. The only thing that was left untouched was everything that I left back at home.

I didn't want to change and possibly loose my close friendship with Takeshi. I value that too much now.

I lost too much.

A shimmer of a younger me looked regretfully at Takeshi as he laughed and chattered off with me about baseball. "I'm sorry and…good-bye." I whispered to her. She nodded and disappeared.

"What was that?" Takeshi asked with a confused lift of an eyebrow. I shook my head. "It's nothing. I was thinking out loud. Now…what happened after the second pitch again, Takeshi-kun?"

That got him talking again. I smiled contently and listened attentively during the rest of our walk to home.

I caught a flash of brown again and, this time, I knew it wasn't my imagination.

I mentally smiled. Alana had followed me around for the whole day. It was a bit unnerving she they did but sweet at the same time. Thinking back, didn't I see silver hair during my day out with Tsuna?

"You're spacing out a lot, Karasu-chan. Is there a problem?" I shook my head. "Iie, it's nothing. Just a sugar-high chipmunk that can't keep her nose out of my business."

Takeshi laughed. "You're making no sense!"

"Says the Baseball Nut who used ramble off about baseball when the girl listening didn't have a clue about that sport." I stated dryly. "We're almost home so let's not end this reunion in a negative note, shall we?"

Takeshi laughed and patted my head. "Still so serious, Karasu-chan."

I waved his hand away. "I'm not a kid anymore, Takeshi. Stop treating me like one!" I complained but smiled at the feeling of his hand on my head.

I'm happy that I made my choice on keeping out friendship the way it was. I stopped in front of my house and thanked Takeshi for helping me back home.

I'm happy.

But a small, annoying voice in the back of my mind kept screaming something different, something very different. It told me that I was stupid to let that chance slip away from me.

I made sure to squash it until it said no more.

I'm happy.

I stared up at the ceiling and listened to Alana's snores.

I finally crawled out of bed and decided to get a drink of water. I couldn't sleep that much anyways. I dragged myself to the kitchen and switched on the lights. I sauntered over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water.

"Ciaossu."

I choked on the water but quickly recovered. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and sent a look at Reborn, who was calming sipping coffee from a cup. "Don't do that again, Reborn. You know I hate it when you do that."

"You seem troubled, Karasu. You know it's not good to act that weak when you're entrusted with the important task of protecting your brother." Reborn warned. I took a seat across from Reborn's. "I'm aware of that. I thought you'd know that more than anyone else."

Reborn didn't deny this and continued drinking from his cup.

An awkward silence filled in the empty space between us, awkward for me at least. Who knows what goes on in that little baby's head? Actually, I knew enough to know that he would ask about Takeshi. I was already used to the seemingly mind-reading moments the baby has. He's freaky that way.

"Does this have to do with a certain member of the family who walked you home?" Reborn finally said confirming my suspicions. See? He's a mind reader.

I nodded. No use in denying it when you knew that it was apparent.

"I'm confused." I admitted. "I liked him. No, I loved him before I left to "study abroad". But now…I have no clue. Just when I thought that I made it clear to myself that I no longer have any romantic feelings for him and then he pops out of nowhere and makes me all confused again! I don't even know anymore what I feel towards him now."

For once, Reborn didn't make a blunt comment. He just nodded and waited for me to go on.

"My mind is in a mush and I'm annoyed because I'm supposed to focus on Tsuna." I rambled on. "I decided to give up on him on my own. That was the right choice, for me and for him. So why am I feeling like I made the biggest mistake in my life?"

"Remember Karasu," Reborn advised, "You're no longer the same person. You make a choice and stick with it without any doubts. That was the Karasu that I left in the hands of your Sensei."

I blinked.

"Yeah…I decided to protect Tsuna above everything else. I decided that Takeshi-kun was going to remain as my friend because I lost too much." My mind was clearing away more and more. The strange feeling that gnawed at my stomach stopped. "I was just being silly, worrying about something as small as this."

And it took a talking baby who's actually a hitman to make me realize this.

"Correct. Now go back to sleep. You'll be going to Nanimori Middle tomorrow so I don't want you to be late." Reborn stated flatly.

I smiled. "Yeah, I'll go and do that. Thanks, Reborn."

No answer.

"Reborn?"

Reborn turned his head to the side and stayed silent.

I looked closer and sweatdropped when I saw that he fell asleep. Typical Reborn.

Thank you, Takeshi Yamamoto for teaching me how to love.

Even though you'll never know

Thank you

And cut!

I hope you enjoyed this scene. I wanted to set some history between out favorite baseball-nut and the main character to create some drama in the future. To you Yamamoto lovers out there don't despair! This is supposed to be a love triangle so that means he's still in the game!

And here's something to look forward to:

It's going to be Alana's POV in the nest chappie! And HIBARI is going to be in it! YAY!

Thank you all for reading and...

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