Hi! So, I'm sorry. Like, really sorry for the long wait. I've been studying for grad exams and summer school, and all of the sudden it was like "wow, I actually do have a real life." Haha, but yea, here's an update! I hope you guys like it (:
BBLimits won the minigame from the last chapter. The order was Ryohei, Gokudera, and Mukuro. Gokudera was the tricky one, most people got Ryohei and Mukuro right tho! So, she requested "Light" and this was my take on it. It also helps further the plot, so yay! Hehe
Light
He fiddles around with the small, glass object. It's a brilliant myriad of orange and blue, two colors that always had a special place in his heart.
Hayato remembers a time where his limbs were long and walking to the nearest convenience center took half the strides it takes him now. Memories of soothing, calm smiles and determined, protective orange eyes – the two constants in what had been a busy, ever-changing life – plague him, and he wakes up realizing that although he still sees similar things on a daily basis, it'll never be the same again.
The marble in his hand glistens, and he absent-mindedly turns it around in his hands. The light reflects off the surface and, briefly, makes a rainbow of colors before it disappears, never to appear quite the same again.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
He looks up and sees a smaller, pre-teen version of the man he came to respect, love, and admire. For a brief second, the child disappears and standing in front of him is a tall, slender male with brilliant orange eyes smiling softly with a sort of understanding that only he would ever be capable of. He blinks and the child appears again, eyes a pale orange sparkling with a naivety that he hasn't seen in over twenty years. The touch of concern shown in those eyes make him swell with emotions because he will always, always love his boss. Yet there are days where he turns around and longs for the eyes that constantly said, it's ok, no matter what happens, I'll protect you guys.
"This marble," Hayato finally says after what seemed like a stifling period of silence, "The colors are never the same evem when light reflects on it again."
Just like how you are him, but not him at the same time. He doesn't actually say this out loud, but when Jyuudaime looks at him with a sympathetic look, Hayato somehow thinks that this child does, at some subconscious level, realize that he is still chasing after phantoms that no longer exist.
Small hands reach out and silently ask for the marble. Hayato hesitates ever so slightly before relinquishing it. Tsuna holds it up to the sun, watching as it passes through the marble and shines a mix of colors.
"It's true that it's never the same again, but the light that passes through is always the same, right?" Hayato wrinkles his brows together, understanding the point but missing it at the same time. Tsuna holds the small object up at another angle, squinting when the sun hits his eyes instead. "The colors are still the same, just different in how it's shown. They each hold their own beauty."
It's with a childlike wonder that the pre-teen devours this new-found piece of wisdom. Even when Hibari comes and picks Jyuudaime up, it's with an absent wave that he says goodbye to his boss (if you want, you can join us for ice cream later), and then he's alone again with the words still constantly racing through his brain.
The colors are still the same, just different in how it's shown. They each hold their own beauty.
He looks down at his arms and legs again. They're small. They're his, but they're not at the same time.
They're not his because just like how he kept chasing after shadows of people that no longer existed, he was also chasing after his own shadow.
They each hold their own beauty.
Hayato can almost see his Jyuudaime's sigh of exasperation and Takeshi's eye rolling. If they were here, they'd probably simultaneously swat him over the head.
He leans back on the cold railing, looking up at the sky. The view is farther away now. He holds the marble up again, but instead of colors, he sees the visage of his two most important people, smiling at him with all the happiness in the world.
"It's ok now, Hayato."
"It wasn't your fault."
"You can protect them now."
If he closed his eyes, he could almost convince himself that the voices he was hearing was real. His stomach clenches tightly and part of him wants to keep staying on the roof. He doesn't want to move, doesn't want to leave. If he stays here long enough, maybe he could continue to hear them.
The colors are still the same, just different in how it's shown.
Voices ring in his head, but instead of the low, mature drawl he's used to, they are higher pitched and full of innocence and naivety. Suddenly, he's in the mood for ice cream.
He tucks the marble into his back pocket securely and stands up. He takes his time walking to the door, realizing that there were a series of complex emotions running through his mind and although he cannot fully explain it, he knows that when he reaches the door and opens it, something will fundamentally change. He wants to delay that change, even if it's for a second longer.
His steps slow down, but he hears an exasperated sigh and then there's weights on his back, giving him a huge push forwards. He stops suddenly and whirls around, eyes open in shock and disbelief. No one is there. No one is there, but Hayato has always been smart, albeit on the dense side, and he smiles.
"Alright, alright. I get the hint."
He turns back around and, this time, takes regular strides towards the door. The cold feel of steel is almost absurdly welcoming as he turns the knob. He pauses for the briefest moment. A tear slips out, and he mutters something under his breath before he finally opens the door and takes a step out.
The door slams shut with a resounding bam, but Hayato still manages to catch the whisper.
His smile is bittersweet, but it's with a light heart that he goes in search of the ice cream place.
"Goodbye."
"Do your best."
Note: This was bound to happen at some point. I had always intended for Hayato to realize that there was more to life than dead ghosts, as callous as that sounds. Let me know what you guys thought!
Ama~