Ever since that day, Gokudera has been following Tsuna non-stop throughout the school and even escorted him back home.

As annoying as it seems at first, Tsuna couldn't say that he totally hated it. After years of solitude, it was nice to have somebody by his side to talk to. Someone who didn't hurt him just for fun or insult him. Just somebody willing to stay by his side without questions.

Though after spending years not speaking much, he was more used to keeping quiet while letting the silver-head talk his ear off. Gokudera didn't question why Tsuna would rather write instead of talk or why he spend so much time alone looking at the skies. Gokudera didn't ask anything and for that, Tsuna was forever grateful.

Weirdly, Tsuna sometimes got a familiar feeling whenever he's with Gokudera which puzzled him a lot because he was sure this was their first time meeting.

Though, as great as it was to have someone to talk to, Tsuna wished that Gokudera could tone down his enthusiasm a little whenever he's around Tsuna. He remained Gokudera time and time again not to call him by that stupid title that he doesn't intend to take but yet he stubbornly refused to do so no matter what Tsuna said.

"Tenth"; a title of a boss, the tenth boss of the Vongola to be exact. A title that Tsuna had no intention of accepting let alone live to succeed it. He's not going to accept a responsibility so big knowing that his life is going to end on his 15th.

Not only would he be letting so many people in the Vongola down, it'll also be an absolutely irresponsible thing to do. Even though he has a bad impression of the mafia, he wouldn't go so low as to give them false hope, not when he couldn't even do a thing for himself against Death. So what hope could he be as a boss to an organization? He would only fail and maybe even get some people killed due to his poorly thought out orders.

No. He wanted nothing to do with that. He just wanted to live the next few months in peace and spending as much time as possible with his mother before Death comes for him.

But something tells him that that won't be possible as long as that infant's here to stay. Reborn was somehow convinced that there was something in Tsuna that would be boss-material though Tsuna was sure that there was something wrong with the infant's eyes as well as his head—not that he could ever say that out loud. As long as Reborn's convinced, he'll stay as long as possible till he gets the results he wants no matter what anyone says or how many people he needs to torture.

Tsuna didn't know how on earth was he going to chase him away, not when Reborn seems to be able to read every move he makes or every thought in his head. It was kind of creepy to be honest and Tsuna didn't want to know what other "special" skills the infant might have.

Right now, all he could do was try to survive whatever Reborn throws at him and hopefully make it out alive. Tsuna wasn't sure who was scarier—Reborn or Death—but either way, he wants to get as far as he can from both of them.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Physical Education was the worse period for Tsuna especially when it involved sports that requires teamwork. School's are always trying to teach students the importance of working together, so why was Tsuna's plight always ignored by the teachers?

All of his classmates shunned him and he was always the last to be picked in a team and not by choice. What's more, the team that got him would always voice their disappointment out loud, as though Tsuna was not in the same area as them.

It seemed like today was no different.

"No way. I don't want Dame-Tsuna in my team. You take him."

"I don't want to lose! You do it!" The opposing team argued.

He sighed inwardly. He really didn't want to go through this again. Right now, he really envied Gokudera for being able to skip whenever he wants because there's no one the school could contact to complain about his behavior. He wished for the umpteen time that he could just skip this period but that would mean having the school calling his mother to complain which would lead to her worrying, resulting in further explanations he really don't want her to know.

"Haha~ Come Tsuna! Join my team!" A cheerful voice cut through the groans of the other protesting students.

Tsuna looked up in surprise as Yamamoto put an arm around his shoulders in a friendly manner. "How about it?"

"Eh! But he's a liability to the team.." His teammates complained.

"No worries. I'll play harder for his part too!" Yamamoto laughed, waving off the rest of their complains with an nonchalant gesture.

His teammates seemed reluctant but trust in Yamamoto's ability to win. Tsuna nodded his thanks to Yamamoto, not really understanding why would someone like him would want someone like Tsuna in his team.

Yamamoto waved off his thanks with a laugh. "No problem! You've been on a roll this week. I'd like to see more from you~"

As grateful as Tsuna may be for what Yamamoto did, he can't help but cringe inside at the sight of that artificial smile and the sound of his hollow laugh.

Tsuna didn't know why it bothered him so much, it wasn't any of his business but yet, he found that he couldn't just ignore it as he did for most of the student body. He suspected it might be because he recognized those signs that the raven-head was giving out.

Laughing and smiling all the time just so you could fool yourself into thinking you're fine, because if you can fool others into thinking you're perfectly alright, then maybe you could fool yourself too. It was a lie made to protect the mind from all the things overwhelming it. A lie made in order to help people live longer, even if it was for a few more hours or days.

The mask Yamamoto placed on his face was almost perfect and Tsuna might not be able to see through it if not for the fact that he experienced it before not too long ago.

(Hey, with a life like Tsuna's, what do you expect?)

But he was over that now. For now, he could only move on and accept what's coming for him. He's mind and body were both exhausted from all the dying he did and he decided it was best not to think too much into it and just go with the flow.

Tsuna understands that was not the way to deal with things. He understands it all too well. But he was tired and at a lost of what to do. He had no allies, no friends, no one to even talk to about the troubles on his hundred year old mind.

Just what in the world was he suppose to do?

The game started while Tsuna was still lost in his musings and he just stood there like a statue, not knowing what to do because he didn't hear the instructions from the coach.

Before he knew it, a whistle was blown and Tsuna's team lost.

His 'teammates' groaned in frustration and blamed him for the lost, glaring daggers at him all the way as they left the field, leaving Tsuna to clean up after them. Clean up was usually supposed to be a class thing, still it wasn't surprising that they threw all the unwanted jobs to the class loser.

It's going to take me hours to finish this.

Tsuna groaned inwardly as he sweep his gaze across the large field.

Well....no use complaining....

He picked up a abandoned ball lying by his feet and threw it straight into the cage where all the others balls were kept. It went in perfectly considering that the cage was located at the other side of the field.

Tsuna smiled in satisfaction but quickly dropped it when he realized someone was watching him. But right before he could turn to see who it was, a hand came slinking around his neck and the familiar voice spoke near his ears.

"Wow Tsuna! That was amazing!" Yamamoto stared at him with awe. "You really are awesome!" He laughed.

Tsuna shrugged out of his grasp, uncomfortable by the closeness of another human being and continued to clean up the field on the other side, far away from him.

He didn't understand why would Yamamoto willingly hang out with a class loser like him despite being one of the popular kids in school.

Yamamoto didn't seemed to take offense in Tsuna's actions and proceeded to pick up a ball on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Tsuna narrowed his eyes.

Yamamoto turned to look at him with a sheepish smile. "Helping out?"

"You don't have to." Tsuna tried to stop him but Yamamoto just laughed off his protests and continued to clean up the field without a word.

Tsuna would sneak a glimpse at him every now and then but Yamamoto was focused on his work and the two proceeded to finish the job within less than an hour.

"Hey Tsuna?"

They were done for the day and were packing up their bags when Yamamoto suddenly spoke up. They had been in each other's company without having exchanged any words but Tsuna found himself enjoying the company.

But now Yamamoto's demeanor suddenly changed and the air around them became serious.

"Lately, my baseball has not been going well. No matter how much I practice, I can't improve. Just what should I do?"

Tsuna stood there in stunned silence at what Yamamoto was trying to ask of him.

Is he asking me for advice?!

Tsuna wondered why in the world would Yamamoto want to confide in him. He wasn't even able to make decisions for himself let alone for others. Just what should he say? What would be appropriate for this situation?

Yamamoto noticed his dilemma and heaved out a forced laugh.

"Sorry. It's just that...you seemed so dependable lately so I thought...." He trailed off.

He quickly forced out another laugh. "I guess more hard work is the way to go! If I keep at it, I'll surely have my answer." He gripped his fist in determination. "Yes! That's gotta be it!Thanks for listening Tsuna! See ya tomorrow at school!" He waved and ran off in a hurry.

Tsuna stood there in bafflement, wondering what just happened. Yamamoto seemed to had made up his mind about something by himself and ran off the moment he did. Strange.

Tsuna tried not to think too much about it and headed on his way home. Throughout the way, the unease on his shoulders was as heavy as ever and it wasn't getting any better.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

His head started hurting the moment he stepped into the classroom and he knew something bad was about to happen—something really bad.

He forced his reluctant legs to head into class and upon entering, he was almost relieved to see everything just as usual; students chanting idly to one another, some rushing their last minute homework and some taking a nap on their desk.

Tsuna found his eyes wandering towards Yamamoto's seat where it was empty.

Strange. He should be here by now.

Tsuna thought with a frown. Being part of a sports club means early morning practice and meetings so Yamamoto was always here before him ever since he could remember. Then again, he could be running late or taking absence from school.

Either way, Tsuna didn't like this situation one bit. A nagging part of his mind was telling him something's wrong but he found himself making up excuses to reason with it.

He could be sick or something must have come up.

Tsuna reasoned in his head. After all, Gokudera was also absent from school today due to some personal business. He told Tsuna he was going to "refill his dynamites", something Tsuna didn't feel like questioning nor did he want to know where the bomber goes to get his supply.

In any case, Tsuna tried to convince himself that it might be nothing and settled down on his seat. He didn't want to make a big deal out of this when he has no prove to back it up.

But just as he was about to dismiss his thoughts, the door slammed open, revealing a student with a panicked expression.

"YAMAMOTO'S ABOUT TO JUMP OFF THE ROOF!!"

Well shit.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Tsuna hurriedly made his way up to the rooftop, pushing by any other students blocking his way without a word and ignoring their cry of outrage. He couldn't care less about what they think of him right now, not when there's a more important matter at hand.

The rooftop was packed with students, most of them from Tsuna's class and some Tsuna recognized from Yamamoto's baseball club. The rest of the students here seemed like annoying pests who were just here to gawk.

Tsuna pushes his way towards the front of the crowd and when he reached the front, he saw the baseball star standing at the edge of the building behind the chain fence.

One look at him and Tsuna knew he had messed up. Yamamoto's eyes were dull and lifeless as he stared upwards at nothing and his right arm was wrapped up in a cast. Tsuna knew he didn't had that cast on him yesterday when they talked so it must have been after that.

What in the world could had happened to make such a huge change in one man?

The other students—though worried—dared not come close, instead creating a berth around him with Tsuna standing alone in the front.

"C'mon man! This isn't funny." One boy chuckled humorlessly.

"Please Yamamoto! Think about what you're about to do!"  A girl cried.

"Hey, we can just talk it out alright? There's no need for this!"

There were many pleas and protest from the crowd but none had stepped forward to take any action. Tsuna can tell that they were afraid. Afraid that if they reach out and still fail to bring him back, the fault of his death would lie on them and no one would want that kind of burden. Maybe some of them were genuinely concerned for Yamamoto but because of fear, they dare not step forward.

Tsuna understood what it was like to fear; to be afraid at every waking hour and to always question every decision made. But after so many lives and deaths, he was tired of it and leaned to shut the fear from his mind.

Of course he still does fear things—such as Death—but it didn't bother him as much as it did before, not when everything in his life seemed so numb.

Tsuna knew what he had to do. Besides, it was his fault that Yamamoto's like this. If he had just said something yesterday when Yamamoto asked him for advice, if he had offered to hear his problems out, then maybe this wouldn't had to happened at all.

Either way, Tsuna has to stop this foolishness.

Steeling himself from all the eyes on his back, he walked forward towards the fence. Yamamoto seemed to have sensed his approach and turned around to face him.

Upon seeing the raven-haired's face, Tsuna couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. He seemed so broken and torn inside. His eyes were filled with pain and so much turmoil.

"Hey Tsuna. If you're here to persuade me, it won't work. After the baseball Gods abandoned me, I have nothing left. There's no meaning in my life now."

Tsuna was rendered speechless by the hollowness in his tone and the meaning to his words.

No meaning in life? Nothing left?

And lastly, what baseball Gods?!

Tsuna knew the idiot has a big passion for baseball but to die because of it?

Was Tsuna the only one who could see the wrongness of this situation?

To be fair, Tsuna would never understand how people could throw everything into something they love and dedicate their whole life for it. Tsuna never had anything like it throughout his whole life. The cycle of reincarnation has killed everything in him and with it, his will as well. The only thing in his mind right now was to defeat Death but even that wasn't an enough reason for him to want to live his life fully. Like a zombie, he could only drift about his days hoping for a miracle to drop and wait for the time to pass.

Things like passion, love and dedication were all something he didn't have and thus could never understand.

But it's not like he couldn't respect and admire those who has it. One such example was the loud, enthusiastic boxer; Sasagawa Ryohei and the person standing in front of him now.

Ever since he knew Yamamoto, he found himself smiling whenever he saw the raven-head practicing with his teammates in the mornings or after school. Yamamoto always has a smile on his face and because of that, his teammates were able to smile too.

Even a stranger could tell how much Yamamoto loves baseball by the way he plays. For him, taking away the one thing he loves so passionately was equal to killing him.

And now because of his broken arm and lack of improvement, he was going to throw his life away.

That idiot!

Tsuna felt something sparked within him—something that he hasn't felt so strongly in decades. Anger, sadness, anxiety, concern and many other emotions he couldn't pinpoint flooded his mind.

But one thing in his head was clear:

Resolve.

It was what fueled him to act. To move, to do something before that idiot takes the leap.

He didn't want Yamamoto to die. That much was clear and now he has to act.

There were still doubts in his mind about what he's doing but he quickly decided he'll think about his actions later when there isn't a crisis at hand.

"Yamamoto....I can't believe this is the same guy I'm looking at compared to yesterday." Tsuna muttered, mostly to himself rather then to Yamamoto.

"Hah!" He let out a crude laugh. "Funny how people change overnight. But you should know since you were a dame before but look at you now, what a big shot after your fight with Mochida and winning the volleyball competition."

There was a trace of envy and bitterness behind the meaning of those words that Tsuna caught but he didn't understand why.

He didn't feel he had changed at all really. He may be a bit outspoken than before and he gained a fellow comrade by his side but all this didn't feel like he changed at all. Deep down, he still felt the same; aloof and detached from the world, living on a countdown meter.

"But as for me, I'm nothing without baseball! It's everything to me!" He shouted and slammed his fist onto the chain fence. The fence rattled unsteadily under the impact but stood firm, it's base giving way just a fraction.

Tsuna didn't noticed any of it though, his eyes still locked onto the broken person before him. He moved forward a few more steps just so his voice could reach Yamamoto without raising it.

"I can't say this well because I don't understand what it's like to have something you love like baseball, but even so, don't you think you're taking things a bit too far?" Tsuna narrowed his eyes at him.

"What would you know?" He glared back. But Tsuna could see confusion and pain, hidden by the anger he used as a mask to cover it.

Yamamoto wasn't angry at him—not really. Tsuna understood it as a mechanism to shield himself from letting others see how broken you really are. Anger was what keep him going. Anger had clouded his thoughts and now it was a emotion that's going to aid him in making the jump.

"I don't. So why don't you come down here and help me understand more about your passion?" Tsuna almost pleaded but held himself back from wanting to rush over and yank that idiot back from the edge.

"Don't just selfishly decide to end your life over something like this."

Tsuna predicted that Yamamoto would take his words the wrong way and quickly cut him off with a hand.

"I'm not demeaning your love for baseball in any way. But compared to your life, baseball and whatever materialistic things you love will never compare to your precious life you're living."

Tsuna let that sink in before continuing.

"And do you think about the people who you'll be leaving behind? What about your dad? What would you think he would say if you went through with this? Do you think he'd approve of it? Do you think he'd be happy? Think of the pain you'll bring to him. Do you want him to live the rest of his life alone?"

Tsuna felt tears prick the corners of his eyes and he quickly tried to compose himself before he loses it. He closed his eyes briefly and took in a deep breath to calm himself.

The whole time he was trying to persuade Yamamoto, he felt the familiarity of those words as it has been said to him before too.

In his midst of despair during his early years of his reincarnated life, he was going crazy with pain and his suffering was not made any easier by the knowledge that he was going to die by 15. He had considered ending it countless times and each time he ran away, sometimes it was due to his cowardice and sometimes it was due to the people around him that stopped his foolishness.

Later on, he stopped considering it as a form of escape but the thought was always lingering at the back of his mind constantly. Still, he now came to understand the pain of the people he left behind and those who had suffered just by knowing him; his past parents, past friends and acquaintances. He had always wondered if they had moved on with their lives even after he's gone but he'll never know.

Yamamoto eyes soften at the mention of his father.

"Dad...."

He looked up at Tsuna and winced as he saw a familiar pain as his and something much more darker. But as soon as he saw it, it was gone as Tsuna had put up his walls again, quickly sterling himself again and when he spoke, it was calm and smoothing.

"Your arm will heal one day but the wounds inflicted in your father's heart will never if you selfishly decide to do this."

Yamamoto flinched as realization finally dawn onto him and grimace at what a fool he has been.

"Death is never the answer. You don't get another chance in life so don't waste it."

As Tsuna spoke, his voice held so much wisdom and pain in it that Yamamoto wondered how in the world this person before him could continue living while he wanted to end his life the moment he ran into a problem.

Yamamoto's face scrunched up in regret.

"Stupid...I'm so stupid...." he muttered.

Seems like he finally gets it.
Tsuna smiled and sighed in relief that no one was going to die today.

"C'mon. Climb over the fence, it's dangerous over there."

"Y-Yeah...." He still looks a little out of it but begin to climb the fence with his good arm.

However, the pressure of a human body was too much for the rusted chain fence and it finally snapped under all that weight. Tsuna watched in shock as Yamamoto lost his balance and fell backwards, off the edge of the building. It was like watching it in slow-motion but even then, it happened too fast for him to act.

All the students spectating screamed in horror but still none went forward to help. Tsuna quickly rushed to the edge and peered down, fearing the worse but to his surprise, Yamamoto's face greeted him. He had managed to grab hold of the edge with his good arm as he fell over. An average person would have fallen but not for Yamamoto as his arm was well-honed over the many years of playing baseball.

He looked up at Tsuna with a strained smile and laughed.
"Little help?"

Tsuna blew out a breath of relief and shook his head at how that idiot can smile in the face of danger. He carefully bend down to pull him up but the moment he grabbed his arm, Yamamoto's strength gave out and his fingers slipped from the edge, dragging Tsuna down along with him.

Time felt like it went into slow motion. Tsuna felt his body slowly fall over the edge. He felt the rush of wind in his ears as he fell and he felt the weight of Yamamoto's in his hands.

Instead of having his life flash before his eyes as what most people would have experience, a single thought went through his mind.

Am I going to die before my 15th year?

He closed his eyes and accepted his fate. Instead of dying in the hands of Death, he would have preferred that he used it to try to save the life of a friend. This way, his death may have some meaning in it now wouldn't it?

"Tsuna!" He heard Yamamoto yell and his voice woke him up.

That's right. Yamamoto. I can't let him die here. Not when he just found the will to live.

With one hand still holding onto Yamamoto's, Tsuna shot out his other and blindly grabbed onto a passing window sill.

It succeeded in stopping both of their falls but the the impact of it caused Tsuna's arms to burn in pain as both were jerked harshly on both sides and Tsuna couldn't hold in the scream that escaped his throat.

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto cried out worriedly as he dangled from Tsuna's strong grasp.

Tsuna grimace as he felt warm liquid trickling down his arm and his shoulders were burning in agony. He was also pretty sure his left shoulder was dislocated but right now none of it matters to him. The adrenaline burning through his body helps numb the pain in his body but he was sure he was going to suffer the consequences later when everything died down.

"Tsuna! Let go off me!" Yamamoto shouted and Tsuna quickly gave him a death glare for even suggesting that absurd idea. If he had any strength left, he would had told him off for even thinking Tsuna would do such a thing, but as it was right now, Tsuna could barely hold on for another few minutes.

Tsuna bit his lips in pain and desperately looked for a way to save Yamamoto. He could still hear chatters from the rooftop but it seems like no one would be coming to their rescue seeing how spineless they were.

A glint of something shiny caught Tsuna's eyes from afar and he could barely make out the outline of a fedora and a green gun pointing towards the two of them from the shadows of the tree.

Reborn!

He blew out a small breath of relief. He knew he'll be somewhere close by. He always was. But this was the first time Tsuna was ever so glad that he's here.

A gunshot was heard and the next thing he knew, he was pierced in the forehead by the familiar sting of a bullet. Immediately, he felt a warm blanket spread over him and he felt his regrets flow.

I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I fail to save Yamamoto from falling down this building. How I wished I have the strength to safety carry the both of us down.

Tsuna felt the flames burn his clothes away, leaving him with only boxers on but that didn't bother him at all right now. Saving Yamamoto was the ultimate priority to him.

"REBORN!! I'll SAVE YAMAMOTO WITH MY DYING WILL!!!"

With his newfound strength, he easily pulled Yamamoto up into his arms—princess carry style—and ran along the sides of the building like a spider till he reached the bottom. As soon as his feet touch the ground, the flames on his forehead sizzled out and he went back to his normal self.

Tsuna immediately collapsed onto his knees in exhaustion. The adrenaline had slowly left his system, leaving him drained and woozy from blood loss. However, despite everything, the smile on his face never left.

I did it. I saved him.

He sucked in a much needed deep breath.

Yamamoto sat beside him, panting from exertion. He looked at Tsuna with a mix of emotions in his eyes; shock from the fall, disbelief from what just happened and lastly admiration for saving his life.

When he finally found his voice, he spoke up.

"T-Thanks for the save Tsuna......" He gave the other a tired smile but then dropped it. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess....nothing good ever come from my stupidity." He heaved a dry laugh.

"Don't..say..that...." Tsuna panted and gave him a reproachful glare. "I'm just glad that you're alright."

Yamamoto was taken aback by Tsuna's sincere words and he barked out a laugh. Tsuna frowned, wondering what's so funny after experiencing a life-threatening fall.

"You're really amazing, you know that Tsuna~" He chuckled, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Well, I don't think so." Tsuna muttered.

After resting for a moment, Tsuna got up to his feet and wobbled unsteadily, exhaustion hanging onto his body like weights. He badly wanted to skip the rest of the classes and go home but he bet a certain 'home tutor' won't allow that. Even if he's injured with a dislocated shoulder and some torn ligaments. But what did that matter to that demon anyway?

So he had no other choice but to drag his tired body and proceed back to class.

"C'mon. Let's go back to class." Tsuna waved him over.

Yamamoto nodded and hops up to his feet without much difficulty, as though he didn't just drop off from a school building.

"Hey Tsuna?"

"Hm?" Tsuna answered him without looking back, continuing his way forward.

"Do you think I can be as awesome as you one day?"

Tsuna froze for a moment, mind unable to process what that idiot just said.

I can't believe he just asked such an embarrassing question! How am I supposed to answer that?

Tsuna tried to play it casual and shrugged. "Who knows."

After that, the next few words flowed out of his mouth without much thought.

"But the first thing you should do is to get rid of that fake mask of yours. Smiles should come from the heart and not used to please others. Besides, I think your genuine smile is pretty nice, so you should smile more."

Tsuna didn't see what his expression was when he said that because he was too embarrassed to face him after saying all that mushy stuff. Instead, he pushed his legs to walk faster and made his way into the building without a backward glance.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Once Tsuna was back in the school building, he quickly hid himself in one of the toilet stalls and took out a towel that he has always carried around for this kind of purposes. What he's about to do will not be pleasant at all but necessary.

He stuffed the towel into his mouth and got ready for the excruciating pain he's about to inflict upon himself.

3, 2, 1

He counted down in his head and then slammed his dislocated shoulder against the wall, the crack he heard means that it had went back in place. He bit into the towel to hold back the howl of pain struggling to escape his throat and tried to regulate his breathing. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and into his eyes as he tried to blink them away because both his arms were useless right now. He stayed still for about 10 minutes as he waited for the pain to settle.

Once the pain died down a little, he tried moving his arms a little to test it. It was very sore but at least he could still use it. Though his right arm on the other hand was a different story.

The skin was torn and bleeding, leaving a trail of blood flowing down his arm. He used the towel to wipe up the blood and saw that his skin was bruised and swollen. Tsuna recognized the telltale signs of a broken bone which means he has no choice but to see a doctor even though he wanted to avoid going for if he could help it.

But for now, he wrapped a bandage he always carried around to stop the blood flow. He found that carrying bandages around were pretty handy as you'll never know when you might need it. Seeing how Tsuna has been living his life, it's no surprise that he has learned to take care of his own wounds since long ago in order to not alarm his mother every time he came home bruise and stained in blood. He couldn't help get rid of the stains on his clothes but he could always make up some sort of excuse for that like falling off the stairs or something like that.

After getting patched up, he returned to class as though nothing happened. The rest of the class had returned to their seats and were chatting like usual, as though the whole thing with Yamamoto didn't happened and they simply dismissed Yamamoto's suicide attempt as a 'joke' seeing how the guy was always smiling.

Ignorant fools.

He ignored all the rumors floating about and drift off into his usual daze. All the while, his arm was throbbing like crazy and he wondered if he should have gone home like Yamamoto did. Though he would be risking the infant's wrath but it might be worth it.

Speaking of Yamamoto, he really hoped he gets better soon.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

By the time school was over, Tsuna could barely stand the pain in his arm and he decided it was best to go straight to the doctor before it got any worse.

He packed his bag and rushed down the corridor, picking a path where there were lesser students to block him.

He was just about to exit the gates when someone stopped him.

"Hey."

Tsuna whirled around at the unfamiliar voice and came face-to-face with a upperclassman whose name he does not know.

"Um...That stun you did back there on the rooftop was pretty cool. I didn't really understand everything that happened but what I do know is that you saved Takeshi's life and I just wanted to thank you." The upperclassman looked a little embarrassed saying that but he coughed to cover it up.

Tsuna wanted to say that it was nothing but the upperclassman quickly cut him off, as though predicting Tsuna might say something like that.

"No. I'm really thankful for what you did. As his friend, I'm ashamed that I didn't notice he was troubled and even when he was up on the rooftop, I didn't do anything to help.... I'm just really glad you were there to help him." He smiled.

Tsuna really didn't know what to say to that and that led to this awkward silence between the two before the other coughed.

"So yeah....thanks again for that and I hope you'll continue to look out for him when I can't." The guy smiled and made a swift exit before Tsuna could say anything, leaving him with a strange sense of satisfaction for earning someone's gratitude.

See? You do have someone out there who cares about your wellbeing even if they don't show it well.

Tsuna smiled sadly to himself.

What could have happen if he didn't get there in time? What if his words didn't reach Yamamoto and he still jumped?

That upperclassman would be devastated for not speaking up and his regret might haunt him for the rest of his life.

But what was Tsuna worrying about others for? He should be worrying about his own problems first, especially when his problems involve something inhuman and evil. It's not like he could talk it out with Death like he did with Yamamoto and everything would be solved now can he?

Yeah, fat-chance. It would be a miracle if something like that would work.

Tsuna sighed softly to himself.

Well, as least someone's better now.

He thought to himself. If his words could make a difference to someone's life, then it was enough for him.

With that, he headed home with a weird sense of peace in his mind.

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

The next morning, Tsuna went to school feeling as crappy as the day before with his right arm stuck in a heavy, white cast. His mother had questioned him the night before about it but he had prepared a story already and smoothly lied to her that he got it because he fell down the stairs due to his clumsiness.

His mother nodded in understanding but didn't looked any better; her expression full of worry and concern. Seeing that caused a familiar stab of guilt through Tsuna's chest but he promptly ignored it. It wasn't the first time lying to his mother and it definitely won't be the last.

Though with that said, it didn't mean he enjoyed it or does it make it any easier to lie. It's just that he accepted that he's hurting his mother but found no way around it. He couldn't possibly tell her everything right?

Thus, with his chest filled with guilt, he made his way to school without any accident and got himself to class. When he reached his classroom, there seemed to be a commotion inside and right as Tsuna was about to open the door, it opened for him instead and he was met with Yamamoto's shocked face.

They both stared at each other and then at each other's arms wrapped in a cast.

A silent message was passed between the two of them and soon the two burst out laughing at the absurd sight of them in casts. Even their injured arms were on the same side.

This was the first time since forever that Tsuna had laughed so much, especially in front of others. Everyone in class stared at the two injured boys as though they were crazy but Tsuna couldn't care less about what they think right now.

When they calmed down from their laughing fit, Yamamoto smiled at him; a real genuine smile this time and that smile made Tsuna happy too. It was like his smile was contagious or something.

"Now, this is the Yamamoto I prefer." He grinned. "Compared to before, this is more refreshing and natural."

Yamamoto blinked, a little surprised at Tsuna's honestly but soon his expression quickly turned soft.

"Thanks Tsuna. I'm so glad to have you as my friend."

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The crowd clapped and cheered for the musician performing in the streets. The boy stood in awe as the music in the air captivated his entire being and smoothed his soul. Every note produced by the flute was heavenly and it flowed beautifully throughout the area, bewitching all who hears it.

The teen who stood there; fingers expertly playing the flute was older than the boy by a few years and yet there was nothing but confidence in his posture as he brilliantly displayed his skills with pride for all to see.

Besides his musical skills, the teen had stood out due to his outfit. He wore a strange looking blue and white robe with a tall black hat which was unusual around these parts. Not to mention his eyes and hair were interesting too because no one around here have black hair and dark eyes like his. Everyone can tell he was a foreigner.

After the last song, the teen began to pack up his things when the boy decided to walk up to him, nervousness heavy in each step.

"You're really great! I'm so amazed by your skills as a musician." The boy couldn't help but shout it out loud. It was the first time he had ever seen a musician as great as the teen, or as young as him. The musicians invited to the castle were always playing boring music without any soul in them. But the music this teen played was different. There was so much life and joy to them that made the boy perk up and want to dance along to the music.

"Thank you. I'm overjoyed to hear that you enjoyed my music." The teen bowed. Not only was he talented, he was also modest and friendly. Something the boy hasn't seen in people in a long while—well, maybe except that one guy he met before, but he was nice in a different way. This teen was soft-spoken and always seemed to have a pleasant smile on his face as he do now as he smiled warmly as the boy.

"Erm...I'm C-Cielo! May I ask what your name is?"

"My name is Ugetsu Asari." He smiled.

"U-U..ge....ge...tsu..." The boy repeated, his tongue finding it hard to pronounce the foreign words.

Seeing the boy struggle, the teen couldn't help but chuckle. "It's a Japanese name. You can just call me Asari."

Japanese! No wonder he looks so different.

The boy thought in wonder and excitement. It was not everyday you meet a foreigner. He wondered why would the teen be out on his own in a foreign land like this.

"Please to meet you Asari!" The boy beamed, elated that he had made a new friend, and a foreign friend at that.

"Likewise." He smiled.

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A/N:

7071 words. Seems like a new record. I'm so tired but I want to keep editing! I still have so many other stories to write and edit but I don't know why I'm focusing on this now. Anyway, hope you enjoy this long chapter. Next one won't be up for another week or so.