Ryota didn't know how it happened, but as he quietly sat on one of the park's many wooden benches for a quick nap, he was greeted by the sight of a pink spiky ball, one unmistakably charging for him at full speed.

Lovely.

And now, in front of his still bewildered eyes, were two men— Two adult males, who stared at him unblinkingly. One, the shortest, smaller than him by more than ten centimeters, eyed him with a pair of suspicious blue eyes.

He had pink hair—most probably dyed, everyone wasn't Momoi after all, which was neatly combed, and though his arm was restrained by the other man, it didn't prevent his free hand from stiffly resting on his thing— wait, was that a holster and a gun?

Ryota's fake smile, a defensive mechanism he had unconsciously adopted when in jeopardize, twitched before he dismissed the issue. He hadn't seen anything, for sure, it only was a trick of the light!

He blinked, flickering his golden eyes to the other man who wore a brilliant grin and whose dark reddish-brown eyes seem to glimmer with pure childish adoration. It was a bit unsettling, was the guy a pedo? He hoped not. Had they met? He didn't think so.

Nevertheless, the raven was slowly creeping up to him, loosening his grip on the pink head next to him as his grin stretched. He seemed laid back, but the faint glimmer in his eyes told another story. The man pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, much like Juncchi at times—

He frowned, eyeing the raven head up and down in silent contemplation. Thinking about it, did Jun ever said he had a brother? He didn't think so, then his long lost father? But the boy wasn't adopted.

He flickered his golden eyes to the pink head who openly glared at him, a seemingly genial smile painted on his pink lips. He too looked familiar—

"Oh my Lord, little Mika looks so cute!" The raven head blurted as his hands reached for the green-haired teen, messing his combed hair and engulfing him in a hug.

Mikaël stiffened, his hands rested on the older's chest as he debated whether to push him away or not, he didn't know where he was after all. It wasn't wise to act rashly. But such level of PDA with a stranger? Then again, Ryota was a tactical person, but only with people he knew!

He didn't have to think more, the adult loosened his embrace to look up at the silent pink head behind him. "Don't you think so too, Shu-chan?" He inquired with a grin.

The pink head, now dubbed as Shu-chan, looked at the raven with a poker face. He pursed his lower lip out, eyebrow twitching before he began to flail his arms around in a hurried manner, each move sharper than the other as his expression fell.

Ryota stared at the pink-haired man in confusion, he didn't understand why the sudden agitation, or why he didn't speak but moved, but looking a the raven head, they seemed to communicate.

"Aww, don't be so mean Shu-chan. You'll hurt little Mika's pride," the raven coaxed with a grin.

Mikaël raised a confused eyebrow, at lost. He saw from the corner of his eyes the pink head moving his hands at once, expression grave as the violent aura around him grew.

The raven head frowned. "Don't say that Shu-chan. Mika's my friend, and little Mika my responsibility. I won't take kindly to others disrespecting either of them. Even if it's you."

Ryota could more or less understand they were speaking, well somehow, about him. Though he didn't grasp who this little Mika or Mika was— he didn't know how they knew his name in the first place, he supposed one of the two names referred to him. He stared, and then it dawned on him.

Was the pink-haired one mute?

At once, the veil above his eyes seemed to lift, giving him a whole new view of the situation. The man wasn't flailing his limbs aimlessly, he was signing. And the raven head, who understood Sign language was arguing back to his every rapid move.

Though knowing the situation didn't mean Ryota understood the situation more, he had to admit. The raven head was impressive, to keep up with the pink-haired man, his eyesight, despite the glasses, must have been on point.

::

"I apologize for the commotion upon your arrival, little nephew," The Chinese man said with a small purse of his lips as he calmly sipped on his green tea, an air of poise around him.

The scent of incense gently wafted through the room, making the atmosphere seem all the more peaceful. Mikaël carefully nodded, his sham smile in place as he tentatively reached for his cup of tea.

"I hadn't expected your arrival to be so soon, I thought you would come later in the afternoon, I confess," he said with some disappointment. "And to think that you had to deal with those two's quarrel as soon as you arrived," he sighed. "My heart bleeds at the thought."

"Wait, Master Zhi—"

"Shush, no one asked for your opinion, Junichiro," Zhihao cut, sending the raven head a warning glance. "So sit and eat your pastries in silence."

Ryota dumbly watched as the older man got scolded for his interruption, his mind went a mile a second as he tried to process the mass of information given to him by the Chinese man a few minutes prior.

So, he was approximatively ten years in the future, more precisely he took his future self's position. Future him was involved in the Russian mafia and the people who abducted him less than a month ago were part of the said Bratva. This being the work of the pink ball thrown at him in the park, and he had no way home.

Simply delightful.

He starred at the people in the room with half-lidded eyes, wondering how his dumb future self— because it was obviously his fault if he was in such a predicament, got involved with those madmen.

He felt a bit conflicted. For instance, in front of him and wearing a fine looking cheongsam, was the so-called Sun Guardian of the бриз. And right beside him, on another seat, was the Lightning Guardian. Well, they were ex-Guardians apparently.

Both people he swore, no less than two weeks ago, he hated. Awesome really, those two people who had treated him so rudely less than a month ago— well, maybe for them it was years back, but even so, it didn't make up for anything.

Now, those two seemed to look after him with great care, almost nursing him. It perplexed him and made the situation slightly uncomfortable for the teenager.

On the other hand, the pink-haired adult, who he learned, was in fact named Shura, was the one who took care of him through his joyful journey through hell while in Tokyo.

He had a rather good impression of the youth at the time, and it didn't seem like he despised him either. It was also unlikely it had to do with his future self, after all, the man was his Lightning Guardian, or so they said. He could only blindly guess as to why he seemed to antagonize him so much.

Now, as for the raven head who dejectedly stared at his sweets— well he was Jun, no doubt about that.

Minutes passed in this somewhat comfortable silence, before the sound of ceramic hitting the table echoed. There was a clear sound of a fan opening before the elder man gently fanned himself, covering the lower part of his face.

"Since little nephew isn't as well versed in paperwork as small nephew," he stated, not asking Ryota or anyone for their opinion. "For the time being, Natalia and I will take care of it," his voice trailed off, and his blue eyes narrowed.

Though the man was older now, he hadn't lost one bit of his charm, and the languid air he exuded made him all the more appealing and passively seductive. His hand stopped their fanning. "Well, what remains of it anyway."

He elegantly stood up, his hands neatly clasped in front of him as he flickered his gaze to the clock in the boudoir. He hummed to himself. "Once little Shuzo arrives, he will give you a clearer rundown of the situation."

::

Ryota laid in his— well his future self's room in boredom. After his talk with Zhihao, Natalia had excused herself, stating she had some things to do. Left alone with his— well, future Guardians, Mikaël was a bit oppressed.

Fortunately, he hadn't stayed with them for too long, after exchanging a few words with Junichiro— it felt weird referring to the older male as Juncchi when he obviously was different from his friend, the two men excused themselves.

Ryota had aimlessly walked through the long carpeted corridor, his gaze going from one art piece to another. Every item seemed more expensive than the previous one, making his head hurt at the thought of breaking them.

It was with an unsettled mindset that he found a maidservant to guide him to his future self's room. He sat on the comfortable bed, the velvety feeling of the covers brushing his fingers soothed his mind.

He looked around, taking in the organization of the room and every miscellaneous item which laid in it. The desk, atop which only rested a stack of blank paper and a quill— How did he write with that? Next to it was a small baroque clock and a frame, an empty one.

He tilted his head, not quite comprehending what such an item would do here. For sure, he and his future self weren't the same people, but they shared some similitude without a doubt. And Ryota was sure, an empty frame wasn't something he would keep without reasons.

Unknowingly, he swept his gaze over the room, checking for any foreign presence. Silently, he got up from the fluffy quilt, tiptoeing to the desk a few meters away from him. His hand gradually crept closer to the empty frame.

He trembled from anticipation, a deep foreboding feeling bubbling in his chest.

Maybe, in another life, where he wasn't, things turned out differently.

::

"So you're Mika-ël," the tall raven head drawled, some hesitation in his voice as he stared at the younger green head. "I'm Nijimura Shuzo," he formally introduced, extending his hand for a handshake. "A pleasure."

Ryota mechanically nodded, a Colgate smile plastered on his face— one which visibly made the older uncomfortable, as he shook hands with the man.

"I am the Rain Guardian," he added as they took a seat around the grand table of the empty dining room. "You should have met Junichiro and Shura already," he stated, looking at the green for any sign of disagreement.

Noticing the younger gave a small nod, he resumed. "Both of them respectively are the Sun and Lightning Guardians. As for the Storm Guardian, Fuuta De La Stella has endorsed this role, and the Cloud Guardian is Sir Makariy," he paused, eyes slightly narrowed. "Have you met already?"

Ryota frowned, he rummaged his mind for a moment, searching for the familiar name before he had an epiphany. Oh, wasn't that the man who took some of his blood? Or whatever it was, during the Ring Battle?

Nijimura, as the other didn't ask questions, deduced they knew one another. Though curious as to when they'd met, as the much older man was quite a hermit, he didn't inquire about it, merely humming in acknowledgment.

"Anyway, currently, you are— or more precisely your older self is the Boss of the Russian Bratva: бриз," at those words, Nijimura couldn't help the scrunch of his nose, he rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly before sighing. "Questions as to why we became part of it, I'd rather we don't dwell on them," he said, cutting the boy before he even started.

"In terms of geopolitics, the Bratva has a rather stable situation. Unlike most of the renowned Mafia groups, such as the Vongola and Millefiore, the бриз is not part of the current confrontations."

Ryota minutely narrowed his eyes at the mention of the two foreign mafia groups. He'd heard of the Vongola once or twice already, while in his timeline, but it was his first time hearing of the Millefiore group. Shuzo, as if already knowing he would be confused, pulled a small booklet from his suits inner pocket, he placed it in front of the teen.

"A quick overview of the relevant political influences in our time," he explained succinctly before going back to his telling. "Our Bratva is a neutral party, at least those were the words of your future self when it came to the potential formation of an alliance—"

"Why?"

Nijimura blinked, he flicked the teen's forehead. "Don't interrupt me, brat," he admonished, tone light as a light smirk painted his lips. "And to answer your question, it is more of a tradition than anything else. When Mika received the title, he vowed to follow a few principles, the matter of alliances being one of them."

Ryota nodded, taking note of how Shuzo made a clear distinction between himself, and his future self. It didn't bother him and on the contrary, made him all the more relaxed around the older version of his best friend.

Nijimura's steel-grey eyes sharpened as he finished his sentence, a distinguishable shade of blue coursed through them, blending with his iris' natural color to give a beautiful shade of greyish blue.

"But, you're not your future self. And therefore, though you have taken command of the Bratva, as per the direction of Mika, you aren't tied to those vows."

Ryota nodded, his smile thining as he narrowed his golden eyes, slowly coming to understand the situation he was dragged in. His fingers gently drummed over the booklet's leather cover, itching to take a peak, but he refrained, instinctively knowing that Nijimura's information was much more significant at the moment.

"Listen up brat, though the power you hold is mostly symbolic, as all the administration is being taken care of by Sir Zhihao or Miss Natalia, your role is of utmost importance," his sharp eyes squarely stared into Ryota's golden ones. "I won't lie, you are more of a decoy with your current strength than anything, and honestly, I'm not entirely sure as to why Mika decided to take part in the Vongola Don's plan. But it remains, you are the Boss, Our Lord," he stressed.

"The Bratva follows an almost religious hierarchy, and as the Boss, Mika is considered the Lord. Someone untouchable, nearly a sacred existence for some of the members. I won't say I agree to this thinking, but it remains. Every one of your moves, from tomorrow on, will be looked at, scrutinized, you'll have no more notion of privacy."

Ryota mutely nodded. As a model, he was used to others watching him, it was the norm. But the attention a 'holy' being got? He could only imagine it, he had never been Pope.

Shuzo's brows were knitted as he looked at the younger version of his friend. A more innocent version perhaps was it entirely untainted, a perfectly blank canvas without any impurity. He doubted it, but he could hope it was the case.

It saddened him, in this life, he would be the one responsible for Mikaël's views wrapping into something darker. He clenched his jaw, he, like the other Guardians, had promised Mika as both his friend and underling to look after his younger self.

But now, faced with the purity of those eyes, those devoid of any dullness his friend usually displayed, he felt a pang in his heart.

It was a shame he would need to steal the shine in his eyes and replace it with the lackluster of reality.

Thank you for reading, until next time^^

Future Age recap:

-Ryota/Mikaël Lamarre, Nijimura Shuzo, Hirose Junichiro: 27 y/o

-Shura Volkov: 26 y/o

-Liu Zhihao: 48 y/o

-Natalia Ivanov: 47 y/o

-Makariy: 40 y/o