The dark brown and long haired man sighed. He was searching for Hibari up and down in the Vongola base for almost half and hour now. Damn the fact that the base is so big and wide. Hibari wasn't in his side where it links the Namimori Shrine and the base nor in the training rooms that he had to go. Sometimes, he wondered why were there so many of them but he remembered that the Vongola Guardians are a bunch of violent monkeys that always fight whenever something small happened. Hibari and Mukuro had almost always fight whenever they see each other, which lead to having Tsuna building more training room for his them(and the others) so whenever they meet, they would fight in the training rooms.

Otherwise, he would have a very, very long list of taxes and payments to repair, renovate and buy new furnitures to replace those which promptly had being destroyed by them (Not to forget, the others too). 

Ryuuichi shook his head and sigh. After almost 10 years and they still haven't matured yet. He suddenly smiled, a little in envy. 'At least they had fun...' He remembered that when Tsuna had being shot, and 'died', the guardians whom all he cared about hadn't sport the usual brightness in them. 

He, on the other hand, was cringing at the spot the brunette was hit. That would surely hurt. A lot. 

Ryuuichi shuddered and forget about it. He walked into his side of the base and when into his room, only to find the door slightly ajar. He blinked and sighed. So this was where Hibari was all the time.

He pushed open the door and closed it once he was inside. He was greeted by a metal tonfa that suddenly slammed onto his door, creating a loud noise. His back hit the door and another tonfa was on his neck as the taller man loomed above him. He sweated. 

"You're late" He could practically hear the venom in the man's voice. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Well, if you just tell me where were you I could've been here ages ago" He retorted, pouting a little. Dark brown and grey orbs met as they engaged into a staring contest, none of them backing down. The silent atmosphere around them were a little tensed until Hibari broke it.

"I heard" His sharp, low voice muttered. Hibari observed whatever was swirling in those orbs that he had frequently stared into. First was confusion, before it turned into awareness and then, nothing. The younger man had stopped whatever he was feeling. (How he stop it was a mystery to even Hibari) Ryuuichi tilted his head and asked. "So?"

"Why?" Ryuuichi could hear the silent questions. Why would he wanted to endanger his younger self? How did he know? What was he planning? All the questions that he had always heard. He paused, thinking. Indeed. Why would he? He could have just ignore whatever was happening. He could have just waited for the moment to pass. He could have not do anything. 

He had been asking those questions to himself almost everytime. Ever since he was born into this world and til now, he still couldn't understand why. He just had the want to do it. Something was telling him to do all the things he had done. This time was no different. The urge that was telling him to follow it had been bugging and annoying him to the point that he couldn't sit still and be quiet. 

"... Closure? Need to find answers? Instinct? I'm not sure..."

The silence came back, though this time, it was no longer tense. Hibari had known and heard his answers for many times. The fact that the man in front of him understands other people more than himself got more solid each time he heard them. The eyes, even though Hibari couldn't exactly comprehend, had practically said the same thing.

He slowly backed away, tonfa kept away. He sighed inwardly. There was no way he could stop the man from whatever he was doing once he had made up his mind. He yawned and walked towards the queen bed in the center of the room. He lied down on it. "Whoah whoah whoah! Don't tell me that you're going to sleep here?!" 

He gave Ryuuichi a smirk and closed his eyes. Ryuuichi huffed, frustrated at Hibari. Briefly, he wondered was that all Hibari wanted to say. He rolled his eyes, how typical of him. Making him run around here and there. He decided to let it slip. He was feeling a little tired himself after all.

He changed into something more comfortable before slipping under the duvet, not minding if he was sharing a bed with the strongest guardian of Vongola. He was quite used to it after all. ".... Hey, Kyouya...." He muttered, knowing that the said man was still awake. The slight shift from the body beside him was the proof.

".. Take care of my past self... And yourself too." A 'hn' was his reply as a small smile plastered. He softly thanked the man and gave in to sleep. 

Hibari cracked an eye open, seeing the peaceful face of the sleeping man. His eyes soften at the sight. Even though he had known him for a long time and could somehow understand him a little, he had always felt the distance between them. No matter how close they were, he would always feel a wall in between them. One day, he will personally break the damned wall.

'I forever will, Ryuuichi'

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Tsuna opened the door to the kitchen with a yawn, a hand raised to cover his opened mouth. Yesterday was quite a day, running here and there to find and save Haru, I-Pin and Bianchi. Fortunately, they were all alright. I-Pin had recovered from her fever, thanks to the doctor that Haru had bravely brought her to. 

At first he thought that he would be meeting the girls and Lambo first thing in the morning, but they weren't in the kitchen. Instead, he saw a man with long dark brown hair in casuals sitting on a chair besides the dining table, drinking something. His eyes widen at the attractiveness of the man. He was wearing a loose grey, short sleeves shirt that hugged his lean frame just right with a pair of black jeans and black shoes while staring into spaces. All in all, he looked very handsome, like a model. (He had never realize that he was this handsome until now)

Tsuna slapped himself mentally. 

"G-good morning, Ryuuichi" And then, he remembered that the man was older than him in this era. "-san" He flushed slightly when Ryuuichi chuckled in his lower-than-his-younger-self's voice. He blamed it all on the hormones. (Not to mention that he is a guy!)

"Good morning to you too, Tsuna. Do call me like how you always does" Ryuuichi smiled softly at the teen. His heart clenched for some reasons that he himself doesn't know. Perhaps it was because the time is ticking closer. Perhaps it was envy. He would never know. He stood up from his seat as he gestured for the brunette to sit down. "Sit. Is tea alright?" 

"E-eh? I-it's alright!" He shook his head, still having the smile on. He insisted. Tsuna backed down and nodded, seeing that he wouldn't be able to stop the man. Ryuuichi walked towards the counter and prepared a cup of tea for the teen. He hoped that this would help ease the teen's nerves. 

"Here" He placed the cup on the table, in front of the brunette as he sat at the opposite of him. His placed his crossed arms on the table and leaned in. "So, how's training coming along?" He had peeked at the teen's training yesterday, and he could tell that he was and still is growing. He is getting stronger each day. The determination to end all these and bring all of them back to the past had him going, not stopping. He is running, faltered a little but not stopping once.

Ryuuichi's eyes soften. 'Ne, when are you going to realize that you are walking?' 

"W-well, it's going alright..." He chuckled. The brunette hadn't noticed that he was doing more than alright. "Ryuuichi..?" He hummed. 

Something was tugging inside Tsuna. He wanted to ask something, to say something and tell the man. But words couldn't seem to form. He had no idea why. There was definitely something that he wanted to speak of, but he couldn't grasp what was it. The dark brown orbs that was staring at him had it all disappear until his mouth suddenly moved. 

"Do you still feel alone?" Two pair of eyes widen as Tsuna slapped his mouth shut, surprised at what had came out of it. "N-no I m-mean-!" He struggled, trying to cover it up but one slightly sorrowed smile had stopped him. He had recognized the smile. He had seen it before. In the past, he would sometimes saw them on Ryuuichi's face. He would sometimes, most of the time, see the sad, depressed eyes and whenever he saw Ryuuichi walking away with his back facing him, he would see the lonely back.

He couldn't figure out why would he feel like that but... 

"... Yes...." 

Tsuna gritted his teeth and frowned. 

"Ryuu-" "Na, Tsuna... What is life to you? Who are you to yourself?" Tsuna slammed shut his mouth at the unexpected question. The man did not want to continue the topic, that's for sure. He wanted to inquire it further but he felt that he shouldn't. Not when the man wouldn't talk about it. 

Silence took over as he thought of it. The question had struck him, hard. He had never asked those question, nor had being asked. He had never thought about it too. Before he came to the future, before he met Reborn, before all these mafia businesses, he had his mind set on the fact that he would live a useless life as a failure. But meeting Reborn proofed him wrong.

He had found out he was never a failure, it was just that he hadn't found his talent at that time. He was more than 'Dame-Tsuna'.

"Life... Is unfair and full of unexpected stuffs...." He slowly started. He hadn't like his life much but he wouldn't want any one but this. "... At first I thought that I was a nobody.. But I'm a somebody now..." The truth. He really was a nobody at first. Now, he wasn't one. He was finally somebody.

"I have friends, family whom I care for... I love everyone..." He smiled softly at the memories of his guardians, the girls, his tutor, his friends and family.

Ryuuichi returned a smile of his own. He closed his eyes. "And so do everyone else" His hands intertwined, twisting a rings slightly. "The others would probably answer the same thing as what you did..." His eyes opened, looking at his hand. "You see, I couldn't see it. I couldn't see the worth in life, nor the worth in myself. I never liked myself nor understood myself. I have considered that I am someone not worth the time or trouble. And I felt that I wasn't moving. As if I was a living doll"

"At least, that was how my younger self feels like most of the time." Tsuna's breath hitched when Ryuuichi looked up at him, directly into his eyes. He felt loneliness, doubt, fear and most of all, emptiness. All of them from Ryuuichi. At that moment, he felt as if their soul was connected for a few seconds before the man cut it off. 

"Tsuna, please promise me one thing" Tsuna slowly nodded. Ryuuichi smiled at the hesitating brunette.

"Don't leave my past self behind"

------------------------------------------------------------

Knock

"Who is it?" He heard a familiar name and agreed on letting the man in before promptly having the shock of his life. "D-d-drake?!" His jaw dropped as low as it can on his lying position. How could he not when his teenage-friend turned into an older looking one. The chuckle had him blushing. 

"I see that you still call me by that name, Yato. Oh and do close your mouth before anything goes in" Gokudera flushed harder and  quickly closed his mouth. He frowned as Ryuuichi sat down on a plastic chair beside his bed. The teen- no, man's hair had grown longer. It was tied into a tight high pony tail as the hair flowed pass his mid section. It was longer than the shoulder length one he used to had. His cheeks had lost it's baby fats as his jawline got more refined. He still had the look and smile on him though.

Gokudera brieftly wondered how could someone look so similar to their younger self yet look so different.

"So, how's everything?" He was asking about his condition. Both physically and mentally. 

"Great! See!" He suppress the urge to wince in pain as he lifted his arms up. He saw a disapproval gaze from Ryuuichi and stopped. He looked away and laughed sheepishly.

"The truth?" He hesitated. Should he tell? He wouldn't want to burden Ryuuichi nor want to worry him. But he couldn't lie to him.  Ryuuichi could always see him through, no matter how well could he lie. The narrowed eyes on him burned. He opened his mouth and closed them again, feeling his throat dry under the gaze.

"It hurts. Like . Still could feel the electric tingle" He jumped a little but leaned into the warm, larger hand as Ryuuichi run his fingers across his hair. He peered at the man and felt the familiar warmth of a parent. The memories played in his mind like a movie, vividly. The fight with Gamma, the near death experience, the fear, the feeling of him disappointing Tenth, and his dead mother. He would not admit to anyone that he had felt fear. 

Before he known Drake, before he met Tsuna and the others, before all this Vongola business, he had not even care if he had died. He had not care that if he had lost his life. But after meeting them, he felt it. He finally felt fear. The fear of dying. At first, during the match with Belphegor in the Ring Conflict, he had thought that it would be an honor to die for Tsuna. But those words from him, and Ryuuichi, had him realizing, that he wanted to live. That he wanted to be alive and walk down the road along with them, enjoying the view along the way. During the fight with Gamma brought the feeling forward even further and clearer.

Moisture gathered around the rim of his eyes.

"It's ok... Let it out" Sometimes he hated that Ryuuichi can always read him like an open book. But he felt loved by that. Tears immediately dropped as he cried, the warm hand never leaving his head as it kept him.

Ryuuichi eyes soften at the crying teen. He knew that Gokudera's insecurity and the doubts he had. The older him was not much better anyway, but at least he knew that they will be with him and want him. He stayed with him, keeping him company until he stopped crying. 

"D-drake.. Sorry.." He chuckled.

"Don't apologize for what you need, Yato. Apologize for not saying it." 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Ever since the day he had arrived, Reborn felt unsettled. The fact that his future self had died took quite a while to sink in, let alone that Tsuna had died too. That, certainly did not sit well, at all. Tsuna could already be considered his friends and unlike the time he was tutoring Dino, they had pass the teacher-student relationship into a closer one. He definitely would not admit it. Not now. Though, he wondered when did he let that happen. 

Inaudible taps of footsteps stopped his musing as he raised his guard up higher. The door to the lounge slid open and closed as a man stepped inside. Oh, right. There's this guy. The one that he had the urge to slap the I-know-something-you-don't grin since probably the first day he met him. Then again, too troublesome because the younger self of this man was able to run away from him. The older him would probably do much better. (It happened when Ryuuichi accidentally annoyed him. He managed to escape by a hair and avoided getting kicked)

Though, even though it irked him, he was and still is interested in him. He could see potentials underlying in that facade and masks he had, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint it. So, he decided to let Ryuuichi off until he deem him dull.

"Oh! Hello" He gave a smirk and a nodded as the man sat on the sofa opposite of his. Ryuuichi plopped down on the sofa without a care and huffed a little, looking a little tired. "It's kindda surprising to see you alone, Reborn" True. Ever since Bianchi of this era met him, she had been sticking to him all the time. He don't really mind but it got a little too irritating that he had told her to get lost. Well, not literally. He's a gentleman after all.

"Really" He mused, studying Ryuuichi with keen eyes. He had certainly grew stronger, and wiser. Despite Ryuuichi's growth on height and shoulder length, he's still shorter and smaller than Reborn. 

"Yep." He didn't reply as comfortable silence fell into place. He could tell the man had gone daydreaming when he stared into spaces. He wondered what the man was thinking that had him frown slowly as time passed.

"Hey, Reborn" He stayed silent as a sign for him to continue. "What do you think of this future? Do you like it?" He scowled at the second question. Like it? He loathed it. It wasn't because of the fact that he had died. No. It was because this world is a chaos. Don't get him wrong. He like chaos, hell he even love it. But not this kind of chaos. Not when he doesn't know what will happen and s. 

"A bunch of goddamn s" Ryuuichi burst out laughing at the hitman's words. It wasn't everyday that you can see him cusses. Well, he couldn't blame the hitman for hating this world. He hadn't really like it either. It wasn't easy for him to protect his family, blood and not, 24/7. And it was a pain in the that he had to fly here and there around to world to settle stuffs. His motion sickness never helped either.

"I agree. It is a 'bunch of goddamn s'." He snickered very hard. "But I wouldn't want any other than this one" True. In the other parallel worlds, where the boss of Millefiore had probably took over. Life there would probably be worst. He rather have live peacefully here despite the troubles, thank you very much. 

"True"

"Then, what do you think of Ryuuichi?" He asked, eyes flashed in dark, metallic blue for a second that had Reborn blinking. The hitman thought it was probably a trick of light but something tells him that it wasn't. He raised an eyebrow at the question. Why was the man talking in third person's view had him puzzled. It was as if he was talking about another person.

".... Weird and mysterious. Yet, interesting" He smirked at the slight twinkle in the dark brown orbs. "Oh? How so?"

"He has a lot of secrets. Secrets about things that even I don't know. I would certainly be delighted to unravel each and every single one til he is bare" Ryuuichi laughed again. He wasn't going to deny them all. He definitely holds tons of secrets. At the back of his mind, he mused that how he was able to keep all of them without spilling it out even once, accidentally or not. It was an amazing feat, he must say.

His phone vibrated, a message. He didn't bothered to even look at it to know what was it. He simply stood up, the amused smile still haven't left his face. 

"Well, if you want to know that badly, why not sticking to him longer?" And, he walked out of the room without turning back to the hitman.

'And do help him through all these' 

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A/N= Well, this took longer than expected..... I HATE THE PROJECTS THAT MY TEACHERS GAVE UGH!!!!!

The younger Ryuuichi would appear in the next chapter. 

Gokudera would sometimes slip up and calls Ryuuichi by Drake, which meant dragon in what language that I've forgotten.

Tsuna could understand, or at least, read Ryuuichi with the help of his intuition. That's how he knew what he was feeling. Though, he still couldn't understand whatever the man was thinking.

Ryuuichi spoke in third party as though speaking of another person because he, was a she, and would sometimes feel like he wasn't the person named Ryuuichi but was the girl of his previous life. Like, detached awareness? I'm not sure how you explain it. 

The older Ryuuichi knew a lot of things. And he knew a few hints about why he was in the world of KHR, though not fully. BTW the inner monologue he had was about his younger self if you haven't realize it.

There was a few more things I wanted to mention but I've forgotten what was it. I initially wanted to update yesterday but it was quite late so yeah ==lll

[I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc.etc. mistakes]