"Ah~ I'm beat.." Tsuna slump down his head on the tatami. The effect of Haru and Kyoko's boycott had squeezed his extra energy out from eating unhealthy ramen, self laundry, and.. etc. They, the boys, couldn't even cook their own food because of the nearly burnt kitchen caused by Gokudera.
"Here you go." Tsuna's eyes immediately avert to the plates full of onigiris. "Eh??" He stare at it, to you, and back at it. "Uh.." You giggle and put a finger on your lips. "It's a secret, ne? I have made some for the others too." His frown automatically turns into a large smile. "Thank you, Riekka!""Please, have a bite, Juudaime-sama..!""Un!" He take the rice ball and munch on it, you giggle again as happy tears stream down on his face.
"Uhn~! I'm really full~!" He stretched his arms, blinking when there's a sakura petals fall in front of his eyes.
"Wow.."
"Beautiful isn't it? Here, Juudaime-sama." You hand him the hot green tea in your hands.
"Thank you." After he took a slurp of the drink, he sit down beside you and look back at the mesmerizing flower petals. "Your future self prepared this room for me.""I-I did?" He point at himself. He blush as you nod in reply. "You prepared this for me because you wanted me to relax myself in order to gain my power back, even though I still have some energy left to fight by your side.""I see.." His eyes goes to your belly this time. And suddenly he have this one urge..
"Uhm.. Riekka?"
"Yes?"
"Can I.. uh.." His eyes keep looking at your belly and you get the message from it.
"Ah, you want to rub it?"
"E-eh? R-rub? I-I mean-" Before he could finish, you take his hand and place it on your pregnant stomach.
"Uh-" 'I-it's so warm..'
"Uhm.. 1 month.. is it?"
"Yes. How is it?"
"Eh? How is it..? Uh.. i-it's warm.."
'Somehow I feel at ease when I touch it.. I really feel like I wanted to protect this child..'
You smile softly, pulling his head down onto your lap. "Hiiii! Ri-Rie-""It's nap time, Juudaime-sama^^."
"HIIIII O////O."
---------------------------------
Kyoko give out a heavy sigh before she brush her arms with the fluffy sponge. "I wonder if onii-chan is eating properly. He ate ramen again yesterday..""Hmf! I will continue this boycott thing until they tell us the truth!" Haru bloats her cheeks like a blow fish from the anger. "Well, man are just like that, you see.." Bianchi joins inside the hot bath as she continues, "They are staking their pride as a men to make sure you don't ever see such a cruel world." You nod to Haru and Kyoko when they exchange glances. You reminisce the way future Tsuna ever said to you,
"I don't want you, all of the people to get involved in this war with Byakuran, Riekka!"
"...Okay I'll excuse myself first."
"Ah, see you later-"
Kyoko's and Haru's eyes widened in shock when they saw a few small scars at your back. "Riekka-chan?? That's-"
"Ah? Oh, this? This is my old scars from my previous battles. But of course, it is nothing compared to Juudaime-sama and others." You smile, hoping the message will get to them and walk out from the bathroom.
"...."
The room was silent for a while as the girls exchange their glance again. "Kyoko-chan. Haru-chan." They said in unison. Kyoko giggles, "Haru-chan. Let's forgot this boycott thing for a while, ne?" Haru nod with a pout. "I think a man's pride is total nonsense and i don't get it at all, but.. okay." The brunette smiled back.
-------------------------------
It may have been your plan too, but it still swallow your heart with a bitter feeling. Bianchi told Tsuna a fake news, saying that Kyoko ran out from the base with a 'she said she didn't need to be somewhere that no one would tell her anything!' reason. You clutch on your chest when his expression changes automatically, commanding Giannini to open the hatch quickly so he can go out and get Kyoko back. The way Tsuna always prepares himself no matter how dangerous the situation may be in had pricked your heart, especially when it comes to his old crush. Then, he showed his guilty face when he ran pass you. You could only say "Go." with a smile, so it can reassure him that you are fine with it.
"Are you fine with this Riekka?" Reborn turns his head to you.
"...It's for their own good. It is a part of my plan after all, or else, it would not end." You closes your eyes and turn your heels to go back to your room. A few hours later, Tsuna and Kyoko came back, and he proceeds to tell Haru the truth.
But you didn't know that Tsuna was looking for you right after he got back to the base.
'Riekka is not around.. maybe she is feeling unwell again.' He clench his fists. The way you smile just now reminded him of you from 10 years ago. A familiar smile together with a tears that appeared in his dream.
"Uhh! Now that's not the time for this..! I will check on her later!"
-----------------------
Tsuna was welcomed with a very weird singing sound inside the IT room. It keeps on repeating "Ran, ran, ran, ran~!" on and on. "Giannini? What's wrong?" Sweat formed on Giannini's forehead as he press random buttons on the keyboard. "I can't say for certain, but someone seems to be hijacking our private signal..!"
The song ended with "Byakuran!" together with a poof of smoke inside the slide show screen, then it reveals the real Byakuran who was currently busy eating parfait?
"How'd you like the show?" He chuckled.
"Byakuran!!"
"I was bored so I came to play~!" He take a spoon of the fruit and held it out towards the camera. "Want some?"
"Damn you..! You think we're the punchline to some joke??"
"Don't be like that, I'm just here on official business. Just want to give you the run down on our game of 'choice'." He shrugged.
"...!"
"In six days, when the clock strikes high noon at Namimori shrine.."
"...! We are going to settle things at Namimori??"
"Woah, don't jump into conclusion. Just be sure to stretch properly. Don't forget to bring your little companions.. and at the very least, I would like to meet all time travelers up close and personal.."
"What??"
"Does everyone include.."
"Kyoko-chan and Haru too??"
"Oh, are you forgetting something? Of course, Riekka-chan will be there too."
"What..?" Tsuna clench his fists when Byakuran call out the name.
"What did you say?? Riekka is not a time traveller!" Ryohei added.
"That is because the others have a role to play as well, especially Riekka-chan."
Reborn 'tched' and narrows his head. "Have you had enough of Riekka's powers already?"
"If she does not shows up, I'll drain her power and her child too."
"What??" A small tear of sweat falls on the side of Tsuna's cheek with a grind teeth.
...And Byakuran is off from the system.
"Why? Why does he always aim at Riekka? I really don't understan-"
A familiar silver haired man step into the room.
"You didn't know about it and yet you are her boss?"
"..! You are..!"
"Sq-"
"Squalo!!"
"I brought u a gift." He hand out the big tuna in his grip to Dino casually.
'Of all the thing.. tuna?' Dino sweat dropped.
--------------------------
"Ah, I see.. so Squalo came.."
Tsuna hissed from the sour sensation on his bleeding nose as you wipe the blood with iodine. "And.. Ryohei-senpai punched you because you told Kyoko everything?" You giggled as he look away.
'What does Squalo mean by that I didn't know about Riekka? I know she had the powerful Celestial blood but-'
You tilt your head to meet his face. "What are you thinking now?"
"...Riekka?"
"Hn?"
"Why does.. Byakuran wanted your power so much?"
You blink. "Uhm.. I think it is common if he is another people who desire my power. I'm from Celestial clan, right?" You answered as if it was obvious.
"No.. I mean.."
'I knew it. I knew she wont tell me no matter what.'
"Please, Riekka!"
"Eh?"
"Tell me. Everything! Tell me what had happened when and how Byakuran met you at the first place!"
"...." You look at his pleading eyes. Looks like this can't be keep anymore, huh? You sigh and wipe the blood again before you continue,
"It started when he pays a visit to Vongola mansion. You, who had an intuition about him, feeling that Byakuran is a dangerous person, tried to keep me away from him as best as you could. The senseis too, realized this and ever tried to hide me from him."
"Reborn too?"
You nod. "But, one unfortunate day.. he sent a spy to track me by disguising into one of the Vongola guards. Rokudo-kun was about to tell us, but it was already too late.."
"T-Then..? What happened?"
"The spy caught me when I'm alone, covering my nose with a drug to make me sleep. I nearly got kidnapped, but thanks to Takeshi-kun's father, he fought with the guy and.." You stopped.
Tsuna pursed his lips.
"The future you couldn't take it anymore, so you decided to go and have a negotiation with Byakuran. I suggest myself to be the one who will go at first, but you just wont let me go no matter what." A low chuckle escaped your lips. "I still can remember how worried you were."
"I.. too.. will do that."
You parted your lips. "Eh?"
"B-because you are really important and.." He blushed, froze at his own words. "Uhm... then that is when I was killed, right?" You clench on your knees, and he got the answer. "After that you lost your power at that time too, right?"
"Uhn. It is my fault for being a burden to everyone. So this is the least that I could do, I managed to wipe out half of Byakuran's armies. I sealed this place so he couldn't get in no matter what method he tries, and I sent Shoichi-kun to be our aid over there. This is also a back-up plan between you, Kyouya and me."
"I-I see.. But..! You are not a burden, Riekka! It is not your fault too..! Uh-"
He blushed deep red. Again.
'Uwahh I'm such a loser in this matter..! But still.. Riekka have been through a lot of things because of me.. And what I always do is to complain everyday since the day that I came here..'
You giggle as you saw Tsuna's sad expression.
"Are you going to apologize again?"
"Eh O.o?"
"...Like you always did 10 years ago?"
"HIII O///O N-No I-"
"Hehe^^."
"....Riekka?"
"Hm?"
"Will you.. come tomorrow?"
"Of course, I've already prepared my own fighting suit^^!"
"O__O.."
---------------------
"Are you ready, Juudaime-sama?" You give a last knot on his tie.
"...Riekka."
"Yes?"
"Please stay close to me."
"Eh?"
"...I'll protect you."
His serious but timid face makes you smile. You nod and stand beside him as a reply.
He lifts his chin and face directly ahead. "We are off."