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Of Sincere Words and Saviors

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Sender: Takara

I'm afraid I must inform you that Hibari might have accidentally found one of your on campus dynamite stashes.

Total accident.

I was making like a river, and then, dam!

From: Bam Bam

You're such an idiot!

You better fucking pay me back.

Sender: Takara

I'm a treasure of my own. Is my presence not payment enough?

From: Bam Bam

Go. Die.

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"You should get that one, Taka-nee!" Fuuta pointed at a box of chicken stock in the supermarket before lifting it up to put in the basket. "This is Mama's most preferred brand!"

Fuuta had met Sawada Nana not too long after the dinner we'd all had courtesy of tou-chan, and they had taken a real shine to each other. It wasn't surprising, as Nana loved everyone – kids especially – and Fuuta was probably thrilled by her mothering nature, as he actually seemed to not have any sort of family (not any that he'd spoken of, at least). Despite this, he still seemed to rather enjoy living at Takesushi with tou-chan and I, when he could have stayed with the Sawadas (Reborn had offered on their behalf, much to Tsuna's ire).

"Hai, hai." I hefted the basket in my arms a little higher before freeing a hand to ruffle his hair. "And this brand of chicken is the best tasting, you don't have to cluck at me."

He laughed before cheerfully grabbing the aforementioned chicken and placing it in my basket, being careful not to squish any of the more delicate items – it was a familiar routine, at this point. Food had never tasted better than when Fuuta got 'put in charge' of our shopping list (or Nana's, as we'd been swindled into shopping for her once we'd found out that Lambo was sick; seems all it takes to defeat 'The Great and Powerful Lambo-sama' is the common cold).

"Ah, excuse I-Pin!" The little Chinese girl bowed, going in and out of my vision at my series of unbidden rapid blinks – because, damn it, wasn't she supposed to already be here? "Ni hao! Ah, seen man?"

I clicked my tongue as I leaned down, an effort on my part to knock my frazzled thoughts back into order. The man really did look nothing like Tsuna, except for the color of his hair – though knowing the crazy throw-a-wrench-into-Tsuna's-life nature of this world, he'd still end up kicked around by the Chinese toddler.

"I haven't seen him before." Fuuta's tone was apologetic as he turned his galaxy-eyes (they were deep; an indescribable sort of thing not reliant on color) to me, "Have you, Taka-nee?"

"Mn, can't say I have." How long would it take for her to find Tsuna, I wonder? Or maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that she wouldn't. And leaving our family without I-Pin wasn't something that I really wanted to take a chance on. "But I have a friend that might be able to help you. He's like an informant reborn, only shadier."

I-Pin blinked and tilted her head, trying to process everything I'd said (at least, I assume so). She held up the photo, her voice a teensy bit uncertain, but also hopeful –

"Reborn, help find?"

Well, she got the gist of it, it seemed.

"Hai, hai. Though, what's your name, Chickadee?" I only half payed any attention the cashier ringing up the basket of groceries. "I'm Yamamoto Takara, and this is my little bro Fuuta."

Fuuta grinned happily, his cheeks pinking just a bit as he extended a cheerful hello to the girl.

"Ni hao! Is nice to meet!" I-Pin bowed, "Thanks for helping I-Pin!"

"Glad to help~!"

Also glad to start up a possible mess in the form of a ticking time bomb in a basket, that would be wholly unappreciated by one brown-haired individual. Vaguely I wondered if Reborn would approve of my actions (and why the thought of that sadistic little kind-of-baby approving made me want to grin like a maniac). I suppose we'd find out, now wouldn't we?

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It was because I was also sadistic, in my own sort of way. That was, most likely, why I enjoyed seeing chaos ensue (when I knew it would turn out okay, anyways). Or perhaps it was because the whole, bursting-out-of-his-clothes thing that Tsuna did when being shot by a dying will bullet was still just so odd. Fascinatingly odd – especially since he still got so embarrassed about it after all this time.

Why that was the thing I found odd out of everything…I could, and probably would never be able to say.

Tsuna's piercing screech had me blinking back into reality just in time to see aforementioned clothes-ripping event occurring, Reborn on the fence beside me, a transforming Leon on his tiny curled hand. Said baby-hitman turned to look at me as Dying-Will-Mode-Tsuna went at tossing a Pinzu-time-bomb I-Pin a startling distance away, and the action made my insides curl ever so slightly.

"Quite the idea you had, bringing I-Pin here."

"Hmmm? Well, I actually brought her to see you, you know?" Because I was scared that she wouldn't find us – she was already so late. "You know so many people, I figured you could help her."

Reborn's eyes remained on me, unblinking. "Even knowing she was a hitman?"

"Gut feeling. Plus, Tsuna can handle anything that gets thrown at him, and Gokudera and I will always be there too."

His face remained blank – it was almost unnerving to maintain eye contact with him, actually. There was just so much there. Perhaps it was thanks to my own situation that I could see the years he had, how deep his eyes were, and I couldn't help but wonder if he could see the same thing in me.

"T-Takara!" My head snapped to the side, Tsuna's somewhat startled face coming into view. "D-Do you really have that much confidence in me?"

This was a moment where, with anyone else, I would have made a joke. But is this situation, with Tsuna, I just couldn't do that. Tsuna still wasn't all that confident, still didn't quite grasp how much some people cared for him – making a joke now would only push his confidence back down a notch, and I didn't want to do that. Hurting Tsuna…the thought made my heart clench.

"Well, Tsuna has never let me down before. So of course I believe in you."

Tsuna's face had a bit of an indescribable look on it, and as he opened his mouth to speak… the moment was completely and utterly ruined.

I-Pin had reappeared, and was in mid-lunge (a cringing Tsuna her target) when Lambo burst forth from around the corner yelling about how he had heard fireworks, and then tripped on a crack. Said tripping ended with Lambo face first on the ground, a purple bazooka flying from his hair, and a startled, much older I-Pin standing in the middle of the road.

"Well," I laced my fingers together and looked from I-Pin to Tsuna, "That ended with a bang."

"Oh! Taka-nee! Tsuna-nii!" Future I-Pin looked between us with wide eyes before jumping to attention after taking a quick look at her watch. "Oh no! If I don't get to Kawahira-san's soon the noodles will get soggy!"

She bowed quickly before sprinting off, leaving Tsuna staring after her, still stunned by the whole situation –

"Sh-shouldn't we stop her? Or…"

"I-Pin will be fine," Reborn turned towards the Sawada's house, "She'll go back to the future soon enough. Then she'll probably try to kill you again."

"H-Hieeee!"

"Well, I think everything is well-done here."

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Worry was something I couldn't help but do when I was so far from Namimori – an hour away, so not too far, but far enough away to not be aware of what was going on. It was one of the downsides to having joined the gymnastics team, because while fun, I was good enough that the senpais hardcore nagged me about attending and participating in competitions. Which were kind of fun when I wasn't so far from home. Or shopping.

"Yama-chan~!" Kobayashi Chiasa was much too clingy and childish to be a third year, though her size and stature fit her childish personality to a T. "Aren't you glad that we're buddies for this trip~? I wonder if they really have Chameleon-Clothes here like Gou-chan said~. We sure haven't found any yet."

Along with being overly loud and clingy, she was also extremely girly and more than a little dense. One of our fellow club members had a habit of telling fantastical stories, such as ones of clothes that changed color with your mood – that she told Kobayashi were sold in this very town. Needless to say, the search got tiring after the first two stores.

"N-No! W-Wait, kitty!"

At that, even Kobayashi stopped chattering, her eyes going the same direction as mine to land on a petite girl chasing a small brown cat. A girl with deep purple hair, pale skin, and set on a path right towards a street.

Shit.

I felt like I had been dunked in ice – because this had to be exactly what I thought it was. It was an event that I quite honestly did not want to witness, not when I knew who this girl was.

Oh, shit.

She got closer to the road, and as she did so, the louder my heartbeat got. Kobayashi let out a startled yelp as she stumbled back, having had her balance knocked off kilter as I sprinted down the sidewalk. The cat hit the edge of the road and a car turned the corner, and just before the startled purplette's foot hit the street, I barreled into her. And as I barreled into her several startled, scared shrieks and yelps of those around this area seemed extra loud in my ears as we sit the ground – the honk of the car especially loud in my ears, though barely above the beating of my heart.

"Well that was a close one." I winced a bit at the stinging of what was probably road (or sidewalk) rash as I stood up before extending a hand to the wide-eyed girl. "With how fast you were going, you must really like you some chrome."

"I-I…um, you…" Her hand was clammy from fear and trembling slightly as she grabbed my own. "T-Thank you! For saving me!"

She threw herself forward in a deep bow, her face red and seemingly only getting redder as the people around us got louder and louder. I clicked my tongue and looked around before lightly tapping her on the back of the head –

"Hey, what do you say about some food? I hear there's a great café around here with excellent pineapple upside-down cake."

There was a shy, surprised nod and shortly thereafter a cat meowed somewhere across the street.

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Sender: Takara

I feel as if I am meant to stumble into the most fantastical situations.

Not always good.

Maybe bad.

Oh god.

[Incoming Call]

From: Enma

"Hey, what's going on? What happened that's got you so rattled?"

"I might have taken the lamb from the wolf? And that could mess everything up. So not rattled, concerned."

Seriously, if Mukuro didn't find Chrome – what the hell would happen?

"Concerned my foot. That may be part of it, but you're more rattled than anything. I can tell; best friend, after all."

He paused for a moment

"And you mean you saved someone then? That's a good thing, though."

I let out a breath.

"Yes…and no? To both?"

"…and you won't explain exactly what this is that happened?"

"I…can't. Not now. Especially not over the phone."

"Right…okay. I'll be waiting."

He was frustrated, which was understandable. And upsetting. But he was also sincere, which felt uplifting.

"Thank you, Enma. You're the best friend I could ask for, you know?"

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This isn't nearly as long as I wanted it to be…but it's been so long since I've been able to update, so.

Takara wasn't too punny this time around though. She can be serious when need be…and she just so happened to need some seriousness this time around. What will I (or Takara) screw up I wonder. All the things? Nothing?

Also, I thought I'd share some stats with you (because wow, this story is probably my most successful one).

Guadagnare has a total of 269 reviews, 60,848 views, is a part of 20 communities, and has 647 favorites and 725 alerts. And is my only story that has warranted fanart! So thank you all for helping me make it this far! And please do continue to help push me forward! !(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

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