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Every Season in this World, part 2
Another "Write or Die" entry! XD

I was less ambitious this time and manage to write around 1.600 words in two hours. Still quite an accomplishment, considering that I was writing and nodding off at the same time.

Every Season in this World (subject to change)
Pairing: Yamamoto/Hikaru (Yep, it's a cross over between Hitman Reborn! and Hikaru no Go) hints of Yama/Tsuna and Akira/Hikaru
Warning: um... bad grammar & awkward phrasing? I dunno man, it was a type or die kind of battle!

part 1: http://fon.insanejournal.com/4151.html



I can't remember exactly how old Hikaru was or what year it was when Sai disappeared, so I'm going to make my timeline simple and just say that Hikaru was currently 25, and Yamamoto was 23.

---

"Are you all right?" Shindou asked quietly as Yamamoto moaned and shifted on his back. The one called Gokudera, Shindou noted with relief, was still unconscious.

"I'm awesome," said Yamamoto, who was looking anything but.

Hibari glared at them from the corner of his eyes and gestured to Kusakabe, who then promptly crouched beside his boss.

"Prepare a car," Hibari ordered, ignoring the puzzled look Yamamoto sent his way. "We're escorting Shindou Hikaru to his appointment."

Yamamoto's eyes widened. "Wha? But--"

He was cut off by Habari's words. "Shindou Hikaru will go to his match and if you think of protesting, I will bite you to death."

Shindou felt a shiver ran down his spine at Hibari's cold voice. He was not opposed to going to his match, obviously, but why and how did Hibari know about it in the first place? He didn't remember either Yamamoto or himself mentioning it.

Yamamoto gulped but tried to stand his ground. "It's dangerous for him to appear in public place so soon after the incident!"

"Know your place, Yamamoto Takeshi," Hibari said, eyes shone dangerous glint. "Shindou Hikaru is required at this particular match. Won't you agree, Shindou?"

Shindou must admit this match was really important to him. It was, after all, the fist match he would be playing after he gained the title of Kisei. Besides, Touya of all people would be the challenger!

"I do have to go there," Shindou said, apologetic eyes shot Yamamoto's way.

"Then it shall be arranged," Hibari murmured, mouth formed into a satisfied smirk.

Kusakabe was quiet when he left the room, and the silent after that was so prominant Shindou was filled with an uncomfortable feelings that he fidgeted. He glanced at Hibari's turned back and at Yamamoto's sulking face and had to mentally sighed. This was going to be a long day for him.

"Hey, how about that rude guy? Can we leave him here?" Shindou frowned, pointing at the still unconscious Gokudera.

Yamamoto hesitated for a moment, then smiled brightly. "Don't worry, I'm sure he can take care of himself."

Shindou nodded along at Yamamoto's decision. It's not like they're leaving a child behind. That guy was an adult, he could take care of himself. Besides, if he could come here alone, then it's rather logical to think that he could find his way back to where he had came from by himself.

Being such an efficient person, Kusakabe walked in not later than ten minutes after to inform them that the car was ready. He would personally take Kyou-san, Shindou-san, and Yamamoto-san to the hotel. He then proceeded to say something that made Yamamoto kind of twitched and Hibari frowned.

"Tsuna is coming here?" Yamamoto exclaimed, biting his lips in displeasure.

"Che." Hibari glared at nothing in particular.

Kusakabe nodded. "Sawada-san should be here in a few moments."

Yamamoto made noises about getting away before 'he' came, but the look on Hibari's face shut him up quite fast.

Sensing a confused look Shindou threw his way, Yamamoto reluctantly explained. "Tsuna is my... boss."

Shindou was confused. "Won't it be very bad for your job if you don't wait to see your boss?"

That caution almost made Hibari laugh. Even Kusakabe was unsuccessful to hide his smile.

Yamamoto rubbed at his nape and admitted. "Not... really. Tsuna is the coolest boss ever, so there's no worries."

Shindou was skeptical. "Are you sure you want to come along? Though your boss might not mind, but I'd rather not put you in any difficult situation."

"You're so considerate, but I promise Tsuna really won't mind," Yamamoto insisted. To make his point even more clear, he made to grab for a baseball bat sitting near his suitcase and looked at Shindou expectantly.

Upon hearing the word considerate, for a brief moment Shindou was seized with longing. What he had just said would make Sai proud, and perhaps he would also said that Shindou had grown up some, finally. He didn't let himself be in miserable mood for long though. Swallowed a lump in his throat, Shindou gently picked up his fan and his carryall. In less than ten minute, Shindou found himself lounging comfortably in a black nondescript car, heading southwards.

Yamamoto who was riding shotgun turned to look at Hibari with badly hidden curiosity.

"I thought you won't arrive here for another two weeks? Not that I wasn't grateful, mind, but I was counting on Kusakabe-san's help to rid of those pests. Reborn said you might be here, but I was still surprised."

"I finished the assignment earlier than expected," Hibari replied, sounded suspiciously like he was mentally rolling his eyes.

"Well, um," Shindou interrupted. "I'm pretty sure there's not better time to ask what the heck was going on? We probably won't ever meet again, and not knowing why I had to go through that kind of situation will kill me. So let's talk about this before we reach the hotel. Please?"

Yamamoto looked about to protest, but Kusakabe beat him to it.

"Shindou-san, I hardly think that Yamamoto-san will allow you to go on your own with no protection."

"But I DON'T need protection! Whoever is after you guys will surely leave me alone now that we're not together."

Shindou, even while arguing loudly, noticed that a look was exchanged between Hibari and Yamamoto. Annoyed now, Shindou turned to glared at Yamamoto, who then sighed and smiled helplessly. "What? WHAT IS IT?"

Kusakabe glanced at him from the rearview mirror, his expression full of empathy. "Shindou-san, you really are not safe. Wherever you go from now on, the Millefiore will follow you. It is in your best interest that Yamamoto-san remains at your side, at least until we're certain that they lost interest in you."

Yamamoto was looking at him with such an earnest face. "I can not express how sorry I am for dragging you into this mess, but--"

"What the heck is Millefiore, and why are they hunting you?" Shindou demanded.

"Shindou-san, we're in the mafia, and Millefiore is a rival family."

Shindou was speechless. Of all the things he had been expecting as an explanation, this wasn't one of them. Mafia?

"The what? How?" Shindou sputtered out, but before more could be said, Hibari shifted in his seat to glare at him.

"You're annoying me, Shindou Hikaru. Be quiet like when you're in a match," he admonished, his tone strangely soft for Hibari.

With that said, everyone fell into silence. Even though Shindou was itching to know more (Mafia? What the heck?), he wisely kept his mouth shut and his eyes trained on the back of Yamamoto's skull. They arrived at the hotel and Shindou checked in quickly. He was scheduled to be taken pictures with his challenger, Touya Akira, and the witnesses within five minutes.

The reporter found him first. Shindou ignored Kosemura who stared with obvious curiosity when he saw Yamamoto hovering anxiously over Shindou's shoulder while he signed the document given to him by a hotel staff.

He didn't let Kosemura have any opportunity to raise questions and busied himself with reading through the document twice, then carefully signed on the dotted line, and went on to closely examine his fan. Kosemura looked vaguely disappointed, but left them alone for now. He made sure not to look up when there was a small commotion at the entrance which lead to a private sitting room, and a familiar voice rang out amidst the noises.

Shindou glanced at his watch. Two minutes until appointed time. He so didn't look forward to it. He was early, sure, but he was supposed to meet Touya at the station fifteen minutes before they're due at the hotel. He knew the other saw him when a pair of feet could be heard rushing across the lobby to stand near his bowed head, still leaving a bit of distance between them to allude some sort of politeness.

"You're late," Touya said pointedly.

Shindou pursed his lips, but managed to keep himself from sighing in irritation. "I know, it's not like I meant to be late."

"The least you could say is 'I'm sorry, Touya, this would never happen again'!" Touya scoffed.

"Man, cut an injured guy some slacks here, would you?" Shindou said, almost threw his arms up in exasperation.

"You are injured?" Touya's expression changed from annoyance to concern, but what he planned to say more, however, was cut off when he noticed the three looming presences behind Shindou. Well, two of them were looming, while the last one with dangerous aura was sitting a few metres away but with his eyes firmly planted on Shindou's back.

Wordlessly, Shindou waved his bandaged finger in front of Touya. He didn't realise that it had started bleeding again until he saw Touya's eyes widened in shock.

"What happened? Were you in an accident?"

Shindou glanced at Yamamoto, looking for some kind of a clue as to what he could and could not say in front of Touya. Saying that he was in a firefight between two mafia families was absolutely out of the question. To simply say that he was accidentally shot was also not going to do any good as well. Touya would flip.

Kusakabe, once again, came to the rescue. "That was my fault, Touya-san. I accidentally dropped a set of kitchen knifes I was carrying and Shindou-san was kind enough to help me collect them. Unfortunately the train ride wasn't that smooth and he cut his finger on a knife. There's that much blood because the wound is quite deep."

"I see," Touya said, blinking slowly like he still couldn't believe his ears. However, in the next sentence, his eyes narrowed a fraction. "How did you know my name?"

Yes, how? Shindou stared at Kusakabe strangely. His weird explanation for the origin of his injury aside, Kusakabe and his companions were all a bit of a dilemma. For example, Hibari's apparent knowledge of his scheduled match and the way he acted as if he had been observing Shindou for a long time before they even met.

"My superior, Hibari Kouya-san, is interested in Go. We had the opportunity to watch more than a few of your games."

That lost Touya's interest effectively. Touya Akira, the current title holder of Meijin was, after all, very used to having a fan in unusual individuals. Shindou's suspicions, too, disappeared immediately. That would explain why Hibari seemed to know about him a lot.

"I see," Touya repeated, turning to scrutinise Shindou's bloody bandage. "Shouldn't you go see a doctor? I'm sure the Go Institute can reschedule our match to a later date. That's your preferred hand, isn't it, you might have trouble holding the stones."

Shindou didn't think that far ahead. "Damn, you're right. How am I supposed to hold the stone with my finger in a bandage?!"

"Seeing that it's my fa-- I mean, my friend's fault, maybe I can place the stones for you?" Yamamoto volunteered.

Touya looked thoughtful. "I have never seen it done in an official match before, but perhaps one of the witnesses or the reporter will know for certain."

Shindou brightened a bit at that. "Yeah, let's ask them."

---

TBC