Work Text:
Namimori was shrouded in an early summer rain.
Takeshi Yamamoto stood before a gray stone gravestone, a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in his hands.
The name engraved on the stone still made his chest ache every time he read it.
Tsunayoshi Sawada.
His best friend.
The boss he had sworn to follow to the very end.
"..."
Yamamoto let out a faint chuckle.
"Tsuna... I won today's match."
No one answered.
Only the sound of the rain.
---
Three months earlier.
An explosion had supposedly claimed the life of Vongola Decimo.
That was what the world believed.
The funeral was held swiftly.
The coffin remained sealed.
Reborn stood in silence.
Gokudera nearly lost his mind.
Kyoko cried until she collapsed.
As for Yamamoto...
He seemed strangely calm.
Everyone thought he was the strongest among them.
But only Reborn knew the truth.
The one suffering the most...
...was Yamamoto.
Because he had always believed,
"Tsuna will definitely come back."
Until he saw the gravestone with his own eyes.
Only then did that hope finally shatter.
---
From that day on...
Yamamoto no longer smiled as often.
He still trained with his sword.
Still carried out his missions.
Still protected the Vongola.
But every smile he wore had become nothing more than a mask.
Even Squalo snapped at him once.
"Quit smiling like that! It's fake!"
Yamamoto simply lowered his head.
"...Sorry."
Even Squalo fell silent afterward.
---
One night.
Reborn received a report.
"The mission is complete."
The Arcobaleno lowered the brim of his fedora.
"So... it's finally time."
---
Inside an abandoned warehouse in Italy.
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
Brown hair.
Amber eyes.
The Vongola Ring shimmered softly on his finger.
Tsunayoshi Sawada.
He was alive.
For the past three months...
Everything had been part of a carefully orchestrated plan to deceive the Mafia world and eliminate the traitors hiding in the shadows.
Not even the Guardians had been told.
The fewer people who knew...
The safer everyone would be.
Tsuna quietly asked,
"...How's everyone doing?"
Reborn answered briefly.
"They're all fine."
After a pause, he added,
"...Except Yamamoto."
Tsuna froze.
"...What?"
"He doesn't blame you."
"He isn't angry."
"He doesn't resent you."
"...He just hasn't smiled sincerely since the day you 'died.'"
Tsuna felt as though his heart had been crushed.
---
The day he returned.
No one had been informed.
Tsuna wanted to see each of them himself.
The first person he chose...
...was Yamamoto.
---
The old baseball field.
The evening sky glowed crimson.
Yamamoto was throwing a baseball against the wall.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Each throw was harder than the last.
Until the ball bounced back.
A hand caught it effortlessly.
"...You've gotten stronger."
Yamamoto froze.
His entire body stiffened.
That voice...
No.
It couldn't be.
It...
Couldn't...
He slowly turned around.
Time seemed to stop.
Tsuna stood there.
Still wearing the familiar school uniform.
Still carrying that same gentle smile.
"...Yamamoto."
The baseball slipped from Yamamoto's hand.
It rolled quietly across the grass.
He stared.
Without blinking.
As if afraid that if he blinked even once...
The person standing before him would disappear.
"..."
"..."
Tsuna cautiously stepped forward.
"I—"
Thud!
A punch landed on his cheek.
It wasn't particularly hard.
But it made Tsuna stumble back a step.
His cheek reddened instantly.
Yamamoto lowered his head.
His fists trembled.
"...You idiot."
His voice cracked.
"...Why?"
"Why did you do that?"
For the first time in years...
Takeshi Yamamoto cried.
Not loudly.
No sobs.
Just endless tears silently streaming down his face.
"...I thought you were really dead."
"I went to your grave every single week."
"I talked to your gravestone."
"I even..."
His voice broke apart.
"...I didn't know how to keep living without you."
Tsuna stood there in silence.
Everything Reborn had told him...
Couldn't compare to witnessing it with his own eyes.
He stepped closer.
And gently embraced his best friend.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm so sorry."
"It was because of the mission..."
"No."
Yamamoto interrupted him.
"I understand."
"I know that if it was you..."
"...Then you must have had a reason."
Those words hurt Tsuna even more.
No accusations.
No anger.
Only unwavering trust.
Even after everything.
Yamamoto took a deep breath.
Then lightly punched Tsuna's shoulder.
"If you ever fake your death again..."
"...You'll explain it to me first."
Tsuna let out a helpless laugh.
"That wouldn't exactly be faking my death anymore."
Yamamoto laughed too.
This time...
It was a genuine smile.
The setting sun broke through the clouds after the rain.
Watching from a distance, Reborn curled his lips into a faint smile.
"What a bunch of idiots."
And yet...
That was exactly why Takeshi Yamamoto would always be Tsunayoshi Sawada's Rain Guardian—
A man who could suffer more deeply than anyone else...
...and still choose to believe in his best friend.