"Blog."

"Huh?"

"A blog. Keep one."

"W-why?"

"You're depressed. Keep a blog."

Tsuna stared at his therapist, not sure what to think. Reborn simply twirled his pen in his hand, keeping a cool gaze on Tsuna.

"I'm… depressed?"

"Yes. And very much so. You have no friends, you're no good, and you're depressed. Keep a blog."

"But… that's so lame… and who would read it?"

"I would," Reborn said flatly. "Keep a blog."

"But—"

Tsuna found himself swallowing his words and looking at the end of a very, very sharp pen. Had pens always been so pointy?

"Keep. A blog."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

That's what had started it all, Tsuna grumbled to himself. That's why he was in such a great mess. It was all Reborn's fault.

…Okay, not really, he admitted as he opened up his laptop and started a new post. It was his own fault, if he thought deep and hard about it. But, being Tsuna, he didn't like to think deep and hard about anything.

So, it was Reborn's fault.

It started with a letter from ten years in the future.

You see, on a day in spring, in his sixteenth year, Sawada Tsunayoshi received a rather detailed letter.

"…How did this get here?"

Readjusting his tie, Tsuna picked up the thick, battered envelope that was lying on his desk. It was thick and heavy, as if it contained many pieces of paper. He turned it over.

From: Sawada Tsunayoshi.

"From… me? What? Why would I send a letter to myself?" Tsuna muttered. "I'm not that depressed. Mom? Hey, Mom!"

Tsuna tumbled out his room, promptly tripping and falling down the stairs. "Mom!"

His mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard the noise and looked up. "Huh? Oh, Tsu-kun, you tripped again? How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?"

"Never mind that," Tsuna said hastily. "This letter. Where did it come from?"

"Oh, it came yesterday," Nana said, smiling. Maybe her rather solitary son had decided to get himself a fun penpal. The thought made her happy. "I forgot to give it to you, so I put it on your desk when you were sleeping. Why, is it something important?"

Tsuna looked down at the envelope again. "Uh, no. Just wondering. A-anyways, I'm late, so I'm going now!"

Grabbing a piece of toast, Tsuna dashed out the door, slipping on his shoes.

'I'll read it later,' he thought. 'I'm late now; Hibari-san's going to bite me to death.'

Miraculously, he got to school and made it to his classroom just before the first bell rang.

"Heh, Tsuna, you just made it, huh?"

"Got lucky this time, huh?"

"Y-Yeah, sorry," Tsuna said, laughing. He took his seat in the back corner by the window and started pulling out his textbooks before Dino-sensei came in.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, age sixteen, was a normal high school boy. He had average grades, was average at sports, but liked to keep to himself, so he didn't have very many friends.

It was a secret, but in middle school, before he had moved to Namimori, he really had been absolutely no-good.

He had been bullied a lot, especially about his messy hair and his missing father. Oh, that missing father of his. Tsuna hadn't seen the man for at least four years.

Noticing it, the principal, a young man called Kawahira, offered Nana a flyer to contact a therapist whose name was Reborn. Without Tsuna's consent, Nana set up an appointment, and that was how Tsuna met Reborn. Reborn became Tsuna's first—first 'friend,' if you could call it that, helping him through his remaining two years of junior high.

"Tsuna, we're playing volleyball in P.E. today. You wanna be on the same team?"

The asker was a kind boy named Yamada. Aside from him, not many kids in Tsuna's class bothered to talk with Tsuna.

Tsuna smiled. "Eh… volleyball…"

He had a horrible memory from middle school where the volleyball had hit him in the 'special' place. He shuddered.

"I think… I'll just pass…"

"No way, man! C'mon, you're gonna be on my team. Alright, it's decided!"

Yamada held up his hand. After a few seconds, Tsuna realized Yamada wanted a high-five and quickly complied.

Tsuna was known around the school as being the #1 person who couldn't turn down a request. Luckily for him, Namimori High was a pretty friendly place (probably out of fear of Hibari Kyouya, the I'll-bite-you-to-death disciplinary member), so his inability to say 'no' wasn't taken advantage of.

"Alright guys—ow!"

"Dino-sensei, that's the second time this week you've slipped on chalk…"

"S-sorry! I mean, what? You didn't see anything…" Dino said, laughing lamely. Because he was so kind (and good-looking), many of the students laughed along with him.

"A-actually, do whatever you want," Dino said sheepishly. "I forgot we have a transfer student coming in today… so I'll be fetching him. You guys just stay here, okay?"

"Okay! Don't run into the door again."

"I won't!" Dino said, blushing. "Be good, okay? I'll be right back!"

'I guess I can read it now…' Tsuna thought. He pulled out the letter, which he had stuffed into his school-bag last minute, and opened it up.

Sawada Tsunayoshi,

To my high school self, how are you?

I am writing to you ten years from the future.

Why am I writing to you from then, are you thinking?

There is something I want you to do for me.

Tsuna's face grew disbelieving. 'Is this some prank done by a nut job or something?'

He continued reading despite his incredulity.

So that I—or you?— don't repeat the same mistakes, I am writing to you.

But first, let me convince you of something. I will tell you some events that will be happening to you in your time.

Today, your boxers are heart patterned, right? Just kidding; I was just guessing.

1) A transfer student will arrive. His name will be Yamamoto Takeshi.
This guy likes baseball a lot. His dad just opened a restaurant, Take-Sushi.
He will sit next to you.
Be kind, okay?!

"What the heck…" Tsuna muttered. "Although, it's true there's a transfer student…"

The classroom door slid open and Dino walked in. A cheerful-looking boy followed behind him, beaming.

"This guy's name," Dino said once the class had settled down, "is Yamamoto Takeshi."

Tsuna's eyes popped out to the size of saucers. He glanced down at the letter to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

1) A transfer student will arrive. His name will be Yamamoto Takeshi.

"Is there anything you want us to know?" Dino-sensei said, giving Yamamoto a friendly smile.

"Uh… Hi! I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, like he said, and I really like baseball! My dad just opened up a new restaurant. It's called Take-Sushi! Drop by whenever! My pops' sushi is the best!"

'No way.'

The girls started whispering and the boys laughed at the new kid. Yamamoto beamed.

"Alright… your seat will be next to Sawada-san. Sawada-san, please raise your hand."

"Yo, Tsuna, he's talking to you," Yamada, who sat in front of Tsuna, whispered.

"Oh, sorry. That's me. I'm Sawada," Tsuna said, raising his hand.

Yamamoto bounced over and took his seat. "Nice to meet ya!"

'This is way too creepy… Is the sender a stalker? A psychic stalker?'

When no one was looking, Tsuna read on further, hiding his letter behind his textbook.

2) The kid sitting in front of you, Yamada, will ask Yamamoto to hang out after school.
I want you to call Yamamoto out first. Then, say you're sorry but you forgot what you were about to say. Make sure he goes home.

Tsuna glanced at Yamada, who was passing Yamamoto a pencil. His eyebrows knitted together. Why did his future self—if it really wasn't a prank—not want Yamamoto to hang out with Yamada? He was a pretty nice kid. Unless he was actually a serial killer in disguise, which Tsuna highly doubted…

'It should be fine…'

School passed without a hitch, Tsuna managing to run into Hibari only once that day. Luckily for him, Hibari was in a good mood, having beat up a couple of people earlier, and let him off. At the end of class, Tsuna was all ears as he packed up his things.

"Hey, new kid. Yamamoto, right?"

I want you to call Yamamoto out first.

Yamamoto looked up from his bag and smiled. "Yep, that's me! What's up?"

'But… well… it's not like anything bad will happen anyways, right…?'

"You wanna hang out after school with me and my friends today? We're planning on heading out to the new arcade in town."

A shadow passed over Yamamoto's face. "Well, that… Today's kind of…"

"C'mon, it'll be fine, right?" Yamada said, grinning. "We want to show you around town, since you're new and all."

Tsuna watched Yamamoto carefully. The boy's eyes slid down and to the side before coming back up to meet Yamada's.

"Alright. It should be fine. Right now?"

"Right now! Man, you're going to have a lot of fun, I promise! Tsuna, you want to come?"

"A-ah, no I have to drop by the store for my mom, so…"

'I actually really want to go… oh well…'

"Aw, too bad, man. Alright, I'll invite you when we go next time, okay? C'mon, Yamamoto!"

Tsuna smiled after the two, glad for the transfer student. Tsuna remembered that when he had first come to Namimori, he had been extremely scared because he didn't know anyone. But, fortunately on his first day, he had run into an outrageously loud sempai whose name was Sasagawa Ryohei. Ryohei had become his first, eccentric friend. They went home together now, sometimes with Tsuna's crush—Ryohei's sister, Sasagawa Kyoko.

"Yo, Sawada! You ready?!"

"Y-yeah, hang on a second!" Tsuna said, getting himself together. He hurried out, smiling at Ryohei.

"Kyoko's going home with Hana," Ryohei said, sending Tsuna a sly glance. "To the extreme."

"I-Is that so?" Tsuna said. The disappointment in his voice was ill-hidden.

Ryohei said in a casual voice, "To the extreme, Sawada, Kyoko is my little sister. I'm not handing her over. I might reconsider if you join the boxing club, to the extreme!"

Leaving Tsuna to gape over what he had just said, Ryohei smiled and walked ahead.

"W-W-Wait!"

And now, he was sitting at his desk, mulling over things in his head.

'This is definitely his fault,' Tsuna grumbled. 'I can just imagine it… he stalked me and found out there was a transfer student and decided to mess with my mind. He's probably laughing somewhere, now…'

Tsuna started this blog about three years ago. Much to his surprise, Tsuna had eight or nine followers on his blog now. He wondered who they were and how they had found it. Of course, one of them was his therapist, who kept making snide comments about his sad, boring life—shouldn't the man be making nice comments; he was his therapist for goodness' sake—and the others, he had never met.

[Uh… it's me again. Of course it is, it's my blog… is what Reborn would say. Today… some strange things happened. A new transfer student came. His name… I won't say to protect his identity, but he seems really friendly. I hope I can become friends with him…

Also, I got a weird letter in the mail. I think it's a prank? I hope so, at any rate.

Thanks for reading this, you guys! I hope you all had a nice day.

Signing off,

Tsuna]

Out of curiosity, Tsuna peeped at the letter again.

3) You update your blog. "I hope I can become friends with him. Also, I got a weird letter in the mail. I think it's a prank?"

"What the heck… this isn't even funny…" Tsuna mumbled. "It's really… from myself in the future…"

He flipped through the pages. His eyes landed on the date: October 8th, a few months in the future. He shuddered.

"I don't need to know something like this," he muttered to himself. He tucked it away and then went to sleep.

The next day, Yamamoto wasn't at school. Tsuna shrugged it off, thinking that maybe he needed to help his family move in or something.

He wasn't there the next day either.

Two weeks later, he still hadn't shown up.

I want you to call Yamamoto out first. Make sure he goes home.

'Could it be because of that…?'

On his way home, after having rejected Ryohei's spirited invitation to boxing club, Tsuna opened up the letter, which he hadn't touched after the day Yamamoto had transferred in.

"There's nothing in here about Yamamoto's absence… but it looks like he comes back? April 31… that's tomorrow."

April 31:
1) I found out why Yamamoto hadn't come to school for such a long time.

2) Something really bad happened today. It's my fault, I think. I can't stop shaking. I'm so sorry.

"What?" Tsuna said, scrunching up his face. "Something bad will happen tomorrow? Wait… what am I saying; nothing's going to happen…"

Still, out of curiosity, he couldn't stop reading.

I'm so sorry. It was raining, and I could have stopped him.
Yamada said, at the end of the day, that he had forgotten his umbrella.
I want you to offer him yours. No matter what, go home with Yamada.

"Huh…?" Tsuna said. "I bet it's Reborn again… After all, last year, I found a love letter from Kyoko in my shoe locker, and I ran all the way to Reborn's house to tell him… he started laughing so much that he cried… and then I realized that Reborn had written the note and signed it with Kyoko's name…" Tsuna turned red, remembering how he had ended up crying in a corner. "That Reborn… thinks he can scare me and order me around with a letter…"

Despite himself, he could feel doubt nibbling the edges of his conscience.

'Will… something really happen?'

The next day, Yamamoto was back, all smiles.

"Where were you?" Yamada said, slapping Yamamoto on the back.

"Oh, you know… I was just skipping," Yamamoto returned easily.

"Man, already?! Gosh, you're badder than you look. Be careful though, or else Hibari-san will get you."

"Okay, guys, quiet down. Today's the sports festival. I need two volunteers to get the equipment for pole knocking… Yamamoto-san and Sawada-san, why don't you two go get it?"

"Tsuna's too weak to do it!" Yamada teased.

"I really am…"

"C'mon, Tsuna! We can do it," Yamamoto said, grabbing Tsuna. He pushed the protesting boy out the door and promptly said, "Where are we going?"

"Storage house in the gym… I'll show you the way."

Yamamoto hummed a little as they walked along. Tsuna bit his lips, wondering whether to ask Yamamoto why he had been gone.

"Say… Yamamoto-san…"

"Yamamoto's fine! Or Takeshi!"

"Yamamoto, then," Tsuna said, not used to being on such friendly terms with anyone. "Why were you gone for so long? I-I don't mean to pry, but I can't believe that you'd actually skip so soon, and for two weeks at that…"

The same shadow Tsuna had seen on Yamamoto's face two weeks ago flitted across the boy's features again.

"Well!" Yamamoto said after a while. "My mom died the first day I came to school."

"H-huh?"

"Yep. I had just come home after hanging out with Yamada and his friends. She had committed suicide. I found her first."

Tsuna felt horrible. Was it because of him?

Make sure he goes home.

"I'm so… sorry…"

"What? It's not your fault. I thought something like that would happen," Yamamoto said a little sadly. "That's why I wanted to go home early… it's my fault, really. I should have gone home no matter what."

"Why did she…?"

"Someone burned down her parents' home," Yamamoto said. Tsuna glanced up at the taller boy.

'He looks like he wants to cry…'

"Incidentally—or maybe it had been on purpose—all her family had been visiting my grandparents when that happened. Brothers, sisters—everyone. It was just her who had stayed at home. Because, well… it was going to be my birthday soon, so…"

Guilt forced Tsuna to keep his eyes to the ground.

"Sorry for telling you such a weird thing, Tsuna. You just… seemed kind of… you know… and I…"

"Oh, no, it's my fault," Tsuna said hastily. "And it's… it's not weird. I'm sorry for asking you such a thing."

'If I had just said something… if I had followed the letter's instructions, then maybe this wouldn't have happened…'

That was the turning point of Sawada Tsunayoshi's life.

His years of solitude were about to end. He would be, from now on, dragged into a lively world, a part of which he had never known. He would make more friends than he had ever had in his life…

And ten years from now, all the friends he made…

Would be gone.

A single envelope stuffed with letters was all he had. A single envelope filled with his regrets was all he could cling to. The Sawada Tsunayoshi from the future, full of undying regrets, was reaching his hand out to his younger self to try to save his past self.

Depending on what he chose, Sawada Tsunayoshi could change the future.

Tsuna knew it now. He knew it too well now, after his encounter with Yamamoto Takeshi.

At the end of the first letter, there was a note that Tsuna had chosen to push to the very back of his mind. He had read it that day he received the letter, but it had been too unbelievable to even begin to believe.

Please, listen to me. Your future self. All the friends you will be making now, you will lose them later. I am writing to you because I regret it. I regret losing all of them. I regret not doing what I could have done to save them.

I will die regretting.

I, your self from ten years in the future, do not want you to live a life like mine.

So please, listen to me.

Here, where I am now, all the people you will meet—Yamamoto Takeshi, Gokudera Hayato, Hibari Kyouya, Sasagawa Ryohei, Rokudo Mukuro, Dokuro Chrome, Bovino Lambo, and even the best and most trusted figure in your life, Reborn—are gone from this world.

Please.

Watch them closely.

This was inspired ORANGE by Takano Ichigo. It is by far the best manga I have read this summer. Only seven chapters are out, which makes me really sad! I was crying by the third chapter, but maybe it's just because I am easily moved to tears…

I do not own KHR or ORANGE. This story will sort of follow ORANGE, but I don't want to copy it exactly… and sorry, but there will be no pairings (probably).

I changed this chapter quite a bit, actually. The teacher was originally going to be Nezu, but after re-reading a part of KHR, I decided that Dino should be the teacher (he's just way too hot). I hope everyone re-reads it, because changing these things is actually pretty crucial to the story X(

Also, do you like the story? I got a lot of views, more followers than I thought I'd get, but no reviews LOL. …is it not interesting? If it's not, then I won't continue… I don't want to take up space on the updates page X(

Have a nice day, everyone!