Title: The Path I Took Ten Years Later
Pairing: 8080 and 2780 (Yamamoto x Ten Years Later Yamamoto. Tsuna x Yamamoto) SELFCEST! XD
Rating: PG-13
Warning: lil Fluff + Heavy Angst And of course the Ten Year Later Arc
Credits: raenefmignon for helping me with grammar check.
Summary: Yamamoto meets ten years later Yamamoto! (Wao I'm sooo good with these summary synopsis)
Dedicated to: joeyfraser because I kicked her into posting her meme against her will? So she gets her fav pairing fic?

Author's Note: This is technically Chapter 2 of my 2780 series. Chapter 1 was 8027: Love Letter . But you don't need to read it to enjoy the fic. Thank you for reading.

"Lambo!! STOP!" Tsuna shouted as he chased after the little fur ball in cow fur.

"No! This is Lambo-san's! They told Lambo-san to never let anyone touch it!" Lambo shouted as he ran away with his bazooka twice his size while several stolen candies fell from his fluffy hair.

"Lambo! Giannini isn't done fixing your bazooka!" Tsuna shouted desperately as he ran after the little bugger.

"AHAHA! Lambo-san won the Olympics last year! No one can outrun Lambo-san!" Lambo shouted as he ran in glee.

Tsuna sighed and wanted to shout out, "You don't win Olympics," but saying so would only make him sink to Lambo's level. That and he was more worried since Giannini never fixes or upgrades anything properly in the normal sense of the word.

Then Tsuna noticed Yamamoto turning around the corner in front of them.

"Yamamoto! Please grab Lambo!" Tsuna shouted out.

Lambo froze as he saw the tall boy loom over him. Yamamoto smiled and just said, "Hey there, little fella. What kinda trouble did you get into this time?" Then he tried to pick up the little fur ball on legs.

Tsuna watched appalled as in one fell swoop, Yamamoto grabbed the little Bovine and at the same time, the panicked little rascal used the Ten Year Bazooka on himself in order to flee from his immediate danger.

POOOF

Along with the puffs of smoke, there was another shadowy figure that stood among them. It was a taller guy and it definitely was not ten-years-later Lambo.

Tsuna gasped as he realized that the stranger resembled Yamamoto, who stood next to him a bit surprised, with little Lambo in his hand.

"Ten-years-later Yamamoto!" Tsuna shouted in surprise. The first thing Tsuna thought was, 'Did Lambo mishoot? Or did the bazooka malfunction more than once?' Either way, ten-years-later Yamamoto was in front of them along with Yamamoto at the same time.

Yamamoto looked over at Tsuna with questioningly. "Ten years…. Yamamoto?" He repeated, trying to understand.

By now the smoke thinned a bit to reveal a much taller man with a thin scar below his chin. His hair was similar, his build was similar but what caught everyone's eyes was the distinct blood all over his face, his matted hair, his black, tattered suit and his hands which held a katana, similarly lathered in blood. The stink of the blood was in the air and the glint in the older Yamamoto's eyes sent shivers down Tsuna's spine.

The older Yamamoto blinked as he looked around. He looked to his side and saw his younger self and stood there for a minute. A beat. "Ah, I'm in the past." He said casually, with a light smile on his lips.

Tsuna walked over with his handkerchief out. "Erm… here?" The older Yamamoto dropped his guard and took the handkerchief and said, "Thanks, Tsuna," as if he were carelessly taking a tissue to blow his nose, or something else that's ordinary. However, this scene was anything but ordinary.

"Yamamoto, erm that bazooka… er… it brings people back from ten years in the future." Tsuna tried to explain why there was a bloody older man next to them, though that explanation still did not cover why Yamamoto was bloody ten years later. Yamamoto recovered from his little shock and turned to Tsuna to say, "Toys these days sure are advanced. I wish I had something like that when I was a kid." Tsuna sighed as he had already predicted such a response.

"So you are my ten years later self?" Yamamoto smiled as he looked up to… his 'self'.

The older Yamamoto grinned back as he wiped some blood that ran down his brow. "Looks like it," he said.

"You alright? You don't look so hot right now." Yamamoto said slyly as he pointed at all the blood on him.

"Who, me? Are you kidding? I'm having the time of my life. I couldn't be any hotter than now." The older Yamamoto gave his younger self his best haughty smirk.

"Oh really? That blood yours?" Yamamoto said as he folded his arms together, with Lambo still hanging off him, who was doing his best to pull his hand free from Yamamoto's grasp.

"Oh this? Nah, I was cutting up some tuna fish and I got some blood on myself." The older and just as suave Yamamoto said with a wave of his hand.

"With a katana." Yamamoto said as he raised one cocky eyebrow.

"It was a big tuna. For a big party." The taller Yamamoto said with a wink.

Then they both burst out laughing at their own humor as Tsuna stared at them as if they were both crazy.

"Well, my five minutes are probably up. It was a good rest. Time to go back to the party. Missing their main chef for their main course meal is a bad idea after all." The older Yamamoto said as he rubbed his shoulders to get ready to jump back to the future.

Tsuna asked worriedly, "Are you going to be alright?" aware that the future Yamamoto was probably playing his casual card. Those tattered clothes and seeping blood did not look pretty.

The older Yamamoto looked at him with a gentle smile, "Don't worry Tsuna. It'll be like a little magic trick for the surprise party. No surprise party is complete without a little magic."

"Wait, before you go, I want to know." Yamamoto asked his future self.

The older man looked over to his past to listen.

Yamamoto asked about his future. "What am I doing in the future? Am I a baseball player like I wanted to be? Or did my dad get me to be the sushi chef he always wanted me to become?"

The future Yamamoto's lips parted into a tender smile. His lips held the secret key from the future, and he knew his words were his own Pandora's box. His next words would decide his destiny.

The older Yamamoto lightly patted his younger self on the shoulder. He looked over at Tsuna who stood before him, concerned by all the wounds he had received. There was sort of a sad smile that lingered on his lips as he turned to face his younger self and told him, "Don't worry. You're doing what you wanted to do the most."

The past Yamamoto looked up at him quizzically and asked, "Does my dad approve at least?" And the future Yamamoto gave him a mature grin and told him, "He full-heartedly approved."

Then the five minutes were over and with a poof of smoke, he was gone like a dream.

"Well, that was pretty neat." Yamamoto said to summarize the experience. Tsuna's jaw dropped at his naiveté and his simple-mindedness to condense such a tremendous experience into such plain words. But Tsuna really was worried. Though Yamamoto always thought this was all a game, Tsuna knew that in truth, it was all Reborn's plan and that it really was all too close to reality to be a child's pastime game. The fact that Yamamoto wore a suit ten years later and was holding a bloodied katana and that he was so worn out…. and quite possibly in the midst of battle…

"Ya… Yamamoto. Aren't you worried? He didn't tell you exactly if you became a baseball player or a sushi chef." Tsuna said, looking up at his good friend. Yamamoto looked down at him with a light grin to ease his friend's worries. "Nah, I'm not worried. He said I chose what I wanted to do the most. And my dad approved. That's good enough for me. Besides…"

Yamamoto hoisted the little sniffing Lambo to his shoulders. Tsuna remembered again that Yamamoto was always good with little children. Yamamoto glanced back at Tsuna and gave him his best grin and said, "I got ten years to find out, don't I?"

Tsuna nodded slowly as they both walked towards their house with Lambo.

"approved…"

That past-tense word still nagged Tsuna's mind as the setting sun slowly drifted into sleep.

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"Ah, so sorry I'm late Tsuna." Yamamoto said as he dragged his bloodied body. His heavy foot crushed the gentle leaves on the desolate forest floor.

"I got caught up with something. But don't worry. I took care of it." Yamamoto said as he came up to his friend. He leaned against one of the nearby trees and rested his wounds. The cold wind chilled his bones and his heavy breath welcomed the cool air.

"I have to go visit another headquarter. It looks like they aren't doing that well over there. But I stopped by for a quick hello." Yamamoto gave him his best grin. "Here, I came to return what I borrowed. Though it's ten years a bit late huh?" He pulled out the handkerchief from his breast pocket that he had forgotten to give back to the young Sawada Tsunayoshi just an hour ago.

"I met your past just now you know. I remember now how you were worried… that I wouldn't become the baseball player that I had always wanted to become. And I said I'll find my own answer, what I would truly wish to do within ten years time. The one single passion that I wish to burn my soul and live for."

Yamamoto's smile was heartbroken as he said, "The path I have taken, I don't regret it. I'm just more upset I have failed you as a friend. However, I'll do my best to at least uphold what you wished to do all your life, Tsuna."

He dropped the handkerchief into the grave.

This is my answer. I will protect your dream beyond your death.