"AHHHHHHH!"
"You're being too loud." A large, firm hand clamped over Saya's mouth while her petite frame struggled beneath him. "If you don't stop squirming, I'll give you a real reason to stop screaming."
The girl froze, staring into the cold, steady gaze of the man above her. Her navy-blue eyes were wide with a mix of shock and fear. She couldn't understand anything—why was the Rinji-senpai she knew suddenly here, in this state?
As far as she could remember, she had been walking in the hospital garden with Rinji, Naoka, and Jinnai. Lambo and I-Pin were running around, and then... she was hit by a bazooka. When she came to, a shirtless Rinji was lying right beside her.
Rinji swallowed hard before shifting to loom over Saya's trembling form. Despite pinning her down and silencing her, he was fighting to keep his own composure.
"I'm not going to hurt you. So when I let go, don't run away," he said slowly, his voice low and steady.
Saya nodded frantically. Rinji slowly released his hand. Noticing the faint green sparks of electricity dancing around her, his brow furrowed. He ignited the Lightning Flame on his ring and gently touched her cheek to stabilize her.
"You were hit by the Ten-Year Bazooka. This is ten years in the future... and in case you're wondering, nothing happened between us. You weren't even in this room a second ago."
"A-Ah... I see..." Saya's face flushed a deep crimson. Adult Rinji stared at her large eyes, her petite nose, and her soft lips before his gaze wandered down her neck toward the collar of her hospital gown. He exhaled sharply and stood up abruptly before his self-control could slip any further.
Saya flinched, covering her eyes—but she wasn't fast enough to miss the fact that he was completely undressed.
"If you don't want to look, why are you peeking through your fingers?" Rinji caught her reflection in the mirror, noticing one curious eye watching him. He turned around, making Saya jump as if she were about to scream again.
Rinji reached out, his hand covering the gap in her fingers, while his other hand quickly pulled on his trousers. Once he reached for a black T-shirt, he moved his hand away. "You can look now."
The girl lowered her hands to see him standing nearby. Up close, he looked far more rugged and intimidating than the boy she knew. He was significantly taller, too.
"You'll warp back in ten minutes. Don't worry," he said, walking to the blinds and peering through them. "It's a Lightning Flame day today. I must have been the person closest to you back at the hospital, which is why you warped to me."
"You said... this is ten years into the future?" Saya tried to move off the bed, but her body felt numb and weak from the electrical discharge.
"Stay on the bed. Why are you trying to get up?" Despite his blunt words, he rushed over and scooped her up, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her onto his lap to keep her steady.
He's so handsome, Saya thought, before focusing on the questions that mattered. "I want to see what's outside. And you mentioned there's a 'condition' to me warping here. Can you explain?"
"It depends on which Flame is active and who you're near when the bazooka hits. You'll warp to the person with the matching element who is physically closest to your location in this timeline. Actually, you weren't even here a moment ago—you were somewhere else entirely," Rinji explained. "But don't make a habit of this. Your Flames have... unpredictable results."
"Why?" Saya asked innocently. Rinji struggled to maintain his stoic mask. Dealing with her innocent gaze was becoming the hardest part of his day. Ten minutes is far too long, he thought.
"Messing with the timeline is dangerous. Someone... already tried it, and it caused a catastrophe."
"A catastrophe?"
"A total distortion of the future. As I said, the nature of your existence and your seven elements makes the outcome impossible to predict."
He set her back on the bed and turned his back to her, trying to maintain a safe distance. He was only human, after all, and being alone with her was testing his limits.
"Is something wrong?" Saya asked. Rinji didn't answer, focusings on his phone instead. "What about the future? Gokudera, Yamamoto... and the Vongola Family? How are they?"
Rinji remained silent. Saya grew frantic. "What happened to the Vongola!?"
"Vongola is currently at war. I've joined them as well."
"War? With whom?"
"Many factions..." Rinji replied. "But primarily, the Noctuna Famiglia."
Rinji turned back and tossed his phone to her. "You want to see the future? Look."
Saya gasped. The screen showed the ruins of Namimori City—a satellite image. Why was it a satellite photo? She tried to search for more, but Rinji snatched the phone back.
"...Why? Why did this war start?"
Rinji paused. "It's complicated."
Saya sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Is it... because of me?"
"...No," Rinji lied, seeing her crestfallen face. He grabbed a discarded long-sleeved shirt and threw it to her. She put it on, feeling a bit warmer. He checked his watch; the ten minutes were almost up. "Anything else you want to ask?"
"What can I do to help?"
Rinji was stunned for a moment before letting out a soft, sad laugh. "Just don't do anything risky. Don't play with time. But... if the future can be changed, I hope you find a way."
"When does the war start?"
"I'm not sure if I should tell you," he mused. "But if you must know... keep an eye on the 'Sky of Devouring'."
"The Sky... of Devouring?"
"You've seen it before in your dreams," Rinji said, tapping his temple. "Your future self said your past self sees many things, but you made many mistakes—especially regarding time."
"So that's why you don't want me near the Ten-Year Bazooka?"
"Never. Use. It." Rinji's voice was stern, his expression so fierce she flinched. "Consider this a warning."
"I understand."
"...Gokudera insisted on this as well."
"Gokudera-kun?"
"Yes. And everyone... is still safe for now. Don't worry." Saya's eyes brightened slightly. "It's time."
"Please stay safe, Rinji-senpai."
"You too," Rinji replied. Saya gave him a sweet smile just as the pink smoke exploded.
Once she was gone, the door swung open. Naoka, ten years older, walked in holding a pizza box in one hand and a phone in the other.
"So, past Saya-chan was here?" Naoka asked. Rinji nodded. "Will the past change?"
"I only told her the taboos she failed at in the past... like using the bazooka on herself."
"You didn't tell her anything more, did you?"
"No."
"Good," Naoka sighed. "If she knew she was one of the causes of this war, she'd run away from Vongola to protect everyone. If she dies, the future changes. If she leaves Vongola, it changes too."
Rinji walked back to the blinds. Outside, the world was bathed in a distorted purple twilight, crackling with green lightning. Massive pillars of flame swirled with Rain-attribute seawater, creating a terrifying storm of energy.
Buildings floated in the air, warped by Sun Flames into strange, glowing structures. This was the Vongola's invisible floating base above Namimori. Only hours ago, they had barely managed to evacuate the survivors before the world turned into this nightmare.
Gokudera and Irie Shoichi suspected these anomalies happened whenever past Saya traveled to the future. It was just a theory, but a terrifying one. And now, Tsuna had just sent word: Future Saya has been missing for a week.
The war was no longer just about territory; it was a game of cat and mouse between Vongola and Noctuna to find her.
His transceiver crackled. It was Tsuna. 'Did you find Saya-chan?'
"Yes," Rinji replied. "But it was the Saya from ten years ago."
Back in the past, Saya opened her eyes to find herself in Dino's arms, wrapped in his jacket. He looked worried but forced a smile. "How was the future?"
"I... I have something to tell everyone. About the future," she stammered.
"I understand, but calm down first," Dino said gently. "We need to talk too—me, Reborn, Tsuna, Gokudera, Shamal, and Jinnai. After your birthday party."
"Okay," she whispered. "Where are Rinji-senpai and the others?"
"Uh... the bathroom," Dino lied. He was still reeling from finding her future self unconscious and completely undressed. He had checked for injuries—there were none—but what haunted him was the mark on her inner wrist. A scar that looked exactly like Xanxus's... the mark of the Breakthrough Point Zero!
Meanwhile, Naoka and Jinnai were currently indisposed (having both suffered massive nosebleeds from the shock of seeing her future beauty).
Dino had to admit, he'd seen many beautiful women, but ten-year-future Saya was in a league of her own. Dry throat, indeed, he thought to himself.
"I'm thirsty," he muttered jokingly.
"Me too," Saya agreed. As she looked down, her hair began to frizz again. Dino watched his own hair start to stand on end.
They say the meat of a Cavallone (Stallion) is at its most delicious... right when it's about to be struck by lightning.