Title: 晴空

Summary: The Arcobaleno Representative Battle may be over, and the Arcobaleno curse resolved, but for Sawada Tsunayoshi, there was still one last battle left to fight.

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

Pairing: None

Warning: Set post-manga, spoilers alert. OoC and language warning. Iemitsu-bashing.

Note:'晴空' ― Clear Skies

Note 2: Given that the Inheritance Ceremony was ultimately interrupted, I took it that Tsuna has not officially inherited the title of Vongola Decimo and he will therefore be referred to as 'Vongola Decimo candidate' (or any other variations of this title) in this fic.

Partially beta'd by Lightning515 and mangaaddict26.


晴空


"I'm going."

"Have a safe trip."

Straightening his tie, Tsuna let his mind trail back to the last thing he had spoken before he left the Sawada household earlier. It was the same thing that he always said before leaving the house, and the same thing that Nana would reply, but today, it meant so much more. And, as he neared his destination, Tsuna knew why.

"A suit for me? I'm honoured."

"My version of the Vongola 'uniform', that's all." Tsuna replied smoothly, glancing briefly at the plain black vest and dress pants he had chosen to wear, then at the other's 'work attire'. "For someone who has been late for all my life to actually show up on time… I'm the one who is honoured. Then again…" Chocolate brown eyes narrowed and darkened. "…if I hadn't gone through the trouble of getting an official summon from Grandpa― no, from Vongola Nono… then, I suppose I could have waited all year and you wouldn't even show, no? Otou-san."

Iemitsu didn't even twitch at the accusation. Instead, still with a light-hearted tone, he asked, "…So. Why did you summon me here? And… the audience?" The CEDEF leader gestured at the small crowd in the corner.

"I invited Bermuda here. Reborn followed me here, as usual. I assume Lal Mirch followed you, and Colonello tagged along with her. As for the rest of them… I question how they know the location to begin with, much less their reasons for being here." Tsuna shrugged. "And, before anyone asks, none of my Guardians are here because I asked them not to follow me."

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm just here to collect data." Spanner, who sat on the ground with his laptop up and running, spoke up. "You already know about the trackers in your headphones." He added by way of explanation.

"I'm here to spectate on behalf of Vongola Nono. He wanted to be here in person, but he couldn't make it on limited notice. He also asked me to have men on standby, just in case." He gestured a hand at Romario and the small handful of subordinates he had brought along. "Nono was the one who told me the location you had chosen." Staring at his surrogate little brother with concern, Dino continued, "Tsuna… I can't say I agree with your decision, but I will respect it."

"Thank you." Tsuna replied simply, his lips twitching into a smile for the first time since the brunet got here. "As for the location…" He paused to glance at the rocky terrains of the mountains. "…well, it certainly brings back the memories, doesn't it. Of course, I didn't come here to reminisce the 'old days'. Not with you, at least."

"Tsuna…"

"You owe me a conclusion. I'm here to collect it." Tsuna stated levelly.

"Are you serious?" Iemitsu questioned quietly.

"Very." Tsuna drawled. "Bermuda," He called out to the bandaged infant standing alone at the sides. "You are the leader of Vindice, the protector of the Mafia. I trust you to be fair and unbiased as you observe this fight."

Bermuda gave a silent nod.

"Well, that concludes the introduction." Tsuna said.

With practiced motions, he pulled on his worn-out mittens and popped two blue pills down his throat. Tsuna closed his eyes, allowing the calming effects of slipping into the Hyper Dying Will mode spread through him, as though being washed by the blessed rain. He took a moment to relish in the tranquillity of the Hyper Dying Will mode before opening his eyes that were now tinted a golden amber. Tsuna's instincts began to sharpen as his senses took in his surroundings in even greater detail. On pure muscle memory, Tsuna quickly went through the process of tuning out all unnecessary details his enhanced senses were picking up before focusing back on his current objective.

Across him, Iemitsu made no move to even shift into a combat position.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed, gritting down on his teeth tight as anger burned through him. As he threw his arms behind him, the crystals on the X-Gloves began to shine. Pure, hard flames burst from the gloves, propelling Tsuna forward in a straight line towards the still unmoving CEDEF leader. An almost uncharacteristic snarl tore past his throat as Tsuna pulled an arm back. Without a single shred of hesitation, he brought the flame-covered fist down against Iemitsu, sending the older Sawada flying back and ultimately crashing into a rocky boulder. A dust storm picked up from the impact, but Tsuna barely spared it any attention as soft flames flared from the same glove that was propelling him forward.

"That stance…! He can't be―"

"He is."

Tsuna ignored the stunned gasp of his audience and fired the X-Burner just as the dust cloud began to clear, stirring up a new storm of dust. He slowly lowered the output of his Dying Will flames, letting himself land firmly on the ground as glowing orbs surveyed the state of the dust cloud. It didn't take long for it to clear, and Sawada Iemitsu stood, finally forced into his own Hyper Dying Will mode.

"Tch." Tsuna clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Though the same couldn't be said for the "work" attire he had showed up in, Iemitsu was most definitely still in tiptop shape with the only few wounds on him being the scratch of the boulder that he had smashed into and shattered. "Well," Iemitsu spoke up, brushing off the dust and pebbles lingering on his clothes. "Your seriousness has been heard loud and clear. And now… let me return that favour."

Iemitsu shot towards Tsuna in a flash and, in an almost perfect mimic of the Vongola Decimo candidate's actions, sent Tsuna flying back in the opposite direction. The older Sawada didn't pause to wait either, chasing after Tsuna, who was still in mid-flight. A grin twisted his lips when he caught sight of glossy amber flames flickering within the dust. Sure enough, Tsuna came flying through the dust, completely unscathed except for dust on his flame-resistant clothing. This time, however, the Leone di Cieli, Version X, stood proudly on his right shoulder, a scowl that matched his master's on its face. As soon as Tsuna flew within range, Natsu let out a flamed roar, momentarily stopping Iemitsu's movements and allowing Tsuna to duck around the CEDEF leader.

The Vongola Decimo candidate flew above Iemitsu with a quick burst of hard flames and back-flipped in midair, bringing his leg down towards the older Sawada. Before he could make contact, however, Iemitsu had recovered from Natsu's distraction and he effortlessly grabbed Tsuna's leg. Using the brunet's own momentum, Iemitsu swung Tsuna around, punching him with a flame-covered fist as he did so and sending Tsuna flying once more. Instead of going after Tsuna like he previously did, Iemitsu landed back on the ground and carefully watched the area where the Vongola Decimo candidate had crashed into.

On the sidelines, the spectators watched in muted silence and their reactions varied.

The two former Rain Arcobalenos wore identical expressions that clearly stated that they had expected this; that they had not expected Tsuna to have won against Iemitsu. The two remaining infants both had neutral looks on their faces; Reborn because he knew his student better than anybody else in the world and it was therefore too earlier to judge the winner, and Bermuda because he was not only the appointed the judge of the fight, but also because he, too, had high expectations for the one who had gone through great lengths to both defeat him and save the Arcobaleno. Spanner, being there only for pure observation, watched with anticipation―he had a feeling the Vongola Decimo candidate would be able to give him new data today. Meanwhile, Dino watched with both pride and trepidation. Though he had not been present for both of Tsuna's fight against his father during the Representative Battles, the Cavallone Decimo had been filled in on both fights, as well as the strained relationships between the two Sawada from his former tutor. He was proud that his adoptive younger brother had not let his emotions control him at all this time, yet Dino was well-aware of how strong Iemitsu was. He could only hope that he need not mobilize the men he had brought with him.

"Tsuna…"

"You worry too much." Reborn spoke up, instantly gaining all the attentions of the spectators. A hand reached to pull down his fedora, the former Sun Arcobaleno smirked as he remarked, "Tsuna is nowhere near done yet."

As if his words had been heard, Tsuna appeared from the dust in the next instant, blood staining the side of his mouth from a split lip. He barely paid it any attention, not bothering to wipe it off given the intricate design of his X-Gloves. Instead, he refocused on Iemitsu, who was currently patiently waiting for Tsuna to make his next move. The look of indifference on Iemitsu's face had Tsuna wanting to lash out without control or reason, but a soft, barely audible whine from Natsu was thankfully enough to calm the Vongola Decimo candidate down. Tsuna murmured a soft gratitude to his faithful partner before instructing it on his next move.

"Natsu. Cambio Forma, Modo Attaco."

With a howl, Natsu leaped onto Tsuna's outstretched gloves as it dissolved back into the flames he was made off. The flames fused with Tsuna's X-Glove, morphing it into a familiar looking gauntlet adorned with sleek sharp spikes. The gauntlet, embellished with a single 'I' on its front, began to glow a soft orange as Tsuna focused most of his flames on the gauntlet, keeping just enough flames to keep him afloat. Noting that Iemitsu still has yet to move, Tsuna narrowed his eyes and let the concentrated flames loose.

It was clear to everyone present―spectators and combatants―that Tsuna was not aiming directly at Iemitsu.

Instead, the attack hit the ground barely a few steps away from the CEDEF leader. The ground cracked and shattered, tearing rocks and gravel from the ground. The heat rushed from the surface and a storm of sand and earth picked up once more―the largest and widest one yet. The immediate area surrounding Iemitsu was obscured by the storm and any audible movement he might had made was drown out by the raining debris.

As Natsu reverted back into its animal form, Tsuna let the flames flare from his gloves as he dove down and flew straight into the miniature sandstorm. Not daring to let himself underestimate his opponent, Tsuna mentally removed the restriction he placed on his Hyper Intuition, allowing his senses to take in his surroundings in great details once again. With his senses now sharper than before, Tsuna easily managed to locate Iemitsu within the storm and he immediately launched his attack.

Taking advantage of the both the sand and the still-falling debris, Tsuna sped around Iemitsu, sending an elbow into the man's back. The blond stumbled, but immediately spun around to retaliate. Tsuna barely managed to catch the incoming flame-covered fist and, using the caught limb to momentarily keep Iemitsu in place, slammed a fist into Iemitsu's face. He immediately released the fist he was holding to fly upwards once more, only for his foot to be caught by Iemitsu. Tsuna grunted in annoyance as he used his flames to propel himself around the CEDEF leader, reaching around to kick the hand holding his leg, hearing a distinctive crack as he flew upwards once more.

The close combat went on, with neither combatants gaining an advantage for more than a few seconds, until the sandstorm cleared up once more. With the cover of the sandstorm gone, Tsuna let one more X-Burner lose at point-blank range before retreating back into the skies. By now, both Iemitsu and Tsuna had gained a collection of cuts, bruises and first-and-second-degree burns. Noticeably, Tsuna was suffering from a split lip, sprained ankle and―something that only Reborn and Bermuda noticed―at least a cracked rib. Iemitsu was covered in more burns than bruises, given Tsuna's style of combat, and the only other prominent injury he had was a rather obviously twisted wrist.

If Bermuda were to be asked for the final judgement based on the level of injuries, he would not have been able to decide on a 'winner'.

Despite the extent of his injuries, Iemitsu still maintained a carefree grin on his face as he once again waited for Tsuna's next move. His body language screamed 'nonchalant'; like this fight never bothered him from the start despite his 'declaration' earlier.

Tsuna's blood boiled at the sight of the man who cheerfully called himself Tsuna's 'father' while never once fulfilling that role. He seethed at the man who always did whatever he wanted without ever asking if Tsuna would agree. He raged at the man who hid behind the title of 'External Advisor of Vongola' when he was, in fact, just running away selfishly and leaving behind his mess. The more he thought, the more enraged he felt. Tsuna clenched a fist unconsciously, his eyes narrowing in quiet fury.

On the sidelines, Spanner, who had been carefully playing attention to the data streaming on his laptop, frowned. "Arcobaleno…" He called softly. Four heads turned towards him but, as he had expected, the one he was actually addressing continued observing the scene before them. Still, Spanner knew the infant was listening and he continued, "There's something very wrong with Vongola's flame. The purity level is decreasing, but the destructive power is conversely increasing. Now, I can't be too sure since I never took a sample but…"

"…Flame of Wrath, huh." Reborn muttered.

"Flame of Wrath?!" Colonello echoed. "As in, the one held by Vongola Secondo and Xanxus? That Flame of Wrath?!"

"Isn't Sawada suppose to have the purest Sky flame since Vongola Primo?" Lal questioned.

"…Are you saying…" A gasp had left Dino's lips as realization hit him. "…that Tsuna has that much anger against Iemitsu, to an extent that his resentment and despair is tainting his own flames…? It can't be that easy to taint a Sky flame of that level of purity…"

"All things considered, I'm not surprised." Reborn remarked. "In fact, the only thing that surprises me is how long Tsuna managed to suppressed it and how he's still holding back despite being affected to such an extent."

"I'm sorry, did you say Sawada is still 'holding back'?" Colonello snorted in disbelief. "Did you see how much destruction went on there? I mean, Sawada is injured too, but have you seen the damage he did to Iemitsu?"

"No, Vongola is capable of much more damage than this…" Spanner spoke up absentmindedly. "Putting aside the little animal for now, just on Vongola himself, he has yet to reach his maximum capable flame output at a given point. His speed too… He hasn't used his maximum capabilities. Granted, Vongola usually holds back because actually pushing himself to that extent is more than likely to severely strain him, both physically and mentally, but given today's situation, I expected to him to push himself anyway…" Spanner paused in his explanation momentarily as he pulled out yet another lollipop. "Now, as for the little animal… the strongest attack Vongola used so far was his Modo Attaco's Burning Axle… If we're talking about Cambio Forma, Vongola still has attacks like XX-Burner and X-Cannon, which, neither of them he used. Otherwise, he still has Hyper X-Stream, or even the normal X-Stream. The Arcobaleno is correct; Vongola has been holding back."

Reborn folded his arms smugly as if to say 'I told you so'.

"Okay… fine. So Sawada was holding back…"Colonello grumbled. "That aside, shouldn't we stop him? That's the Flame of Wrath!"

As soon as the words left his lips, chains encircled around the spectators, boxing-ring style, and inky black flames wound itself around the chains. "As per the Vongola Decimo candidate's request, this fight is effectively being observed by Vindice. No interference is allowed under any circumstances." Bermuda stated. "Under the agreement between Vongola Nono and his chosen successor, Sawada Tsunayoshi will take any and all responsibility for the outcome of this battle."

"Don't you have anything to say to that, Reborn?!" Colonello demanded.

"The agreement is valid. You're forgetting that even though I am Tsuna's tutor, there are things that I'm not allowed to interfere with." Reborn shrugged. Ignoring the flabbergasted look on the former-COMSUBIN's face, the infant hitman turned back to the watching the resumed fight. 'Dame-Tsuna… We're going to have a long talk after this.'

Tsuna had long since resumed his attack and this time, there was much more power and force behind each punch, jab and kick.

Iemitsu was reduced to defending most of the time and even still, he was gathering more and more burns and bruises from the Flame of Wrath-esque flames Tsuna was currently wielding. It was the tainted flames that finally forced Iemitsu to realise and acknowledge just how much his son had been holding back within him over the past decade or so. The sheer implication of what just dawned on him had caused Iemitsu to lose his focus momentarily and he was immediately slammed into the ground on his back. Tsuna was bent over him, one hand gripping Iemitsu's shoulder tightly to hold him still, while the other hand was pulled back into a fist, and his gloves, glowing with a bright orange colour, was slowly morphing into a familiar gauntlet.

"With that flame pressure at close range…―"

"―Tsuna…!"

An explosion―the strongest one yet―rocked the entire area, and a massive amount of sand and rock was thrown up in the impact. Debris was falling as quickly as it rose, almost like a twisted version of the blessed shower. The spectators, locked up in their 'viewing arena' could only watch with impatience and anxiety as they waited for the wind to disperse the storm.

The next few minutes was spent in tense silence as they waited for the 'storm' to clear up. While they had every faith that Tsuna wouldn't let his anger take him down the wrong path, they couldn't help but remind themselves of the tainted flames the Vongola Decimo candidate had produced mere minutes before. And the scene, when visibility was finally restored, sent a chill down the audience's spines.

What was once relatively flat ground was now a massive crumbling hole. Iemitsu laid in the middle of it, of course, and Tsuna was still bent over him…

…his gauntlet buried in the ground right next to Iemitsu's head.

By that point in time, Iemitsu was not afraid to admit that he swore his heart stopped momentarily when Tsuna had brought down the flame-charged gauntlet. Despite his best efforts, Iemitsu's eyes had shut as the gauntlet approached, and he fully expected the attack to hit him right in the face. He couldn't help the surprised gasp that left his lips when he felt the ground shattering beneath him and he fell with Tsuna still keeping a tight hold on his shoulder. It was only when he touched solid ground again did Iemitsu allowed himself to breathe, and it was also then did he register the slow, heavy breaths above him.

Iemitsu allowed himself to slowly open his eyes and the sight blew his eyes wide open.

Above him and still in Hyper Dying Will mode, Tsuna's entire body trembled as he glared down at Iemitsu. But that wasn't what shocked the CEDEF leader—no, what shocked him was the tears that were prickling his son's eyes and the pain in amber orbs.

"…Tsuna…"

"I… hate you. I despise you." Tsuna gritted out, voice thick with emotion. "You waltz in and out of mine and kaa-san's lives, leaving for months at a time then coming back for days as though everything is perfectly normal and perfectly alright. Well, newsflash! It's not! I'm the one who listens to kaa-san cries at night when she thought I was asleep! I'm the one who sees the smile she forces on her face when those annoying neighbours keep asking where you were. I didn't care that the other kids called me 'useless' or 'no-good' because I was clumsy and weak; I cared when their reason was because my 'father' was never ever around! Kaa-san never ever blamed you! She only blamed herself for not being strong enough for me! Well, guess what. I blame you."

Iemitsu kept his silence; there was nothing he could say to his son now that wouldn't sound like an excuse.

"…Do you even… love her…?"

The voice was so soft, so fragile that Iemitsu barely heard it. His eyes, which had glanced away earlier, snapped back to Tsuna, but the brunet had dropped his head, and his eyes were now hidden by his bangs. Even though Iemitsu couldn't see Tsuna's expression, the tremble of his son's body was still clear and he swallowed tightly.

"Tsuna… Nana is the most important woman in my life. I love her and I always will. That is the one thing I will never lie about. I swear that on my life."

"If she's that important to you, then how can you do that to her…?" Tsuna choked out. (Iemitsu only realised then, rather belatedly, that Tsuna had long since slipped out of his Hyper Dying Will mode.) "If she's that important to you, then… how can you leave her alone just like that…? How could you… make her worry for you and cry for you each and every day, just like that…?"

"Tsuna, I'm the head of CEDEF, Vongola's external advisor, with almost equal power to the Boss of the Vongola Famiglia itself. I have a lot of enemies, many of them―if not all―who are willing to use whatever they can find against me and Na―"

"―how all so very convenient." Tsuna bit out.

"…Tsuna?"

"…When I was in the future, we fought against the Millefiore Famiglia. We fought against the man who had power over infinite parallel worlds, and had already defeated the Arcobaleno shortly before we arrived. We didn't just fight a battle like we did against Varia; we fought a war. Even aliasing with future Varia, with Mukuro's Kokuyo Gang, with Dino and even Yuni's protectors… we barely won. If it wasn't for Yuni's sacrifice… we wouldn't have won. We were on the run for our lives." Tsuna's grip on Iemitsu's shoulder tightened once more as he clenched the fist still buried in the ground. "I learned a lot of things in the future and one of them was that hiding ourselves from the ones who support us even knowing that we're keeping them in the dark… is nothing but selfishness and stupid pride on our part. Not knowing anything at all and knowing that there is something but no one is willing to tell you anything about it are two different things, after all."

('That's why I…')

The words died on Iemitsu's lips before he could even speak when, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a trio approaching the audience stand from behind. His eyes blew wide open when he finally saw who it was.

Bianchi, Futa and…

"N… Nana…?!"

"I'm not you. I refuse to be like you. I won't hide behind my title and call it 'protection'. That wasn't for her sake; it was for yours, so that you could run away. I won't do that to kaa-san. Our 'jobs' are anything but safe. What happened in the future… it could happen again anytime. I don't want…" Tsuna swallowed, drawing a shaky breath before he continued. "I don't want to die out there someday and kaa-san would have to mourn for her son without ever knowing the truth. I can't do something so cruel to her. So… I told her the truth." Slowly, Tsuna let go of Iemitsu and rose himself off the ground. With his head dropped, Tsuna's bangs were once again hiding his eyes. In a quiet voice, he continued, "I will inherit the Vongola Famiglia as Vongola Decimo. But I will do it on my own terms. The power I have inherited… I will protect my loved ones with it."

With that, Tsuna turned to Bermuda with eyes completely void of emotions, and the Vindice boss nodded back. In an instant, he had the chains drawn back. "This fight is over. The winner is… undecided. This match is a tie. That is all." His job done, Bermuda disappeared in a wisp of black flames.

Tsuna stepped away from Iemitsu, his back turned to the audience. In the same quiet tone, he spoke. "I told her most of the truth. The rest of it, and your lies… You can come clean to her yourself." Tsuna popped another two blue pills and slipped into Hyper Dying Will mode once more. Flames flared from his gloves, clear as it usually was, as he prepared to take off into the skies. Before his feet could leave the ground, Reborn had already made his way across the wreckage, and the infant jumped onto his usual perch on Tsuna's shoulder.

"Tsu-kun, Reborn-kun!" Nana called out before Tsuna could take off. "Be back for dinner, alright? I'll have your favourite food prepared!"

Tsuna turned his head, smiling gently at his mother as he nodded. "I'm going."

"Have a safe trip." Nana replied.

Sending her one last smile, Tsuna let out a burst of Sky flames, taking off into the skies. He didn't have a destination in mind at the moment, so Tsuna flew aimlessly in silence. (Perhaps it was because he was the Vongola Sky Guardian, Tsuna had always felt more freedom flying in the skies than anything else.) It was only after he had finally calmed himself down did Tsuna finally allow himself to speak.

"Are you angry at me?"

"For going behind my back to arrange this, or for actually going up against Iemitsu?"

"…"

"I'm not angry. Just pissed."

Much to Reborn's surprise, instead of freaking out like he normally did (or, at least, frown, given that he was still in Hyper Dying Will mode), Tsuna chuckled. Once, twice, thrice… again and again, until he was flat out laughing. Reborn quirked an eyebrow at his student questioningly and Tsuna smiled.

"I feel lighter. Like a heavy storm has passed and now the skies are clear and blue."

Reborn blinked once, then flashed Tsuna an exasperated smile. "Idiot." Then, a rare smile that held nothing but pride. "You did well."

"Thank you." Tsuna replied simply.

"You're still getting extra training for that stunt. And we're also going to talk about 'that'."

"I figured."


A/N: I've had this idea for a really long time, and I finally decided to write it. This was initially an action scene practice for me, but I merged it with a partial idea I had and this was born.

I always thought that as Tsuna told Kyoko and Haru in the future (and he did it pretty much of his own will, and not because he was persuaded to do so), when he inherits Vongola, he would most definitely tell Nana the truth. And though he didn't want to (just like when he continued lying to the girls when they initially confronted him), eventually, the thought of something happening to him and Nana would never know why won out. His resolve therefore changed from 'I want to keep them in the dark to protect them' to 'I will tell them the truth because they deserve to know, and I will become stronger to protect them because they know the truth'.

Tsuna's reason for hating Iemitsu is more or less similar to what I've written in 'Because You're My Father'. but more elaborated. And yes, despite the huge amount of hatred he had, deep down, Tsuna still couldn't bring himself to do harm to his father. He subconsciously held back from using his more powerful techniques (as explained by Spanner). As for the Flame of Wrath thing, that's a headcanon of mine; that when Tsuna is truly, truly pissed off, his absolute anger would be strong enough to taint his own flames into something that resembles the Flame of Wrath. (That said, what he used in the fight was not the actual Flame of Wrath, but something like it.) This headcanon runs parallel with my other headcanon that users of the Dying Will mode cannot let themselves be consumed by their own will and this is one of the reasons why.

All that said, I am very happy with how this fic turned out. As I've mentioned, this was an action scene practice for me, so I'd very much like any criticism on that.

Thank you for reading as always!

Ciao Ciao~