Realization in a Sorrowful Rain
By: PhoenixJustice
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn is owned by the phenomenal Akira Amano-sensei. I only own this story and make no profit from this.
Warning: Rated T for sad content, kisses, slashiness, etc
Pairings: R27
Setting: TYL!future. (This future has changed due to past!Tsuna and co. defeating Byakuran, etc)
Summary:
o oo o o oo o
Tsuna hadn't seen anything unusual in it; after all, Reborn had been there since the beginning, guiding him, teaching him (though not always in the most pleasant way--those little hands and feet hurt!) And when Mukuro had first shown up, he had stood his ground, feeling comfort in the closeness, of the infant hitman. And when Mukuro had been defeated and the Varia took his place, he had trained with Reborn, both determined in that he would defeat Xanxus and also to prove to Reborn that he was right in tutoring him. He had done both, and had gained the respect of Xanxus, albeit very grudgingly at first.
And then, as he thought there might be a brief respite from all the craziness (though honestly he should have known better); it had only escalated and he found Reborn gone. His heart had felt like a glass that shattered, only this time it was slowly splintering in pieces. To get sent ten years forward was shocking. But finding Reborn alive and well, it had sent a flurry of feelings inside of him that he couldn't begin to understand. Not then.
And after Byakuran had been defeated and they returned to their own time. Tsuna never thought twice of Reborn coming back to Namimori with him, or when, years later Tsuna moved out of his parents place and into his own, he never thought it strange that Reborn would stay with him there. Tsuna had started seeing Kyoko during this time (no longer the shy, stuttering person he had been before, he had asked her out.) But not once did Tsuna ever catch sight of the hitman when he brought Kyoko over.
That sparked curiosity in him that he hadn't had before, but that too quickly passed. All too soon, he was taking on more and more of the Ninth's affairs as he grew weaker and weaker, too busy with Mafia affairs to have a 'normal' relationship (which is why Kyoko broke it off with him months prior.) While his life was spiraling into a making that he did not yet understand, the only constant by his side was the baby hitman. And when the Ninth had finally succumbed to illness, and Tsuna was officially made the Tenth Vongola, Reborn was there.
The Ninth's funeral was large, and the overcast, rainy sky did not help ease the burden of sadness in anyone's hearts. Xanxus wept openly for the father he had lost; never making a sound while the tears streamed down his face, while Tsuna stood by, unable to express the sorrow that he felt, afraid to show weakness to the people who had just made him their leader.
It was only when he catches a glimpse of a black hair whorl that he is pushed somewhat out of his numbness. He turns and sees the man, no longer a baby, leaning up against a tree, raindrops pelting his black fedora and suit, of which he seemed to pay no attention of. Reborn, along with the other Arcobaleno, had changed back to an adult when the Ninth died. Exactly when the Ninth died, though they were trying to find out why. He walks over to the tree; he couldn't get a good glimpse of the man's face, with the way the fedora was tilted, but he thought...it was...a tear he saw fall down the hitman's face.
"It's okay, Tsuna," Reborn's now deep voice suddenly says, quietly. "It's alright to let go, no one will think any less of you. I will not think less of you." And just like that, the tears burst forth from his eyes and he somehow finds himself in Reborn's arms, being held tightly as he cried his anguish to the world. When the tears can no longer fall, he moves back slightly. He could see his face much better now, seeing that Reborn too grieved ever so much.
"You're here..." Tsuna finally says. "You've always been here." Feeling free from letting go, some pieces were starting to connect in his head. "All this time. You--you could have left when everything with the Millefiore was over, or when I got my own place. But you stayed. All this time. Why? Tell me, Reborn!"
Reborn pulls his fedora up and Tsuna could easily catch all the expressions in the hitman's gaze, and what they were sayind took his breath away. He gasps when one of the man's large, no longer baby sort, hands brush the side of his face. "Why would I ever leave?" murmured Reborn, leaning in close to Tsuna. He could feel Reborn's breath on his face and the sound of his own heart. "I promised I would see through everything with you. There's never been anything but you, not for a long time."
He grabs Tsuna's face firmly. "And I would never let you learn these sorts of lessons alone, or with anyone else. I am your tutor." Tsuna gets pulled close, head dizzy from the implications, yet relieved at the same time; finally he understood what he felt from a very long time ago. "Reborn, I--"
He gets interrupted by a finger Reborn puts to his own lips. "You talk too much. Stupid Tsuna." Reborn says, amused. His head dips down and their lips meet. The clouds were starting to clear and though everyone would hold sorrow in their hearts for the Ninth's loss, they would remember him fondly and would make solemn vows to do right by the newly appointed Tenth.
Reborn was holding him and he finally understood what had been missing in his life. His life had never been the same since the arrival of an arrogant, smart mouthed infant hitman and he wouldn't have it any other way.