FINALLY FINISHED MY HITMAN REBORN STORY, YESSSSS :DD Well, I noticed that a TON of people wrote about Tsuna having a twin and all that, but I had an idea I quite liked and couldn't resist making my own version. AU/Tsuna twin anybody? ;D Er... this is a REALLY FREAKING LONG CHAPTER. (By my standards, anyhow.) 8,000 words, le gasp! XD I hadn't the heart to make this any shorter, but writing this took an unpleasantly long time. =m= The next will most likely be shorter, unless I can get a spur of ideas like I did for this one. /Probably not though. Anyhoo, hope you find it to your liking!
Alsooooo looking for a beta! Would anybody like to help me? :D
I OWN NOTHING except my dear Hideyoshi. Yep. KHR is not mine, no mater how much I want it to be. ;-;
He was never one to write. In fact, he stayed away from it as much as possible. Not because he particularly disliked it though, he just simply never had a reason to. But he thought he had a reason this time, to pick up a pen and fill a paper with a sea of words. He thought.
Today was a special day. Was that it?
Writing was a good way to remember things. He confirmed that much in his school days. Reading a book gave him enough information to do homework ; writing it down made it stick… for a disturbingly long time. But he still didn't write unless he had to.
But, even without writing it down, he could never forget what he was putting on this paper. Not ever.
Even so, this story must never be forgotten.
In the dead of the night, words poured into the room. Where did these words come from, he wondered?
'Things weren't always like this…'
The pen moved rapidly as he scribbled across the article, his writing nearly illegible. Well, that was just fine. No one was meant to read this.
'There was one night, three years ago…'
A smile graced his lips as he saw the amount of time written on the paper… It's been a long time, hasn't it? Three years since that day, the day the world had almost gotten swallowed up by sky. He stopped his scrawling when words no longer flowed from the tool, and reached for another, continuing his story with and without ease.
'On that night… I met three Tsunas.'
Well hidden in Namimori Middle's walls, Reborn sat leisurely in one of his many hideouts, practically within Tsuna's humorously short reach. Yamamoto and Gokudera were right nearby, chatting amiably with the Vongola boss candidate. Sipping his coffee, he listened in on his student's conversation. It was a little hobby of his. Though he can read Tsuna 's mind (or everyone's, for that matter) hearing him speak was far more entertaining.
He was listening intently when Tsuna began badmouthing him (he had every intention to make the boy regret it later) when suddenly, the miniature cell phone vibrated in his pocket, startling him to a small degree and spilling a drop of the hot liquid onto his thumb.
Though the pain was extremely slight, practically unnoticeable even for the hitman, it still irritated him. If only a little. Setting down the cup with just a little more force than necessary, he pulled out the device and answered it with his usual greeting , "Ciaossu."
An extremely familiar voice sounded in reply, no less jolly than the Arcobaleno remembered. "Ah, Reborn! How have things been lately?"
Reborn looked up in surprise. 'Dino ?... ' He hasn't heard from his old student in ages. Why call now? "Just fine. Tsuna is as well, if that's what you're wondering."
The voice laughed on the other side, though the hitman would say it sounded a bit hoarse. Nonetheless, it retained its annoyingly cheery tone. Reborn could almost see the boy's smile through the speakers. "That's good to hear!" Reborn opened his mouth to reply, but was quickly cut off by a chorus of coughs and sneezes on the other end. He actually had to resist pulling the phone away from his ear.
Suppressing a sigh, he said bluntly , "You sound awful."
The other voice sighed, which only led to more coughing. "Hehe, I fell down the stairs sometime today and broke a few things. Romario brought me to the hospital right when he came back from Italy, but when I woke up, I had this awful col- ACHOO!"
"…" The phone cracked ominously under his grip. He knew better than anyone just how useless the boy was without his men, and how prone to sickness he could be, but this was ridiculous. "You are lucky I'm not there right now Dino." Really, a student of his shouldn't be so pathetic.
Dino panicked, and the tutor imagined him flailing about in his hospital bed. It's what Tsuna would do, and Dino and Tsuna were practically one and the same.
"HIEEEEEEE!" Cough, cough, ACHOO!
Unfortunately, he moved around a bit too much. Crack! Dino howled as pain shot through his ribs, cursing every God in both Japanese and Italian existence.
Reborn waited for the boy to settle down, before saying "You pretty much dug your own grave by telling me. Well, I would have found out eventually, but still, where are you?"
The Chiavorone boss screeched. "WAITWAITWAIT I NEED TO ASK YOU A FAVOR!"
"That hospital in Italia right? I'll be there in a few hours, be sure to have your flowers ready."
Dino sputtered. "What in the hells-" How on earth did his teacher know so quickly? 'WAIT! That's not important!' He hurriedly reprimanded himself. "J-just wait a second Rebor—"
"You liked green, don't you?"
"Well I actually like blue — WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND REBORN-"
"February 4th, 1988 - October 11th, 2011 , " Reborn chanted mockingly. "Loving—though pathetic—boss of the Chiavarone family, student of the world's greatest hitman Reborn. He will be missed."
Dino blanched. Nothing like hearing what will go on your gravestone when you're still alive, no matter how disabled you are at the moment; especially when the person you're hearing it from is perfectly capable —going to be— the cause of your death.
Before his old teacher could say anymore, he yelped "It's orders from Vongola Nono!"
Now that caught the hitman's attention. Reborn blinked. "The Ninth?"
"Y-yeah… He sent me on a small errand, but since I'm like this now, I can't really… ha, ha." He laughed nervously into the phone, silently counting the years Reborn sheared off his life just now. He will never get used to his old tutor's antics. Not ever.
"…Well, I suppose I can carry out your dying wish," Reborn said nonchalantly, and Dino felt like crying; he really did feel like he was going to die.
Interrupting his now sullen thoughts, the teacher asked, "What did he ask you to do?"
Grumbling, Dino took a deep breath and said, "You know that barrier around Vongola HQ, right?"
"…Yeah."
The Vongola had many defenses, many of which acted on its headquarters, the heart of the family; a necessary function, since it was one of the most powerful and well-known families in the mafia world. Countless people have tried to infiltrate the headquarters, in hopes of gaining information, or even assassinating the Vongola boss. And as many tried, all failed, as the boss's guardians are included in the line of defense. And the majority of those many were killed in the process. One such defense was a barrier—radar actually—that immediately detected in Dying Will flames being used in the vicinity. Surprisingly, just the sound of the alarms going off and flashy lights upon detection were enough to scare more than a few potential intruders off.
"What about it?"
"Apparently, this hasn't happened in a while, but it needs to be renewed. Normally, all it would take is a flash drive to restore it—plug it in and the data will automatically fix the barrier—but it's er… gone." Dino hesitated at the last part.
"…Gone?" The Vongola family wouldn't simply lose something as important as that. (And if they had stooped so low, Reborn would have to go whip them back into shape himself.)
The most likely possibility….
Confirming his suspicion, his old student said "Yeah, taken."
"…Hm…" Even without the barrier doing its work, getting past Vongola defenses was no easy feat. The number of people he knew who could do such a thing was single digit. But the infiltrator must not have ventured far into the headquarters, where the most lethal traps were. Even he, the world's greatest hitman, wouldn't be able to stroll through them. They weren't targeting the boss? "By whom?"
"By an Arcobaleno," Dino said. "The one with green hair—what's his name again? Jared or something…"
He tugged his hat slightly, shadowing his eyes. "…I see. I'll take Tsuna and the others and raid his base."
Dino almost screamed. "R-raid his base?! I was just going to ask him for it!"
His reply was blunt, "No way. He's pissing me off."
The blond's jaw dropped in horror. "Rebor—"
He put his phone away. He had nothing else to say to his former student. And though messing with Dino was a bit fun, learning that an Arcobaleno was interfering with the Vongola—his line of work—caused his irritation to silently triple. The other Arcobaleno had always like causing him trouble.
Popping out from his hideout, he snapped, "Tsuna!"
"HIEEEEEEE!" the boy screamed, stumbling away from the home tutor. "R-Reborn! What are you—"
He quickly cut his student off. He didn't have time for his dame ways right now. "We're storming Verde's base tonight. Do whatever you need to, to prepare."
His eyes bugged. "Wha-? Why so sudden?!" But the hitman had already gone back inside his hideout, the door concealing itself before he ever had a good look.
Tsuna's jaw was practically hanging as the child trembled on the ground. Always shrouded in mystery, one of his home tutor's worst habits—and in the boy's opinion, Reborn had plenty—was baffling him to the point where he could faint.
And right now, he definitely felt more than a little lightheaded. "H-how?..."
"Don't worry, Tenth! I'll come with you!" Gokudera chirped, flashing him a thumbs up.
Beside the silver-haired teen, a taller brunet grinned. "Now now, you can't leave me behind too."
Gokudera's smile faltered, and he indignantly rounded on Yamamoto. "No one asked you! Baseball idiot!"
The cheery boy only laughed in response, and a one–sided squabble began. Despite what seemed to be obvious discord, Tsuna knew that the two trusted each other with their lives. And though he could barely believe it, he knew was included in their mutual trust.
Perhaps, that was what made it a little easier to believe everything would be alright. "Guys…"
The three could only exchange smiles. Words were beneath them when it came to expressing their camaraderie.
The bell then rang, cruelly reminding them they still had half a day's left of class. The two pulled Tsuna to his feet, and they rushed back to their room. Mr. Nezumi could be awful on the ears when it came to tardiness.
…
As promised, Reborn pushed Tsuna to leave the house at eight , jumping off the porch after relaying his message. But not before leaving a few bruises behind.
Sighing, Tsuna packed his gloves and pulled a sweater on. He never liked leaving the house this late to go do weird, dangerous stuff. It saddened him to have to sneak around the city, hiding things from his mother. He had no idea whether she was aware of his nightly expeditions—he sincerely hoped not—but her cluelessness of all this worried him. What if something happened?
Silently trudging down the stairs, he glanced at the kitchen, the light still on. Quiet voices flowed from the room. His mother must be speaking with Bianchi.
He shook his head, and silently opened the door to leave, throwing one last glance over his shoulder.
"….I'll be back later," he promised quietly. Shutting the door, he jumped off the steps and broke into a run. That devil incarnate would give him heck if he showed up late.
…
From the kitchen table, Nana Sawada looked at the doorway, a sad smile crossing her face. Her son had left again. "Bianchi-chan… Tsu-kun is involved with the same thing as my husband, isn't he?"
The Italian woman responded with silence. Telling Tsunayoshi's mom about the mafia was simply not an option. Her involvement must be something avoided at all costs. Nor was denying Nana going to make things better. But at the same, she pitied the poor woman. Both her husband and her son had made a habit of going off on their own, not telling her a single thing. Of course, they had their reasons, but they were also men. And a man would never know what it's like for a woman to sit and wait for them, knowing they were probably doing something risky but not knowing exactly what. Not knowing when, or even if they'll come back.
'Yes… that's what it means to be a woman in this world… watching the backs of men from a distance, unable to do anything but pray.' Bianchi thought. Times of strife, war, battle, and difficult situations in love had given her a great understanding of thoughts, both those of men and women. These hardships were what drove her to come to Japan—a desperate attempt to leave her troubles behind in Italy, poorly disguised as a formal business trip. She knew she was only running away. A futile attempt to escape.
In the end, she was no better than her brother.
…
The three boys met up at the park, as arranged by the hitman earlier that day. The night was a still one, with only a light breeze stirring the grass and crickets voicing their song. The full moon cast an almost eerie glow on the world, giving them just enough light to see each other's faces. A silent greeting passed between them.
Yamamoto yawned, stretching his arms out. He was a bit tired today.
"Baseball idiot. If you're gonna nap on the job, just go home!" Gokudera scowled.
He laughed. "I think I'll be alright. Besides, these weird games you guys play are pretty fun."
They both stared at him with incredulousness. 'He still thinks everything is a game!…'
With some loud rustling, Reborn suddenly jumped in from the bushes. "Is everyone here?"
Tsuna jumped, and weakly muttered, "Y-yeah…"
As if on cue, a limo suddenly rolled by the park and stopped. With a glance at the vehicle, Reborn said, "Let's go."
Groaning, he tilted his head towards the sky, a somewhat awkward maneuver since the chair was taller than he was. But it didn't matter. His chest hurt. His head hurt. Everything was so freaking heavy.
Lips barely moving, he uttered, "Hey."
The ghostly figure beside him hovered in the air, and though the sight barely registered in his hazy mind, the smirk and victorious expression on his face were unmistakable. So were his eyes. His eyes were scary. "Yes?"
Who was this man again? Shouldn't he be asking who he was? He doesn't know him. He doesn't know his name.
But he had long ceased to care. He couldn't care. The sole thing on his mind right now, was this colorless, empty world, and the blood red sky above him, weighing on him as though the world was above him, and he was beneath the ground. But that was not the case. He knew where he was.
Vongola Headquarters. Just as Reborn had promised him, he was here. He was its ruler, and he sat on top of the world. But how ironic it was, that the person who pushed him to reach the top wasn't standing by his side.
Without thinking, he drawled to this mysterious person, "…I'm doing the right thing, aren't I?"
This world was not colorless. Red is a color, and everything was red. But if everything is one color, you can't really say it's colorful, now can you?
The figure rested a palm on his forehead. Cold, but surprisingly comforting. It was cold. He's positive it was cold. But why does he feel so much better?
This gesture had turned into something warm in his mind, warm and kind, though he knew that wasn't the case. It reminded him of the past he wished he could take back, where everyone was happy. Happy and alive. Familiar faces passed through his mind, and a prickling sensation pressed at the back of his eyes. Nothing came though. What was he even expecting?
"That's right. You're doing the right thing," the unknown man purred.
Oh, I am? he thought, mind nothing but a muddled fog. That was all he needed then. He could keep going.
He had no strength, not even enough to set a goal for himself. Right now, all he could do was keep moving, keep moving, until the day he no longer can comes to pass. Oh, how he wanted that day.
But at the same time, he was too strong. No one could hurt him. That day will not come soon.
He sat up straight, though the weight continued to press at his shoulders. But it was okay, he can bear it. He emptily glanced around at the empty room, dark with night. "Where is everyone?"
"You killed them," came the response. So matter of fact. So abrupt. But not unexpected, he knew it was something like that. It was no news. He screwed up.
"They're dead."
"…I see." But he didn't see at all. All he could see was this red sky. But he was inside a building. A normal building with a ceiling. So why was it, when he looked up, it was red?
"But don't worry. New friends are coming soon, I've seen to that." The person smiled, and ruffled his hair. He could almost feel his heart break at this act, tearing even in this hollow canvas. So many people had done that to him before, played with his hair, playing with it as they laughed and he tried to push them away, despite laughing as well. But all these people were dead, because of him.
And they weren't coming back.
"Alright…" he responded. There was nothing he can do. There's nothing left to want, nothing at all… except to be saved. Only, he didn't know just what he wanted to be saved from.
He wondered, will these people play with his hair like they did back then? Will they be able to make him smile? He couldn't imagine such a thing. He doesn't even remember how to smile. Heck, he didn't even deserve to.
Here, in this red world, he can only think:
Who am I?
…
An hour later, after an extremely rough ride, they arrived at the base. Cursing and groaning, they emerged from the car with painfully fresh bruises and even more painfully sore muscles. Reborn made a silent note to tell the Ninth boss of the incompetent driver, his mood having careened to a dangerous level. Even Yamamoto seemed a little distorted. Before Gokudera could tell the deranged driver off, the coward made a sharp U-turn and sped back in the direction they had come from.
Verde's place was in a desolate, empty canyon area. Large, reddish stones littered the landscape a little further off, and the base itself was at foot of a large one. Or so they were told. The night had darkened even more since they left the park, and they could barely distinguish themselves.
Gokudera's hands wandered around the surface of the rock, searching for a doorway of some sort. Reborn-san said this was where it was; why couldn't he find it?
"Jump," the hitman suggested.
The teen blinked, and tilted his head towards the sky. Was it higher up? Extending his arm, he jumped as high as he could, grasping only air and coming back down empty.
Only, he went down a lot further than he should have. "GAH!"
The ground caved in beneath his feet and he plummeted into darkness, screaming the whole while.
"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna cried in alarm, peering through the hole he made. Dirt floated to the entrance, and the boy coughed.
"Shit, shit, shit…" the bomber muttered, rubbing at his back as he slowly sat up. That freaking hurt. How far down did he fall anyway? Glancing up at his boss, he yelled, "I'm fine! Just—hurting— damn it all my back," he grunted, trying to stretch it out.
"I-Is he really alright?" Tsuna asked.
"Well, it is Gokudera," the Rain Guardian replied easily, "he should be fine."
Reborn chortled, and Tsuna stared at him with shrunken pupils. "Y-You did that on purpose!…"
The infant's eye glinted. "So?" he countered challengingly.
Tsuna had no words for him, and instead thought with conviction that the Spartan-devil will be the death of all of them.
The three of them jumped down, Yamamoto and Reborn landing quite neatly while Tsuna fell flat on his butt.
Gokudera immediately rushed over to the boy and anxiously helped the whining child, while Yamamoto poked around experimentally. A frown soon marred his normally optimistic features. The dirt walls were disturbingly soft—what if it caved while they were in here?
"Let's go, while the night is still young," Reborn stated, already heading down the dark tunnel. Fumbling, the teens rushed after him, alert for any dangers.
The first couple minutes were moderately uneventful. Just walking, walking, and walking further in the endless darkness. Verde wasn't kind enough to line the tunnel with torches or anything of the sort. Eventually, the soft walls of dirt became smooth, steel walls, leaving the company with no choice but to follow its path. Their footsteps bounced back to their ears, loud and somehow eerie.
Suddenly, they came upon a large, dome-like room, instantly greeting them upon entering with ominous, mechanical noises that sourced from the far right. And, with a flurry of flames and metal,all hell broke loose.
…
Half an hour later, Reborn found himself stonily firing at falling rubble, careful not to let any of the debris hit him. This mission had quickly turned into a mess. After they were ambushed, Yamamoto and Gokudera were forced back outside for the sake of space—firing dynamite underground would have been suicidal. The Rain Guardian decided to go along, in favor of leading the robots away from Tsuna, leaving just him and his student to deal with Verde. At first, Tsuna tried to ask the mad scientist for the flash drive, to which he stubbornly refused. The boy then began begging (he will make sure he gets it later—the Vongola Decimo should never beg his enemies) leading to Verde jumping inside a contraption himself and try to kill Tsuna. Needless to say, their heated battle quickly threw the place in a state of collapse—it was completely falling apart. The faster they got out, the better.
"Tsuna! Hurry up!" he shouted over all the noise.
And Tsuna, being the naïve fool he was, allowed himself to get distracted by his teacher and actually took his eyes off his opponent, who genially took the opportunity to grab the boy by the ankle and fling him towards the opposite end of the room. Probably saving his life, Tsuna managed to fire his flames backwards just in time to soften the impact. What would have been a crater in the steel wall was now a vein of cracks.
"Tsuna!" he barked.
"I'm trying! I can't get the flash drive from him!" he shouted back, now circling Verde's robot. The Arcobaleno was tauntingly clutching the device in one hand, while using the other to manipulate the machine. Blasted mechanism and even further blasted the mad scientist. To be able to invent something so resistant to Sky flames is nothing short of a miracle.
But still, that flash drive wasn't worth a life. "Forget about it. We'll try again later!" he yelled.
"Oh no, you don't," Verde snapped, quickly moving the robot to kick Tsuna, the mechanism's foot catching the boy in the stomach and throwing him towards some machines. Sparks flew ominously as Tsuna's limp body partially shattered it, and Verde's eyes widened. "Sh-shoot! Get away from that!" he yelled.
Tsuna struggled to get up, but his leg was caught right in the machine. He couldn't move. Something in the corner of Reborn's eye shifted, and he immediately shot at it, but he was too late. The thing had fired a ray just before exploding from his bullet, the beam hitting Tsuna squarely on the chest. A strange, bright light enveloped the boy's body, and getting brighter to the point where he couldn't see. "Tsuna!"
Verde watched the scene grimly. Not only was that machine already not completed, it was also damaged at the time it fired the ray. This wouldn't end well.
No response from the child came to the hitman, and he was forced to wait it out. The light continued to shine, showing no intention of dimming until almost half a minute later. Finally, it completely died out, and Reborn witnessed the scene before him.
Tsuna sat hunched over in front of the machine, head bowed down. Though you couldn't see the child's face, anyone would recognize him from that thick mass of hair. There seemed to be no change, other than the fact that his leg was no longer caught.
"…Verde, what's the meaning of this?" Reborn growled. He didn't know why, but something felt wrong—very wrong.
From the lack of reply, Reborn turned to check on the Arcobaleno, only to see the bastard was flying out through the ceiling. "Tch." What was this anxiety? Reborn could only name a few select cases where he felt this anxious, and none were very nice situations. Following his gut, he switched on the earphone and yelled, "Gokudera! Yamamoto! Verde just flew outside, you can't let him leave!"
Breathing heavily, Gokudera finished up with the robot in front of him, and he spotted another one shooting out of the base, probably the science bastard. Shaking, he pulled out more dynamite and replied, "Y-yes Reborn-san!"
Yamamoto was in no lighter state of exhaustion, but said, "Hah… Sure thing kid!~"
The bomber immediately tossed up the dynamite towards the escaping robot, the self-propelled, now homing explosives chasing after it with incredible speed. Yamamoto swung his sword, using one of the offensive forms of Shigure Soen Ryu to send a slice of air towards the Arcobaleno, making up for the lack of water.
Reborn watched Tsuna carefully, the child still not having stirred after the light. Explosions sounded from the outside, ceasing not too long after. Suddenly, the voice of the children came in. "S-sorry, Reborn-san! He got away!"
"Damn," he muttered. Finally, Tsuna began to move, and he said, "Get over here, something just happened."
"Did something happen to Tsuna?!" Yamamoto asked, alarmed.
"Just get over here."
Within seconds, the two children had rushed in, searching for Tsuna.
Gokudera's eyes widened. "Tenth!" He quickly rushed over, roughly shaking the boy by his shoulders. "Are you alright?! What happened?! Tenth!"
Yamamoto, who was running for his friend with the same vigor, suddenly stopped, then edged backwards. His face sported something of uncertainty. "S-something doesn't feel right…" the boy muttered, watching the scene.
"…"
"Tenth! Tenth!" The Storm Guardian was getting desperate now. Suddenly, a large chunk of the ceiling broke and crashed to the ground, narrowly missing Tsuna and Gokudera, ever so kindly reminding the hitman that the place was falling to pieces. "Gokudera! We have to get outside!"
Clenching his teeth, the boy turned and threw Tsuna's arms around his neck, then lifted him by the back of the knees. The three then raced outside, just in time to see the structure completely collapse.
Gokudera put Tsuna on the ground, still attempting to wake him. The boy's cries were getting frantic.
Reborn studied Tsuna's face carefully, and realizing that something, indeed, was off. Physically, his features were very much the same, but they held a tiredness and sense of haunt he had never seen on the child.
"Tenth!" Gokudera shouted joyously. Tsuna had finally begun to open his eyes.
The eyes slowly opened, and none of them were prepared for what they saw. Tsuna's eyes, with unmistakable charm and always glittering with life and emotion, holding warmth that reached out to anyone and everyone, did not exist here. Instead, they were replaced with a blank gaze, fogged over and as deep and cold as ice. The shadows under his eyes were prominent, giving him a look of the living dead.
The boy emotionlessly stared at them, looking rather distant. "Stop it, Hideyoshi…" Alarm sparked in the three's eyes. Hideyoshi?
"I already know it's my fault… I know it's my fault…" he continued to whisper.
"T-Tenth?" Gokudera stammered nervously.
"I know it's my fault…" he repeated, "but you like to keep reminding me, don't you, Hideyoshi? I know… I wouldn't do what you said… I defied you, so I know…"
Their eyes widened with a look of despair, as the next words slowly rolled out from the boy's lips. "I know… you killed everyone…" Tears began streaming from his lifeless eyes. "Everyone you're showing me… is already dead."
"OWWWW OWOWOW!" Tsuna screamed as he rolled around on the ground, clutching his bloodied leg. "It hurts!" he cried in despair.
Leg throbbing, he slowly looked around, and then blinked. What was he doing in Namimori?
Suddenly, a very familiar voice behind him said, "Hideyoshi-kun?"
Tsuna turned around, and coughed in surprise. "H-Haru?!"
" Hahi ?! Hideyoshi-kun, what happened?!" she cried out, falling to her knees at the sight of his leg.
Confused by the unfamiliar name, he half-heartedly replied, "O-oh… just an accident."
"That looks very dangerous! I'll call 911!" The girl immediately took out her cell and began dialing the numbers, leaving Tsuna trying to make sense of what happened. Why was he here in Namimori instead of at Verde's base? Why was Haru calling him Hideyoshi?
Suddenly, he felt lightheaded and dizzy, and the world began to blur. The last thing he saw was an alarmed Haru, as she cried, "Hideyoshi-kun?! Hideyoshi-kun!"
Several hours later, he woke again in a familiar environment. The white sheets fell down to his waist as he sat up, and the smell of a sickly cleanliness filled his nostrils. He was at Namimori Hospital.
A knock sounded at his door, and another, a familiar voice said "Sawada-san? Have you awoken?"
Before the boy even had a chance to reply, the tall, red-headed nurse strode in. "Is your leg doing alright? That was an awful injury you had."
"U-um…"
"Children these days," the woman scoffed as she changed the bandages, "can't even walk across the street without getting hurt somehow."
As he pondered why he was here , his eyes suddenly widened. Where were his friends?!
As the nurse quickly re-bandaged his leg, Tsuna got a glimpse of what the poor limb looked like and recoiled. It wasn't pretty.
"Um, h—." He choked on his own words, and tried again. "Have you seen my friends?!"
The woman looked at him questioningly, placing a hand over his forehead which caused the child to pout. No fever. "I don't know what friends you're talking about; only the nice young lady who found you lying in the middle of the street and called us."
Tsuna fell into a bewildered confusion. What the heck was going on?!
Sighing, the nurse got up and handed him crutches. "Practice walking with these please, Sawada-san. There was a bit of an… accident, so we need as many rooms as possible. That leg is the only serious injury you have, so it should be alright."
Nodding slowly, he got up and reached for the supporters, adjusting them both to a suitable height. (And much to his dismay, he had quite a bit to do.) Slowly moving himself, he got off the bed and hopped right on the crutches, trying to avoid putting any weight on his injury. After a couple test strides, he pulled the door open and left the room.
'Wow… it really is Namimori Hospital,' he thought as he scanned the halls. Everything looked just as it had when he last came here. Though he felt rather lost, and so, very confused, seeing these familiar places calmed him down a little. Suddenly, he remembered the visit where Hibari had all but killed him, and felt a strange urge to check if the prefect was in the building. "Maybe he knows where Yamamoto and the others are…" he thought aloud.
'N-no way… If I do find him, I'll be bitten to death,' he thought, now scared out of his wits. But for some reason, his curiosity overpowered his fear, and he eventually resigned. A quick look shouldn't hurt too much… if he was lucky.
But then he remembered he was never lucky.
Remembering the little 'game' Hibari had set up that day, he pressed his lips together and shifted the crutches in his arms so they wouldn't make as much noise. He then took a deep breath, and slowly pushed the door open, and peeked inside. The bed was empty.
But the room wasn't. A heap of unfortunate men lay in a pile smack in the middle of the room, bruised and broken. His legs trembled and he nearly fell over. 'So this is the accident she was talking about!' the brunet thought. Thank God Hibari wasn't here anymore…
"Little herbivore, you're in my way."
"HIEEEEE!" he screamed, barely managing to catch himself. Craning his neck, he slowly turned, now certain his death was inevitable. Icy gray eyes met his own.
Much to his horror, the teen smiled. "Have you come to play my game?"
"N-n-n-n-n-no! Of course not!" Tsuna said, frightened for his life. He then tried to inch his way past the older student, to which his blunt response was a quickly putting a tonfa to Tsuna's neck.
"I'm bored. Entertain me a little, herbivore."
Tsuna shrieked, and his legs finally gave beneath him. Hibari looked at him in disapproval, and Tsuna swore years were being carved off his life by this ice king. "This won't do. You're not in my room."
Tsuna glanced behind him, and saw he had fell just a few inches short of the line that separated the room from the hallway.
"You have to be in my room to play." Giving the younger boy no time scream, he kicked the child into the room, and the boy landed a couple feet away from his previous kill pile.
Kyoya now held both his tonfas, casually swinging them in his hands. Deliberately taking his time, he stepped in a uniform pattern towards the child, the sound of his footsteps: a song that sung of death.
Tsuna was, to say the least, terrified out of his mind. The power of his terror shook his body to the point where one would think the boy was having a seizure. But somehow, at this moment, his instinct was just a little more powerful than this terror. Not daring to look away from the older student, his hand slowly reached into his pocket.
Hibari, slightly excited by this gesture, lunged straight for the boy. He liked those orange-specked eyes; they promised a battle.
Reborn quickly threw a flying kick at this 'Tsuna.' By now, it was painfully clear this was not his student. The boy immediately dropped to the ground, face first.
Gokudera and Yamamoto stood still, shaking from what they'd just seen and heard. All of them? Killed?
Reborn tugged at his hat, the brim shadowing his eyes. Even he had to admit, that display was quite unnerving. From anyone else, he'd be only curious at most. From innocent, Dame-Tsuna, however… it was simply wrong.
"We're taking him with us for now," he decided. Even if this person didn't know what happened to their Tsuna, he could at least tell us what he experienced.
Nodding slowly, Gokudera lifted the boy once more, not nearly as eager as he once was. Reborn called for another limo, making sure to get a driver that wouldn't run them off a cliff. The death-threats were more than enough to do the trick.
They carefully clambered into the car, laying the unconscious child across a few seats and securing him. Finding other places to settle, they made themselves as comfortable as their state of mind would allow them, before finally heading on home.
The X-Gloves half on, he hesitantly hovered in the air, trying to adjust the input in his right leg so it wouldn't touch the ground. It was difficult at first, but, thanks to his Hyper Intuition, he got the hang of it quickly enough. His eyes were a gradient of the fierce orange to the warm brown, and slowly narrowing. While dodging the older boy's fierce strikes, Tsuna asked "H-Hibari-san, have you seen Yamamoto or Gokudera?" The smallest hint of flame was blooming on his forehead, barely enough to be called a spark.
Not stopping, the prefect swung at the boy, who jerked to the side to avoid it. "Who?"
That stopped Tsuna dead in his tracks. Surely Hibari was joking?
But he immediately dismissed the thought. He would never joke. "Y-you know… the Storm and the Rain Guardian?…" Perhaps he just never learned their names… Yeah, that must be it.
The older student relented for a moment, and then frowned. The boy's little blabber was hindering his inner strength from emerging. He could feel it… And he wanted to see more. "Herbivore, you're speaking nonsense." He swung again, but this time, Tsuna blocked, and hastily jumped backwards. His leg tapped the ground before he managed to push out flames, and the pain was enough to momentarily throw him off balance.
One glove was on. "H-Hibari-san… your comrades! Your family members!" he cried, near desperately and down on one knee.
He only glared. "Little herbivore, I have no family."
Tsuna's eyes widened, and a solid steel bit his jaw, sending him flying into the wall.
Lodged firmly among the crumbling concrete, the boy's head bowed over. The raven-haired teen stared in disapproval. Surely he wasn't done already. He had yet to see it.
Rubble fell to the ground as the boy stirred. "No… family ?... " Tsuna's voice came out dry. Sudden anger filled him, and he yanked the other glove on. Flames exploded across his forehead.
Hibari grinned, excited and—for the first time in a while—impressed. "Wao."
"How can you say that?!" Tsuna yelled lunging at the older student.
His eyes widened as the furious boy rushed at him, and was barely able to sidestep the attack. Even then, he didn't escape unscathed. His disciplinary band emitted smoke, singed around the edges.
How exciting. "That's right. No family." He smirked, attempting to goad him.
What he got, however, was a different reaction. Tears flowed from the younger boy's eyes as he charged him with the same ferocity, the contradicting actions catching him off guard.
Tsuna slammed Hibari against the wall, pinning him by the shoulders. "How can you say that?!" he screamed again. "After all we've done! You—!"
He could only blink. He was certain he had never met this herbivore before. What was he rambling about?
Deciding that didn't matter, he lifted the tonfa to his face, planning to force the herbivore off him. He wasn't fond of being restrained.
The bright, orange eyes suddenly widened, and Tsuna grabbed his right wrist, squeezing it hard enough to forcefully loosen his hand. The silver weapon clattered to the floor. "Hibari-san…"
His grip tightened, and more tears dripped onto the floor. "Hibari-san, your ring! Where is it?! What happened to it?!" The Cloud ring was missing from the boy's finger! Tsuna knew he wasn't all too fond of begin his guardian, but he had never seen Hibari without it. Even when the older boy distant, the Cloud ring was always there!
Surprised, the older boy was forced into silence once more, but soon growled. This herbivore with his feminine mood swings… it was annoying. "Herbivore, I never wear rings."
Tsuna opened his mouth to protest, when pain struck the side of his face, and he was swallowed in darkness once more.
They stopped right in front of Tsuna's house, thinking it was alright since it was still moderately dark. After the driver left, Reborn pondered what to do.
"We can't let Maman see him like this." He muttered. Those dark circles under the boy's eyes were no less visible, and he was sure if his mother saw his eyes like they did she would have a heart attack.
"…We could just say he's sick," Yamamoto suggested half-heartedly. "Maybe one of us could stay with him to make sure his mom doesn't look at him too closely."
"I'll do it," Gokudera volunteered immediately. He wasn't sure what the heck happened to his boss, but he wasn't going to leave him alone in that state.
"No, you two have school. I'll do it today," Reborn said firmly.
The silver-haired teen opened his mouth to argue—he learned nothing at school!—but the infant cut him off by saying "I have questions I need to ask him. If he sees either of you there, there's a chance he might start rambling again."
Their expressions darkened. That was something they definitely couldn't see again. Not today.
Seeing their faces, Reborn said, "Try to get some sleep after. You're probably tired."
The bomber grudgingly agreed, and carried the boy into his room as quietly as possible, wincing as the stairs creaked beneath the weight. After setting Tsuna down on the bed, he slowly headed home, Yamamoto closely following before turning the other way.
Reborn watched the boy as he slept, fists scrunching up the sheets and blankets restlessly. His gaze repeatedly wandered back to Tsuna's tensed hand, wondering, many, many times, why the boy wasn't wearing his Vongola Ring.
For the second time that day, Tsuna woke up in killer pain—only this time, it was in his head. Groaning, he opened his eyes, only to have the ceiling stare back at him.
His hands clenched into fists, vaguely remembering his dispute with the older student. 'Hi-Hibari…' The battle maniac had knocked him out, and left him on the floor.
Hibari always left his broken opponents in a place where they could get treatment, and, though it was the floor, it was still a hospital; him and his twisted logic.
He pulled himself up to a sitting position, and leaned against the wall, only to realize his crutches were on the opposite end of the room. Cursing under his breath, he crawled over to the sticks and got up, overwhelmed with a need to leave this place. After comfortably situating them under his arms, he hopped out the room, not exactly sure where to go.
Bright sunlight greeted him as he stepped outside, and he hummed in satisfaction. Yup, it was definitely Namimori.
Glancing around for any cars, he hobbled across, for some reason more wary after being told a car accident was the cause of his injury, though he knew better than anyone that that wasn't the case. But it's not as if you can tell just anyone a baby controlling a robot hurled him across a room.
His mind a mess of muddled thoughts, he simply walked, allowing his feet to take him where they will. He passed familiar faces, subconsciously exchanging waves with them before moving on.
Soon, he stopped. Looking up at the small building, he thought in realization 'It's my house…' It looked no different than a few hours ago, though something did seem a bit strange.
Thinking nothing of it, he shrugged it off and headed towards the door, stopping only for a second before letting himself in.
That strange feeling still not having left him, he awkwardly strolled by the kitchen, breathing a sigh of relief to see his mother diligently washing the dishes with her back turned to him.
'Mom…' he thought happily. Amidst all this confusion, seeing her was a huge relief.
He must have made some sort of noise, however, as she turned around, looking over her shoulder. Her eyes twinkled with that familiar smile. "Tsu-kun!"
"H-hi mom…" he fumbled shyly. Her expression soon became that of worry however, as she saw the state her child was in. "Tsu-kun, what happened?!" she cried out, immediately dropping the dishes into the sink and hastily wiping her hands and striding over to him, patting at his shoulders and sides. "Did you fall again? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
"O-oh, yeah… I fell," He said, trying to look sheepish. "And no, just my leg, is all."
She suddenly pushed back his hair, and Tsuna remembered Hibari had struck him there. "Oh, Tsu-kun, you're so clumsy!" she scolded lightly before rushing off to get a bandage. He could only stand there with his slightly ruffled hair, wallowing in happiness to know his mother hadn't changed a bit. She was as fussy and protective as always.
She returned faster than he could think 'Vongola' and smeared the bandage over his temple, crumpling the wrapping and dropping it in the trash. Sighing, she returned to her station at the sink and continued her job, shaking her head. "Tsu-kun, you're too silly! You get hurt over the smallest of things!"
"S-sorry…" He then looked around, now knowing why something felt off—it was quiet, too quiet. Normally, he could hear the kids squabbling from around the block, but standing in the house, there was no such noise. "Hey mom, where are Lambo and the others?"
"Lambo?" she asked in a questioning tone, glancing over her shoulder. "Is he your friend?"
Tsuna froze. Why does her face look like that? "Th-that baby with the cow-print shirt… and I-pin, Fuuta, and Bianchi…" he fumbled. He shouldn't have to tell her this! If it was his good-for-nothing father, sure, but… this was his mom! 'Why… what's going on?' he thought, panic slowly rising in him.
"So many new names!" his mother squealed, finishing up with the dishes. "Did my Tsu-kun finally make friends? Oh, you should have told me sooner!" she blubbered, reaching for his shoulders.
On the verge of tears, he rapidly shook his head and pulled away from his mother's touch, racing up the stairs and into his room as fast as his injured leg would carry him, and slamming the door shut. He stood with his back to the door, shaking, and gasping for breath.
His mother… didn't know Lambo? New names?! 'She would never forget Lambo… She loves him so much, she loves everyone so much!' he thought in dismay.
Finally, his legs gave and he sank to the floor, trying as hard as he could to not cry. 'Why is this happening? What's wrong with everyone today?' He despaired, cradling his head in his hands. 'I don't…' Tears streamed down his cheeks, and his breaths became hiccupping sobs.
'I don't know what to do!'
And what can he do? No one was here for him, and no one could understand. Before unexpectedly being blessed with friends, crying was how he coped. Right now, for the first time in a while, all he could do was cry as he did back then.
A loud knock suddenly sounded from the wood at his back, and he screeched in surprise.
Bang! His mind panicked and devoid of all thought, Tsuna instinctively jumped from in front of the door and found himself being roughly tackled to the bed, legs hanging off the mattress and eyes spinning. Unable to come up with any logical explanation as to what was going on, he slowly refocused his vision to the figure hugging his waist, and his eyes widened as he saw a too-familiar mass of hair, the very same hair his mother and Reborn relentlessly jabbed at him for.
But that was impossible.
"Tsuna, are you okay?! Mom's worried! Did something happen?! Did people bully you again?!" The person jabbered worriedly. He finally moved off Tsuna, now studying the cast on his leg, and growled, "Your leg too!"
It was then that Tsuna finally got a good look at him, and his hands gripped the sheet in surprise. His shocked expression reflected off the widened, almond brown orbs, staring into his own.
Fumbling, Tsuna uttered, "You… you look like me!"
THE TWIN THING, YEEEE. I think Hibari is out OOC. =m= cries. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! :D
Please leave a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts. :3