Bittersweet Love
Summary: I hate seeing you cry, Kyoko. So don't cry. Even for me… Set TYL!Tsuna's staged death. Pre- Future Arc.
Disclaimer: I do not own Khr. Even the plot is somewhat borrowed from micar's "I'd hate to see you cry" though not all!
Warnings: Character death.
Edited: 04/28/15
"Really? You're coming home, Tsu-kun?"
The young Vongola Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi— more known as Tsuna, smiled as he heard his mother's enthusiastic voice over the phone.
"Hai, okaa-san." He answered, already imagining the wide smile coming up from the woman as she probably was already planning a huge feast in celebration of his homecoming. He heard a squeal over the phone and yes, he was right. Hyper Intuition is never wrong as he thought as he listened to his mother's ramblings about the current price of goods and vegetables in the market nowadays, promptly forgetting that he was still on the phone. Even without HI, he would have still predicted her to act as such. It's his mother afterall.
Tsuna chuckled at the thought, and that seemed to snap the woman out of her state.
"Ah, sorry about that." The woman giggled. Tsuna smiled as he answered with a 'no prob'. "But really, thank goodness you're coming home, Tsu-kun! I saw Hayato-kun and Takeshi-kun in town the other day and I was worried you wouldn't come home. Mou, you're so sly! Making your mother worry like that!"
Tsuna let out a hearty laugh. "Hai, hai. Gomennasai, okaa-san. I'll be taking the first flight tomorrow or even tonight if only to make it up to you."
"You better, Tsu-kun! It's time you pay your mother a visit at least!"
"Well, I definitely did think of that. I missed you and your cooking too, okaa-san. There is no one who could ever replicate the same taste as your cooking." He teased.
"Mou, now your sounding like your father, Tsu-kun!" The both of them shared a laugh before it simmered down and the air took a somber feel. Tsuna closed his eyes, feeling a liberty to enjoy the moment before it could be interrupted.
.
.
.
"Ne, Tsu-kun?" his mother's voice broke the silence.
"Hai, Okaa-san?"
.
.
.
"Come home safe, okay?"
The brown haired man opened his eyes, smiling a little somberly, "Hai, okaa-san." He answered.
"I'll see you soon then, Tsu-kun."
"Hai. Good day, Okaa-san."
"Oyasumi, Tsu-kun."
As Tsuna hung up, he closed his eyes again, albeit a little pained as he breathed in and out. He had to calm himself, he knew.
(But when you are marching to your death…)
It takes more than breathing in and out to calm.
He leaned back tiredly on his recliner, turning around to face the window. It was night in the Vongola Mansion. A dark night. The stars and the moon were shining brightly as they can yet…
This was not what he was looking for…
He smiled sadly, a picture of an auburn haired woman appearing on his mind.
Where are you in my darkest days, my sun?
The door opened, revealing a red haired man wearing glasses, holding a file. Even without turning, Tsuna already knew who he was.
"Is the plan alright, Shoichi?" he asked, albeit a little tired.
Glasses gleamed against the light of the room and the man spoke, "Hai, Decimo."
"Where is Kyoya?" As soon as the Decimo spoke, the door opened yet again, revealing a tall raven haired man. Tsuna swung back, facing the two of them. "Ah, nevermind. You're already here."
The said man just grunted in response. Smiling at the two of them, Tsuna spoke:
"Shall we start the plan?"
Tsuna stood impassively in front of Vongola Decimo's private jet, heart frightfully calm. He had agreed on the meeting proposed by Byakuran despite the protests of his guardians. The meeting place was proposed personally by him: Japan.
Yes, Japan.
To appease his guardians worry, he sent them ahead to secure (as they call it) the place. He smiled a bit as he boarded on the jet. He sent them with the excuse of course of spending Christmas with everyone.
To have snowball fights and to watch fireworks with everyone… he certainly said that right? His most heartfelt wish in those times…
To have snowball fights and to watch fireworks with everyone…
As soon as he stepped a foot on the jet, his intuition flared and he smiled wryly as he took note of his surroundings. The workers that were personally known by him were gone, replaced by strangers…
.
.
.
.
Sorry everyone. I think I won't be able to do that with you guys this year…
Hayato stood impatiently in front of the airport, waiting anxiously for his beloved boss. His boss who decided to stay behind whilst he had to secure the area for the meeting. He didn't trust the Gesso boss but he had to admit, he was also a fool for leaving his boss' side. Well, it might also be Jyuudaime's convincing prowess but still…
He cursed silently, itching to take a cigarette from his pocket. Enemies could be attacking his boss right now and he wasn't by his side to help! He gritted his teeth in annoyance, furiously wanting to bash his head against the concrete as he did in the old days when he had done something stupid. But of course, he didn't want to meet his boss with a bump on his head especially when enemies could still be in the vicinity.
So he could do nothing but wait. And 'wait' which was killing him. A hearty laugh came from his left and he could only twitch in annoyance.
"Are you seriously laughing at this time, baseball-freak?" he half-growled. Takeshi chuckled good-naturedly, swinging an arm around the storm guardian.
"Maa, maa. Tsuna is strong. He can take care of himself." Takeshi answered with a grin. Hayato, if he had been in his teenage form would have burst out in a flurry of insults at this but instead, he sighed, effectively calming himself.
"I do not doubt my boss' strength, baseball-idiot. It's just that…" he trailed off uncertainly.
"We're in war." Takeshi continued, all the playfulness gone, replaced with seriousness, "Anything can happen…" Like what happened to my father… didn't need to be said. Hayato understood and all the more kept his posture straight, looking at the sky.
"I trust in Tsuna though." Takeshi smiled, "He will come back to us."
"That was supposed to be my line, baseball-idiot." Hayato retorted but nevertheless smiled discreetly.
Yes, no matter where they are, their sky watches over them after all...
Tsuna quietly sat on the pilot's chair, a glass of wine in hand. As he expected, the crew had attacked him midway the trip. He successfully incapacitated them and now, he was left with no one to handle the plane.
A number of bodies were tied up in the corner and Tsuna calmly sipped his wine, steering the handle to where his intuition pointed out. That, and Reborn's pilot training had kicked in. An insane training where he had to pilot a plane by himself while dodging the bullet shot in his way.
'If you were attacked in a plane and all the people are your enemies, you'll have no choice but to be the one to pilot.' His tutor's voice eerily echoed in his head and he smiled wryly as those words ironically applied to the situation.
He sat back on the pilot's chair, taking a sip of his wine slowly. The alcohol burned inside of him but at least made his nervousness lessen. No, he was not nervous that he would crash the plane (he had been trained by the world's no. 1 hitman, mind you.) but the fact that everything will go accordingly.
He was just… risking too much. And he knew it. He set aside the wine glass as he saw the familiar airport of Namimori insight…
More than a thought. More than words. Action speaks louder than both. Tsuna had then wondered if that was the reason his guardians, namely Hayato and Takesh, had waited for him at the airport. Never the less, he had landed the jet safely. Coming up to him, he wouldn't put it past by his two friends to not see anything wrong. They immediately recognized the scent of blood despite his attempts cover it up. He inwardly sighed as he remembered the look of pure fury on his right hand man's face. One he had noticed, appeared often on his friend's face. On the other hand, Takeshi took things more calmly, only opting for the clenching of his hand on his sword.
The three of them sat inside the car Hayato had prepared beforehand. The storm guardian took the driver's seat while Takeshi took the front seat, leaving Tsuna alone in the back seat. He watched the passing scenery, a wistful look on his face. A lingering silence rested in the air, only to be broken by Hayato who lighted a cigarette.
"How many times have I told you to stop that, Hayato? I worry about your health." Tsuna gently chided, giving his guardian a stern look through the mirror. Hayato said nothing for a while, only blowing out a puff of smoke. He brought the cigarette again to his lips, letting it hang there as he kept his eyes on the road.
"And how many times have we voiced out our protests on not attending this meeting..." he glanced at Tsuna through the mirror, "Juudaime?"
Tsuna held his gaze, noticing the frustrated look in his eyes. He had to keep himseld from smiling wryly, already feeling guilty. But he didn't let the feeling last long, answering him honestly as he can.
"I have to."
Hayato crushed the cigarette angrily, intending to voice out his protests but Takeshi beat him up to it. "Why?," he frowned, looking at Tsuna with an almost desperate plea. "Why must you negotiate with someone who has..." killed my father? "...already gone way past negotiation? Byakuran doesn't want an alliance, Tsuna. He's–"
"It's the only chance I've got." Tsuna interrupted, orange hues flashing in his eyes. "It's a gamble, I know. But if it succeeds...then I have nothing to worry about anymore."
"But–"
Tsuna held up a hand, successfully stopping the both of them. Hayato who had turned around before, faced front again, biting his lip in frustration, his cigarette forgotten. Glancing at it, he threw it out of the window. Takeshi faced front too, hard faced about the matter. Tsuna knew their fears. He understood them.
And it made him more guilty inside.
He looked out the window once more. They were already nearing the place Byakuran told them to. He took a deep breath.
"Do you trust me?" He asked them quietly.
"Of course we do, Tsuna." Takeshi answered immeadiately. "It's just that–"
"We don't trust Byakuran." Hayato finished for him.
"Then it's fine." Tsuna answered with a tired smile. "As long as you trust me, then it's fine..."
Bang!
A gunshot echoed throughout the room and a brunette fell on the floor. Dark liquid seeped through his dark clothes and pooled on the floor quickly. A man with white hair stood impassively, staring at the man with a bored look.
"Hm~ Dead already, Tsunayoshi-kun? Maa, and I expected much from you." The man said, faking a sigh as he crouched down and tapped the man's head with the barrel of the gun he just used to shoot at him. Shaking his head, he walked towards Shoichi whose glasses glinted in the light.
"I'll leave the cleaning up to you, Sho-chan."
"Hai, Byakuran-sama."
Byakuran hummed happily as he shut the door behind him. The Cervello women who were with Shoichi bowed to him, "With all due respect, please leave the cleaning to us, Shoichi-sama." One Cervello girl said. Shoichi pushed his glasses up, and looked at the body coldly.
"Leave this to me. As much as Sawada Tsunayoshi was my enemy, he is a respected man. It would do well if a Funeral Wreath like me would do the honors, seeing as Byakuran-sama shall not sully his hands doing the deed. Leave me to do this for an hour."
"But Shoichi-sama-"
"And do me a favor and deliver the message to his guardians. Tell them— Vongola Decimo is dead."
The two women bowed in submission to his order and left the room without a word. Shoichi checked his watch and pushed up his glasses once again as he knelt down and whispered to the body's ear.
"You have 55 minutes left, Tsunayoshi-kun."
Chocolate brown eyes opened up immediately, followed by a groan as the once dead man, sat up, holding his chest. He still felt the bullet pierced in his heart but it didn't hurt as much as he would have expected. Shoichi sighed in relief as he saw the man sat up.
"Thank goodness it worked. I would have killed myself after all this if something went wrong and you really died, Tsunayoshi-kun." The mechanic said. Tsuna only smiled gratefully at him.
"No, thank you, Shoichi. If you didn't probably create this bullet, I would have really died. I'm really thankful." He said. Shoichi only flashed him a smile.
"I would never let you die a martyr, Tsunayoshi-kun. The day you will really die, now will be dying on your bed as old as you can be, with your family and possibly grandchildren around you." Tsuna could only chuckle in response.
"If I ever marry that is." He said as he stood up. "And I rather feel like a zombie in this state," he tapped his bullet pierced chest. Shoichi could only laugh softly.
"Well, bear with it, Decimo. You have 50 minutes left."
Tsuna could only grimace as he stretched a bit. "Where should I exit then?" he asked. Shoichi walked towards the wall and felt for a soft dent. Founding one, he injected his ring. Immediately, the wall moved and Tsuna saw stairs leading down.
"Typical movie escape route." He commented jokingly. Shoichi shrugged.
"It's the only way out I have prepared, Tsunayoshi-kun. Though before you go… are you sure you're going to her only?" he asked. Tsuna who took the first step of the stairs looked back at him. Sadness displayed on his eyes as he smiled.
"My guardians are strong. And if I see them now... they won't believe I'm dead and will look for me. That and… my time is limited."
"But..."
Tsuna could only smile sadly at him as the man clenched his fists. "If I could have just extended the time…"
"Then that would attract suspicion." Tsuna said. "I'm just happy you made this for me, Shoichi. It's more than enough." He turned his back on him, "See you later, Shoichi."
Shoichi didn't say more as Tsuna descended the stairs…
The moon began to be hidden behind the clouds as Tsuna walked under it.
He was feeling tired, dizzy, and weak… His strength was slowly seeping away from him from each step he took. The effects of the bullet was catching up to his body and he could only close his eyes, swallowing the rigid pain.
He reeled against the wall as his breathing started to become hoarse. His body was feeling tired. His insides were burning like fire. A cold sweat ran down his head. He focused on his objective, feeling that it will slip away if he focused too much on the pain.
He found himself listening to his surroundings. He could only smile sadly again as he remembered why he was there in the first place…
"Tsu-kun!" An auburn haired girl ran up to him, smiling happily as she held a bag in her hands. Her smile brought up a smile on the brown haired man's lips too as he waited for her. He and his guardians were having a picnic by the Vongola gardens, with that day being his day off. And naturally, he invited the girl and her friends over.
"Yes, Kyoko-chan?" he answered. Kyoko held out a small box to him and Tsuna could only stare at it. "Uhm, what is this for, Kyoko-chan?" he asked, taking the box into his hands.
"Open it, Tsu-kun." She urged. Following her instruction, Tsuna slowly pulled the ribbon off the box and opened it. He could feel himself staring in wonder at a golden chained necklace with an orange tear shaped gem.
"I'm sorry it's small." The girl said apologetically, "I just thought it would hinder you if it was too big so I had it small." She said as Tsuna fingered the gem. He smiled at her.
"It's beautiful, Kyoko. Thank you." He was felt happy that she would give him such a thing but then, suddenly he felt déjà vu. Smiling a little amused at her, he asked, "Did you have something like this for the others too?"
As the girl nodded, Tsuna could only internally sigh again. It was like the time when she gave him a lucky charm and had one for everyone else too. He could only shake his head in amusement at the thought.
"Though why the sudden gift, Kyoko?" he found himself asking. He rose a brow as Kyoko looked around before signaling him to come closer. Tsuna leaned down, his heart skipping a beat as he felt the girl's breath blowing his on his ear.
"I just needed an excuse, Tsu-kun." Tsuna could feel his heart stop as she said the next words, "I wanted to give Takeshi-kun a gift but I couldn't find a reason to so… well…" the girl trailed off and blushed. Tsuna stood straight again, his bangs shadowing his eyes.
"I see…" he said. He stared sadly at the girl. He did expect that but couldn't believe it trying in vain to hold a bit of hope for himself. The girl had been in love with his friend, Takeshi for a while now and he had been her close confidante.
Why he must subject himself to this torture, he never knew. His heart ached at every love confession she said to him about his friend yet he always smiled and gave her advices. He pushed her towards him with a smile and supported her.
Even if it hurt too much.
"Why don't you give it to him now? Just say you gave one to me and you're giving out one to everyone. That should do the trick." He said. Kyoko nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Tsu-kun. Though…" her hand went up to his cheek and Tsuna could only stare at her in surprise. "are you okay, Tsu-kun?" she asked.
Like all the other times, Tsuna wanted to tell her. How her smiles could light up his day, how her laughter could be music to his ears, how her hand felt so warm…
He wanted to…
But like all the other times…
.
.
.
He smiled, "I'm fine, Kyoko-chan."
And he watched as she run off again… away from him…
Soft sobs echoed throughout the night and Tsuna pushed himself off the wall. He started to walk again and finally, he saw her. The girl—now woman— was crying on the footsteps of her house. Her head was buried in her arms as her heartbreaking sobs resounded throughout the night. It was a sight that pricked Tsuna's heart as he listened.
Just as he thought, the girl would have confessed to Takeshi that day. Afterall, he was the one to arrange the party at his house and though reluctant to stay, Takeshi stayed there to watch his family. His father, Iemitsu was there but considering his father's age, he might not be as strong as he was when he was still in his prime.
Tsuna could have at least been a little bit angry at his friend for making the woman he loved cry but… he couldn't. He had known for a while that his friend didn't hold any feelings for Kyoko but still he persevered, thinking that maybe… the man may feel the same way as he feels for her.
But he failed.
Trying his best to look normal, he swallowed the rigid pain as he walked towards her. He bended slightly and tugged her arms.
The woman didn't acknowledge him.
Receiving no acknowledgement, he pulled her up, surprising the woman as she suddenly found herself encircled in the arms of the brown haired man. Slowly recognizing the warmth, she broke down into tears and sobbed in his chest. Tsuna hugged her protectively as the woman cried.
"Tsu-kun…" she sobbed.
Tsuna shushed her as he ran his fingers through the waist length hair of the auburn haired woman, and closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again to look at the heavy clouds on the night sky.
"I hate seeing you cry, Kyoko." He said. "So don't cry…" Even for me… when all this is over… "But… I also don't want to force you to smile, Kyoko. So… cry it out instead. I'd hate it more if you try to smile when inside… you're hurt…"
Blood trickled from his mouth and dropped to the beautiful auburn hair, dyeing it brown. 'Yare, yare…' he swallowed the urge to cough as more blood tricked from his mouth.
'Not yet please…'
This occurrence was left unnoticed by the woman as she cried her heart out, clutching Tsuna's suit all the while. Tsuna smiled a bit as the woman followed his advice.
'Would you mind showing me your smile later on?' He silently wished, which was left unfulfilled as he felt the woman had fallen asleep, lying limp in his arms.
"You're so unfair, Kyoko…" He gathered her in his arms and carried her bridal style, walking towards the door. He was grateful that it wasn't locked as he didn't have enough strength to do anymore to do a simple opening the door if it was locked. That and her parents have moved away for a long time now. He gently kicked the door as he closes it. He could feel blood seeping through his clothes but he didn't care. He climbed the steps slowly as he himself was feeling dizzy.
.
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Drip.
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Drip.
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.
"Not yet…"
He stepped into her bedroom and gently laid her down on her bed and tucked her in. The clouds seemed to have cleared away as moonlight lit the room, showing her peaceful face to the brown haired man. It was a beautiful sight for Sawada Tsunayoshi.
"Through the very end, I still didn't get to have my wish come true after all…" he said as he checked the wall clock's bed. He caressed her cheek gently, and took out a small pouch from his pocket. He slowly opened it, checking the content before a sad smile appeared on his lips. He emptied the pouch in his palm and a blue stone fell. He stared at it.
It was the gem in his Vongola ring. Or what used to be the Vongola Ring. He hadn't been all that heartless to destroy it afterall, he mused as he stared at the chain attached to the gem. Even though he didn't get to see her smile one last time, her peaceful face made him relax. He slipped the chain on her wrist and kissed her hand.
The clock struck twelve and he knew he had to go. He took in the view of the peaceful sleeping woman one last time, smiling regretfully.
"If there's one thing I regret… it would be the fact that I was never able to tell you my feelings, Kyoko." His hand fell on his side and he felt life was slowly seeping away from him. His body was beginning to feel cold.
"I loved your smile, Kyoko and I'm quite sorry for myself that I was never able to see it one last time…" he coughed more painfully this time as he wasn't able to suppress it any longer. Blood splattered on his shirt but it didn't matter anymore. His shirt was already dyed red from the blood that oozed from his chest.
"Ah… so many regrets. I don't regret seeing you like this one last time though…" he smiled, wanting to kiss her forehead but didn't because of the blood dripping down his mouth.
"I love you, Kyoko."
Leaving the room, Tsuna felt a tear slip down his cheek.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you like~ (^_^)