Treasure Hunting, a KHR fanfic.
Pairing: None, family/angst fic
WARNING!
The following is UNBETA-ED, SUBSTANTIAL OOC-NESS, read at your sanity's risk.
Timeline: After TYL!Tsuna death, before the younger Tsuna arrival, difference include Mukuro released from Vendicare much earlier before Tsuna death, The Ninth has a daughter call Maria.
DISCLAIMER: KHR does not belong to me.
"He's dead." The fedora-wearing hitman said.
Lighting struck the dark sky, the sky that was so dark that it does not seems to exist at all.
"Reborn-san, what are you saying? Decimo can't..."
"I said what I said." Reborn glared.
Gokudera tumbled a few steps back. Decimo...is dead?
Watching the scene, Reborn lowered his fedora and walked away to inform the rest of the guardians. It wasn't his job to do so.
But he wanted to.
If they hadn't...
Reborn clenched his fist. Perhaps, he wanted to see how the guardians would react after hearing the news of their boss' passing.
To see how much they regretted it.
For the sky will no longer envelope them.
#
The funeral was a solemn affair.
No one has yet gasp the full extent of the situation. His death was so sudden, erupt that it was just unreal.
Everything felt almost like a nightmare. Except it isn't.
Hibari watched the funeral with disinterest. Being one of the few in the know, he wasn't much affected by his news of his death.
Yet, there was just this uncomfortable feeling. The unanswered question.
What if...Hibari stopped himself. It isn't like him to be disturbed by something like this. As if he was worrying for him. No, he's above that.
Hibari furrowed his eyebrow and recounted the last time he spoke with him.
Flashback
"Hibari-san, thank you for following my selfish plan." The kind mafia boss said.
Hibari didn't make a reply. He just wanted to protect Nanimori, nothing more, nothing less.
The Decimo smiled sadly.
"It's getting late, I shouldn't overstayed my welcome, I will go now."
Hibari grunted in reply.
"Goodbye, Kyouya." Tsuna said in an unfamiliar tone before closing the door.
Hibari froze for a split second when he heard the long not uttered name. When had Tsuna stopped? And why now?
The herbivore is not of my concern. Hibari finally concluded. His well-being is not of my concern.
Flashback end
...
He didn't expect the herbivore's death. Sure, he knew Tsuna was going to send their past selves here. However, he assumed that Tsuna would make up some excuse for his absence.
What he didn't expect was the excuse of him. Dead.
If the plan failed, what does it...No. He is not so weak as to hold doubts.
He will just carry out his duties expected of him.
The herbivore's death is of no concern to him after all.
Hibari ignored the heavy feeling in his heart.
#
After the funeral, Reborn ordered them to clean up Tsuna's room.
It was an unusual request since the mansion staff could have done it. Why did they have to waste time doing something so trivial?
Sure, he's dead. That's all. That was the thought of most guardians.
They stopped caring about him somewhere along the way they grew up.
Well, they admit that the final straw was when he killed Maria.
How could he have killed her?
Since then, the relationship between them was limited to a boss and subordinate.
When they receive the news from Reborn, they were slightly shocked, yes.
But that's all.
So when they entered the room, it was a complete unexpected turn of event.
#
It started with the discovery of a box by one Storm Guardian.
Gokudera was clearing away the Tenth's cupboard when he came upon a box.
A very ordinary box.
It probably won't contain anything important but just in case. Gokudera thought to himself. Being the boss right hand man, in name, he was proxy to the confidential stuff in Vongola. Hence, he knew which document or object are to be kept a secret and protected.
"What is it?" Yamamoto asked when he found the silver-haired staring at a box.
"Just a box." Gokudera answer absent-mindedly as he tried to open the box.
Tried.
He frowned.
"Hmm. Looks hard to open." Yamamoto commented.
No shit.
Gokudera glared hard at the object in hand. How hard could it be to open this ordinary looking box?
"Let me try it."
Be my guest. Tch. Gokudera threw the offending object to the rain guardian.
Sadly, the box reminds firmly closed no matter how hard Yamamoto tried to pull the lid out.
"Haha. I can't open it either, maybe it's glued?"
Of all the stupidity in the world.
"That looks like an EXTREME challenge!" The boxer joined in.
After a few minutes...
"THIS BOX IS EXTREMELY STURDY!" Ryohei exclaimed.
Gokudera face-palmed while Yamamoto just continue laughing good-naturedly.
"Let the great Lambo-sama handle this!"
The afro teenager snatched the box away from Ryohei's hands.
Alas, even though he used all his strength to pry the lid open, the box remains shut.
...
"Lambo-sama will not be defeated by-"
"Kufufu, have all of you gone so weak?" Mukuro appeared out of nowhere with his mist illusions. Chrome by his side.
Lambo stared at the box with a fire in his eyes. His hands reached inside his blazer.
"Idiot, stop! There may be important documents inside!" Gokudera shouted.
However, the warning was unheeded by the Lightning Guardian who continued to throw grenades at the innocent-looking box on Mukuro's hands.
There was a loud explosion and smokes came the next moment.
"Herbivories, I will bite all all of you to death for causing a commotion." A icy cold voice emerged.
"Kufufu, I see that you are asking for a death wish, Lambo." Mukuro laughed eerily. His eyes glowing darkly.
"Mukuro-sama..." Chrome asked in concern.
"Eep!" Lambo eyes were wide open in fear. Two of the scariest guardians were on him. "I didn't mean to!"
Hibari pulled out his tonfa while the male mist guardian produced his trident.
"Eh? The box is still intact!" Yamamoto said, looking at the box which is still held by Mukuro, without a single scratch.
The box must be holding pretty important stuff for it to be so protected and resilient. Gokudera thought.
"Okay! No more actions until further discussions. This box probably holds some pretty important Vongola stuff." Gokudera announced.
The guardians grudgingly agreed.
Over the course of the next few days, the guardians tried every means possible.
Pouring acid, setting it on fire, throwing it down a cliff, putting it through x-ray...
Yet, they were still unable to unravel the content inside the box.
"All of you are pathetic." A hitman announced when he saw the state of their progress.
...
"Reborn-san, do you have an idea of how to open this box?" Gokudera asked politely.
The hitman tilted his fedora.
"I am the world's greatest hitman after all."
A ray of hope!
Each of the guardian had been thoroughly defeated and their pride crushed by this plain-looking, harmless-looking box.
They had to open it!
"How?" Most of the guardians rushed up to Reborn. Even Hibari perked up by the news.
"Tsuna probably sealed it with his own sky flames." Reborn sent each of them a dark look.
Silence came.
Him.
They had tried to forget his existence ever since then.
"...but you can replace his sky flames by injecting all of your flames into the box." Reborn said before leaving the room.
The foolish guardians.
The idiotic boss.
"Dame-Tsuna."
"Shall we try?" Surprisingly, the first to speak up was Mukuro.
"Yeah." Gokudera snapped himself back to reality.
All those years, he treated Sawada Tsunayoshi as a boss and nothing more.
"One the count of three."
"One."
"Two"
"Three"
Six type of flames were produced at the same time.
"So?" Lambo asked the next moment. The box did not look any different.
Chrome hesitantly went over to the box.
She pried the lid off the box easily.
Ah.
"It's opened!" Lambo shouted in excitement.
"What does it contains?" The swordman asked.
They were surprised at what they saw.
For something so heavily protected, the content sure look less impressive.
Papers. Tea set. Flowers. CDs. Photo album.
How thrilling.
"Hold on, this may be only what they look on the outside." Gokudera said.
"Of course or Decimo wouldn't have spent so much effort hiding them." Lambo backed up.
"Haha, why don't we try to find out what's the secret then?" Yamamoto laughed and picked up the CD casually.
Then, he stopped laughing abruptly when he saw what's written on the various CD.
Namimori Middle vs Yakushi Middle 21 July 20xx, Baseball Match
Namimori Middle vs Sekei Middle 8 August 20xx, Baseball Match
The CDs continued on and on until...
Namimori High vs Seishun High, 5th April 20xx, Baseball Match (Yamamoto Last Official Baseball Match)
The hand gripped the stack tightly.
They were young before, weren't them? Decimo...No. Tsuna, made sure to attend each and every of his baseball match no matter what. There was that one time that the match clashes with a meeting with a representative of another Family. Still, Tsuna came.
Even what he was sick, he came.
No matter what, he came.
He came...
Tsuna never missed a single of his baseball match.
He was always there to support him.
Encourage him.
Yet...
What had he done?
What had he, as a guardian, as a friend, done for Tsuna?
Ignored him. Treated him coldly.
Now...
Yamamoto looked out of the window, the line of people queuing up to say their last words to Tsuna.
Why did he allow that line to form?
"Hey, baseball-freak, what are you doing? Don't damage them!" Gokudera barked just as Yamamoto picked up the CDs.
He grabbed the stack of papers.
"What is this?" The storm guardian frowned as he flipped through the pages and subsequently threw those he deemed as trash away.
My Family by Bovina Lambo Grade 2 Class 3? What the heck?
"Hey, those are yours!" And shoved the papers into the chest of the time traveller.
A list of restaurants? For Onii-san to take to his date...
Boxing gyms to go with Onii-san...
...
"Mow-head, these are yours!" Gokudera flared up and flung those papers away.
What the hell? The box contains just those items?
The bomber really isn't expecting much now.
"Damn. Music sheets? What are..."
No way. They still exists?
This was a piece of music he composed long ago...
When his father died.
True, he never got along well with his father but when he received news of the party's death...
He felt like a piece of his heart went missing. To fill that space, Gokudera spent all his time, without sleep, without food on the piano. Just playing endlessly and joting down the notes.
Regretting, mourning.
Until Tsuna came to snap him out of his downward spiral into grieve.
After that, Gokudera knew he threw the music sheets out of the window. So why were they here?
There was a river outside his window and the papers are creased, obviously signs of being soaked before.
If he remember correctly, Tsuna had a bad cold the following morning.
Gokudera went wide-eyed at the realization.
Tsuna went to retrieve the music sheets from the river.
All 44 sheets of them.
Some were even torn to piece.
Still, he found them...and patched them bit by bit.
Gokudera touched the various creased lines.
Tsuna did.
He...
Yes, Tsuna was always that kind of fool. The kind of fool that thinks the world of the people around him. The kind of fool that always put others before him. The kind of fool that would sacrifice himself for others' happiness.
It was that trait of Tsuna that made Gokudera swore loyalty to the man when he saved him from the dynamites.
Yes, he was loyal the past few years.
But.
When did he ever stop caring about the welfare of the boss?
He did his missions and duties perfectly.
But.
God. He can count the number of times he saw Tsuna face-to-face in a year with his two hands!
What had he been doing?
Why were they even doing here in Tsuna's room?
They shouldn't invade his privacy...
Wait. They are here to collect his belongings.
Because...Because...Tsuna is dead.
"Baka-dera! Don't throw it like that!" Lambo grumbled as he grabbed the papers clumsily.
How many years has it been since he called Gokudera by that?
Lambo grimaced.
It had been a really long time since all of the guardians had been gathered together. Ever since Tsuna killed Maria, all of them just felt that Tsuna became a different person.
A cold-blooded person.
He sighed.
What are these papers anyway?
My Family by Bovina Lambo Grade 2 Class 3.
Woah. Those sure are something from long ago.
Sure brings him back.
When he was grade 2, the teacher told the class to write about their family.
It was the first and only time he only a distinction for something academic too.
My Family.
Lambo began reading the composition.
...Tsuna-nii always helps me from those who bullies me. When I grow up, I will do the same too! Tsuna-nii is useless so he will need my help! The great Lambo-sama will protect his Tsuna-nii! I love my family...
The Lightning Guardian could not help but remember his childhood years.
The Tsuna-nii who played with him...
The Tsuna-nii who tried to protect him from the sadistic tutor...
The Tsuna-nii who would used up his allowance just to buy him candies...
The Tsuna-nii who kept this essay from so long ago.
What had he even been thinking of just minutes ago? Or for those years?
To view Tsuna-nii as a cold-blooded, merciless person when Tsuna-nii is the most merciful, kind and purest person on earth?
And whatever happens to his proclamation that he will protect Tsuna-nii when he grew up?
He never did.
Or, this piece of paper would not even be on his hands right now.
"EXTREME!" The Sun Guardian shouted and grabbed each and every paper Gokudera threw out before they touched the ground.
"For me?" Ryohei looked at the papers confusedly.
The Daylight Break?
Mermaid Cove?
Night Hideout?
And a lot more names...
Serene Creek?
Wait. Isn't that the place Tsuna recommend him to take Hana out on their first date for dinner in their high school year?
The Daylight Break: Romantic setting but a little too romantic, might make onii-san out of place
Mermaid Cove: Weird atmosphere...
Night Hideout: Too creepy!
Serene Creek: Excellent atmosphere, might even calm down Onii-san a little, good food and service...
Ten full papers, twenty pages were filled with all the restaurants and cafes in Nanimori.
Just because he had off-handedly asked Tsuna if he had any places that he'd recommend...
Though Tsuna freaked out when he told Tsuna he was just planning to go to the boxing match and have dinner while being the audience with Hana.
That really happened, didn't it? He was young then.
If he really did just that though, Hana would be very angry at him.
If it weren't for Tsuna...
If not for Tsuna.
Those phases appear a lot of times, doesn't it?
If not for Tsuna, he wouldn't be in Vongola and get to meet all his great comrades and friends, he wouldn't have gotten this strong to be able to protect those he holds dear, he wouldn't have been able to find a purpose in life besides boxing, he wouldn't have Hana by his side...
In his high school year, his father broke down and was hospitalisd, Tsuna was the first one to reach out and help his family.
Then, the sky boss killed Maria.
After that incident, Ryohei distanced himself from Tsuna. There was that one time that Tsuna tried to invite him along to go for a training session in a boxing gym but he brushed Tsuna off coldly. This list of boxing gyms in Sicily, Tsuna must have put in so much effort to research.
Tsuna was always that kind of endearing man.
But, his perception of Tsuna changed just because of that one incident.
However, he should have known better.
Tsuna wouldn't have done something like that.
Had it all been just a misunderstanding?
If so, what had he done?
Or, not done.
Chrome was looking on while the various guardians stared at whatever that was in their hands.
What was so fascinating in the box?
She glanced towards the brown cardboard object.
In there, she noticed something.
Is that...?
Her hands hesitantly reached for the tea set sitting inside the box.
It's the tea set she had been using to brew tea for the boss before that happened.
Chrome knew that the boss was very tired from all his work so whenever she could, she would make tea for the boss just so she could relieve his stress a little. Sometimes, the tea would also be accompanied by some snack.
Each time she brings the tea to boss, he would greet her with a smile, so warm...
She enjoyed brining the tea to him so much.
Tsuna really treated Mukuro-sama and her as part of the family.
The feeling of a family. It's something she treasured a lot.
The boss, Tsuna, that was so kind and accepting all.
The sky that enveloped all.
Even her.
But, she betrayed him. What had he felt when she stopped making tea in this tea set for him?
Loneliness?
He kept this tea set ever since then.
Waiting for the chance for it to be used.
Now, it could never be used.
Suddenly, the reality of Tsuna's death sets in.
He would never smile at her again.
How could she be this foolish?
Chrome sobbed uncontrollably while she hugged the tea set close to her heart.
She had wanted to make Tsuna happy just as he had gave happiness to her. If something simple such as making tea could...
Why hadn't she realised this earlier? She should have never scorned and doubted the kind boss...
All he needed was someone to be by his side.
Chrome crying noises alerted Mukoru.
What happened? Mukuro narrowed his eyes. Who had dared to make his precious Chrome cry?
The box?
"Chrome, what did you see in the-"
It took just an instant.
The pressed flowers.
Yes, when did he started that habit? Giving Tsuna flowers whenever he saw the brunet.
Then, when did he stop?
He never knew what Tsuna did to the flowers afterwards but now he knows.
He kept them safe inside this indestructible box.
How foolish.
Trying to keep something like flower safe. How weak-hearted.
Sawada Tsunayoshi was always this weak.
If Tsuna had been strong and decisive, all his problems would have been cleared away easily.
But Tsuna didn't. He showed mercy even to his enemies.
That was what made all those missions so difficult.
So much trouble.
Yet, he was blind to what Tsuna had tried to do all those years.
Tsuna wasn't heartless. Tsuna wasn't strong enough to be cruel and unsympathetic.
That was his role, wasn't it?
He, himself, killed so many people but Tsuna didn't cast him away because of his sins.
Tsuna never did.
Then, how could Tsuna be that strong enough to kill Maria.
Tsuna couldn't have been strong enough to.
That was what he failed to see.
He thought he was all-knowing but he is truly...
A fool, isn't he? A fool like that Vongola Decimo.
Mukuro smiled sadly.
Tsuna, I should have possessed your body and erased your existence before your soul poisoned me.
Such purity is like poison for someone like him.
To make matters worse, there is no longer any cure.
The cure is now...lifeless.
Hibari stared coldly at the herbivores. They were all showing their weakness. Even that pineapple head.
Just because of something in the box?
Hmph.
The ex-discipline head took a look at the box. It's not empty yet.
There was still a a photo album lying there.
Hibari took it out and opened it.
...
He didn't expect what he saw.
Insider the album were photos from his childhood.
He had a pretty happy childhood and lived a herbivore life until his father died. After that incident, his mother blamed him for being a weakling. She could not handle the death of father and finally...drove herself into madness and tried to commit a double suicide. Then, she was sent into a mental hospital.
In his second year of high school, he received news that his mothers was dying of a disease. However, he refused to visit her. Somehow though, Tsunayoshi found out about it. The herbivore tried to get him to visit his mother but he failed to.
However, he heard that Tsunayoshi visited his mother a few times.
Could Tsunayoshi have gotten this photo album from his mother?
Safe-keeping his childhood.
What a herbivore behaviour.
Hibari remembered.
That Tsunayoshi forced him to meet his mother at her dying bed.
He would never admit it but he was grateful to Tsunayoshi for that. Meeting her had untangled the knot in his heart.
Weak.
Hibari would bite the herbivore when he returns.
Hbari would make sure of the sky boss' return.
Also, perhaps, investigate of what really happened that year.
Then, something dropped down from the album. It seemed like it was stuck to the back to the photo album.
It was an envelope.
Inside contained a photo and a letter.
...
The nerve of that herbivore. Hibari clenched his fists.
Foolish. Always so self-sacrificial. That time and even now.
Sawada Tsunayoshi will be bitten to death by him and no one else.
The Cloud Guardian dumped the album into the box and shoved the envelope to Gokudera before leaving the room and carrying out his self-created mission.
"What? Why you-" Gokudera shouted, startled by Hibari.
"Maa maa..."
The occupants of the room had all their eyes on Gokudera now.
He grumbled and read what the skylark had deemed important to let him know.
His face went pale and paler.
Without saying a word, Gokudera passed the envelope to the next person and left in the same fashion as Hibari.
Hi Tsuna!
How are you? I'm great. I'm living a blissful with Robert. I also have something to tell you...I have a son now! His name is Francis. He just the most adorable kid in the world! I have attached his photo with this letter.
Really, thank you for what you have done for me. It must have been hard. Faking my death and facing the repercussions from those who are not in the know. I had never wanted to be in the mafia life and naturally, did not want to take up the role of being the mafia don of Vongola even if my father is the Vongola 9th Boss.
I am forever indebted to you.
Maybe Francis can be your godson?
Tell me when it's good for me to return!
With Love,
Maria
One by one, the remaining guardians read the letter. After they finish, they would silently pass down the envelope and place the original object back inside the box.
What were they to do with the news?
They found everything too late.
He is already gone. Out of their reach forever.
The End
A/N I know that this kind of death fic has been done a pretty number of times but...I really do like reading those. Please, someone, write more of those!
Ah, but I never thought I'd finish this. I wrote the first part as a dabble long ago, it's only recently that I dug around my old stories that I remember I even wrote this before. Why, it was written long before my 2 one-shots, It's me before you and The Ghost in the Attic. Then, I found a song that really made me want to finish this so I wrote it all in one shot! Finally, thanks for reading!