'Journey of a Thousand Lives'
— murasaki no chou
Summary: Shortly after defeating Byakuran, Tsuna and his friends were sent back home. However, something goes wrong and the group was separated from one another. Tsuna and the others were now stuck at the Present they don't know. "What are you doing here?"
Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, and I never will; it rightfully belongs to Amano Akira.
"The Arcobaleno will return as soon as they're finished sealing the Mare Rings," Irie Shouichi explained, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. They were back at the Merone Base where the Time Machine was stored, shortly after defeating Byakuran. It was time to say farewell to Sawada Tsunayoshi and his friends from the past but, as much as it saddened him, he knew that they would meet again. "Then let's—"
"Shouichi-kun," Tsuna uttered suddenly, cutting him in the middle of his sentence, his brown eyes lighting up in unexplainable gratitude. "U—Uh. . .W—Well. . ." He trailed off, unsure what to say next. He lowered his head as if embarrassed, and his gaze kept on switching from one thing to another as though he were avoiding the aforementioned male's eyes.
Shouichi felt a slight tug in his heart, clearly aware that he was really depressed deep down inside him that they would part. "Thank you very much," he said, a little tearful with the situation. However, as gloomy as he might be, he knew that showing a tear-streaked face would not do the younger version of his friends any good. He presented Tsuna a bitter-sweet smile, biting back a sob.
The brunet finally looked up and met Shouichi's expressive orbs. He smiled brightly although his eyebrows met with a crease on his forehead, making it seem a little forced. "Good bye," Tsuna breathed out, still holding Shouichi's gaze captive.
Moments later, Shouichi spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence surrounding them, "Time wrap, start!" The Time Machine began to glow in an almost blinding way, forcing Tsuna and his friends to stray their gaze away from the gadget. They heard its soft murmur that sounded like a gentle hum which signalled them that it was working fine.
The group was engulfed by a light-green aura, and they felt like their body was beginning to weigh lighter than usual. Reborn sat on Tsuna's head, making himself comfortable for the travel. Lambo and I-Pin took that as a sign to hold onto Tsuna's leg so that they wouldn't be separated from him in case something goes horribly wrong.
Then, with just a blink of an eye, the group disappeared and the place they were occupying seemed larger and emptier in Shouichi's eyes.
"AHHHHH!" No matter how many times Tsuna has went through this time travelling, he still couldn't help screaming in horror. He knew that the Arcobaleno promised them that they would deliver the group safely back to their time, however, Tsuna had this nagging feeling inside his heart that something would go wrong.
"Dame-Tsuna, don't be so pathetic," Reborn frowned at him, now floating beside the brunet. Because his student was flailing his arms around, Reborn didn't feel safe enough to stay on the teen's head. He thought that, sooner or later, Tsuna would hit him unwittingly and Reborn didn't particularly like having to dodge a stupid attack after an exhausting battle (Although, technically speaking, he didn't really do much against Byakuran).
"Tsuna-san, please stop!" I-Pin pleaded, disentangling her hold from Tsuna's leg. She was starting to get dizzy after being rocked back and fort by the said body part of the male. Lambo did and said the same thing, albeit a little harsher and ruder. He stuck his tongue out in exasperation, a vein visible on his temple.
Suddenly, the whole place shook.
"Hahi! What was that?" Miura Haru questioned, staring at everybody anxiously. She gripped Sasagawa Kyoko's hand tighter as though she was afraid that if she let go even for a second, they would get separated and they wouldn't see each other forever. Haru bit her lower lip, preventing herself from screaming out loud as a loud rumble resonated in the dimension they were in.
"I d—don't know," Gokudera Hayato mentally cursed himself for stuttering. He turned his head left and right continuously, searching for the source of the problem. [Damn, didn't they say that they would be able to deliver us back safely? What's going on?] Gokudera thought, grunting venomously as another wave of shock was felt.
Hibari Kyoya stared at the rainbow-coloured ground, a scowl evident on his facial features. The ground had been flickering since the time they were brought here, and that bothered Hibari quite a lot. The prefect noticed his boss' discomfort while travelling which gave him a good idea that it wasn't only him who had noticed this.
Meanwhile, Yamamoto Takeshi narrowed his dark eyes on his surroundings. Like Hibari and Tsuna, he too felt that something was. . .out of place. It was different from the other times they were being transported to and fro the present. Yamamoto switched his gaze to Chrome Dokuro whose hands were nervously fidgeting around her trident.
"This is extremely weird!" Sasagawa Ryohei exclaimed, very alert with the whole predicament. He didn't fully understand what was occurring, but he knew that it wasn't good. Ryohei grabbed the nearest person just in case, and it happened to be Lambo who was hugging I-Pin out of fright.
"E—Everyone!" Tsuna exclaimed in horror, slowly drifting away from the group. He couldn't control his body; it was like he was being sucked into a different place where he was alone. Tsuna reached out his hand as Gokudera pushed himself to save his beloved boss with Yamamoto doing the same.
"Jyuudaime!" Gokudera shouted in helplessness, his stretched out hand a few centimetres away from the brunet. He was already sweating a bit, his jade-coloured eyes full of desperation and fear of losing his most treasured friend. "J—Jyuudaime, just a little bit more. . .!" Before his hand could even touch Tsuna's, the tenth boss of Vongola disappeared without a trace.
"Jyuudaime!" cried Gokudera, a few tears brimming his eyes. [The Tenth. . .was gone? That's impossible! The Tenth didn't disappear; he was just hiding from us. Yes, that's right! He didn't. . .] "Fuck," the silver-haired teen cursed silently, his hands balled into fists. His fingernails were digging at the palm of his hand so firmly that it began to bleed.
"Ah! No!" Everybody, including Gokudera, turned their heads where the voice came from. There, they saw the purple-haired female getting separated from her friends, the same thing that happened to Tsuna before he vanished into thin air.
Being the closest person to the distressed Mist Guardian, Hibari went to rescue her. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to save the female. Maybe it was because he knew that the loud Storm Guardian would blame him for not even trying later on? Hibari didn't really know, and he didn't want to find out either.
The Cloud Guardian was successful at being able to capture the Mist Guardian, however, it didn't prevent the same fate Tsunayoshi experienced from occurring again. Thus, Hibari and Chrome vanished together.
Reborn lowered his fedora, hiding his expression from the others. They had already lost their boss and now two of his guardians? It wasn't really turning out good. "Everyone, grab the nearest person to you and, no matter what happens, don't let go!" Reborn ordered sternly, his mouth set in a straight line. There must be a way to stop this madness.
Reborn heard their screams of dismay as, one by one, they departed from each other. Kyoko and Haru were the first to go, followed shortly by Ryohei, Lambo and I-Pin. Yamamoto was unsuccessful at helping Gokudera, and so he faded away after the Storm Guardian. The only one left in the dimension was Reborn and this didn't really make the hitman feel any better.
Tsuna groggily opened his eyes, his peripheral vision was a bit blurry. He attempted sitting up, but his head was throbbing quite harshly that it made him want to throw up, so he stayed lying down on the ground for a while. Nevertheless, he stopped himself from doing something so improper at an unknown place because he didn't want to be disrespectful to other people.
Finally feeling a little better, Tsuna touched the asphalt pavement beneath him and urged himself in a sitting position. He looked around his surroundings and noticed that he was in his neighbourhood; in fact, he was on the same street where his house was located.
Scanning his location further with his round, brown orbs, he saw a familiar house with a red roof on his left-hand side. So, he really did reach home after all? [Well, they didn't tell me that the ride back home would be a little bumpy,] thought Tsuna humourlessly as he stood up. He dusted off his sweater and trousers, and fixed his unruly, spiky chestnut-coloured hair.
Tsuna opened the steel gates and went inside, a sense of nostalgia invading his mind. It had been a long time since he had gone back home; Tsuna truly missed seeing the house he grew up in, not to mention his kind-hearted mother. . .
The brunet closed the gates behind him, and went to the door. He twisted the knob open and went inside without a second thought. Tsuna left his dirty shoes at the genkan, and exclaimed a half-exhausted, half-excited, "I'm home!"
When nobody answered, the Vongola Decimo got a little worried. Perhaps he was being a bit paranoid? Sawada Nana, his mother, could be out shopping for tonight's dinner. But, if she did, then why would she leave her front door unlocked? There was only one thing to find out.
Tsuna approached the sitting room, but when he scanned the place, there was no one inside. He decided to check the dining room where he swore he had heard a glassware come in contact with the wooden table. When he reached the location, Tsuna was rendered speechless at what or who he saw. [No, there is absolutely no way this person is inside my house. I'm hallucinating. Yes. . .Really, I must be. This is not real. Not real. Not r—]
"Welcome back, Tsunayoshi-kun," the person greeted with a pleasant smile. The person was leisurely sitting on a wooden chair beside the table, a newspaper in both hands.
"W. . .What are you doing here?" Tsuna exclaimed in shock, his eyes as round as dinner plates. He honestly didn't mean to sound rude, but it was just unexpected to see this person inside his precious house of all places! The Sky Guardian rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand to make sure he was wide awake. He even tried pinching his arm to double-check; alas, much to his dismay, it was all true.
"What am I doing here? I live here, remember?" the intruder claimed, raising an amused eyebrow. "Tsunayoshi-kun, don't tell me you have forgotten already? Perhaps running into walls several times have damaged your brain greatly," he sighed tiredly, shaking his head in disbelief. "What am I to do with you?" he muttered mostly to himself, but Tsuna heard it loud and clear.
"I'm not joking, Mukuro! What are you doing here?" the teenager almost shrieked as the lavender-haired man arose from his seat. The Mukuro standing in front of him didn't look like the Mukuro he had seen in his time. In fact, this. . .Mukuro resembled his ten-years-older self so much that it frightened Tsuna a lot.
Mukuro still had the same hairstyle with several strands of hair pointing upwards at the end like a pineapple, and his long hair tied up in a ponytail. He still had heterochromatic eyes—a deep blue on his left eye and a crimson red with the kanji 'six' on his right eye. Although he was wearing simpler clothes; a white dress shirt for a top, navy-blue trousers and a pair of white socks.
Mukuro advanced towards him, a sly smirk tracing his soft lips. "Oya oya, first you question my being here and now you call me by my given name? Kufufu, I never knew there would come a day where my son would be so. . .uncute," Mukuro chuckled charmingly, his heterochromatic eyes sparkling with unfathomable delight.
"Wait. . .I'm your son?" Tsuna exclaimed in hysteria, his hands clenching his brown locks harshly. He didn't know whether he should laugh, cry or just faint after hearing those. . .those unlikely words from Mukuro's mouth! How was he Mukuro's son of all men in the world? Why him? What did he ever do to deserve such punishment?
Hold on. If he was Mukuro's son, does that mean his mother. . .his oh-so-sweet, kind and caring mother did that with this demon?
[Oh dear God, please tell me this is all a strange dream I'm having in my messed up head. Please, tell me this is just a dream!]
"Oh dear, I guess we have to get you checked out by a doctor," Mukuro uttered, albeit without a hint of teasing. His voice was rather full of. . .concern, and the way his brows met with a crease on his forehead and a disapproving frown on his face made him look like he really was worried about him.
Somehow, that image was slowly burning Tsuna's mind.
As much as he wanted a nice Mukuro rather than a devilish Mukuro who wants nothing more than to possess his body to destroy the Mafia, this Mukuro in front of him was enough to mentally scar him for life. . .more so than knowing that this man before him was his father.
That image didn't really fit the Illusionist's character. No. Not at all.
"But we'll have to wait until Nana comes home with your sister," Mukuro sighed for the umpteenth time that day, picking up the baffled teenager and sat him on his lap as he situated himself back on the chair. Now, there seriously was something wrong with that picture. Tsuna sitting on Mukuro's lap and being enveloped into a fatherly embrace. Mukuro wasn't trying to hurt him, instead he was actually attempting to calm him down. And. . .was that Mukuro's hand patting his head? Undeniably so.
Wait a minute. Did his Mist Guardian actually tell him that he has a sister? Oh for goodness sake. This man had done it with his mother twice!
Still frozen with millions of questions circulating in his mind, both father and son heard the front door open, followed by a cheerful, "We're back!" shortly. There were rustles, and Tsuna guessed it was the plastic bags that his mother. . .and sister were carrying.
"Kufufu, looks like we didn't need to wait for long. Come on now, Tsunayoshi-kun, let's greet your mother and sister." Mukuro stood up but not before helping his frozen son up. The purple-haired male held the brunet's hand in his and pulled the teen with him to greet the women. Once outside the dining room, Mukuro let go of Tsuna's hand and advanced towards Nana who was smiling at him brightly.
"Welcome home, Nana," Mukuro touched his wife's cheek and gave a soft peck on her lips. Seeing that scene made Tsuna's eye twitch involuntarily and a strange feeling of nausea wash over him. [M—Mukuro. . .k—kissed m—my mum? I—I. . .Damn, I t—think I'm gonna be sick,] Tsuna groaned in discomfort, wanting to faint there and then when he saw those two acting like newly-weds.
"Onii-sama!" a timid voice called out, pulling Tsuna out of his reverie. He whipped his head about, careful not to see that twisted scene his parents were displaying, until he found a familiar-looking female smiling at him adorably. She had long, silky, lavender-coloured hair like their dad, and dark-purple eyes. She was wearing a cream-coloured sundress that reached just below her knees and a rose-shaped hairpin to hold her long fringe.
"C—Chrome?" Tsuna uttered uncertainly, biting back a surprised yelp as the aforementioned female hugged and kissed him on the cheek affectionately. It was at that same moment where Tsuna had finally fainted.
A/N: It's been a while since I last wrote something. I apologise for not updating my stories; I've been really busy in my place. I don't really have enough time to write anything since my part-time job is taking most of my time.
Anyway, I feel like my writing style has changed quite drastically, no? Forgive me for it; I need to practise writing something to write the way I did back then. . .
This story has no pairings yet. I haven't decided on who's going to be paired up with who, so yes. Also, I'm afraid 6927 won't be happening here seeing as how Mukuro is Tsuna's daddy. XD
Thank you for reading. Please, do review. I see my stories are mostly in people's alert and favourite list and, while that makes me happy, I would appreciate it deeply if you drop by to say something. Reviews motivate a writer, you know? ConCrits are also welcomed and loved. :)