OooOoOooO

Prologue:

"She's dead! She's dead!"

He yelled hoarsely as tears continued streaming down his cheeks, ignoring the Sorting Hat's mournful apologies or Fawkes vibrating thrills of sorrow. He was feeling frantic and extremely anxious, the seeping coldness of her skin made him shiver involuntarily. But as he stared at her pale face, he couldn't help but feel so much guilt knowing what he could've done to prevent this. He could've killed the memory of Tom Riddle sooner. But, he didn't. They weren't the same. Riddle was wrong. They might have been living in parallel lives. But he was different.

He had to be different.

Still, there was no heartbeat and Ginny Weasley still lay dead in the Chamber of Secrets.

~o~

"Are you listening to me, Sawada-san?"

Sawada Tsunayoshi frantically nodded as his math teacher, Aikawa Yuuta, sighed exasperatedly. The brunette was obviously listening but just didn't understand most of what he had been saying. Though, it was more due to being distracted than being stupid. He had managed to talk to the brunette privately. It was hard to nowadays especially with that rowdy transfer student that always seemed glued to Sawada's side, Gokudera Hayato. At least, Yamamoto Takeshi had enough sense to know that he merely wanted to converse regarding school matters.

"Sawada-san, your average for math this semester is 32. The passing average is 50 and you need at least 18 points to pass my subject. I heard from other teachers that you have been improving in most of your subjects lately, even if only passing barely. Even in math, I would admit, considering that your usual average only ranges from 19 to 23. Normally, I would advise you to just attend this break for summer classes. But since I can see that you're really trying your best this time, I'll give you an assignment instead to earn the necessary credits to pass my subject."

"R-Really?" The brunette's eyes widened as they looked hopefully at Yuuta.

"Yes," He nodded briskly.

The older man sighed and scratched the back of his head self-consciously. He felt a spark of guilt stir within his chest as he thought about the assignment that he would have to give. He might've as well given the boy false expectations but, at least, he could tell his fellow teachers that he had tried something in regards to that matter.

He cleared his throat and tried not to look too suspicious.

Ignoring the way the boy's eyes were boring holes at the back of his head, he rummaged through his drawer in order to hand in said assignment. Every faculty member received a copy from the Principal and Board Chairman about the incident. Yuuta didn't know exactly what the big deal was but the higher echelons of the school were making a severe issue out of this. He had been there when it happened but even he couldn't explain the situation.

Finding what he needed, Yuuta pulled out the black folder and opened it.

It was kind of saddening to see that familiar face and be reminded of unending potential. Only to hit a dead end and wondered where you went wrong. In fact, teachers, who had taught the boy, were doubting what they did wrong.

He turned the file around in order to show it to Sawada. The brunette boy was looking back at the record with confusion.

"This, Sawada-san, is Yoshida Hisui," Yuuta carefully presented and as neutrally as he could.

"I-I don't get it," The boy nervously responded as he fidgeted in his seat.

The boy in the picture was smiling, even if it was just a little. He had short messy black hair that curled on the ends and intense emerald green eyes behind round-rimmed glasses. The boy in the picture, Yoshida Hisui, looked normal if you ignored the major fact that he was obviously a foreigner. Though, as Tsuna's eyes lit up, Yuuta had no doubt that the brunette had finally noticed that one important detail; Yoshida was wearing Namimori Middle School's uniform.

"S-Sensei," Sawada hedged hesitantly. "I-I don't think I-I've seen him around school,"

"It's not surprising," Yuuta sighed as he leaned back on his chair. "Considering this is your first year in middle school and he quit attending just before the semester ended last school year." He explained with a wary expression as his hand tightened around his hold on the folder.

"W-What?" The brunette squawked in surprise.

"Yoshida-san isn't a delinquent or someone you would exactly call a problematic child," Yuuta started at what he deemed as the very heart of the story. "You see, he and his family moved to Japan almost two years ago and he started his first year in middle school at Namimori. During his time in our school, he had made somewhat of a name for himself. He had achieved the rank as the smartest student of his year and he was well-liked enough by his peers and teachers due to his polite, kind, and independent character."

Sawada was now looking at the boy in the picture with awe.

Yuuta cleared his throat to catch the brunette's attention and received a sheepish smile in return.

"You see, he had such great records and was so intelligent that the management didn't want to let go of him and catered to his needs and demands if there ever was."

"S-So, what really happened?" Sawada asked quietly. "I-I mean, the problem..."

"Yes, yes, I was getting to that, Sawada-san," Yuuta waved off with a small chuckle, ignoring the blush of embarrassment on the brunette's face. His features suddenly became grim as he continued. "Yoshida-san... I would describe him as someone who's averse to attention. It's what we, teachers, liked about him, his modesty. And, even if it wasn't intentional on his part, students were drawn to him. Though, he had his down sides. He is too curious for a person, not afraid to start a fight if it means defending someone from the bullies, and so independent that he had the gall to talk back to a teacher if he thought he was right about something. His opinion of authority figures wasn't very high either, too, for some reason. But, overall, he's a good student. So, imagine our surprise when one day, he didn't go to school without even sending a note or letting the school know about it. We waited but after a week of absence, one of the staff went to his house in order to discover what might've happened. None of his classmates knew. And so, to our shock, the boy didn't go to school simply for the reason that he didn't want to go to school anymore. That just wasn't normal. For someone who was doing so well as he did, you just do not stop coming to school without a valid reason. His family refused to speak with us but had assured us that they hadn't even tried to pull him out of school and for some reason, too, the Board and Administration absolutely refused to let go of him, going as far as not to remove his name from the registration."

Realization dawned on Sawada's face as he paled dramatically with apparent dread.

"Hiie!" He squeaked out with wide eyes. "A-And you want me–" He stuttered out.

"Yes," Yuuta nodded and sighed with a touch of guilt. "I want you to convince Yoshida-san to go back to school and you can consider your math subject a pass."

~o~

"So, you have to convince this Yoshida guy to come back to school and you'll pass?" Yamamoto grinned at him as he sat beside the brunette. "That's easy! You don't even have to go to summer class at this rate, Tsuna!"

Tsuna just shook his head.

"You baseball idiot!" Gokudera yelled angrily as his brow twitched. "If it were that easy, don't you think that the school would've done that by themselves already?"

"Besides, Dame-Tsuna, your teacher is right," Reborn cut in as he sat on Tsuna's bed, a cup of espresso in his hand as he read the report. "He was well-liked and, according to the remarks of the teachers in these reports, he wasn't facing any problems in school. So, it is suspicious for this kid to just not want to attend school out of the blue–" They all looked at the Arcobaleno as he stopped mid-sentence and his beady black eyes suddenly sharpened.

Suddenly, he tossed the report to Tsuna who clumsily caught it.

"What was that for, Reborn?" The brunette complained but gulped as the tiny hitman pointed a familiar green gun at his face.

"Read the report and tell me what's amiss, no-good student of mine," Reborn demanded with a sharp click of his gun.

The brunette shivered as he hastily read through the file.

He had examined it already a while ago so he knew what was mostly written inside already. But as he frantically searched for what he could've missed earlier, he started to sweat when he realized that he couldn't tell what Reborn wanted him to see. He squealed in horror when a bullet missed his head by mere centimetres. Before he could comment on it, he received a kick on the head courtesy of his home tutor. Thankfully, it wasn't as powerful as it usually was or else he wouldn't be able to explain another human-shaped dent on his wall.

"Read the section about Observations," The hitman instructed just as the other two teenagers clustered around Tsuna to get a good look too.

"W-Well–" Tsuna cleared his throat anxiously, trying to ignore the gun still pointed at him. "Yoshida-san is one of the most responsible students that has attended Namimori. He is surprisingly received well by his peers, especially considering his foreign origins. The boy hasn't expressed any interest in any clubs and for a reason that he refuses to disclose, refuses to do so. Yoshida-san has no friends–"

"Stop right there," Reborn cut them off as he jumped on the floor and sat there. "Now, don't you think that's kind of dubious? For someone who is said to be 'well-liked' by the inhabitants of the school, how can the observations state that this Yoshida Hisui has no friends? Yamamoto, who is popular in your class, even if he didn't have real friends, there had been those he acquainted with on a daily basis for at least to 'count' as friends. And there's something suspicious in the way your school's management had taken such a huge interest in one student. Going as far as to totally investigate him, there is something we're missing here." The assassin explained to the now contemplative teens.

"Now that you think about it, the kid's right, Tsuna," Yamamoto agreed as his eyes stayed firmly on the picture of Yoshida. "It makes one think what kind of management the school really have if they let someone like Hibari take over it like he does," He chuckled good-naturedly, not noticing how Tsuna paled at the implications.

"That's quite perceptive of you, Yamamoto," Reborn remarked as he looked at his student and his guardians. "Hibari will know something about this,"

"So, what? Do we have to go to that bastard?" Gokudera growled grouchily, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"B-B-But–" Tsuna, now pasty white, stuttered helplessly as Reborn and his friends seemed to be of the same mind. He didn't want to deal with Hibari and be bitten to death! At least, that would be the usual end result if his tutor was involved.

All he received in reply was another kick from Reborn.

~o~

When Tsuna said that he was terrified to deal with Hibari, he meant it with all his being. So, he wasn't even ashamed or embarrassed as he recoiled from the dark, calculating glower that the prefect directed at his group. Even Gokudera, who was mostly infallible to that glare, tensed as his fingers twitched obviously for his dynamites. Yamamoto was inconspicuously silent while Reborn just returned the stare evenly. Tsuna didn't know if to envy his tutor or not.

"Get out of my sight," Hibari gritted out as his eyes narrowed.

The tension in the Reception Room seemed to double and Tsuna was certain that he didn't imagine the yellow spark that Leon just emitted from Reborn's fedora hat.

"So, I was right," Reborn responded instead as he tilted his head in a vague non-threatening manner. But Tsuna knew him a little well and was sure that the baby could prove dangerous in a blink of an eye. "You know something about this Yoshida Hisui,"

"He's a crafty little omnivore," The prefect admitted almost grudgingly.

Omnivore, not herbivore. And Tsuna also knew that there were very few people whom Hibari Kyoya respected. For the older boy to actively not call someone herbivore spoke of Yoshida's strength already and that Hibari had acknowledged that strength. His friends seemed to have caught on the inflection too considering their suspicious gazes. Tsuna ignored that chill that went down his spine. They were merely here to gather information. They hadn't even met Yoshida personally but Tsuna already feared him.

"Is he that strong?" Yamamoto questioned curiously.

Tsuna flinched at the thunderous stare that they received in return.

"Yoshida is intriguing," Hibari stated as he stood up from behind his desk with a dangerous glint in his eyes, his blazer flapping behind him.

"Then why the hell did he leave school?" Gokudera demanded bluntly and straight to the point.

The prefect pursed his lips as he strode towards them. Tsuna instantly froze, so did the Gokudera and Yamamoto, thinking that the prefect would bite them to death but Hibari merely walked past them. There was something wrong about this setting. Tsuna could tell that the mere mention of Yoshida Hisui had set off Hibari in a way. That cold, calculating fury behind those grey eyes weren't merely for show that he could almost feel it palpably.

Hibari merely walked to the doorway and opened the door, as if showing them the way out.

That was the most lenient Tsuna had seen of the other boy.

"All you need to know is that Yoshida is part of Namimori," Hibari closed his eyes as if remembering something ugly as his lips curled into a sneer. When he opened them again, his grey orbs were glittering coldly. "Don't let him say otherwise. Now, out. Before I bite you to death,"

Tsuna didn't even wait for the others, just scrambled out as fast as he could.

He didn't even speak but he felt so suffocated by that encounter. Whoever this Yoshida was, he was having second thoughts about meeting him. Because, if he thought that Hibari was scary before, now, he was just plain frightening.

~o~

"Yoshida-san?" Hiromaki Izumi, a second year middle school student, stated in confusion as he scratched the back of his head. "Uh, I don't know about you, but I think you got the wrong guy. I don't recall anyone with that name," He grinned nonchalantly as his ash grey eyes stared at them with perplexity.

Tsuna gave him a look of equal bafflement.

"E-Eh? But y-you were one of his classmates w-when he was still attending Nami-chuu!" The brunette exclaimed in surprise as he once again looked at the class record that Reborn somehow had managed to obtain.

If anything, that only served to bewilder him further.

"He was?" Hiromaki tilted his head, his expression scrunched up in deep thought. "I... may have known him but I can't honestly recall anything about him besides what you've given me. In fact, I wouldn't have remembered him if you hadn't reminded me," He laughed a little sheepishly.

Tsuna gave an awkward smile back.

"A-Alright," He stuttered quietly. "Arigatou, senpai," The brunette bowed in gratitude.

Something felt wrong about the conversation. Especially when the same results turned up with the other upperclassmen who had been Yoshida Hisui's classmates, even nii-san, Sasagawa Ryohei. In fact, now that Tsuna looked at it, Hibari seemed to be the only one who could clearly remember the mysterious (or as how the brunette saw him) boy. And, due to a hunch, he had randomly asked a senior member of the faculty about Yoshida.

That's when Tsuna finally concluded that there was something definitely wrong when it came to Yoshida Hisui.

No one could recall the boy unless directly spoken of.

~o~

"Yeah?"

There was a period of silence.

"I may be sometimes slow on the uptake but I'm not stupid, Kyoya-san," He deadpanned on the phone as he twirled a scissors on his finger. His eyes strayed to the now motionless picture on the top of his nightstand, it was of a bushy haired girl and a red haired boy standing just beside a large lake. There used to be another boy with them with green eyes. But then again, the wish worked too well. They did say to be careful for what you wish for. And now, looking back on it, he didn't know if he was satisfied or not. It wasn't even a question anymore, was it? It never was.

After all, escape had been the only option at the time.

He paused.

"Is that so?" He drawled disinterestedly. "You worry for nothing, they'll end up just like the rest of them," He added lowly, a hint of bitterness within his words.

TBC...