Like I promised, here's the sequel.
I decide to publish this sooner, since I can't leave it hanging for long. Thank you so much for all who support this sequel! But I hope this story won't be boring :)
Now, read to your heart's content.
Merriness, laughter, silliness, joyfulness; those were the factors in each and every house at December 25th. Namimori was glittering of Christmas decorations and filled with much happiness. At times like this, even mafia was supposed to take a break—but, no. Not the Vongola Family. So much work and missions to get done, rest wasn't on their schedules.
At one particular rooftop and as the winter breeze blew away in the air, the one and only Mare boss was at that place alone, watching the town as though her mind went blank, seemingly thinking of nothing and just watched the buildings and house roofs that covered with white snow. As she was doing so, a black suit Mafioso was ready to shoot her from her back, but thankfully, Gokudera knocked him out first.
"Oi, woman! Don't space out in the middle of a mission!" he snarled. She turned around with blank face, "Then why did you save me?"
"Huh? Of course, it's because… Look! You're a very important woman to juudaime and like it or not, I have to protect you!" he said sheepishly. "Ah, is that so?" she turned around to look at the view again, "But thank you for saving me, though"
Somehow, her behavior made the frown on his brows disappeared. "It's not like you to space out in a mission" his voice and gaze softened. "Today is the first year of his death anniversary. Are you going to his funeral?" she asked. "Of course I am! Everyone is. What about you?"
"I think I'll pass. I'm busy with my work as Mare boss"
"You…"
"Gokudera!" Yamamoto set foot into the rooftop, breaking the atmosphere. "We're done here. Let's go to his funeral"
"Sure, let's go" he walked pass by Yamamoto and went inside. "What about you, Haru?" Yamamoto asked. "Sorry, I won't go. I'd like to stay here for a while" she replied without letting her eyes off the view. "Oh, okay then. See you later" with him also left, Haru was left in that rooftop.
All Vongola guardians (except for Mukuro) gathered at his grave. His mom, Kyoko, and I-pin were also there, but since they arrived before Gokudera and Yamamoto, they left after both just arrived, leaving Gokudera and Yamamoto at that grave. If only Tsuna were alive, it would be living trio, but now, living duo and dead solo. The togetherness of being trio they used to have shattered like glass, divided into 2 and one separated fragments.
"Tch. I can't believe that stupid woman refused to come" Gokudera frowned. "Ma, ma. Why are you still calling her 'stupid'? If it weren't for her will and effort to help the family, the Vongola would surely fall by a year ago"
"It's an old habit. Can't stop it"
"Really? So, you don't think she's stupid now?"
"S-Shut up. She's the one and only owner of Mare ring, so of course she's not stupid!"
"Haha, I'm glad you're still you. Tsuna would be happy to see that"
"Ah… he would" solemn expression masked on Gokudera's face as he stared at Tsuna's tombstone. "We won't find a perfect friend and boss like him" he added.
"Then, let's move on, what do you say?"
"Idiot. I already did that"
"Haha, sorry, sorry. Anyway, let's get back. It's getting cold here"
Gokudera nodded in agreement and thus, they left, leaving Tsuna's grave unvisited. However, after they left, a pair of foot walked towards his grave and stopped when both feet arrived at the grave.
Haru squatted and put a Christmas holly berries on his tombstone. Then, she spotted her old red hair clip beside the leave she put. Words couldn't represent her thought, speechless and surprised while picking up the hair clip. That hair clip was supposed to be at Tsuna's possession. She immediately stood up and looked around. That was when she instantly felt she was being watched, but she was the only one there.
She decided to forget about it and left the place while taking the hair clip with her. Instead of going back to the Vongola underground base, she went to the park, hanging out at the swing while pondering the hair clip through stare.
If she could, she would drop her tear at the hair clip, because it was the only solid memory they once had together. Ever since his death, she became more incapable to smile. She couldn't even put at least a fake smile, any kind of smile. She wasn't able to smile and cry, as if she became emotionless. All expression she put was just blank and unhappy or sad.
Instead of making it better, his death ruined her.
"Sky Mare ring user, Miura Haru"
A man's voice behind her startled her. She immediately stood up and slowly turned around, only to see a person with black cloak and face covered with hood. But why is that voice sounds familiar? That soothing voice pierced through her ears like a painful music.
Unexpectedly, the man pointed two guns at her, but unsure why she couldn't summon her weapon. Not because she couldn't, but rather as if she unwittingly chose not to.
Suddenly, four pillars of water surrounded the hooded person and Reborn with Yamamoto arrived at the scene. "Stay behind us, Haru" Yamamoto ordered.
"Rain Vongola gear user, Yamamoto Takeshi. Both of you will meet your end here", the water pillars got easily swept away and finally, the person's face was uncovered.
That face was a true shock for Haru. That brown hair and that face belonged to none other than Tsuna. But as she saw his red eyes, she instantly felt a stabbing feeling; she felt familiar of that red and stare. The unnerving eyes had vanished the gentleness, making her stood and froze at her spot with agape mouth. However, she also sensed no life energy from him.
"Looks like she's right, kid" Yamamoto spoke. "...She? What are you talking about? What's going on here?" a tone of demand was heard from her voice. "Is that… really Tsuna-san?"
Tsuna immediately glared at Haru and without further ado, he shoved away Yamamoto and Reborn and then pinned her to the ground. He aimed the gun at her forehead, but as he saw the hair clip on her hand, he winced and then let go her to retreat.
"Why did he run away?" Yamamoto questioned while looking at the direction he left.
Haru stood up while her face was shadowed, "…Why is Tsuna-san alive?"
"Yuni will answer that" Reborn replied.
"Yuni-chan?"
At the party hall, Haru was explained by Yuni everything she saw from her vision, that Tsuna never died. He was more like to be reborn as something contradicted to what people might say his 'previous life'. In the future she saw, Tsuna destroyed all Trinisette holder; Vongola, Mare, and arcobaleno. All worlds were completely destroyed by his own hand. And that future would happen if he killed all three in this world.
Haru's hands were balled and rested on her lap. Hearing the truth from Yuni, her balled fists were trembling, her lips were also trembling, and her face froze in much profound shock.
"He aimed for the Trinisette destruction, Haru-san" Yuni clarified with eyes softened for seeing the frozen Haru. "…Is there anything else I need to know?" Haru finally voiced. "He's not the Sawada-san you used to know anymore" Yuni replied. "I see. Thank you for telling me. I'm going to my room now. Please tell anyone not to bother me" with shadowed face, she left the concerned Yuni in that hall alone.
She locked herself in. She made the room sorrow by staying the light off. She couldn't believe her own eyes and ears about the man she loved, how he wanted to kill his own friends, how his eyes weren't as kind as it used to be. Perhaps he really was reborn as a different person, she thought. She let out his sky ring from her pocket and gazed with sorrowful stare, "…What should I do? I… don't want to kill him"
"Then, why don't you save him?"
The echoed voice startled her and afterwards, Tsuna's ring started glowing and a figure gradually made an almost solid form. A blonde spiky hair was the first to be seen and as the figure at its complete form, she widened her eyes in surprise of knowing who that was.
"You're… primo? But how…"
"I'm here as the response to your quandary" he said in soft-spoken manner. "Here me well, Haru. Decimo may still be alive and never died at the first place, but the person you met wasn't the Tsunayoshi everyone knows. Your other self takes control of his body"
Her eyes twitched as she heard the last part. "But when I got stabbed, I could feel she's gone…" she tried to maintain her outburst emotion, holding it through the balled trembling hands on her lap. "Your 'other self' is actually a manifestation of Anna's dark past. Because before she created Mare family, she was used by her parents to kill, and that remorse and guilt manifested into an entity that fused with her. When that entity was you, it manifested itself as you. And now, being in Decimo's body, it became Decimo himself"
"But how could that entity enter his body?"
"When the flame inside his body had gone, it used that opportunity to save itself by getting inside his empty body"
"Eh?" she blinked recalling what he just said.
"He gave his life flame to save your life", she flinched hearing that remark. "Then… I've been living with his flame inside of me?" her quivering eyes expressed her shock, and took Giotto's concern. "It's your choice whether to kill him with that entity or save him"
"…I choose to save him"
"If you do that, you'll have to return his life flame inside you. And by doing so, you'll die. Are you willing to exchange your life for him?" he might say so as if he didn't concern, but truthfully he was. Seeing Haru reminded him of Anna. But his concern for her wasn't because she's Anna's descendant. He knew what both Haru and Tsuna had felt a year ago, their complicated relationship, and knowing perhaps they knew better that they couldn't be together.
"I'd rather choose death than not being able to save him" she voiced.
"Haru…"
"Primo-san, this is my last chance to protect him. I have friends that support me, a family that loves me, but my life isn't that much better ever since Tsuna-san died. And knowing he died for giving me life… it's just as sorrow as what my life was like before I met him. All this time I've been confused; why I'm alive and what purpose for me to be alive, but now I know. I've been given this life for this. This is my reason to live, to return his sacrifice for me. To save him when I can't do it a year ago"
Giotto was surprised to see the conviction in her softened voice and eyes that looked at him. He smiled at that unfettered resolve, "You're really Anna's descendant, after all"
"Listen, Haru. There are 5 corrupted Decimo in all parallel worlds that you must remedy. If you return all of them to the real Tsunayoshi, you'll be able to save this Decimo"
"How am I supposed to cure them?"
"That's for you to find out yourself. The answer is in your feelings"
"I see. But if I have to go to parallel worlds, how?"
"Just keep his ring with you all the time and leave the rest to me. Since you have the Mare ring, I can do that"
Then, three knocks on the door interrupted their talk. "Good luck, Haru" he said before he went into the ring. Haru opened the door and saw Reborn in front of the door. "Who were you talking to?" he asked and she shook her head, "Just talking to myself"
"Take a break, Haru"
"Eh?"
"Kyoko's here to take you to watch a movie. You've been helping the Vongola to stay firm, but you still need to relax. Regarding Tsuna's matter, we'll stop him. This isn't your battle. You've gone through a lot"
"Ah, Reborn-chan. What do you have there?" she squatted while her eyes aimed at the tube on his small hand. "It's a memory eraser device. Not only it could erase memory, it could also make someone never existed to begin with. This is a terrifying device" he looked at the device as he said so.
"Can I borrow that?"
"What for?"
"I'm fond of a small device like that. Don't worry, I won't use it"
"Okay, here" he handed over the device and then walked away from her door. After that, Haru stood up, "I'm sorry, but this has always been my fight"
"Haru-chan!" Kyoko came from the other direction. "Let's go!"
With that, both girls went to the movie. While a delighted smile on Kyoko was curved watching the movie, there wasn't any sign of smile on Haru's face again. Her mind was occupied by what just happened. She stared at Kyoko's smiling face, wondering whether she could save Tsuna.
"Are? What's that?" Kyoko's smile disappeared as she pointed the screen. And not just her, everyone looked surprised too. The ruckus on that place filled the silence that supposed to fill that place. A black portal made its appearance at the screen as Haru turned her head. She stood up from her chair and walked towards the screen.
"Haru-chan, where are you going?" Kyoko asked. Haru turned around to her, "This is my cue"
Having heard that, Kyoko immediately stood up. Somehow and unknown to herself, she realized the situation. "Goodbye" Haru said with her first guilty smile and then continued walking there.
Before she went through the portal, she extended the tube and blue smoke appeared from the little hole, surrounding the viewer, including Kyoko and soon, it would reach outside and spread throughout the world through wind. She erased the memories of her friends about her and erased her own existence, making she never existed to begin with.
At the moment she erased her existence, she also erased all Miura Haru in all parallel worlds. She was now the only Miura Haru; one that lived to be erased and one to die as the forgotten.
Maybe some of you are wondering why did I put romance genre while Tsuna is the bad guy here.
You'll see in future chapters. I've prepared a surprise (for all who might think it's a surprise). To be honest, I don't know if it will be a surprise or not. I prefer to call it maybe... something?
But don't give up on me yet. To all Tsuharu lovers who read this, I'm a pro Tsuharu all the way.
Well, aside the surprise thing, thank you for reading :)
Any kind of review/critic is acceptable and welcomed.