It was a beautiful day for a picnic. The sun hung low, shimmering. The day was already growing warm, the height of summer beginning to pick up. It was a good day, bright and sunny.
Reborn allowed a small content smile spread across his face. Just a few feet away, he watched as Tsuna got ducked the barrage of a water balloon from Ryohei and Yamamoto. There was shouting as Gokudera went down from a well aimed throw by Mukuro as Lambo chased after Chrome. Even Hibari had a vicious grin on his face, armed with his own water balloons was joining the chaotic fun.
He was willing to let go one day of training. Getting stronger was one thing, but a good Vongola Don also needed strong bonds with his Guardians. And for once, Tsuna had lowered his guard and appeared to be having fun.
Such a stark contrast from when he arrived. Tsuna had been a cold wall, holding everyone and everything at arm's length. He stubbornly dug his heels in the ground and Reborn had on more than one occasion literally dragged him to the next destination. Honestly, getting Tsuna to move and connect with his Guardians was like pushing a rock up a hill.
But Tsuna would go far. It might be a tiresome task, but it was worth. Tsuna held so much potential, a literal diamond in the rough. Reborn knew it was only a matter of time until he shined like supernova, burning bright. Reborn was patient enough.
To be honest, he hadn't expected Gokudera's plan to work as well as it did. All it involved was ambushing Tsuna early in the morning, dragging him out here before he could realize where he was going and who he was going with and then just let him be caught up in the activity. Tsuna had sleepily tried to ignore them, but well, youth. Everyone's energy was infectious enough that eventually Tsuna broke out in a smile.
Tsuna laughed, taking a seat on the ground as Ryohei and Yamamoto turned against each other. Reborn walked over, hoping to keep his student in a good mood.
"Having fun?" Reborn asked.
Tsuna paused in mid-laugh, turning to look at Reborn. Then, to Reborn's surprise, the walls instantly slammed back up. There was Tsuna retreating back again, closing his heart. Reborn didn't understand. Was it just him?
"Tsuna," Reborn said, toning down his usual insults. He would tried gentle first.
Tsuna rest a hand over his eye, clenching his teeth tight. "This was a mistake," he mumbled.
"Tsuna! Are you coming back?" Yamamoto called out.
"No," Tsuna replied coldly.
Visibly surprised, Yamamoto flinched, looking hurt by Tsuna's cold response. With Tsuna's single word, everyone else slowed down. The infectious energy and good mood fading away.
"So mean, Dame-Tsuna!" Lambo cried out.
"Juudaime," Gokudera said.
Tsuna rose to his feet, turning away from them all.
Reborn bounced forward, stepping in front Tsuna's path. This had gone long enough. Today had been more than enough proof that Tsuna could open up to them. It was time to get to the bottom of this cold behavior.
"Dame-Tsuna," Reborn said harshly. "Stop this nonsense."
Tsuna froze. Reborn mentally balked as he noticed the anger that simmered behind those cold walls. That was utterly new.
Before anything else could be said, a strange appeared behind Tsuna, wrapping his hand around Tsuna's eyes and pulled him close to his chest.
"You're overwhelming him," the stranger said.
Tsuna shook free, whirling around in surprise. "Reborn!" he blurted out.
Everyone froze. Reborn felt his world tilt off kilter, looking at his adult doppelganger. Impossible. Utterly impossible. A trick? From the man in the iron hat? He regained his senses, Leon transforming. But before he could fire, another bullet grazed his cheek.
Not just any bullet.
That was a Chaos Shot - Sun Flame Version. He would recognize his own signature style anywhere.
"Don't get hasty," his doppelganger said. Another Leon shifted back, sitting on doppelganger's hand.
"Who are you?!" Gokudera shouted.
A smirk formed on his doppelganger's face. "Chaos. I am Reborn."
The rest of the kids looked back and forth between the two Reborns, confused.
"Reborn," Tsuna scolded, full of exasperation.
"Tsuna," Reborn said, wary and tense. To his absolute surprise, there was a fond smile threatening to split Tsuna's face in half. Joy and warmth reflected in Tsuna's eyes. This had to be the happiest he had seen his student in all the time he known Tsuna.
How did his doppelganger fit into this? How did Tsuna know him?
"What is going on, herbivore?" Hibari growled.
"Boss?" Chrome asked.
"Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said.
Grief twisted on Tsuna's face, another new emotion none of them had ever seen before. "This is why I didn't want this," he said, throwing a desperate look at Reborn. "This is why I didn't want to meet anyone, get to know anyone."
"Juudaime?" Gokudera said.
"Tsuna," Ryohei said.
"But-" Yamamoto started before cutting himself off.
"I'm not your Tsuna," Tsuna said fiercely. "Just like you're not my friends, not my Reborn."
"That doesn't make any sense," Reborn argued back. That was what, parallel worlds? Time travel? Even factoring in rainbow colored flames, there were limits to impossibilities. Reborn had been here for months. Almost a year in fact. There hadn't been any signs of a ten year bazooka gone wrong, no evidence of a switched Tsuna.
"Mare Rings," his doppelganger said.
What did that mean? What Mare Rings? Reborn had never heard of anything.
Tsuna closed his eyes. "It doesn't matter," he said wearily. "I woke in this world, three years younger and knew it wasn't mines. This isn't the first time it happened, it probably won't be the last. I never expected to be here for so long."
"It did take a bit longer than usual to find you," Reborn's doppelganger said.
"My friends always find me, I always go back. It's just a matter of waiting," Tsuna said. He bowed to his friends. "I'm sorry. This is why I didn't want to get close to any of you."
"Not… our Tsuna?" Lambo asked, eyes beginning to water.
"No. I'm sorry," Tsuna said.
Impossible. It sounded like a fairy tale, an illusion. Perhaps someone had coated the area in Mist Flames. Reborn felt so bewildered, off balanced by what Tsuna was saying.
His doppelganger squeezed Tsuna's shoulder before pulling out an yellow box and ignited his Flames. A white ornate door formed before them, shining brightly.
"Wait," Reborn said. There was a silver lining to this. "If you're here, where is our Tsuna then?"
Tsuna flinched. "He's dead," he whispered.
"What?" Mukuro said. All the kids reeled back in shock, disbelief reflected on their faces.
"No, you're lying," Gokudera shouted.
Reborn stared at (not his) Tsuna and his adult doppelganger; his gut twisting. Impossible. No. Tsuna stared back at him, regret and grief twisted in his eyes. Reborn never thought he would miss the ice cold walls that tried to keep him out. If this was what behind them, he didn't want to know. There wasn't even hope left over in pandora's box.
"Under my- his bed," Tsuna said. He bowed once more. "I am sorry."
Then he vanished with Reborn's doppelganger behind that white door.
-.-.-.-.-
Reborn swallowed tightly as he pushed open the door to Tsuna's bedroom. He had sent all the kids home, alerting the others to keep a close eye on them for shock.
Crawling under Tsuna's bed, Reborn spotted a thin metal case taped to the bed frame. He pulled it off, crawled out and settled on the floor. Inside was a worn blue journal. He flipped through it, feeling dread as he caught some of the phrases that repeated over and over again.
I hate my life.
School is so bad. Bullies everywhere.
Shoved into the locker again.
Dame-Tsuna, Dame-Tsuna, Dame-Tsuna. I'm not-
It hurts. It hurts.
I want it to end.
I want it to end.
I want it to end.
It ends today.
No. Reborn sat, numb. He had known about the bullying problem. But Tsuna never showed any signs of it affecting him. In fact, he fought back against them. None of this made any sense. His stomach twisted into knots, queasy and unsettled.
There was a single sheet tucked in the last pages. Reborn pulled it out with clammy hands; heart pounding. He unfolded it.
Goodbye.
Then at the bottom, in a different handwriting -Tsuna's handwriting that Reborn had seen from countless homework tutoring sessions- it added on.
Reborn,
Because if I tell anyone this, it would be you. Hopefully you will trust this. I know you're the only one who… has the experience, skills and professionalism to handle this. My counterpart has been given a burial in Namimori's Forest. At the entrance, walk ten meters in and turn left. You'll find a large tree covered in vines. Push back the vines and in the hollowed out tree, he is frozen in Zero Point Breakthrough Ice which melt when it comes in contact with your Flames.
Please give him a proper burial and find a way to inform Kaasan - Nana.
I'm sorry.
No, no, no, no. How. When? When did Reborn miss it? His heart squeezed tight as he couldn't pinpoint an exact time when the two Tsuna had been switched. How could have he missed a suicidal student? How could he have failed so badly?
Tsuna had been faintly distant when Reborn arrived, but had gotten increasingly colder the moment Reborn tried to introduce him to Gokudera. Had it been that far back?
His eyes flew up to the date listed on the letter before his heart dropped into his stomach. Two days.
It was dated… two days before Reborn had even arrived in Namimori.
He drew in a sharp breath, realization slamming into him like a truck. He had never known this world's Tsuna at all.
Now he never would.
For the anon who requested: Break me: Tsunayoshi Sawada (all/27?). Please and thank you.
I tried anon.
This technically belongs to the Break Boundaries AU, but this is probably the only piece I'll ever write for it.
Please leave a review on your way out.