Title: From Us
Rating: K+
Genre: Family
Summary: When Lambo hits Tsuna with his new bazooka, Tsuna meets his seventy-year-old guardians. Couple fic to 'To Everyone'.
Note: I say couple, but you need to read the other one first.
Tsuna coughed as the smoke gradually disappeared. He always hated being hit by Lambo's bazooka; not only did it always dump him in a situation he never wanted to be in, but it also gave him a headache. Why does this always happen to me? Grumbling, he clenched his hand and felt grains go through it. Sand? A raspy voice called out, "Tsuna?"
Tsuna looked up and saw an old man wearing a blue floral shirt and khaki shorts, who was grinning so widely he was afraid his cheeks, etched with wrinkles, were going to be torn apart.
"Haha, everyone, look. It's Tsuna! Hey, buddy."
"Y-Yamamoto?" How many years in the future is this? He wildly looked at his surroundings and was met with the beautiful scenery of an endless body of water.
"I'm going to assume it's Lambo's fault again, Juudaime." Tsuna whipped his head and saw Gokudera, this time, with a red floral shirt. He was too surprised to laugh. Matching? Are they matching? Why are they matching? And then his gaze fell on the other people on the beach, all of whom had their eyes trained on him. Ah, they're all matching according to their flames.
"G-G-Gokudera-kun, you..." Bending down, Gokudera offered his hand. "You actually called Lambo by his name." Gokudera faltered and let his hand hang limp, earning a laugh from Yamamoto.
"Well, you weren't the most polite kid then, Hayato."
"Do you want me to call you baseball idiot again, Takeshi? Because I certainly don't mind." His Storm Guardian certainly didn't lose his ferocity, but Tsuna noted the lightheartedness in his tone and chuckled. Rubbing his face, Gokudera muttered, "This is kind of embarrassing."
Standing up, Tsuna teasingly said, "Don't worry, Gokudera-kun. I always knew you and Yamamoto were close." He didn't notice the other people walk towards him, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he returned Chrome's soft smile and hugged her. Tsuna had tried to hold it in the moment he saw Chrome in the distance, but he finally released a sob and buried his face in her neck.
She was here, aged but standing. Healthy. She was healthy.
Chrome embraced him, making circular gestures at his back. She whispered, "Thank you, boss, for crying for me, for helping me shoulder my pain." When she released him, Tsuna hastily rubbed his eyes since everyone was still watching him, and he could practically feel the fondness in their gazes.
To break the sombre atmosphere he made, Tsuna lightly said, "You're not in khaki shorts." Together with her indigo floral shirt, she was wearing white pants cut to her ankle instead and her hair, now grey and fell behind her shoulder blades, no longer resembled Mukuro's. She had become her own person.
"Yare, yare. Which timeline did you come from?" Lambo towered over him, and Tsuna took the moment to appraise him. Lambo was considerably younger than the rest of them, with his shoulder-length hair still retaining streaks of black. As if to tease him, Lambo slyly added, "Tsuna-nii."
What does he call me now then? Tsuna jovially shrugged it off and answered, "The Representative Battle ended a couple of months ago. Giannini gave your past self a new bazooka, so I'll be stuck for a while longer." Lambo chuckled, perhaps at the memory of the countless problems the bazooka gave them.
"That battle, eh? How nostalgic." A smirk. "Ciaossu."
Tsuna choked.
He was here. In front of him. Alive and well.
So let me live, Tsuna. I want to live longer.
Tsuna closed his eyes and bit his lower lip.
"Reborn, you... you're old. That's amazing. I mean, that must mean, you..." His eyesight started becoming blurry again. He wanted to tease Reborn about how wearing a fedora with a pink hawaiian shirt looked stupid, wanted to tease him about how he didn't look the least bit frightening anymore, and he did. "Wearing a fedora and a hawaiian shirt looks stupid, Reborn." Tsuna covered his eyes, a futile attempt to stop his tears.
His tutor, his partner, his father figure, the person who taught him so, so, so many things – Reborn was free.
"Dame-Tsuna," he initially used the same sarcastic tone Lambo had with his name, then said in a softer tone, "I lived."
Tsuna wondered if Reborn was doing it on purpose, making him cry in front of all his old guardians, because the proud look Reborn was giving him made him want to melt and ask, How many years has it been?
Was I a good student?
Did I do good?
Are you proud of me, Reborn?
But he threw all those aside. He'll know the answers, one day. Because when he gets back, he knew Reborn will be there, and together they'll walk side by side, paving the way for the Vongola they dream of.
"Reborn, can I hug you?" he asked instead.
"No."
Tsuna still did, anyway, and most of the guardians laughed at the grumbling Reborn. "Leon?" he asked when they broke apart, and Reborn simply shook his head. Tsuna closed his eyes and pretended not to see the pain that flickered in Reborn's eyes.
"Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun."
Tsuna breathily uttered, "Mukuro." Unlike Chrome, the spikes in his long, surprisingly still blue-coloured hair remained. He dyes his hair, he thought in disbelief. "Not feeling to be reincarnated again?"
"Oya, I don't recall you being this cheeky in the past and, before you ask, I'm only here because you are my target."
Tsuna grinned. "Sure, Mukuro. Whatever you say." He paused and blinked, realising someone was missing. "If Mukuro's here, then is he also here?"
"Hibari?" Ryohei spoke up. Everyone's expression became solemn and quiet and Tsuna's heart beat quickened. It can't be. He was – is – the strongest. No, no, no. He's the first to—?
"I don't appreciate being killed off, you lot."
"H-H-Hibari-san!" He was happy to see him, happy to know he was alive but— "Oh, my god. Even you?" Tsuna exploded in a fit of rambunctious laughter. Seeing Hibari in a violet floral shirt, matching with the rest of the guardians, was too hilarious for him. The aloof, drifting cloud was caught in the grasp of a lame set of outfit.
"Just so you know, this was your idea." Hibari's eyes twinkled when he continued, "Herbivore."
"Wow, that sure brings back memories." Yamamoto laughed and slung an arm around Hibari. "Remember our first meeting when you beat up the three of us?" Gokudera clicked his tongue but his shoulders shook in suppressed laughter.
Tsuna noticed that Hibari didn't offer any form of resistance at the contact, and then it finally hit him how utterly close everyone was now – laughing and smiling together at the memories they share. They had aged, but so did their friendship with each other and Tsuna couldn't contain the happiness bubbling in his chest.
He grew up with these people, his family.
He was able to protect them, and perhaps the reverse, too.
Were these tears in his eyes again? He should stop crying; Reborn might scold him for being a crybaby.
The others must have noticed his silence because they returned their attention to him and Ryohei, as if reading his mind earlier, said, "You've done good, Sawada. Us relaxing on a beach proves that."
"You became a carnivore, Sawada Tsunayoshi."
"Kufufu, as much as I hate to say it, I didn't manage to possess you."
"You showed me – everyone – so much kindness, boss."
"You actually made me hate grape candies with the large amount you kept giving me."
"Maa, Tsuna. I lost count of how many times you saved my life, haha!" Tsuna sweatdropped at that.
He looked at Gokudera and so did the other guardians.
"Hie!" Tsuna shrieked when Gokudera knelt down in front of him, left knee in front.
"Juudaime, I – we – will fulfil our promise to the end, so don't worry and trust us," he smiled gently, "and believe in yourself."
Promise? Tsuna stared at Gokudera in confusion. Oh. "There was never a time wherein I doubted any of you guys, and I'm sure the same goes to my old self." Tsuna half-sobbed and half-chuckled. "Your past self is going to worry so much about why my eyes are red."
"He better be." Standing up, a cracking sound erupted in the air and Gokudera's face morphed into that of pain. With one hand holding his back, he muttered, "Fucking hell that hurt."
"This is why I kept telling you to join me in training!" Ryohei helped him stand up.
"Shut up, lawn-head."
"You should join us, Hayato. You're already seventy-years-old. Be more careful."
"You're seventy-years-old too, you bastard."
"You say to the end, but all you oldies are probably going to die soon."
"Shut the fuck up, Lambo. You're not even that young."
It seemed some things will never change.
And then Reborn spoke up, "You were a good student, Tsuna."
All kinds of emotions swelled inside him as a gentle and fond look was just too uncharacteristic of Reborn, of everyone, really. He desperately choked out, wanting to release the pent up whirlpool inside him, "Everyone—"
Tsuna stopped and found himself back in the past, staring at his guardians. He wasn't sure who jumped first: if it was him or whoever was in front of him. At the very moment he came back, arms were squeezing his body. But he found himself hugging each of his beloved guardians – ignoring Hibari and Mukuro's protests – and mumbling "thank you" over and over again.
Thank you for fulfilling your promise, for staying by my side.
