Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.


Summary: When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).


Clack, clatter!

The phone slipped from her hands when the news came.

"Hello? Sawada-san? Are you there?"

Nana snapped out of her stupor when the the speaker on the other line was trying to reach her. She stumbled and picked up the phone shakily.

"Y-yes... I- I -" Her words chocked, a hand covering her mouth just as a whimper escape. Her legs lost their strength, causing her knees to buckle and fall. "R-really? Y-you're not... is he - really?"

"I only deliver news when it needs to be." The other spoke softly, chuckling a bit in the end.

"Congratulations Sawada-san, you son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, has finally returned."

.

.

.

When Sawada Nana heard the unbelievable news, she had literally dropped everything that she was doing. She made a snatch for her purse, told Bianchi to watch the kids, and rushed out of her two-story house without an explanation whatsoever.

She was restless in the taxi - she was normally a very patient person, just not today - because in the span of ten minutes, she had asked the driver what was the most annoying question known to all travelers thirty plus times.

"Are we there yet?" That makes another one.

The driver gritted his teeth, he very nearly lost his temper when the destination came into view.

"YES!" He exclaimed in both irritation and relief.

Before he could even stop completely though, the woman was already out of the taxi... but not before giving the driver the fare and a generous amount of tip that made him forget about his previous anger and idly thought that it was worth the trouble.

Nana didn't even bother with informing the receptionist that she was visiting, nor did she heed to several warnings from the passing nurses to slow down and watch her step. Her mind was solely focus on that one door that she has been coming in and out of several times a year for seven whole years.

She didn't even bother with the elevator, and took to the stairs instead. (She needed to get rid of the extra adrenaline somehow.) Only when she reached the fifth floor and standing in front of Room 507 did she abruptly stop.

Her shaking hand paused briefly over the handle as a voice floated out from the hospital room.

"... sure that there's nothing wrong, young man?"

Her heart became more erratic as she waited for a response. A familiar, timid voice that would rekindle her hope.

However, when she didn't hear a response, she felt dread overtaking her. (Why isn't there any response?) She couldn't wait another second longer and flung open the door.

The three occupants in the room turned to see a dishevel Nana breathing irregularly as if she had ran a marathon.

Her caramel brown eyes swept past the nurse and the doctor, landing on a pair of... sunset-orange orbs. (Why aren't they brown?)

... Her son's eyes weren't supposed to be that color... did - did someone replace him?

"T-Tsu... kun?" She asked uncertainly, staring the blank sunset-orange orbs. When the unfamiliar color slowly flicker with warmth and recognition, slowly felt like her Tsu-kun's, she gasped into her hands.

The reflex only last a few seconds but it made tears make their way down Nana's eyes as doubt ebbed away into relief. He was different, but it was still her Tsu-kun.

"Tsu-kun..." Nana just couldn't believe it. She had almost given all hope that her son would wake up after all these years that she was scared to think this was all a dream. "Is that... is that really you?"

Her son stared at her with steady, yet inert eyes in silence.

She was scared when she couldn't find any emotions on his face again, nor in his eyes (Sunset-orange so different yet so familiar). It made her heart clenched in pain at the possibility that he couldn't recognize her; but that immediately lifted when he nodded slowly and quirked his lips into a small warm - just like Tsu-kun's - smile.

Her legs turned into jelly at the side of his bed, startling the nurse and doctor when she suddenly collapsed onto her knees.

She didn't pay them any attention as she clutched tightly on her son's fragile hand.

"Tsu-kun..."

He was too skinny, she noted, but his slight returning hold of her hand casted all her worries aside as she burst into tears.

"Y-you're... re-really..."

Her son was awake. That was all that mattered.


Seven years, the doctor informed him. He had been in a coma for seven. Frickin' . Years.

Wow.

He had been told by Primo but still, hearing it from the doctor... just... wow.

The doctor hadn't expected him to wake up anytime soon either - though that would explain why his body was so... scrawny; but even that was a generous description of what he really appeared like. He could tell from one look that he had been as fragile as glass. One butterfly of a touch, one gentle brush of wind, and his body would shatter - it wasn't too far from the truth.

The doctor told him that it was really a miracle that his health was showing improvement all of a sudden. After all, his health has been slowly (achingly slow as if Death was toying with him) deteriorating until late last night.

(But really, for seven years. How did this world's Tsunayoshi hold it up for that long? The deceased was gaining more and more respect from Tsuna as further information flooded into his head.)

It would seem that he has been born with a weak constitution - at least that's what the piece of scattering memory told him. He can sense the strong Sky flames within him in abundance (just like his in the other world), which was probably also a factor that caused his deteriorating health.

Tsunayoshi's fragile body and soul couldn't handle the intensity of the flame. Then came the incident that caused his flames to go into a berserk state, leading to his hospitalization up to the present.

Ironically, as of now, he was only relying on the support of his flames to balance out his weak constitution. If he were to ever cease streaming his flames into his body... then he would be dead in a week, with or without medication.

Wow, he was really ill.

Tsuna looked to the spot where his mother has been sitting for the entire day, tending to his every need, leaving only after visiting hours and promising to come back the next day.

His hands balled into a tight fists at the thought of his mother going through this whole nightmare.

I'm worse than that father of mine. He didn't mean to put her through this much stress, nor did the other Tsunayoshi.

(He felt more than he saw, from memories-not-his, the concern and desperation Tsunayoshi felt when he was lucid-yet-not-quite during some of Nana's visits.

He supposed she was the reason for Tsunayoshi's so - so - long of a tug-a-war with Death. His mother was willing to wait that long when his father had already given up... at least he's still paying for the hospital bills.)

They were quite similar, now that he thought about it. (Just not in physical capabilities - which will soon be rectified of course.)

His hand went to his eye as he looked into the window pane to see his reflection. Sunset-orange eyes return the gaze.

Everyone had been surprised, shocked even, when they saw Tsuna's eyes working as they should - and of a different color. His eyes... at least Tsunayoshi's... were lost in the incident that left him on his deathbed.

The doctor may not understand what kind of phenomenon it was that Tsuna could still see, but Tsuna knew. (Be cause it was beyond anything that could be proven with science.)

Eyes were the window to one's soul, so when Tsuna's soul has been transferred, he could only deduce that his own eyes had merged and replace - in his situation - the ones forever lost. It used to be brown of course, but what with the side-effect of going into Hyper Dying Will mode so often and all... well, he became even more similar to his ancestor.

(Whoopie-doo... But seriously, he was more than happy - proud even - to share similar traits with Vongola Primo than with his father-only-in-blood.)

He swung his legs over the bedside - with much, much more energy than he would like to use - and massaged his temples weakly.

It was going to be a long and gruesome readjustment, he thought. He had heard of people who took years to rehabilitate themselves after being bedridden for as long as he did, more or less.

He flexed his fingers again, noting the hesitating movement as if the mind and body were not on the same page. (And it was most likely just that.)

"Great..." He muttered frustratingly, throat hoarse and -

Cough!

- oh god, it hurts to talk!

He had to think of something. Time was something he didn't want to waste.

How does one, who had been immobile for seven years, move like a relatively normal human being in less than a month... ?

Going over several plans in his head - all were gobsmackingly spartan - he realized (with morbid horror) that he was thinking too much like Reborn.

(Like really, most of his plans, if not all, involved climbing a damn cliff and swim laps in the frickin' ocean among other things.

On a daily basis.

Or die trying.)

Granted, it would push his body beyond the limit and would be most likely torturous at the beginning, but it would give the best result in a short amount of time.

The things I do for the family. He thought wistfully, head resignedly in his palms. I'm so not looking forward to any of this...

Well - Tsuna decidedly glared at his hands after making up his mind - he should at least know if he could -

Ohmygod, the flames are trying to eat me alive!

Wheeze, cough!

... At least he call his flames into physical manifestation. (... while upsetting the delicate balance he had over the flames that supported his internal system, but that wasn't the point.)

Albeit he wasn't happy that his hand gained blisters as he willed it (with much, too much, difficulty), nor was he happy about the tsunami-sized wave of exhaustion that wash over him.

He noted, seconds later, that he should be more careful next time - there were no limiters. (Tsunayoshi must've broke it right before he entered his coma.) And he needed a decent amount to support internal his system as it is.

(It was a pain in the neck, he swear.)

... At the very least, the Seal was no longer there. He knew that if the Seal continue to stay within this body, it would be all adjectives of bad.

He could tell his Sky flames were untamed - even when it was once in a sealed state - as it licked over his hand, dancing like wildfire as it sang of freedom (like his had done once before. Though, he found it easier to control them internally, just a tad bit.)

It was definitely a flame that could destroy an opponent - and himself - if he didn't train his body properly to control and contain it.

He sighed in frustration again. A detached part of him wished he hadn't accept the offer and just stay dead instead.

Absentmindedly, he wondered - "How are you guys doing without me?"

Though he didn't know who his question was directed towards.

.

.

.

They were not here.

Tsuna thanked God, Jesus, Kami, Zeus, Anubis, Budda, Kutkh, any benevolent deity up there (that he haven't learned in his past-present life) for letting him delay the inevitable.

Because of all the household members he was going to meet (again), Lambo and Reborn was off... somewhere... with his twin and the rest of the guardians for 'business' - as his mother had kindly told him - for a month or so.

(He had a sneaking suspicion that they were probably at Italy training or something... but it was most definitely mafia related.)

And of the ones that he does have to meet (again)... there was the constant jab at his chest at the polite smile that Fuuta and I-pin would give to strangers that come over to their house. The unfamiliarity in their eyes, the fact that they didn't immediately tackle him whenever he got back home - stop it. They're not the same people. Don't think, don't feel.

"Tsuna-san?" Fuuta snapped him out of his thoughts with a polite address.

Why are you being so civil towards me? Don't you know me, Fuuta? You're my little -

He took a moment to close his sunset-orange eyes to calm his jumbled emotions - Breath, Tsuna - and reopened them to face the blonde boy, I-pin by his side.

Smile. Act. Pretend. Nothing is wrong.

As he followed what his mind to him to do, he nodded at the boy to signal that he was listening.

"Do you want to read with us?" Fuuta held up a book tentatively, the cover over a castle and of a fearless knight.

Tsuna blinked, processing.

He was released from the hospital today, with Doctor Akio telling him it would be better to let him rehabilitate in a natural, homey environment.

(... If they had even the slightest clue as to what was Tsuna was planning to do in secret, they would have strap him down on the bed and never let him leave that hospital room until they deem Tsuna was in his right mind.)

He was currently sitting in the living room - out of his wheelchair - while Nana and Bianchi were in the kitchen making a welcome home dinner. (Well... Nana would be doing most of the cooking, thank god for that.)

And the two approached him - ah...

From the curiosity and the slight concern he could decipher from the duo's gaze, he knew he must've been out of it for quite some times.

And so, he smiled at them apologetically and pointed at his throat, then shook his head.

Fuuta brightened in understanding. "It's okay! I can read it out loud!"

"It's okay with I-pin too!"

He offhandedly mused that the little Chinese girl didn't have as broken of a Japanese dialogue as the one he viewed as a little sister at her age. But then again, this is about two years further than since he had first met Reborn.

It was good though. It let him separate them from those whom he treasured in his heart.

It let him hope that the others he will meet would be different in some ways as well.

And most of all... it kept him from breaking.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips - with little to no strain, thank Kami for that - as he nodded at the two kids.

He wasn't sure if it was because they heard his raspy voice or that he nodded that made them cheered in childish happiness (and was that relief?), but it made him feel warm nonetheless.

Warm like home.

For the shortest second, he had thought - I'm home - before it slipped away to give an attentive ear when Fuuta began his story telling of dragons and knights.

(A detached part of him watched, as he took the backseat, as Tsuna move like a broken puppet on newly attached strings.)


Okay, Tsuna's settling in... or trying to at least and well, I guess that's all I have to say haha...

A big thanks to the two reviewers that I can't see atm, Meopize, Little Ms. Pumpkin, Bubblepop32, Sir Butt for reviewing!