Chapter 11
When Gokudera wakes up, it's to a white roof in the nurse's office. He just stares at it in confusion for a moment, before struggling to sit up.
There's something wrong – he can tell that immediately. For one thing, his skin is not that tanned, and his hair should be flopping in his face. A quick run through finds his hair is wiry and apparently resistant to gravity, and when he takes a closer look, his fingers – though calloused, don't have a single burn. He doesn't recognize a single scratch or scar on them.
"I hope you understand how serious this is."
Gokudera's head jerked up. Reborn was standing on the bed, arms cross and scowling.
"Reborn?" he said, and his eyes widened as he remembered what had happened before he blacked out.
"Wait! Where's Sawada? What happened?"
The hitman gritted his teeth, clenching the brim of his hat.
"Quick debrief. Sawada Tsunayoshi has the ability to swap bodies with anyone he kisses. Before your bombs activated, Tsuna swapped with you and threw you to safety. He was not so lucky, and has been sent to hospital."
Gokudera-Tsuna paled as Reborn's glare pierced through him.
"I'm sure you can understand that whatever ruse Tsuna believed, you are not an eligible candidate for the Decimo. Now that you're awake, we're going to the hospital, and you will endure the injuries your own foolishness caused."
"He's still alive?" Gokudera-Tsuna gasps, because okay, he'd reduced the gunpowder so that it would have been really hard to actually kill the heir even by accident, but that had been a lot of dynamite around him.
"Tsuna managed to throw enough out of the way to reduce the blast, and your body is apparently used to taking heavy hits" Reborn explained. "He's unconscious, and he came very close to shattering his spine, but in the end nothing that you won't recover from."
Well, not entirely. Reborn had all but drowned the teen in sun flames to keep him out of critical harm, but that hardly needed to be common knowledge.
Gokudera didn't seem all that relieved, instead breaking eye contact and staring at his hands in a state of shock. Reborn scowled at the lack of reaction, but both were distracted by the door opening.
"Oh, you're awake? It's about time."
"Tsuna is truly extreme!"
The two hitman looked up as Hana and Ryohei walked through the door.
"We're here to escort you" Hana explained, anger written all over her face. "Apparently, something as simple as a transfer of power is too difficult for Sawada to explain."
"You weren't supposed to wreck your body to the extreme!" Ryohei added. "That's extremely not fair!"
Gokudera frowned.
"Wait...Sawada wanted to swap with me?"
Hana rolled her eyes. "Duh. He doesn't want to be Decimo, and you do. You don't have any family, obligations or nasty medical problems, so we figured you'd just swap identities. He'd live here as Gokudera, while you could fly back to Italy as Sawada Tsunayoshi and everyone would be happy. If I'd known you were going to put him in a coma, I might have suggested otherwise!"
"Clearly I'm not to leave you fools alone for any length of time" Reborn mutters.
Hana just snorts and waves a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, Kyoko's watching over Tsuna, so let's get going and fix this."
Gokudera didn't move, so Reborn jumped up, kicking the teen in the head and sending him crashing to the ground.
"Get up and start walking."
None of his bodyguards seemed particularly interested in talking to him while they made their way to the hospital, a fact that Gokudera was appreciative of on the grounds that he wasn't all that interested in talking to them. Not when he was living an article from 'The Occult and I.'
Body swapping.
He had swapped bodies with another human being.
And not just any human being. The future heir of Vongola – one of the most desirable and wanted human beings on the planet.
Part of him, the part that still insisted that the laws of science could not be broken (despite many, many Mafioso proving the contrary every single day), was positive it was a trick. Something caused by an illusionist or drugs.
But he's immune to most drugs, and although he's not fantastic at breaking illusions, none of the tricks Shamal taught him when he was feeling charitable are having any effect. This is real.
He's stared at his hands so many times he could probably draw them from memory by now, so moves his attention to the rest of his new body. It's definitely shorter – he's stumbled a few times from overreaching, but there's a promise of muscle in his limbs hidden under the baby fat. It takes more effort to move, the limbs not used to heavy duty exercise, and clearly never gone without a soft bed, but it's not a painful switch.
Eyeing up his watchers, he moves his hands up to his face, taking in the soft cheeks and stubby nose, the big eyes and the manic hair. Absolutely nothing is the same, and the sensations he gets from touching his body and recognising nothing is unnerving at best.
At that moment, Hana catches what he's doing, and slaps his hands away.
"Hey! Until Sawada wakes up, no touchie the merchandise."
He scowls, and rubs his hands, stinging from the action. This body is too sensitive in all the wrong ways.
When they make it to the hospital, Kyoko is sitting next to Tsuna-Gokudera's bed, looking like she's the one that had been in a battle for her life. She lights up when she spots Hana and her brother, flanking Gokudera-Tsuna into the room.
"Gokudera, you're awake" she says, leaping up and grabbing his hands. "I was so worried. How are you feeling?"
"Uhh…"
"It doesn't matter!" Hana interrupted. "Let's get them swapped. Once Tsuna's back on his feet and the mad monkey has recovered from his stupidity, then we can worry about how he feels."
She shoves Gokudera-Tsuna towards the bed. "Go turn into sleeping beauty."
He scowls almost instinctively, but Kyoko gives him an encouraging nod and he leans one hand on the mattress and bends over.
"Wait! Lie on the bed" Kyoko interrupts, causing him to jerk up. "If Tsuna is still unconscious when he swaps, he'll fall and hurt himself. It'll be safer if he can recover on the bed."
Gokudera-Tsuna nods, doing as she asks and looms over his body.
Wow, he'd never realized just how pale his skin was. Though maybe most of that was from the injury.
"So…I just kiss him?" he asks, and sees all three of the teens in the door nod.
"On the lips" Hana tells him. "Doesn't have to be big or intimate, just a quick peck and you're done."
Gokudera-Tsuna gulps, and bends down, hesitating for a moment, before darting in and giving him the quickest kiss he can…before pulling back.
"Tsuna?" Kyoko asks, as the boy pulls back from the comatose teen.
Gokudera-Tsuna just stares back.
"Nothing happened."
"Okay, there's no need to panic" Hana said, though her frantic pacing suggested otherwise. "Clearly, there are rules to the curse that we weren't aware of before now. Tsuna clearly just needs to be conscious in order to swap."
Kyoko nods, though her arms are wrapped around her, fingers digging into her sleeves. "That's probably it" she admits. "I mean, Tsuna's swapped with unconscious people before, but we've never tried swapping when he sleeps."
From the room, Reborn overhead the conversation, and hoped (prayed) that they were right. If nothing else, it would take away one of the biggest fears such an ability could offer. That someone could swap with Tsuna without his knowledge. If Tsuna had to be conscious (if not necessarily consensual), it would solve a lot of problems.
He could use that good news considering how bad everything else had gone. As of this moment, he had five missed calls from the Vongola Ninth, no doubt wanting to know how Tsuna and Gokudera's fight went. Reborn was choosing to appreciate voicemail up until Tsuna woke up, and he could actually explain what happened without, well, explaining what happened.
Gokudera had tried a few times to force the switch, trying longer kisses, before accepting that it wasn't happening and letting Ryohei guide him out. The teen was now sitting on a bench in the hall, hands clenching his knees while the other three debated their next option.
Unfortunately, outside of channeling as much sun flames as he dared without overloading a sealed sky's system, the only thing he could do, was wait for his student to wake up.
What if he doesn't wake up?
Gokudera can't stop shaking. His knees start to feel hurt, so he forces his hands to let go and wrap around his chest.
The Vongola Decimo had considered him worthy of the title. Had been willing to give his life to save his – a man who as far as he knew, had been trying to kill him.
The bomber almost felt nauseous, hands tugging at his hair.
To think that such an incredible person existed in this world! Someone that didn't judge Gokudera by his blood or his actions, but considered him worthy just be existing.
And Gokudera might have just killed him. Might very well be forced into the role he had no desire to have in the first place. He gives a mirthless chuckle at that – he truly does destroy anything he touches.
It's been a long time since Gokudera Hayato prayed, but he gave a silent request with clasped hands in that hallway.
'Please let him wake up.
Please don't take away my boss before I can pay him back.
Please let me be Gokudera Hayato, the right hand of Sawada Tsunayoshi, the Vongola Tenth.'
It was nearly 9pm before Tsuna finally regained consciousness. It may very well have been longer, had it not been for the sporadic bursts of sun flames administered by the baby in the room when the nurses and teens weren't watching. When his eyes focused, he was staring into the face of a very relieved Kyoko.
"Kyoko, why don't we give them a moment?" Hana said, taking her friend by the shoulders and guiding her out. When the door closed with a definitive 'click,' Tsuna-Gokudera turned to the teen currently possessing his body.
"Good evening Gokudera" he said, smiling at the bomber. "Are you okay?"
Gokudera-Tsuna didn't think his face had ever looked so peaceful. It was by far the strangest thing he'd ever done, but he found himself clambering onto the bed, pinning the boy in his body down, before slamming his head onto his doppleganger's chest in a truly dramatic and ridiculous bow.
"I was wrong!" he yells. "You truly are a man worthy to be the Tenth!"
Tsuna's eyes widened.
"What?"
"I was trying to kill you" Gokudera continued. "And when my own foolishness would see me dead, you took my place. Not only that, but you, who had known me only a few hours had faith I could be trusted with the family. How could I not promise loyalty to a man capable of such kindness?"
Tsuna-Gokudera blanched. "I-It wasn't like that."
Really, it wasn't. There had been no faith or kindness involved. Tsuna just didn't want to be a boss and was happy to load it on someone who did. If he hadn't swapped, Gokudera might have died, and even if the teen was attacking him, Tsuna couldn't just let that happen. Gokudera had so much going for him, he couldn't die then.
Unfortunately, Gokudera didn't seem to understand that, instead choosing to see Tsuna's rather selfish act as some kind of grand gesture. He tried to wriggle out, only to find Gokudera-Tsuna looming over him, pressing his lips against his.
The relief of leaving a battered body for one relatively unharmed was soothing, although Gokudera didn't quite manage to muffle the instinctive curse as the pain hit him. He recovered quickly though, a hand coming up to grab Tsuna's jacket.
"I promise, I will be the best right hand you could ever hope for."
"G-Gokudera…"
The door slammed open.
"Sawada, have you swapped yet? Kyoko's starting to get wor…ried."
They both flung their heads in the direction of the door. Hana was standing there, eyes wide. Behind her, Ryohei stared at her in concern.
"Are you okay Hana? You've gone extremely red!"
"I'm fine!" Hana squeaked a little too quickly, cheeks flushed. "Absolutely fine."
Tsuna swallowed and chuckled nervous, before shifting himself off the bed. Gokudera adjusted himself so he was sitting up, and grinned at his new boss.
"Don't worry Tenth!" he said. "I'll be out and by your side before you know it."
"Please, don't call me Tenth" Tsuna begged. "And I don't want to be a mafia boss. Can't we just be friends?"
He squeaked and jerked back as Gokudera's face turned stormy, eyes stubborn and unyielding.
"I refuse."
From the chair at the side of the bed, Reborn smirked, jumping from his post to Tsuna's shoulder.
"Congratulations Tsuna. Thanks to your actions, you've gained your first follower."
"THAT WAS NOT MY INTENT!"
Reborn ignores him, instead jumping up and kicking his student towards the door, only narrowly missing Hana due to Ryohei grabbing her to the side. The room now empty, he turns to face the bomber left in the bed.
"You've passed the test" Reborn tells him. "Consider yourself a probationary member of Vongola."
Gokudera nods, pride beaming from his face. "I won't let him down Reborn."
The hitman grins, and heads out to his student.
All things considered, today could have gone worse. As it is, Tsuna has a mafia minion and Reborn has a better grasp of his character. Admittedly, the teen has revealed some rather frightening personality traits, but nothing Reborn can't beat out of him in time.
But first, he needs to explain to his dear student why his little plan to pass on the Vongola baton wouldn't have worked, and exactly what would happen if he tried again.
Tsuna groaned, rubbing his head as Ryohei helped him up.
"You know, I'm still not sure Gokudera didn't give me a concussion, should he really be hitting me?" he moaned.
"Oh don't you even start Sawada" Hana snapped. "The second that monkey started throwing dynamite, you should have stopped talking and started running."
"I couldn't Hana!" Tsuna insisted. "Reborn was right there, and he figured out what I was doing. Even if I'd been able to run away, Reborn would probably have told Gokudera and made sure he wouldn't agree even if he wanted to."
"Still stupid Sawada!"
"I thought it was extreme!"
Hana whacked Ryohei on the back of the head.
"Not the point moron!"
"Hana, calm down!" Kyoko begged, pulling Tsuna away while her friend rounded on her brother. "What's done is done. And everything turned out okay."
Tsuna smiled. "Thanks Kyoko. Although, I get the feeling Gokudera's definitely not going to swap now."
"Which is the only reason I'm not beating you up for this transgression" Reborn said, walking out the room and jumping onto Tsuna's head.
"Ah, Reborn!" Tsuna squeaked.
"Swapping with Gokudera wouldn't have been an option anyway" Reborn warns. "If you'd mentioned your plan, I'd have told you it was futile, if for no other reason than Gokudera doesn't have sky flames."
"Why does that matter?" Tsuna asked, and Reborn sighed.
"Because Vongola require a blood heir with sky flames" he explained. "It's why Kyoko was such a shock in your body. If you didn't have sky flames, your lineage wouldn't matter because you couldn't inherit anyway."
Hana blinks, and her eyes turn calculating.
"…So, is there a way to change flames or-"
Reborn scoffs. "Technically? Yes, so long as you have any flame other than sky, so I wouldn't look too hard into that."
Tsuna droops.
Despite Tsuna's concussion worries, all of the teens were sent home, and as Tsuna waved goodbye to Kyoko and Ryohei on their street, Reborn decided to get an answer to the question that had been preying on his mind since Tsuna swapped with Gokudera. He chose to walk alongside the teen rather than ride on his shoulder, and Tsuna glanced down at him once he dropped to the ground.
"So, Dame-Tsuna, I just have one last question regarding this whole incident" Reborn said, and Tsuna sighed.
"What is it Reborn? You know I'm serious about not becoming a mafia boss, and there's no way I'm not going to use all my options to get out of it."
Reborn nods. "Yes, but that's not the question."
"Then what do want to know?"
"Why are you so willing to die?"
Tsuna froze in the street, eyes widening momentarily before giving a nervous chuckle.
"Die? I don't want to die Reborn."
The hitman didn't look convinced.
"Oh? There were a dozen things you could have done to save Gokudera. You could have tried to de-ignite the fuses, you could have thrown even more of them away, you could have even tried dragging him away. Instead, you forced him to swap and threw him clear, resulting in you taking the maximum damage. You chose self-sacrifice over an attempt to save you both."
The hitman contemplated jumping back onto Tsuna to keep him from moving, before deciding against it and just maintaining eye contact, eyes piercing into his students.
"I want to know why that was your instinctive option."
Tsuna paused in the street, pondering the question.
Why had his first instinct been to swap? He hadn't realised it at the time, but now that he thought about it, running would have made a lot more sense. They're might even have been time to get them both out of the way. But he hadn't even tried, and instead focused completely on getting Gokudera to safety.
"I guess…I just didn't want to watch him die." Tsuna replies. "I didn't really know him, but the way Hana spoke about him, I thought it would be bad if he died. I don't want to be a mafia boss, and he did. If I died and he didn't, then everyone would get what they wanted."
Reborn's eyes narrowed. "So you have a death wish?"
"No!" Tsuna protested. "I don't want to die."
His face fell.
"I just…I don't want someone to die if I can save them. Is that so bad?"
Reborn frowned.
"No, but when you deliberately pick the option most dangerous to you, despite there being other options, that's not heroic, it's just stupid."
"I wasn't trying to be heroic-"
Reborn jumps up and kicks him in the head, sending Tsuna crashing to the ground.
"You have issues with 'heroic' but not 'stupid?" You just proved my point Dame-Tsuna."
Tsuna winced. "Don't call me that."
A moment later, his tutor landed on his head.
"I'll stop using it when you stop acting like it, Dame-Tsuna" Reborn warned. "Now get up. Your real training starts tomorrow, so I'd advise on getting a good night's sleep."
He smirks at his students groan, and jumps down to his shoulder as he stands up.
"I don't suppose if I promise to let you borrow my body tomorrow you'll let me off easy?" Tsuna asks, though the tone suggested he didn't expect Reborn to accept. Reborn begins to scoff, only to pause…
His student can swap bodies…
Reborn can't stop looking at Tsuna's face. He really shouldn't…
And yet.
For five minutes? It couldn't hurt, right? Just five minutes of not being a toddler…
Tsuna was staring at him in confusion, and he was already starting to lean in, when his pacifier flashed and he jerked back.
"Don't be ridiculous Dame-Tsuna" Reborn snaps. "What would the World's Greatest Hitman do with a body like yours?"
He ignores the groan at the nickname, and clenches his fists as Tsuna starts walking back home.
What the hell was he thinking? He'd made his piece with the curse – there was no way the world's greatest was going to succumb to something as ridiculous as this.
No way at all.