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"Tsuna's Black Flame"
Chapter 11: The Black Pacifier.
Three days. It had already been three days and still, Tsuna was nowhere to be found. Everyone was getting more and more worried with each passing day, but it's not like they can do anything else, they're not even sure if Tsuna was already in Japan to start looking. It was just awful watching how the guardians were struggling to deal with it, even Nana and the kids and girls. It was a good thing that they were able to occupy themselves to some extent, after all, not everyone decided to stay at the hotel. Almost the entire Tenth generation went about their own ways, primarily those who have their places in Japan. Like, Yamamoto, Gokudera, Ryohei, Hibari, Mukuro and Chrome.
On the other hand, Nana stayed with the kids in the hotel, obviously because they don't have a house there anymore. Along with the Ninth generation, Varia, the Arcobalenos and everyone else. Shoichi also went home to his family, but he just couldn't find peace since Tsuna was still missing, so he would come to visit them at the hotel ever so often.
"Sho-chan, you're here again!" Byakuran greeted him when he entered the sitting room.
"Yeah, my stomachaches getting worse everyday," Shoichi offered a weak smile before gently taking a seat on a nearby couch.
"I see," Byakuran rested his chin in his palm as he watched Spanner offer him some lollipops.
Shoichi refused, shaking his head. "Anyway, is there anything new? About Tsuna? Gingerbread, Vindice?"
"Nay, and it's seriously starting to annoy me... I mean, it's so boring~" Byakuran answered, slouching on his seat.
Shoichi sighed.
"By the way, Shoichi, what happened to the ten-year bazooka? Weren't you gonna fix it?" Spanner unwrapped another lollipop.
"Eh? Well, I pieced it back together, but I just left it back in HQ. I don't think I should continue messing around time when I can't even clean up after my own messes," Shoichi stared at his feet.
"You're still feeling guilty over the entire thing? But that was so long ago already~" Byakuran mocked cheerily.
"Still, in the end... Tsunayoshi-kun was the one forced to fix everything, and seeing his adult self again, I just couldn't go against his wishes. I owe him that much at the very least," the ginger gripped his fists together.
"But he was obviously hiding something from us, right? If we're doing anything, it'll be for his own good as well," Byakuran reasoned.
Shoichi gave him a concerned stare, "whatever you're planning, don't do it."
"I'm not planning anything~ yet," Byakuran playfully smirked.
"Byakuran please, Tsunayoshi-kun's going crazy already, isn't it all enough yet?" Shoichi pleaded, trying to pin Byakuran with his stare.
"Well~" Byakuran leered, "I'm really not planning anything... but since I got back here in this world, Tsu-chan just never stops to amaze me. The black flame, Vongola's first generation, the future Tsuna, awakening his ability, freeing Mukuro from Vindice, Gingerbread, Genkishi, and now he's gone off somewhere no one knows to save the world and protect everyone."
"And...?" Shoichi urged him to continue.
Byakuran stared at the ceiling, looking dazed, "it reminds me of that game I played in the future, that one that I wasn't able to win. And I was thinking, if the fated winner wasn't me, then could it be Tsu-chan instead?"
Silence enveloped them.
"I can't become God... but what about Tsu-chan?" Byakuran smirked again.
"I don't think Vongola would want to become God, even if he could," Spanner was the one who countered.
"That's right, Tsunayoshi-kun is different from you. He doesn't want power, he just wants to protect everyone," Shoichi reasoned.
"Yeah, but... we all saw his future self, right?" Byakuran grabbed a pack of marshmallows, "the new Arcobaleno Boss, the same person gaining sole guardianship over the Tri-Ni-Set replacing Checkerface, and also the one who created a new world order... all that sounds pretty God-like to me."
"But Tsunayoshi-kun did all of that for us, he didn't do that to take over the world," Shoichi argued, he didn't even know if this entire conversation had a point but, he just felt that someone had to stop people from asking too much.
"Well, it doesn't really matter, what's important is that everyone knows Tsu-chan is destined for great things... no matter if he likes it or not," Byakuran popped a marshmallow in his mouth. Shoichi and Spanner could only watch him, fully aware at the back of their minds that no matter how worried they get about Tsuna, none of them could really do anything.
Reborn closed his eyes as he heaved a sigh, he was listening in on the entire conversation and he had to admit that anything was possible for Tsuna now. Too many things have happened and his dame student has changed so much. He vaguely wondered if there was still something left to teach him. He pushed himself off the wall and went on his way.
That very night, all the Arcobalenos shared the same dream, receiving an invitation from Checkerface in a competition we would all come to know as, the "Arcobaleno Representative Battle."
The next day, Gokudera was walking aimlessly on the streets as he unconsciously found himself in front of Tsuna's house, and he was surprised to see a construction going on. He was reminded of the future, where there had been a big apartment complex built in the land, that's probably what they were making.
"Damn it all."
"You got that right," he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Baseball-freak," Gokudera acknowledged as he turned to look back, he stared for a while. "Did Reborn-san also asked you to represent him?"
"Yeah, earlier this morning," Yamamoto scratched his head, "so this is what he meant when he said we'll have to fight on our own..."
"Juudaime renounced us because he wanted us to decide for ourselves what we have to do, what we want to do, without him having an influence on our decisions," Gokudera reiterated for himself. "We're not his guardians anymore, we have to remember that and choose a path on our own, for ourselves."
"But we can't fight without Tsuna, he's the only reason we're here. If it's not for him, or for Vongola, then how are we supposed to go on?"
"You moron, can't you see?! Juudaime doesn't want us to fight!" Gokudera gripped his fists, lips quivering as he gritted his teeth. "He wants us to move on without him, to continue our lives in a different path from his... He's planning to carry the burden of the entire world on his shoulders, all on his own again... And the worst part is we can't do anything about it, he's our Boss and at the same time he isn't anymore!"
Yamamoto stared sadly at the former right-hand man, he looked away before admitting his decision, "I accepted the kid's offer... I'll fight as one of his representatives in the Arcobaleno Battle."
But Gokudera wasn't as shocked as they both thought he would be, "why?"
"The kid said that he would also ask Tsuna to join, and if Tsuna makes it back in time for the battle, then I want to be by his side." Yamamoto grounded his meaning and as if understanding the hidden message, Gokudera nodded.
"I know, I also accepted... even when I knew Juudaime doesn't want us to."
"Then he shouldn't have given us the choice, then."
"Yeah, but Juudaime isn't like that."
It was then when they figured they shared a silent understanding, and won't go against it no matter what. They would stand by Tsuna to the end.
"The other Arcobalenos have probably recruited their own representatives by now," Gokudera muttered as he turned and stared walking away, all the while staring up at the sky.
Yamamoto followed after him as they went on their way to Reborn, they knew they still needed a few other members on their team. And just like what Gokudera had stated, the other Arcobalenos have stared forming their own teams. Tomorrow an assembly would take place to introduce the representatives and explain the conditions of the Battle.
On the fifth day of Tsuna's disappearance, all the Arcobalenos were to hold an assembly of their representatives, for the discussion of the rules of the Battle at the same time to have another audience with Checkerface. To see familiar faces wasn't a surprise, in fact they all expected it. What shocked them was finding out who represented who, especially those you can't even begin to imagine.
Reborn: Dino, Romario, Gokudera, Yamamoto and Ryohei.
Colonnello: Iemitsu, Lal Mirch, Basil, Oregano and Turmeric.
Mammon: Xanxus, Squalo, Belphegor, Lussuria and Leviathan.
Verde: Mukuro, Ken, Chikusa, MM, Fran.
Skull: Enma, Adel, Kouyou, Rauji, Shitt P., Kaoru, Julie.
Fon: Hibari.
Aria: Gamma, Byakuran, Kikyo, Zakuro, Bluebell, Daisy and Torikabuto.
"Shoichi, we're not representing any of them so what are we doing here?" Spanner asked from beside Irie, the two of them were standing in a distance from the circle of representatives, the extra players like Tazaru and Nosaru were with them. Nono and the Ninth generation were also present to observe.
"Just making sure they have back-up when they need it, not like we'll be of any help but... I just can't relax, and my stomach's killing me," Shoichi held onto Spanner's shoulder.
Spanner stared at him boredly, munching on another lollipop, "I hope Vongola comes soon."
"Yeah, he must make it in time, for all our sakes," Shoichi strained his eyes to look at the gathering.
Reborn looked around, there was still no sign of Checkerface so they could still relax, but it bothered him that his chances of winning could be dire since his best dame-student was still missing-in-action. He looked behind him, "Dino, for now I'll have you lead my team, understand? Make sure to keep Romario around."
"Okay, I got it!" Dino did a mock salute, Romario right behind him, making sure he doesn't revert back to being no-good.
Gokudera, Yamamoto and Ryohei were a little more quiet than usual though.
"Kufufu~ what's wrong? The silence coming from you three is deafening," Mukuro decided to mock them.
"Hrm... well, fighting just doesn't feel extreme without Sawada!" Ryohei was the first to answer.
"Yeah, we just feel a little lonely... but don't worry, we'll be fine so thanks for the concern, Mukuro!" Yamamoto smiled cheekily with a thumbs up.
"I never said I was concerned," Mukuro tried suppressing the tick throbbing in his temple. "It's just a little creepy to have the never-ceasing storm to be so quiet, he hasn't even said a word."
Yamamoto looked behind him to Gokudera, Gokudera looked at him, then at Mukuro, then back at Yamamoto before sighing exasperatedly. "I am Juudaime's right-hand man, therefore everything I do is for him, but if he's not even here... then all of this is meaningless."
"It's not meaningless, you'll be fighting to free me from the curse," Reborn refuted him.
"Yes, that much is true, Reborn-san. But Juudaime will not allow just one Arcobaleno to be freed, since it's him he'll definitely fight for all of you," Gokudera explained.
"I know, but he's not here right now, so we'll just have to make do ourselves until he gets back." Reborn resumed watching everyone else who were listening on their conversation.
Gokudera didn't argue anymore after hearing that.
Mukuro stared at the lot of them, he couldn't explain it but he had to admit to himself that he was a little bothered. Maybe it was due to the little sky being responsible of his freedom, maybe he did feel a little indebted. But either way, it's not like he was wiling to owe anyone favors, he was just uncomfortable. He failed to delve deeper into his thoughts, as a blurry portal made out of black flames emerged and grew bigger in the center of the field.
"Long time no see, my dearest Arcobaleno," a man sitting in a tall chair, wearing a trench coat and an iron hat floated from the portal.
"It's him!" Reborn was the first to react.
"That's Checkerface -kora!" Colonnello followed suit.
Another strange man wearing a suit with checkered gloves and hat stood in front of him and greeted them as well. "Fufufu~ I am the planner of the Representative Battle of the Rainbow, my name is Wonomichi. I am here to explain to you the details of the Representative battle. Hohoho!"
No one bothered to react, most of the Arcobalenos were just glaring at Checkerface, completely ignoring Wonomichi but also mindful of what he was starting to say.
"For the Representative battle, each of the representatives gathered by each Arcobaleno will be regarded to as their team. Each team will be given each a box containing the exact same things," Wonomichi opened Reborn team's box as an example.
"Each team will have 8 watches. 1 Arcobaleno watch, 1 Boss watch and 6 Battler watches. The rules are very simple, each team will battle wearing the watches, and the team whose Boss watch is destroyed are the losers. And for the most important part! This fight is a Battle Royale! Which means, each and every team will fight each other at the same time. So you may end up with a few teams all finding themselves in one big clash, or alliances ganging up on one pathetic team."
"The Arcobalenos are prohibited from fighting lest we risk having two pacifiers destroyed. However, Checkerface-sama has been generous enough to provide for the Arcobalenos, a very nostalgic present. So, be sure to look forward to it!" Wonomichi ended his explanation.
"A nostalgic present?" Reborn and all the rest of the Arcobalenos wondered in unison.
"That's right," this time it was Checkerface himself who confirmed their thoughts. "If an Arcobaleno finds his representative in a serious pinch with absolutely no way to avoid serious consequences, you may call out the words: 'present please' in your Arcobaleno watch. It's a special feature that will remove your curse and authorize you to enter the battle."
"Remove our curse?‼" Skull was the one with the outburst.
"That's right, but only for a sum of 3 minutes in the entire representative Battle, so use the present wisely." Checkerface sneered mockingly.
"That means reserve it for the last 3 minutes of the entire battle, we Arcobalenos can fight!" Reborn slightly shadowed his eyes. But he wasn't the only one with such thoughts, every other Arcobaleno thought the same thing. They could fight, and in their true forms.
"But don't be careless just because your curse can be removed. Remember, the Arcobaleno whose Boss watch is destroyed, will lose." Checkerface reminded the for the last time, and the Arcobalenos could only glare back in response.
"And there you have it, that concludes the explanations!" Wonomichi walked back to stand beside his Boss, "well then, Checkerface-sama and I will be heading back home now. Good luck!"
"I look forward to witnessing your great performance in battle, 'till then we bid you, arrivederci." Checkerface lifted his iron hat and blurry black flames started to gather around their feet, lowly forming a portal back to their dimension.
But then, all the Arcobaleno pacifiers started glowing, signalling the presence of another Arcobaleno. But how could that happen? They were already complete!
Just as suddenly, numerous black portals opened around Checkerface and Wonomichi, chains akin to those owned by Vindice started lashing after them. The chains looped around the two on their wrists, arms, legs, feet, torso, shoulders, everywhere, trying to tie them down tightly.
"I finally found you, Checkerface," came the familiar voice of Tsuna in hyper mode. He was floating right above all of them in all his glory, but there was something amiss about him. He had the usual red eyes and black flame on his forehead whenever he was in berserk mode. But then, he was dressed differently from the last time they saw him. He was wearing a black suit and a black cloak with a white cravat. And the most important detail, there was a glowing black pacifier dangling in front of his chest.
The glow of all the pacifiers resided after recognizing the presence of the newcomer.
"Juudaime!" Gokudera was the first to call out. But Tsuna didn't look at him, he acted like he didn't hear him either.
"Tsuna!" Yamamoto called out for him too.
"Why does he have a pacifier -kora?" Colonnello pointed out.
"There's no such thing as a black pacifier either!" Mammon grounded.
"Dame-Tsuna! Where have you been?" Reborn tried to call for him as well, but he didn't react, he didn't even look at them.
Tsuna was solely focused on the masked man that was struggling in his chains.
Checkerface smirked, "so the most promising candidate has finally decided to show himself... I was wondering where you might've been, Sawada Tsunayoshi."
"I'll kill you," Tsuna said simply as he dashed head first as fast as a normal person could blink, and in an instant he had collided arms with Checkerface, both of them releasing enormous amounts of black flames.
"Juudaime!"
"Tsuna! what are you doing?‼"
"Fufufu! Impressive... I never expected you'd be able to hold your ground against my flames with your inexperience, and at such an early age as well." Checkerface easily got himself loose from Tsuna's chains, and flew high in the sky. "But I have to wonder where you got such power in such a small amount of time... tell me, Tsunayoshi, where did you get that black pacifier from?"
"Go die," Tsuna refused to answer the question, focusing on chasing after the man. He summoned more black portals, with more chains lashing out after Checkerface, but he just wouldn't hit. He took a deep breath and created multiple black cannonballs made out of condensed black flames, he fired them all at Checkerface like a machine gun. But the older man was too quick on his feet, dodging gracefully from all of his attacks.
"There is something truly odd about you today... the first thing you do is attack me, saying that you'll kill me, then you're telling me to die... that's not how you were when I first met you, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Checkerface tried to talk to him, but Tsuna wouldn't respond. "Also, do you have any idea what it is exactly you are doing? This was not stated in the rules but you are not supposed to fight me, for I am not involved in the Representative Battle."
"Shut up," Tsuna continued pursuing him, twirling and tumbling in the sky. When he finally had enough giving chase, he stopped and started to concentrate on his hand. There it was again, the formation of his most frightening technique, the black X-burner.
"What's gotten into him? He's acting like a completely different person," Checkerface muttered to himself as he prepared his escape, if he was lucky enough this Tsuna wouldn't be able to hold his power long enough to support firing the X-burner. And indeed, he was lucky. Because by the time Tsuna released his X-Burner and thrashed about everything it hit, Checkerface had already jumped into another black portal. When they looked back at Wonomichi, he wasn't there anymore.
"Shit!" Tsuna shouted in fury, the first time anyone has ever heard him curse. "Damn it all!"
He continued to explode until he started panting from the sudden lost of energy due to the black X-burner, and all the yelling. Everyone present was shocked at his display, they never expected Tsuna to come back so mad and angry. He shook his head brashly, gritting his teeth while growling to himself, gripping his hands tightly pulling on his hair. Just as they thought he was calming down, he fell to his knees and started pounding on the ground.
"Snap out of it, Dame-Tsuna! You weren't even supposed to engage him in battle, you dummy," Reborn was the only brave enough person there who approached him despite retaining his berserk mode.
Tsuna looked back at him with a nonchalant expression, eyes as red as ever, "are you talking to me?"
"Who else would I be talking to? You're the only Dame-Tsuna around here," Reborn tried to jump on his shoulder like he usually does, but Tsuna swatted him away.
"Who's that?" Tsuna took a few steps backwards, resuming a defensive stance.
And that's when they figured something was seriously wrong.
"Dame-Tsuna, what are you talking about?—" Reborn was instantly cut off as Tsuna suddenly launched at him, trying to nail a kick. Good thing his reflex was faster, and he was able to evade.
But Tsuna was just as adept, a black portal opened beneath Reborn, and several chains came out quickly binding Reborn's little body, restraining his every move.
"What's going on? Why is Juudaime attacking Reborn-san?" Gokudera shouted in confusion.
"I don't know, he's acting really weird," Yamamoto answered as they all continued to watch.
Nono gave the Ninth guardians orders to subdue Tsuna, thinking he was loosing his mind again. Varia, CEDEF and the other Arcobalenos also started to form a circle around Tsuna. But the young sky didn't pay them any heed, he just started to approach Reborn, reaching for something.
"I'll destroy you," Tsuna grabbed Reborn's pacifier and tried pulling it off of the Arcobaleno.
"What are you doing, Juudaime?‼"
"Stop it, Tsuna!"
But Tsuna refused to listen, he started summoning black flames all over the hand that was clutching Reborn's pacifier.
"What is he planning to do? That could damage the pacifier!" Lal Mirch couldn't believe what was happening in front of them.
"We have to stop him!" Gamma suddenly shouted.
The Ninth's guardians, Varia, CEDEF and the other Arcobalenos started to charge towards Tsuna, prepared to do anything to prevent him from whatever he was planning. But they all suddenly felt a jolt and stopped.
"I can't move -kora!" Colonnello struggled to even twitch his nerves.
"My body's frozen solid," Coyote grunted.
"Voi! What the hell did you do, scum?!" Squalo yelled and thrashed.
Amidst all the chaos, a huge beam of mist flames hit Tsuna and smoke covered everything. Because of the sudden attack, Reborn was able to break free from Tsuna's chains. As well as create a little distance between the two of them.
"Pardon me for such rudeness, Tsunayoshi-sama." It was Genkishi, walking out of the smoke covered area. "But you were starting to step out of line for a moment back there."
Tsuna just stared, before repeating the question he had asked before to Reborn, "you're talking to me?"
"Well, yes. You are Tsunayoshi-sama, aren't you?" Gekishi started to feel doubts.
"Who's that?" Tsuna doesn't seem to know who he was, which troubled everyone gravely.
"Hmmm... something must've happened to you during the trip," Genkishi offered him a hand, "why don't you come with us for a little talk?"
"I don't need to listen to you," Tsuna lifted a hand to form another X-Burner, and everyone around them tensed.
"Wait! Stop it, Tsunayoshi-kun!" Yuni suddenly sprang out of nowhere and shielded Genkishi, another black pacifier dangling from her ribbon, but it was wrapped in a Mammon chain.
Tsuna halted in surprise, as well as everyone.
"Yuni-sama!" Gamma yelled out with Aria behind him.
"Where did you get that Black pacifier? There should be only one black pacifier in all parallel worlds," Tsuna glared at the younger girl.
"Please listen! This pacifier was entrusted to me by the Tsunayoshi-kun of this time, your past self! Because right now, you're stuck in the past!" Yuni's abrupt explanation only seemed to confuse everyone.
"I'm stuck in the past?" Tsuna repeated in question.
"Yes," Yuni nodded, "you're wondering why Checkerface is still alive, right? And why the rainbow-colored pacifiers are still existing..."
"That's right, I killed Checkerface a long time ago... and then, I destroyed the Tri-Ni-Set." Tsuna murmured to himself but loud enough for everyone to hear.
Yuni and everyone else were surprised to hear this, but she didn't falter, "please Tsunayoshi-kun of the future, we need you to help us understand what we should do about all of this... and in return, we will answer whatever question you may have about this time."
"But there is no more reason for me to bother about the past, or even my other self... I have already died," the Tsuna from the future explained with a straight face, not even a hint of emotion could be traced.
"What do you mean, you died...?" Gokudera silently asked, but Yuni immediately diverted everyone's attention, not giving him a chance to answer.
"In any case! If you chose to come with us, we might be able to find a way to bring you back to your time!" Yuni tried to plead to him again, "we also need to have you around us just in case the Tsuna of this time comes back to take your place."
The future Tsuna looked a bit thoughtful at that, "well, I don't remember travelling through time but... I suppose there isn't anything here for me to meddle with."
"So, you'll come with us?" Yuni looked too hopeful to refuse.
And the future Tsuna just sighed.
They sat the future Tsuna in a solo couch, offering him sweets and tea on the coffee table. He had extinguished his flames, but his eye didn't go back to normal. If anything, he looked to be in his hyper mode without the sky flame on his forehead. One leg crossing the other, with his chin resting on the back of his right hand, he looked completely regal. Like he really was the Boss.
"Now then, who the hell are you people, and what do you know about me?" He lazily opened his eyes, an expression of irritated boredom on his face.
"He's kinda intimidating, isn't he?" Yamamoto sweat-dropped.
"Yeah, a little different from Juudaime," Gokudera agreed.
Yuni disregarded the comments, looked towards her mom and nodded with her. She walked to stand in front of the future Tsuna, "we are the current guardians of the Tri-Ni-Set—"
"That's a lie, there are only the Arcobaleno pacifiers right here. I can faintly feel the other two parts of the Tri-Ni-Set which means they are currently sealed, but just because you have them in your possession does not mean you people are the rightful guardians," Tsuna was too quick to refute her.
Yuni was surprised, but she only smiled sadly and sighed, "that's exactly true but, we are their guardians before they were sealed."
"You sealed them?"
"Yes, but we will release them again when your past self comes back, and use them against Checkerface to free the Arcobalenos from their curse." Yuni answered as truthfully as she could.
"That's stupid." Tsuna scoffed, "if you wish to get rid of the curse, you'll have to pay for something bigger in return. The Tri-Ni-Set needs these kinds of sacrifices to maintain the balance of the world, your lives are meaningless in comparison to what this might do to the world."
Silence.
"That may be true, but..." Yuni continued, "we could all die if we don't do anything."
"So what?" Tsuna frowned, "what's a bunch of meaningless lives? The rest of the world needs the Tri-Ni-Set, or else this world will be destroyed."
"Yourself from this time, had already figured out a plan to make sure that doesn't happen," Yuni lowered her head. "He would protect everyone, and save the world at the same time."
The future Tsuna stared hard at her, "I see, I think I know where this is going now."
Yuni remained quiet.
Tsuna sighed, getting sick of the silence. "And? What does he plan to do with me? Why was I sent back here?"
Yuni shook her head, "I'm not sure, he didn't tell me any details in particular."
The future Tsuna sighed again, "all right then. Your turn, what do you want to know about me?"
Yuni raised her head, and looked deeply into his eyes, "how long are you in the future?"
"What do you mean?" Tsuna frowned.
"You look exactly like the Tsunayoshi-kun of this time, the same age, in fact I could swear we're on the same timeline." Yuni was afraid of what the answer might be, she already has an idea, but she guessed it was time everyone also start figuring things out.
Tsuna blinked unaffected at her, "as I've said before, I'm already dead. Therefore, I don't age anymore."
"But since when? For how long have you been dead?" Yuni insisted.
"I don't know, I don't remember anymore," Tsuna closed his eyes and thought deeply. "When I died, I lost my memories, I don't even know my own name."
"But how could you be dead? You're definitely alive and breathing in front of us right now!" Yuni argued, everyone else couldn't believe what he was saying.
"You don't get it, do you?" Tsuna reached at the coffee table, grabbing a bread knife and pointing it at his neck. With one swift move, he suddenly slashed his neck, blood spurting everywhere.
"AAAHHHHH‼" Yuni screamed, Gamma running over to cover her eyes.
"Juudaime‼"
"Tsuna‼"
The future Tsuna fell hard on the ground with a resounding thud, blood seeping quickly from the wound, slowly sinking him in think red.
"Get Shamal in here quick!" Iemitsu yelled at his subordinates, when just as suddenly they heard his voice again.
"I'm not dead," the future Tsuna started coughing from his position, shakily pressing his arms on the ground to lift himself up.
"Tsuna!"
"Juudaime!"
Yamamoto and Gokudera were instantly beside him, helping him get up.
Gamma released Yuni, and she fell to the ground breathless and in as much shock as everyone else.
"I have already died, that's why I can't die anymore... I am no longer human," Tsuna said with a bloody smile. He coughed some more, before lifting his gaze and looking at everyone. He wiped the blood on his chin, and on his neck. "This is my curse. When I died, I sacrificed everything. My life, my mind, body and soul. I lost my memories, my identity, my humanity. I am doomed suffer for all eternity. I will never be relieved of my pain forever... And all of that, in order to protect everyone and save the world... that I can't even remember anymore."
The future Tsuna then started to shake, chuckling to himself until he started laughing, madly, crazily.
"And the worst part is that... those people I was trying to protect, they probably don't remember me anymore either," tears fell from his eyes.
And Tsuna cried, and cried, and cried, inconsolably until he had cried himself to sleep.
All of it became more shocking as the information sunk in, but they couldn't say anything. Reborn ordered Iemitsu to carry the future Tsuna to Tsuna's room, washed him and gave him a change of clothes before putting him to bed.
Later that night, they all woke up to a sense of great aura, Reborn immediately went to check the future Tsuna but he wasn't there anymore. When everyone started running after the aura they felt, it led them to the room where they kept the Vongola crystals in a safe. They opened the door and wasn't surprised to see the vault opened with the future Tsuna standing in the middle of the room, holding the Sky crystal in his hands.
It was a breathtaking sight, to see powerful sky flames coming from his forehead and entire body. But they were sure he was still the future Tsuna, because the black pacifier was still present in front of his chest. He turned to look back at them, eyes as fiery and as vibrant as ever.
"The me of this time is too cruel indeed."
"What are you talking about?" Reborn was the one who stepped forward.
"These Vongola crystals could only be freed by my flames, but not just my ordinary sky, but my life flames as well. However, since I'm already dead, I no longer possess life flames. He must've made a mistake and summoned a wrong self towards this time. But that means, he is willing to kill his many other selves from different parallel worlds just for the sake of his plans. And there is a huge possibility that he does turn into me, but when that happens his entire existence will be lost."
"We really don't understand a thing you're saying," Reborn tried to approach him, but stopped when he felt the energy of sky flames became too much to bear.
"No matter how many times I die, I will protect everyone," the future Tsuna smiled sadly at them, "that's what he always says. And unfortunately for me, I am just one life of those many times."
Everyone's eyes slowly widened as they came to realize, that just like in the future ten years later, another parallel self of Tsuna has to die.
"Tsunayoshi-kun!" Yuni screamed at him as a bright light erupted behind him, it looked like it was coming from a portal but it wasn't black flames.
The future Tsuna turned towards the light, chains came binding his entire body, and he dropped the sky crystal which came rolling towards Yuni. With a dreading sense, the light flickered, and continued flickering. That's when they remembered, this future Tsuna was already dead, therefore he couldn't die again. That's why this light... is slowly covering him in ice.
"That's Zero-Point Breakthrough! First Edition!" Gokudera recognized the technique.
"But where is it coming from?! Who's doing this?!" Yamamoto couldn't see past through the light in the portal.
"Dame-Tsuna! Get away!" Reborn called him back.
But the future Tsuna just smiled. Right now his lower body was already covered in permanent ice, and it was slowly reaching his black pacifier. He raised both arms sideways, welcoming the end of his supposedly endless misery, he didn't know he could die again. But he was happy.
He turned his head as much as he still could to look back at them, "I don't remember anything, but for some reason, right now I'm just glad. "
The future Tsuna was frozen just like that, the white portal stopped flickering but it didn't disappear. Suddenly, hands covered in bandages started to reach out from within it, covering the eyes of the frozen future Tsuna.
"Good night."
AN:
We're down to the last 2-3 chapters, guys! This story is finally ending, and I assure you, this will end with a bang! xD
I wonder where the real Tsuna is? What is up with the white portal? And who's the new guy? Everything will be answered in the next chapter of course!
Chapter 12: The White Flame
Look forward to it! :D And please Review!
— Lynx
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