Epilogue:

"This is by far the stupidest plan you've ever come up with, herbivore." Hibari said as he turned and left the room.

Tsunayoshi broke off his explanation mid-sentence. "Nii-chan?" He went after the black-haired man. Behind him, Shouichi Irie stared after them worriedly but he left them alone.

Hibari's eyes were shadowed. "I listened, like you instructed me to. But I will not follow your idiotic instructions. There's nothing to be gained from this."

Tsuna took a hold of his Nii-chan's arm and held him back. "But this is necessary. And…Please…I need you, Nii-chan. You're the only one who can do this. We have to succeed, no matter the cost."

Hibari looked over his shoulder at the younger man. Tsunayoshi's eyes were pleading. The black-haired man sighed, though it came out more like a hiss. Those damned eyes were so persuasive. "This will be the last time I go along with your foolish plans. Don't think I'll go easy on your younger self."

The idea that Tsuna thought Hibari would be so ruthless as to attempt to kill him – his younger self, no less – would be something the black-haired man would think on later. Just what kind of a person did Tsunayoshi think Hibari was?

Tsunayoshi laughed, more in relief than anything else. "I'm counting on you."

"You count on me too much."

"But you always pull through for me, Nii-chan."

"I spoilt you too much." the black-haired man said as he walked off. "I shall have to leave a note for my younger self and tell him to be stricter with you."

Tsunayoshi smiled. "This will be our last meeting, Nii-chan."

Hibari stopped and turned back. There was something hurting in his heart, but his face remained passive. "Any last requests?"

The twenty-four-year-old held up one finger. "Just one."

"And what's that?"

"Can you call me by my name?"

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because…I'd just like to hear it from you…at least once before I die." Tsunayoshi looked down, cheeks a little red.

Hibari scoffed. "I thought you said you're not going to die, herbivore."

"You know what I mean."

Hibari took in the face of his little brother. He'd grown so much. And it felt as if it had all happened in the blink of eye. Hibari could still remember those days when Reborn had come and Tsuna had taken baby steps on the path that life would ultimately take him down. Just yesterday, it felt like they'd all faced Mukuro, faced the Varia and gotten the Vongola Rings, and made new friends out of old enemies. Life could be so surprising at times. Who would have thought that Tsunayoshi Sawada, clumsy, nonathletic little boy at the age of twelve, would grow to be the capable and strong leader of the mafia's most influential family?

Hibari sighed. He turned away. "Goodbye…Tsunayoshi."

That pain in his heart was sharp, piercing. It grew with every step. The existence he'd fought to protect thus far would willingly walk into the midst of the enemy, even though the young Vongola knew of the outcome already. It would be a staged "battle" but…the fact remained that this Tsunayoshi Sawada would be no more.

But Hibari was the one Tsuna leaned on for support, so he had to pull through. From the early days of Reborn's arrival in the past, through to officially taking up the position of Vongola's Decimo, up until now, Hibari had been the one to provide a strong pillar to keep the young boss sturdy. Not his friends, not his tutor – although they all certainly played their parts – but his older brother. Hibari didn't provide that support overtly but the right words, at the right time, as long as they were from his mouth and nobody else's, were enough to allay Tsuna's fears. That was their bond.

Hibari vowed then and there that he would do whatever he could to make his little brother's plans come to fruition. It was the least he could do. If Tsuna wanted him to be a cold uncaring bastard to his younger self, then that was what Hibari would be, even if it meant putting the young Tsunayoshi at death's door and leaving him there to rot if he wasn't capable enough. If the young Tsuna couldn't live up to the expectations of this era's Tsuna, then he wasn't worth Hibari's time. Hibari had to believe and incorporate that. He would make Tsuna succeed.

He was at the end of the corridor and was about to turn and head in the direction of the Vongola mansion's exit when Tsuna spoke up again. "Nii-chan?"

He didn't like goodbyes, mainly because they were too mushy for his liking. But how were you supposed to react when you knew that it would be a hell of a long time before you would meet this person? That this person would "die" in the next few days? That was why he didn't turn when he addressed the Vongola Decimo. "What?"

"Thank you. For everything. You're the best."

"Hn. Of course I am." Hibari left, heart feeling like it was shattering into a thousand tiny fragments. Your sacrifice will not be a waste. I promise you.

That's all folks! Thanks for the reviews and the favourites and for simply reading! It means a lot. If anybody's interested in the similar story where Tsuna's a girl, then keep an eye on my profile; it should be out in a few weeks. Thank you!