I listened to the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack while writing this. I thought it was fitting.

Thanks for the favs, follows, and reviews (StarPurpleandBlue, Two-Stomach, TheDancingMelon, Breath after Death, and KellyKatt19). There's some really important things at the end, so make sure you check that out!

This is the chapter that many of you have been waiting for.

Present

"Why isn't it working?" Kyoko asked, crouching next to Shoichi as he fiddled with a few controls of the time machine. "Is it broken?"

"No," Shoichi murmured thoughtfully. He said nothing more, and Kyoko couldn't help but sigh.

It had been two days since Kyoko had been informed about Tsuna and how he…wasn't exactly Tsuna. And it had been two days since Kyoko told Hana…well, everything. All of it. Reborn had sat down with the two of them, and they chatted about what it was that was going on around Sawada Tsunayoshi. It had also been two days since Sawada-san had come back to the house. And, it had been two days since Tsuna's mother and father had stopped talking to each other.

Kyoko wasn't sure what was going on with that, exactly, but she didn't want to involve herself, either. Involving herself would just make it complicated. She only needed to look at the last time if she wanted proof.

Hana still wasn't sure about this whole thing, but now that she understood that Tsuna wasn't really Tsuna, she seemed to be reserving judgement until she could question the Tsuna of the present. Until then, she had told Kyoko that she wasn't going to leave her side.

And she didn't. Hana was sitting on the porch, watching Kyoko get ignored by Shoichi.

"Is there a reason it's not working?" Kyoko asked. She didn't want to be a pain, but she was rather anxious to get her Tsuna back. It was already the fourth, and they had all come back on the first of October. That was four days of Tsuna being missing, and Kyoko was sick with worry. Being a pest was really the least of her worries.

Shoichi's shoulders slumped. "I think it's finished."

"Then why isn't it working?" Kyoko asked again, desperate to gain some answers.

"Theoretically," Gokudera said, walking up to them, hands in his pockets, "the future side has to match up to our readings before we can turn it on. If they don't, then the portals don't synchronize and we risk blowing a hole in the space time continuum," he told Kyoko. Then he added, "theoretically."

"And based on what you told me," Shoichi muttered, "their side won't be ready for at least another nine or ten days. Opening up a portal like that would have set then back majorly. They'd probably have to start from scratch."

"So the reason it's not working isn't our fault," Kyoko clarified, some sort of mixture between disappointment and relief settling in her stomach, making her feel sick.

Shoichi shook his head. "It's the future side. They need to match up to us, now."

Hana snorted. "Okay," she said, skeptical tone reflecting onto her face. "I still don't get why we even need a portal if they ripped open a hole in the first place. Can't we just do the same thing?"

"DOES BLOWING UP THE SPACE TIME CONTINUUM MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?!" Gokudera yelled at her. Hana didn't even flinch.

Shoichi just sighed. He had to be exhausted after spending three days—almost nonstop—working on that machine with Spanner. "Look, it's hard to explain, but you basically need a support in order to open up a pathway between times."

"How do you know that?" Yamamoto asked, walking out the door to sit down next to Hana. The dark-haired girl huffed, but accepted his presence all the same, which was more than Kyoko could ask for. Spanner followed him out.

Spanner walked over to Shoichi and plopped down next to the redhead. "It's not as complicated as you're all thinking," he said, sucking on his weirdly shaped lollipop. "The Ten Year Bazooka works in pretty much the same way. The only thing different between the bazooka and what we're doing here is that the bazooka has a time limit. This doesn't."

Shoichi nodded, agreeing with Spanner.

Kyoko hummed. "So wait. Why can't we just use the Ten Year Bazooka to get Tsuna back?"

Gokudera sighed. "The Bazooka has a time limit, remember?"

Frowning, Kyoko nodded. She guessed she could see where that wouldn't work. It wouldn't be the same if the Tsuna's only switched to their original worlds for five minutes.

"That's not the only thing," Shoichi put in. "You remember that machine my future-self built to pull you guys forward, right?"

Gokudera huffed out a gruff, "Yeah, what about it?" while Kyoko and Yamamoto just nodded. Hana frowned, but Kyoko thought that was only in disapproval, not confusion.

"Well, the only reason future me was able to execute that plan was because the Ten Year Bazooka was acting as a support in the present. The readings were in synch and future me was able to open a pathway to pull everyone through once the Bazooka was activated by…well, me. Present me."

"What's your point, Irie?" Gokudera asked, sounding intrigued. "We understand you need a support, but that doesn't explain why we couldn't just alter the Bazooka to Two Years…oh."

Gokudera's face was blank, but Shoichi was nodding, looking rather ill. "Yes, the only reason the time limit didn't activate for the Bazooka in the future—the reason you all were stuck there—was because of the machine future me built. To snatch all of your future selves before they were transported to the present so that nobody could switch back."

Yamamoto laughed. "I don't really get what you guys are saying. Maybe you could simplify it a bit?"

"They're saying that because the Bazooka wasn't used in the original switch, it can't be used switching them this time, either," Spanner explained.

Hana shook her head, speaking up for the first time since Gokudera had blown up at her. "But why?"

Shoichi shifted uncomfortably, looking sicker by the minute. "Nobody knows how Tsunayoshi-kun was propelled into the future in the first place, so using the Bazooka—which, again, has a time limit—wouldn't be a permanent solution. It would only switch them for the five minutes, and then both Tsunayoshi-kun's would return to the wrong time once more."

"So the only way to permanently fix this," Gokudera summed up, "is to stick with our original plan: creating a fixed pathway so both Tenth's have a way back home without having to deal with a time limit."

Yamamoto nodded. "That makes sense."

Thinking about it, it really did make some sense, to create a pathway that couldn't be thwarted by an enemy or a time limit. It would bring Tsuna home, the safe way. The only problem with it was that they didn't know when they could synch up with the future portal, now.

"So what can we do in the meantime?" Hana asked. "I mean, there has to be something we can do, something other than just sitting here twiddling our thumbs."

Spanner and Shoichi both lit up like Christmas lights, looking at each other and then clambering to their feet. Shoichi spoke up, then. "Does anybody know where Lambo-kun is?"

"Lambo-chan?" Kyoko asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "He went shopping with Sawada-san, I-pin-chan, and Bianchi. Why?"

"We have an idea," Spanner said. "And we need the Ten Year Bazooka if we're going to make it work."

Reborn hummed. "I get why you three kept this a secret, but now that you're gone, I don't think it'd be a good idea to hide anything anymore. Sticking together would be the best option, especially in your time."

"There are spies, Reborn," Tsuna told him. He was sitting on his old bed like nothing was wrong, Reborn sitting on the open window's sill. He tried to keep his voice steady, even. Just like he practiced. "If I release his information, there's a chance my enemies will catch wind of it and then everything I've worked for will be lost."

"Tsuna," Reborn said, voice solemn and quiet like Tsuna'd never heard it. The hitman kept his face pointed towards the front yard, but his words were obviously directed at Tsuna. "When did your friends become people you couldn't trust? Even when you were going through the hardest times, you could turn to your friends—you family—and you trusted them with the entire world. When did that change?"

Tsuna didn't glare, but his voice dropped and his tone was colder when he said, "You know exactly when."

Reborn just shook his head. "No. I don't. Because, as much as I'd like to be, I'm not the one who shared all of those experiences with you. I'm not the one you really need right now." The hitman sighed, his tiny shoulder's going up and down with the motion of his breath. "The one you need is currently with the one who needs me right now. And as much as we both wish we could change this, we can't. At least, not at the moment."

"What are you saying?" Tsuna asked, the blankness back. He just wished Reborn would make his point already.

"I'm saying," Reborn told him, turning his head so Tsuna could see the spark in his eyes, "that the only way to make this easier for everyone is to give your younger self a chance while you're stuck here. Give him the information he needs, and believe in your friends."

2YL

By the time the helicopter touched down in the base, Tsuna was exhausted.

Somehow, without him noticing, night had turned into morning, and besides that, without even realizing it, Tsuna had stayed in Hyper mode for longer than an hour, and stood watch from the warehouse window for a few more, barely even acknowledging his tiredness until he was on his way home.

Home. It was a funny word. Even ten years in the future Tsuna had always thought of the present as home, not the base his counterpart had built. And now, in this time, he couldn't help but think of this mountain, hiding a giant base of operations and an army, as a home. His heart was there, he thought. Or almost there, at least. The people he loved, even if they were two years older, were all there, in this new home his heart was finally settling into.

Sure, he'd been surrounded by his family in the helicopter, but here, in the base, it felt safe. The rest of his family was resting behind these walls, and now they were all together again. Tsuna felt a sense of accomplishment and happiness wash over him as he left the helicopter.

Lambo was sticking to his side, refusing to let go of his hand as Reborn led their odd group down the elevator and through the halls, to the meeting room they had used last time. One peek inside let Tsuna catch sight of Iemitsu, Basil, Dino, Ryohei, Enma (he was still here) and his two friends, Ken and Chikusa (who went straight to Mukuro and Chrome the moment they were in sight) and, sitting right next to his father….

"Mom!" Tsuna cried out happily, rushing over to her.

"Tsu-kun!" Nana enveloped Tsuna in a hug the moment he was close enough, pecking his face with little kisses and gripping him tightly—not enough to hurt, though. "You're okay!"

"Thank goodness for that," Iemitsu said gruffly, his entire being radiating disapproval and…something else. It looked kind of like worry, but it was something that Tsuna had never seen so openly on his father's face that he had trouble recognizing it at first. The more he looked, though, the more it became apparent, that yes, his father had been worried.

That was a weird thought, for some reason. It was hard for Tsuna to wrap his head around.

"Sawada!"

Tsuna only had about a two second warning after his mother released him before he was crushed into another hug—this time by Ryohei. Yamamoto was laughing, standing next to the two, and only started laughing harder when Lambo started complaining about not getting a long enough hug.

Tsuna laughed, too, when Ryohei released him and ruffled his hair. Tsuna turned to Lambo. "You sat on my lap the entire time we were in the helicopter!"

Lambo pouted, wrapping his arms around Tsuna's middle anyways. "So? That wasn't long enough! And I don't count that as a hug."

Tsuna didn't refute the kid, wrapping his own arms around Lambo and lifting him up. The exhaustion was being driven away by the pure happiness of those surrounding him. His mom was still beaming, Ryohei and Yamamoto laughing, Lambo clinging to him, and Basil, Enma (and his friends), Dino, and Chrome were all smiling at him. Even Mukuro was smirking.

Gokudera wasn't smiling, though. In fact, he looked kind of bewildered by the whole scene—maybe even scared, and Tsuna briefly flashed back to what Mukuro had said about him reminding the bomber of what his future-self used to be like and all of what he wasn't anymore.

So Tsuna put Lambo down, and gave Gokudera a small smile. While the others started chattering to each other, Tsuna took a few steps towards where Gokudera had his arms crossed and a terrified sort of confusion written across his face.

"Gokudera-kun?"

"What is it?" the bomber asked tersely.

"Thank you."

Gokudera froze. "What?"

Tsuna swallowed, but went through with his impromptu plan. "Thanks. For before. You protected me back when I first appeared. And you guided me back to the base. And even though you were struggling, I don't think you ever gave up. And you came to get me this time, too," Tsuna said. "So, thank you."

Gokudera looked like he was going to cry, and while that hadn't really been Tsuna's goal, it was the only other emotion Tsuna had seen on Gokudera's older face in over a week. He was sort of stunned by the raw emotion open on Gokudera's face. There for everyone in the room to see it.

Stunned, and really, really happy—and wasn't that all sorts of messed up?

Gokudera finally sniffed and tugged Tsuna in for a rough hug. "I promise," he whispered. "I promise, Sawada Tsunayoshi, that I will do everything in my power to get you back to your family."

Sucking in a large breath, Tsuna hesitantly wrapped his arms around Gokudera in return. "Gokudera-kun?"

"This must be so hard for you," Gokudera continued. "It's probably been as hard for you as it has been for all of us, and all I did was push you away when you needed some support. I promise- I promise, that I will do everything I can for you."

Gokudera was...he was accepting Tsuna. Just like that. How- Why- What had brought this on? Tsuna had been wondering for so long when Gokudera would finally let him close, if Gokudera would let him close. It broke his heart every time the bomber pushed Tsuna away, and to have this happen? It was amazing. His heart—so long ago, it had been completely shattered by his family's rejection, but now it was bursting with happiness. Filled to the brim with love and acceptance.

Tsuna sobbed and gripped the back of Gokudera's shirt, burying his face into the bomber's shoulder. This was more than he could ever ask for. He'd only meant to try to get Gokudera to warm up to him. Who knew that Gokudera had been so close to accepting him like this?

It was amazing and Tsuna couldn't stop crying.

Kinda dialogue heavy, but I was trying to do something new for the present time.

I had more planned for this chapter, but I felt this was a really good place to end it. Otherwise it would be about 7,000 words longer, and I wanted to get this up before school got into full swing.

Okay, so I have a couple questions for you guys.

Would you guys like it if I did a Q&A for War Torn on tumblr? You'd be free to ask anything you'd like about the story, and I'll try my best to keep it spoiler free. But I'd love to hear what kinds of things are on your mind. The story is almost to the climax, so it may be a little early to do a Q&A, but I want to do one if you guys do. So please, stop by my profile and cast your vote in my poll. I'll keep it open for a week! If you guys are into it, I'll put the date and time frame in the next chapter.

Following that, are guys into the shorter chapters? They're letting me get them out a bit faster. I've already got half of chapter 22 written, so I predict that the next chapter will be up in two weeks or less. So let me know that, as well.

Lastly, I'm thinking I maybe want to put this on AO3, but if I do that, I want to revise it first, so the chapters would be updated. I'm not too into this idea, but I think maybe it could be a later project? Anyways, I'd like all of your opinions on this before I go and just do it. So yeah. Let me know!

Thanks!