A/N: KHR! does not belong to me in any way possible.
As the flames of sky and sun slowly faded, a single form stood there, her eyes closed and form swaying. "Alessia!" Her body fell forward. Being as she wasn't all that far from them, Tsuna was able to catch her, executing a rather perfect slide. Even Yamamoto was impressed with it. "A-alessia, wake up! Alessia!" Holding her in his lap and gazing down at her still form once more, his friends hurriedly gathered around them, the girls kneeling quickly and holding her hands, fanning her face. "Reborn, why it's she waking up?" The Arcobaleno gazed at her in silence. "Reborn!"
"Dame-Tsuna, considering that Alessia Critolli inhabited her body rather than an object, the strain of losing that force might take days for her to recover from. Even then, she might never truly be the same."
"Don't say that!" Reborn raised a single brow before gazing down once more at the fellow sun flame wielder.
"It is a possibility." The girls teared up at their friend's still form, this time it being caused by something they couldn't explain.
"Haru-chan, do—do you think…?" Kyoko raised a hand to cover her quivering lips. "C-could it be th-that…" Haru shook her head fiercely, tears falling.
"No! We have to be positive! Alessia-chan w-will be better! We just have to get her to a hospital!" The girls nodded to each other, silently promising to hope for the best, no matter the situation.
An IV was hooked into her arm and she hadn't moved even once during the entire time from when they had called her father to when the doctor finished his examination. Tsuna had calmed considerably and was attempting to comfort the girls with Yuni's help. It wasn't going too well. Her father, however…
"Sofia-san, what's going on?" Tsuna looked up at the older girl when she exited the room for a break. She gave a pained smile. "S-sofia-san?"
"She sustained a blow to her head. They aren't sure how long… how long the coma will last." She averted her eyes briefly. "The various cuts on her arms were easily taken care of, but they were concerned about the old scars and breaks."
"Breaks? What do you mean?"
"She fell a couple of times as a kid and it seems some of the breaks and fractures didn't quite heal properly." She took a breath. "She may have temporary or permanent damage, depending on how everything goes. Excuse me." She returned to the room, sliding the door shut as she disappeared from their sight. Haru and Kyoko broke into sobs, clinging to Yuni as she calmly patted their backs, some tears leaving her own eyes. Gokudera scuffed the toe of his shoe against the floor, jamming his hands in his pockets while Yamamoto's eyes darkened.
"Boss, I'm gonna go." Gokudera spoke quietly, looking at his Boss from the corner of his eye. "Call me if anything happens?"
"O-of-course, Gokudera-kun. I'm sorry for keeping you." His Storm Guardian walked away toward the stairs.
"Tsuna, I'm gonna go too. My old man needs me at home." Yamamoto gave a quick wave before jogging after Gokudera. Ryohei was hiding his eyes in his arm, sitting next to Kyoko and attempting not to cry too 'extremely' loud. It was a fail, Kyoko turning and hugging her brother tightly, crying into his shoulder. Tsuna looked to Yuni, the girl letting out a soft breath.
"Is there… nothing you can do?" He asked her quietly, hands tightening in his lap. She looked over at him, her face holding sadness. "Nothing?"
"My power… is difficult to use for long periods and for healing purposes. I could attempt, but I'm afraid all I would be able to accomplish is to release her of some of her pain. I'm sorry, Sawada-san." He shook his head.
"No, its fine, don't worry about it, Yuni-chan."
The next day was the day they would return to the future to complete their battle against Byakuran. Conflict filled their hearts; on one hand, they wanted to rid the world, both theirs and alternate worlds, of the tyrant, but on the other hand, they wanted to stay to watch over Alessia.
But they knew the choice was already made, no matter how much it pained them.
If winning the battle was their goal, they could consider it completed. If defeating Byakuran was a success, they were successful.
But losing a friend… that had not been part of the plan. She had sacrificed her life to bring the world back into order and because of her sacrifice, Tsuna had been able to summon the power needed to finally beat the white haired leader of the Millefiore once and for all.
But, pain only seeped into his own heart, filling it. The girls were suffering as well, that he knew, but he knew the pain would eventually fade. Knowing she was at peace, finally with her family, with her mother, helped to ease a bit of it away. The one and only time he had acted upon taking another's life was done because without him making that choice, his future and alternate worlds would suffer the consequences. The truth is, there was a void in him that taking that life had brought. A tyrant such as Byakuran deserved no such kindness, but Tsuna felt if circumstances had been different, perhaps they could have gotten along.
But then Yuni's smiling face came forth and reminded him that a man such as him didn't deserve to walk the Earth.
"Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko rested a hand on his arm and he looked up at her.
"Yes, Kyoko-chan?" She sat next to him, curling her knees up to her chest as they silently watched the party that was going on.
"I miss her too…" She finally murmured after a time, voice soft as she smiled sadly. "But, we have someone waiting for us at home. She needs us now, and I know Yuni-chan doesn't hurt anymore." Tsuna looked at the girl he(and half the male student body) loved, brow furrowed silently. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Yuni-chan was hurting inside, we saw that in her eyes. Yuni-chan said it was because of all the pain and suffering that Byakuran brought, but we know she missed her mother dreadfully. They both played a part in her sadness." Honestly, he was amazed that she, Kyoko, his somewhat airheaded crush, had realized that. "But, she's better now." Tears pooled at the edges of her eyes and she brushed them away quickly. "So, now we have to get back for Alessia-chan."
"Right."
A day later, after returning from the future, they had just stepped out of the elevator and started toward the room where Alessia was being held when a scream echoed around the floor. A crash followed soon after and they heard Alessia's father panicking and yelling. Tsuna froze where he was, the girls rushing forward at their friend's obvious distress. "Alessia-chan!" The opening of the door and the girls rushed in while the doctor stumbled out, Alessia's father following after him, still yelling.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'PERMANENT'?" The doctor shielded himself from the man's rage, falling to the floor and cowering there. "YOU BETTER MAKE THIS RIGHT!"
"I-i-i-'m sorry, Sir! I-it's possible that it's permanent! There's nothing any of us can do but hope for the best!" The doctor was curled up on himself, eyes tightly shut and arms up, defending himself. Alessia's father stood over him, expression livid and eyes dark in their rage.
"You had better make sure—"
"Gian, that's quite enough. Doctor, I apologize. You have to excuse him." Alessia's mother rested a hand on her husband's shoulder before helping the doctor up. "You have to understand his grief." The doctor dusted himself, adjusting his glasses.
"Q-quite so. If you'll excuse me, I have other patients." And he booked it outta there. Viviana patted her husband's back, returning to the room. Alessia's father, stood there for a moment, his head bowed before slipping into the chair beside the door, burying his head in his hands.
Tsuna wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he was fearful for his friend's life. "Capello-san, w-would it be alright—"
"What?" Gian gazed at Tsuna for a long moment. "Oh, it's you. Sawada." He bowed his head again.
"W-would it be possible for us to see Alessia-chan?" The man waved them on, not lifting his eyes from the floor. Tsuna opened the door slowly and they peeked in, gazing at the girls collapsed to their knees, sobbing, while Alessia's mother and sister stood against the wall, tears slipping down their cheeks as well. The only one not showing his distress was her grandfather. The elder was seated next to her bed, patting her hand.
"All will be well, my dear. All will be well. Have faith and all will be well. Things will just be a bit harder from now on."
It was then they saw the bandages wrapped around her head, covering her eyes.
"A-alessia…" Kyoko and Haru looked up at Tsuna's whisper. They rose quickly, Kyoko going to her brother and burying her head in his chest while Haru hugged Tsuna.
"Tsuna?" Her grandfather stopped her from raising herself up, pushing down on her shoulders gently. She laid there silently, lips pulled into a thin line while tears dampened the bandages and slipped under them. Tsuna patted Haru's shoulder and she left him to hug Kyoko. He walked to her bed, brushing his fingers against her other hand. Bandages covered parts of her arms and one was taped across her neck. He didn't doubt there would be some on her legs and torso. She gripped his hand tightly. "Tsuna, please don't leave me…" Her mother sucked in a breath. "Please."
"Alright, Alessia."
She moved through the trees silently, dark sunglasses hiding her eyes from view. She moved with a grace that only one acquainted with the area could possess, her hands brushing against the trees as she went. Silence filled the forest, the sunlight twinkling down from between the leaves. Cocking her head at the noise she heard from deep in the woods, she moved her hand to a small yellow box attached to her belt. "Jackie, perhaps there's someone here you can play with." The ring on her finger glowed with a faint yellow light and she brought it to the box, pressing it firmly into the center. "Why don't you come out and play, Sciacallo del Sereno?" A snarling and the beast was let forth.
He prowled about slowly, not straying far from his Mistress. Turning her gaze to the forest before her, to where she was headed, a frown ghosted her lips. "Go." A high-pitched keening and the jackal, affectionately named Jackie, shot forward, his snarling fading from her hearing. She pressed her ring to another box, the flame released to bring the creature out from within. "Frederick, I don't like the sound of the woods. Scout above." The hunting cry of the eagle left his beak as he took to the skies. She stepped further into the trees, her fingers brushing the trunks of the trees and her feet sweeping the forest floor beneath her, deftly guiding her to where she wished to be.
A sharp cry from her loyal companion in the air and she clicked her tongue, listening to the echo it caused. Movement in the underbrush and she shifted her head to the noise, eyes blinking rapidly as she clicked her tongue again. "Jackie?" She noted the sound was her other friend, but… there was something off… "Jackie, come." The snap of a twig as he pranced toward her. "Did you meet someone?" He brushed against her legs and she moved in the direction he came from, toward the same clearing she loved, but hated. She would have liked to move fast, but a relapse… "Stay with me."
Silence surrounded him as he stood in the grass, face upturned to the sun. The rays felt warm on his skin, his brown hair shifting in the wind. He smiled, hearing a faint clicking noise. "So you came." A shadow passed above him, shrieking. "Are you afraid?"
"May I ask who you are?" He turned, watching as she came from the shadows. He gazed at her form, thinking of the pain he had caused her. "Well? Who are you?" He noted the glasses and the way she held herself, knowing from those alone that something was wrong.
"I stand before you as a friend." Her shoulders shifted back, muscles tightening. "Don't you believe me?" Her head tilted slightly. She clicked her tongue.
"Again, I ask your name. Will you answer?"
And he knew, knew what was wrong.
"You can't see me." She shifted back toward the shadows, one hand reaching behind her. "Alessia. You know me." He watched as she stopped, her brows twitching. "I told you I would never leave you, and I haven't." She turned her face away, reaching one hand up and hesitantly removing the glasses. Bandages were taped across her eyes, the white a stark contrast to the surrounding darkness. "Alessia…" She had just touched the bindings when she paused.
"You died… I saw them… bury you. There's no possible way…"
"This is the Mafia. We can make anything happen." She dropped her hand.
"If you are who you claim, tell me, who was I long ago?" He shook his head, not wanting to panic her further by stepping closer. As much as he wished to hold her for the first time in so long, he didn't want to frighten her.
"Critolli." Her bottom lip quivered and her hand shook as she reached for the bandages.
"I was there… T-there's just… You…"
"I'm sorry, Alessia." The bindings unraveled and her eyes remained closed for a long time. "If it helps, not even Gokudera was told the truth." She bit her lip, closing her eyes tighter.
"Tsuna... I thought… I thought you…" Tears fell from her eyes as they slowly opened, showing sky blue orbs.
"I know." She gazed at him for a moment longer before rushing toward him, throwing her entire weight into the embrace. He held her tightly as she buried her head into his chest. "I love you, Alessia."
"I hate you!" He smiled, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.
And so, this is the end of such a story. I thank all who have read this, commented, and continued to support it. Truly, this is all thanks to you.
It began as an idea, but grew and expanded into this series. I appreciate all of your support and encouragement. This couldn't have been completed without you.