Chapter 21: Regrets
The male guardians sat impatiently on the car, and an oppressing silence envelopes the already thick heavy atmosphere.
They were mulling over their mistakes.
'Everything will be alright. I promise.'
His words echoed in their minds. His reassurance that they dismissed like a stupid joke.
'He never failed you. Because everyone is alive back there.'
The words of Parallel Tsuna who told them the truth, but they interpreted it as lies and insult.
'You really have to go back. The Sawada Tsunayoshi of your world needs you.'
The pleading he so uncharacteristically showed but for them, it sounded like a trick-play just to send them back.
'The situation there is much dire than here now.'
The warning they just shrugged and walk over.
'He needs you more than you'll ever know! And you need him too! You are a family, RIGHT?!'
The truth that they desperately blocked from their ears.
Chrome noticed how they fisted their hands, so tight that their knuckles were already white. She glanced at the restless albino with them and noticed that he was giving side way glares at her co-guardians.
"What happened? " She silently asked, breaking the increasing tension by only a minute or two before it came back, heavier than before.
"Don't give me that silence." Chrome said sternly. "Don't leave me out of this! I'm a guardian too!"
They flinch at her outburst, but no one still told her anything.
Suddenly, all seven of them felt a tug.. somewhat calling.
"Hayato, Takeshi, Ryohei, Lambo, Chrome, Mukuro, and Kyoya." A familiar voice echoed in their minds.
"Tsuna?" Takeshi asked as he put a hand over his ear to hear clearly. Byakuran eyed them in confusion as all seven of them covered their ears with their hands.
"Everything and everyone stayed the same these past ten years" the voice said somewhat in a nostalgic tone.
"However... It all started to change on that fateful day" The voice became gloomy and pained that they got a very bad feeling swirl in their guts.
"DRIVE FASTER! " Takeshi shouted at their driver, shocking the clueless man. Never did he saw or heard the young Rain shouted at any one.
"What's happening?! " Byakuran demanded.
"We could hear Tsuna!" Ryohei shouted in panic.
"Boss is calling us!" Chrome added, worry written all over her face.
"If only I could go back..."
By now, Lambo was silently crying already. "Tsuna-nii"
"Back to the time..."
"ARE WE FUCKING THERE YET?!" This time, Kyoya was the one who exploded.
"When everything was still alright"
"FUCK THIS SHIT! STOP THE CAR!" Mukuro shouted next. "WE'RE FLYING THERE!"
"B-but signor!" The driver stuttered. With a combined glare from the guardians, the driver complied.
"HAYATO!" Mukuro called out. With a nod, the storm guardian nodded in understanding and summoned his upgraded Systema C.A.I. .
Everyone hopped on and they sped off in lightning speed, thanks to everyone's flame bursts for additional acceleration.
"I'm sorry..."
"Wait wait wait wait! NO!" Hayato desperately shouted as they neared the mansion.
They got off, and was about to run.. But he and the others froze on their spot as soon as they saw the situation on the Giglio Nero Mansion.
"... Everyone "
With their panic ever so rising, they run for the front door.
"JYUDAIME?!" Hayato called out.
"You know, you shouldn't trust any one." An echo of someone talking reached their ears. Hayato quickly bolted and followed the voice, the others trailing behind him.
"Because even your shadow leaves you in the dark" It got louder.
'There!' Hayato slammed the door open, only to be greeted with a sight that would haunt him forever.
His beloved friend and boss was leaning on the wall, bloodied and in pain. But what scared him most was the man in front of his friend, the guy had a gun pointed at Tsuna's heart.
"JYUDAIMEEEEEEE!" He shouted as he ran and try to intercept the bullet.
"Hayato? Is that you?" He heard the brunet mutter with hope lacing his voice.
*BANG!*
{ ALL27 }
~0~
[ A few months later... ]
A man stood in front of a grave, silently weeping. The silver haired man kneel and bowed respectfully at the grave.
"Jyudaime! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!" he apologized over and over again as tears welled up his eyes and streamed his cheeks. He cried shamelessly.
He felt a light tap on his shoulder, but he didn't move from his kneel to acknowledge the new presence.
"Hayato." A soft masculine voice reached his ear. "Enough..."
That was all, before the man walked away. Tears also streaming down his face.
"Jyudaime..." Hayato murmured one last time before standing up.
Tears continued to stream down his cheeks as he remembered how his best friend died.
*BANG!*
That gunshot that echoes even in his sleep.
'JYUDAIMEEEEEEE ! ! ! !'
His own fearful shout for his beloved boss and friend.
'Hayato? Is that you?'
That hopeful voice that called his name before he slumped down on the ground.
He reached his car without even noticing it. He got inside and once again burst into tears.
'Jyudaime doesn't need us. And we don't need him.'
His words to parallel Tsuna rang in his ears. No.. We need him. I need him.
{ 5927 }
Takeshi gazed at the horizon, watching the sunset from a high hill near the Vongola Mansion. A reddish orange hue spread and colored everything the sky embraces.
Sky.
A lone tear slipped down his face as his smiling face before he died flashed through his eyes.
"JYUDAIMEEEEEEE ! ! ! !"
He could remember Hayato's desperate shout that urged them to run faster.
"Hayato? Is that you?"
They heard the brunet mutter with hope lacing his voice. And then...
*BANG!*
It felt like everything on earth stopped moving, or moving too slow. He will never forget that time when Tsuna's body fell limp on the ground.
'And Tsuna was the reason why we left our world.'
His own words echoed in his ears and he cried. I'm sorry, Tsuna. We didn't consider your situation.
I'm sorry we left you alone. I'm sorry for not trusting you. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'M SORRY!
{ 8027 }
~0~
Lambo stared at his room walls with puffy red eyes and tears stained his cheeks.
*KNOCK* *KNOCK*
A knock could be heard by his door, but he paid no mind to it. He wants to be alone.
He remembered everything that happened like it was only yesterday. Another muffled cry escaped his lips as he put a hand over it.
He heard his door opened and felt someone embrace him.
"Lambo" A feminine voice called out. I-pin
'Get away from this house! They'll only give you pain!'
His own words to Parallel I-pin rang in his ears.
"No! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY !" He cried in I-pin's arms until he collapsed in fatigue.
By the door, Mukuro and Chrome stood. Watching their youngest co-guardian breakdown.
They both entered the room as I-pin tucked-in her boyfriend under the covers.
Chrome put a hand over his forehead, a frown marred her face.
"He got a fever" She said and I-pin nodded to get the necessary equipment.
Mukuro stepped beside the bed and put a hand over the sleeping teen's head, casting illusions inside it.
"I've been casting good illusions in his dreams, but I think it will never be enough. He needs to move on." He sighed and stepped out of the room immediately went somewhere to be alone.
{ L27 }
~0~
Mukuro reached the training room. As he entered, he saw Kyoya inside. Just standing in the middle and had a faraway gaze.
'MUKURO! Don't antagonize Kyoya! You both give me hell just by destroying a single training room!'
He humorlessly chuckled as he remembered one of Tsuna's outbursts because of paperwork.
Kyoya glanced at his direction.
"Let's spar" Mukuro said as his trident appeard. He didn't taunt the other, his voice actually held sadness.
They both got into a fighting stance before charging forward.
*BANG!*
The gunshot replayed on their ears. And the limping body of Sawada Tsunayoshi. Seeing him lying on his pool of blood clicked something in them and they both immediately killed the two bosses who ganged up on their brunet. No mercy.
They didn't wiped off the tears that streamed their faces, they just continued to attack the other. Letting out the frustration and sorrow in their hearts.
'We're sorry Tsunayoshi'
{ 6927, 1827 }
~0~
After tending on Lambo's fever, Chrome went to look for Mukuro. On her way down to the training room, she saw Ryohei sitting on the gym floor staring blankly in to space.
She knocked a few times to get his attention. When he finally looked at her, she approached and sat beside him.
They sat in silence until Ryohei decided to finally tell her the truth. Why they went to a Parallel World and what they did there.
"You're a bunch of idiots" She muttered as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Boss.. He never stopped caring"
Yeah. That was true. All of them witnessed his everlasting kindness. Even when he was at death's door, he asked if they were alright. And he closed his eyes with a small relieved happy smile on his lips, then he died.
Ryohei never forgot the memory where his own hands were covered with the brunet's blood as he desperately tried to heal the wounds.
Chrome will never forget that smile that marred her beloved boss' lips. He was, after all, the first one to accept her aside from Mukuro.
{ 9627, 3327 }
~0~
A tall lean man in expensive suit and orange stripped black fedora stood in front of an empty mahogany desk.
He stayed like that for a few more minutes before finally getting out.
His fedora tilted to shadow and cover his red puffy eyes. His sideburns bounced dully by his side.
Goodbye, my dame student. And thank you for everything, Tsuna.
{ R27 }