This has some skipping – if you haven't gone up to future arc I'm sorry if something confuses you! _ Shortish chapter, and I had wanted to add a Ryohei extra but the ending was just too good and I couldn't stand not ending it there. XD I had wanted to make it longer, mind you! =3=
Hope you like this! It's an experiment, of sorts, to see if people like the recounting and the little added bits. There is some foreshadowing that's really obscure. Sorry, it's a bit emo, but then the whole future arc is a bit emo. Thanks for my sister for beta-ing, and you readers and reviewers too! All of you who reviewed last chapter receive cookie crumbs (oh, did I say crumbs? I'm sorry, I ate them all…)
No note at the end – so please enjoy and review!
"Alice!"
Tsuna came, panting and looking desperately at me.
"Did you see Reborn?"
"No." I shook my head slowly, and he looked even more worried. "Do you have an idea of where he would be?"
"No."
"Oh no, he's been missing since yesterday after he was hit by the ten-year bazooka…"
I widened my eyes.
Couldn't be…
Tsuna bowed, and then ran off after making me promise to keep an out for Reborn. I just hurried home. I did not want to be drawn into the ten year future mess. If I just make my peace here, then a week later Tsuna and the others would just safely come back, nice and triumphant.
No need for me to be there…
Tsuna blinked, before widening his eyes at a familiar purple tunnel.
"Can't be… I got hit by the ten year bazooka again?"
He really wanted to sigh, but something felt wrong this time in the tunnel. A feeling in his chest told him this trip wouldn't be the same. But what… Tsuna screamed as the tunnel suddenly shot him out.
And he appeared on…
"Hiie?" Tsuna tentatively opened his eyes, only for them to meet darkness. There was a sweet smell clogging the space up.
"Tree? No, it's the smell of flowers… It's so dark," he said to himself, trying to calm himself a little bit. Reaching up, the ceiling was unexpectedly close.
"Oh, it moved!" The strange ceiling gave way as he pushed, letting a sliver of light in. Reaching up his other hand, he shoved it off and sat up, blinking in the sudden light. Looking around, it didn't seem like he was in Namimori. Deep dark forest on all sides… "Could this be ten-years in the future? It's so different from last time…"
"If I am ten years in the future, then my ten years later self would be here ten years later." Tsuna mused, taking comfort in his own voice in such total silence. There weren't even birds. "Then where am I?"
Well, he thought to himself, last time he wasn't dumped in a strange box that was shaped strangely like a coffin. Like a coffin?
"This is a… coffin?" Tsuna officially freaked out. "Why am I in a coffin?" he yelled.
"Who's there?" A deep voice yelled from the shadows of the forest and Tsuna immediately froze. Soft footsteps stepped closer and closer, until a silhouette was visible from Tsuna's perspective, the light behind him shadowing his face. But the hair was familiar, and Tsuna's mind slowly started working again. The shadow suddenly spoke, obviously shocked and much gentler than the last shout.
"Y-you're…"
This voice… Tsuna's mind started working properly again, and his own eyes widened. "You can't be… Go-Gokudera–"
But Tsuna was cut off by Gokudera collapsing on his knees and grabbing both of his shoulders.
"Juudaime," the figure in front of him said, so like and unlike the Gokudera he knew. He sounded like he was near tears, but his eyes were dry. Tsuna was more shocked than anything. It really was the future Gokudera, and it was amazing to note how much he'd grown.
But the Gokudera he knew never stuttered. And Tsuna's concern only deepened when the grey head in front of him started bowing repeatedly, his hands grabbing tighter and tighter and all the while repeating 'sorry'.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry–"
"Wait a minute – Ow!" Tsuna winced, and ten-years-later Gokudera immediately let go.
"Sorry." He apologised yet again.
"No, I mean, I don't really know what's going on," Tsuna said to him, immediately trusting all his troubles to his future right-hand-man. "I'm sure it's hard to believe, but I was hit by Lambo's ten-year- bazooka by accident…" he trailed off, seeing the Gokudera's face fall by his words.
"I see." He stated, still in that voice that sounded like he was close to crying. "Only five minutes…" His face twisted, eyes closed for a few moments, and when he opened his eyes again they shone a bit more than they should. "Listen closely, Juudaime."
"Eh?"
"When you go back to the past again, remember this moment and follow my instructions," he said seriously and calmly. Too calmly. "There is no time for details."
Ten-years-later Gokudera was so mature, Tsuna thought as he stared up at him. Eyes grim, sitting formally…
"When you go back, you must eliminate this person immediately!" Gokudera continued, taking out a picture from the inside of his jacket and holding it up for Tsuna to see.
"H-huh?"
"This is a picture from this time. You should know him from freshman year middle school."
"Eh, who is this…? And did you just say eliminate?"
"There's no need to hesitate." Gokudera said with his face partly shadowed. He knew well Tsuna's compassion.
"No, but, please wait a bit!" Tsuna tried to stall, noting that Gokudera was still a bit extreme even after ten years. He was glad that there was at least some resemblance, but eliminate? "By eliminate, do you mean kill?"
Gokudera's gaze immediately sharpened into one of focused hate. "If only he didn't exist, then Byakuran wouldn't be like this."
"Byaku…ran?" Tsuna repeated, then sat back a little. Now that he thought about it… Why had Gokudera's mood been so serious?
What was happening ten years in his future? His eyes strayed downwards towards the coffin.
"What I'm going to say next is only a precaution…" Gokudera said, oblivious to where Tsuna was looking at.
"Um, there's been one thing that's been bothering me," Tsuna said, looking earnestly at Gokudera. "Why is my future self in a coffin?"
Gokudera immediately stiffened even more as his eyes widened into a haunted look. Tsuna nearly tried to retract his words, but he pushed on.
"Why… is the future me in a coffin?" Tsuna asked again, fearing what Gokudera's reaction meant to him.
"That…" Gokudera said softly through gritted teeth, his eyes betraying his confusion and sadness, and turmoil over what to do. "That's because–" He was whispering, still hesitating when a plume of pink smoke enveloped him and Tsuna backed away from…
A younger Gokudera?
"To think paper letters are still being used ten years later in the future," Gokudera muttered as he went through the things that dropped out of ten-years-later Gokudera's suitcase. "And what is this… G-code!"
"G-code?" Tsuna questioned as he peered closer (he knew this was wrong, but it was just morbid curiosity).
"Oh, it was a code I created when I was still a first year in middle school," Gokudera said offhandedly to a shocked Tsuna who was wondering just what he did in class and how did he still get perfect hundreds then?
"Guardians… come… together?" Gokudera read slowly, deciphering the letter slowly out loud for Tsuna.
"Huh?" Tsuna was about to say something more when someone stepped out of the trees. They both looked up to see a strange cloaked figure with blue hair.
"Just as I thought." The person said to herself. Then she looked up, and started picking something off her finger.
"Nice to meet you… and goodbye."
She raised an arm up armed with something metal.
"Enemy," Gokudera immediately said and darted in front of Tsuna. "Juudaime! Please stand back!"
"Hahi! Alice-san!"
I turned around carefully to see Haru running towards me. Didn't she get hit by the ten year bazooka as well? Should I back away?
"Have you seen Reborn-kun, Alice-san?" She puffed out.
"No," I said flatly, still keeping an eye out for any suspicious red-heads that would throw something huge and purple my way. "Tsuna asked me that before too." I continued, trying to make the conversation seem remotely normal.
"Ah! Tsuna-san!" Haru suddenly jumped up happily before drooping and facing the wall in a depressed fashion. "What shall I tell Tsuna-san when I tell him Haru couldn't find Reborn?"
"I think it'll be okay," I said placating her even while twitching at the sight of something orangey-red… and finding it was only a ribbon. "Tsuna's nice."
Haru immediately turned around and pouted at me. "Of course Tsuna-san's nice! And brave, and heroic, and a future mafia boss! Tsuna-san is the perfect guy!"
"Err," I said to her, "if you say so. Now, I have to go home…"
"Oh, Haru's sorry!" Haru said a quick goodbye and ran off to who knows where, and I continued my quick scurry back to the apartment.
Why was Grey out today of all days?
Tsuna peered out from behind the boulder they were hiding behind before quickly going back to join the other two.
"Um, who is the enemy?" He asked. Lal Mirch looked up before shushing him, sensing something coming. Tsuna and Gokudera eventually heard the heavy footsteps as well, slow and steady.
"This one is a recon. Do not move and let it pass." Lal ordered the two, keeping her eyes trained on the machine. The lights on her goggles flashed dimly, assessing the situation.
Gola Mosca continued to step forward, slowly going forward. Gokudera and Tsuna peered out from the boulder in spite of what Lal said to not move and gasped when they recognised the model.
"That's Varia's…" Gokudera said,
"Gola Mosca!" Tsuna finished with his eyes wide.
"Strau Mosca. Second Generation of the Gola Mosca units." Lal corrected behind them, still alert to any changes. "The military sold their secrets to others besides the Vongola." She continued quietly.
The steps stopped, and looked their way. "It's looking this way," Gokudera hissed at Lal.
"It's fine," she replied. "It searches for ring powers with built in sensors and attacks anything it finds." Then she lifted up her hand and the chained rings on them. "Our rings are sealed by the Mammon Chains."
She stopped when the Mosca suddenly started stepping towards them, slow in advance but increasing its speed as it went.
"Hey, it's coming this way." Gokudera stated the obvious even as Lal gritted her teeth in thought.
"Did it notice us?"
"It's impossible!" The older woman shot back softly, in hopes that it really didn't notice them. "Do you have any Rings other than the Vongola Rings?"
"No." Gokudera immediately said.
"Me neither." Then Tsuna paused. "No, the Ring Lancia-san gave me!"
"That Ring is… Why didn't you tell me!" she burst out.
Gokudera took out his bombs, and grinned. "Heh, you sound so cowardly. If all three of us take it on…"
"Even three of us couldn't take that thing on," she immediately said back. "We're going to be wiped out!"
He immediately tensed a bit more as he looked at her. Tsuna watched the exchange in worry. "Can't you do something with those Rings you're so proud of?" he growled at her.
"Having strength isn't all there is to fighting! Affinity is also important!" She looked up, charging the weapon on her arm with Mist flames. "And we were so close to the hideout! Damn it!" Jumping up on the boulder, she took aim. "I'll hold it back! Escape!"
"We can't do–" Tsuna said even as the Mosca held up an arm and started charging its own weapon. There was nothing they could do, and it was as if it was a nightmare come true (even though it was pretty much like a nightmare already, with Vongola nearly decimated, them trapped in the future and the getting attacked) when a flash of metal came from behind the machine.
"Attaco di Squalo." The dark figure said, sword relaxed in his hand. "This should buy us a minute," the person said even as Tsuna's mouth dropped open at his voice. "Help has arrived."
"C-could you be…" Gokudera said, as the two ran forward.
"Y-Yamamoto?" Tsuna said in disbelief (because could they really be that lucky?), and Yamamoto only hefted his scabbard and grinned his usual grin.
"Huh? This isn't some kind of bad joke, is it?" Yamamoto asked, puzzled frown on his face. "I came to get the agent from the External Advisors, but you guys are here too." Then he tilted his head as he put a hand up to his chin. "But you've shrunk. An illusion? A ghost?"
Tsuna and Gokudera could only deadpan.
It really was Yamamoto, alright.
The phone rang, and I picked it up to hear the receptionist's voice. "Brighteye-san, there is a request for you."
"Who is it?"
"Someone calling himself… Yamamoto Takeshi."
"Oh, put him on the phone."
There was a pause, before Yamamoto's cheerful voice came on the phone. "Alice! I feel so posh talking into a phone in such a grand atmosphere…"
"Why'd you come here, Yamamoto? It's me who usually goes to your house. No-one comes here."
"Haha, don't be like that, Alice! I just wanted to ask you something, you're usually pretty knowledgeable right?"
Trust Yamamoto to pick up on that.
"What?"
"Haru just came to me asking where Tsuna and Gokudera went. They were searching for that kid at Tsuna's place together… Oh wait, there are a few kids at Tsuna's place. I mean, Haru and them were searching for the Reborn kid and when they were supposed to meet up they weren't there. Haru even checked at Tsuna's place and they weren't there."
"And so…"
"You know anything about it?"
I knew everything about it.
"Don't worry. I think you'll know where they are soon. I think they're somewhere safe."
"You think? Oh, okay then! I'll go and practice some more baseball to loosen up. Thanks, Alice!"
"Yeah."
"Bye!"
And the phone clicked off and I had a status report that Tsuna and Gokudera had already gone to the future. The future…
I looked at the creepy black journal from the future and shook my head. No way was I going to look in it again. Not until I was ready to face the consequences.
But just in case Irie Shouichi comes up with something with his genius engineering mind, I'll write Grey a note saying if I disappeared for a few days not to worry.
Just in case.
Logically thinking though, how would he come up to the top of this twenty-seven storey building and hit me with something huge and purple when I was very physically able to dodge?
I mean, he was still a kid after all, in this time.
Yamamoto opened the door carefully, carrying Lal Mirch in his arms after she fainted passing through the barrier. Tsuna stepped in carefully, Gokudera a step behind him. Looking around, it was a usual Western décor…
"You're late." A squeaky voice came from the front.
Tsuna slowly turned around, his eyes growing watery at the familiar voice.
"Re-Reborn!" He stammered, taking a wobbly step forward with his vision a bit blurry from his tears and stretching a hand to try and touch him and see if he was real only to stop knowing he wouldn't want to be touched and oh he was just so happy that Reborn was back and…
"Hug me." Reborn said.
"Eh?" Tsuna said, still a bit dazed and retracted his hand knowing something was wrong when suddenly…
A tiny foot kicked him from behind, hitting the back of his head, making him fall forward and face-planting on the fake Reborn toy, which in turn nearly made him bite his tongue.
Reborn, in a white all-body suit with a tail, landed calmly on the floor with his usual smile and Leon on his head.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Tsuna cried, holding his head and Gokudera immediately dropped the suitcase and knelt in front of him.
"Are you okay, Juudaime?" he exclaimed, not knowing how to make matters better.
The cause of all this just smirked. "My toes fit into the back of your head," Reborn said matter-of-factly.
Tsuna turned around pouring tears just like normal. "What's with this messed up reunion?" he asked even while knowing the answer. "I was looking all over for you!" Then he paused for a little bit and added a little more exasperatedly, "and you're in a weird outfit again!"
But, Tsuna thought to himself, I'm glad he's safe.
Reborn just stood there, for once not hitting Tsuna for yelling at him.
"I can't help it," he replied to the accusation of wearing a weird outfit. "Unless I wear this special suit my body gets sick. I had the barrier made for me too."
"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked. Reborn jumped from the floor to the chair first, settling down before answering Tsuna's question.
"It just means it's a harsh world out there," Reborn said vaguely.
"There you go again, talking about these weird things."
Reborn just looked at him, taking a moment to remember when he came into this future. He had appeared at one of the six entrances of the Vongola hideout, quickly brought in and barrier activated, suit on. After he had recovered enough, he asked how Giannini how he had been so efficient.
He could've just changed that much in ten years, but Reborn doubted it. And he was right. As always.
"Oh, that, Reborn-san?"
Reborn just frowned at him. "What does 'that' mean, Giannini?"
"Of course the Vongola tried to get your remains when you died, but we were unsuccessful for the most part. That was, until two Brighteyes came with your ripped fedora."
"The Brighteyes did?" Reborn clarified, knowing the Brighteyes never really did anything for free unless on mission. There must be a catch.
"Yes, and they put it under a bush near Entrance number four, pointed to it to our cameras and went away. We later inspected it of course, and found a note underneath your hat. It said to leave the fedora there, to keep an eye on it all the time, and this was just a favour for our previous Brighteye ally."
They only had one Brighteye ally. Alice. What did they mean from previous? Did she leave or something? Reborn sorted all these probabilities in his mind, before asking a question once again.
"So the Brighteyes are on our side?"
Giannini shook his head, before breathing out a hefty sigh. "No, Reborn-san. They stopped being an important ally nearly six years ago."
"Why?"
"Oh, I forgot Reborn-san didn't know!"
Reborn had to stop the itch of shooting the inventor to death, and instead just hefted Leon instead. Giannini's eyes widened and immediately started talking.
"Alice-san, who was our link to the resources of the Brighteyes and their network died about six years ago. Since then, the Family has continued on without their support under the guidance of our wonderful Vongola Juudaime!"
Reborn sat back, stroking Leon with a frown on his face. Alice had known about this situation in the future even six years ago? But there was no use in puzzling over her actions in letting this happen because… she was dead?
Brighteyes were near indestructible. How did she die?
Reborn vowed to make this a secret from Tsuna and the others, when he went back into the past, and observe Alice more. He couldn't let such an important ally go and die. But keeping this a secret was the more important one.
Tsuna was too soft-hearted. Reborn knew that even the concept of one of his close friends dying would shock him into inaction, or even into the will to not become Vongola Boss.
He could never let that happen.
Tsuna talking about something drew him back to the present.
"Oh yeah! Something's wrong! We can't go back to the past!"
Reborn was seriously tempted to whack his student. Wouldn't that be obvious to him if he himself was still here?
"I know that much," Reborn said to him. "That's not the only odd thing."
"There's something else?" Tsuna said, half in disbelief, the other just resigned.
"The time is off. We were shot by the ten-year-bazooka, but only nine years and ten months have passed.
Tsuna did some mental maths. "That means… it was off by two months."
"Yeah. Even I have no idea why that happened," Reborn said seriously.
"That's terrible! Even Reborn doesn't know?"
"Well, at least we weren't blown into a strange land, though."
"Land?" Tsuna asked, before asking another question he had wanted to ask for a long time, but hadn't gotten the chance (and just plain forgotten, in some cases). "Oh, right! Where are we, anyway?"
"Hm? You don't even know that?" Reborn said even without a smirk. Just how ignorant were they? They were just lucky that Lal met them first to protect them, or they would have died outside. Just lucky.
They couldn't rely on Luck next time.
He tuned out Tsuna's outburst and turned to Yamamoto. It was still strange to see the Yamamoto he knew so grim. But it was to be expected, he guessed. "Yamamoto, can you put it on the monitor?"
"Yeah. This is above us." Yamamoto pulled out a remote and switched on the television to show a dark landscape of a city at night.
Grey came back, and I made him read the note and told him some additional information like, yes, it was related to mission, and no, I didn't really need a lunchbox prepared.
And if my plan worked out well, then maybe I didn't need to go to the future at all. Miss some battle experience, but…
Wait, Ryohei didn't go to the future in the first part either, until he got pulled in later on. So would I get pulled in as well?
I groaned and banged my head against the wall.
Maybe I could escape to Antarctica or something, a place where they could never reach me and I could happily freeze my toes off and play with penguins without worry that a purple thing would come and eat me up towards the future.
And hey, the bright side of that idea was that my toes couldn't freeze off.
But hey, reality had to catch up with me some time.
I sighed and just banged my head against the wall, only to find a pillow attached there by Grey.
So I just sighed and moped back towards my room.
Tsuna twisted under his blankets, squeezing his eyes closed as hard as he could, remembering the discussion that had ensued in that Western room. How could they return back to the peaceful Namimori? It seemed like no-one knew.
He didn't want to face it.
He really didn't.
"The enemy, the Millefiore family has a huge military force, and they're cold and cruel." Reborn said to him, still in his chair.
Yamamoto looked up, looking just defeated. His smile was gone. "When the Vongola Headquarters fell, Millefiore prepared a talk between the two leaders and called on our Boss."
Tsuna jerked a bit, knowing that by 'Boss' they meant him. "And then?" He murmured, half-dreading the answer.
"However, they didn't negotiate at all, and took the Boss's life." Yamamoto finished the sentence with an angry look on his face, hopeless and desperate all at the same time. But as he paused, he composed himself, and so he continued. "Since then, the Millefiore have ignored all our summons and have continued to kill people on our side. Their goal is to wipe out every last person on the Vongola side."
"M-meaning that, even though we've come from the past we're still in danger?" Tsuna exclaimed, a bit overwhelmed at the events. Gokudera kept his silence, frown on his face as he contemplated what all this just meant.
"That's not all." Reborn piped up, "Every person you've been involved with is a target as well."
That immediately incited an immediate reaction. "That's!" Tsuna protested, already starting to panic.
"Don't lose your head," Reborn commanded. "All hope isn't lost. Yamamoto," he said, and Yamamoto looked at him, "even though they're separated, the Family's Guardians haven't been confirmed as dead by the hands of the Millefiore, right?"
Yamamoto widened his eyes, before narrowing them and silently asking what Reborn was going at when it was obvious that one of them had been dead for ages. But knowing Reborn had reasons…
"Yeah."
"Then there's only one thing to do. You need to gather the six Guardians who have separated."
"Gather the six Guardians?" Tsuna asked.
"I'm certain that there is a connection between our presence here and the fighting in this era," Reborn continued, ignoring Tsuna's question. "To fight back against them, we have no choice but to gather the Guardians."
"But why only six Guardians? And what could we do, with only six Guardians and me? There are only seven people!" Tsuna protested, looking at Reborn for an explanation.
"Don't say such a shameful thing." Reborn replied, still ignoring Tsuna's question. "In the long history of the Vongola, there have been many crises. But each time, the bosses of old have overcome the difficulties, with the six Guardians that defend the Sky."
Tsuna gritted his teeth.
"Got it? Now, we're going to decide the order in which to gather the Guardians. Then first…"
"Wait a bit! Why are you always saying six Guardians? And you said that people we knew are targets for the Vongola-hunt as well." Tsuna's voice broke a bit in fear of the answer to his question. "Does that include Mom and Kyoko-chan?"
Reborn only stared at him, knowing it wasn't good to tell him. He had been planning to keep this a secret too, hoping that shoving so much information in his face would make him go into enough shock to let him prepare an answer for this inevitable question.
"Reborn!" Tsuna insisted.
And, Yamamoto noticing that Reborn wasn't planning on answering took to explain, trying to stop the grief from overflowing from thoughts of his old man. Tsuna was his Boss, after all, young or old. "The range of people the Millefiore goes after keeps growing."
Tsuna turned around to face him, and Yamamoto ignored Reborn's look and continued.
"I'm afraid they're targets as well."
It took a few seconds to register the fact, before he whirled around to face Reborn again, hoping that he would bring some miracle to the situation, some respite, the sliver of light in a dark room. "That's horrible! What do we do, Reborn?"
"We've already made our move." Reborn said, voice calm, and gave a tiny nod to Yamamoto.
"When I went to get Lal Mirch, I-pin and Lambo went looking for Sasagawa and Haru."
"They did? Oh right, on this side they're not kids!" Tsuna smiled, happy one side had been partially solved.
Before Reborn popped the bubble. "But, about Mama… The timing was bad. She went on vacation to Italy with Iemitsu, and we're unable to determine their status."
"Italy? So that means…" Tsuna said, feeling his knees shake a little.
Gokudera said his first sentence since his outburst on Yamamoto about Tsuna's death. "Juudaime, she said that the Vongola Headquarters had been annihilated."
"They couldn't have… Mom…" Tsuna stammered, his pupils contracting as the shock settled in. Reborn frowned.
"Our other allies, Bianchi and Fuuta are out gathering information."
Gokudera burst into life then, turning around to look at Yamamoto. "Are they safe?", he asked partly for his half-sister.
"However, most of the people we know in Namimori have been killed in the last two days." Yamamoto said flatly, arms crossed tight in front of his chest.
"Including Yamamoto's old man," Reborn added, looking up at Tsuna to see his reaction. Both of them, Gokudera and Tsuna looked at Yamamoto who didn't even try to flash a smile to indicate he was fine. Frowning, he averted his eyes, wanting to deal with his own grief in his own way.
They shouldn't need to worry about him.
"Oh no…" Tsuna said, shock etched in his face as he tried to find words to say to Yamamoto. He found none. He had been worrying about his family, Kyoko-chan and the rest that he didn't regard Yamamoto who already had his only family killed…
He remembered his dad, smiling as he put the counter down and made sushi for him when he was in hospital. When Yamamoto grinned at his dad in a way that you just knew they were close.
How…
Looking at Yamamoto now, it all seemed just so real. Suddenly, they realised that finding Reborn was the least of their worries, a whole world hostile to them was just outside the base trying to find them and, oh, he felt so bad for still worrying about this but his mom, and Kyoko-chan, Haru and… Alice.
"You shouldn't worry about me, Tsuna." Yamamoto told him, his face grim and not yet ready for a smile.
"But," Tsuna protested. Yamamoto firmly shook his head, and Tsuna knew that pushing it would just be one more worry to him. So he nodded, before turning to Reborn.
"There's something strange, Reborn."
Reborn didn't give a hint to his sudden alertness. No twitch, no sudden stiffness. He was the world's greatest Hitman, and yes he had fallen far, but not so much to give away his emotions when he didn't want them to.
"What, Tsuna? You should be going to sleep now." He wheeled around and started towards the door.
"No, wait, Reborn!" He heard his stupid student's footsteps follow him.
"Yes?"
"Why do you keep saying that there are six Guardians when there are seven? No matter how I count, I get eight Guardians when I include myself!"
He noticed Yamamoto had closed his eyes, and he had the feeling that he had when he was asking Gokudera why he was in the coffin. That dread in the pit of his stomach that he knew the answer was not going to be good but he had to know, he just had to…
"And, and when you said Bianchi and Fuuta were out collecting information, why would they need to when, um, you said something about Alice being from the best information network in the world?" Tsuna knew he was onto something, something Reborn wanted to hide. Reborn always had his reasons. But this time. "Please, Reborn! What's happened?"
Reborn had his eyes shadowed, and he had stopped walking long ago. A fast glance at Yamamoto let him know that he wasn't intending to tell this one.
This one was up to him.
"Do you really want to know, Tsuna?" Reborn asked, turning around fully. Tsuna gulped, before nodding, and the feeling of dread in his stomach intensified into something that made him want to sit down before he fell over. Gokudera was behind him, silent as well. The room was so silent, much quieter than the forest, or any awkward silence he had experienced.
Then Reborn opened his mouth.
"Alice… is dead."
That was more than Tsuna had expected. He staggered backwards, and nearly fell over, feeling dizzy. What?
What did he just hear?
"What do you mean, Reborn-san!" Gokudera burst out, and Tsuna gladly focused on his voice. "You said none of the Guardians were confirmed dead!"
"I said none of the Guardians have been confirmed dead by the Millefiore."
Silence after that sentence. Then a tiny voice nearly swallowed up by silence.
"D-does that mean Alice wasn't killed like Yamamoto's dad?"
Reborn nodded. "She died six years ago." Both Gokudera and Tsuna jerked. So long ago? "It was by a disease that had no cure, and she died in peace. She was buried on a plain in a field, originally in a coffin but dug out and cremated just in case she was hit by the ten-year-bazooka."
Yamamoto's nod confirmed it, and Tsuna closed his eyes in an attempt to block everything out.
Dead?
How could Alice be dead? He remembered how she was just always there. Never really contributing, sitting at the back or on the side just being there.
The world seemed so much scarier without her watching over them all.
Oh God, oh Buddha, please, Tsuna prayed, let Mom… Kyoko-chan… Haru be safe. Please…
He broke out into little sobs, trying to muffle them while knowing one of the people he should have been praying for was now dead. Clutching the little charm Kyoko had made with the bad stitches Alice had sewn on, he could feel the thick threads that made the little charm.
He threw the blanket over his head in an effort to soften the sound of his crying. Please let them all be safe.
Please, please…
But in spite of all his efforts to soften his crying, Gokudera lay awake, listening.