A/N: Just in case things weren't clear last chapter,

Byakuran's right bout Tsuna not betraying him. It's more that Tsuna's actions ultimately makes him side with him. You'd see it in the next chapters (and probably wince or facepalm)
The card is like the bet piece that Byakuran and Hibari are gambling on. Hibari's gambling for the safety of Tsuna by making the marshmallow lover leave him alone since he can tell the other's up to no good (at least no good when looked at straightforwardly.). Byakuran wants the other to stay out of his business to get the freedom to mess with Tsuna, so they had the little threats at each other last chapter to make the other back off.
Hibari was trying to set up as many conditions to at least give him a wide space to try fix things in case he loses the bet, as well as try to increase his odds of winning the bet.

(Edit: Gosh. Didn't realize that I mixed up the contents. Thanks for that, Dr460NR1D3R2003 ^^)

Chapter 12

No good

The flashbacks must be annoying, huh? He shouldn't keep running back to his past. He should be focusing on the future and look ahead. But then, he couldn't help it.

The person in front of him made his stomach drop into the seabed. Metaphorically speaking.

There's a time in a person's life, where they feel that there's a saving grace or a lottery jackpot. Sometimes it's mere kindness and a smile that can be the light at the end of the tunnel. That was the kind of figure Sasagawa Kyoko meant to Sawada Tsunayoshi. The way she looked concerned when she encountered him after the groups of people put him in his place, when Hibari didn't think of him as anything as nuisance and people sensing that picked on him with a renewed purpose, when Yamamoto laughed away with his groupies as he treated him as he didn't hold any presence, physically or mentally, without any acknowledgment when he bumped into him, regardless of how battered he was.

That was probably why Tsuna felt even more scared when suddenly those two considered him as a dear friend and somehow his existence was forgiven by the people of Namimori. But he wanted to know WHY. But if he uttered it... what if they returned back to their senses?

Either way, there was one person whose behavior was constant in his life... and he was terrified of her. It's more of a reaction ingrained into him. In the end, he was scared of everything and anything... honestly, that moniker fit him the best.

He fell for the angel who felt pity for him. It was as simple as that. So he, like the creep he was...

confronted her-

Honestly... what had he been thinking? Trash like him... Either way, it became just plain hero worship, now that he thought back on it. Well, that could also be what his mind defensively placed it under.

He waited behind the school building, blushing and heating up, as he thought of a beautiful delusion. His sweat pooled in his armpits and made the letter soaked, and he was positive he stunk despite taking a shower more than five times that day. He had a bouquet of blue irises, hoping to show her exactly how much hope and faith that everything will be all right, the cute lion bandages (which made him feel Natsu covered him to heal him), the reassuring smiles, the sympathetic smiles and apologies like as if she was the one who...

He even left a box of chocolates in her locker, so that even if she doesn't show up, maybe... her day might be a bit sweeter? How presumptuous.

But she showed up! But he had to show her his best characteristic, being an absolute loser. Well, at least it showed her what to accept ahaha...

He stuttered, his smile twitched above what was normal and he wheezed through his desperate thanks for giving him time from her life.

She had a foot towards the exit the enter time. But that detail never stuck in his mind. In fact, his mind was a center of chaos at that point and his heartbeat screamed louder than his voice, and now that he thought about it, he must have been screaming the whole time. No wonder she clenched her arms close to her body and frowned throughout the entire confession.

He just wanted to ask her to go out with him formally, but then he had to trip. But he wanted to reach out to her for some help, something she had been willing to give to him freely. But his outstretched hand as he crawled to a better position must have been creepy to her.

He didn't want her to bolt out of there. He wanted any response. He might have been a bit too desperate for a chance. He must have seemed overbearing, like big baggage. So he did what he had been doing for pretty much living for another day.

He prostrated himself in a dogeza as his voice quivered. Nothing was going as he thought it would go.

He just wanted to let her know how much she had saved him. That maybe, just maybe, they could be something more?

"I'm sorry *sobs*. I never planned on doing this much.

Kyoko-chan...

Will you please *hic* go out with me?"

There was suddenly laughter surrounding them. People popped out off windows for his first-class clown act. People snickered from the bushes, near the buildings. He felt claustrophobic amidst the flares of camera shots, video captures of his sad excuse of a confession.

He remembered seeing a mortified Sasagawa Kyoko, her ears as red as his and it was the closest she could feel to him.

She hadn't said a word during the conversation, and wouldn't say a thing to him until middle school after the disastrous vacation. But because he was dame, because he realized that he was the type of thing someone would hide in their closet of past embarrassments, he must have been the blight in the madonna's pristine, gorgeous life. Aah... what would he give to have it that good?

Maybe it was because of his petty vindictiveness, it felt like it was the only saving part of what happened next.

Because as she left him to the wolves, running away from something, he felt, was much worse than what they both had faced that day. That people could have been much more ruthless than the supposed bad guys from the films his dad watched. Or maybe that was just him being biased as the target of the jeers, taunts, kicks, harassment. After all, the internet called people like him as losers with a persecution complex. But the bruises were there and constant and even though the kindness she showed him felt like an illusion (Who are you kidding? That's what any sane person would do. No one wanted to get involved in what they did to him), he could only pray that the confiscated phones from the incidents from the DC committee had those pictures and videos wiped before they came into the world's scrutiny.

Because in this ever-changing world, constancy was good. Constancy was familiar.

So he could not have his mother figure out the truth. He unhealthily depended on her smiles, her view of what the world was.

Sometimes he yearned that he lived in that world. Because unlike the him who had a Hibari and a Yamamoto who cared for him but never put it in words, but rewarded him in constant companionship, were people who didn't give him verbal or written proof that they wouldn't back off if things got rough;

The Tsuna in Nana's vision went on sleepovers, went on summer camps, played youthful games in riverbanks, noogied each other playfully and did stuff like buy manjus on the way back from school with playful banters. Sometimes it felt like his two companions kept things from him, but they forgave him for all the things he kept from them without needing him to apologize for it. They understood the things he wanted to hide, the wool he needed to pull over people's eyes and helped him in doing so. It was his treasure, it wasn't an ideal vision. But things were not bad, not bad at all.

It made him think, if he ever figured what illusion they had of him to keep this beautiful thing they had going on, he'd reinforce it.

But then Sasagawa Kyoko approached him in their first day of middle school, some months before his identity-thief would meet with the devil spawn (He wished that the baby would have gotten assassinated before that. What? He knew he was terrible- but his impression of the Mafia was pretty bad, given his experience)

She stood over his table when it was recess and they were unfortunately classmates. His eyes scanned the room for the other person who made the time hell for him, her loving, overprotecting brother... and there he was.

Sasagawa Ryohei entered the pretty much empty room and before she uttered whatever she wanted to say,

"Kyoko! I was searching for you! Are you sure you want to say anything to him? After all he did to you?" he asked worriedly before facing him like the hero he was regarded as back then, and Tsuna wanted to cry all over again, trauma flooding him. Things were going so well! Was everything going to change back to what happened before? Even if Yamamoto cared about him, she was regarded with the same reputation as he had, and people came to her aid especially when her brother raised the stakes.

"Not cool man! You made my little sister cry."

"If you're a real man, show me your conviction with your fists. So stop sniveling like you're the one who got hurt by this."

"Do you even know how much her classmates tease and gossip because of how you harassed her?! She's not able to smile lately."

"Sawada! Haven't you had enough from junior high?!"

He looked at his bandaged fist closer to him and he clattered far back into his seat.

Yes, he had enough from junior high. Enough that his mother thought he had been in his rebellious stage since his fingers couldn't grip onto his first aid box's white bandages when the boxer got into fights with him when his beloved sister started getting into depression because of the relentless verbal teasing. His tears went unheard as mercy was useless as his feet. The constant complaints and hysterics of his mother when he reached home didn't help him. He constantly had his body clutched close together as he tried to block all sources of noise. It was at that moment he needed the bleach suicide to work and it needed a lot of planning, but the end was near. He felt like the worst scum since his thought spitefully accused his crush of getting the better end of the stick since right now, his bullies had a justified reason to make his life a living hell.

Before he let a whimper, the white bandages retreated and a bewildered Tsuna looked at what happened. Yamamoto looked at the boxer darkly and gave him a small reassuring smile as he moved towards his side and slung an arm over his shoulders, making Tsuna take a much-needed breath. He hadn't realized he was close to hyperventilating.

"Ryohei-senpai, am I interrupting something? Tsuna and I have plans with Hibari, right now."

and his savior even gave him and escape route. Eager to get away, he nearly jumped from his seat but Kyoko had to intervene-

"Wait! Yamamoto-kun, I just want to have a talk with Sawada-kun." her brother looked a bit miffed, but he let it go muttering something to himself. But Yamamoto wasn't going to take it and proceeded to give her one of the most patronizing smiles he ever saw him giving anyone. And suddenly, it felt like it wasn't a vicious cycle. This time, he got people in his side.

"Then Kyoko-chan, you can tell it here itself. It's not something that has to be said privately to him right?"

She looked a bit troubled, but she took in a breath and spoke before her brother could protest-

"Sawada-kun, I just wanted to tell you that, regardless of what happened before... Let's let bygones be bygones. I hope we can get along together from this year."

"...Yeah

...Same here, Sasagawa-san."

"Really?! That's awesome! There's no need for formalities. I hope we can be as close as we were before … that. So you can call me Kyoko-chan like you did."

"... Aw c'mon Sasagawa-chan. If I did that then Yamamoto-kun won't stop teasing me. But, I'm glad we could talk like this again. I always wanted to apologize about how things went back then. But then things went completely out of my hands back then. I was too cowardly to make an action back then, so I'm sorry about that." he said schooling himself into a worried smile. He could feel the jock's disapproving smile, but he ignored it.

The boxer broke into a wide grin at that and slapped him in the back (and Tsuna forced himself to stop his knees from buckling down)

"Oh, what? It was like that? Then that's extremely alright with me!

It takes a real man to admit to his mistakes like that! But Tsuna, you have to train more. You almost fell from a small push like that Ahahaha" his boyish grin and stance were so genuinely open that Tsuna couldn't help feeling envious. To be so forgiving and honest... It would be nice if he was also like that. Maybe then, he'd be able to appreciate what he had and could leave old grudges behind...

The arm that pressed minutely grounded him to reality and he realized that he was really getting down over this, and had to get away from the conversation right now.

"I'll think over it, Sasagawa-senpai and give my reply. But thank you very much for the advice. So then, Sasagawa-chan, I'll be going now. Let's catch up later over, maybe cakes. There's a new cafe and people have recommended it to me, so it'll be nice if we could try some and see how true the rumors are."

Her eyes glowed and she gleefully agreed, popping in closer to grip his hands for a handshake. The baseball lover dragged him out of the classroom to see a Hibari leaning over the wall near its entrance. The hallway was empty because of the literal demon incarnate, and Tsuna shouldn't think this, but he was glad he didn't have to keep up the charade. But now that his mask was ripped off, he could only feel choked up.

When they reached the terrace. Hibari climbed up the ladder to the elevated platform on the roof, proceeding to sleep. Then Tsuna didn't have to feel afraid that the older would see him cry and scorn him, and his banks broke and tears flooded down his cheeks.

Yamamoto gave his shoulder company but didn't say anything and it felt like if this was what friends were like, it made sense that his imposter treasured them like that.

When the bell rang and Hibari headed ahead of them, the jock spoke for the first time since they headed there.

"You don't have to keep in contact with her. I could make sure that your paths don't cross."

'But then that baby would make sure I meet her, in underwear too. Her brother's going to have another reason to hate me. It won't happen, but I need to take precautions. I can change my mind if Reborn doesn't show up.'

"I'll be fine, Yamamoto."

Noticing the lack of honorifics, the other gaped and Tsuna gave him a soft smile. The other was in a great mood for the rest of the day.

Things Tsuna planned never went well. In fact, sometimes, he expected Yamamoto or more like Hibari come down on him and threaten him to stop trying to do anything since nothing ever went well.

So the plan to make a somewhat decent relationship with the Sasagawa siblings if and if that gun totting baby comes at his door met its first obstacle as one Kurokawa Hana, a no bullshit type girl. That kind of balance is needed if her friend was the airhead he had knew from back then.

She wasted no time in giving suspicious glares when he pretended to be friendly with the two,

"Sawada. What are you pulling after all this time?"

'Well it's obviously my social life and it's not even like I'm planning on being friends with you guys. I just want to be a friendly classmate, so throw me a damn bone and I won't bother with you guys.'

he threw a silent plead at Yamamoto. He wasn't an expert at these things. But that dude, bless him, blended in smoothly looping an arm over his shoulders while piping in,

"Are you guys forming a study group for the surprise test? Can I join? Man, Nezu-sensei will finally roast my hide, ahahaha."

"Yamamoto? When were you so close to Dame-" she wavered when he threw a glare at her for the nickname. She looked at her friend as to show his expression but was taken aback to find her glaring back at her.

"Hana-chan, don't call Tsuna-kun that. Oh! Sorry Sawada-kun, I accidentally called you like I used too-"

"Don't worry Sasagawa-san, you can call me by whatever you like."

Hana muttered "I can't believe you think you can go back to how you guys were. He didn't act like this before. At least he was more honest back then. Now he's plain creepy."

'Like I would go back to how vulnerable I was back then.'

"Can you teach me this stuff? Sometimes I feel like Nezu-sensei is purposefully picking me only~ I can't even keep my eyes open for the stuff he says. I think I know more on his university than his subject."

"Hehe, I know right. Hana-chan helps me out so we have the proper notes for the class. You can leave it to us! Let's work hard."

The class ended with Kyoko looking at Tsuna exasperatedly as he couldn't register anything in his brain. He looked at his desk determinedly, mortified. His friend asked him,

"What part did you not get, Tsuna? We can look at each part and find a way to learn things that can suit you."

Would it make them think he was a huge loser if he said whatever they said flew right past him? This wasn't a good idea. He remembered how his classmates would look at him in irritation as they asked, utterly appalled at how dumb a human could be to not get it.

"At least that part of you hasn't changed. You were always dumber than a monkey."

He shook at the words.

"Hey Hana-chan, if you call everyone who doesn't get what you say a monkey-"

"Even if I said that to you, you get things if you pay attention... I refuse to believe that trying is pointless. I hate Nezu's elitist attitude." she looked at him square in his eyes, daring him to look away.

Tsuna kept away from actively participating in the conversation, not willing to think deeply into what she suggested which was pretty easy since Yamamoto took over and became the main focus of the conversation.

Sawada looked out of the window to distract himself from the tediousness of classes and noticed a stare lingering in his direction. It was a clash with destiny seeing Mochida Kensuke and thank goodness, his line of focus wasn't at him, but rather the person behind him, Sasagawa Kyoko.

His eyes were giddy with a delusion that matched how he looked once upon a time.

'I wonder if this was one of the signs that pertained towards that Sawada's kendo match? Better not put my nose into it. Besides if that happened... It's none of my business and besides, she had prior experience dealing with a creep. I doubt he could outshine mine.

This Sasagawa Ryohei would never want to have anything to do with him in this lifetime. I don't know what would he do to me if I end up confessing to her in my underwear. Once was more than enough.

Besides she also has Hana. She wouldn't leave her helpless.'

His shoulder was tapped on and he whipped himself out of his thoughts. Sasagawa Kyoko beamed at him and pointed at a Hana and Yamamoto near the door.

"Tsuna-kun, I'll be cashing in on the rain check!" she tugged him out from his seat and it took him several blinks to realize that she meant his half-assed promise.

On the way back he saw several kendo members walking at the opposite street, joyfully bantering and for an instant, he saw a red-cheeked haughty Kendo captain with the vice-captain pointing a finger at them, no, not at them... but at Kyoko.

"Tsuna. You look troubled. Did Mochida say something?"

The brunette looked at his companion in shock, not expecting a close eye on him.

"...No. It's nothing. I just didn't expect to see him going this route."

"Well, it's a part of the kendo team's jogging practice."

Hana chipped in, snorting derisively.

"Kyoko and I always walk this way when we want to try some new sweets. I'm sure that monkey changed the timing and route to match this place like the creep he is."

"Maa, maa, Hana-chan. I'm sure it was just a coincidence that they switched which neighborhood they'll go around. They change it per half year, according to their club policy."

"Yamamoto-kun, you sure know a lot about it. It's amazing."

"Yeah, he could contest Hibari's love for Namimori."

"It's not like that! These things just fall on my ears. Those guys were complaining about the new route being tougher."

The new pastry location was something he saw in the mirror when the parallel version of him was dragged along for monthly treats. He looked at the exterior glass showcasing some of the treats and pondered at his reflection.

'Since I came back to Namimori, that reflection hasn't been showing parts of that impostor's life. I wonder if he finally kicked the bucket...' he felt his body being pulled into the shop and felt slight regret when he saw the shop entirely packed with women.

"So you weren't able to come here before because you were too embarrassed from all the girls?" Kyoko asked him innocently to which Hana gleefully added on,

"So you wanted a camouflage to gorge on sweets? Then you could have just cross-dressed. In fact, we'll help you pull it off!"

"We should try matching pairs Tsuna ahahaha."

'It's nice to see someone finding amusement in this situation.' Tsuna glared at the baseball lover.

"Then we'll all match! Let's go shopping next time."

'Yeah sure. We'll be the fantastic four, saving people from diabetes by eating all the sweets in this store' he thought as his stomach shriveled at the incarnation of sugar in front of him and was that a chocolate fountain?! Was that for all the perverts in Valentine hoping to get their affections to have a bite at them instead?!

He found himself reaching a cup under it either way, curious about wanting to find exactly what it tasted like. But his life was a constant joke so he had to slip and spill the cup's content at someone. But then, if he had to get slapped either way, he'd say something worth getting a slap for!

"I'm sorry miss. It's just that you looked so sweet, my chocolate had to accentuate your essence."

Yamamoto (that jerk) was snickering behind him and when he properly looked at the victim, he realized, he should have kept his mouth where it belonged- shoved into his ass. He could have handled a kick to his son better than this-

Miura Haru looked at him, red in her cheek, in what he hoped was repressed anger because he might as well try to seduce his look-a-like's stalker if he was trying to get his life more screwed up than what it was. Because some of the tales that version of him spoke made him worry for the sanity of the guy to allow her to be a foot's distance near him.

He used to consider the day he jumped into the looney bin, was the day he accepted the people his clone kept as family, as his associates.

Sasagawa Kyoko intervened saying,

"Geez Tsuna-kun, what are you even saying right now. I have a kerchief you can use to wipe that out. I'm sure the restroom was at..."

"The west wing from here."

"Thank you. Now, here, let's go." she beamed at Haru and dragged the spell cast girl over to the restroom and Tsuna looked everywhere but at Hana as the other sent a creeped out look for knowing where the girl's restroom was. Well, he couldn't help it if the first thing he does when he enters a room was to note all entrances and exits, sometimes the girls restroom was the best place to escape! Give a guy a break.

"Tsuna~ You Casanova you~" Yamamoto's eyebrows wiggled and the background song he heard wasn't appropriate (wiggle wiggle wiggle) and why would he even want to pull up a red flag here?!

Haru joined in later on their binge eating, which the brunette quietly dubbed Attack on sweet and he found that she was not as bad as the one his body double got.

'Well it's a parallel universe after all.' something niggled on his mind saying he shouldn't look at a book by its cover, but he did what he did best- ignore his problems.

It was a day where he realized how ferocious women could be, that they fought tooth and nail at the sweet buffet. It was a war-zone out there and Yamamoto's laugh rang and echoed through his experience and he felt slightly traumatized there.

When they decided to split ways, Tsuna's eyes got drawn towards the crossing seeing someone he really didn't want to pin as related to his conjectures. He walked towards his house to prevent the jock from catching wind of his thoughts.

'Why was Mochida there? Was it coincidence or else... No, it's just me being paranoid.'

When he was at class, he almost called out to the jock, but he refrained. Maybe it's better if he didn't raise any false alarms. Mochida had a good reputation and standing in school, but if he made the baseball-lover suspicious of him, it may hurt him for no reason. But, what was the story here? His eyes gleamed orange as a smirk hinted on his face.

'This might be interesting.'

From the crowd at the middle of the class, Yamamoto frowned a bit when he looked at his friend.

That week, the DC committee was a bit more tenacious than usual and the brunette couldn't get any observations done since they made any loitering, frankly impossible. But he could make some work done and observed the times for the committee rounds and the sports clubs rounds. Many of them made shifts in their time slots, not willing any encounter with the committee. By the end of the week, there weren't any clubs for an evening jogging session, except the boxing club, but those guys were tenacious.

The next week started and it seemed like the jock made it his mission to bring him along for his shenanigans.

"Tsuna. How bout we go to Takesushi? We made a new dish we decided to christen as Tsuna-special."

"Let me guess, it's sushi with its main focus on tuna. "

"Wow! You're psychic. How bout you try fortune telling? It might be your calling."

The brunette paid half his attention to their conversation but glanced at a pretty irritated Kendo captain during their way out and wondered how could he get information.

'Can't ask him.' he thought side glancing at the jock.

'Those two get too suspicious. They might think I'm up to something and put a damper on things.

Maybe, I should quieten down for a week and see if I can find any good sources.'

There were people he couldn't ask stuff about since they overthought things or spread the information to the people who mother-hen him. Kusakabe and the DC committee told everything he said to them to Hibari, Kyoko would tell Hana, who would discuss with Yamamoto if he brought it up with them, if he asked the people in Namimori, the information with circle back to Yamamoto and those two would immediately veer him off course if his plans reached them. So he had to overhear things when he wasn't with people in a way that it was natural. But Yamamoto was practically glued onto him and Hibari psychically got wind of any trouble he tried initiating.

They were smart enough to stitch things together from his comments, and what he thought was a bit outrageous this time, according to him. Because a lot of people from Namimori held his presence as something unwanted. If they took him and his skewed opinions seriously every time, the hospital would be full all the time.

In the next day, there was a study session and when the class settled into a semi-peace state, Hana spoke, irritated-

"I wish that monkey would get a hint by now. I will strangle him the next time he tries to talk to you again!"

"Hana-chan, don't worry. I'll tell him straightforwardly next time. I'm sure Mochida-senpai will understand."

"He's not given up yet? Well, he is known for his stubbornness. That's how the kendo team flourished so far, after all."

"You won't be so carefree if it happened to you, baseball idiot."

"But I don't swing that way."

"You know what I mean!"

The brunette, lost in deep thought, spoke thoughtlessly,

"Maybe if you show him that he's not the only man in your life, he'll quit it. It doesn't have to be a pretend boyfriend, since he's probably pursuing you since he thinks he's the only male in your life right now and since the other guys that approached you were the ones who got rejected by you, and for whatever reason he can still make contact with you... he thinks he's the one for you."

Noticing their concentrated looks at him, he squeaked in surprise.

Hana looked like she hatched a scheme and grinned at him.

"Then you walk with her for a week or two when you come and go from school."

"Hey! I won't convince anyone. Besides, isn't Yamamoto a better fit?"

"Sorry Tsuna. I have kendo practice in the morning and I barely make it in time for school and I have to help my dad in the evening at Takesushi."

'Then why on earth do you come with me to school and to my home?!'

"Then what about your brother?"

Kyoko looked at him pleadingly at this,

"Please Tsuna-kun. My onii-chan is finally trusting me to look after myself."

"...Fine. Let's try it out and see how it goes."

The brunette looked conflicted at being assigned this role. He was the one who was picked on all the time and now he should protect someone? Can he even do that?

He looked at Hana who gave a mocking salute when he was to go with her friend that day. He asked,

"Hey. If the guys who confess are this stubborn, how did you manage before? And what about after this?"

"So far, this year, Mochida's been the one. The rest don't have the spine to try that shit out, apparently. So I think, if we take care of him, Kyoko would be free to whatever she wants to do without being bothered this year at least.

It's kind of surprising though. I guess even monkeys mature when they go to middle school."

He frowned a bit and Hana reassuringly petted his shoulder.

"Chill Sawada. Jeez, you'd think Kyoko was the one who offered to walk you to help you instead of the other way around."

'I wonder if it's just my paranoia... '

On the way back, his uneasiness made the one who he was supposedly protecting slow her pace as she said,

"Tsuna-kun, thank you for accepting to walk me for the week, even though you seem so uncomfortable.

It means a lot to me.

Actually, I made onii-chan promise me to stop getting into fights."

That was something he knew. It was a bit famous and rumors of the Sasagawa siblings getting into a fight with each other when they were known to have the strongest sibling bond in town.

"He got into these brawls with people elder than him by three-four years and above. They got angry that he hurt their brothers since they were very insistent.

It made me mad that he risked his team's and his own participation right to tournaments. Even though he was the most passionate person about boxing I've ever known.

I didn't like delinquents at all, that time."

She teared up in frustration and he moved a bit ahead to hide her figure from prying eyes.

"And he used to get torn from shoulder to arms to legs and hide his pain under those wobbly smiles. But I don't want him to feel those things. So I decided to protect him instead."

She showed her smooth, pale fist and he blinked in confusion.

"Ehehe. These fists don't look like my onii-chans' right? So does it sound weird that I wanted to protect him?

...But I have my own way of fighting. I'll live my days with a huge smile on my face." She grinned at him while fire glowed in her eyes.

"And I'll face people properly. I'm sure we can talk things out properly since we're the same. We're humans who can understand each other's expressions and feelings. We don't have to hurt each other like that.

But I don't want his fists being used for these kinds of things. He protects a lot of other things with them, like his club's dreams for the championships and his convictions."

He walked back to his house after dropping her a few blocks before her house and he sighed, scratching his head.

'Guess I'll roll a red carpet for the great Reborn-sama and buy new concealers for the punches her brother will give me' he smiled slightly. A week later, his life as a Mafia boss will start, and crazily, he was able to accept being one.

'Once a sucker, always a sucker.'

But things were never that easy and his face was dunked into a toilet in a cubicle in the guy's washroom.

"Mochida-san! This isn't a good idea. What if he tells Hibari-san about this?!"

"Shut up! Why should I be afraid of dame-Tsuna?! He's just Hibari's bitch."

He shoved the brunette against its wall and as he spluttered, the captain shouted-

"You better stay away from Kyoko. Haven't you had enough being a creep from the juniors? Just because she walked with you once, don't get it into your head!"

"Mochida-senpai! I still think this is a bad idea."

There were four teens in a small cubicle and the brunette felt the familiar claustrophobia coming back to him,

"You remember how this guy ruined Kyoko's life back then?!

...What's with that look?! Are you still scared shitless from this guy?! Then scram! I'll just be the one protecting her!

So you'll stay away, right, dame-Tsuna?"

He grabbed his hair for another round and he felt that with this force, his scalp would break enough to bleed and stop healing. But he had to answer, else the guy would go for more rounds.

"No."

It was a horrible response, and he knew. But he made his decision the previous day. So he suffered an excruciating thirty minutes, partially suffocating before being thrown forcibly by a fuming kendo captain. It was time to face the music, that the situation was more dangerous than it was.

Hibari and Yamamoto would figure out but then bless his paranoid mind. He brought concealers to school.

'So what now? Refuse to bring Sasagawa-san back home? Hana would call me a coward. That's alright, but Yamamoto would figure out that someone threatened him and get the info that Mochida did this from the other two who probably won't like to keep this to themselves, especially if the DC committee approached them.

Sabotage the one responsible for a part of the school's glory? Especially since the popular kendo captain is the pillar of the team and a romantic interest for a lot of the girls here and a person guys respect. Will Hibari forgive me if I tarnish the school's name that way? Especially since there are signs that guy is a...'

He shook his head refusing to shoulder the blame here.

'But what do I do so that guy remains a respectful guy? Is there a way to bring sense into him? It'll be better if I continue to discourage him. It would be ideal if Yamamoto got involved here. But he won't if it doesn't affect me, weirdly enough. Kurokawa-san will bring it to light to protect her friend. Hibari would get involved if he figures out what he has against me. But it won't be pretty. The only other person with enough influence in this school is Sasagawa Ryohei...

Nah... Not him.

So it's up to me, huh. That's not reassuring. Maybe if I sabotage the kendo members, he'd be preoccupied? Worth a try.'

The next two days he spent, trying to find a way to poison (uh, food poison) the members, but found that the DC committee members were onto him. Not only that, ever since he decided to avoid getting into spaces with the committee or his friend, Mochida got foolishly reckless. Things would be easily brought into the light if he didn't conceal things from his side. Rubbish laid in his lockers and books had graffiti with them, shoes had their inner soles replaced with spikes. Things had gotten worse enough that the captain spent the night pelting stones into his building and he had to replace the footage with one from last week's. Thank goodness they were the cassette tape type, that he could make a copy and replace them.

Honestly, he was more careful than his attacker... and losing on sleep. He looked at Yamamoto and his mouth moved before he could stop himself.

"Y-Yamamoto-"

The other gave him an inquiring stare and he didn't could stop himself from self reprimanding his idiocy.

'How and why would he help here?!'

"Sorry. I was dreaming until now. You were sinking into the cake that the cafe had."

"The cakes there still haunting you?" he laughed remembering the traumatized brunette from their sugary experience, but turned a bit serious when he saw faint concealer marks on the others face.

"I'm more surprised that you could laugh in that situation." he diverted before the jock could make any comment.

The week ended and Tsuna thought he would buy a red carpet if that could make his new-tutor come sooner.

'I'll beg to be the head of a Mafia group if that's what it takes to get me out of this situation. Honestly, Mochida's getting too much for me to hide. If it takes me beating that guy in my underwear to stop, I'll wear bunny clothes and do a strip tease!'

He ran downstairs, slipping and tumbling downstairs to get to the one other person who kind of knew what was going on.

"Kaa-san! Was there somebody going to visit us?"

"No, there's nobody. Why?"

"I felt weird. Leave that. I might be lonely. I kinda thought you would be getting me a tutor since you were mad when I showed you my grades last time. Am I safe, ehehe?"

"No. You should try harder. I tried to get one. But then, I didn't get any luck."

'What the?! Why?!'

"...Don't worry, mom. I'll try harder next time. I'll... go to my friend's place..."

He exited the house and panicked.

'I pinned my hopes on that occurring! After all the similarities between that version of myself and this world. I thought...

What will I do about that guy?!...

I guess it can't be helped. I'll tell Yamamoto that he has been harassing me. It's the lesser of two evils...'

Tsuna stared at Kyoko's desk and he felt like the scum of earth and tears of desperation pooled into his eyes.

'What did I do...?'

On top of her clean desk, her favorite strawberry cake sharpener lay. He picked it up and his eyes glowed orange as his eyes misted over.

He felt something fell on his trouser, but he paid it no attention. White liquid like the whipped cream the girls poured over their cakes back at the cafe covered the sharpener. He brought it to his nose to confirm it. It did smell like it.

'I'm no longer his target.' he realized shakily.

He felt like he could faint as implications fell on upon another. It was his fault. He encouraged the other's depravity by not cutting this at the bud.

'She would be crushed if she knew. Her brother will not leave her alone after this. What will happen to the boxing club if he decided to teach him a lesson? Even if I tell Hibari he'd bite him to death and inform the Sasagawa's, following legal procedures. If Yamamoto heard of this, he wouldn't do a thing or at best, he'll tell either her brother or Hibari.'

His blazing eyes narrowed as he did what he promised to himself. He pocketed the sharpener and went and pocketed some other classmates items and finally kept them in his bag.

'This way it'd be a serial thieving. If it's investigated and traced back to him... Yamamoto would finally move and pull the wool.

But this is temporary. I need to stop Mochida by some other way.' his face darkened.

'Maybe I could change the target of the attack. It's playing dirty... but I can be worth it. Maybe if I can get ahold of some stuff from the kendo classroom... I can at least see if it's possible.'

The next day, it was the lass's keychain. So he took other keychains and some pencils from some of the guys bag. He felt like he couldn't keep in the food from today, not with those in the bag with the box.

The ones at his home right now stank and he felt disgusted to keep the stalker's proof of affection in the room he slept and lived.

He puked, the moment the last piece from the lunch box reached his mouth and tears fell over his cheek as he lamented how stupid he was.

'If only I didn't think of stupid things like the persecution of the kendo captain would bring the reputation of the school and informed Kurokawa-chan and Sasagawa-chan that he seemed to be in the corner wherever they went or that the captain had chased away potential suitors away.

Now I can't leave her alone or else he'd probably do something worse and everything she wanted to protect would go down the drain. What if she found what actually happened to her stationary...?'

Luckily it was one of the few days the two were busy with their own stuff. It gave him space to organize himself.

He ran to his mirror. He'd break the thing if the guy didn't reply to him this time!

"Sawada! Get out here! Where the effin- hell is Reborn?!" he screamed crying. Streaks of tears blurred his vision. Why can't someone help him out with what he planned for once?!

His eyes wandered at the frame of the mirror and a reason popped in his mind.

The frame was different from what his mirror was. That mirror had been replaced. Maybe it was broken and his mother threw it somewhere and got a new one.

He fell on his knees as he wished he hadn't threw the card at the plane. Maybe he could have asked Byakuran on what to do. Now, what could he do? What would Mochida do tomorrow? What about the next day? Next week? When will Kyoko or her brother get a wind on what happened?

"I don't want to handle the consequences!" he sobbed.

"Someone, help me..."

The next day, he came to school, ignoring the DC committee's worried looks. He moved to Kyoko's desk like he had been possessed.

There, all over the bench, the captain had left his mark and Tsuna sobbed a little. He couldn't clean it without the stench remaining. If he switched it with one in the classroom, the stench would be permeated in the entire room. Moreover, should he even hide these things? What if Mochida did something worse after this? What is he thought this meant that his object of affection liked him too? What if he ambushed her somewhere? He couldn't help her even if he was right beside her. This thing would make people avoid her in the first place!

He started moving the desk to the door to exchange it with the spare desks. He saw a glaring Kurokawa Hana at the door and he paled and whimpered,

"K-K-K-Kurokawa!"

She glared deeply at the white stuff on the desk and she looked at the space where it came from and understanding flashed. She turned her dark look back at him and he knew the jig was up.

"It was Mochida, huh?"

His sweat, smudged the concealer leaving dark circles and bruised cheeks in plain sight and she seemed to fit more pieces in the puzzle and she grimaced, understanding why he chose to do what he did.

The brunette's look fell as his arms flopped at his sides as he resigned himself.

"Let me replace this, Kurokawa-"

"You can call me by my first name"

"Hana-san. I'll tell everything. Don't worry. I can still fix everything-"

"Tell me on the way. The two of us can finish it faster."

So he somberly explained everything to the black haired girl, ignoring the way she clenched her teeth in anger by the end of it.

"Sawada. I get telling Hibari would make things worse, but I've got no other ideas and letting my best friend be subjected to that crazy stalker is something I'd not do even if I bite the dust."

"... We could subject him to another crime and get him accused for it instead."

"Uh huh, commit perjury that the great detective can't find out. That's a dumb idea."

"Do you think we could get the kendo members to keep this a secret instead?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we show them what their captain has done. They'd keep him quiet so that their participation in the competition wouldn't be canceled. Not to mention, their reputation would be hurt since people wouldn't want to associate with the friends and members of the team that such an incident can from."

"...Worth a try. Where can I meet them? I don't know their route, but you know, right?"

"Hana-san... I'll be doing it."

Kurokawa wanted to object but after looking at his sheer will in his blazing eyes, she nodded firmly

'Just... be careful, you idiot.'
When the day was over, he reached the kendo dojo's entrance where the members were stretching before their jog. It was a place where the committee members normally never covered, so it was good for a confrontation.

He took the items in their plastic bag containers and frowned at their recognition, but carried on at their budding panic.

"You guys do know that you'd get suspended if this goes public. The link between you guys and your captain would be easy to find during the investigation."

"I tried telling senpai, what he did was crazy-"

"Even though you helped out in the plan?" seeing the other gulp, his anger built at the possibility of a more direct involvement.

"What's the ruckus? You guys should have reached the main gates by now." his eyes laid on the brunette and he sneered at the bags-

"You preserved that? What a sicko."

"Mochida-senpai... I don't think this is a laughing matter. Do you even what this would do to Sasagawa-san? Or to your club?"

"Are you threatening me? You guys are seriously cowering over this loser? This was the guy who asked my Kyoko out on a dogeza. Plus after his toilet bath, breaking his window and stuffing his place with garbage, his beloved little Hibari-sama did not even help him.

This guy is probably alone in this. There's no need to be afraid of this guy."

It pissed him off that the most pathetic guy in school was lecturing him, acting like he was above him. He wanted the auburn eyes on him, so he went a bit out of the way to get her to pay attention to him- and leave as big of an impression as she had on him.

Why did dame-Tsuna have to be the judge of his love? All was fair in love and war, right?

At his words, the guys started getting a bit more brave.

"Are you trying to play hero? Sawada... after a few months, have you forgotten what you are? Or do you think you are someone different now? What exactly has changed, huh?"

He pushed the brunette to the ground and it felt like his more confident self fell apart as the captain asked the questions his mind usually tore at him.

"You know, Sawada. If you wanna be reborn as someone different... you'll have to die once, at least."

His body shivered at the madness that swirled in the other's eyes. He scrambled to run away from there, only to get pinned by the other members-

'Of course, if there were people who could actually contribute to this wouldn't have been sane enough to negotiate with!'

"Keep him from squirming."

Mochida came back from the clubroom with a shovel and Tsuna's eyes widened like a baby doe's as he whimpered over the laughs that rang above him over his reaction.

He struggled under strong arms that pinned him as the captain dug a hole right near him. He attempted to scream but hands covered it, blocking parts of his vision, as it swum over his beating heart.

And he was ceremoniously thrown into it and before he could jump out of there, dirt fell at his limbs as his words came out as warbles, fear taking over his sanity. Mochida apologized.

"Sorry, Sawada. We don't have the time to get a coffin for you. Either way, you're going to be reborn, right?"

He screamed at the top of his lungs, but it came more as coughs and wheezes as the kendo captain shoveled more dirt at his face. He wished he could bring himself to ask Hibari or Yamamoto to help him out of it. But the retard he was, he wept, could not bring himself to betray Sasagawa Kyoko's dreams and wishes. Maybe that was why he was here, dying alone-

Then he felt something bite at his locked arm and panicked at the prospect of being feed for the underground habitants. He remembered his biology teacher drone about bodies being decomposed by the insects living in the ground and he frantically tried to shrug off the dirt as more and more was put on top of me. His breath was slowing down as he kept crying and screaming as none of his limbs flailed like the mental version of himself was doing. He felt more things crawl over stomach and he felt something warm near his thighs.

He puked at the things his imaged conjured as his vision flooded with more and more darkness and he screamed and shrieked as his body convulsed. His heart went to overdrive when the last spot of light vanished.

The soil was loose enough to allow him to breathe faintly. But he felt tremors from above his head and he thought, with his burning eyes dripping warm water that their blocking the loose pores outside by adding force to block his chances of breathing and he morbidly wondered if the insects would eat him before he died or would he die by asphyxiation. He hoped it was the later as he was always too much of a coward to face pain.

He felt like if he closed his eyes tighter, the dirt would get into them and it would probably scratch the phosphor sparkles away. But his tears couldn't stop and his nose kept breathing in the dirt that he wished he could cough away. He wanted to scream and let his feelings out, but then he'd swallow dirt without being able to cough it out.

Dirt slithered into his shirt and pant sleeves and he felt like he would be much happier if he would just pass out, but then it would be his last chance to see and feel the world and be a part of it as something that could exist and live a part of it.

He wasn't able to confirm with Hibari that he had wanted to form a vigelante corp. He wanted to let someone else know whatever the mirror version of him told him. He wanted to admit how scared that future made him, how grateful he was to be blessed with people who would stay by his side and forgive his antics.

He wanted to see if Mukuro was fine. He wanted to save Chrome before she lost her eye and organs. He wanted to ask Lambo if he would like to live with him. He wanted to tell Kyoko that he hated her before, but then, he came to care about her like she was his sister. He wanted to tell Ryohei that he should try believing his sister since there are people who would like to protect her and her believes and she was perfectly capable of convincing people with just words (look at him)

He wanted Yamamoto to try letting other people see the other side of his mask. He wondered if he would show it when he heard what happened to him? His breath slow and he felt like maybe he was granted a small mercy. He smiled sadly. Maybe in the next life, he would be able to achieve these desires.

Just then, something gripped at his arm and he was pulled outwards. He was pulled partially out of his grave by a sweaty, dusty Sasagawa Ryohei who looked like he ran a thousand marathons. The boxers' bandages were ripped and he was panting with tears flooding out of his eyes. He shook the smaller brunette and made him splutter out the dirt and brought a hand near his throat to check his pulse. Feeling it weak, but pulsing steadily.

He screamed out-

"You idiot! Why would you face them alone! You could have let your friends know or even let me know! I'm the one who has any business in this! Why did you all this?!"

"...Hana...-san *cough* told you?"

"Yeah, she told me when she couldn't find you anywhere after an hour. We split up to find where you could have been. I thought you might be here since those guys train here.

The ground was fresh only here and I had a bad feeling...

But I never wanted to find you here! Why did you do this?!" he screamed, his voice hoarse from sheer panic.

"It... was my fault... I didn't let her know *cough* that he was someone that dangerous. You would have been *cough* intimated."

"I could have punched them for doing such un-extreme things!"

"She didn't want to make the team from getting kicked from the competition... She didn't want you to get hurt."

"Just for that?" he choked.

"It was her... conviction just like you hold it in your fists... I wanted... to protect it. But I got into *cough* a minor setback."

"...you idiot"

Kurokawa saw him there and shrieked at how instead of chatting there, they should send the brunette to a hospital but at the firm refusals from the small teen, they reluctantly brought him back home.

Then the brunette pointed at the room at the next floor,

"Yeah idiot, we'll get you to your room. We'll be going through the front door like a sane person."

"No... Use the tree."

"Huh? What! Are you crazy?!"

"Yeah, got it."

She looked at the boxer like he was a madman, but the other just wrapped the brunette over his waist and began climbing the tree with as much care as he could. He dropped the other to his bed.

"I put my number in your phone. Give me a call if you need anything. By anything, I mean anything. Don't give me any of the weird reservations.

Just before you get into any confrontations like before. You can fight your battles. You fought today's splendidly. But let someone know when and where. People can pull cheap shots sometimes.

That time, it would be better if you have someone who would extremely punch those guys senses back in. If you don't want people to lay a hand in your fights, but the guys you know don't listen to you. I'll extremely get them to let you do you!

I get angry when people meddle in my fights too!"

He ruffled the brunette's hair.

"Now get some rest. You deserve it."

With those words Tsuna's eyes closed onto itself, the exhaustion from the day finally catching up to him, but feeling satisfied that he got someone he felt like would get his back regardless of what he stood for.

When he woke up to an energetic boxer, he whined at the loudness but couldn't stop the small smile on his face which grew wider as a frantic Yamamoto barged into the room, after being briefed about everything from Hana the previous day to give him a desperate hug. His smile wouldn't simmer down even as Kusakabe scolded him as Hibari scowled at him as he explained that he wouldn't have revealed the more private details of the case because of victim confidentiality laws that the Hibari's took very seriously regarding victims older than 10, in their case, believing that minors should be given power to making decisions generally.

His week went great other than his minor breathing problems, that is, and after all the apologies he had to make to his friends for worrying them. He didn't understand why, but he was in a really good mood. Maybe it was his only way of maintaining his sanity or maybe it was because he was so grateful to be given another chance to fulfill his many wishes. Who knew?

But things never really went well for him that long and he saw a letter in pure white at his bedroom with a white flower with a huge number of petals (he was willing to bet it was a thousand)

'Dear Sawada Tsunayoshi,

Throwing our only mode of contact? How cruel can you be to my delicate heart?

But I'll forgive you, because I've got a big heart.

I've attached some files to this letter. You know you shouldn't hide things from your mother, Tsunayoshi-kun. I'll help you learn to be a bit more truthful. But if you feel like some secrets should be taken to your grave like a certain other parent of yours, then you need to help me out so that I can feel like helping you out too.

I've got a person I need to eliminate. Don't worry, for your first mission, I won't give you something as difficult as gunning or stabbing someone...

It's just giving a drink to the main pianist of the event mentioned in the details page. You'd be his assistant for the event. The preparations are made. But if slipping a drink makes you queasy, then I'm all about choices. So you could also apply a contact poison at his keyboard keys. It's a substance called dimethyl mercury, if you're interested in knowing what it is. Just don't touch it afterwards~ You're not the target. And you have to kill him before he finishes the assassination he was assigned to do! It's a heart throbbing, adrenaline rush filled adventure XD

If you choose to accept the mission, go to Namimori shrine, three days from now.

Ps. Don't let anyone know the contents of this letter, or I won't grant any favors ;)

Your favorite,

Gesso Byakuran'

He numbly pulled out the files, shell-shocked at the prospect of killing someone. It was an indepth profile with proof of Sawada Iemitsu killing people. Tsuna buckled down at that moment,

'Kaa-san should never know about this.' he thought solemnly.

His eyes blazed with defiance when he came to himself.

'I probably can't defy him by myself.

But then, I've got people who I can rely on.'

He called a person he thought would have leads on this.

"Kusakabe here, Tsunayoshi-san. I didn't expect you to call at this moment."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, but it's a bit of an urgent business.

… You see, I'm being threatened."

"...Hibari-san wants to talk in person. Could you come to the Hibari household right now? Or do you want us to come over there?"

"No, it's all right. It's something I can't afford being overheard here."

"Ok got it. We'll ensure you don't get attacked on the way."

"You don't have to do that-"

the call had hung up and Tsuna had to restrain a sigh. 'Worrywarts, the two of them'

He left the house giving a sleepover as an excuse to his mom.

When he reached the Hibari household, he saw a Hibari sitting at the coffee table in a kimono while Kusakabe was pouring tea for the three of them.

Sawada didn't waste any time and placed the envelope in front of them and seeing recognition flash in the prefect's eyes, he guessed the older had known about it. But before he asked for an explanation, it was provided for him.

"I was forbidden from revealing anything about it. He had information that could endanger your family. But I couldn't protect you from him. My men are still searching for the card that could enable me to explain the contents of the discussion between him and I. I'll intimate you firstly when we find it. "

Hibari was planning on using the ambiguous time in their betting terms for the card arriving the Japan to win the bet and upturn his loss.

Tsuna nodded as he accepted the new information. He spoke what he could reveal,

"He got information that I can't believe he could even get his hands on. I think I'll be transported to Italy" he thought thinking of the only pianist that mattered to his parallel self's world.

"It might be a concerto or an opera. I don't know." he usually didn't give him vague information like in fear of getting bitten for wasting the others time, but he felt like after what Ryohei said, he could try asking more than what he thought he deserved.

The two listened to him seriously and Kusakabe said,

"We think there's a mole in Namimori. There was no way he could get such detailed information about our patrol routes and a way to transport things to you by being present remotely, so we will keep searching for them. If we find them, we can intercept them and pass false information and prevent any punishments from being carried out.

I'll enlist help form Yamamoto-san and Sasagawa-san since they expressed their intent in helping you with any troubles you might have."

"The Hibari branch will keep information streams at musical establishments or establishments famous musicians visit to help you." Hibari's eye held a promise.

And Tsuna felt that this time, things were going to be all right.