Chapter Twenty-Five
"How many days will you be here?" He asked the two who just finished coming in terms of their argument. "We're leaving tomorrow."
"Well, Mama is said to finish up tomorrow morning too." Yuni replied and flagged a waiter for them to order. "So we're going to leave tomorrow."
"Byakuran lives with you, right?" He verified before sighing when he noticed the whitehead being indecisive on the menu he's looking at. "I'll recommend you the parfait, Byakuran. Just ask for more marshmallow."
Purple eyes sparkled brightly. "Thank you, Tsu-chan!"
"Yes." Yuni answered to him with a fond smile. "Mama already registered us as fraternal twins. Gesso is in the state of internal conflict right now."
He leaned back, thoughtful. "That's good. So if ever all heirs kill each other and no one is left, Byakuran can revive the Millefiore with the power of Gesso."
"What can I help you, Sirs, Miss?" The waiter asked politely.
"Medium chocolate parfaits for all of us." Byakuran said with a grin on his lips as they simultaneously put their cards on the table. "Can you put double amount of marshmallows on one of them? That will be mine. Thank you!"
"Please pick whichever you feel like taking." Yuni smiled to the waiter who looked baffled with their cards.
Tsuna huffed, amused, when the waiter took his card. "I assume you'll be collecting your elements again, Byakuran." He remarked as he eyed the kid.
"Yes! Then Yuni-chan and I can join force again and attack Vongola to put you in the rightful place!" The whitehead chimed happily.
"Nuah?!" Koro-sensei gawked at what Byakuran said.
"Don't mind him, Koro-sensei." He mollified. "I'm not taking the Vongola Decimo."
"But Tsu-chan! We don't like them! Especially Ietsuna!" Byakuran pouted.
"I heard from Varia." He nodded. "But really, I'm not taking it. Too much responsibility. Let that family burn down with them. Who knows, maybe Primo won't accept all three of them too and he'll dance on the ring to mock Secondo for being stupid."
"Don't think about it. We understand, Tsuna-kun." Yuni said, smiling softly. "You did suffer a lot because of them."
"Hmp! I hate them!" Byakuran harrumphed, right cheek inflated.
Tsuna reached out and patted the kid's head. "Byakuran, you don't need to like them. Don't see them, don't think about them, and don't let them bother you when you see each other. They'll just get in your way to be stronger than them. And Vongola is not as strong as it was years ago. Heck, even in the other worlds."
"Because you're not the one who is leading them." Byakuran responded as he calmed down. "What are you going to do after high school, Tsu-chan?"
"Yeah." Yuni seconded, looking curious. "I can't see a certain picture."
Tsuna leaned back again and glanced at Koro-sensei who is also anticipating his answer. "I want to go to college and major in creative writing. Being a writer of a bestselling novel can give me enough income to never go out of my home."
"You're going to be a shut-in?" Byakuran gasped before laughing. "I'll adopt you! You can live in our mansion!"
He gave the whitehead a deadpan. "I won't be able to write anything since you'll bother me every single day to play with you."
Koro-sensei and Yuni laughed as Byakuran grinned wider.
"What do you think, Koro-sensei?" Yuni asked to the teacher who is witnessing their conversation. "I think Tsuna-kun has told you that he wants to live in an isolated island where no one can bother him."
"Well, it will be something he can do." Koro-sensei answered. "He is very good in all subjects, especially English and Japanese, so he can write novels with those two languages. It will be something that will keep him relaxed too, after a hard working years."
"Ah. This is a late introduction, but Koro-sensei, they are Gesso Byakuran and Giglio Nero Yuni, both are heir and heiress of their respective mafia famiglia." The brunet introduced. "It's not really a secret, but Byakuran can see the parallel worlds. I bet you know what that is."
"Ah. Yes. Such amazing yet terrifying ability, Byakuran-kun." Koro-sensei commented, relying on his knowledge of the mafia world.
"As long as I have Tsu-chan and Yuni-chan, I'm fine." The kid answered easily.
"Yuni can see snippets of the future, Sensei." He informed as Yuni raised a hand and caressed Koro-sensei's ball. "It's the reason why they're also here."
"To meet Tsu-chan!" Byakuran cheered.
Yuni smiled at Tsuna then to Koro-sensei. "Don't worry, Koro-sensei. With Tsuna-kun at your side, you won't suffer longer than you expect."
Brown eyes flashed caramel at that. "Really?"
"Tsuna-kun, you should know that you change the fate of everyone." Yuni sighed as if she's talking to a kid younger than her, looking older than her age.
"W-What do you mean?" Koro-sensei asked, color becoming pink. "You can still see my future?"
"Yes, Sensei." Yuni nodded with a beam. "You'll live long enough to do what you want to do, regardless of what Tsuna-kun does."
Koro-sensei gazed at Tsuna who shrugged. "There is a reason why I can't kill you, Sensei. Anyway," He turned to Yuni. "the ten-years fiasco didn't happen?"
"Yes." Yuni answered. "It's because I got Byakuran first and helped him with his visions."
"No wonder they're all stupid." He sighed. He should really help Mammon. "The curse should've been cured two years ago. What is Kawahira-ji doing anyway?"
The two children looked at each other before Byakuran gave him a sheepish grin. "Well, he visited us three months ago. He said we have to search for you since you have the 'answer' to the problem, but it has a time limit."
They paused as the waiter came back with their orders. Yuni and Byakuran thanked the waiter who returned Tsuna's card. He apologized to Koro-sensei for eating without him, but the teacher assured him that it was fine.
His eyes narrowed to the two after the waiter went off. "How many months?"
"He didn't really mention a number, but he said," Byakuran coughed on his small fist as he straightened up and stared directly at Tsuna's eyes. "'As the white of the sea and the clover of the rainbow ease the pearl of the clam, the elements of the lion will slowly settle in. However, the lion's suns will need his blessing as their sands get washed. The Earths are nearing as well. Despite his decisive choice from the game, his plan will change all living things.'"
"'Keep in mind, he does not have to take the sin. He does not have to take the ring. He is the greatest as we deemed. Taught by a crying lady. Nurtured by a lonely old man. Helped by sharp swords. Cared by a sorrowful reaper. Accepted by his truthful elements. The limit is where you are said to end. Scheme wisely.'" Yuni continued before digging in as Byakuran did.
Tsuna's mind went to work to decipher every words while Koro-sensei quizzed the two.
By means of 'white of the sea' and the 'clover of the rainbow', it means Byakuran and Yuni. So Tsuna is the 'pearl of the clam'? He is also the 'lion' who will have its 'elements' settle in. But when? Byakuran also emphasize the 's' on the 'suns' and the 'Earths' whose 'sands' are being 'washed'. His eyes went to Koro-sensei who is enjoying himself with the two's antics. He could consider Koro-sensei as a sun with his personality and physicality. Then who is the other 'sun'? Reborn?
Let's say it is Reborn. So it means he has to save them both because their 'sands'— times are running out by means of 'washed'. 'Earths' means literal Earth and the Simon. That concludes that the current Vongola hasn't met the elements of the Earth. Double shit on that because they must still be being controlled by Daemon Spade. Anyway, Kawahira said he will still change all the lives involved with him whether- What? He decides to be an Engineer instead of a writer? To abandon Vongola and let it burn?
But Kawahira also said that he doesn't need to take the 'sin'... 'Sin' means Vongola sin, right? Also the 'ring'. The Vongola sky ring. Because he's a sky as they deemed him to be? 'By crying lady'... The 'lonely old man' is the old man Kurogane. The 'swords' should be the managers since the Yakuza refers the generals of the Chief boss as dragon's swords. Koro-sensei should be the 'reaper' then the 'elements' are his classmates? Shit. He denied that he's a sky, yet here he is, earning elements.
And by Kawahira saying his limit is 'where he is said to end'... What does that mean?
"Tsuna-kun?" He gazed over to Koro-sensei who called him. "You've been quiet."
He sighed and took the spoon. "Just burdened."
"You deciphered it already?" Byakuran gasped. "You're so fast, Tsu-chan!"
"It's not that hard to figure out." He waved off and took a spoonful of the parfait. "I'm just dumped on some parts." 'Especially the last one.' "But it's fine. Nothing to worry about."
"If you have any trouble, I'll be here, Tsuna-kun." Koro-sensei assured with his usual smile. "You can trust, Sensei."
He let his lips quirk upward a little. "I know, Sensei." He took another spoonful. "Yuni, Aria-san is here, yes?"
"Yup." The girl answered, halfway to her parfait.
"Who's who between you two?" He asked.
"I took the pacifier." Yuni smiled before gesturing to Byakuran. "He already has the mare ring too."
"Can I task you two to talk with the mummies?" The two stared at him, causing him to wince. "Fine. I'll do it. You get to contact Talbot-jii-san though. Pass him to Xanxus and we'll talk. If Talbot-jii-san talks to me, Kawahira-ji will appear to me too."
"Do we have a date?" Byakuran asked in a serious mode.
"No. Not yet." He answered. "I have to get in contact with one of the Earths, and save them along the way to get more help. Also," He glanced at Koro-sensei who blinked at him cluelessly. "I think I have to hold it for awhile as a leverage. But for a while, Yuni. I'm honestly giving it for free. I just need a leverage in case I need something from your elements. Mammon won't entirely refuse me since her boss is my uncle, but the others? Especially your Godfather?" He winced. "I need something that will make him have no choice but to give in."
"It's fine." Yuni assured with a mischievous grin. "I wanna see them fumble too. No worries."
"Eh! Yuni-chan is learning!" Byakuran pointed out with a laughter.
"I'm blaming you on this." Tsuna glared at the whitehead before beaming softly at Yuni. "Thank you."
Yuni smiled back as Byakuran cackled.
"Now..." He eyed the two. "How did you know?"
The two looked at each other before Byakuran turned to him with a small smile. "Kawahira-jii-san told me that he has passed in both ways."
That means Byakuran's counterpart had a talk with Kawahira, relying the message that his counterpart passed his memories in a parallel world as he passed away. They identified which world, contacted his Byakuran and asked him to seek Tsuna out.
"They said you needed to balance out." The whitehead added. "We thought you were in Namimori, but you weren't. So we mostly relied on Yuni-chan's visions until she saw you here."
The brunet looked down to his parfait in thoughts before looking up again. "How... How are they? I had a talk with the wrath..."
"They're faring well." Byakuran answered in a thoughtful expression. "They purged the city too, in retaliation for what happened."
Tsuna sighed. "That's... Good."
Byakuran smiled a little wider. "It's their home we're talking about. They have to do what they needed to do to ease themselves."
He smiled.
The two stayed for an hour or so, talking with the two of them. They gave details about the Vongola for the past two years even if Tsuna didn't want them. Just to keep him updated, they reasoned. He bid them goodbye and thanked Gamma for accompanying the two. The man only nodded and stared at him like he did some kind of miracle.
Koro-sensei, by then, has been relaxing. Tsuna kept him in his arms as he walked along the beach with a straw hat he borrowed from the bar, enjoying the small summer breeze and comfortable silence between them. It's not that hot. Just warm enough not to sweat so much.
"Tsuna-kun?"
"Hm?"
"I won't hope." He looked down to Koro-sensei. "Yuni-chan said it so, the future is not set in stone. So I don't want to hope. I also don't want you to expect. You'll be opposing your classmates if you do that."
Tsuna thought of what his teacher said for a second before answering. "Let's make a promise then, Sensei."
"A promise?"
"Yes." He answered. "It's just between the two of us. I'll exhaust every method I could think of with all the resources I have on my back to save you. If I can't, I'll grant all of your dying wishes."
"So if you do save me, I'll grant you wishes? That is a plausible deal."
"Nope. It's not a deal. It's a promise, Sensei. Saying it's a deal feels like it's just pure business. If we say it's a promise, then we will always remember it even if the time goes by."
"Okay then. I don't have a pinky right now."
He huffed a soundless chuckle. "It's fine. Your words and my words are good enough, Sensei. Not like the two of us break promises."
His Sensei snickered. "Like with Smog-san?"
"Like with Smog-san." He hummed back.
"Alright, I promise to give you your- Wait. How many was it?"
"Three." He voiced.
"I promise to give you your three wishes once you do save me, Tsuna-kun."
"And I promise to give you your three dying wishes once I realize I cannot save you, Koro-sensei." Tsuna hummed after. "Well, this is nice."
"Yes. I'm grateful for your care Tsuna-kun."
"You're welcome, Sensei."
Tsuna looked out to the endless horizon. He'll take his time regardless of the limit. He needs to plan everything and consider every variables that exists and might appear in the future. He has to list every move he successfully executed to track his next step. And yeah... Step by step. No rush. Everything has their own time.
Kawahira did say he has to scheme wisely.
Tsuna sighed and shrugged at Karma who turned to him. Just because he could talk some sense in Koro-sensei sometimes, it doesn't mean he could stop him all the time.
Well, Koro-sensei is back to his normal form after twenty-four hours of being condensed. And regardless of how Karasuma-sensei tried to keep him contained in a place with concrete and anti-sensei material, it was no avail. Koro-sensei blasted them like it was nothing. He was all ready to vibe for the summer vacation again when he landed beside them, wearing Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat like what Tsuna was wearing that morning.
Right now though, the almighty 'creature' is crying after getting scared in the cave. He got scared with his own plan. The plan? Create a love team or a 'scandal' by pairing up the boys and girls of the class. It was a plan the brunet saw from the moment Koro-sensei presented the game and started to call out the names. Good thing Tsuna didn't participate due to the lack of girls and volunteered to go last.
(Koro-sensei thought of pairing up Tsuna and Kanzaki, or Tsuna and Hara. But he scratched the thought. He has the list anyway, and Tsuna has no input in there.)
(The brunet took his bath during the school trip to Kyoto when everyone is going out from the bathroom, in a guise that he got too amused with the backyard view that's why he couldn't join them. So by the time the boys rated the girls, he came in the room when they were already chasing Koro-sensei in the hallway.)
He turned to the cave when Irina-sensei and Karasuma-sensei went out from there. He felt a sudden shudder go down his spine and looked back to Koro-sensei and his classmates, only to see them watching the two as well with curious eyes. When the teachers parted ways, with Irina-sensei looking back to Karasuma-sensei, their eyes gleamed like predators and grinned like devils.
He sighed and went along with them. It is an unexpected development for them anyway. They were going back to the hotel after letting in Irina-sensei to their massive plan, to scheme their next moves for the 'new development' at the lobby when he felt his touchscreen phone vibrate. He pulled it out and looked at why is it vibrating. It was Xanxus.
"Good-" His brows furrowed in thoughts. The timezone between Japan and Italy are seven to eight hours apart. So it's like lunch in Italy while it's already seven or eight in Japan. "-Noon, Xanxus."
"I thought you could speak Italian, why Japanese now?" The Wrath from the otherside questioned in Italian.
"Because I'm in Japan?" He replied and leaped over a rock. "What made you call?"
"The two kiddies called me up just now. You met up?"
He almost paused for a second if he didn't process immediately. Right, Byakuran and Yuni that morning. "Yeah. I promised them last night that I'll meet them up this morning if they come here. I told you we had an infiltration operation yesterday, right? Or maybe you were just too drunk to remember?"
A huff. "I remember, you trash. I maybe an alcoholic, but I never forget information."
"Really? I bet you don't remember the last woman you went to an hotel with." He teased light. He chuckled soundlessly when he heard an embarrassed groan. "Kidding."
"You're not a trash. You're a brat."
"I rather be called a trash than a brat. I wasn't spoiled." He objected as he stopped by the near bench after entering the building premises.
"Fine. You're a squirt."
He hummed, smiling a little. "I'll take that as a compliment. Did you eat lunch already?"
"Just done. Squalo was bitching about some paperworks I need to sign up."
"Don't be too hard on Squalo-san and Levi-san. They're already inspecting your paper works for you to lower the weight of the job."
"Yeah yeah. You're not convincing."
"Hey. At least I said something." He huffed as his eyes caught something red and he remembered the video. "Pass me Squalo-san's email address, can you? I wanna send him a video."
"Why can't you send it to me first? I'm your uncle to point out."
"Oh. The uncle card." He made 'pft' when his intuition chimed to him of how red the other is on the other line. "Anyway, it's about Karma so I think you won't really be interested."
"I am interested."
He huffed. "Fine." He pulled away his phone and tapped the loud speaker and went to navigate. "I'm sending it to your email. Be sure to let Squalo-san watch it, or I'll block you."
"You won't."
"I really will." He promised as he attached the video and some pictures to the mail. "I recorded this with Squalo-san in mind. He is the one who went against Karma in the same situation."
"Were you even scared that time?"
"Hm?" He waited for the attachments to settle in. "What do you mean?"
"When we came and was about to hunt you down. Did you get scared?"
Tsuna's mind went back to that time. "I was scared for Karma to be honest." He stared at the video attachment as he tried to formulate his words. He's not really the type to share things. "I wasn't sure who we're up against. If it was you, some assassins, or a number of Vongola mafiosi. I knew that some people have been watching me after the Kyoto school trip, so it's not really a secret that Karma comes with me in my jobs and go out by ten at evening. I was thinking, 'what if it's not the Varia we're up against? What will happen to Karma if he goes out from the store?'. If it was just me that time, I could've let you kill me. But, with Karma there, I worried that he'll be used as a hostage and be killed during the process of making me surrender.
"I mean if it was a normal group of assassins, they could've killed us both. If it was some mafiosi, they could've hunted down Karma and used him as a hostage to lure me out, then will kill him before, during or after I get killed. But if it was you, you would've held him down and left him after killing me. You're not the type to slaughter the innocents." Then he pressed for send. "There. It's a video and five photos, I think."
"You were willing to die?"
He sighed. "Xanxus, I have no one that time. I'm literally an abandoned child. An orphan who hasn't realized that he has people that may worry about his welfare. Karma and Koro-sensei will understand why you have to kill me. The worst outcome that will happen is, Koro-sensei will obliterate Vongola as a whole and Karma will want to deliver the last blow on you.
"However, that's the worst case scenario. Even if I really want to die that time, I couldn't. I didn't want to scar Karma for life and make him think that he has been useless. Who knows what kind of drastic things he'll do? And regardless of how pain in the ass his personality is, he's still innocent. I don't want to take that part of him with me." Then he blew raspberries. "If we're going to think of the positive thing in our encounter, I gained you."
"Don't go sap on me."
He hummed as he went back to handheld and pressed the phone to his left ear. "No. Really. I mean, having a call like this is new to me. Talking about my day every night you chat me is new. Your words about Karma's point made me understand how wrong my view was. So Xanxus, thank you."
There was a click of tongue before the call was ended. Tsuna brought the phone down and stared at it. He shook his head. Who knew his uncle can be cute too. Oh wait... Xanxus was fifteen when he got trapped in the ice. So it means, he thinks like a seventeen years old in a seventeen years old body even if he's twenty-seven agewise. The brunet scratched his head at how absurd yet real the thought was. He should probably lay it down on his uncle. They're almost similar in age now.
He hid his phone back to his pocket and was about to stand up when he noticed Nagisa going out from the inside. Blue eyes looked around until they met brown. Tsuna raised a hand as a greeting, and the other smiled back before coming over.
Well... Isn't this a new development.
