A/N:

@arisasonoda84: I don't really know if there is a climax around here. I just keep on writing things. Maybe in the next few chapters? I hope so. Thank you though.

Fourth update? Haha.

Anyway, go on.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Kyouya stared at the scene in front of him. He's itching to go and check the file Kusakabe sent him. It was the full information of Tsunayoshi. Being feared has its own perks too. Even after his reign, people still remember the reputation he made and the rules he installed in the town. Of course, it also includes the loyalty of his underlings.

He inwardly sighed as Hana kicked Tsunayoshi on the shin. The latter hopped in one foot and Hayato fussed over him with Takeshi. His ears perked up in irritation when Hayato and Hana went for a screaming showdown. Takeshi tried to placate but the two only hyped up. Add Lambo to the fray, who kept on calling Hayato names, then Ryohei on top with his extreme lungs.

He can't tolerate this.

"Kyouya?"

The skylark opened his eyes to see his sky looking at him with concern eyes and a bright smile. "Hn."

"You can go if you don't want the noise."

"S'okay." He responded with his face turned away.

"Hmm? You're tolerating the noise and crowding, Kyouya." Tsunayoshi pointed out. That earned his attention. "If you can't you can go. I know you'll always come back."

Kyouya huffed before bonking the brunet's head. "You're nosy, Little Animal."

"Ow. But I don't want to see you struggling."

"Do you know me?"

"Hm? What kind of question is that?"

"How do you know I do not tolerate noise and crowd?"

His observant eyes caught Tsunayoshi's sudden stiffness before it was forced to a relax posture. "Chrome and Takeshi told me some of your past. And Shamal too. They said you have a lot of followers with long pompadours, and you have this committee called Disciplinary. Also you hang out at the reception area. No wonder you know how to do paper works."

Kyouya stared at him.

"K-Kyouya?"

"You are not telling me the whole truth."

Tsunayoshi bowed his head a little. Kyouya took that as a sign of shame. "I trust you. You know that. But I'm not ready to lay everything in front of you, Kyouya. Don't take it bad. There are just some things that I can't disclose to you but like how I confide to Mukuro, I'll tell you everything too."

Kyouya clenched his hands to fists, Tsunayoshi's eyes caught the gesture and shrunk a little.

"I'm sorry."

Kyouya shook his head. He can feel the small quiver of the sky flame on his cloud flame, feeling at fault. "No. It's okay, Little Animal. You don't break promises, so this talk isn't finished yet."

Tsunayoshi smiled. "Okay. You are a life saver, Kyouya."

Kyouya bonked the brunet's head in embarrassment. Bad move. Hayato saw it and he screeched like a banshee. Even Hana glared at him. Tsunayoshi tried to mollify with the help of Takeshi. The skylark stared at the group before glancing at Chrome and Mukuro who are near him a little.

"Cloud-san." Chrome called with a small nod on his way. "We will find something."

Kyouya nodded back. "Do it with perfection, herbivore."

"Kufufufufu~ Birdie-chan is so immaculate, I see."

"Piney is jealous." He countered back.

"Oya? Why would I be jealous to a bird that is scared of sakura flowers?"

Kyouya took the bait for a fight.

"How did you know?"

Tsuna stared at Kyoko who asked him that. She has been crying with Ryohei the second the two realized that they're together again. It took an hour for them to move the two with the help of Hana. And another hour for them to stop crying.

The lawyer was understanding enough not to interrupt the two. Tsuna didn't have to ask. He figured the two girls had their own share of tearful reunion.

"Uh." Tsuna uttered when he realized that most of the people inside the room (sans Hayato, Mukuro and Kyouya who are still fighting outside) are looking at him. "Hana talked about you that one time."

Ryohei frowned. Tsuna almost flinched. "But description enough is not good to tell you that I'm Ryohei Sasagawa and Kyoko is my sister."

"He knew who you are." Hana piped in. Tsuna made a struggled sound, but the noirette only glanced at him. "Remember when we went to Hokkaido for a high school trip? Kyoko was taken by a gang there and you tried to search for them since there were no progress with the authorities and the teachers. Then there's this one monkey who helped you search."

Tsuna's lip twitched upward a little at the 'moneky' part. His harmonized guardians caught the action.

"Oh yeah! He was extremely kind enough to help me even though he was scrawny and a coward!" Ryohei marveled after remembering.

"That scrawny, coward monkey is-" Hana put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "-him. Tsunayoshi Sawada, age sixteen at that time, was in a field trip with his class and staying with the same inn with our school."

"Oh God." Kyoko gasped.

"Eh?" Ryohei blurted.

Hana sighed, eyebrow twitching with impatience. Tsuna knew the lady hates repeating herself, but she's this understanding. "Fluffy brown hair? Encouraging smile? Warm brown eyes? Fire on his forehead? With gauntlets in his hands? Ring a bell, Kingkong?"

Kyoko giggled at Hana's insult to her brother. Ryohei, on the other hand, stared intently at Tsuna who squirmed at the intense gaze. He thought back and compared the man in front of him to the fellow teen who helped him. He realized they do look the same. He then imagined the guy with orange eyes, an orange flame on his forehead and a pair of gauntlets in his hands.

"Let me check." Ryohei reckoned as he stood up.

Tsuna stiffened on his seat, knowing what Ryohei meant. The sun flame user tugged the brunet's jacket sleeve. The latter cringed before removing his jacket. He exposed bandages on his arms when he was left with his shirt. He looked at Takeshi. The noiret nodded with a smile, saying it's okay. Tsuna sighed before lefting off his shirt.

Everyone gasped as they stared at his body. They were full of scars. Long gashes, small healed wounds. Some were bullet holes, many were burns and some were indescribable. Kyoko couldn't stop herself from tearing up with her hands covering her mouth. Lambo rushed over with the others behind him. Hana only looked away, already accustomed to the sight. And Ryohei was searching.

"The scar you're looking is on my back." Tsuna informed softly. "It was the nail wound that almost punctured my spine right? It's right there, marked with a skin hole."

Ryohei made him bend a little and searched for it. "I bet they're battle scars."

Tsuna nodded. "... Some are."

"But I remember you go with the same school with us." Kyoko chimed in. "Onii-san always greets you first whenever we see you by the gate. Even Hana greets you."

"Eh?" Takeshi blurted out. "In Namimori?"

Tsuna shook his head and looked away. "No."

Ryohei and Kyoko understood the denial so they kept quiet.

"Tsunayoshi was our batchmate in college." Hana tried to save with a disguised bored tone. "After Kyoko was kidnapped, we all went to the same college and see this troublemaker-" Tsuna yelped in pain when Hana pulled a handful of hair on his head. "-all the time."

"Oh." Takeshi uttered, but the glint in his eyes is different from the disbelief he is sporting. "I thought you were our schoolmate for a second there, Tsuna!"

Tsuna laughed. "If I were, then you should've known me already."

"Yeah!" Takeshi responded positively.

"Ah! Found it to the extreme! It is you!"

Ryohei cheered.

Tsuna put his shirt on again. Chrome helped him while Lambo curled on him by the seat. Takeshi sat by the armchair. They can feel the quiver of the sky flame that surround them. It's slowly shying and shrinking away. And before it can slip away, they pull him back and surrounds him. Even the storm, cloud and other mist joins them. And a small, hesitant sun is cuddling it too.

Takeshi grinned so wide when Tsuna sighed and relaxed. Almost melting at their embrace. Lambo cuddled closer while Chrome patted the brunet's back in a small rhythmic pattern. Ryohei was just unconsciously rubbing the little decimo's back.

Hana and Kyoko looked at each other before shrugging at the same time. They watched how Tsuna started to feel at ease, washing away those anxiety, fear and sadness that marred his face awhile ago.

"The scars..."

"What about them?"

"It's the reason why he's in a constant pain. They were too many. And the way they hurt in the past haunts him to the point that they overwhelm him."

Everyone didn't say a word.

"Another reason why he can't feel anything other than inflicting pain from the outside. Or making him happy with sheer will." Kyouya murmured, breaking the silence.

"It worries me that Tsuna-nii may think that we might get tired of his troubles." Lambo worriedly informed.

"Kufufufu... Tsunayoshi. Such selfish assumption." Mukuro shook his head.

"Why would we do that to him? He didn't get tired on us when we were the ones who had problems, so why would we?" Takeshi asked in confusion.

All looked at Hayato who closed his lighter a little snappier as he puffed out some smoke from his mouth, the cigarette still between his lips. "Tenth was an abandoned sky."

"What?!" Takeshi bellowed.

"Rain-san, calm down." Chrome chided before turning her attention to Hayato. "Elaborate, Storm-san."

Hayato opened his closed eyes and stared at them with hardened intent. "He had guardians years ago. According to Shamal, Tenth got his guardians when he was in his mid-sixteen. They were troublesome but Tenth stayed with them. Supported them, understood them and accepted them like a sky he is."

"And they eventually left him because they felt suffocated." Mukuro continued, face stoic but eyes are hardened with fury. "They are weak. Weak flame users cannot withstand such strong sky."

"Are you saying we are weak?" Kyouya questioned, offended at the implication.

Mukuro rolled his eyes. "I didn't. If we were weak, we would've already left him a long time ago from the moment we felt ourselves slowly harmonizing with his flame."

"What did you see?" Hayato questioned, remembering that one time Mukuro looked troubled.

The aforementioned man went silent for a sec. "He let them go. They were heartless. They told him things that a sky shouldn't hear. Do things he doesn't deserve. It was a small glimpse. But I saw what I saw." Mukuro gripped tightened the clasp of his hands. "They abandoned him one by one, inflicting so much pain on Tsunayoshi. If I was reincarnated from hell six fucking times, then that selfless sky of ours lives in hell for the past six years and still suffering in there."

"No wonder he knows how pain really works." Lambo whispered.

Chrome closed her only eye. "Beautiful but miserable. Such cruelty."

"Tsunayoshi Sawada." They eyed Kyouya who spoke. "Twenty-one years old. Japanese citizen. House address: Shuuen building, twenty-fifth street, Tokyo. Home address: Namimori, Japan. High school: Namimori High. Middle school: Namimori Middle. Elementary and Preschool: Namimori Elementary. Mother: Nana Sawada, deceased. Cause of death: Leukemia. Father: Iemitsu Sawada, mafioso and CEDEF boss."

"H-He came from Namimori?" Takeshi uttered, shocked.

"Ever heard of the nickname Dame-Tsuna, Takeshi Yamamoto?" Kyouya asked in a low tone.

"Dame-Tsuna?" Takeshi repeated as his eyes widened. "Yes! Yes!"

"Tsunayoshi was known to be Dame-Tsuna in his younger years." Kyouya informed. "He was no-good at anything. And they taunt him for that. I didn't pay any attention on him whenever he walks by, but I knew I mostly defended him from his bullies unconsciously whenever they disrupt my sleep."

"Then it is true then? That he was the one who yelled my father's name when I was about to jump from the rooftop?" Takeshi inquired out loud.

"How come you only noticed this now?" Lambo asked, agitated.

"Aho-shi. Calm down. Tenth has his flames sealed when he was a child. He got his flames back after Iemitsu-san removed it." Hayato disclosed.

"If I remember right," Chrome cut in. "the sky experiences the worst pain. If that's the case then Bossu isn't just haunted by his physical pain, he's affected in every aspect."

Mukuro hissed. "If we were broken, he's shattered."

Ryohei tutted displeasure when Tsuna coughed out blood. Using his sun flame coated hands, he healed most injuries while reaching out inside the brunet's insides and fixed them. Tsuna whizzed and whined softly at the pain. The white head cussed, wishing Takeshi is with them to tone the pain down. After securing the fact that his companion is stable, he leaned on the wall behind him.

Vongola mansion was under attack. Ryohei was coincidentally outside, running around the nearby forest to get some exercise when enemies started to get in the perimeter. He fought off some until reinforcements came. What he didn't know was Tsuna is in the front line. Yes. They fought for minutes, but the brunet- oh so reckless little Tsuna lept on him to protect him when a bomb went off. They rolled off obviously. And before he knew it, he was already healing his wayward savior inside a cave he found to hide them for the time being.

Multiple burns, fractures, head injury and internal bleeding and injuries. So much for being alive and lucky to be ended up with a sun flame user.

"I am extremely dead." Ryohei muttered as he remembered Hayato's temper regarding Tsuna's safety.

The octopus head is really protective of the sky. So is the others even though it was almost too hard to notice. The way Takeshi always stray a little away and comes back immediately. How Lambo diverts Tsuna's attention when the teen took the hint that the sky won't like what he'll hear. Or the way Mukuro banters with him and includes Chrome along the way. Even the way Kyouya strode in and out of the mansion or the place Tsuna is whenever he feels like it.

Of course he too wants to protect the brunet. He helped him twice already. But that level of protectiveness is too... Much to his view.

"Onii-san...?" Ryohei looked at Tsuna who weakly opened his eyes.

"Rest up, Sawada. You're tired to the extreme." He advised.

Tsuna's brows knitted. "Y-You have an injury."

Ryohei's brows shoot up as he inspected himself. "Where?"

"Your right side. It's bleeding."

Ryohei looked at it. "Oh. It's nothing, just a gash."

Tsuna didn't take that answer. He reached out and placed a hand on the bleeding wound. A bright yellow light erupted and slowly closed up Ryohei's injury. The latter exhaled, feeling warmth spread to his body, like a blanket being wrapped around him.

The brunet went to lay again on the ground, panting slightly, nevertheless, okay.

"Why did you heal me?" Ryohei asked. "You should've saved your injury."

"I should be asking the same thing to you, Onii-san. Why did you heal me too?" Tsuna questioned back.

Ryohei sighed while Tsuna celebrated his little victory. The former watched as the latter closed his eyes and fell into a slumber with evened out breathing.

"Ne, Tsuna." Ryohei called out to the sleep. "I've been extremely thinking about this lately. I want to say sorry for saying all those bad things to you. Instead of saying mean things back, you only took it calmly and didn't got angry. You even helped me out and find Hana and Kyoko. You're still an extreme man. A miracle doer to the extreme.

"Sometimes, I just wish you stayed." He sighed. "Everything was okay, you know. If you were there, Kyoko and I won't be apart for six years."

The sky flame that were nesting his sun moved and slowly covered him.

"I'm just feeling insecure. No need to comfort me." Ryohei denies.

The sky flame hugged him persistently.

"Ne, Tsuna." Ryohei stared at the ceiling of the cave. "I want to repay you. You've done a lot of things for me and for my family. You know, I also want to feel home. Belonged. There's no place for me out there. I'm grateful that you took me in though. And let us stay. You even let the girls have their fun outside of your mansion so they could enjoy Italy." He chuckled. "Such extreme man."

The sky surrounded him slowly.

"I envy them. Octopus head, Takeshi, Hibari, Pineapple, Lambo and Chrome. They all found a sky in you. A home. So I've been wanting to ask you this..." Ryohei smiled. "Can I be your sun? And try to cheer you up when your down?"

Instantly, their flames gripped each other tighter. Ryohei felt his body relaxed more as his mind calmed down. He laughed while combing his hair with his bandaged hands. He saw Tsuna smiled a little in his sleep.

After a little while, Hayato and Kyouya located the cave they were in with the use of following their sky's flame. Once inside, they felt the oozing sky and sun flames. They stared at Tsuna who is laughing so hard with Ryohei who was probably telling some story. Hayato could only sigh, feeling the sun flame being added to their little group, huddling around the sky flame in the middle and being covered with its tendrils at the same time.

"Can we even get any weirder?" Hayato muttered in pure curiosity.

"The Little Animal is forming a group composed of misfits."

Hayato rose an eyebrow at the skylark. "You just included yourself to us."

"When did I ever admitted that I'm normal?" Kyouya rebutted back.

Hayato snorted. "Point taken. Chrome is the most sane among us, anyway."

"And you're the stupidest."

"You-"

Tsuna looked at their friends' way. The two were already fighting. "Ah. They're so lively."

"I want to extremely join too!" Ryohei cheered as he stood up and leave him there.

The brunet chuckled then looked at his hands gloomily. "October fourteen, eh? Four weeks from now."