I do not own any of the KHR characters. I only own the character I made and the plot of this story. I ask people to not try and plagiarize my work. If anyone else wants to post the story contents, please ask me first.
ooooo
The female attendant was walking fast towards the big oak doors of her boss's office. It has been a few days since they've heard that Gokudera Hayato failed and they're risking an information leakage.
Not that much because it was the genius of them to not reveal themselves directly but surely more fingers will be pointed at them when they learn about the location he was brought in to filled upon the details.
"Sir, pardon my intrusion. About the—"
"Yes, I've heard and already know. And I have a counter plan that I need you to arrange for me."
The woman raised a brow but didn't voice out her confusion as to how he had known. She had always been the one to give him the news for everything. She knew it before anyone, before her boss.
"What it may be boss, I will do it as you wish."
The man raised a cup of tea to his lips. Sipped and sighed.
"Find Rokudo Mukuro and tell him, 'The answer to your questions is the death of Sawa Tsunayoshi, Cielo Rosa's child.'"
"Rokudo Mukuro, Sir?" She asked.
"Do I need to repeat myself to you?" A glare was sent her way.
She immediately bowed her head in an instant and apologized.
"No sir."
"Good."
...
It was the same dream again.
A brown haired man with a warm smile. He can't see his face but somehow Hayato knows him. Something inside him tells him that he knows this man, that this man could be trusted.
"Hayato. Let's go home."
The same phrase. A phrase that makes him cry somehow.
"Yes, tenth."
The same answer. An overly familiar word. Like he's used it for a thousand, million times. An endearing name.
He finds himself walking behind this man. Following him on reflex. He has seen that back figure for how many times. He doesn't remember but he knows that he did see it countless times.
He somehow knew how small that back looked. How frail and weak it had looked. It still do. But it held much more confidence and strength than the one that his feelings told him.
Hayato braced himself for what will come later as he had seen this a countless times.
With a single blink, all the peaceful surroundings and the figure of the man in front of him had changed into ruins, and that man on the cold ground, bleeding out.
Then it plays exactly as before.
A burning chapel, shattered rings, and that one particular smiling idiot. Always the same thing and it goes back to an abyss, with a lingering feeling of pain and regret, longing and despair.
Hayato cannot remember once again. Hayato had forgotten again. Hayato just floated within that abyss with the feelings that he could not comprehend, yet they were familiar in a way that he feels frustrated for not knowing why.
The nice endearing way the man had called his name, just like how a mother hums a lullaby to her child, just like how softly the winds breezes through the trees during spring, just soft, loving, caring.
'Who are you? Why can't I remember you? Why do you haunt me in my dreams?'
Frustrated, Hayato whipped his body harshly behind him, which met him with just the darkness of the abyss. He doesn't understand where he was.
"Who are you?! Why do keep bothering my dreams?! Why don't you leave me alone?!"
No one answers his calls as expected. It doesn't even surprise him to be honest. But he still wishes someone would answer his calls within this abyss. He was so confused and frustrated with these feelings he doesn't understand. It was just so painful and unbearable.
It was torture and he wants it to stop.
"Please." He pleaded. "Someone, answer me." He said.
Then a light lit up in front of him. In a form of a fire. Quite a familiar one. Red, blazing red. The storm flame. The flame that he always knew that dwelled inside him.
He stared at the flame. It was small. But it was bright inside the dark abyss he was in.
The more he stared, the more it burned. The more he stared, the more it looked different.
Before he knew it, he could already see a silhouette of a man who looked within his twenties.
And he looked a lot like him.
...
A solemn expression was etched on his face as he watched his dear friend slumber peacefully within the arms of his so many great grandfather.
"Was it okay to not tell the truth to him, Vongola Primo?"
Giotto didn't say anything in reply to the playful looking man. He merely continued stroking his descendant's unruly hair while contemplating upon his answer. The man across him pulled out a packet of marshmallows out of nowhere and proceeded to open it and eat it.
"It's not really the time to tell him. It's too soon for him. I want him to stay knowing nothing about his real purpose within this world." Giotto finally said.
The other man continued to munch while he floated midair thanks to the silvery white wings that was sprouting on his back, flapping in a steady rhythm, enough to make him suspended in the dark place. He then decided to open his mouth after licking off the sweet remains of the fluffy treat on his fingers.
"You know that it won't be long until he realizes what he needs to do in this world. And you can't really change anything by keeping it from him."
Giotto did not even look at him, but the man still continued, now with a serious face.
"It would be better if we at least explained it to him. We should just tell him the truth so that it wouldn't be hard for him, Primo. Us lying to him is—"
"Byakuran-kun."
The unnamed man now labeled fell silent, the packet of white sweets now forgotten on the floor while he just floated on the air, his face obstructed by the shadow of his bangs.
"I understand your feelings, Byakuran-kun. I know that nothing will change as it's what the fate wrote for him. We can't change anything. We're powerless against the nature's of the world. But I at least want him to enjoy his normal life for now and live knowing nothing to his inescapable purpose." Giotto said in a sad tone.
"It's so unfair. Why does it have to be him? Why does he have to suffer within every single world? Why can't he be happy for once?" Byakuran asked, slowly descending to the ground to pick up his fallen sweets.
"It's just the same as to why we always have to look after him. Why we have to endure the pain of losing the one we care for, helplessly." Giotto told him.
"Tsunayoshi is special Byakuran. That's why the Trinisette chose him as the sacrifice, to stop power hungry people trying to take advantage of the world." He explained.
"But can't we change anything at all? Even a little? Does he...does he really have to die?" The albino man asked the other. Giotto could only give him a sad smile.
"If it means that the Trinisette will be hidden, be gone from the humans hands, then yes Byakuran-kun. If it means the world." Giotto said.
"I just don't understand! I always see him suffering even in other worlds. I don't understand my other self destroying the world and making Tsuna miserable. I don't understand why Tsuna always seems to be a sacrifice in most worlds. I don't understand why it's so rare to see him have a peaceful life."
Byakuran's figure started blurring all of a sudden and then he eventually buzzed out of existence. Giotto could only sigh dejectedly.
"I pity these two. I pity the people who's suffering. I pity myself for being hopeless. Byakuran-kun, you shouldn't stress yourself too much...not when you're in such a vulnerable state at the moment..." Giotto mumbled as he swiped the stray fringe off Tsuna's face.
"Trinisette..." he sighed once again.
...
Takeshi was puzzled. He never felt so confused in his whole life.
His first confusion in his life was why he had not have a mother when all the other kids had one. He was four at that time.
He remember asking his father, in which his father returned with a melancholic smile. He remember being brought to a cemetery, a name etched on a single stone. He could not understand back then. He even thought that the stone was his mother.
But he understood later on.
The second one was why he was stronger than other kids. He didn't really know. One day he was just playing catch with other kids and he accidentally broke one kid's shoulder because he threw too strong.
He eventually used it to his advantage later on, getting into the baseball club that he is banned from these days.
Even so he could still not understand his power.
And this one is the third one. Sawa Tsunayoshi. The person who started giving him weird, and unbearably sad dreams that felt nostalgic, too familiar for his own taste. He was utterly confused.
'Who are you', ' what are you', 'what are these dreams'.
He wanted to ask. He really does. But he doesn't know how.
Somewhere inside him feels like Tsuna wasn't real. Somewhere inside him was scared to even poke a finger at his arm. He was scared somehow that once he got close, he wakes up from this dream.
Why the hell does he even think that way?
He doesn't really know.
"—amoto. Yamamoto!"
He had snapped out of his daze thanks to Haru waving her hand in front of his face, her lips turned downwards into a frown.
"You've been spacing out for five minutes. Is there something wrong?"
Right. They were currently in Tsunayoshi's hospital room. The teachers are huddled into a corner while talking to Tsuna's mother, whom he remembered at that lady at that popular cake shop, cafe.
"No, it's nothing Miura. Sorry, what were you saying?"
She stared at him for a few seconds then exhaled lightly in exasperation.
"I was saying that you look a lot like someone who had their relative die or something. Are you really telling the truth when you told me you're not friends with Tsunayoshi? It doesn't really look that way." Haru said.
Takeshi scratched his cheek lightly as he thought of what to say.
It was true that he wasn't friends with Tsuna. But something has always drawn him towards him.
He doesn't remember his elementary days that much but even then, he found Tsuna to be extremely interesting. He remembered him being alone all the time. No one really approached him because he was always silent and distant. He was also great at erasing his presence. Before you know it, he's just gone.
He does remember that he was always with that one blond kid. He doesn't know what happened to that kid but he did hear he got into the same accident as Tsuna.
"Well, we aren't friends. That's the truth. I don't exactly understand it myself. It just makes me feel bad you know. Seeing him unconscious and all..." he answered.
"I don't really understand but I kinda get the gist of it. I feel really bad that I wasn't there by his side when the accident happened. I mean, I'm his friend and it just hurts me to see him hurt.
Tsunayoshi is just kind of like that. People don't know him but they just kind of want to be by his side, follow him, protect him. Because he's kind, he's warm, he's bright. Even if with just his eyes, you see everything. He wears his heart on his sleeve." Haru said.
Takeshi nodded to all of that. He doesn't know if Tsuna realizes or not but his eyes wanders a lot near Takeshi. His eyes always had that look of longing, sympathy, and another unexplainable emotion.
Takeshi always looks around him if Tsuna is actually looking at him or not. Some times, someone is there, sometimes it's just him. It's really hard to tell.
"But you know, Tsuna always seems to be hiding something. Maybe he's bad at lying or I'm just that intuitive but I feel like there's something he's not telling to me. It's not that I have the right to know because he only knew me recently but I just know that he hides something to everyone." Haru told him.
She had a small smile on her face as she looked at Tsuna's sleeping face.
"I wish he would tell me someday. Because it seemed really really heavy on his shoulders."
Takeshi stayed silent as Haru kept on telling him about what she noticed about Tsuna. How he reacted to every sound, how he acted around different kind of people, how he has secretly observed everyone.
It was very interesting.
After a thirty more minutes, the visit ended and the teachers sent them home respectively. He was the last one to be escorted home.
Before he got into the Takesushi shop, he had asked both his teachers about one thing.
"Sensei, have you ever met someone that you've never met before and felt strongly attracted to them? Like déjà vú? You just can't remember but you have a feeling it happened before?"
Fong answered that he had experienced it several times. Ryohei said the same.
"You know, there's this thing about certain people Yamamoto-kun. Reincarnation, have you heard that? I believe that people with strong bonds eventually find each other in their next life. Be it family, friends, lover. Maybe that person have been an important person in your past life?" Fong said.
It made sense a lot. He never thought of that kind of thing before. It actually helped a lot in sorting out his thinking.
After thanking them of the answer, Ryohei said this lastly.
"Takeshi, you're an extremely great and kind person. You might conflicted about what happened at the baseball club but baseball is not the only thing you have. You can continue baseball, of course. But I also want you to stop mulling over it and depressing yourself. Rather than continuing to feel miserable like that, why not try to find something new for a change?"
His homeroom teacher gave her a several smacks at the back and gave him a bright smile. His teacher is really energetic to the point that he's even giving you some of his energy, like a vitamin virus or something.
"Thank you, sensei."
And the three of them have gone home respectively.
...
Days have passed whereas in Japan, Takeshi and Haru visited Tsuna everyday with different kinds of stories and lessons. Ieyoshi and Reborn was busy regarding to trying to contact the famiglia which led to Reborn finally deciding to fly back while he and his guardians stayed and tried to piece what they found together.
In Italy, news about Rokudo Mukuro have spread and it didn't escape Wolf's ears either. The upcoming meeting with the Vongola also neared just as the time he will visit Japan also neared.
Lambo was training well and soaking things up like a sponge. He had the tendency to slack off but he was very determined with everything after a few moments of procrastinating.
And now Wolf was troubled with this particular kid named Byakuran Gesso. Well rather the QA they've been doing these past few days.
Apparently there weren't exactly experimentations done other than extracting his blood and forcing his flames out of him. Byakuran was even happily talking about how they 'forced' his flames out of him and Wolf is traumatized enough of his smiling face while speaking of some gruesome things.
Byakuran doesn't seem to be traumatized by these but rather feel that they're mild compared to the mental trauma he had gotten from his dad for being such a useless dumb sky who doesn't even have one element he can attract.
But really, Wolf thinks that the physical trauma seemed to be more traumatizing than the psychological trauma of being called dumb. Then he also thought that he doesn't exactly know what kind of words and just how long he's been attacked mentally by his father to instill such fear in him.
(Maybe it wasn't exactly just those things and Byakuran is just hiding it from him.)
On the other hand, Byakuran is really such an interesting child.
And he spoke really highly of his favorite figure of justice, the one who had his brows furrowed and his fists swung in a semblance of a prayer. The sacrifice and savior of the world.
He wondered just who was the hero that Aria told him. Was it really just a story because it really gave him creeps. Besides, Giglio Nero had always had the ability to see the future. Maybe it was a prophecy or something?
In any other way, Byakuran got along well with Lambo as the both of them were quite sweet tooth. Lambo was obsessed with candies especially grape flavored ones while Byakuran was obsessed with marshmallows.
Both were unhealthily obsessed and it worried him. Basil, which was the rain attributed kid who was actually a relative of the Young Lion of the Vongola, Iemitsu, always reprimanded the both, which kind of got one problem off Wolf's shoulders as the both actually listened to Basil somehow.
Speaking of Basil, Panther was quite fascinated with the child because, well, Panther is also a rain attribute and he's interested in the child's skills. Both are quite close to be honest, as the one who calms people in their groups.
Putting all of those aside, there's this Rokudo Mukuro fellow too.
Wolf doesn't really want to think but 'Muku-chan' has too much connections with 'Mukuro' to just simply not bother with this wanted criminal.
Besides, somehow this one kid has stirred up the Vindice while the recent shutdown of the illegal experimenting famiglias didn't bother them. He's had Rodent look after the criminal while Cheetah, Panther and other ARC members looked after Lambo's training.
"Fox can you call Lambo and Cheetah to my office? Thank you." Wolf said to the telephone and ended the call.
He will be bringing Lambo, Basil and Cheetah to the meeting tomorrow so he would have to speak about the time plans and what to discuss there. It will also be an explanation to the reason to Lambo's duty to protect Tsuna.
Not a minute later a knock could be heard on his door and he had answered open. There as he had requested, the three had come to his office.
"Good, all of you were able to come. How's your day boys?"
Lambo made himself comfortable on the sofa which Basil had follow suit to. Cheetah just stood near his desk as she always did as his right hand.
"Commander Cheetah was helping with my flame manipulation along with Basil, sir. Mostly it was just Basil helping me while commander taught us because he can already manipulate his flames better than me." Lambo answered.
"Well mostly Lambo was training while I was watching in the sidelines along with Byakuran, sir." Basil added.
"I see. How's Lambo doing then Cheetah?" He had asked.
"Lambo is still rusty with shape changes but the amount of power his flames have is incredible. He might even be able to form a sword just with his flames if he trains much more harder. His stamina is also quite still lacking a bit but other than that he's doing great. He does quit a low pain tolerance though." Cheetah said that made Lambo sweatdrop.
Wolf nodded looking quite satisfied by what he heard.
"Putting that aside, I called you three here to discuss about the meeting with Vongola. Basil you remember what I told you right?"
Basil nodded at his question.
"Sadly you'll be leaving us but you'll be in good hands of your real family, with Sawada Iemitsu. But if you want to come back here and they allow you choose your own famiglia, you'll still be welcomed to our famiglia." Wolf said.
Basil smiled thankfully. "Thank you, sir." He said.
"Well then you may be excused Basil. I'll just have to explain Lambo's duties and other things. Please look after Byakuran." Wolf said.
Basil bowed respectfully before he left the office. Wolf watched him leave with a warm smile. But after the door had shut off, that smile was wiped off Wolf's face.
"Now that that's settled, let's get on with the main thing."
Cheetah went to the corner to take out some files. Lambo sat there, looking quite confused but seems to get the gist of it. Wolf had stood up from his chair and had sat at the opposite side of the sofa Lambo is currently sitting at.
Cheetah had made herself comfortable at the small chair beside the sofas the other two were sitting and placed multiple files on the coffee table.
"Three years ago, someone had kidnapped and attacked Sawa Tsunayoshi and Sawada Ietsuna. What occurred during their captivating was unknown as Tsunayoshi and Ietsuna were in a coma. But a few months ago Tsunayoshi had woken up and said to have amnesia, so even now we still do not know who and what are the motives of these attackers." Wolf explained.
"But we have caught some weird activities underground. Which led to the conclusion that a past enemy has built up their empire again under our noses and is preparing for revenge." Cheetah followed.
She spread the folders in front of Lambo.
Experimentations, experimentations, experimentations. It was all about human experimentations. It made Lambo sick that made him grimace. He remembers every name of these famiglia. The ones who just suddenly fell and suddenly got exposed for gruesome acts.
"We temporarily allied with the Vongola so that we can sta low from the public and made it look like it's the Vongola who's ousted these famiglias." Cheetah added.
"This year, they seemed to be more active than the past years. Which led us to the discovery of Avidita. We should have known to be honest. Because they were former allies who had long been interested in such things." Wolf sighed.
"About that matter, it will be explained in the history of our famiglia. You will understand later." Cheetah said.
"In any other ways, we've gotten a big picture of why my son was targeted and the Vongola's child. It's because of the sky affinity. From what we saw from their experiment records, they have never gotten their hands on a sky flame user. And Vongola being one of the famiglias who bores rarest flame users, the sky flame users, it wasn't a surprise for Iemitsu's child to be targeted." Wolf said.
"Cielo Rosa also had the bloodline of sky flame users. So they also targeted Tsuna along with the motive of revenge." He added.
Lambo nodded. He finally understands why he was needed.
"Because of their activeness and the fact that Tsunayoshi-sama has woken up and is not within the Namimori Hospital which is full with Vongola mafiosi who protects Ietsuna, is quite exposed without a bodyguard. That's where I come in right? An age closest to him where I can stay with him even at school." Lambo said.
Wolf smiled satisfied at Lambo.
"Yes, you're right. You might be a year younger but with your intelligence, you can be placed within his year. And with special connections, you can be placed within his class." Wolf said.
"I have spoken to my wife about the guardian thing so you'll be living with them as an adoptive brother. In that way, you can be with him all the time."
"So now that we've explained all of this to you, I think you can go train yourself again. But before that, do you have any other questions?" Wolf asked.
Lambo scratched his head while he thought. He doesn't really have any questions at the moment so in the end he just shook his head.
"It's fine sir. I'll go train now." Lambo said and waved his hand at the two.
The two then stood silent for a few seconds as they listened to Lambo's footsteps going further and further away until they couldn't hear it anymore.
"So now that's settled, let's get this over with."
...
"How are the movements of the Vongola?"
"It is quite hard to answer your question sir. I do not exactly understand what's going on within their family but all of them seem to be working independently." Cheetah sighed.
"From what I could get from the spies we have in Vongola, the CEDEF seems to be the ones who's acting upon their suspicions about us. The Varia sect, which is lead by the youngest who is Xanxus, seems to not care about any business.
Enrico is said to be somewhere in a crossfire with some famiglia who hates Vongola. Massimo, is said to be playing around all the time. And lastly, Federico seems to be the only one who's helping out on some few tasks within the city."
Cheetah paused after that that made Wolf raise a brow.
"Actually sir, we found out something while checking up on the Vongola heir within Japan and well..." she said hesitantly.
"What is it?" Wolf asked.
He leaned forward and stretched his hand, gesturing her to give the file she was holding to him.
"It's that...Tsunayoshi-sama is in a coma again."
Wolf had froze at that statement. He hastily read the report to learn happened. And there it was written that some minor famiglia named Fotro was targeting Tsunayoshi and used Tempesta Famiglia's son, Gokudera Hayato to assassinate his son.
His hand was trembling in anger. Cheetah felt a chill run through her spine.
It was really rare to see her boss so angry to this point that he's willing to tap on his...special flames. The weight of the presence of those flames is extremely pressuring even for someone who had experienced it countless times in the past.
"S-sir, you should calm yourself." Cheetah berated herself for stuttering. As the right hand, the commander appointed by the highest rank, their boss, she shouldn't be overwhelmed by this.
And it seems like her stuttering had also snapped Wolf out of his anger and the feeling of guilt and embarrassment washed over him for losing control like that.
"I'm sorry for scaring you Tania." He said, using her real name.
"It's alright, sir. I can take it. Just that I was taken aback as it has been a while." She said, clearing her throat a bit afterwards.
Wolf looked at the file with a troubled look. Kanako had hid this from him when it's crucial. And he is sure that she knows more than what this file's information contains.
"I'm not exactly sure wether we can see this as Vongola turning against us for having one of their closely allied Famiglia's son target my son. How should we approach this? But before that, I'm concerned how the information about my family is leaking more and more. Before we know it, Tsunayoshi might get pulled within this bloody world."
Not that he was already involved in the first place by just being his and Kanako's son. It was bound to happen soon but he at least wished he could hide him longer from their enemies.
"And the mastermind to this are definitely them. I'm frustrated that we can't catch them!" Wolf hit his desk with his fist that the sound resonated within the room. It even took Cheetah's whole body to stop herself from flinching.
"...I do understand what your saying sir. You know who they are but you can't seem to catch them nor even find them because they're in too deep within the shadows that you can't reach them. No matter how much we unravel their outer edges, because of the number they've accumulated over the years, it won't end easily." She stated.
Wolf pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Still, I can't understand why Kanako didn't tell me this! We need to check how many people know about Tsunayoshi. If we don't, not just them, but other famiglias who doesn't like us might change their focus to my child!"
This was really bad. He has too much on his plate. The Vongola, Byakuran Gesso, Mako's child, Rokudo Mukuro. Now even Tsunayoshi's safety. He can't do this alone anymore.
He needs someone. He needs someone not just Cheetah and the other ARC members but someone with an equal standing as him. Someone who can lead a famiglia.
"I need someone. I can't do this by myself. It's too much for me...I might need Kanako come back at this rate..."
Cheetah gasped at that.
"But sir—you cannot do that! Kanako-sama she—her flames..." she bit her lip and clenched her fists, not having the heart to say any further than that.
"I know that. I know...but it's inevitable in this situation." he said.
Dark looks stayed etched on their faces. They remained silent, the atmosphere around them, heavy and unbearable.
The office never felt so dark and cold for a long time.
...
'Something ominous...'
A young girl with an eyepatch on her right eye stood beside a window, gazing upon the dark clouds within the sky with an unreadable expression. Her petite body shivered with cold clothing, a hospital gown and a mere light blanket around her shoulders.
"Nagi."
A woman called out to her. A woman whom she bears great resemblance to, standing just not so far away with a worried expression on her face.
"You shouldn't be out of your bed! You just collapsed the other day! And what's with that cold appearance! What will you do if you caught a cold again? You do know that your body is—"
"—'weak', 'fragile', I know mother. I apologize for making you worry. I shall go back immediately." The girl said with an exasperated face.
The woman stood observing her for a few seconds then resigned with a sigh.
"Come on. I'll lead you back to your room." The woman, her mother, said. The girl gave her a small smile to cheer her up.
Giving the sky a one last look, the girl and the woman had made their way back to her room.
'Something is going to happen...'
ooooo
Word count : 5097 words
I know. It's been months.
Hello, how have you been? Me? I've been going through my dark phase where I need to replenish my positive energy by confronting my negative energy with my special type of meditation which equals to just lazing around.
I apologize deeply for not updating for so long but I'm planning to keep things tense from now on.
I'm still not sure on how and when I should wake Tsuna and Goku-chan up. Whom should wake up first nor wether I will be waking either of them before our Wolf goes to Japan.
And to R27 fans, it seems like the interaction will take a while because no matter how you look at it, it seems inappropriate for the two of them to have intimate moments when either does not exactly know each other that much.
You may tell me that Tsuna knows Reborn but his Reborn and this Reborn are entirely different people despite the similarities in appearance and other few things like the line of work and stuffs.
Anyways, I'm glad I was able to finish this chapter! And also the people living in places where COVID-19/corona virus is spreading, please take care of yourselves and stay safe!!
Till the next chapter!!