Disclaimer is in the first chapter

Second Chance

Most of this will closely relate to the ANIME.

SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO REVEIWED AND GAVE THIS STORY A CHANCE.

Many events many seem similar. If you have a question, feel free to ask. Thank you very much!

Bold- Sound effects
Italics- Thoughts
Normal –Normal


This chapter is pretty corny and over dramatic... Sorry... Ahem, carry on. You've been warned...


Results for pairings( Thank you for voting!):

NO PAIRINGS.

BUT.There will be hints and implied pairings but there won't be a main focus on any particular one.

This chapter's hinted pairing will be: 5927, and of you look really closely (it's almost non-existent) R27 and 27Haru


Target II: Ripple

The early morning sun was peeking through Sawada Tsunayoshi's clean white curtains. Tsuna himself, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen...


Somewhere in the woods near Namimori Shrine, a baby, looking no older than five, watched watched the clouds drift.

A certain Sun Arcobaleno was in a military suit and had dark black leather boots on. Three gold badges sat upon the pocket above his heart, one of them being the Vongola crest. The infant's left hand held a shiny green microphone, and in the other, a hot cup of espresso. The hot steam rose up to the cloudy morning sky as a refreshing breeze blew by.

A steady pounding was heard moments before a shadowed figure appeared. The boy's wet brown hair clung to his face like a life line. His bright orange sports jersey with a bright red '27' placed in the center was drenched in mud and sweat. His black shorts blew effortlessly in the morning breeze as his legs shuffled back and forth to keep him standing. His arms and legs were covered in scratches and bruises from tripping on roots, rocks, and occasionally air.

Upon arriving at the stump, the brunet fell onto a patch of grass nearby.

"Time! 10:34. Slow!" Reborn's squeaky voice was projected through the Leon version microphone. "Start lap number three in one minute," the brunet used all his strength and willpower to push himself off the log. It had been really comfortable, that was for sure.

"Re...Reborn! I'm... hum... and you... know!" groaned Tsuna as grabbed his water bottle which was conveniently next to the log, and drank half of its contents hastily.

"I think a bit of motivation is necessary." The fedora-wearing baby loaded a machine gun with a sadistic smirk evident on his face. He positioned the gun on its tripod on a stable stump and started shooting without seeming to care where it hit.

Bang-Bang-Bang-Bang-Bang-Bang!

Birds and residential animals fled the area as fast as they could, knowing full well that their life hung in balance. Smart animals, indeed.

The boy pushed himself off the log, and, with a water bottle in one hand, began to jog his third mile while multiple bullets flew by; drinking his water proved to be no easy task.

Tsuna was beginning to regret asking 'when do we start' last night because the next morning at dawn (5am), he woke up to currents of electric shocks. At 5:30 in the morning, he was doing exercises until 6:00, and then started his run. And now here he was, dodging bullets in a natural obstacle course.

The future boss was already black and blue and he still had an hour before school starts. If it wasn't for this fourteen year old body of his, he would've gone Hyper Dying Will mode and finished a mile in ten seconds flat. But, unfortunately, this body was not ready for such stress; if he forced HDW mode, he was sure to collapse from exhaustion in moments.

In addition, his body hasn't been introduced to dying will flames yet.

Bang. Twak.

"Did I forget to mention that I was also a professional sharpshooter?" the baby called from his microphone, "Hurry up, you're moving too slow."

Reborn was answered with a groan as the teen shuffled his legs at a faster pace.

Tsuna frowned at his water bottle that suffered from a bullet wound. It was such a great water bottle while it lasted too. It was sad that it had to fall victim to Reborn.

Right now, Sawada Tsunayoshi, future leader of the Vongola family, was sure he was losing the little sanity he had left - he was musing about his water bottle to himself about Reborn. At times like these, the young-to-be Mafia boss wonders how he survived Reborn's training back then when he was fourteen.


About twenty minutes later, the owner of a pair of honey brown orbs trotted slowly and painful home. His legs felt like lead and his head was in the clouds.

When he finally got home he was glomped by his mother. Ouch, it hurt to be touched right now.

"Tsu-kun! Where were you? I was so worried," Nana scolded. "Breakfast is on the table. If you go out to play with Reborn-kun, tell me first, okay?"

"Hai," the brunet dragged his legs up the stairs and fell on the bed.

Tsuna mumbled incoherent curses at the devil in disguise, Reborn, as he grabbed his uniform and headed towards a hot, steamy bath.


Back in the forest near Namimori Shrine. . .

"Are you sure Tsunayoshi Sawada is an idiot?" Reborn questioned to the person he was talking to through his non-chameleon cell phone, "Did you know he knows how to hold a wooden sword well enough to beat an upperclassman, not that the upperclassman was any good."

"Hhm, is that so," the hitman mused, "What do I think? He's either a fake and the real Dame-Tsuna is dead or the idiot was holding back on us for years."

"I know it's not likely, but there's a piece in the puzzle that we're missing. I find this disturbing how he managed to progress so far without help," the home tutor took a sip out of his espresso, "Very well, Nono. I'll have someone test him."

After bidding farewell, he clicked his cell phone shut and but it back into the hidden pocket in his suit.


"Bye, mom!" Tsuna called as he started to rush out of the house; his hair was still drenched after falling asleep in the bathtub.

His minor scratches didn't hurt much and he used concealer to cover his more colorful skin.

With his toast in one hand, he ran to school with his book bag hung over his shoulder. Not paying attention to where he was going, he crashed into someone.

"Ugh... Sorry 'bout that," he said politely as he got back up to offer his hand to the brunette he bumped into.

"Ha-hi? Thanks," she replied, blushing. She stood up and brushed off her skirt.

"Hiee! I'm going to be late again! See you later Haru!" As fast as his two twig-like feet could carry him, he dashed down the street, tripping from time to time as he made his way to Namimori Jr. High...

"Ha-hi? Where did he go? Haru didn't get his name either," the brunette said in a dazed manner as she turned the corner to get to her school.


"You're late," Hibari Kyouya's baritone voice sent shivers down Tsuna's spine.

"HIEE!" was the habitual response. Somewhere deep, deep, deep, extremely deep down in his frightened soul, he was EXTREMELY happy to see Hibari again... though this wasn't exactly the best one-sided reunion that had ever happened to him.


Somewhere in the distance, Reborn, watching through binoculars, decided that Tsuna may truly be an idiot and wasn't going to interfere with his student's chance to get to know the disciplinary committee head better. Even if it was just a brutal beating for his student, it amused him greatly.

"Today, I will introduce a new transfer student. He was studying abroad in Italy until now, and his name is... Gokudera Hayato-kun," the teacher announced to the class.

The teen had silver hair and had a permanent scowl etched on his face. Gokudera's light emerald orbs promised a painful death to those that dared to defy him. In conclusion, even though the Italian charmed the female population, he scared the wits out of the other gender group. Exactly every boy besides the smiling baseball player, which pissed him off.

"Please take a seat in the back," the teacher said to the teenager while looking around the classroom.

"Tch," the mafioso made his way back to the desk, threw himself on a seat in the furthest back seat, and glared at Sawada Tsunayoshi's empty desk.

"Has anyone seen Sawada-san?" the teacher looked up from his attendance list only to be answered by several confused faces.

As if timed, knocking was heard as the door slid open. Tsuna stepped through the door with his face, arms, and legs in bruises and cuts; several students grimaced at the sight, knowing full well that Tsunayoshi Sawada had just gone face-to-face with the devil, Hibari Kyouya. All of them watched in silence as he limped to the teacher, placed a note on the table, and left for the nurse's office to get his injuries treated.

As soon as the door closed, the class began their lessons - much to most of the students' dismay.


Later, somewhere hidden in Namimori Jr. High. . .

"Tch, Reborn-san, are you sure that's the tenth Vongola boss? He looks like a wimp," Gokudera said to the Acrobaleno, his eyes closed as he leaned on a nearby wall.

"Hhm. Yes, that is supposedly the Vongola tenth boss," Reborn answered watching the brunet fix his injuries through the second story window in the building nearby.

"Supposedly?"

"Yes, this 'Tsuna' doesn't seem to fit the information I got on him. Every detail contradicts. He was not supposed to be able to do simple math problems, nor should he be able to run a mile in less than fifteen minutes, much less two in thirty. It seems that he may be a spy. Unfortunately, because of certain reasons, I'm not allowed to intervene. Plus, he doesn't seem to regret anything he's been doing; that's why I haven't used the dying will bullet on him. It's rather nerve-racking."

"So, I'm here to test him, correct?"

"Yes. Don't hold back. If he's a fake, he may be a potential threat to the family. If you fail, you will never be accepted into Vongola," the infant threw a green Leon smoke bomb and he was gone.

"Tch," Gokudera headed back to class. After all, who took 30 minutes in the restroom anyways?

When the bomber left, Reborn sat in the tree and smirked. This was too easy. Then again, he was Reborn, the greatest hitman. He could play anyone like a fiddle. Now all he had to do was sit back and observe.


In the Nurse's office. . .

DIIIINNNGGG.

Students stampeded through the halls near the nurse's office, shaking the floor. Suddenly, Hibari's catchphrase was heard, causing everyone and everything to be deathly silent. Through the silence, the creaking of a door being opened was heard.

Tsuna lay on the bed, motionless, identifying everything happening around him. After using dying will flames for over 10 years(1), his soul became keen at sensing the flames around him in case of an ambush, but of course, it was limited to a certain area and it took extreme concentration- or, that was how Ryohei put it. Thus, he couldn't use it when he was occupied with other matters.

(Tsuna POV.)

Gokudera, he's in the room. The rustling of fabric is making me uneasy; my palms are beginning to sweat again... It's too much like that night. The night Gokudera was captured... No! I can't think about those things! I'll make sure I prevent it from happening! Those flames that resemble a rainbow after a storm... Like the new beginnings after an end.

"So, you're the tenth Vongola boss," Hayato spoke in the voice he seldom used to anyone in our family, only once did he ever direct it to me - the first time we met. The tone of voice itself froze me. I wanted desperately to hug him and tell him how much I missed him, as well as my other guardians, but it would be of no use; they were not the same as the ones I knew.

On the outside, of course, I showed no signs of emotion. But at heart, I was a mess. I sat up from the bed, eyes still shut.

"And if I am?" It scared me- how I could use that tone of voice to someone so close to my soul, yet so far... I opened my eyes to find him next to me; his sea-green pools of emotion meeting my honey-brown ones.

"Tch. You're weak. After I kill you, I will be the next Vongola boss," he deadpanned; his face wore a distinct scowl and his eyes showed disgust. It hurt.

"Hhm... I was hoping we could have been friends," my surprisingly soft voice caused the other teenager's eyes to narrow dangerously.

"I don't want to be your friend!" Gokudera roared a suffocating moment later. He then sneered. "Someone as weak and pathetic as you would only bring Vongola to ruins. You are not fit to be boss!"

Then there was a deathly silence- it was true. That's why they died; it was my fault. I couldn't look into his eyes any longer, so I turned, sat up, and walked towards the window. My fists clenched until my knuckles where deathly white. This time... This time, it won't happen again. I'll make sure of it. Somewhere in my mind, I knew that I had to give up on the past silhouette of my guardians. They will never be the same, I reminded myself.

"Then give me a chance. A chance to prove to you I am worthy of your respect," I turned to find a pair of wide emerald eyes staring back; this was obviously not anticipated.

Quickly recovering, he smirked, "If that's what you want. Follow me, we're going outside."

He led me outside of the nurse's office and we ended up walking to a grass field near Namimori Shrine. Reborn was tailing us, like usual... Gokudera turned on the balls of his feet towards me and his lips twitched upwards into an uncharacteristic smirk.

He threw me a stick of dynamite and a match box," Go blow yourself up."

My eyes widened in realization, and then I shut them again. "If that's what it takes to gain your trust, then so be it."

He turned and walked out of explosion radius.

Determined, I took out a match, slid it on the edge, and watched the tip of the match catch on fire. Quickly, I lighted the three inch long dynamite wire before blowing the match out. The long fuse was meant to tempt me to put out the fire. I watch the raw flames dance on the wire, my eyes briefly leaving the burning fuse to watch the Italian's eyes widen.

Brief realization crossed his face. I wasn't planning on putting the fuse off, he realized.

"Why aren't you putting out the fuse? You're going to die!" The first half of the wire was burned. Though I was an 'enemy', Gokudera always was a kind person at heart.

I merely smiled, "If this gains your trust, then I have no regrets."

He was about to say something else as he walked closer. The fuse was burning out. He was in range of the explosive. Gokudera was now standing in front of me. Gokudera's body was covered in bombs. Innocent people were in danger. Gokudera was in danger. The words circled my head before my stiff body could react. I glanced at the dynamite; it was three fourths burned out.

Out of panic, I flung the stick of dynamite high in the air, pushed Gokudera down on the floor, and threw myself on him.

BOOM.


Somewhere in Tsuna's mindscape. . .

I stood amidst nothing but blackness. I felt void of any particular emotions. Am I dead? I glanced down at where my arms were supposed to be. Nothing. I could see nothing but black. Was this how being dead felt like?

"Hello, Tsunayoshi..." someone called out.

"You should not be here," a woman's voice spoke in a somewhat demanding manner.

"Daniela is correct. You should be outside enjoying the gift we bestowed upon you," a deep voice informed.

One by one, the orbs of orange-yellow light surrounded me in eighth wisps of sky flames. The second one to appear had the harmony attribute of the sky and the disintegration attribute of the storm; the second flame was, without a doubt, the Flame of Wrath. As the light dimmed, my eyes widening to the approximate size of small dinner plates. The eight lights were the previous Vongola bosses.

Awe. That was the only emotion I could display. Oh, I forgot my manners. I bowed my head as a greeting before making eye contact with them. They all looked somewhat similar to what they did in the Vongola Trails except the fact they were covered with sky flames from head to toe instead of a masquerade mask.

"Hey, hey. No need to be so formal. Plus, we're not that old! (2)" The one with the Flames of Wrath, Ricardo the Vongola Secondo, teasingly joked.

"Hhm, that's you say, out of all of us here you're the oldest.(3)" The first wisp of flame said aka Giotto the Vongola Primo, "unlike I, you are old and you look it, too."

"Why... You... BRAT!" Ricardo glared at the founder of Vongola and evilly decided to give him a noogie.

"HEY! Stop it! Just because you're ancient doesn't mean you can bully me!" Giotto cursed in a colorful array of Italian, Japanese, and British which streamed out of the blond's mouth somewhat viciously. This was not what I expected.

Simora the Vongola Sesto coughed into his hand causing everyone to look in his direction. Several moments passed. "Stop your bickering. You make the rest of us look like idiots."

"Sorry..." was the response, not looking sorry in any way. They continued to glare at each other.

After a while, the Italians turned their attention back to the brunet.

"So, why are you here?" Vincenzo(4) the Vongola Quinto deadpanned.

"Oh... Uhm, I'm not sure. Where am I exactly?" I shifted uncomfortably.

"You, my dear child, are in the Vongola's current sanctuary. Time here is considerably fast compared to your world... not that it matters for us anyways. Also known as your mindscape, a place created parallel to your world," Fabio the Vongola Settimo stated in an informative tone. He raised his hand to the air, causing a beam of sky flames to burn away the darkness.

At first the black started to crack. Then when Ricardo snapped his fingers, the cracks broke into dust-sized pieces.

The sky from the very summit of imagination started of purest blue and then blended with the deepest reds. The rays that illuminated from the center yellow orb were soft; almost delicate, yet enchanting. The soft, untouchably clustered haze of dark violet and deep purple correlated flawlessly, yet each brought out the individuality and unique characteristics of their respective color. The horizon flashed with beams of pure green lightning.

In the midst of it all, my body felt light and free. The greens of the distant forests blended with those of the enchanting sun. The dunes of the dessert sat upon an area glowing freely in the wind, undisturbed by the mountain glaciers afar. The swap was that of its own individual, staying different yet unifying as one.

The world in itself spoke of hope, possibilities and adventures beyond the bounds of the human mind. It was captivating.

"Wh..." I couldn't speak, the sight was too breath taking. A moment later I tried again, "Where... are we?"

"Young Tsuna, we told you where you are. This," Alessio(5) the Vongola Terzo motioned to the serene scene, "Is what created based on you... This is what you think of your guardians, your friends, and your family in everything but blood."

"How did you do this without me knowing?"

"That is untrue, Decimo," Ricardo stated in a calm tone of voice, "When we granted you a second chance, your part of the exchange was to let us barrow part of your existence to create this other dimension. When you eventually truly pass away, this place will also be your sanctuary as well as the future Vongola bosses. Our flames never truly die."

This... was... Why me? Why...

"Why me?"

"Because the purity of your soul is unmatched," Giotto answered.

What about my friends and family?

"What will happen to my friends and family?"

"You are blessed with a heart for all. If you eventually deemed them worthy, after they pass away, they will come here."

"Oh... I see." I don't get this at all.

"You know, you should be enjoying being alive right now. Not talking to your 'elders'," Fabio recommended, causing the second Vongola boss to immediately hiss back, retorting that he was not that old, "We'll contact you soon-"

"But-"

"-when the time is right, we'll meet again. Ciao."


(End of POV.)

Right after the bomb designated. . .

"Ngh..." Gokudera groaned. His back felt sore as his eyes slowly adapted to the afternoon sky. The grass swayed as another breeze swept over the two teens. The emerald eyes blinked once, twice, and realization hit him harder than Yamamoto's baseball pitches. He pushed the tenth boss gently, laying him on the floor. Hayato placed his ear over the smaller teen's heart, and a sigh escaped his lips.

Getting on all fours in a bowing motion he loudly apologized, somehow not seeing that the brunet was unconscious.

"I did not realize!" Gokudera bellowed and lifted the unconscious brunet, "I'm sorry! You were more worthy to be Vongola tenth than I was! Please allow me to be your right-hand man!"

Reborn, deciding that now was a great time to reveal himself, jumped off the tree branch he was perched on.

"Gokudera. Dame-Tsuna's asleep. He can't hear you, so turn down your volume," the Arcobaleno deadpanned.

"I'm sorry!" Quickly, the Italian's hand slapped his mouth closed before he made any more noise.

"Carry him back to his house. Follow me," Without waiting, the hitman turned and made his way to the Sawada residence.

"H-Hai!" Gokudera uncharacteristically stuttered as he picked Tsuna up. The Italian scowled at how light his (future) boss was. When he became his right hand man, he would feed him up until he was no longer skinny! That would be one of the things he was going to do.

And the two made their way to the Sawada residence.


Tsuna woke up later only to find Gokudera was now in the family and also that Reborn was doubling his training regimen. Oh, dear Kami-sama. He hoped he would survive.


(1)- Hint #1 to finding out how old Tsuna was. He's been using Dying Will Flames for more than 10 years.

(2)- It was supposed to be underlined but Fanfiction doesn't let me do so. (Yes im typing this on fanfiction

(3)- Like how Vongola Nono and Decimo are, there is an age gap between the two gereations. So when Giotto was forced to step down from his position, he was only in his earnly 30's. While Ricardo was in his Mid 30's when he obtained the title of Vongola Secondo(Proably because Deamon Spade would've wanted someone older then 20). And because Ricardo 'brought Vongola to greatness' Iassumed it took years to do. So when Vongola Terzo came to be, there was an age gap bettween the two bosses like Nono and Decimo. Key word beingassumed.

(4)- Vincenzo is the fake name for the Vongola Quinto because the name was not revealed yet.

(5)- Alessio is the fake name for Vongola Terzo because the name was not revealed yet.


To be continued...


Author Rant:

OH MY GOSHH! I literally hyperventilated when I saw those reviews! THANK YOU SO MUCH! LOL. I still am!

30-freakin'-two reviews is BLISS for the first chapter! OMFG! Kay. Gunna story that now... B)

Back to the chapter.

I know the last part was rushed. My friend, Teresa, who usually reads the chapter before I post, has not been online recently.

Q&A!:

Chapter I:

Q: Can Tsuna go HDW on his own at this point?

A: Right now, No. His body has not been introduced to Dying Will Flames. I hinted that in this chapter. Even if he could some how will himself to do so, it would cause a lot of stress on his body.

Q: If Tsuna gets shot with the Dying Will Bullet, will he be naked?

A: Yes, yes he will be because the bullet is designed to do so. In the manga, Kyoko was hit and she was in her bra and panties. It was disturbing... kinda.

Q: How offten will you update?

A: Once a week. On Fridays! I'll try to keep it 2k+ words.

Q: During the little preview in the first chapter, who's voice was speaking?

A: Imagine all of the Vongola bosses speaking in unison. When I think of that, I just thing of this weird echoing noise... I don't this it helps.

Q: Was the flashback before or after the Shimon Arc?

A: In this chapter, it also hinted that Tsuna and co. died 10+ years later. The exact time will be reviled later.

Chapter II (possible questions):

Q: What was up with the Bosses and stuff?

A: I wanted to add Giotto in this somehow so... WHALA! Wierd as it may seem. I have 'things' planned! :}

Q: Why didn't Yamamoto appear a lot in this chapter?

A: This whole chapter is baisicly a cause and an effect.

Example:

Reborn doesn't poison the volley ball players - They don't need Yamamoto and Tsuna to sub.

Tsuna was training in the morning - He wasn't in class in time to get his desk kicked over by Gokudera, instead, he was 'having a great time' with Hibari! B)

etc.

If you read all of the above, can you add a wink for me? Don't worry, I'd be smexy! Example : ;)


Originally Posted on : 7/29/2011.

Re-posted on : 10/ 9/ 2011

Beta'd by Dream36 on: (9/29/11)