28. Someone Who Lives to Watch the World Burn

Word Count: 860

On the October 14th that marked Tsuna's eighteenth birthday, it was a very festive day. It was full of epitomes of what made the Vongola insane. However, the members of the Vongola, no matter who they were, wouldn't have had it any other way.

They spent the whole day partying as the fourteenth landed on a Saturday. Everybody turned up to the party; The Cavallone, the Disciplinary Committee, the Shimon, what was left of the Millefiore, the Kokuyo gang, even the Ninth and the Varia managed to make an appearance.

No one had seen Tsuna look so happy that day.

And it was after midnight that the party started to die down and people said their goodbyes. The Guardians, minus Mukuro and Hibari, and the girls were the last ones at the party, basking in the afterglow of the party with their boss and friend, who still looked impossibly happy.

He wasn't sure if anybody else noticed, but it was when Chrome took her leave did Yamamoto see the first signs of the brightness die in Tsuna.

One by one, those who weren't part of the Sawada household left, and little by little did that happiness disappear.

He and Gokudera were the last ones to leave, and as they walked along the sidewalk leading out of the Sawada property, Yamamoto turned to give one last look at Tsuna.

Tsuna's smile was fond.

And imperceptibly melancholy.

It made Yamamoto's heart clench, a feeling of horror and foreboding filling his chest.

And the day after the party, October 15th, Tsuna was gone.

Gone without a trace; it was almost as if he hadn't been there at all, with only the memories that were undoubtedly ingrained in their heads to assure that he had really been there, really lived.

It was a shock to all that were close to him and Yamamoto felt like he should have said anything, something, maybe everything that he wanted to the moment he saw that saddened smile.

Maybe he would have stayed.

Days, weeks, months, passed with that thought haunting Yamamoto every step of the way.

A year and a half passed.

And as sudden as he disappeared, Tsuna was there again, appearing in a swirl of brilliant Sky Flames and an aura of strength that overwhelmed.

The reunion wasn't particularly heartwarming.

There were tears, there were hugs, there was shouting, there were death threats, there was furious inquiry, there were small fights, there was blood.

But when Yamamoto stepped up, last after everybody had greeted Tsuna in their own ways, he was speaking for everybody,

"Welcome back, Tsuna."

Tsuna looked up at Yamamoto with a calm smile, "I'm home, Yamamoto."

And everything was the way it should have been; with Tsuna by their side.

But something was different, Yamamoto had observed staring into Tsuna eyes that day he returned. There was a determination that he had that wasn't there before, a determination that churned dark flames in his eyes.

His heart throbbed in foreboding and fear for the man in front of him.

And it was by the way he stood, years after Tsuna's return, by the way he assessed, by the way he smiled, did Tsuna hint at anything that happened during his absence.

Nobody figured out just what changed in Tsuna.

Not until they watched their world fall apart by the ashes that fell around their boss like fiery snow, by the flames that consumed everything, by the way those flames ate people alive, swallowed their screams, burned the scent of death, and by the way Tsuna stood above the fiery chaos with a content smile on his face and empty eyes.

They all stood behind Tsuna, just a few hours before, watching his back as he stared out the window of his office with growing apprehension as he told them quietly,

"How fast do you think our world could burn to the ground?"

He turned his head, pinning his Guardians a stare and Yamamoto hadn't failed to see how his eyes lingered on his form, the dark flames of determination in his eyes seemed to burn down his own Resolution out and melt into Tsuna's,

"Would you guys like to see how fast?"

Yamamoto wasn't sure how the others perceived it, but this was what changed Tsuna. During his absence, his Will, what made Tsuna who he was, had changed. Spun who Tsuna was on his axis, and changed him into somebody with a dark purpose, but a purpose for fighting nonetheless.

Tsuna became somebody who lived, was destined to watch his and their world burn by his own hands.

Tsuna understood his purpose and by how Tsuna stared at him, understood that his Rain would too.

"Would you guys like to see how fast?"

'Would you guys stay by me even though I'm going to destroy everything?'

Yamamoto felt his lips turn up in a bitterly amused smile.

'Why do you even question it, Tsuna? You know we'll always be there… That I'll always be there.'

And as if he could hear Yamamoto's thoughts, a little bit of light returned to Tsuna's eyes.