The frigid air swept Tsuna's hair around his face and in his eyes as he stood motionless, roughly two-hundred meters above the ground. His toes curled around the edge of the building and once more, he felt the urge – the need – to jump. He wanted to throw himself over the edge and let the wind carry him wherever it wanted. He tried to imagine what it would be like – spiraling through the air with nothing to guide him. He would have no control over his path.
It would be such a new feeling. For so long, he had retained power over everything – he could command anything and bend it to his own will. His position as boss meant the world was simple putty in his hands. His intuition rendered any social situation into child's-play. His flames made sure that he could defy gravity and control his movements even when in mid air. The feeling of powerlessness that the jump offered felt like forbidden fruit.
Tentatively, Tsuna leaned forward with his arms raised in surrender to the hurricane-like rain. His eyes drifted closed and he let a small smile steal across his face. His hair was swept up by the current of air and seemed to float serenely around his face. He could feel the sting of the negative temperature on his exposed forearms and face. The buttons on his dress shirt threatened to pop when the wind infiltrated the spaces between the material and his skin and his tie writhed in the air like a vicious snake.
Tsuna felt his foot inch forward even further. Below him, the sounds of the city nightlife was almost inaudible due to the raging wind in his ears. He could pick out the miniscule figures darting across the street, dressed in suits and combat gear. He knew they had come for him. As he waited, the muffled sounds of bodies crashing up the stairs to the roof could be heard faintly. Tsuna resisted the need to turn when he heard a door slam shut behind him, knowing that Reborn would speak first.
"Baka-Tsuna," the hitman greeted and Tsuna knew he would've tipped his fedora in greeting. The terrifying infant was never one to neglect manners.
"Reborn," he whispered in return.
There was silence, penetrated only by the howling of the city's weather. Once more, Tsuna leaned forward dangerously as the breeze threatened to tip him over the edge. He closed his eyes and didn't fight the feeling. He wished for the wind to decide for him. He wanted the air itself to push him in a direction. For once in his life, Tsuna wanted a decision to be made for him.
"Where are your gloves, Baka-Tsuna?" Reborn asked quietly from behind him. The wind had stolen his words before they could even leave his mouth, but Tsuna knew what he had asked.
"…gone," he murmured into the blank sky. He tilted his head back again and took a deep breath through his nose. He angled his head so that he could spy the tiny outline of Reborn from the corner of his eye. The hitman didn't respond but Tsuna could sense his concern. It was radiating from him like a pulsating light. Reborn's fear for his student's life was as plain to see as day. He smiled sadly at the eternally-one-year-old and closed his eyes when the hitman continued to gaze at him in worry.
"Are you going to jump?" Reborn finally asked. It had taken him a long time to clear the lump in his throat after Tsuna had confirmed his fears, however he had managed to suppress the pricking sensation in his eyes.
"…I…don't know," Tsuna muttered, confusion springing to his expression.
Reborn frowned at the unexpected response. Somehow Tsuna still managed to surprise him. He had thought that his favorite student would have come to a more definite decision, however the uncertainty had been clear in the lidded brown eyes.
The loud sounds of crashing echoes up the cramped stairwell and Reborn spun his head to see the door slam open once more. A stream of black-clad men bolted through the open space, weapons raised. A few of the them leveled their guns at Reborn, however the rest remained focused on the main enemy.
The one that had decimated their previous fighting strength.
The one that had almost single-handedly taken down seventeen rival Families.
The one who's position atop the tallest building in Italy was now nothing more than empty space.