Date Released: Friday, February 15, 2013
Title: Transcending Dreams
Author: Gin Nanashi
Creation Type: FanFiction, "Crossover"
Main Rating: T
Disclaimer: The Lyrical Life © Gin Nanashi; Katekyou Hitman REBORN! © Amano Akira
Summary: What is reality? No one knows for sure. And, when Tsuna accidentally finds himself in a world where he exists as a form of entertainment, what is he to think? Not only that, but he meets the characters of a manga that's famous in his world! Just, what is reality?

Important Note:

This story is officially discontinued.

As I've mentioned in Resonate, I've lost any and all inspiration and motivation for writing the stories I've published thus far.

This chapter will be the last one published for this story and I'll give a brief run-down of how the story was supposed to end at the bottom.

Also, if anyone's interested in adopting this story, then feel free to do so. I only ask that you credit me with the original idea. Other than that, feel free to make your own version, change things around, etcetera, etcetera.

Thank you for reading this and, once more, I apologize for screwing everyone over with my indecisiveness and inadequacy.

Transcending Dreams

Dream 11: Painful Revelations

'Think, Kadin, think…'

Pacing back and forth the clean hallway, the tomboy cupped her chin as she thought back on the brunet who was currently being seen by her personal doctor after a slight delay since the nurse on duty was a newcomer.

'When Tsuna first came here, I found him unconscious in the snow so I assumed that the first time he collapsed was from a cold. But what if that's not the case? What if it's something far beyond the capabilities of a normal human being to resolve? Tsuna… he's not a part of this world so what if all of these cold-like symptoms point to something else? Something like being unable to exist in this world…'

Her heart clenched at the thought of his possible death because he didn't, bluntly speaking, belong in this world… and in her life… before she shook her head, running her fingers through her hair to calm her nerves.

'Still, if this is the case, then what can I do? Tsuna… Tsuna needs to go back to his own world. But how…?'

"Kadin." The tomboy snapped out of her musings to turn to the blond who spoke. "I got in contact with Mr. Rose and he pushed back my turn for a while but we still need to get back there pretty soon…"

Kadin stayed quiet, debating her course of action. On one hand, she needed to go back and see how it would end and whether or not she won the much-needed money. On the other hand, she couldn't abandon Tsuna…

A sigh left her lips before she shook her head.

"You go back."

He startled, "B-But, what if you win? It would look bad if you don't show…"

"… I know." Kadin murmured as she leaned against the wall, "But I won't… no… I can't leave Tsuna alone."

The blond fell silent at that, watching the tomboy's expression - so clear, so earnest, so enamored with the brunet that seemed to have come from nowhere - as the green-eyed monster began to stir in his heart yet he refused to let it fully waken as he nodded curtly and left without another word.

'Tsuna…' She thought as she finally sat down with her hands clasped together, 'How can I help Tsuna…?'

The click of the door caught her attention as she looked up to see an older man, around her height, with short black hair and wisdom-filled green eyes.

"Orion." She greeted, standing up, "How is he?"

He sighed and ruffled his hair, motioning for her to follow him, "As far as I can tell, the diagnosis is a cold but, from what you've told me, this happened before and he recovered within 24-hours instead of a course of a few days…?"

A nod answered him as both entered the private hospital room, locking it behind them.

"Well, it happened again."

Her eyes widened as she looked at him incredulously, "Are you serious…?"

Orion nodded solemnly as he placed a hand on the brunet's forehead, "When I was taking his temperature, it suddenly dropped to normal levels and now he's sleeping. It's as if he was never sick in the first place."

Kadin didn't reply to that as she gazed at the boy's peaceful face, 'Then it really must be that…'

Orion watched the tomboy closely before leaning against the wall, "Kadin, you know something."

She didn't reply though he noticed that she tensed a bit before continuing, "This boy… he's not from this world, is he?"

Snapping her attention to him, Kadin gaped with wide eyes, "H-How did you…?"

Getting off of the wall, Orion sighed and walked over to the window, looking out at the rehabilitation-park below before admitting, "I was in a similar situation before."

The tomboy couldn't believe it as both hope and fear welled up within her, causing her heart to pound in excitement and pain before she breathed slowly to calm herself, "Will you… explain?"

He didn't say anything for a moment before turning back to her, eyes dark with hidden pain.

Her breath was caught in her throat as Kadin suddenly had an inkling of what's to come, "Did you…?"

A bitter smile played on his lips, "Yeah…"

The tomboy fell silent as her heart dropped, 'Orion…'

The man sighed at the look on the girl's face before ruffling her hair, "Come on, Kay. Don't make that face. It doesn't suit you."

She didn't reply but bowed her head instead to hide the tears that gathered in her eyes.

A sigh before the man murmured softly, "You were always like that, crying silently so that I wouldn't have to. Heh. How on earth did I end up with a cousin as troublesome as you?"

"… Zip it." Came the tomboy's husky retort as she wiped at her eyes, "… And I wasn't crying. I was tearing. There's a difference."

Despite the depressing mood, Orion chuckled at her stubbornness before sighing and leaning against the wall again.

"It's been three years…" He murmured his story, "The snow had just fallen - so pure and untouched…"

Kadin looked up at him, taking in his dull eyes and bitter smile, but remained silent, listening closely to his story - to the story that he buried within his heart.

"I found her on my way home, at the park nearby… I thought she was sleeping and woke her lest she were to freeze to death."

Her eyes widened as a wave of déjà vu came over her.

"She was lost and couldn't speak any of the languages I knew but, for some reason, I wasn't able to leave her be and so I took her in."

'Just like me…' Kadin thought, pursing her lips, 'I may have told Tsuna that it was because I didn't want to be his cause of death but… that day… I couldn't leave him. It was as if… as if…'

"I was bound to her." Orion completed her thought though he was unaware of it. "No matter what I did, no matter what I tried to do, I couldn't detach myself from her. And so I fell." A short laugh left his lips before he grimaced. "I fell so damn hard that even now…"

Kadin didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything. Her thoughts swirled and her mind jumbled.

"It makes me wonder… If there is a god… then this god must be terribly cruel… to put soul mates together and rip them apart because they can't survive in the same world."

"Soul… mates…?" The words felt foreign as they rolled off her tongue. "Y-You mean…?"

Orion looked at her, pained and apologetic, as his next words doused her with unintended iciness.

"Kadin, that boy is yours."

Her knees buckled in shock as the tomboy crumpled to the floor.

'Soul mate… Tsuna is… my soul mate…'

"Shit." Was the first word that left her lips. "Shit. Fuck. Damn."

Orion stayed quiet, knowing how difficult it was to accept such a thing, as Kadin continuously muttered curses under her breath, mussing her hair roughly and trying to piece everything together.

'Tsuna is… He shouldn't be… He can't be… because… because we're from different worlds! He… He doesn't exist here and I… I don't exist… there…'

Her grip tightened on her pants, trembling with erratic emotions, before she straightened up and gazed at her cousin, "Orion. This illness… Is it…?"

He didn't say anything for a moment before looking away, "Yes…"

Her heart clenched painfully, as if she were suffocating, but she forced herself to continue, "How… How do I get him to return to his world?"

Green eyes gazed sadly at her as he answered solemnly.

"He has to finish what he wished for."

(Extended Ending)

Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, Kadin watched the brunet as he slept silently and peacefully.

'He has to finish what he wished for… ka?'

Although he had left to attend to his patients, Orion's words kept repeating in her mind as she mulled over her course of action, wondering and pondering.

'What should I do? Should I tell him everything? It may be for the best but… What if he doesn't believe me?'

Her heart thumped painfully before she shook her head.

'No, he would believe me. Because it's supposed to be impossible to traverse worlds and yet he had already done it. Doing the so-called impossible makes one more open to possibilities but… the soul mate aspect…'

Her cheeks flushed red as she shifted uncomfortably, feeling rather warm.

'I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't believe that part… Even I find it a bit hard to believe…'

Her eyes trailed over his face as she brushed her thumb across his dry lips.

'Yet it holds some credibility… because it would explain my attachment to him… unless…'

She withdrew her hand as her gaze dropped to her lap, eyes darkening into black.

'Unless my feelings were built upon my past character crush on Tsuna.'

It seemed plausible before a silent sigh left her lips.

'But one can also argue that my crush occurred because of the soul mate theory.'

Thoroughly frustrated, the tomboy could only ruffle her hair.

'Damn it! All this thinking is getting me nowhere! All I can do is…!'

She paused abruptly, fingers entangled in her hair.

'All I can do is…'

She retrieved her hands and looked back at the brunet.

'All I can do… is make sure his wish is complete.'

Reaching out, she brushed his bangs away from his face and cupped his cheek.

'So that he can go home and live the life he's supposed to.'

Leaning down, Kadin rested her forehead against his, feeling his breath upon her lips.

'The life that he's supposed to live… I can't interfere with that… I mustn't interfere with it! … Tsuna, I'll help you fulfill your wish so that you can return home. So that you can return to your family and to the one you harbor feelings for. So that this obstacle will be but a single stepping stone in your life… Telling you this theory would only hurt you so I won't.'

Her eyes fluttered close as her heart clenched with resolve.

'I won't let you feel this pain.'

How it was going to end...

The Lyrical Life universe that Tsuna is trapped in, timeline-wise, was in its third arc where Kadin made contact with and was going to contract with Aloysius "Louis" Rose. (The first arc introduced the entire group and the second arc presented the economic problems they faced as a family and as individuals.) This contract, however, was essentially the key that dragged Kadin into the darker side of the world–into underground organizations, gang wars, smuggling rings, etc.

This then leads into the fourth arc where Louis was supposed to manipulate Kadin's feelings and cause her to depend deeply on him to the effect of what is known as Stockholm Syndrome. However, because Tsuna appeared in this story and developed a bond with Kadin, that didn't happen. Incorporating a bit of the Butterfly Effect, Kadin was much less naive this time around and ended up discovering Louis' plan and created a counter-plan to protect her family (and Tsuna) from being held hostage.

However, this does not affect the original plot in which Lous ended up getting a really bad deal and, in order to break it off, he ordered Kadin to infiltrate and essentially assasinate his rivals in the fifth and last arc. In this arc, Kadin was supposed to die after barely succeeding in her mission and Louis was supposed to be arrested because his plans fell apart when Kadin's friends, after discovering what was happening when they noticed that Kadin was changing, allied with the police (and Zeke as he was actually an undercover cop) and brought down Louis' syndicate and his rivals though they failed to find and get Kadin to the hospital in time.

But, because of Tsuna's interference, Kadin barely survived though Louis managed to get away even though his organization fell (along with his rivals' after they were killed by Kadin). As a result, Tsuna's wish to save Kadin's life was fulfilled. As she was unconscious and confined to the hospital under close watch (since she did commit several murders, even if she was under duress), Tsuna visited her to say his goodbyes and confessed his crush on her before he was returned to his home dimension.

And so, this story was supposed to end with neither Tsuna nor Kadin actually knowing about the others' feelings and, while they both lived through the events, they also lost a part of themselves after meeting their soul mates but being unable to be with them.

A bittersweet ending, to be sure.