Summary: One soul split into eight bodies. That's what they're like. It's not a nice feeling, when those pieces are separate. But when they finally come together…it's a feeling like no other. Warning: slightly OOC. Fluff. Two-shot. No pairings.
SkyGem: I was in the mood to write something all gooey and mushy, and this is what came about. I hope y'all like, ne?
"Okay, minna-san, I'd like to introduce a new transfer student. His family just moved here because of his father's job, so please be nice to him, ne?"
The brunet standing next to the teacher has an almost bored expression on his face, as if he's gone through this situation many times before. Bowing low, he introduces himself, saying, "Ohayou. Watashi wa Sawada Tsunayoshi desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
Tsuna's gaze rakes over the entire class as he says this, as if he's searching for someone, but then he lets out a (barely audible) disappointed little sigh, not having found who he was looking for.
Lately, every time he moves to a new neighborhood, every time he goes somewhere new, he's taken up the habit of looking for them.
Who exactly are they?
Not even Tsuna really knows.
All he knows is their first names, and that, if his new tutor, the so-called greatest hitman in the world, is to be believed, they are fated to be his "guardians" for the mafia Family he is suddenly the heir of. Of course he'd laughed it off, thinking the kid was just playing pretend…that hadn't been such a bright idea.
Now he's nursing multiple bruises.
How absolutely wonderful.
The day drags on forever, but finally, Tsuna is allowed to go home.
When he gets there, his tutor is already waiting to torture him. But before long, the "tutoring" is over for the day, and Tsuna can finally go to sleep.
With an expectant smile on his face, he lays his head down and closes his eyes.
Soon enough, he's sleeping, dreaming.
Tsuna opens his eyes and looks around the familiar, sun-dappled meadow, completely surrounded by tall trees, the floor a carpet of beautiful flowers of every colour of the rainbow, giving off a heady aroma that made one feel light-headed.
And in the middle of that field is a circle of seven people, a gap among them leaving room for one more.
"Ohayou, minna-san!" shouts Tsuna as he runs up to join them, plopping down in his seat by Hayato and Takeshi.
"Hey, Tsuna!" they greet him in unison, and before Hayato can start a one-sided argument with the other, Takeshi says, "You started at a new school today, didn't you? How did it go?"
And suddenly, everyone is staring at Tsuna, intent, and the brunet shrugs nonchalantly. "The same as always," he replies. "Didn't meet anyone interesting. Still looking for you guys. Oh! But I did get a new tutor! And get this! I'm supposed to be like the leader of some mafia family or something!"
"Ahaha! No way! That's so cool!" laughs Takeshi.
"I think you'd make an amazing boss, Tsuna!" says Hayato, a sweet smile on his face that he never directs at anyone but at Tsuna. "I'm part of the mafia too, you know!"
"Ah! Me too! Me too! Lambo-sama is a part of the mafia too!" shouts their youngest member, jumping up and down in childish excitement.
The boy had started joining them in their nightly meetings as recently as a year ago. Before he'd come, they'd always left a place in the circle empty, not knowing why, but when he'd finally taken that place, it was as if their group was complete.
No one understood, really, why they all showed up here, every night without fail, but none of them were complaining. They all enjoyed their time together and cared for each other.
"You're in the mafia, Lambo?" asks Tsuna, concerned. It never occurs to him that Lambo might be lying, because that simply isn't possible. No one can lie, here in this meadow. It's simply not possible.
"Hai!" shouts the energetic five-year-old.
And the conversation goes on in that vein for a while before the group switches to another topic. And by the time it's time for him to say goodbye, it feels to Tsuna like these past few hours have gone by far too quickly.
When Tsuna groggily opens his eyes to find early morning light leaking in through the crack in his curtains, he frowns in disappointment because he's just remembered that again, tonight, he's forgotten to ask them those vital questions.
Every night, Tsuna goes to sleep with the intention of asking his friends who they are, where they live, what school they go to, but it never happens.
There's something about that meadow…something that just doesn't allow him to ask. Even tonight, when he was talking about being the heir to a mafia family, no one had asked which one, and no one had asked about his new tutor either.
Even when Lambo had mentioned that he was a part of the mafia, Tsuna should have wondered what mafia family would have a kid as a member, he should have wondered how Lambo's parents could have allowed that, but the thought hadn't even crossed his mind.
There was something strange about that meadow, but it wasn't harmful in any way.
The only thing Tsuna didn't like about it was the feeling when he had to leave his friends.
If only he knew them in real life…then he would never have to say goodbye again.
SkyGem: Wow, it's been a while since I've written in present-tense…it's a little weird…but then again, this whole fic is weird XD. Anyways, please do leave a review and let me know what you thought, ne? Ciao!