"Fucking bastard." Gokudera swore under his breath, moving to evade another attack from his enemy.
The fake smirked, throwing a hand grenade with dead accuracy.
Moving at the last second, the bomber saved himself from most of the flames, the force of the explosion propelling him forward.
Not far away from him, Mukuro chuckled, though it was more from irritation than amusement. His hand moved to touch his earring, but dropped. Instead he jumped in for another attack, a wave of lava behind him, but the illusion was quickly dissipated by his fake. The man mock- yawned, taunting him. Mismatched eyes narrowed. This bastard was going down.
A strange glint entered the man's eyes, but Gokudera did not have the energy to consider it anymore. His fight was drawing on longer than he had expected, the strain and fatigue were starting to get the best of him. An explosion came off near him and he jumped, glaring at the stupid lawn- head who was grinning sheepishly.
Ryohei jumped back, parrying yet another barrage of fists coming his way. After fighting for such long time, he came to the conclusion that his fake was extreme.
The man in front of him looked like he was only beginning to tire, while the boxer was pretty worn out by now. He admitted that none of his fights- in the last years- had lasted this long. Usually, Ryohei would be the one to kick the guy's ass in the first ten minutes, before moving on.
"Watch out, Onii- san!" Yamamoto warned. The white haired man jumped more from hearing his friend's tone, than the oncoming danger. Nonetheless, he ducked just in time for the wave of Rain flames to pass over his head.
"Extremely safe!" The boxer yelled back, his gaze straying from his adversary for just a moment to look at an aggravated Rain guardian. Uh- oh.
"It looks like we are in an extreme pinch, Takeshi."
The Rain guardian could not agree more. Though Yamamoto could not say he was tired, his mind surely was. He had never liked fighting in the first place, in spite of the kid's words.
Reborn never complimented someone, but somehow he was the only exception. The hitman seemed to have a soft spot for other hitmen- or just for him, Yamamoto didn't know. He had trained the baseball player personally and brought him to the highest level of training one could possibly take. Despite all his adversity to conflict, the swordsman wanted nothing more than to kill the guy and be over with it. This meaningless fight was getting on his nerves and he hated it.
"Lambo- kun!"
Yamamoto turned his head to see Lambo being thrown back by his fake's flames.
Seeing Chrome about to get hit by her own fake, he sent a wave of flames at her.
This seemed to snap the girl back to attention. She could feel her face get warm in embarrassment.
"Th- thank y-"
"You should concentrate on your fight, Chrome." The rain man's eyes were narrowed on his fake."Let Lambo take care of his own fights."
Chrome nodded, though she knew he could not see her.
She turned around to face the other Chrome, who was smirking tauntingly.
Ah. She remembered why she disliked this fight so much.
It was her attitude. And it only served to make her more irritated that the clone did not look too affected by her attacks. She just needed a good opening to slip to her and bring the fake down. Then she could help Lambo.
She knew Yamamoto's words were true, but knowing that the younger boy was in a pinch, only served to make her more irritated. Risking one last look at the boy, she dashed towards her fake, trident raised, the crackling sound of chirping birds accompanying her in the background.
Lambo's mouth pressed in a tight line. The teen tried to think harder for a new way to approach his enemy. He had used up all his attacks on his fake but none worked. The boy was getting more and more exasperated.
Slipping his hand in the pocket of his pants, he took out a chocolate candy. It was a special recipe made for him by Vongola's chef. The sweet tasted like chocolate, but it was more effective than any energizer.
Already feeling the waves of energy pulsing in him, Lambo activated his flames once again. He decided the new strategy is full- out attack. Hopefully, he will demolish the guy. Green lightning danced around him warningly, before being released gradually in explosions.
Hibari took a step to the right, closely avoiding the lightning that struck the ground, and rolled his eyes. The stupid cow herbivore was trying to become a carnivore again. Even if Hibari knew Lambo would fail, he applauded his will to evolve.
"I am bored. Let's stop the fight here."
The prefect growled, willing his glare to destroy the goddamned herbivore in front of him. Granted, the man was good, since he was not dead yet, but the attitude not only put Hibari on edge, he wanted nothing more than to cut the guy in little pieces and feed them to the sharks.
The word frustrated danced in his head, making the disciplinarian even angrier. He was not frustrated. Only herbivores were frustrated. He could be angry, or in mood of biting herbivores to death. The man agreed on the latter, though he had the feeling that his wish will not be granted.
His sharp gaze found the omnivore's clone standing a couple of meters away from all their fights, the school's shadow obscuring him from view.
He was standing attentive, face devoid of any emotion, though his dull brown eyes were narrowed.
Hibari had caught fragments of interest to him throughout the transpiring events. Between everything he learned, there remained one thing he felt, had confused him.
"Herbivore," The prefect called his fake, dodging a flying tonfa. The black haired man lifted his head, signaling he was listening.
"The carnivore said something about an opposite dimension. Is this where you are coming from? How is it different from ours?"
Fake Hibari blinked at the rainfall of questions, and answered after a few moments, albeit a bit hesitantly.
"Our dimension is a mirror of yours. That is to say, many of our situations and personalities oppose yours."
This revelation let the Cloud guardian finally sigh in relief. He could never have let someone like that fake have the same identity. Now he knew that it was an opposing parameter in the game.
The no- fight personality of his fake was finally down from questionable to understandable. The ruthlessness of the cow herbivore, the disloyal attitude of the bomber bastard, the masochistic tendencies of the baseball idiot and the bitchy attitude of the mist girl. This mirror thing seemed to be able to amplify one's personality as well. The headache- inducing boxer's loudness put on a killing spree, and the pineapple herbivore with his twisted mind seemed to have it like that.
Everything seemed clear, yet the questions sprung up in his mind continuously.
"Why are you here?"
His fake opened his mouth to answer, but the omnivore's fake cut him off. The man spoke slowly, a manic grin growing on his face. His tone was almost hysteric, making most of them stop and look back worriedly.
"Why you ask. The answer is so simple, yet so complicated." Brown eyes tinted with a crazy gleam shifted from one person to the other, pinning them in place.
"The world is so big, isn't it?" The rhetorical question was left hanging, echoing in the following silence. "Yet I destroyed it."
Fake Tsuna turned around, the crazy gleam never leaving his eyes, he opened his arms wide. "I killed everyone unneeded. Our world has become so boring. So we have decided... to have a little fun in your world."
Gokudera almost threw up seeing that blood curling smirk on that face. A sudden rage spanned into him, making his fists clench. How dare they come here and destroy the fragile peace the Tenth- no, all of them- had worked so hard to establish. How dare he come here like he owns the place?
"Game's over, bastards. Give the ring back and go crawl back into the hole you came from!" The last part of his statement came out more like a shout, his clenched fists itching to blow the hell out of that smirking bastard.
The only thing that stopped him was the Vongola Ring. They had to get it back, no matter what. That was their last mission as guardians. After that, they will fill in their boss's place, before a new boss will be elected.
The bomber did not want to think that far. He knew that day would come in the near future, but right now he could not afford to think about it, the wound was still raw and bleeding.
"Yes please. I invite you." Fake Tsuna opened his arms wide again, looking for all intents, like he was truly wanting them to attack him. Which was probably very true, if Gokudera thought about it now.
"Come on, come on." Fake Tsuna chanted, "It's been so long since I've killed someone. Come and get killed!"
A sudden rush of wind was all their warning, before a wave of dark orange and black flames hit them.
Hibari, Gokudera and Mukuro were thrown back from the heat and power along with their fakes, while the others managed to duck in time or run away in order to not be squashed.
"The fuck, he hit you too?" The bomber asked his fake as he nursed his head, trying to sit up.
"I'm going to kill you, you fuckin-" Fake Gokudera exploded, his hand already on his gun.
The man in front of them frowned, looking kind of conflicted. "Go away. I still have a use for you, so I'm not killing you today."
Fake Yamamoto growled, sword lifted in preparation to attack; Chrome's clone summoned her trident; fake Ryohei's fists were up and ready to fight; Hibari and Mukuro's doubles stepped back quietly, at a respectable distance, away from the flames' range.
"You guys can kill each other for all I care." Fake Lambo waved, walking towards a bench a couple of meters away."Actually, please do that."
"Seems like I'll have only three guardians from now on. Well, no big deal."
With a wave of his gloved hand, fake Tsuna sent another, more powerful flame wave, sending his guardians flying into the school wall. His eyes burned a dark orange color, the flame on his head pulsing in anticipation of a good fight; his grin increased tenfold, trepidation cursing in his veins.
Hibari growled- they destroyed school propriety again. He stepped forward, fully intending on bashing the bastard's head, but a new wave of flames made him waver.
The carnivore's flames were so impure, you could not breath through them.
Yamamoto coughed, trying in vain to not asphyxiate. Those flames were so blackened that their energy itself was dangerous to anyone in their range. And unfortunately, they were caught.
The swordsman had only realized a couple of moments ago what fake Tsuna's plan was. The first two waves had been purer flames, but just as dangerous. The Harmony element introduced them into a state of paralysis, meaning- they couldn't move. And now, that man was pouring black, impure flames over them. If they did not die drowned in them, then he would kill them before they could even make a move.
Casting a glance around him, he found his friends in similar states as him. The only one who looked better was Hibari, who was glowering at the man in front of him, his eyes murdering him over and over again. The Rain guardian had to marvel at the endurance of the Cloud. The man was at the front of their group, taking the blunt of the attack, yet still standing tall and having the power to send waves of killing intent back to their enemy.
"Enjoy your last minutes in this world, my dear friends from another world!" Fake Tsuna laughed, a dark, humorless sound that did not do anything more than aggravate Mukuro. He cursed the wretched man in the form of his boss. If what the wimpy Cloud guardian said was true, then this was the potential ultimate dark side of Sawada Tsunayoshi.
The illusionist did not know if he should laugh or curse him. That stupid, benevolent Tsunayoshi could actually become something like that- it was unimaginable, yet evidence was in front of them, trying to kill them with flames.
From past discussions with Byakuran, he had learned that people had the ability to transform into their parallel world selves, if the situation so called for it. This change could be in time, or just in a second, no one could tell.
Mismatched eyes widened as his brain finally made the connection. It couldn't be... But it could also be true. Oh God what did that idiot do to transform into that?!
"You..." Mukuro's low voice brought everyone's attention onto him. "Are you the real deal?"
Dull brown eyes shined in delight. "Hmm, who knows..."
"Mukuro," Gokudera bit out, "what are you talking about?!"
"People can transform into their parallel selves in the right situation." The illusionist summed up his thoughts quickly.
"Oho, you did your homework." Fake Tsuna chuckled.
Lambo chocked, unable to comprehend the possibility that his older brother figure, that Dame- Tsuna could become something like that. 'It's not possible goddammit!'
Unlike him, Ryohei could actually see it a little bit. Events that have transpired in the past were all accumulating and forming a horrifying reality for the boxer. Sawada might have began to change, but the differences were slim.
'How could he have hidden them so well?'
Why? And how could they be so blind to all this?
Chrome frowned. Surely Mukuro- sama did not believe that the crazy man was their boss. Boss was kind and he would never do that.
'Or would he?'
The girl shook her head. Doubting herself now would mean doubting half of her life, and she would not do that. That was not boss, he couldn't be! Casting a worried glance to the storm man, Chrome concluded that she was not the worst one of the bunch.
Gokudera looked at the man. Then he looked again. Every time he tried, he could not come up with any explanation to the illusionist's line of reasoning. Where had he seen the Tenth?
He could not see him anywhere in that man, and now even more, with the barrage of flames to their faces. The bomber grit his teeth, feeling his body become numb from the Harmonization attribute.
Was that all there was to it? His brain was trying in vain to come up with an escape plan. With impending hopelessness he realized- there wasn't any way out.
'Tenth...' Green eyes fell closed. 'We failed our mission.'
"Hieee, don't tell me I'm just in time?!"
Gokudera's eyes snapped open, his head wiping back towards the source of the new voice. From the corner of his eyes he saw fake Tenth stop the attack, his orange eyes glaring heatedly towards the source of the sound. Eyes wandered all around them, desperately searching for the person that spoke. His heart was beating wildly, his mind trying to understand what was happening without adding false hope.
Mukuro spotted him almost immediately. The man smirked. Figured that Tsunayoshi was not even able to become the bad guy. It would destroy the balance of all fluffy things in the world. Though he was a little disappointed that the impetuous plot twist hasn't happened, the illusionist was glad he did not have to be the one to kill the idiot, considering the state of mind of his less gifted companions.
'When will you become our enemy then, Tsunayoshi?'
Tsuna surveyed the disaster before him and fought back the urge to go hug Lambo. The place was wrecked- which meant he should stay clear of Kyoya- and his friends were not in a better state. Each of them displayed various injuries, ranging from cuts to burns and heavy bruises. His eyes finally adjusted to the light and the sight that greeted him made him freeze.
Hibari was standing in front of his other self, being the only one still on his feet. Mukuro and Takeshi were behind, crouched down; Onii- san, Chrome and Gokudera were behind them, the Sun guardian sitting on the ground with his hands behind him, while his right hand man and Chrome were trying to shadow a worn out Lambo from the attack.
In that moment, Sawada Tsunayoshi saw red. His guardians were almost dead on the ground and it was all his fault! His and that bastard's that stood smirking near the school building.
He had come here with peace in mind, trying to come up with a good pact strategy and calm the guy and his friends, as well as make sure his guardians did not harm anybody. Looking at it now, he had to stop assuming the impossible.
"You are going to pay for this." Eyes narrowed, furious flames dancing in the brown orbs.
Fake Tsuna laughed. "Then come at me, my dear self."
The young don did not need to be told twice. With a speed and agility that were a rare sight even to the guardians, Tsuna closed the distance in a couple of seconds, his fist swiftly colliding with his clone's face.
The evil man blinked in confusion, struggling to accept that he had been punched in the face by himself. Amusement filled his chest, making him laugh again.
"Oh my, the big bad boss has given me a lesson! Do you want to beat me with a twig, too? Pwahaha."
Tsuna looked down at his fake, who was struggling to regain his breathing. He stepped back when the man straightened suddenly, his brown eyes shining with dark amusement.
"You can't do shit without your toys. How are you even alive, fake?"
Gokudera gritted his teeth, willing his muscles to move. That damned bastard was going to attack the Tenth and he did not have anything to defend himself with! They had to protect him.
Behind him Lambo prayed to all Gods that Tsuna- nii- if it really was him- will not get hurt again. But then he remembered that the brunette did not have his ring. And knowing Tsuna's aversion to guns, the teen doubted the man had just grabbed one on his way here. In short, his brother figure was pretty much powerless in front of that evil clone.
"I have my ways." Tsunayoshi said back, his face never betraying his inner conflict. The man was truly at a loss how to confront his double. The man didn't know anything about his power, thought he was sure the guy was powerful. He only hoped that the man had the same powers as him. It would be easier that way.
Fake Tsuna took a step forward, decreasing their distance again. "Well, how are you going to get rid of me?"
For all intents and purposes, he looked pretty impatient for his demise.
Tsuna wished he would be able to stretch it a little longer without relying on his ring, but his intuition was contradicting him on this matter. He knew he could not risk it again. The odds were not with him in this fight.
"Don't worry about me, I can take care of my toys."
Closing his hand in a fist, he made for the man's face again.
Tsuna saw his double's eyes widen when he saw the ring on his hand, but it was too late. His flames enveloped his closed fist, coating his arm into the Vongola Gear. The red glove connected, propelling the man to the right a couple of meters away.
Tsuna let the flames surround him, his cloak swishing behind in the wind.
Fake Tsuna stood up, his eyes blazing with unrestricted rage. His mouth was set in a sneer, dark orange flames pulsing on his forehead.
"Let's see which one of us deserves to live, clone!" The man growled, sending a wave of darkened flames towards him.
Tsuna avoided the attack just in time, propelling himself over it, before swiftly changing direction toward his other self.
Fake Tsuna met him halfway, the two Sky guardians locking in an aerial battle of flames and fists.
Ryohei looked on, his mind still reeling with the earlier events. He had been so convinced that Sawada has changed, he had sided with Mukuro. But he had to admit that it was a legit possibility- this coming from the man who knew a little more than the rest of the guardians about the situation.
Both of Hibari's eyebrows were raised, though he eyed the fight with an indifferent face, the feelings fluttering in his chest kept him occupied. Swiftly categorizing them into rage and killing intent, all directed towards his apparently alive boss. There was also a fluttering relief that was completely squashed down by irritation at having once again, been saved by the omnivore- thus resulting in him having to owe something to the bastard again. Hibari gritted his teeth. He would have to do again with just maiming him, but not entirely kill. He swore that at one point, the one who would kill Sawada Tsunayoshi would not be any random blood- thirsty mafioso, but his equally blood- thirsty Cloud guardian.
The fight in front of him descended from the upper sky towards the ground. Those two were releasing attacks like random lunatics, especially the evil carnivore- that he would kill, too. He saw the omnivore striking back with an X- Burner, mindful of the school building.
Hibari grudgingly approved. The omnivore may live to see another day.
"Ouch, hurts pretty much. I advise you guys to take it easy." The joyous voice of the baseball idiot sounded from behind him.
Hibari rolled his eyes. Figures that the first to be able to move would be the happy hitman. Even now, this unusual contrast of personality versus job was still a subject of discussion on the Underworld's bar tables.
Yamamoto stretched his aching limbs slowly, mindful of the impending pain that was coming with every small movement. He saw his friends were all absorbed, watching the fight.
Hazel eyes narrowed. Theoretically speaking, the Rain guardian was happy to know that Tsuna was alright. But technically speaking, the man did not even know if that was really Tsuna. His instinct was telling him that he was, but then again, it was the same instinct that told him that Mukuro was right when he said that Tsuna had changed and become the bad guy.
The black haired man did not know what to think. Everything that happened up until now went through his head in fast forward, and Yamamoto tried to make sense of this, but he couldn't this time either. There were too many blank spaces. The swordsman concluded that answers were needed before anything more would pass.
His elbow hit the person behind him, and he quickly apologized. "Sorry Chrome. I still can't control my arm so good." His good natured chuckle sounded fake, even to his ears.
The girl shook her head with an understanding smile, returning her gaze to the fight.
Chrome felt like she was at the confusing border between happy and sad. Happy, because her boss was alright and he came to save them. Sad, because that man might not even be her boss.
But who could it be?
Chrome didn't know. She had learned to not look for hope in any situation, because it could end bad, and then she would blame it on herself or the world. Her boss might be alive, or he can be one from another dimension. It could be possible, for all they knew. The sudden thought made her chest constrict, and she fought the habit to rise her hand there. The pain would not hurt her much, but it would be uncomfortable. She felt good, not feeling anything right now. She wanted it to continue a little more.
Fake Tsuna released a battle cry as he launched another wave of flames at his other self.
Up until now, Tsuna concluded, the man did not show any other power other than those flame waves.
Careful not to leave his guard down, the brunette decided to take a more direct approach in finding out his enemy's power. Direct attacks would work better on him.
Charging an X- Burner, he released it, before charging from the other side with a fist coated in hard flames. His attack was parried, so he opted for another abrupt flight. He knew time was of the essence, but the other Tsuna looked pretty worn out. Frowning in confusion, an idea slowly formed in his head. It was risky, but it could work, if his assumption was correct.
Going in for another attack, Tsuna summoned Natsu. The lion jumped to attack the enemy from the other side, effectively trapping him. Fake Tsuna's eyes widened, seeing himself with few options left, he released another, bigger, flame wave.
Tsuna expected his move. The man released an X- Burner in counter attack while Natsu released a flame attack on his own. The attacks collided, causing a blinding light to envelope the three like a sphere. Tsuna did not waste any time in propelling himself under his other self. He summoned Natsu back, the lion transforming into two thrusters, merging with the Vongola Gear.
He saw dark orange eyes widen as the computer counted the power levels. Soft flames kept him floating from behind as he moved his hands in position.
"Gauge symmetrical."
Fake Tsuna turned to face him, sending another wave attack.
"Too late." Tsuna murmured as the computer spoke through his headphones.
"Standby for discharge."
"XX- BURNER!"
Gokudera's eyes hurt when the XX- Burner dissipated, leaving impending darkness in its wake. When his emerald gaze finally got used to the dim light again, he spotted the Tenth almost immediately. The man was facing his fallen clone a couple of meters away from them.
"C'mon Hayato. How long do you plan to stay there?"
Silver locks whipped in the direction the voice has spoken from, the bomber coming face to face with the baseball idiot and the others. Now that he looked again, everyone was up and running except for him. It seemed like he had been too absorbed in the fight and watching over the Tenth, to realize his friends have moved. Accepting the offered hand, the silver haired man stood up, dusting his clothes. His eyes trailed back almost immediately towards his boss.
"Are... you sure?" The swordsman asked almost hesitantly from beside him. Gokudera scowled.
"Of course not. Be on guard." He ordered, half expecting anyone to retort. He was more irritated, than surprised when no one protested. In all other life threatening instances they had been through, they've done what they wanted, and they chose now of all times to follow his orders. Well, it was never too late, he supposed.
Tsuna watched his other self quietly. The man looked pretty out of it, but he could not blame him. Getting hit by an XX- Burner was not pretty.
The man shifted slightly, signaling he was beginning to come into consciousness, prompting a new wave of fluttering in his chest to clog his throat.
Pity.
Witness at an impossible feat of dimension travelling, and the only thing he could feel was pity for his other self. Warm brown eyes fell closed, telling himself that it was finally over.
"It's never over, you know." Fake Tsuna chocked out from the ground. Tsuna's eyes opened to gaze at him in confusion.
"I hope you haven't forgotten that I'm not alone here."
Before the brunette could inquire further what he was talking about, Yamamoto's scream made his head whip back.
The black haired man had his sword out reflexively, though he was slouched a little, staring at the ground, unmoved. The others looked back too, alarmed by their friend's exclamation.
Suddenly, Yamamoto turned around, his sword swinging in a wide arc, clanking when it was parried with its twin. Fake Yamamoto's face was twisted into the most disturbing grin Tsuna has ever seen, and he did not like it.
Brown eyes widened when he saw the gash on his Rain guardian's back. It did not look deep, but he would bet that it hurt like hell.
"Stop them, it's too late." The Decimo frowned at his fake.
"Are you sure?" Fake Tsuna grinned, his voice gaining a little more power.
"This is not you."
Fake Tsuna's eyes narrowed. He almost gritted his teeth, but said. "Stop that idiot before he gets himself killed."
Fake Gokudera scowled, but hit Yamamoto's fake over the head, making him stumble to the ground, paralyzed. "It's just temporary." The man mumbled, dragging his colleague back.
"Happy now, fake?" The double's smile was more poisonous than a cobra's.
Tsuna did not grace him with an answer, steadying him with a thoughtful stare.
The brunette on the ground rolled his eyes. "Stop that, or I'm going to make sure you die this time." He made to get up, but couldn't lift himself more than a few centimeters from the ground.
"Look at me!" The man laughed, dry humor taking over the silence.
"Pitiful." He spat.
A hand entered his field of vision, making his eyes narrow again.
"I don't need help." He glared up at his clone.
Tsuna's smile transformed into a grin. "It's not about help, it's about idiots accepting it."
Grudgingly, he took the offered hand, his clone lifting him to a seating position.
"Tenth."
Said man turned around to face his guardians. Their expressions were grim, eyes filled with distrust, and worst of all, scared faces, that only appeared in his nightmares, materialized right in front of him.
Tsuna inhaled deeply, trying to calm his jumbling nerves and drive away the images dancing in front of his eyes. He tried to smile, but his mouth only twisted uncomfortably.
"H- hey..." the brunette cleared his throat, "I'm glad that everyone is okay. I- I know that what I did was obviously stupid and you guys don't deserve this again but-" He spoke quickly, but was startled when two thin arms suddenly enveloped him in a tight hug. Lambo sniffed through his shirt, ignoring Ryohei's callings.
"He is Baka- Tsuna, I know it!" The teen detached his face from him long enough to yell that back, before gluing it back.
The beginning of a smile appeared on the young don's face. He lifted an arm to hug the boy back. "I will explain it more properly when everything is over."
"But isn't it already, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro asked, smirking.
"If you call this," he gestured around them, " over, then I suppose."
"Does Reborn- san know...?" Gokudera did not have to finish the question.
Tsuna nodded, "He came with Kyoko- chan and Haru."
"So everyone knew besides us?" For the first time in a long while Tsuna saw his Rain guardian frown, and it was directed at him.
He gulped."It's not what you think! They found out-"
"Kufufu, I guess we were the only idiots around, then."
Brown eyes narrowed. "That's preposterous to even consider!"
"Then what should we consider, herbivore?"
Hibari's arms were crossed, his eyes carrying a dangerous glint that warned liars to think again.
"I told you. The whole situation-"
"You should not bother with an explanation, fake. They will only hear what they want." The other Tsuna laughed from the ground, his eyes burning with a challenging fire.
This time, five frowns were directed at him.
"That's not true. We only want to hear his reasons." Yamamoto tried to argue, but was cut off by the double.
"That's what you always say."
A tense silence settled around the group, interrupted only by Lambo's occasional sniffs. Tsuna sighed, gingerly disentangling himself from his youngest guardian, he crouched down to be on an eye level with his other self.
His smile was soft, yet it held a tone of grim pity. "So that's what caused you to change."
The other Tsuna frowned, his eyebrows going so down, the brunette though it wasn't humanly possible. "What do you know, fake?" The man almost spat, his anger clearly displayed on his expression.
"Everything, Tsunayoshi." The sound of his name left a hollow spot in fake Tsuna's chest. The man remained silent, refusing to meet his clone's searching gaze.
"There is," the Decimo began, "a dark us in one of those dimensions."
"I see." Mukuro chuckled, "so this one here is the one that changed."
The man standing on the ground glowered at the Mist guardian.
"Unfortunately." Tsuna whispered, only for his other self to hear. "I don't know how to help you."
"You can't." The other Tsuna said matter of factly. "And I don't want you to. Fakes can't do anything."
Tsuna's smile was tight. "It's not about help, it's about idiots accepting it." He repeated, making his double roll his eyes in disbelief.
His dull brown eyes widened when Tsuna suddenly reached out and grasped his hand. His gaze moved from the other's grim stare to the cracked ring on his hand. The shining metal from before was rusted and chipped, cracks and open gaps here and there, only served to reflect how broken his soul was.
"This can be repaired," Tsuna's soft gaze was still trained on the ring. "It just needs time and friends."
His smile was so hopeful that the other Tsuna felt almost sorry for his fake. There was no hope left in his world.
"Haha, it's good to have you back, Tsuna." Yamamoto laughed, seating himself on the ground slowly, wincing in the process.
"Are you okay, Takeshi?" Tsuna looked over the wound worriedly. His hands automatically moved to remove the blood soaked clothing from the wound, like his Sun guardian taught him long ago. He's done this too many times, the brunette noted grimly.
The Rain guardian helped him by unbuttoning his shirt and sliding his hands through the sleeves. Careful to not hurt him even more, Tsuna peeled off the two pieces of clothing from his back. His gaze came face to face with the black head of a chinese dragon. Brown eyes assessed the damage with a grim but resolute edge.
"Is my tattoo destroyed or not?" Yamamoto grinned, turning his head towards him.
The brunette felt his guardian's optimistic mood glue on him, making his mouth twitch with a smile. "Fortunately, he missed the head."
The swordsman made a show of dramatically sighing in relief, making Tsuna chuckle.
"We still have to do something about these people, Sawada." Ryohei said from beside the other Tsuna. He was trying to close the bleeding wound on the man, before he moved to heal Yamamoto.
"The stupid device broke when we arrived in your dimension."
"Then how did you get to the past? And why here?" Gokudera's eyes could not be colder. He was standing a few feet away from them, his arms resting in the pocket of his pants, seemingly nonchalant.
Tsuna has seen the way his right hand man was behaving and he could say that he had half expected it. Years of friendship and countless obstacles overcome had taught him almost everything he could learn about Hayato- and vice versa. The bomber was bleeding, but not from a physical wound, like his Rain guardian. It was more of a wound to his pride. After everything, he had been left out again. Though honestly speaking, no one knew Tsuna's plan beside Onii- san, who might have had some kind of idea, but not the whole picture.
With a heavy sight, Tsuna left Takeshi in the hand of Vongola's best healer and proceeded to walk towards his Storm guardian. He was stopped by his other self's answer.
"With Rittoro's device. You better watch out." Cold chocolate eyes shined with mirth. "He can do these tricks too. I dunno about the time frame. I think it was chosen at random. Though your past selves would have been fried, if your guardians hadn't come. That had been the plan." His smile was ruthless.
Tsuna turned his head back, locking eyes with his right hand man. The brunette offered a small smile.
Hayato did not return it, instead he turned around, motioning for Tsuna to join him.
"My apologies for failing to stop him, Tenth." The bomber said when his boss had caught up with him.
"There is nothing to apologize for. It was my fault that I got here too late. Because of that, you guys were almost killed."
Fists clenched tightly, the young don turned to look at his right hand man. His chocolate gaze was so sincere, it hurt. "I'm sorry for abandoning you like that, Gokudera- kun!" Tsuna almost yelled, bowing his head. More from habit, than intentionally, he had reverted to calling the silver haired man by his long lost nickname. It's been too much time.
Emerald eyes were looking anywhere but him. Tsuna felt his heart sink. Maybe that was it. That was the extent of bullshit with which one of his most loyal friends was willing to put up with. And the don didn't hold it against him. He felt the same.
"Tenth," The bomber began, interrupting Tsuna's train of thought.
"If you ever consider me unsuitable for the position I am in, please do not hesitate to remove me immediately. I do not wish to be a hindrance, especially to you. This situation has proven my incompetence yet again."
The intensity of his gaze, coupled with his more than serious expression, caused Tsuna to burst out laughing. The brunette knew it was disrespectful, and he berated himself for doing such thing, trampling on the feelings of others, but he could not help it! His right hand man had always downgraded himself, on every occasion he could- it exasperated him. The brunette had hoped that the man had overcame this years ago, but he supposed today was the day old habits resurfaced.
On his end, Hayato looked pretty baffled by his boss's behavior. He made to ask what his reaction was for, when Tsuna wheezed out, still half laughing.
"I- I'm sorry. I don- t know how you can say that... with such a straight face!"
The brunette bowed a little, trying to calm himself down.
If Hayato had been baffled, now he was straight up confused. "I don't understand, Tenth."
Finally looking like he had caught his wits, Tsuna straightened, his mouth displaying an amused smile. "Hayato, of all people who I should fire, you are the last of them. This situation proved me once again, that you are not only worthy to be the sotto capo, but my Storm guardian as well. Never say such thing in front of me again. You united them when the family was in trouble..."
The rest of the sentence went unspoken, but it was understood by the bomber. His mouth twitched into a smile and he bowed low to hide it.
Tsuna wanted to tell him his reasons for not telling them his plan, but decided against it. He knew the bomber would still think about it, but if he was going to tell them, he would tell them all. He was neither prepared, nor surrounded by his friends now. There was time.
A sudden shiver went down his spine and his smile transformed into a grin.
Hayato and Tsuna both looked in the direction mist was starting to form, a person slowly emerging from the haze.
"I hope eavesdropping is not one of your hobbies."
"Kufufu, I am most hurt by your words, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro smirked, his hands playing with his trident. "I am most certainly not that type of person."
Hayato snorted, before turning around. "I will be heading back first, Tenth."
Tsuna nodded, offering another smile before his gaze slid over to his Mist's guardian form.
"Seems like you managed to keep your loyal dog." The blue haired man chuckled.
Tsuna frowned a little, before smirking, "Don't forget that you are also a dog, Mukuro."
"I like to think of myself as more than just that." The illusionist sniffed. "Though I suppose I will be the first one to kick the dust when my power won't be needed anymore."
His mouth curved up, daring the young don to contradict him.
Tsuna begged to defy, "I cannot ensure for anyone. But that is just how the mafia works. You better keep your services up and running, then."
Mukurk chuckled, "I suppose there is no tricking you anymore. After everything you put us through, you should be the one to look out."
"Haaah, so there is no gouging out any 'Welcome back, boss!' from you then. Such shame." Tsuna placed his hands on his hips, looking exasperated.
Mukuro actually stopped and took a good look at him, before bursting out laughing. "Maybe only over my corpse, boss."
With these words, he disappeared, leaving the brunette to sigh for real this time.
He started heading back to the guys, but Chrome cut his way.
The eye-patched girl smiled shyly, nodding to him, "Welcome back, boss."
Tsuna grinned, "Thanks Chrome. You okay?"
Chrome nodded again, before shaking her head, looking like she just remembered something. "Actually, I wanted to tell you that your... other self told us... that we could probably return in the future if we joined the rings together."
"I see. Thanks for telling me. I'm going to see him now."
With that, he continued on his way.
Chrome continued to smile as she watches him go. The girl couldn't help but berate herself for ever doubting him. Their boss had only done what he could to protect them.
Tsuna surveyed the scene before him with a sigh. He felt his eye twitch, giving way to a headache, but he tried to keep it down.
His other self was currently locked in a headbutting fight with Hayato, Takeshi was laughing, trying to calm them down whilst Onii- san was healing him and shouting an occasional extreme.
His eyes spied Kyoya further away, looking for all intentions and purposes, not amused.
Quietly preparing himself for the oncoming craziness, he stepped up. "Ok, let's calm down everyone."
All heads turned towards him.
"About fucking time, I was getting old."
His other self scowled in his direction.
"Oi, watch out with that tone when you talk with the Tenth." Hayato glared at the man, prompting him to groan.
"Tell your dog to shut up, fake."
"All right, let's stop there before we insult each other further." Tsuna frowned. "Chrome said you knew a way to return in the future ...?"
"Yeah, we need the Vongola Rings together and bum! We are in the future." The man mocked, doing jazz hands.
Ryohei nodded and crossed his arms, finished with healing his friend.
"Well then, let's extremely get to it!"
Tsuna nodded, a determined frown set on his face. He made his way towards his other self, lifting his hand up.
The man lifted an eyebrow in confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Going back to the future." This time, it was Tsuna's turn to frown in confusion.
"You're an idiot!" The other brunette burst out laughing. "It's not my ring, it's your stupid past self's!"
Blinking in surprise, the young don turned around to see the other Gokudera drag his past self towards them. His eyes spied past Gokudera and the other guardians- even Hibari- following them.
Fourteen years old Tsunayoshi Sawada was scared. By everything that had transpired in the last hour or so. After the comforting victory of his Sun guardian, the boy thought nothing could destroy his night. It would be a lie to say that his Hyper Intuition hadn't disagreed with him, but the boy had shaken it off as just his imagination.
Thankfully, he and his friends had been spared by their future selves' appearance and they could've ran out of there, if not for his stubborn tutor. The baby refused to leave, and worst of all, made them stay as well. It would be the first time in a long series of curses addressed to the hitman.
His eyes caught his future self's apologizing gaze and he smiled tentatively. The older man smiled back before turning around to say something... to another him.
What?!
Wild chocolate eyes moved back and forth in a daze, silently counting every pair of himself and friends. He came up with the number 3, including him.
"Hiiieeee, why are there so many me?!" This time the question was shouted out loud, the boy not even feeling the painful tug of Gokudera- one of them- anymore.
A sad- looking Tsuna answered, with a scowl on his face. Uh- huh. So that's how he looked scowling. Good for future reference.
"Oh God he is loud, what did I do to deserve this?" His tone was so sarcastic, it felt like a slap to the face for the younger boy. He had been bullied. By his own self.
Feeling the world had abused him enough for one day, he decided to get this over with. Luckily, his happier self was on the same page.
"Sorry for putting you through this. It seems that the older we get, the more craziness bounces up in our way." His chuckle was the most reassuring thing the boy heard all night.
Fourteen years old Tsunayoshi smiled tightly, nodding in understanding. "How can we help you?"
"Actually, it's you who we need help from." His future self said, his mouth twitching with amusement at his surprised- and a little horrified- expression.
"H- how?" And cue the stuttering. Damn him and his anxiousness.
"We will need to borrow your ring for a minute."
Tsunayoshi blinked owlishly, his eyebrows shooting up in confusion.
Future Tsuna blinked back at his past self's confusion. Then reality smacked him right in the face. Bringing a hand up to massage his temples, he said.
"Ah, I forgot that you still don't have it."
"So Dame- Tsuna gets the ring in the end, huh." Reborn spoke for the first time, his smug expression directed at the Varia, who was standing a little farther away.
Xanxus scowled at the hitman, but it was the future wimp's self that addressed him.
"I don't like to interfere, but I would like to ask for a favor." His hand lifted, signaling for the ring.
Blood red eyes clashed with caramel brown in a battle of wills. After a few moments, the Varia leader tched and made to remove his necklace.
Tsuna's orange eyes watched the man get closer in what could only be described as a flash. But the Vongola boss saw his every move.
Lifting a hand- transformed glove, he parried the man's gunshot.
"Interesting," Xanxus smirked, "You didn't even blink. The next one would do a lot more damage then."
With seemingly all the calmness in the world, the Decimo said.
"Let's keep this for another time, no?"
Xanxu's eyes narrowed, but then his eyebrows shot up in surprise when his searching hand did not find the other half of the Vongola Ring at his neck. Looking up, he saw the brown haired man turn back, his hands connecting the two halves of the ring.
Tsuna slid the ring on his past self's trembling hand, before lifting his own ring. His guardians, the past guardians and his other self from the other dimension, with his guardians as well surrounded them. Many pairs of eyes were staring, most impatiently, at the two men and their rings.
After a couple of moments of nothing happening, past Tsunayoshi sighed.
"It- it looks like it doesn't work."
Future Tsuna's mouth pressed in a tight line.
"Seems like I need to take the hard way." The man inhaled deeply, as if in preparation. Before past Tsunayoshi could ask what he meant, the man in front of him spoke, his orange eyes succeeding in scaring the hell out of him.
"Primo I'll have to ask for this favor."
From the corner of his eyes, past Tsunayoshi saw the older people in the area stiffen and he had to ask himself, once again, what kind of mess did Reborn force them in again.
The more elaborate ring that his future self donned started to glow, and a sudden light appeared next to the two. Another, blonde haired man, stared at them through equally orange eyes. His expression was relaxed, an amused smile occupying his lips.
"I see you've gotten yourself in another adventure, Tsunayoshi."
His future self chuckled awkwardly, scratching his cheek. The man's smile widened marginally.
"Very well then."
With those words, a massive light enveloped them all. The last thing Tsunayoshi heard before he lost consciousness, was the voice of his future self, telling him to take good care of his family.
"Make sure you change back." Tsuna grinned at his other self.
The other man pinched his nose, looking like he did not have the energy to deal with his shit anymore.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I should thank the Gods and Primo for not making me go to your dimension too. I would probably commit suicide than hear you tell me that again."
Tsuna's grin widened, though his eyes were looking at the other man, concerned. "You should at least try-"
"What part from 'It's too late' don't you understand, fake?" The other Tsuna smirked. "Even old man Primo from my dimension said it. You are the first one to stop me from all the other dimensions I've wrecked. Keep it up!" The man mocked, the smirk never leaving his face.
"Sure, I will do that." Tsuna's mouth melted into a smile. Their time was up, it seemed.
"You better watch out for that guy, you said it yourself. He's the one we should fear."
"Only if we are alone."
Wide, dull brown eyes were the last things he saw, before light clouded his vision and all went black.
"Maaan, it's so good to be back." Yamamoto stretched, wincing a little when pain shot up across his back.
"Takeshi, you need to be extremely patched up." Ryohei threw a fist in the air, already making his way towards the infirmary. The Rain guardian laughed, following suit. Before he left the room, he gave Tsuna a hard pat on the back, his grin radiating like the sun.
"It's good to have you back, Tsuna!"
The brunette smiled back, waving him off to go get himself fixed up. The man turned back at a pouting Lambo, and his smile tightened.
"Lambo-"
"Yeah, yeah, you are sorry. I know..." The teen turned his head in the opposite direction, considering his options, before turning around again. "You'll have to take me to the Arcades a thousand times before I forgive you!" The Lightning guardian exclaimed, his index finger pointing at his older brother.
Tsuna burst out laughing, "Consider it done, then."
Lambo smiled, giving him another quick hug, before exiting the room.
The man followed him, saying a quick thanks to a frantic Shoichi and confused Spanner. It looked like his guardians kept his apparent death, a secret from everyone.
Eyeing the red haired mechanic mumbling something close to 'The number of time- space travels is escalating too quickly, goddammit!' Tsuna resolved to give them a well deserved vacation.
"Herbivore." Kyoya's tone was as cold as ice and Tsuna could not help but prepare himself for the worst.
"Where is the carnivore?"
Blinking at the sudden interest, the don answered. "Primo sent them to their dimension as well. It was just perfect that he was able, too. Their appearance would've been pretty confusing for everyone."
The black haired man nodded in acceptance, his eyes closing in contempt. Both men walked side by side, both equally silent, but for different reasons.
Tsuna was trying to remain as silent as the dead, hoping he would not get beaten by his unpredictable guardian. On the other hand, his Cloud guardian looked the most calm he has ever seen him.
"I have come to the conclusion," Kyoya began, his grey eyes never straying from their path, "That you are equally as troubling, alive as dead. To avoid such irritating situations from now on, I will accompany you on your herbivorous meetings."
The brunette man rolled his eyes. There he goes again, just like that Mafia Land incident. Now he would be watched by the dangerous man twenty- four seven.
"Thanks for the thought, but I will have to refuse."
Kyoya looked at him with such a heated glare, it could have killed him for real. Tsuna hurried to continue, betting on the little patience the man possessed.
"I knew I was in mortal danger from the start. The appearance of the shadow- of the other me- had been surprising, but half expected. With Maurizio, I was prepared to deal, but him coming had thrown my plans into disarray. So don't worry, I don't have to be watched by yo-"
A tonfa almost collided with his head. Tsuna swore he saw all his life pass before his eyes.
Kyoya's eyes were narrowed into slits. "How many of these herbivorous plans have you concocted without us knowing, herbivore?"
Knowing the answer would not only dissatisfy the prefect, but also risk his head getting done in, Tsuna opted to stay quiet and release a tentative smile.
The disciplinarian must have gotten bored, or concluded this was not worth his time, as he put his tonfas back and proceeded to walk away.
"I will make sure to kill you someday, herbivore."
The young don sweat dropped, but thanked the gods for the miracle of remaining alive.
Taking a left, he finally arrived at his office. He immediately went to his secret compartment, taking out the file with the name Settera and scribbled with a red pen on the front cover.
'Caso chiuso'
"Sorry if I extremely bother, Sawada." Sasagawa Ryohei smiled, opening the door wider.
Tsuna smiled back, inviting him in.
"You are not bothering me, Onii- san. Please make yourself comfortable."
The Sun guardian seated himself on one of the chairs in front of his desk, leaning back and sighing.
"Sawada..." The older man began attentively, before he shook his head, thinking better of it. "Just an extremely short question."
Tsuna blinked, but nodded, urging him to continue.
"Was the Settera famiglia so dangerous after all?"
This time, the young boss smirked, his eyes becoming a duller brown.
"I cannot tell you what it could have been, Onii- san. But we all make sacrifices," Ryohei's eyes widened a little, seeing his boss's smirk vanish, only a sarcastic shadow remaining in its wake, "For our own selfish reasons."
In that moment, the Sun guardian knew, and he decided to not butt in anymore. Every one of them had their own quirks, and this seemed to be Sawada's. He fleetingly remembered the darker Tsuna from that other dimension and his craziness.
But their reality was so much different. If their boss would swing that dark path at some point, they would make sure to bring him back. Just like this time. Sawada Tsunayoshi was a simple man, but a man nonetheless. Everyone had their whims and empty spaces, but those could be filled by friends and family.
And luckily for Tsuna, they were not going anywhere.
Kyoko smiled as she watched Lambo and I- pin arrange the table, both careful not to break the expensive china wear.
"Kyoko- chan, the food is almost ready." Haru's head popped out from behind the kitchen door.
The auburn haired woman smiled and nodded. "Okay, I will go tell them."
Walking along the halls of the extensive manor, Kyoko could not help but wonder how would it be any different if Tsuna- kun had a choice back then. Would he have killed Maurizio or let himself be injured again. For his own safety, Kyoko hoped it was the former.
His office quickly came into view, and after a soft knock followed by an affirmative answer, her caramel gaze met with a warm, chocolate one.
Tsuna smiled, urging her in.
"Just came to tell you dinner is ready."
The man nodded, scribbling a last paper before lifting himself from the office chair.
He made to step towards her, and Kyoko bit her lip. It was now or never.
"Tsuna- kun..." Her voice was trembling and she stopped to clear her throat. "If we wouldn't have discovered anything, how long would you have stayed in the Vindice prison?"
Her eyes were imploring, and the brunette sighed, looking like he had been expecting her question for a long time.
"As much as I needed to. To be honest, I was scared to confront my other self."
Golden brown eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why?"
A smile so acrid appeared on his face, it made Kyoko step back in shock. "I've never been good at facing my own darkness."
The still silence that settled around them was quickly shattered by the light haired woman. "Who said you had to?"
It was Tsuna's turn to look at her in surprise.
"Until it's too bad, let us deal with it. That's why your family is here."
Brown eyes softened, and the threatening smile dissolved into a small upturning of the mouth. "I would like that."
Giving him a quick kiss, she turned around, guiding him to the dining hall. Her arm was suddenly jerked back, and she looked confused before realization hit her.
Soft, bell- like laughter echoed in the dimly lit halls. Walking side by side like this was all she could ask of the present. She only hoped that these days would not abruptly end, like life tended to make them.
But then again, life in the Vongola famiglia was anything but ordinary, even for mafia standards.
a/n: sotto capo- second in command
caso chiuso- case closed
And that's a wrap! I hope everyone enjoyed my story, I'd love to hear you opinions! :D
i hope it does not feel like an abrupt end and hopefully, i did not let any loose ties xD (yes, i put everything from time travel to dimension travel to everything mwaha(jk)... it was more of a test but i hope the result is good)
it will be sometime until i post something as i am still in the writing process, but i hope to have something until i come back from holiday xD... so look forward to that~
any grammar and spelling mistakes spotted may be reported to meh
Reviews and feedback are appreciated! ^^