Past and Future

When Tsunade got back, she and her family immediately quit the pool to go back to their hotel room.

'What's my manly adult self like?' Tsunade asked as Reborn tied up Lambo and put him to sleep.

'Well...he's the result of a bully victim.' said Yamamoto with awkwardness. 'He's the exact opposite of you. If you fought it off to be where you are now, he accepted everything and not in a good way. Ever heard of 'mind makes it real'?'

'Clearly, alternate future me did a bad job with the boy.' said Reborn in distaste. 'A mafia boss cannot remain wimpy, meek and timid! And what's with that skinny body?! One would think the me over there buffed him up a bit!' yep, he's not happy...

'Did he show you what you'd look like ten years from now though?' Tsunade asked playfully. 'If he hadn't, I got photos! You two grew up to be quite handsome!' Yamamoto and Gokudera did a double-take.

'He did not!'

Tsunade showed them pictures of the future.

"...Tsunade met the Varia which means Tsunayoshi's got their respect..." Reborn thought. "And I don't recognize the girl with them." he mused at the girl with the eyepatch.

'W-wow...that's what I grew up into?!' Yamamoto gushed out, awed by his own face. Gokudera was also struck hard by how he looked in the future.

'Wow...'

'I don't see me there.' Amon frowned.

'That would be because Tsunayoshi never left Namimori...the Sun Guardian is either Sasagawa-senpai or the eyepatch girl.' Yamamoto told him as Amon's reaction was as expected from someone about to lose his spot, and for Reborn, things are very obvious...

'What?!'

'Who's he?' Tsunade frowned. 'And for the record, Chrome Dokuro is a Mist. I had her copy-paste my memories to see how different we are. She probably showed them what I wanted to show by now.' Reborn filed away the name and face.

'Would they be surprised.' Amon snorted. 'But still...I don't like it...losing my position to someone else.' he fretted. He finally found a home he could belong to when nobody wanted him around for years due to his powers, he can't bear losing it!

'That's an alternate future idiot, don't put too much stock into it.' Gokudera scoffed. 'This Sasagawa guy became the Sun because male-Juudaime never left Namimori and his mom uh...stuck around.' he said nervously while they looked anxious at Tsunade's reaction.

'Well, he's a son and given her fantastical idealism, she probably thinks he's more useful than a daughter and put up with his no-goodness as a child up to present date...and I won't have it if he is indeed, the opposite of me.' she grunted. 'Reborn, we're paying Shido a visit, and confiscate that Bazooka and ammunition from Lambo. Keep it in your care. I'm having him fix future me, then I'll fix the Guardians myself.'

'Got it.' Reborn nodded. 'For now, let's let them stew over their shock.'

'How about the next day, same time? They'll have cooled down enough by now and conveniently, they'll be together. Who knows where their darn offices are and five minutes isn't much, and I have no idea how much ammo Lambo's carrying. We can't waste it all.'

xxx

The future...

The Sawadas understandably, refuse to accept what they just saw...but in the end, Tsuna knew.

It was why he was quiet in his office.

'Boss...her memories still disturbing you?' Gokudera asked in concern.

To be fair, it disturbed ALL OF THEM.

'Gokudera-kun...I didn't want to accept it, but seeing her memory...its damning.' said Tsuna softly, chin rested on his laced fingers, expression somber. 'I remember things mom said on some days when we were kids. If I wasn't a boy...would she have stuck around? I could easily have ended up as she had.'

'Juudaime...' Gokudera worried for his boss who was the most affected.

'I don't know what I feel right now.' said Tsuna somberly. 'I want to take some drinks but as boss I can't get too drunk. I'm no Xanxus who has high tolerance.' he chuckled weakly.

His alternate self started similarly he did. Clumsy, weak, no-good in school, bullied by everyone and apathetic teachers no help at all. But she was abandoned by their mother for several weeks, starving to death. Then a life of near-sociopathic violence after her adoption that its easy to see that those around her put budding problems in the bud that made her who she is today, a violent, willing-to-kill girl who cared for her boys and friends and a damn good cook. Given her mindset, she was a shoo-in for the Varia, Xanxus' successor if he bit the dust and the man himself said so.

'What did oniisan say about that blonde man with her?'

'Natsuki Amon? He was rather worried they'd never meet as he grew to like where he is right now.' said Gokudera. 'Can't blame him. Vongola may be a Mafia Family but how you run it, we'd gladly work here. Heck, its also resources to protect Kyoko-chan and that girlfriend of his.'

'...'

'We can safely assume she met Lambo since she wound up here, cow-idiot was chasing Reborn after all.' Gokudera snorted. 'But I'm glad some things stayed consistent...even if younger alternate me is more competent than I am.' he went mood whiplash on that. 'Tsunade-sama's a good fighting tutor since she's training younger me.'

'Sou ne...well, given the brewing situation, we can't be left behind either.' Tsuna stood up. 'For all I know Hibari-san's on a warpath by now. Younger him deliberately sought her out.'

'No bet.'

Gokudera snorted. 'Let's try out her cooking. I saw how she did it all I'm glad I watched her work when she makes dinner. Definitely an improvement from aneki!' he grinned.

'Sou ne, let's try it out!' Tsuna beamed. 'Goodness knows we need to cheer up. But still...one thing stuck to me too.'

'Hm?'

'You tried and failed for weeks to convince her about THAT yet Hibari-san got it in one day.' Tsuna giggled. 'I guess he's as forceful as ever.'

Gokudera sputtered, red-faced from awkwardness.

Yup, they saw him trying and failing to persuade her to wear a bra...yet Hibari managed to cow her into wearing one on the day they met! That's not fair Hibari!

'Grrr...how'd he do it when other me's been doing it for weeks?! Bel just won't shut up about it!'

xxx

Their week-long stay is momentarily on pause as they went back to Tokyo for Shido who was studying to qualify for College under tutors.

'Oh? What brings you guys to visit?' Shido asked them when his tutor hours are over.

'Shido, I need you to do me a favor. We'll explain afterwards.' said Tsunade. 'I want you to use Chakra of Awakening on my alternate Future Self.' she said.

'Huh? You're not making sense?' Shido sweatdropped as Reborn took out the Bazooka. 'Oi?!'

'Time to switch with Tsunayoshi, Tsunade!'

'Its harmless don't worry! I'll just go to the future for five minutes and adult male me will take my place!'

And BOOM!

Shido was in utter 'WTF?'

Because before him is a MALE version of his sister. They smell the same, just that, this man has less...or nearly non-existent blood on him. He had gunpowder more.

'Oh! You must be Tsunade's brother!' Tsuna smiled. 'Did she get hit again~?'

'Actually, she switched with you for something extra.' Shido sighed. 'Here I go...'

'Eh...?'

xxx

'...can't that dumbass cow control himself more with that stupid bazooka?' Gokudera swore as this time, its no Swimsuit but a rather wholesome, billowy sundress.

'Gomen ne Hayato, but its on purpose this time~!' Tsunade giggled cheerfully as she charged up her chakra powers.

'D-don't tell me...' Squalo gawked out as they recognized the light from her hands, as she used it on HER Gokudera.

'Yup! Tsunayoshi is with my brother right now...brace yourselves fellas!' she grinned as she gathered a ball of light in her hands.

"This is it!" they all thought.

They would be awakened to their full potentials as she blasted them. Indeed, they felt a release of their powers, maxed out.

And they thought they reached their pinnacle?!

'It'll take a few minutes for that to settle down and by then I'm looong gone.' Tsunade told them. 'You'll also have to re-train to adjust to your new power levels or you'd end up blasting things apart the way you are now so don't be irresponsible!' she said before looking worried. 'By the way, ten years went by, is there a new Sky Arcobaleno by now?'

'Yes but that one's a big problem right now...' said Lussuria. 'What of it?'

'Then its safe for me to wake up Dino!' Tsunade blasted Dino too.

'...what about the Bucking Horse, juudaime?' Gokudera inquired.

'Well...he's a prime candidate to be the next one if I awakened him so I couldn't wake up my Dino.' Tsunade huffed. 'Its for his safety that I didn't. But now that in this era somebody just freshly-replaced the current one, he's safe!'

"Riiiight..."

Tsunade got access to witchcraft temporarily and foresaw a future she wanted to deny to the bitter end, and then there's Dino's secret she found out somehow...

'Buh-bye now!'

Upon getting replaced...

'Tsuna, what happened in her era?' Yamamoto asked.

'...I got blasted by Shido-san and I feel weird...I also feel light as a feather too.' said Tsuna, going schweet. 'That Chakra of Awakening thing feels really good.' he said as literal feather flames are coming out of him. 'Sooo light...'

'J-Juudaime? Hey?'

'Sawada?!'

'Oi! Trash!'

Tsuna was floating around, flame feathers coming out of him.

'Oh great, he got high! Somebody calm the idiot!' Xanxus yelled.

Cue Yamamoto and Squalo splashing him with their flames for him to be back to normal.

(Later on, he became as formidable as his female self)

xxx

'Well, they explained to me while he was feeling high, drunk on his own flames.' said Shido wryly to his sister. 'Someone has to calm down the idiot. Tsunade didn't turn out like that because I awakened her young and he awakened late in life.'

'Oh, the future will take care of that, no problem.' Tsunade smiled. 'But still...everyone is so old...we're in our twenties and thirties over there...'

'Everyone will grow old, its inevitable.' said Amon. 'Can't stay young forever you know.'

'Er, what about him?' Shido pointed at Reborn.

xxx

October came for Tsunade to turn fourteen. She got as tall as Gokudera used to be while Gokudera was catching up to Yamamoto's height fast due to healthy eating.

They also adopted Lambo...for his own good.

The job of raising him fell to their hands otherwise he won't live past seven years old since the Bovinos...well...Reborn made his opinion well-known. Sadly, its Yamamoto, Shido and Madoka who has to babysit him when they got jobs.

Reborn tags along on missions that he can't help but admit that these guys, are crazier but...

Its loads of FUN.

They live and breathe HIS brand of crazy!

But he has to do something about it too. These guys will find it hard to live as normal people not to mention his TRUE job...

It was annoying him!

Really, he does more as a literal school tutor for Tsunade than tutoring her how to be a Donna...geeez...

He's one upset tutor, but it can't be helped. Tsunade knows hacking, illegal rackets, sex, crime, drugs, weapons, poisons and antidotes and the Underworld from A-Z(shockingly, nothing about his kind of Mafia), but when it comes to schoolwork...well...understandably, she's slow in it as she never had to study about it since for her, survival and making money is more important.

That, and her gang are a tight-knit bunch, very loyal to each other. They'd go to troubled others in a heartbeat and all they had to do, was ask.

He also had opportunities to meet and talk to Maria, that lady Tsunade respects. But really, she should dress up more...a womanizing rake he may be but he's no pervert so he did his best to look at her at the face, not at her very exposed breasts behind her halter fishnet.

'Oh my, what brings a cutie to see me~?' Maria squealed, and her speed...was FAST as she picked him up and glomped him.

'Er, madam, I'm here for a talk...' Reborn croaked out.

'Oh my, over tea then.' Maria smiled as she made to prepare tea. Once its done, she took out biscuits and put them on the table.

'Its about Tsunade...she seems to hold you in high regard but never visits here which was strange.'

'Well, she understands you know...being around me will expose her to danger she's not strong enough for.' said Maria. 'I keep everyone at bay while I watch over my teacher's grandson and protect him from afar. Dino understands it as well that we have little interaction. As far as outsiders and my tribe's enemies know, I'm a hired Freelancer he hires, no more than that. But that sad girl...I understood as well.' Maria sighed. 'I felt her heartbreak and sorrow when I hugged her once for a job well-done. I heard her heart about to cry even if she kept a poker face.'

'Is that so...'

'Well, I have experience as a mother for about five years...before my naughty ward ran away from me since he was fed up with a life of having to run from our enemies. But we have no choice but to live in hiding...either that or be killed.' Maria sighed. 'I'm powerful but...I have my limits.' she said. 'That girl is betrayed by her mother when she needed a mother most at her darkest hour. When I hugged her...she longed for a mother's love. Sure she has Shido-kun but its still not the same. To be betrayed and abandoned is something she shares with my ward who too, was rejected by his own mother...yet she had a taste of what she used to have when she swore bitter hatred against her own mother.' she told him. 'Memories of being given love and affection from a parent is always special to a child. They would never forget that because the love they get or the type of love they get shape them as a person they would become. But sometimes, good people would become bitter, cynical, distrustful, etc when betrayed.'

'...'

'Understand that as her mother's in jail over something stupid, the other one is protecting her from afar like I do for Ban, but as long as she is still a child...she would long for family. Her devotion and loyalty to Shido, VOLTS, and now she's leading and looking after her Guardians whom she attached to...should I tell you what they all had in common?'

'What is it?'

'They are all rejected, and unwanted by anyone.' said Maria grimly. 'But in betrayal, Tsunade, Takeshi and Hayato have that between them.'

Reborn started to think.

Such people are gathering around Tsunade is rather...concerning.

'Concerning as a future Donna, no? But they have a unique bond between them.' Maria told the perturbed tutor. 'Because they know what it means to be rejected that all they have is each other. As you can see, their bonds are so tight that Amon is worrying he would lose his place. He is getting insecure. Tsunade worries for him in turn and reassures him that he would never be made to leave because of a possible future.'

'But...what if its a future that's supposed to happen out of destiny?' Reborn told her. 'A...friend of mine saw the future.'

'Indeed so...but it is up to the children in the end.' said Maria. 'Let them decide. Do not make choices for them. That way, if they decided it themselves...its a bitter pill that would be easier to swallow.'