The Sky that Bonds

by fantasy.x.nothingness

By a chance meeting, she was introduced to the mafia world without knowing the secret of her blood. Now older, a baby hitman claims to turn her into Vongola Decimo. But will the Sky accept its fate? Fem27

34. Tide of Time

Hellooo, my loves! Sorry for the long wait. Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2024 is kinder to us all and to our World. Please be safe out there! I know words can be just words, but know that my thoughts and prayers are with you all. 🇺🇦🇵🇸 ️

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As always, please be mindful of the TW: Unreliable Narrator / mind game / cosmic horror / mentions of suicide / mind control / depression / emotional manipulation / teenagers (NOT) dealing with emotions bigger than them / blood / anxiety attacks / psychosis / mentions of death and murder / hints of 1827 - 10027 - 6927 / / / headache for Flame Lore & Worldbuilding / / /

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Namimori has always been peaceful.

The crime rate wasn't as prominent as it was in Tokyo, despite the minuscule yakuza gangs hiding under rocks like pesky ants. That was the duty of the Hibari clan that forged this hidden town and guarded it like clouds shadowing gold on the grass.

Be it maintaining order in the streets, protecting the grave of a stranger on the outskirts of town, or enforcing educational plans to stop herbivores from turning into mushrooms and be consumed by a lazy society that could then proceed to infect others with their idiocy, the Hibari's were known for their steel sense of justice.

His grandfather, a military veteran from the old days, wielded his authority with honour and an iron fist that single-handedly destroyed all opportunities for locals and outsiders to cement their illegal business within the town.

He passed away from consuming poisoned rice crackers imported from a drug dealer attempting to cross beyond the borders. There was no way to know which food was poisoned at that time, and his grandfather wouldn't let his squadron or even the herbivores in jail test it, so he ate them.

As a five-year-old, Kyoya learned his first lesson to triumph over one's strength and always keep one's values above all.

His father, chief of Namimori's police department, was a force to reckon with that maintained their principles of justice. Strict in his thoughts but noble in his mind, he decreased the rate of assaults and homicides to zero per cent and brought a sense of peace to Namimori with pride and equity.

He was stabbed in the back by a colleague who tried to climb the ladder in a futile attempt to corrupt their system. But rapacity is rewarded with worthlessness, and the coward was in turn tarnished by the town that saw him grow, bitten to death by the system he tried to trample and punished by his own associates.

As a nine-year-old, Kyoya learned the rule of eat or be eaten in a world that will always try to turn upside down.

His mother, although a Hibari by name and not by blood, stood fierce against inequality and retaliated with cold fury against any discrimination. She withheld inner serenity and became the keeper of tranquillity amongst the elderly and children, those too weak to even seek protection from formidable carnivores.

She was caught in the middle of a panic rush created by an assailant trying to rob someone with a gun. Her priority was not to attack the thief but to protect the scared herbivores get away from the disturbance. She was pushed and stomped over amidst the crowd she tried to herd away from the desperate mugger.

As a ten-year-old, Kyoya learned that even innocuous beings could cause greater harm than those wielding a weapon.

His family taught him knowledge through experience one by one as they died until there was no one else but him to continue their legacy. His uncles, cousins, and close followers of the family were pillars in keeping their authority standing, but as the sole heir of the clan, it was his duty to see this town survive.

And there was pride in knowing that he did, no matter if night had fallen in Namimori once lit streets. He would have preferred to see it through to the end, heavens know he still had the drive to go on and end this bloody war, but his purpose had been fulfilled.

He had fought, he had conquered, he had protected and he had kept his promise.

The wind roared as he stood in front of an unmarked grave and looked down at the little black box in his hand. So small and breakable, so very unsuspicious looking yet it held all the power to destroy the World.

And Sawada Tsunayuuki trusted him to guard it before they even fell into unworldly waters too deep for them to escape. Not that he tried to, after all, Hibari's do not run.

But she came with a warning.

He didn't listen.

And now, here they were.

Dying in a cold masterpiece of their own self-destruction.

It was absurd, being completely enraptured with someone who contradicted everything he knew and still was unwilling to drift away from the chaos she carried.

Spellbound, she was a novelty; weak and forlorn when they met with a spark of spiteful defiance in her golden eyes that harboured a darkness she kept hidden like clouds shielding the stars. Sometimes they twinkled when she felt too much, sometimes they shone brighter when she breathed resentment, and sometimes they burnt whenever he indulged in her pain and she responded with outrage.

He basked on the juxtaposition of a little animal with claws too sharp she didn't know how to wield without hurting herself and shying away from creatures that tried to get close to her despite wishing to not be alone.

And it was that paradoxical bitterness that clashed with the starry-eyed hope that drew him to pick the stars that fell from the sky. It took him years to understand flame harmony, even more so about Sky courting and flame bonding, but he never once questioned his resolution to stay because she earned his trust before colourful fire was a part of their lives.

They weren't friends. They weren't co-workers. They weren't Boss and Follower. Leader and Subordinate. They just were. They knew each other weaknesses and strengths, shadows and darkness, they lived and thrived and kept each other afloat when gravity tried to sink them down.

So when she dared to walk away, he retaliated with fury. It brought misery, pain, and death to his life, having to hold the weight of choosing what was right and what was justice; his clan principles all but buried as the stakes were greater than their little town.

It wasn't about her and Namimori anymore, but his heart and the World.

So many fell to his hand, some comrades some enemies alike. So many lies he kept close to heart, some out of cruelty, some out of sympathy. So many choices took him away from home, while others allowed the shadows to creep in and consume the peace Namimori was built to be for.

In the end, the biggest lesson he was leaving behind as his legacy was that sometimes, your pride will hurt others, just as theirs will hurt you. But it was the strength of staying through the hurt and withholding your honour, justice, and inner peace that will keep the light from fading from your world.

He did not regret the life he walked with her at his side, picking stars and moving clouds. But he also knows that his younger self will not understand the sacrifices made and thoughts behind the actions that got them to this point in time. And that confusion can lead to rejection and hurting that was the recipe for another apocalypse; one that will now be of their own making.

The road home is paved in stardust requiem after all, but that was not going to be his life anymore.

Yet as he drops the black little box into the abyss below before pink smoke overtakes him, he hopes against all odds that the Sky will shine in Namimori once again.

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Watching Juudaime leave with that white psychopath was nerve-racking.

Even more so by the dazed look she has been wearing since she woke up on the train and linked arms with the enemy. Worse yet, the infatuated look she received in return was equal parts disturbing.

It was like they were in a world of their own, just two lonely - dangerous - beings taking a leisurely walk in a ghost town. And there was nothing nor no one that could break them apart from the bubble they had stepped into.

He trusts Juudaime will not fall for pretty eyes that easily, and her fighting skills were adequate to the situation, even more so with Reborn's magical lizard at her side that could change into anything she might need to fight, shield, or escape.

But all they know about Byakuran is the destruction he has caused the world in his pursuit of Juudaime. It gave him the creeps, for someone to be so besotted they would kill and destroy anything and everyone just to have them. And now with Juudaime willingly at his side, what could he do to keep it that way?

He didn't understand it, though his loyalty to his Boss would make him do questionable things too if put at a crossroads, there was something else they were missing.

It wasn't just mere possession or even obsession that was moving Byakuran, of that Gokudera was aware.

And it seemed like Juudaime felt it too.

And that was the scary part.

Juudaime sometimes got lost in her head, seeing things and hearing things no one else could. He had asked once, why she was frowning at the wind. The answer was Vongola's Hyper Intuition before the wind turned into a storm, a curse in her blood that allowed her to know things if the concept breached her cognition before they happened. That should have been it. It clearly explained her quick reflexes, scary knowledge, and sometimes omniscient weight that she carried.

But there was something else troubling her. She was seeing, hearing; possibly feeling mystic threads that moved her body without her consent. More often than not, they did not lead to physical harm, but her psyche... He did not share her magical cognition, but somehow, he had the gut feeling that if she stayed under the control of that otherworldly force, he will lose her.

Which is why he wanted this mission to be done and go home, back to their time. Away from imminent threats and world calamities. Juudaime, while kind at the core, did not have a soft heart, so killing Byakuran shouldn't be a problem. (He thinks and shamefully hopes). But not knowing what was happening inside the bloody palace was making him anxious, even if he was engaged in his own battle of wits.

As was to be expected, they were antagonized by the cahoots of lunatics following Byakuran, the funeral wreaths as they called themselves. Four hooded men who acted more like the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and that title became more legitimate as their powers became known.

It was a clear contrast of skills and experience. They were just starting to experiment and know their own flame attributes and abilities, so to be faced with equal elements yet in a completely different league was infuriating. Gokudera was learning how not to let it get to him, though it still annoyed him to never be enough.

As he ducked to take cover from an explosion, he took a quick look around him.

It truly was a miracle how in a short time under that screaming hitman could hone the skills proper of a fighter. It was like seeing a different person slashing and holding his own against the nightmarish Mist user. But Yamamoto was smiling while Squalo was shouting orders at him like a maniac and it seemed that whatever wall had stopped him before, the swordsman in training had broken through it.

Across the lane, Ipin and the stupid cow were an unstoppable duo of electrifying storm. They were not kids anymore, that was obvious. Their speed did not relent a moment for neither to breathe yet they coordinated perfectly when one slowed. Ipin was unleashing a fury of attacks and the boy taking hit after hit without flinching against the creepy Sun user who was being scorched and electrocuted without recoiling in return.

Farther back, in a maze of carnivorous flowers and thorny vines, the Mukuro girl was trying to hold her own against the strong Cloud user with Dino's help. He seemed to be the right-hand man of Byakuran, and while Gokudera wanted to be the one fighting him due to his position, he had his own hands full with the Storm user who seemed to have a bone to pick with the Cavallone Boss too, but their strategy in compatibility worked better this way.

While he wasn't as strong as his future counterpart, the lawn-head boxer was still an experienced fighter. And although he rushed to danger with endless energy, he didn't attack with arrogance or lose focus when he missed as he thought he would. He also seemed open to Gokudera taking the lead and following orders, thankfully.

This magma man who melted the ground with his steps and taunted them in a bored manner was not someone one should take lightly or without a plan.

It wasn't supposed to be a battle till death, they were merely keeping them away from entering the palace and interfering with the two Bosses meeting, but it surely felt that way with the scorching heat and intense combat. He was bleeding from one arm and almost sprained his knee if he hadn't used his new Storm shield as a skateboard. The future weapons were a joy to play with, if only they had a more suitable location to try them out. Spanner had even gone crazy and armed them with trinkets Gokudera didn't know how to use yet.

Not for the first time did he thought how a miserable place could create so much wonder, but he was going to exploit it as much as he can for their own advantage.

Another taunt, another shield, another attack, and the wind roared in a heated storm.

Further back, away from the disaster and rubble, Irie had taken refuge with Reborn-san ghost projection under a metallic dome. The mechanic had brought along a portable mini-moska for protection, and he wasn't the only one who shuddered at remembering its nightmarish predecessor, no matter how cute it tried to act.

No, Irie shouldn't even be here. Useless as he was, he couldn't fight this monsters head on and the only person who could have entertained him with a talk was off doing who knows what evil things to his Juudaime. His only saving grace was that he was making himself useful by (supposedly) gathering all the leaking flames in the area to charge the teleportation device to be at the ready for their escape.

Gokudera was in part annoyed by his presence, a part of him still doubting and just waiting for him to betray them. But with Reborn-san's phantom presence watching his every move, as soon as he made the wrong one, the hitman would make the call and Gokudera would shoot, no hesitation.

After all, Irie called Byakuran a friend; a friend he was willing to kill.

How can Gokudera trust that broken loyalty? How can he trust any of them?

"Go! Kangaroo magic!"

"Your name sucks!" He sneered at Ryohei's gleeful, almost maniac laughter, unperturbed by the hot magma almost burning his boxer gloves in preference of watching his Sun kangaroo gear up its attack. It was one thing to be enthralled by the advanced technologies and weapons that were the boxes, it was another one to have the representation of your soul in the form of an animal manifest to fight for you.

Which is why he preferred not to use his own unless it was absolutely necessary. Strong as it was, there was never going to be enough time to tame Uri. He would rather not do it while his own volatile heart was trying to keep up with his mind.

Another mocking, another blast, another onslaught and the gale of smoke rose like a swirling of moaning shadows.

He wanted to be confident and say they could hold on for a little more, that he wasn't losing his patience and temperament at being so obviously played with while they were giving their all. His heart gave a painful throb when he breathed too harshly. Damn, he was definitely going to cut smoking after this. Having been constantly electrocuted for the past few days was not going to be healthy for him, not that smoking was. He did try to stop, but the shaking pressure of their past trials overwhelmed him to the point he needed to smother his insecurities with smoke.

And now more than ever he wanted his uncertainties to numb.

He created another shield, knees buckling and barely stopping a jet of magma from incinerating them when suddenly, all fights came to a halt. For a moment, no one moved. Their weapons lowered and their flames were blown out as if they were doused by cold water. They could only watch befuddled as a strong, invisible force of vibrance propagated from the centre of the palace and scattered like a wave of light.

Gokudera could still see iridescent sparkles twinkling and feel a humming in his skin when the battlefield shifted. Dino and Squalo rushed forward to stop the annoying Storm and Cloud users from getting closer to the palace grounds. It spoke volumes about how attuned they were to everything around them and whatever it was that caused that wave of power.

But his team wasn't that slow to react either. The misty girl stumbled to aid the baseball freak against his Mist opponent while lawn-head went to tackle the Sun one. Gokudera took a moment to breathe, to observe, but most importantly, to anticipate.

It was a long way from the doors of the palace to the gates of the garden, but it was easy to spot movement coming from it, so he braced himself.

And suddenly, Juudaime was there.

But suddenly, there was someone else.

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Tsuna was waiting for the 'Just Kidding' mocking laughter, but Byakuran remained calm and sombre, gently cradling her face and waiting for her to process her thoughts.

If what he was saying is true, if, if this broken future was already rewritten, then what was real anymore? What was the original timeline and why did it change? When?

And if Byakuran had the power to replace it — to go back and weave it back into the timeline, then what about the past Tsuna knows and left behind? What about the fragile future Tsuna was constructing right now? Will it matter, did it matter? If Byakuran gets his way and shifts reality then what will happen to her?

He painted a beautiful picture, a world where the two of them were not alone. That they were undeniably happy.

And she understands, in a way. The rage of having that sweet dream be violently taken. Wanting the life that was promised, longing for the days she used to know and the life she thought she would have. It was there one day and then, in a blink of an eye, gone. So she does understand his craze drive, in a way.

But that's as much as she could sympathize with him, because in the end, no matter how much her soul longed for this stranger who didn't feel like a stranger, they were running parallel lines.

Byakuran wants the future.

But Tsuna wants the past.

"If you want it… why don't you take it?" She asked quietly, this conversation between them feeling more like a secret despite them being alone. Sometimes, some things are not meant to be found. And if they are, they are meant to be kept in silence.

"I could" Byakuran agreed easily "However, just as you fought fiercely to claim it, you need to surrender it willingly"

And she breathed out a shaking gasp at how dangerous it sounded.

Don't give him the ring. It's what Hibari-san advised after the lies had come to light and placed on the table for her to grasp. She thought it was an obvious order given the situation, but the warning held a weight she wasn't prepared to acknowledge because a part of her really wanted to give in now. It was a temptation she had never known before. Like surrendering the Ring and joining Byakuran was a script she had engraved deep in her subconscious and it wanted to get out.

But she couldn't let it.

"And if I don't?"

It was dangerous, antagonizing a person who could potentially destroy everything within reach on a whim. Not even Reborn's devious traps could make her feel so tight-strung. It was like every breath she took was being dissected and Byakuran would either choke her to death or help her breathe anew.

"Isn't there something you want?" He asked just as quietly and let his fingers fall from her face in favour of walking around her. "Something you dream to have, so much, it's consuming you"

She did not take Squalo's earlier suggestion seriously, there was not an ounce of coyness in her to even try to flirt with someone. But she learnt wicked tricks from dangerous men as she grew up, she knows not to fall prey to enticing words and crystal promises.

She learned her lesson a long time ago.

"If not the future, what would you wish for right now?" She bid her time, trying to drag information out of him while thinking what to do next. She felt unbalanced, her intentions when she woke on the train were all but forgotten like her math homework. It was hard, trying to bring her mind back into focus when her intuition was going off like fireworks.

"Hmm... Unlimited supplies of fluffy marshmallows covered in sugar"

She scoffed a laugh.

And wasn't that something? To be so at ease and joke around, as if they weren't debating the sake of the world. But just like Tsuna was struggling to distract him, Byakuran playing her in return. Binding his time, trying to confuse her and flood her with information so she stops thinking what she was told to do and follow his cause. Enticing her with knowledge in uncanny words, letting her get stuck in her thoughts and her mind wander with thousands of possibilities that hid his real intentions.

But there was some honey in his words, a trap, that made her wonder…

If… if she gathers all the pieces, can she make the wish instead?

She has the key

The myriad of whispers reverberated faintly in her head, singing a melancholic tune that seemed to want to rattle her bones. It was alluring on the surface but ultimately deceptive on its innards, almost hypnotising in a destructive spellcasting.

"Can you hear it?" Byakuran leaned down from his place behind her to whisper in her ear. "That's the Will of the World"

His presence made her raise her head, her sunset eyes coming back to the stone tablet staring back at her. She thought her silly flowers were harmless, important; yes, but never did she imagine her dreams could be warning her of something so sinister. She couldn't explain it, not with words, or thoughts, or even drawings it seems, but the 3 circles of seven were anything but innocuous. Even now, broken and collapsing, Tsuna could feel its overwhelming presence looming over her.

An ancient power, as if she was standing before a God willing her to its binding.

But Tsuna didn't want to kneel.

Yet a part of her did.

And trying to fight that incomprehensible compulsion was like being swallowed up by an unspoken evil.

And she was sinking fast.

"If you continue walking down this path, it will consume you entirely. Your freedom, your choices, your dreams, your life, it will take everything from you" Byakuran trailed his hands from her shoulders, down her arms, past the hidden dagger, past the hidden Leon, and curled on her wrists gently, a mocking caress that was anything but as one of those fingers brushed the hidden ring. "But together, we can bend Fate to our command and forge our own wants. Return to our timeline, claim our freedom; away from worldly responsibilities and underworld treaties. Just me and you, against the World"

He's good.

She shuddered and turned to look at Byakuran as he let her go to stand beside her. Still calm, still sombre, orchid eyes sparkling with knowledge Tsuna knows can destroy her.

They stood unflinching by the echoes of battle resonating from far away, so distant she had almost forgotten there was conflict outside this cocoon they had wandered in. She came here with a purpose, one that she kept forgetting, and knew she needed to act soon else she would forget herself.

As if reading her thoughts, Byakuran suddenly asked:

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No" She said without hesitation "Are you?"

"No"

"Lier" She whispered with wide eyes and for the first time since they entered this room, he smiled.

"Am I?" He tilted his head, looking amused "What are the voices telling you?"

"You…"

She frowned.

Leon was a vice grip on her wrist now, coiling around to the point of pain to ground her, to remind her not to give in and let him take the ring that had caused so much hurt to everyone around her. It would be so easy to get rid of it, but just as it seemed considerable, it also spelt disaster.

"They said you want the World"

"Everyone thinks what they want to think" He said nonchalantly with a shrug "But the question is, what do you want? Up until now, every choice you made was not yours to decide. But we can fix it, together. You alone can't survive the Infinite controlling you. Let me help you"

There was a flash of light, another explosion outside that caused the windows to rattle and the glass to highlight warm tones in the room and make the shadows dance as the two stood facing each other in front of the crumbling stone.

She wasn't considering it. Not really. But she did wonder, and she did think what if…

"Stay" He asked with the same quiet voice from before "Please"

"I…"

She didn't have an answer. It was a No and a Yes stuck so tightly together, it was difficult to untangle what she wanted to say. This paradoxical dilemma was driving her crazy; to know one thing and want another was tearing her apart slowly.

No one warned her about Byakuran's eclipsing presence or his unexpected power to enthral her. They called him dangerous but never explained his abilities, his allure, his reasoning or the effect he could have on her. She doubts she could even understand it had she known before.

Byakuran leaned down, to taunt her possibly with sweet concern but at that moment, in that second it took for him to breathe, something small burst their bubble.

A sound. A pulse. Like her heart skipping a beat, there was the sound of a dulcet strum that made both of them turn towards the door.

Byakuran frowning.

Tsuna squinting.

It felt... there was a sudden pressure in the air, a soundless music that was hauntingly beautiful as was intensely urgent. It was… Footsteps. Loud breathing. Someone was running away from behind the closed doors that led to this room. But it wasn't the guardians battling outside. It was someone else that had somehow found their way into this place and now they wanted out.

Tsuna's first instinct was to take a step back, but she was compelled to walk forward.

However, as soon as she moved, a hand latched on her arm, gripping it tightly to stop her from following

"Let go" She tried to tug her arm back and frowned back at Byakuran's serious face "You said you wouldn't hurt me"

"I said I wouldn't kill you"

And finally, like waking up from a long nightmare, the hot spike of fear made itself present.

Leon acted before her, launching at Byakuran like a net of slime, coiling around his head and pulling him forcefully away from her. She yanked her arm free, but another hand latched onto the back of her suit and wrenched her back. With a yelp, she fell back, arms flailing in an attempt to elbow him or punch him, but he easily grabbed hold of one and bent it down, forcing Tsuna to her knees. Though with trained reflexes, she swiped her leg hard to tackle him in return.

It lasted two seconds, Tsuna knew because that's how long it took her to swallow and push herself up, only to brace her hands on the floor as he grabbed hold of one of her ankles and pulled her back roughly. As he dragged her back, she turned and tried to swat him but he snatched her flying hand and easily avoided the other one.

And so, in what could only be described as a deadly play of tug-of-war, they clawed and yanked at each other, one of them trying to break free— the other trying to stop the other from leaving.

"Let go!"

"Why must you make it difficult" He pouted callously.

Leon went flying at some point past her head, coiled in a defensive ball from whatever Byakuran did to him to remove him from his person while Tsuna was busy rolling in the ground. She bristled and tried to move but every time one of her limbs broke free, the other one was being pinned down. He wasn't doing more than holding her down, but his strength was overwhelming like a ton of metal sinking into the deep and dragging her down with it. And as she struggled, he kept talking.

"Whatever you want, I can help you. Stop fighting, Tsunayuuki"

"Shut up!"

She snarled, desperate to break free and distressed at being so easily overpowered. He wasn't even beating her down, had no weapon or showed signs of aggression, yet his mere unflinching presence was enough to unnerve her. What's worse was that she couldn't call forth her Sky flames. While her mind was indeed in HDWM, for some reason her mittens refused to change into leather and blaze up. Not even her head was on fire, and she had supposedly got the hang of it to activate it by will.

Being cut off from the power she had trusted to keep her safe was terrifying.

It was by luck alone that from all the fumbling, some explosives had come out of her pockets. it took another minute of clawing the floor for her to grab the nearest grenade and didn't hesitate to activate it in a mutual self-destruction action. But surprisingly, Byakuran rolled them away from the blast, shielding her from the worst of the heat.

She elbowed him in the face.

The tumbling had scattered even more trinkets from her pockets, this time, being a handful of dying will pills that rolled like marbles. Desperate, and with her hands being pinned down, there was no shame or disgust as she literally used her tongue to draw one of the pills as Leon did to the blueberries she fed him.

Byakuran made a curious sound as the pill had its effect and she let the Sky flame overtake her completely.

And it was only then, when the drug was too strong that she broke free from the spell the stone had seemingly cast on her, if only a little. She could still feel its influence, but rather than being a leaf drifting in the current, she felt like a stick knowing its way around now.

Progress, it was progress.

"Always so stubborn" Byakuran sighed with disappointment but relented his tight grip on her wrists that had finally lighted up "You will understand soon enough"

She batted a hand back, one he easily dodged and pinned on the floor again, but when she went to lash out a wave of flames, he responded in kind.

Tsuna drew in a choked breath as their flames clashed in a vibrant burst of wildfire; so bright and colourful, intertwining in warm hues of a nameless colour as they hummed in the air like watercolours suspended in the river of time.

She felt a sudden sentience she had never known before, a sense of serenity blanketing this little space they had forcefully created, allowing her to be aware of everything existing at that moment, herself and the chain anchoring her to the World.

Just beyond the edges of reality, she saw the fibres of the World stitching her intuition with knowledge, making her understand the Tri-ni-sette's ancient power, its importance in the universe and its rooted hold over them. She saw the golden thread tethering their sacred timeline, one end wrapped around her like a puppet's string and stretching to coil around Byakuran in a tangled mess. Its middle, thin and unwinding, was at risk of snapping with its constant push and pull. And the endpoint, instead of shining in a fixated point, was instead heading into an unknown darkness that was threatening to swallow everything she thought she knew into nothingness.

There was power in the air.

Something was lost.

Something was gained.

Something that shouldn't be is.

Something that used to be wasn't.

It was a dream within a dream within an illusion within a broken reality.

And it was telling her to submit, to rebind the loose thread and waive her Sky flames back into place. But it was telling her to unbind, to break free and claim her right. It was a stark contradiction that was leading the world to ruin. And at the centre of the calamity was them. She and Byakuran and Her.

She breathed sweet energy but tasted rotten nectar. It was a raw instinct she was unaware of before, this understanding that her flames were out of rhythm to the nameless melody in the air, or that perhaps it was Byakuran's that were on dissonance. Instead of singing in harmony, they were tainting the chords into an asynchrony that was falling into madness.

Either way, there was a sudden enlightenment Tsuna knew she'll forget as soon as this bubble burst, but right now, she knew that she couldn't kill Byakuran without shattering herself when the world was out of balance.

But she needs to get the hell out of here.

She breathed out, and sound returned like a popping bubble. Her body tensed and pushed him away from her with newfound strength. In fact, too easily. He let her slip away, more likely, but she didn't wait for another taunt. She used her flames to propel herself and ran, scooping a paralysed Leon from the ground and rushing towards the exit. Away from the oppressive weight of whatever the hell just happened.

The hallway shouldn't feel like a maze when it was just a long corridor, but Tsuna felt like the walls were closing in and melting. The safety she had felt before was replaced by cold terror, even if a part of her screamed in denial. Things weren't making any sense, she was losing her mind. She needed to breathe but it was like her heart pulsing in her throat was striving to choke her.

So she let her flames run wild, exploding and burning everything around her to make way for her escape. Destruction has always been her salvation, she wasn't going to stop now.

Gasping fresh air, she made it to the gardens still flailing in fire when her pace was halted once more by another dwell in time. She couldn't even escape in peace, it seemed, as there was a chime in the air, the same sound that had broken Byakuran's spell was now trapping her in its thrall.

Tsuna turned back slowly, wide-eyed and body poised for the new threat. But what she found was no mind-controlling stone but rather, a girl, standing in front of her with dazed blue eyes that shone with strange familiarity.

"Who… are you?" Tsuna whispered.

She got no response, just the wind humming. This girl, with a strange hat and a strange expression, possessed the same dreamlike presence as Byakuran, although a bit muted. It shone brighter and rang clearer, but in contrast to the bewitching allure the older man had on her, Tsuna immediately disliked this new person.

She blinked, Tsuna blinked, and time moved.

"Juudaime!"

"Byakuran-sama!"

There was motion coming from both sides now. As if he hadn't rolled on the floor in an attempt to stop her, Byakuran was calmly walking towards the other girl while their cavalry rushed from behind Tsuna, half staying near her, the other circling the opposite side.

"You're awake" Byakuran said dispassionately "How unfortunate"

He kept his distance from the girl, who kept a distance from Tsuna, but the three of them standing in line felt too close for her comfort. There was an itch burning inside of her, one that wouldn't go away with mere scratching for it was carved deep in her being. Her bones felt too big, her skin too small and her soul was screaming gibberish.

"Who are you?" Tsuna asked again.

Though she knew. She has always known. Even if she didn't. She knew this person.

"I'm Yuni" The girl responded with a trembling voice "Yuni Giglio Nero"

Oh.

"The enemy?" Gokudera asked in anticipation.

Oh.

"No" Irie's voice responded.

Oh.

"She's the Sky Arcobaleno"

Dino answered from somewhere, but his voice was lost to the white static that buzzed in her mind as she stared and was stared back.

Tsuna has become very familiar with dissociation. One moment she could be in class, the next, her mind disconnected from her body and separated from her feelings, letting her mind wander in what seemed like days with no thoughts or knowledge of what was happening around her, only to suddenly blink and realize time had passed and reality had moved on.

Some days she didn't mind if it meant tuning out Nezu-sensei scoldings. But as the episodes were becoming more and more often in the company of her friends or clouding important situations, she was starting to become fearful of them. And this one felt worse than all, of that she was aware, and she had to fight her own mind not to wander and be robbed.

She was wrong. Forget Byakuran and the floating stone, this... this girl was more dangerous than anything and Tsuna wanted nothing to do with her.

"Take me with you" Yuni stumbled forward and hunched down to clasp her hands together as if to pray when Tsuna didn't move "Please"

There were answers not her own from everyone, some in rejection, some in assertion and some in negation. To be honest, she didn't know what she would have said if she was even given the option.

"You can keep her if you want" Byakuran suddenly said, shocking everyone with his admission, even his own guardians. "She's of no use to me. After all, all I want, is you"

Why did you kidnap her in the first place then? Why did you stop me from meeting her? Why let her go now? Why didn't you kill her? So many questions with even more deadly answers, yet all Tsuna could do was stand still and stare with bells chiming in her ear.

"You can end this nightmare, all the pain and destruction. Just you and me" Byakuran smiled and offered a hand towards her, surrounded by allies and enemies alike, he only had eyes for her.

"Tsuna" Dino warned her.

"Remember"

"Shitty brat, STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Squalo threatened her as he made his way to her side.

"Please"

"I…" Tsuna breathed harshly at his sincere plea and perturbed look from Yuni Giglio Nero who shook her head and took another wavering step.

"Juudaime"

And it was in that moment of hesitation that Tsuna was forcibly grounded back to reality by the achingly familiar sensation of coldness crawling down her back. She gasped in recognition, in wakening, but before she could move, long arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind, pressing her back into broad shoulders as her whole body was suddenly enclosed by a cool presence that made her heart skip a beat.

"Kufufu, how childish. Don't you know it's rude to take something that doesn't belong to you?" Mukuro smirked at Byakuran from his place behind Tsuna, and although his taunt was mischievous it held a dangerous undertone as his mismatched eyes glared viciously at the Gesso Boss.

"Not mine?" Byakuran muttered, tilting his head and staring down at them, hand lowering.

"Mukuro-sama!" Chrome exclaimed at seeing the older man appear from nothing to stand protectively around the brunette. Up until now, she has been feeding her flames to the owl in disregard of her own failing body, for it was the only other connection that held an imprint of him in hopes of opening a way for him to possess. His voice had been so discordant for a long time now, his connection with her even more obscured, but Chrome did not stop believing and held on.

She was so glad to see him again and their link lit up in unity despite the time that transcended between them. It lived on, it was still theirs. And all will be well, she knew, all will be well.

"M-Mukuro…" Tsuna whispered brokenly, paralysed by a different fear. The whispers had quieted but her heart was painfully throbbing with knowledge she didn't know how to address or even process. But the illusionist simply hummed and brought her even closer so that she was completely caged in his arms. It should have annoyed her, but somehow she felt like crying.

"Why do you have long hair?" She murmured instead, bringing an amused laugh out of him that she felt through her back.

"Oya, what a peculiar situation we found ourselves in" He mentioned as if he wasn't aware of it all "Faces of the past in this lonely future, how shocking"

"What the hell! You should be in prison!" One of the funeral wreaths exclaimed at the same time Lambo shouted: "Why are you fucking here?!"

"To rescue you, of course" Mukuro responded with ease, eyes never once moving from the Mare Boss, whose smile became sharp as a knife.

"Ho? You say that, but weren't you the one that killed her?" Byakuran stated dismissively, perfectly knowing what he was doing when everyone who wasn't in the know turned over in shocked confusion.

"What?"

Tsuna grabbed the arms around her and dug her nails deep in an attempt to keep them from letting go when she felt Mukuro tense. It was just so tragic when she knew the truth; half-truth, maybe, and Byakuran was playing dirty by revealing that in the open when he himself knew the truth too.

"What did you say?" Gokudera demanded, stepping closer to her with wide eyes full of crazed horror.

"No" Chrome shook her head in sheer confidence despite the tight grip on her trident.

"Oh? You didn't tell them?" Byakuran titled his head with poisoned mirth lacing his voice "Did Vongola frame me as the villain of the story? When it was the knight that shot the princess in the heart"

"You-

"VOOI!"

"Tsuna, what is he talking about?" Yamamoto asked with deep concern, his stance wavering a little.

"Stop it" She hissed towards Byakuran who blinked innocently at her now that her attention was back on him.

"You keep him despite him murdering you. Why do you keep rejecting me? After all, you chose me" He sighed with a slight pout. A pout. This psycho was actually throwing a childish tantrum over her murder.

"She didn't" Mukuro rebuffed.

"Didn't she?" Byakuran stated, and it was Mukuro's turn to tighten his grip on her because it was only then that she realized something terrible.

She had the Vongola Rings destroyed.

She had thought it was to stop Byakuran's plot to take over the World, but if Vongola needed to die for her to live… if everyone kept telling her now to keep the Ring when future her didn't… then Tsuna chose… she chose….

Whatever discovery flashing in her mind was quickly ripped away by a loud explosion that was easily dismantled by Mukuro's illusions. Tsuna closed her eyes when the fire rose and flinched despite knowing she wouldn't be in danger, for the attack although it wasn't directly aimed at her, was still in her direction.

"Let go of her!"

"Lambo!" Ipin shouted, rushing to stop the raging boy from throwing volt attack after grenade after lightning charge when the focus of his ire was still holding Tsuna with no intention of letting go.

"Enough!"

"Seems like our reunion is over" Mukuro sighed.

It could be that she was so close to him, but Mukuro's flame as he created illusions that turned the explosions into fairy dust and green energy into harmless light felt too raw and haunting as she was engulfed in them and dragged along in a little dance as he moved them effortlessly away from all threat.

The indigo flickers felt alive. They hissed, trying to wrap themselves around her body like thorny vines and pull her even closer. The sensation of their greedy touch was so strange and tickling, but before she could even spend a thought on it, Mukuro was pushing her towards Dino, who quickly snatched her and pushed her behind him.

Yuni had used the Mukuro distraction to slide closer towards their side, but even if Byakuran had dismissed her value to him, two of the Funeral Wreaths were tracking her movements and the moment she crossed the invisible line, they attacked.

It was a loud ruckus of yells, explosions and flashing fire after that. Everyone was attacking everyone with no clear objective but to cause discord. The further Tsuna was manhandled away from the core of the battle, the closer she felt to throwing up. Everything was just too much. Her mind felt like mush and the threat of fainting was still present whenever she took too long to blink back into awareness.

She grunted when her ankles knocked against each other, and it was only Dino's ironclad grip that kept her from falling. In a disorienting spin, she got a full view of the colourful battle— her friends were doing great blocking the rearguard, Yuni was sharing some hurried words with Irie and Reborn's projection with her back being protected by Squalo all while Mukuro's illusions vanished all of Lambo's blasts and interfered with everyone else attempting to get close.

But up ahead, her attention was brought back to the white spot shining amidst the polychrome battle, unconcerned of the commotion and placidly advancing.

He is so confident and arrogant as if he had skimmed all the chapters of the book and spoiled himself before properly reaching the end. And he did mention it, didn't he? That he saw this, that he knew how it would end. But that couldn't be right...Tsuna thought at that moment as their eyes connected from afar and stayed locked in a staring match. Was this a shared ability with the other Nexus points of the Tri-ni-sette? To be able to know the future?

"Attacking your own? How dull" Byakuran commented with a smile, taking pleasure in Lambo recklessly attacking Mukuro instead of the real threat at present.

"Quite so"

A voice agreed.

And it was precisely at that moment that reality glitched and an unexpected turn of events that not even Tsuna could foresee came to be. She stared in horror and shock as a sharp blade sprouted out of Byakuran's bloody chest, courtesy of the Mist Funeral who had stabbed him in the back.

What the fuck?

"Byakuran-sama!" One of the other Funerals yelled and the battle shifted perspectives towards that side.

Tsuna clawed at Dino's arm in fright at recognizing the nightmarish figure materialising behind Byakuran. Was that the fucking Mist Knight? She screamed in her head, her back painfully tingling at just the mere sight of him.

"Genkishi!" Yuni cried in anguish from somewhere.

Of course he fucking works for that girl, was Tsuna's next hysterical thought.

"You filthy traitor!" The Storm Funeral roared and fiercely attacked, but the illusion fell and the knight appeared across the field, a few meters in front of Yuni and disappearing all attacks coming his way with his Mist flames.

"Oya. Changing side? How unfilial"

"You are filth from hell itself" The Mist Funeral, or ex-Funeral?, whose name appears to be Genkishi and not the fucking Mist Knight as Tsuna has been candidly referring him to as, snarled.

"Kufufu, at least my hands are clean from my sins" Mukuro gave him a vindictive smirk "Are yours?"

Whatever history the two of them had wasn't important as Tsuna's attention went back to Byakuran staring curiously at the blood staining his chest like a rose blooming in the snow.

"My, I did not see that coming" He stated morbidly. It was a critical hit, his heart and lung should have been shredded by the stab wound, yet he remained standing and breathing with ease. If Tsuna was supposedly the only one able to kill him, no wonder he has escaped death from the Varia and her other deadly associates. And as if reading her thoughts, his lips curled and he raised his gaze to lock eyes with hers once more. There was an ocean of unsaid words in his purple eyes that were soon hidden by a barricade of thorny vines and solid blue flames only befitting of powerful Mist users.

"It won't stop them for long" Their illusionist said, flicking his hair and brandishing his trident to stop the other Mist user from taking a single step towards them.

"What the fuck is happening?!" Gokudera roared, asking what everyone was thinking.

"Genkishi, please" Yuni begged. For what? Tsuna didn't care, but she still bristled at the poisonous glare that the bastard sent her way before turning away from them.

"Go" He ordered.

"Are you…on our side too?" Yamamoto questioned, his sword never once lowering.

"VOOOI! I have had it with you Mist fuckers!" Squalo held his blade against Genkishi's neck "Start talking! Why are you betraying your dear boss now!?"

"I didn't" Was all he said.

"Mukuro-sama" Chrome walked closer to him, hoping that he would help.

"Better leave" Mukuro suggested instead "It will be carnage from now"

"Fuck you! We're not listening to you!" Lambo roared, still trying to attack him despite being subdued by Ipin and Ryohei. His screams were as loud as the ones on the other side of the wall, a clear reminder that as soon as that illusion crumbles, all hell will break loose. It was a complete mess, which is why, just for this once, she didn't mind someone else deciding for her.

"Let's go" Dino commanded, and that was it.

With him taking the reins, there wasn't much Tsuna could do. What could she even do? Stay and fight? Her mind was spiralling into hysteria the longer she lingered in this suffocating place with its supernatural force whispering sweet nothings to her. Her instincts were telling her to run, even if her intuition said otherwise. That dichotomy was the worst she had experienced so far since this curse began, and as always, she wanted to stop thinking. So she focused on the next best thing, the best - bad, worse, terrible decision they were making - for to escape, it meant they will leave Mukuro behind, even if he was just another illusion.

Dino's grip was bruising her ribs, but she held her ground as she looked back at the older trickster.

"You are coming back to us" Tsuna ordered as much as pleaded, bringing an amused laugh out of him.

"Of course, my lady" Mukuro bowed, placing a mocking hand on his heart as he did so and stared at her with mismatched eyes that never once looked at her with hatred or resentment or grief like the others did. And Tsuna could have willingly chosen to get lost in them instead of all the mind trickery she had been subjected to today—

"Tsuna!"

But it wasn't the time, time was never on their side, so she turned back.

Away from Mukuro.

Away from Byakuran.

Away from the Tri-ni-sette.

With heavy legs, heavy breaths and a heavy heart, she ran away from them all.

"Dino create a wall! Big, go boom!" She shouted just as explosions were heard behind them.

Tsuna had no thoughts, just a raw spike of adrenaline when she opened her box. What came out was a wildfire of Sky flames that clashed and blended with Dino's. They grew and grew, like a wave trying to cover a high tower, rising to the clouds without being able to touch the sky. It was instinct at this point when she immediately crystalized them, creating an unbreakable shield — or coffin — that blocked their escape and locked everything on the other side.

And just as she didn't think about what was behind the walls, she also ignored the fact that she was more attuned to confining her Will instead of harmonizing with it, as it came with the familiar feeling of blood falling from her nose.

"It won't stop them for long, let's go!"

"You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine!"

And so they ran. Dino pulled her, or she pulled Dino. They didn't release each other as they ran from a rumbling that shook the ground and made the buildings groan.

"Can you teleport us?!" Gokudera yelled at Irie, who was using the Mini-Moska as a vehicle to keep up with them. The poor man looked ready to pass out or puke, maybe both at the same time, but he still gripped tightly to his deceive as he shook.

"It's too far from Japan! The closer location must be in Europe or we'll risk splitching!"

"Do it!" Tsuna shouted while screaming "not Italy. Please, anywhere but Italy" in her head.

He should have gathered enough flames, Tsuna could feel them in the air still, vibrating and coiling around her. If she were to focus on that forceful pushing and pulling, she would imagine this is what it felt like to be under a wave.

"Everyone, hang on!" Irie's shout was almost swallowed by loud bombing and the shrieking of ice being pulled apart.

"Don't let go!"

"d̴͉̒ó̷̡n̸̤̉'̴͓͠t̴̙̅ ̵̏͜g̷̞͛ơ̷͍!̶̯̀" Someone screamed, or was it her? No, just her imagination. She cried in her mind, ignoring the whispers. It's just her imagination. Let go. Stop. Don't think about it.

[Breathe]

"I can't-

There was light and screams and wind and fire. And Tsuna heaved as that imaginary wave dragged her under and threw her all over, rolling and twisting until she was breathing dirt. She might have fainted and it took her a lot of time to become aware she was no longer holding Dino, instead, Tsuna found herself lying down on the ground, gripping the grass tightly in fear of letting go and floating away.

The fresh air was cold in her lungs and burning in her eyes as she looked up to a dancing bamboo. Whatever pressure was hovering over her had lifted, leaving her body in a heavy state and mind in tatters as she tried to mend the pieces of the events that just occurred and what they meant.

The Tri-ni-sette had the power to command them, but it was still their choice to listen and comply. If they did, they will become puppets of fate. If they didn't, they will destroy the world. And Tsuna knew what they both wanted. Because they knew. They understood. They had taken a peek at what lay beyond their reality and had the power to control it, if only for their own selfish gains.

This was Byakuran's real intention.

This game, the Choice, it wasn't to hurt her. It wasn't to harm her or steal her away as everyone thought. He just told her the truth and planted a seed of doubt that was growing exponentially despite the fire burning inside of her. Or he just told her a lie and deeply cemented the fear of anticipation, the anxiety of waiting and the curse of knowing. He set her nerves on fire, sensing that he can murder and destroy everything in seconds, but wouldn't. He could. But wasn't. Not yet. Maybe never. But could. Maybe would.

It was pure madness.

And she was drowning in it.

"Everyone has all their limbs?"

"I think I EXTREMELY left my stomach behind"

"Lambo! Why would you do something so reckless like that?!"

"Shut up! That bastard has the nerve to show his face!"

"He protected us!"

"Lies! He's a liar"

"Mukuro-sama is not a liar!"

"LIER!"

"Juudaime?"

"I'm good…" She croaked, though she still felt like throwing up. And the blood in her nose was sliding down her throat so without releasing the grass, she turned over to spit some of it. Hands immediately held her and moved her hair away from her face.

"Just keep your head down, breathe through your mouth" Dino reassured her, gently rubbing her back as Tsuna did so.

"Where are we?"

"Tibet" Came Irie's response "West China"

"I can get us passages home" Ipin suggested, having moved on from scolding Lambo to help Chrome stand up. "It's best to travel by foot, but fast"

"Another failed mission then"

"Lambo, I swear, If you don't shut up-

"What the hell even happened? Was that Mist user on our side?"

"No, I don't know" Irie shook his head in dismay; for once, in the dark as they all were.

Not too far away from them, Yuni remained quiet.

"Well, fuck it" Squalo cursed "I need to use your communicator to contact the stupid excuse of my boss and ask assistance"

"B-By that you mean..." Tsuna asked with newfound dread.

"Yeah" He grinned maniacally at her fear.

Yep, she was dead. Busted. Double dead. She grimaced and spat more blood on the ground.

Her relationship with the Varia was still a mess in her time, there was no doubt it was a royal mess here with everything that had happened, before and after she arrived. She couldn't even think that Mammon was… that they…

She shook Dino's hand off and proceeded to mess with her own hair. The HDWM had finally extinguished during the psychedelic travel, leaving her feeling sluggish and more antsy, or that could be the paranoia settling in. The danger of being followed was present, even if they jumped continents, Byakuran was a threat she was not going to take lightly. They needed to keep running, and ironically, there was only one place where he couldn't find them.

"We need to go back"

"What?"

"We need to go back" She said a bit louder, turning towards Irie to make a point.

"Back where?"

"The past. We need time to breathe. If we go to the past, you can bring us back to this moment again, right?"

"Of course, but…" Irie fixed his glasses in a way that did not hide his anxiety from Tsuna. "While I agree it's a good idea to give you time to rest, it can only be done so on two conditions. You can't mess with the timeline, no matter where I drop you, you can't interact with anything or risk altering this future. And for that same reason, you… I'm sorry, Tsunayuuki-san, but you must stay behind"

"What? Why!?"

"Irie, I swear to god if this is another scheme-

"It's not!" He exclaimed, waving his hands with panic "I promise, Tsunayuuki, this is for your own safety, not mine! Do you remember what I said about being a Nexus point? Your mere presence will alter the timeline the moment you return. If you go back now, there is a high chance that you will pull the thread and change everything here and there"

Tsuna looked to Gokudera for help, who while unaware of the size this whole future plan iceberg truly was, understood better than anyone about the whole time-space-realty-collapsing-magic-jumbo without further context. At his reluctant nod, Tsuna sighed harshly.

It didn't matter if she stays behind, she thought. All the better, actually. It will remove her friends from the danger and give Tsuna privacy to scream without having to pretend to be strong.

"Fine" She said "I'll stay. On the condition that you take everyone back"

Irie nodded meekly, understanding her threat.

"Juudaime" Gokudera said, almost begging to stay behind too.

"I leave them in your care"

"You can count on me"

"Gokudera" She stressed, pinning him down with a silent but maniac stare that screamed: Do not bring them back.

"I understand" He nodded in compliance, although clearly upset by having to separate from her.

It was with that bitter thought that Tsuna let go of the grass, leaving her mittens stained by green dirt and mud.

Returning to Japan was a blur. They couldn't light their flames at risk of giving their location away, so they had to travel like fugitives pretending to be lost tourists. Their only consolation was that no one was mortally injured, just cuts and scrapes that were easily stitched up and closed with bandaids.

They were nearing the Shanghai border when the news that Vienna had been obliterated came. The stone table had been moved to safety, that Tsuna knew. But Yuni's silent tears could only mean one thing, yet no one had the heart to ask. While Ipin and Irie were cordial, the others were a mixture of curiosity and animosity.

It was clear everyone wanted to know what happened with Byakuran, and even more obvious that they wanted to ask about Mukuro too. But Tsuna put her headphones on as the universal sign of not wanting to talk despite no music streaming in her ears. Reborn's manic scoldings were balm to her frayed nerves. He wasn't really mad, annoyed, maybe, but not mad and if he was disappointed at the failed mission, he didn't explicitly said it other than begrudge her continuous reliance on Leon.

They sailed on a fishing ferry back to Japan, and witnessing fish being gutted was a metaphor she completely blacked out of her mind in exchange for retching. Not her best moment, but she was still reeling from all the mind-fuckery. God, she's been cursing a lot. But after everything, she's allowed to shout 'fuck' a few more times, right? Right.

With weariness pulling their bones, they took a bus back to Namimori. The rings were wrapped in chains since they popped in China, and while there were, in fact, some Gesso Black Ops patrolling the area, they were quickly subdued.

She shouldn't be happy to hide back underground when this town was going to become the centre of the final battle, but she was. As soon as they walked through the arched trees and the hidden entrance, she felt her shoulders fall with a deep sigh that was shared amongst the group.

"You're back!"

"Basil?!" Tsuna exclaimed in concern upon meeting him at the entrance.

"Why are you all beaten up!?" Yamamoto rushed to ask.

"There was an attack, but worry not! We captured the ruffians and liberated our territory!"

"You EXTREMELY good man!" Ryohei started clapping his back while inspecting his bruises.

It was very funny how they all shared the instinct to coddle Basil, when it was a fact he could be just as dangerous, if not a little more than them. Tsuna was hurt and a bit jealous to recognize or even accept it at the time were they trained, but there was a reason why he is a legitimate member of the CEDEF instead of an intern. It wasn't because he was a boy her age that could light up in blue fire, as she had grumbled in the privacy of her mind. No. Well, yes but not just that. Basil; with his kindness, his smarts and his sparkling blue eyes, went on missions with Lal because he was that good.

So when he says 'worry not' with a bruised smile, Tsuna believes him.

"Welcome back!"

"Are you guys alright? Are you hurt? Hungry?"

The girls rushed behind him, eager in their worry, but Haru showed great resistance in inspecting her first for any blood or injury before latching herself at Tsuna into a tight hug.

"I'm so happy you're back!" She cried "How was it, did you kick butt?"

"Of course we did!" Ryohei exclaimed boisterously.

With theatrical flair, he started recounting the battle, and it was easy to pretend that the colourful fire and magical animals that helped them fight were part of his vivid imagination. Whatever happened to the classic guns and daggers? Tsuna thought nonchalantly, letting Haru hang on her shoulders and listening to Gokudera rebuff any exaggerated account. The sad thing was that the demonic ghosts and frozen flames were not exaggerations.

That's when she felt it.

The forceful pull.

It was like a sharp hook had ensnared her and was incessantly yanking her.

"Tsuna-chan?"

And so once more, Tsuna broke away from the group, ignoring worried calls and ducking away from the hands that tried to pull her back. She just walked through the still damp hallways lit by fairy lights, all the way towards metal doors that opened, revealing a familiar angry face of not the man who let her go but the boy she left behind.

If sins were created by tragedies then she claimed one by hugging him.

They were never ones for physical affection other than Kyoya's tonfas hitting her arms or her shoes kicking his legs. And maybe he sometimes strayed close and maybe she sometimes leaned closer, but physical reassurance had never been necessary to know they were there.

"You ran" He accused her, tense and coiled to strike.

"Don't let me go" She pleaded, clinging tighter "Kyoya, don't let me go"

It was a spell of disaster, binding this willful person to her after what she'd seen and learnt, in how she had ultimately destroyed his spirit by chaining him to her Will, but at that moment, when all she wanted was to go home; truly, honestly, as Tsuna breathed familiar fog, she refused to let him go.

.

.

.

With the unprompted trip to the present-past, there was a slight strain in the air.

Byakuran was coming, that was a given. It could be today, it could be tomorrow. There was uncertainty on both sides, but even if Tsuna was beaten black and blue, she had the magical aid to heal with Reborn's Sun flames. But no one else had that luxury, and she feared for Gokudera's heart and Yamamoto's head.

It would take a long while for Ryohei to train his own flames to be the healer of the party, so their best bet was for them to heal properly in a place where they weren't hunted down, train and rest without the pressure of an imminent attack.

That was the drawback oTsuna will face in return for staying, but she would take it.

But she won't be alone.

Kyoya was staying. One look at the monstrosity of what had become of his school, he all but snarled at everyone and locked himself in his office. Not even Irie dared to tell the younger version of Hibari to come out, so he was left to his own devices. Dino had been trying to coax him into training with the boxes and his flames, but even that turned into a violent experience.

Basil was another presence lingering. For all Gokudera fought and huffed, he was in charge of the time-travelling group and understood his mission, and as the less injured one, Basil will be able to fight, so he's been complaining and threatening the other Italian boy to 'absolutely protect Juudaime or else I will turn you to dust'.

And then…

"She can't stay!" Lambo objected loudly.

"Do you want to stay?" Tsuna had asked, at which Chrome nodded quietly. "She stays"

She crossed her arms, and that was that.

Tsuna was worried the time-jump would affect the illusion of keeping her nonexistent organs from spilling. But also, the selfish part of her wanted Chrome around to have a close conduit for Mukuro. And Lambo knew it too because he became inconsolable.

They will have to address that sooner than later, eventually.

Even more so when, while she screamed at Lambo to treat Chrome nicely, she was close to doing the same to Yuni. Close. She has done her best to ignore her in the 'not being in the same room' kind of way.

With everything that had happened, what was happening, what will happen and will never be; whether it was the influence of the stone lingering on her brain or the presence of a stranger invading her territory, Tsuna felt acidic resentment towards the other girl. It was weird, to hate someone she didn't know. Just like it was strange to know Byakuran without really knowing him either.

It was eerie, so she reacted in the only way she knew how. Running and Ignoring.

Oh, and by some ironic turn of this miserable plot, Yuni turned out to be Reborn's family. Distant nephew or something, Tsuna didn't stick around to find out. It made her sick just to think of it, of how easily the hitman welcomed her while Tsuna was trying to swallow everything she was feeling and hoping not to vomit fire.

And one of the reasons starting the fire was here.

They were gathered under the school in the presence of the real time machine. Tsuna was listening to Irie give instructions about not messing with anything in the past, of not interacting with anyone and by no means revealing what was happening here. It was going to be hard, with three of them focused on training and two working on not confessing.

They couldn't bring anything from here to the past, so all weapon-box training had to be halted. The challenge will be to train and be fit to succeed in battle with traditional abilities. They couldn't even ask for help from outsiders. In the time they were going to, they will be on their own.

Time was a hypocritical construct, she has come to know. She was no master, no finder, no guide or saviour of it; yet she was the keeper, manipulator, anchor and destroyer all the same. And not. And was. She might not be into science or was smart enough to find meaning in the existence of time itself, but she understood enough.

And Time will righteously wipe out all of them– maybe not now, perhaps then, maybe they were being erased right this second as Tsuna was condemning them to the twilight zone.

"Be careful" She told the guardians first after Irie was done with his explanation and was starting the time machine "Just focus on your training and rest. And eat well, okay? If… if anyone calls, or if anyone spots you, you can't say anything. Don't tell them about me. Don't… Don't tell my mom. And don't trust anyone"

"Try and get some rest too, yeah?" Yamamoto said with a small frown, at which Tsuna shrugged with a smile.

"I'll try"

With Lal, Squalo and Reborn teaming up with Spanner and Giannini in the 'Boot camp of Doom and Gloom' and Byakuran's invisible threat looming over her with the weight of the World on her shoulders, there was no rest for her, but she appreciated the concern.

"Juudaime"

She turned towards Gokudera. They had already exchanged all they needed to say, and while she was expecting some last-minute pleads, she wasn't expecting to see his semblance turn scared, anxious really, but with determined eyes as he handed her a small bundle of paper.

"Please memorize the G-code"

"Okay"

She accepted it, quickly securing it inside her hoodie pocket as the girls approached for their goodbye hug.

"Tsuna-san" Haru cried in her neck "I wish to roll you in bubble wrap and take you with us"

"Better not temp it and ruin the universe" Tsuna patted Haru's back reasuredly and offered Kyoko a hopeless smile, who was waiting her turn for a hug.

"I still don't understand how this wobbly timey stuff works, but I know we'll make it through"

"Told you I made a mess of everything" She told her old friend.

"I have never once believed that, Tsuna-chan"

Haru breathed as she moved away but the warmth never once left Tsuna's chest as Kyoko took her place and wrapped her arms around her. Tsuna closed her eyes to stop the burning and focused on nothing but breathing.

"Don't be sad"

"I'm not" Tsuna murmured.

"Liar" Kyoko said softly with a kind smile, one Tsuna tried to mirror and failed.

"Stay together" She told her after a minute of hiding her face on her shoulder "There shouldn't… you will be safe, but just in case, in case someone comes, stay together, okay? And if, my mom, if she… she can't know"

"Mn" Kyoko squeezed her closer in reassurance "We'll be okay. Take care of yourself too, Tsuna-chan. It's scary to be here alone, but remember you are not"

"And I promise I'll become stronger!" Haru exclaimed, not waiting for Kyoko to pull back and just went for a group hug. "I'll help you fight the evil candy man and his ghoulish minions and we'll have a huge feast before going home"

"If you can beat Lal first"

"I will! Just you see, I'll be amazing"

"We'll be" Kyoko fixed it.

"We'll be" Haru amended.

Tsuna breathed a laugh at the absurdity of it, yet a part of her held onto that picture-perfect frame.

"We'll be back before you know it, Tsuna-chan, you'll see. So wait for us"

And Tsuna... she has been losing time for a long while now. Be it the summer days of the childhood she mourned, the cold winter of Namimori that hollowed her down, the spring that showed her painful kindness and slow-paced days and the part of her that was lost to the fire that hurt and the flames that embraced.

She lost the time to do what she wanted but feared instead and the time when she should have acted but missed it. She didn't want anything to do with them then, even if they wanted everything to do with her. And when she wanted everything to do with them now… time had run out again.

Cruelty had overlooked reality because they will never be what they are now. The truth was that they have always been what they are now, but Tsuna was too lost to live in it until it was too late.

And now... with hope locked up among secrets, she lied in every possible way to protect her heart in the most selfish way because it doesn't matter that there will never be another now for them, never be any more to them than this, because Tsuna knew and hoped and fiercely believed that somewhere out there, in the vast galaxy that wove space and time, this version of them will always be.

"I will" She promised.

When the machine released a low hum, they broke apart and Tsuna pathetically crossed her arms to preserve any remaining warmth.

There wasn't much left to say, Irie repeated the same time-travelling safety rules and made sure everyone was standing close. With a push of a button, the time machine came to life. White light spun and hummed in the air like porcelain clapping in a windchime during a breeze.

The light grew, the air thrummed and Tsuna could feel the cold treads that made Time sink on her sink in a greedy attempt to pull her through, but she stood still, even then, even now, watching her friends holding hands and heading into the familiar unknown.

So she smiled and nodded and waved and prayed and hoped and dreamed and breathed, tried to breathe but as the blinding light enclosed her sight for a second and faded along with everyone, her breath shuddered, her chest heaved and her nose prickled.

Only Bianchi and Spanner were present for the send-off, with one knowing of her hysterical madness and the other witnessing a sobbing breakdown, Tsuna wasn't mortified to cry, but she refused to show an ounce of vulnerability to the other one present in the room, so she turned abruptly to walk away, even if Irie would't dare to call her back either.

She had no destination in mind, she just wanted to run, far, far away.

But she couldn't leave the school without a chaperone and she couldn't burn stuff without invoking Kyoya's already present rage, and it was sentimentality that led her to her classroom, the one she had sat at passively for weeks and months staring at the window looking at old memories until there was something pulling her attention aside to the present.

She didn't make it to the window.

Her knees collapsed in between the row of desks that belonged to them and she hid her crying face in her hands.

"I'm sorry" She whispered, but no one was there to hear anymore.

.

.

.

It had been eight days since the disappearance of her friends, she had a fight with her brother and in her woes, she was not expecting to see her sick friend aiming a blue bazooka at her.

And then...

Kyoko gasped into awareness as the pink smoke dispersed, she was confused and startled at the arms holding her from falling, and very disoriented as to what was happening. She swallowed before looking up and flinched back at the flash of red fading from familiar eyes looking at her with remorse.

"Hana-chan?" She asked, but that couldn't be. This was a woman wearing her friend's face, standing in a familiar living room that had misplaced items from what she saw last. Hana didn't have any sisters and her mother was at work, so who else could this person be? Her hair was shorter and her face slim, but she looked so much like her.

"I'm so sorry, Kyoko"

"Hana-chan? Are you… am I dreaming?"

"You're not. I know it's hard to believe, but right now you're in a world 9 years in the future"

What?

"I don't understand"

"I'm so sorry you got involved in this mess, Kyoko. I didn't want this, but that bastard was persistent, I can't fight him"

"Who?"

"A shadow monkey. I don't know who he wanted to hurt more, the foundation or Sawada"

"Tsuna-chan, what?" Kyoko frowned and shook her head, not understanding anything. Did she perhaps slip and hit her head? Was she worried so much about her friends, that she was dreaming of their future versions?

"Hana-chan, what's going on?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" She doesn't know what she remembers.

"I- I was giving you water. You were sick for so long, I went to visit you and then you… you shot me?"

"The me from your time will be fine, I promise. As soon as this ordeal is over, time will be overwritten and anything in the past that exists here will disappear"

"I'm in the future?"

Older Hana led her gently to sit on a beige sofa, so different from the green that she was sitting a few minutes ago. Kyoko felt the rough texture of her skin and gripped it tight. She has never fainted or had lucid dreams, she has heard how sometimes one could dream so deep it was like living a reality, they could move and feel, but they always woke up in the end.

But now, she travelled in time? How was that even possible?

"I know it's hard to believe, but impossible things are real in this world. Someone constructed a time machine and used it to bring you guys here. People can fly, can use magic powers, it's all unbelievably ridiculous, but true"

Magic, well that was better than what she was imagining. If Tsuna-chan and her brother were involved in something they were adamant about protecting, it had to be a magical secret. She didn't want to ask out loud because it sounded really silly, but no five-year-old could graduate from Harvard. Reborn-chan was cute and a little gentleman, but he was Tsuna-chan's home tutor, and she was scared of him. Tsuna-chan wasn't scared of Nezu-sensei, and that teacher had something against her from day one, so it begs to differ that Reborn-chan was not just a baby in a black suit.

She was naive, she admits that. She always believes all the silly lies her brother told, But still, it doesn't answer the question of why her friend sent her to the future.

"Are you really Hana-chan?"

"Of course, I am. Do I look that different?" The older woman framed her face, which despite not having a single wrinkle still looked tired. Kyoko still couldn't wrap her head around what was going on, somehow this kind woman who held herself with steel confidence despite the exhaustion marking her face was not the same building poise the Hana that was her age wielded. But she was familiar all the same.

"Hana-chan looks just like Hana-chan"

"You look too young. It's nostalgic" Older Hana smiled, and it looked sad and a bit misty-eyed. It was such an open expression she has never seen before on her own Hana-chan's face. This vulnerability future-Hana wielded with confidence too, and she controlled it by shaking her head and sighing deeply. "Don't mind my mid-life crisis. Someone will come to pick you up and take you to your brother. He'll explain things better and keep you safe in a secured location"

"Why can't I stay here? Why can't I go home?" Kyoko released the sofa in exchange for holding the woman's hands at her extended silence "Hana-chan!"

"There's a situation going on" She confessed quietly after a minute "Namimori is no longer safe for us. While the suburbs are overlooked, the outskirts and mobility within the streets are being monitored by troops of monkeys. It's bad for us because at the centre of it all, is Sawada they want and we're collateral damage"

Kyoko gasped.

Tsuna-chan…what?

Hana didn't say much after that, she served her tea and tried to make her eat some crackers. When a haggard-looking woman in a tattered cloak came to fetch her, Kyoko was glad she didn't eat anything by the impact of what her little town had become. Older-Hana kissed her forehead as a goodbye and watched her leave, Kyoko didn't have the time to turn back and wave as she was hurried down the street, her mind a spiralling mess of questions and fears and worry and concern for her friend and her brother and wondering just what happened.

Later, in an abandoned shrine that hid an underground secret house, Kyoko will find the answer she was looking for.

"And that's what happened" Kyoko finished explaining her case "Please, I know we must keep things in order, but I need to make sure Hana-chan is okay"

"Fine"

Relief crashed on her face, and Gokudera felt a bit bad for snapping at them earlier when they insisted they visit Kurokawa. The time were they landed was three days after Juudaime left, meaning that both Gokudera and the baseball idiot were safe from meeting their past selves. The others weren't so lucky and he could already imagine the pure insanity if the two Sasagawas met for a boxing match that would derail the timeline even further.

No. Just, no.

He'll be on babysitting duty instead of training if those three decide to parade the streets without even a disguise. For all Haru exclaims of her fashion dream, she sucks at dressing herself in incognito. It was 8 pm, so walking as a group in the neighbourhood wasn't suspicious at all, but Gokudera made sure they didn't walk under any street cameras just in case someone decided to investigate the CCTV and find people who were said to have disappeared and were going to disappear in the later weeks.

The lawn-head had already yelled at him for not letting his sister meet her friend, which Gokudera had to explain, again, why they couldn't interact with anyone. But by the orange-haired girl's explanation, Hana Kurokawa seems to be involved in some way that wouldn't disturb the future. Iire doesn't seem to be aware of how Mukuro was operating in the past, so this could be a chance to get answers.

It pained him that he had to leave Juudaime all alone with such big threats, even more so with the risk of them being attacked at any moment while he was hiding in the past, but it was also tearing him apart to even admit in his head that he needed time to think. There was just too much going on, every answer was worse than the other and there was still a lot to unpack.

"That Mukuro. What the hell is he planning?" He muttered to himself, opting to walk behind the group to watch out for any threat.

Juudaime claimed he didn't do it, but it was obvious something did happen and for some reason, no one thought it important to explain by whom, why and how Juudaime met her end. Now Lambo's hatred towards the mist girl made so much sense, but it didn't explain the silence. They were already aware of many terrible things, why hide everything? To protect their sensitivities? The hell with that!

It seems that despite being years older and living who knows what together, they never learned how to communicate. It made him wonder if he did the right thing…

"Hey, Gokudera?"

"What?" He barked, annoyed to have his thoughts interrupted, but when he turned to look, he was a bit curious by the weird expression on the other's face. The baseball idiot has been looking strangely anxious lately before they left for Vienna, in fact.

One could argue it was due to travelling across the world and fighting again after losing an intense battle. But if there was something he would never admit out loud, was the skill to hone his focus when it mattered despite his inner turmoil in a game and a fight. But Gokudera will never admit that.

So it made him curious about what was eating him, though he could take a guess.

"I'm not helping you train" He crossed his arms and turned to look back to the others, who were in a hushed conversation on their own.

"Don't you think it'll be fun?"

"Get lost! We're not here for entertainment!"

"I know, I know" Yamamoto sighed before turning back to serious "It's not that. I… There's something I need to tell you, about the arco-

"You kids look sad"

A voice suddenly interrupted, raising every hair on his body in alarm. It was instinct that made him reach to his pocket for some dynamite, but instead of blindly attacking, he looked and waited. The owner of the voice was an insipid-looking man standing in front of a ramen shop; looking and waiting too.

But they were in a neighbourhood. Has it always been there? No, he could have sworn-

"Would you like a bowl of ramen? We have the special of 2 for 1 right now" The man beckoned them with a smile to come inside his little establishment. In another second, umami flavour hit his nose and there was an itch in the back of his throat as if he could taste the broth already. But…

"Oh! Tonkatsu ramen sounds EXTREMELY good right now!"

"Onii-san! We need to visit Hana-chan first, please!"

"Oh! But we can bring her some! Miso ramen will do her well" Haru eagerly proposed, walking closer towards the entrance of the shop.

"The more the merrier" The man said jovially "You kids look too weary for your age. Come, sit! Grab a stool. I'll wipe some magic noodles to take all your worries away, how about it?"

It was the friendliness that made him push the baseball idiot ward forward and declare loudly.

"Thanks but this guy owns a sushi restaurant, that's free food for us every day"

"Free sushi!?"

"Every day?"

"But I want ramen!"

"I can make your favourite and name it after you, Haru!" Yamamoto interjected easily with a shaky smile, having stumbled a little by the push.

"Really?! Yay!" Quickly appeased, Haru linked her elbow with Kyoko's "What is Hana's favourite? Can people with a fever eat sushi? What about an onigiri?"

"Thanks anyway, old man" Yamamoto smiled with a little bow, he had manners after all.

"Oh well, worth a try. Off you go then" The man waved them "Perhaps you will change your mind in the future"

Perhaps, my ass. Gokudera seethed in his mind as he turned sharply to urge the others to walk faster under the guise of being hungry.

There were many things Juudaime had engraved in his mind, with the most striking being–Trust no one. And it seems it has finally landed in the baseball idiot too, by his smooth misdirection. It was impossible not to doubt people now, with their experience. Someone that was said to be their enemy was their ally, someone that should have been their ally could potentially be their enemy. It was paranoia at its best, mistrusting anyone.

When he turned to look back, the ramen shop was gone.

Was it even there before?

He blinked and… what was he looking for again?

"Gokudera, hurry up!"

"I'm coming, stupid loud woman! And keep quiet! Seriously, has no one seen time-travelling movies?"

.

.

.

"Tsunayuuki-

"Just call me Tsuna"

"It feels improper, after what I pulled you through"

"Then add sama and kneel"

She was joking, a little, but Irie looked seconds away from bowling over. Spanner, who was camping under the school, laughed at her petty bullying.

Just an hour ago, Tsuna left dramatically to cry her heart out, but when she returned, Bianchi was gone and so Tsuna was trapped there until someone came to pick her up.

She should be training, but she knew to steer away from Lal and Reborn for emotional support. It was pride more than anything, on not letting them see her be a weak idiot. She didn't want to bother Dino, not when he was busy with Kyoya and she wasn't ready to talk to Squalo about feelings, so she took refuge at Namimori with the excuse of interrogating Irie about time-travelling-wobbly stuff instead.

Maybe that's why Bianchi left.

And she did interrogate Irie as best as she could about Byakuran, the tri-ni-sette, and this wish they could make. Irie knew as much as she did, which was vague. Supposedly, after Byakuran is defeated, with the help of Yuni, the Sky Arcobanelo, Tsuna will make a wish to hijack Byakuran's cognition from the timeline to basically erase his ability to transcend the multiverse from this axis as they return to her rightful timeline, manipulating the core of the tri-ni-sette and thus making Byakuran unable to wreak havoc in the timeline.

Or so Irie claims. It was very hopeful to be that simple.

To add to her woes, she had forgotten she was anaemic. Or was at risk of becoming one. To be honest, she has forgotten what the doctor said, just remembered that her flames were a factor in her declining health. All she knew was that she was tired. And being too tired meant not having enough blood cells. And being tired and not having enough blood cells meant she could faint which led to something worse. She was mystified that Spanner knew and that Mini-Moska wouldn't stop feeding her vitamins in the form of sweets. As long as it wasn't spinach and peas, she was fine with her self-proclaimed caretaker, even if its predecessor still gave her shivers.

Well, she thought as she snacked some yoghurt, if someone did ask why she wasn't training, she would claim to be recuperating from an anaemic spell. Always misdirect the lies with the truth. Speaking of…

"I need to know how you fooled my hyper intuition" She demanded as the second question of her interrogation. "Everything Byakuran said is true but none of you want me to believe that. You make me want to believe you. Why? How? Is he lying too or are you?"

"His truth is real, but not entirely" Irie sighed, resigned to his fate. "It's the probability theory. To summarize, random events can't be determined before they occur, hence your hyper intuition can't see them until the last moment, for the actual outcome is determined by chance rather than a precise thought"

"You are staking the sake of the World by chance?"

"No! No! Of course not! It's like this. You don't like peppermint and Spanner knows. He will give you a treat, that you know. But he doesn't have a concrete choice yet, he thinks coffee, chocolate, grape flavour, and even soda. It's random, so your hyper intuition can't read it until the last second when without thinking, he gives you peppermint. It's all about intention and perception"

Tsuna narrowed her eyes. She has indeed been relying too much on her hyper intuition, and now it seems she was back to square one if anyone could learn to trick her. Good thing paranoia and being mistrustful of anyone was a natural skill by now.

"Okay. And then…" She crossed her arms and bit her lips with a frown. She didn't know how to word the question without it sounding wrong. "When Byakuran and I…When we… there was this moment, outside of time and space where we just, existed. I don't remember what happened exactly but… I felt… why do I feel a pull to him?"

"It's because you and he are connected in the Worldline" Irie said mutedly as if that was supposed to be a secret when it was plain obvious "You are always meant to be"

"A connection that transcends reality, time and space" Spanner hummed in interest. "Sounds like soulmates to me"

"Please don't call it that!" Tsuna bemoaned, mortified at the mere idea of… of that.

"Do you know? Your first name, Vongola. Tsu-na" Spanner said in afterthought "In the Japanese dictionary, the verb tsu-na-gu, it means to connect in bind. It's fitting"

"How so?"

"You're the Sky of the world, and you connect with them as you bind them to you"

"I don't want to chain anyone" She hissed.

"I don't see it as ownership. It's more like eating your favourite sweets together every day because they will always be there"

"Is that what it is? A Sky bond. Eating together?"

"What else would it be?"

What else indeed? Seems like everyone has a different answer when she inquires, some sounding more right out of textbook as if she was supposed to know this already and some being more sentimental as it is something she has yet to discover herself. It was annoying. Then a part of her remembers the summerlike breeze of Mukuro's and the warmth of Gokudera's bond; but then she remembers how a few years later, she manipulated that bond to hurt Kyoya and reject Ryohei's. It makes her feel sick. Can't they just choose without involving flames? Can she even stop being a Sky?

Would they still be friends if she wasn't a Sky?

Not wanting to fall into another rabbit hole when she was already buried in one, she busied herself with asking more questions. About the vongola boxes, how he came into contact with Cervello and how exactly he built the time machine instead. It was only then when she was sprawled in a chair and tucked her hands into her pockets that her hands brushed paper.

Oh, right. Gokudera and his secret notes.

Too comfortable to move and once the conversation faded into background noises of Spanner tinkering with the headphones - because they were too bulky for all the rough landings she was doing - plus adding an infrared vision to her contacts so that she could see and measure the invisible flames she unknowingly produced and Irie having a hushed meltdown in the corner - because with Yuni on their side, some black spell members wanted to change sides too and that was not in his plans -, Tsuna unfolded the bundle to reveal two pieces of paper. One containing a short paragraph of doodles and the other an extensive letter explaining the G-code alphabet and how to decode it.

Having nothing else to do, she lost herself in memorising the cypher and unravelling the secret. She has been absent, opting to seclude herself in training while they were busy with theirs. Meeting at lunch or dinner when bruised and exhausted didn't give them the opportunity for a heart-to-heart, so whatever this was, it must be important for him to look so grim.

One flower means Italian, one fish means Japanese. One cross equals 2 to the left and one candle (wait that's a dynamite) equals 1 to the right in the alphabet line. One skull equals a space, what she assumes is a dinosaur equals a period, and an alien a coma. Each letter from the Roman alphabet was assigned an icon, they could be doodles, lines or numbers. It was a bit confusing at first but once she got the hang of it by spelling a simpl O, it was easy to read the note.

But…

W followed by an E

K, I, double L

E and D followed by a blank space.

Tsuna sat straighter on the chair, hands trembling.

T

H

E

blank space

She shook her head slowly as the message unravelled.

A and R

and C and O

and B and A and-

Tsuna didn't try to decipher the last letters. In her mind, heart and soul she knew as soon as she decoded the first symbol what the message meant.

So she ran, again.

She sprang from the chair, knocking it over and running as fast as she could, ignoring Irie's startled 'Tsunayuuki?' that called after her. With her panting echoing loudly in her mind, she ran up the stairs, eyes stinging, all the way to the abandoned office that used to smell like green tea and was a safe haven but now smelt of dust and felt more like a prison.

Ignoring everything, she threw herself to the floor in front of the red couch, the same one from her time and memories, if a bit faded in colour by being bleached by the sun constantly streaming through the window and looking worn, but the couch that shouldn't have been touched was cut open. There was nothing inside but thorn stitches and foam. Panic gripped her as she searched and dug but the couch was hollow inside.

The sound of a chair being pulled made her tense, her fingers gripping rough texture as Kyoya approached from behind, quietly watching her panic and destroy the couch. He did not reprove at her vandalism or raise his tonfas at her, he just stood still, waiting, until her head turned a little to see a piece of paper mocking her sight.

With shaking fingers, she grabbed it and read familiar penmanship, if a bit refined that said 'If she finds it, don't let her open the box'.

Okay. Okay, not her problem. This was the future. It will be fine when they return to her time. But... But...

Breathing in and out and in and out, she looked up at Kyoya for help.

He was silent as he stared back, considering, contemplating, before he moved and handed her a red velvet box instead. Not the black box that should be hidden in the couch, the one Hibari-san swore he had not touched but clearly did, knowing Tsuna was going to try and rip it open in his absence, no. It wasn't that box. But the red box she saw Older Hibari-san playing with on her last visit to him.

With dread in her throat, her fingers trembled as she held and opened it.

And there, proof of it all, was a broken clear pacifier.

There was no need to ask who it belonged to, the colour of the box said it all.

.

.

.

Their plan to visit Hana got postponed as her parents were home and kindly informed Kyoko that their daughter was sleeping. Dejected, but with promises to come back tomorrow, they departed to the sushi restaurant.

If Yamamoto hugged his dad a little too hard, no one mentioned anything. Everyone settled on a table while the father-son due cooked together, loudly stammering excuses with fake laughs when the elder asked for the missing brunette, seeing as she was inseparable from the group by now.

Not having her there soured their dinner, but not ones to waste love-crafted food, they ate their servings and retired for the night.

While Yamamoto stayed behind to help his dad clean up, the others sneaked inside the dojo, which was temporarily going to be used as their secret base, seeing as they couldn't go to school or Juudaime's house.

Even staying here was a huge risk. Juudaime's mother and the baseball freak's father were just one call away. If she inquires about her daughter's disappearance and is revealed that her group of friends was fine and hanging out without her, it will be a disaster with questions they couldn't answer for fear of breaking the timeline more than it already was. They will have to seek another place to stay.

In five more days, both girls' past versions will be gone from the timeline, so they can return to their homes, go back to school, and pretend that they don't know anything. But that alone was more dangerous than hiding away, he dreaded what came after.

God, he really wanted a smoke. So when the moon had risen, and both girls were asleep with an old curtain as their privacy screen, he sneaked out intending to brood in solitude. But the other two idiots thought it was for a secret meeting, so here they were, one street away from the sushi restaurant, loitering on a half-lit alley like hooligans with smoke filling the air.

What does it say about him, that someone like Gokudera was emptying a cigarette box in front of sportsmen like these two? What did it say about them that they stayed despite risking their health? He doesn't understand them, doubts he ever will.

But he wouldn't be agonizing in their presence for long. Sasagawa was off to a self-imposed exile in the mountains to train while the baseball freak was staying in the dojo to practice his sword and sneaking to a park near Kokuyo during school hours. And Gokudera, he was going back to his apartment to research every possible thesis and paper he could find about the multiverse and hoped these two progress on their own.

"And then Kyoko punched me in the jaw! I EXTREMELY told her to aim for the face, but the jaw worked better for her to incapacitate a man"

"That's a very funny picture"

"I know! She's so EXTREMELY small! And her muscles are not defined yet, but her aim was pretty accurate. I wonder if Miura can tackle a man twice her size yet"

"Tsuna mentioned once that her future self had pretty impressive moves, and she's training with Lal"

"Well, I'm EXTREMELY cheering them on!"

"They are not fighting with us" Gokudera exhaled smoke and flicked some ashes to the ground as he went ignored.

"They're honorary GEN-X members. Just like Basil. And maybe that Spanner guy, he's helped us a lot"

"We really need a flag. And a better cheer. We haven't done our cheering circle, maybe that's why we're losing so much"

"We're not a fucking sport team"

"Do you have a ritual before a match, senpai?"

"I usually nap and do 100 squats before I go in the ring"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Kyoko used to be my lucky charm when we were kids. I would let her pat my shoulders and put stickers on my gloves for protection"

"That's so sweet"

Gokudera finished his cigarette, only to draw and light another one as the talk continued.

"But then she learnt how to sew. So for every final match, she EXTREMELY creates a new one"

"I wish I had a little sister. Or brother. They sound so fun"

"Did your team had a ritual too?"

"Coach was a bit strict with our image, so no stickers on our bats and uniforms. But we used to write good luck rites and kanjis inside our gloves and sneakers"

"Now that's EXTREMELY sports spirit!"

"Yeah. They were good times"

"Will you go back?"

"Maybe, but not now" Yamamoto yawned loudly before leaning on the wall next to Gokudera "When are we meeting up again?"

Tilting his head back and exhaling a puff of smoke, Gokudera stared at the dim night sky.

"For the fucking last time. In two weeks from now. That's as long as Irie can keep the timeline open" He stressed pointedly "We'll meet in Namimori Shrine at 8am sharp on that Saturday. And we'll appear exactly three days after we disappear from the future"

"I hope nothing bad happens while we're gone"

He was too tired to hit the idiot for jinxing them, as he was unintentionally wont to do, and could only pray to those fading stars to please keep that bad luck until when they return to the future so he can be there to aid.

"Well, we left a good team back. I trust they can hold the fort, and when we go back, the five of us will EXTREMELY kick some ass!"

Gokudera took a long drag before closing his eyes.

"They are not coming with us" He exhaled, and the quiet that followed could be blamed by the smoke clouding their faces.

"What do you mean? I thought, you just said we were going back in two weeks"

"We are. They are staying here"

"What?" Yamamoto breathed in confusion.

"Leave them? But we are a team!" Ryohei exclaimed, his previous optimism gone from his semblance.

"We almost died in the Melone base and barely escaped the second mission alive. And that was just us protecting ourselves! Who is going to protect them?!"

"Are you calling my sister a burden?!"

"Be rational! Isn't that why you lied to her in the first place? To protect and keep her away from danger? Weren't you just saying her body is not fit for a fight just now?!"

"What are you even suggesting?! Leaving them behind? She's going to be EXTREMELY mad-

"She's not going to remember!"

"What?"

"Gokudera" Yamamoto frowned and Gokudera threw the cigarette to the floor, stomping on it to pace away from them. This was his responsibility as Juudaime's right-hand man. He would have wished to mislead them until they departed to not interfere with their training, but he couldn't take their naivety dreams of a happy team holding hands and battling the bad guys like a fucking cartoon.

"Irie called Juudaime a Nexus point. She's the anchor pulling the timeline. If she had returned with us that future would be broken and scattered. To keep the line from wavering, it's most likely she can only return to the exact moment before she left. That's before any of us left too. But it's not this one"

"But…" Yamamoto shook his head as he tried to grasp what he was even saying. Science and physics had never been his forte, after all, let alone understand how time-travelling and the theory of the multiverse worked. "But if we leave them here, then… when we go back…?"

"Nothing" Gokudera hissed quietly "They will live their lives until this reality fades from existence. Or not. It might stretch longer than ours. Even by just being here, we're already sub-branching a membrane of a ripple in the space-time continuum that makes our own worldline-

"IN JAPANESE PLEASE!"

"WHEN the future we just left is saved and we return to our rightful time, it will be like we never left there, because Juudaime didn't. But by staying here, at this point, the ones back in our timeline will not have jumped. They won't remember that future, or the worry, the fear or the journey. Nothing"

"But that's-

"WE ARE A TEAM!" Ryohei grabbed Gokudera's shirt to shake him, but the Italian snarled as he pushed him away. "They stood by us and worried and trained and they want to EXTREMELY be stronger to help us! We can't just abandon them like that! Sawada won't-

"Juudaime knows!" Gokduera yelled before continuing in a rough whisper. "She knows they will be angry with her if they find out but that's the sacrifice she's willing to make to protect them. We are not going back to a happy summer camp! We are going back to war! Are you ready for that?"

It got quiet again, the mood tense and burning with bitter anticipation. Gokudera was ready to punch some sense into these knuckleheads if needed, and he was prepared to fight them if they messed up the plan. There was just so much at stake to falter now.

"Fuck" Ryohei ended up punching the wall.

"If you want to stay here with them-

"Shut up, I EXTREMELY heard you the first time" He exhaled loudly before knocking his head lightly on the surface to whisper "I know, I hate this, but I get it"

"We can't keep secrets from each other" Yamamoto said just as quietly "We can't"

"It's for the best they don't know"

"And when they find out? Won't that mess the timeline? The future?"

"There will be no way for them to go back after we leave, they won't mess it up because they are not linked to her that way"

"I don't understand"

"Just focus on your training" Gokudera growled and tucked his hands inside his pockets to hide their trembling. "Rest, get better. And be there at the Shrine on Saturday. That's all you need to focus on"

"How can I get better when we are abandoning them? Friends don't leave each other like that"

But you left. Gokudera wanted to shout. They both did. They can be preaching about friendship and team spirit now, but it didn't erase the fact that when things went horribly wrong, they walked away from the brunette. From them. Yamamoto left when they needed him the most, Sasagawa didn't fight when it mattered the most. How can he trust they wouldn't make the same decision again?

He really doesn't understand them.

Gokudera didn't have friends until he came to Namimori. Acquaintances, yes. Contacts, many. But not friends. Or comrades. Not even teammates or classmates to share his lunch break with. He had been alone for so long, despised the mere idea of getting close to someone to spend time together, let alone trust them to have his back.

But when Juudaime asked for a friend instead of a subordinate, it opened a door for him to be brave and accept not only her friendship but those around her too. She was scared of trusting, he hated the idea of it. But they learnt together, day by day. He realized it was okay to mingle, that it was okay to talk, to huff, to tease, to joke, to be a boy acting his age going to school and having fun.

Meeting people his age, like the baseball idiot and those stubborn girls who loved the brunette so much they were willing to enter the underworld blindly for her sake, and even that scary girl who called him a monkey. He would have thought that with Juudaime being Juudaime, those around her would only wish to pamper her. But he was wrong.

Suddenly, his phone was being spammed by texts and memes every day, they were worrying about him, asking if he had eaten, if he had slept. If he had done the math homework so that he could help them with problem number three. He was dragged to eat sushi and popsicles, he was included lunch break circle and conversations and begged to join games. They were loud and naive and ridiculous, but they were more than acquaintances.

There were people older than him, who grated on his nerves by acting superior and know-it-all. Just because they were old did not mean they knew better, and they had no right to coddle or worry when he got hurt, but they did. Constantly. And they wanted nothing in return but to see him succeed. It was weird. And hard to accept kindness when those older than him had hurt him before.

But it wasn't something taken for granted. Sasagawa Ryohei was the epitome of loyalty, a quality Gokudera begrudgingly admired of him. His endless dedication made him want Gokudera never to stop either. As the "Big-brother" of the group, his role was to look after them in ways others didn't; like cheering them up with stupid jokes. Hibari was a warning of his own, but even if they weren't close comrades, to have that unwavering violent guy watching their backs was very reassuring. He could count on them, he had thought.

And then Dino was the example adult who should have dubious intentions but actually cared for them. His adoration for Juudaime made him indisputably the most trustworthy, and it had shown in little and big things. Even if he has his own famiglia to manage, he takes time aside to guide and support them in their worst challenges, feeds them sweets, and patiently listens to their troubles. Even his sister...

He was learning from them, even if he was too prideful to listen, he relied on them.

And then there were even people younger than him, who despite driving him crazy and making him yell in annoyance every time, still looked up to him for advice and protection. They gave him candy and free smiles and demanded free candy and treats back. Some tried not to cry in front of him, others cried loudly while refusing to let go of their grip on him. The responsibility to take care of them was new, but not one he hated.

But... many of those people left Juudaime for one reason or the other. Left him.

And he knows she doesn't blame them, perhaps it was her that pushed them away first. But it was painful to think that someday along the line they were walking, it was easy for them to walk away and abandon them.

They fought and bled to claim the rings not so long ago, to claim Juudaime as theirs, their Sky; all the while she rejected the idea of bonding and fought for her own freedom. Was it right? Were they right? Did he chained her when she didn't want to? Did they even want to bond with her?

It was hypocritical to condemn them now when he was going to do the same for those girls, but Time waited for no one. He wasn't placing Juudaime on a pedestal. He didn't want to, was trying not to. His loyalty instantly made him follow orders without question, and it was so that her choices were fair and he wouldn't hesitate on them.

Juudaime was free to choose her own fate, just like they all were. Even if it was a self-destructive choice where all parties got something, they all hurt the same.

And perhaps therein lies the discord that turned the world upside down. She chose something that broke them apart thinking it was right, and they all chose to walk away thinking it was for the better. And everything fell apart because of it. But in the end, Gokudera here and the one from the future were still choosing to stand by her; even if she didn't want them. Even if it was self-destruction too. He didn't want to leave her alone. He didn't want to be alone.

"You just have to" He sighed heavily against the clear disappointment in the other's face. "The World is bigger than us. We can't save everyone, we can't have everything. But we can protect and have part of it. Juudaime made her choice. I did mine. What's yours?"

The night was quiet, still smelling like fire and clouded by smoke. Tomorrow was going to be strenuous, and in two weeks, they will travel to a broken time in hopes of saving their own. He can just pray, to the stars, right now, that they can be good enough to save it.

.

.

.

It was quiet she had never known before, one beyond awkward and uncomfortable.

Kyoya was sitting by the window, had been there ever since Tsuna barged in, staring out the crystal view with a guarded expression. He wasn't ignoring her, but he was quiet, still; unmoving in a way that was not natural.

For her part, Tsuna was curled on the floor, leaning on the old couch and holding the red box with the broken pacifier, lid still open, heart still bleeding at the sight of it.

"Did you know him?" She braved herself to ask.

"No"

It contradicted everything.

Kyoya knew who she was referring to, but at the same time, he was honest in his short answer. Yet Fon had called him 'my Kyoya' once upon a time, implying that he did know him. But Kyoya had been alone for so long, there were no family ties or lost uncles. She knows this, she'd been there at the Hibari compound and to the graveyard to deliver flowers with him, but no one had ever visited.

But still… How did it come to this?

Gokudera made it seem like they all played a part, but that wasn't right. Irie mentioned the toxin was created by Verde, that Mammon chose to… But then what about the others? Collonello and Skull? Who succumbed to the poison and who was hunted down? It just sounded so unreal, so impossible and unimaginable.

But… But if Fon… If Kyoya did… then… Reborn… Who…? It was Reborn. He was strong. Invincible. There was no way he lost a fight. Right? So who….? How? Why?

She almost didn't want to believe it.

But a part of her knew why.

And it would explain everything.

"He told you not to tell me" She reproached weakly, if only to get Kyoya to talk more.

"He's an idiot"

And despite everything, it made her smile a little at the rebellious attitude of the younger prefect. Not even his future version can order him around. But then her smile fell as she wondered when that changed…

Reborn said she was a Mafia Boss to make such orders, and her friends became her guns for hire to act on them. She should have lost the fight with Xanxus, succumbed to her pain, fainted or something. She should have just stuck to the path of a lonely hitman instead, and taken all the burnt herself.

God, for some silly reason she wanted to see Daemon. To yell at him, or for him to scold her while setting her back on the right path, whatever that might be. Or not, really, his right path has always been clear and it had never once wavered. Even if it was a path Tsuna hated and was currently stuck on.

Funny how that turned out, his path has always been for her to-

Oh…

"What?" Kyoya questioned when she choked on her own breath.

"I think I'm-

Abruptly, and with a chill running down her back, Tsuna closed the red box in her hands, the sound loud and familiar to her now as she snapped her head to the door. Kyoya was up in an instant, tonfas out and prepared to attack.

Her heart was beating down her throat, the earlier choking giving way to suffocation when suddenly, the coldness was gone, leaving her to blink and wonder if she imagined it, but as the door opened, and her body tensed, she started at a woman she wasn't expecting to see. Older, but familiar.

"Hana?"

"I knew I'd find you here" She eyed Hibari before nodding at her with a small smile "It's been a while, Tsuna"

She wasn't running away, but she preferred to have her imminent talk with the older woman in private, so off she went to the only place no one would disturb them.

If the office felt abandoned, then the rooftop was even more neglected with its rubble and grime. Tsuna can't even remember the last time she came here, or why, but this place suddenly felt unpleasant in a way it hadn't before, just like everything else. She walked towards the wired railing, mindful of its weak rustiness and peered down below. The view was to the sports courts, and she could almost imagine the baseball team playing there.

Tsuna waited for the other woman to talk, to curse and blame her, but Hana was patient at her side, looking down at the same memories Tsuna was indulging.

"How… are you?" She asked first, shyly peeking up at her.

"Alright, all things considered. And you? How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine" Tsuna said and Hana hummed, unamused by her lie but didn't call her off.

They stood like that for a while, and it became clear that Tsuna will have to be the one to break the silence first.

"How did you… How did you become involved?"

"That would be a spoiler if I told you. Or are you planning to prevent it?"

"...Should I?"

"You're already deciding for Kyoko and Haru"

"It's for the best"

"For them or you?"

"Would you have protected them?" Tsuna looked down again with a frown "Are you, are you strong? Can you kill monsters while protecting them without dying?"

"You're too paranoid"

"I'm not!" She exclaimed in indignation.

"So you chose to leave the weak links behind for a better probability of succeeding?"

"What would you have done?"

"If I was Helen of Troy and war broke because I chose love instead of duty, I would have packed my bags and never turned back, sacred timeline be damned" Hana shrugged and smiled at Tsuna's wide-eyed stare "Maybe. Who knows what I would have done if it truly was my choice. I can guard my heart and think with my head, but humans are unpredictable when emotions run high. You were right to protect them, Tsuna. But you were wrong in not telling them"

"They won't remember" Tsuna uttered and gripped the railing with one hand, making it creak loudly.

"Hope they won't" Hana crossed her arms "I'll give you a choice then, just like you did for me. Things might not be the same, but time is lazy, it tends to reboot previous scenarios like mirages. There will be a new transfer student in your third year and it will shake the boundaries of where you stand with your friends. You have the choice. If you continue to allow them to mingle with you, then I will tag along into this world and help. But if you put a stop and break my heart, I will leave you alone and take Kyoko with me"

"Hana"

"I'm not doing this to be cruel" The older woman said gently, but Tsuna still felt hurt blooming in her chest. "We fell into your world without your consent. If you truly want to keep us away, then break all ties and leave"

It should be easy. She already was breaking things with Kyoko and Haru by leaving them behind in a time they won't remember. All Tsuna has to do is completely push them away if she wants to heed Hana's advice, but…

"Why didn't you leave?"

"Because you are my friend" Hana huffed with a smile, eyes fixed on Tsuna's clenched hand, like remembering something long forgotten. "And someone needed to pull the fire out"

Tsuna breathed out and sniffed. She then turned to look properly at the older woman. Hana hadn't changed much, sure she was taller and with shorter hair, and even if she looked exhausted like everyone else from the future did, she still retained her sophisticated air.

It was then, with the wind ruffling their hair that she noticed a golden glint on one of her fingers. And Tsuna became aware once more of everything she gained by making others lose it. Was it worth it? Their world was literally ending, and yet never once have they blamed her. They have thought about it, Tsuna wasn't stupid and they hinted that it was partly her fault, but hatred has never been present on their faces. Even now, when the timeline was breaking and everything they stood by was fading, they stood strong because they still had things to fight for.

"You're so cool" She muttered instead.

"I was always cool"

"You were always scolding me! And criticizing me! And you never called me by my name!"

"It took time" Hana agreed with a rueful smile "All relationships do, Tsuna. When you trusted me, I trusted you. And so I called you"

"And if I don't…?"

If she takes the advice and all but breaks ties with that innocent part of her life keeping her humanity from becoming one of the monsters she was fighting, what will happen to them?

"Then you will always be Sawada to me" A friend at arms length, a familiar stranger you crossed paths in the hallway but never outside. Someone who stands close but walks apart. It sounded lonely, but it sounded safe.

.

.

.

She eventually returned to the underground base. It couldn't be delayed and she would rather scream while beating some invisible target than be a miserable ball of sadness on a corner. Kyoya stayed behind, obviously, and it was bitterly reassuring that at least the time machine would be double protected.

She returned with screams of Lal telling her to gear up; armour, weapons and medkit even if she was just going for a stroll in case they were attacked. And by her defective hyper-intuition, she should have known better. So she went to her room, which was cleaned in her absence, to change clothes and stock her pocket weapons when-

She closed the door as soon as she opened it.

Quietly, she counted to five before opening it again, blinked and closed it.

Uneasily, she slowly opened the door again-

Nope.

She closed it.

Breathing in to calm her nerves, she slid the door slightly open one last time to peek inside before quietly closing it and sighed deeply against the surface.

What even was her life?

With the nervousness of someone asking their parents to please kill the spider on the floor, she walked towards the kitchen in hopes of finding someone to explain what the hell was in her room. Yet she stopped by the door when she saw the table full and Yuni eating yakisoba noodles next to Basil. But it was already too late to run because Reborn hooked his eyes on her.

"What is it, Dame-Tsuna?"

"Um…" She shifted on her feet and bit her lip when everyone looked at her "Th-there's a lion… in my bed?"

And then Dino cackled a laugh while Squalo cursed loudly in exasperation. It was the former who walked her back to her room, reassuring her that the white Lion with black stripes lounging in her bed was no danger. Maybe. It growled and hissed, but purred loudly at Tsuna's tentative pat in between its ears.

And oh, she breathed a maniac giggle when she all but melted in the snowy mane.

"He's Xanxus box weapon, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Grumpy beast, that one" Dino huffed a laugh, watching her cuddle the big feline from a safe distance "How did you know?"

"It feels like him"

Warm. Familiar. Home.

She closed her eyes and hugged the lion's mane closer, who only rumbled deeply but did not show any signs of aggression to push her off when she became bolder.

"Box weapons are reflections of one's soul, you know?"

"Is that why…?" Is that why I can't control mine? She did not say. Because my soul is a spiteful ball of fire that burns me? But it was still painfully clear on her face.

"Your heart is in disarray. You are feeling too much, and the poor little one is being overwhelmed"

"How do I stop feeling?"

"It doesn't work like that" Dino told her with a wry smile as if he had heard that question before.

He left her a few minutes later, begging her to eat or sleep if she wasn't going to train. It was tempting, to stay in bed with a purring beast, well, Bester, as he was actually named, and just let the warmth lull her to a dreamless sleep. But everyone was fighting and giving their best, she couldn't be dwelling in self-pity. So she gathered as much strength from Bester's presence and forced herself to knock on another door.

"Sawada"

There were many things she wanted to say to Lal.

I'm sorry.

Colonnello-

The Arcobanelo…

Do you know?

Do you hate me?

"Train me" Is what she ended up saying.

"Are you so guilty of becoming my punching back?"

"I need to stop being one"

"Show me your resolve then"

Armed up, they went to her designated training room. Spanner was still tinkering with her gadgets, so she postponed using her box weapon. Or so she told herself. Anyway, not having a raging fire spirit at hand did not leave her defenceless.

Daemon strengthened her wit, Squalo taught her adequate forms for her tiny body; the petty squabbles she had with Bel increased her stamina, not to mention basking Xanxus' fearless attitude mould her to be rational in the face of danger. But when it came to fighting; of dodging, punching, kicking, clawing and biting, then the ones who shaped her were Ryohei's bright determination and Kyoya's steel resolution.

Reborn's training of hell just honed those instincts, and it urged her to always get up.

"Again" Lal ordered when she was knocked to the ground a bit roughly. Tsuna swallowed and stood up, glad she wore knee and elbow pads and ankle braces too. Her Vongola gloves protected her hands and wrist from strain and harm, but she still had to shake the tingling from impact.

She went at it again, trying to disarm Lal, but after a couple of minutes, she got thrown over. Again and again, she fell, she skidded, got new bruises and was pushed away but she stood up and breathed out a shaky exhale.

"Again"

.

.

.

Early morning, the kitchen was quiet without everyone here. They didn't have to, but Kyoko and Haru had taken charge of preparing their meals, so with them gone, everyone seemed to be surviving on cereal and rice. Tsuna was late for breakfast so the pantry was empty of flakes and snacks and whoever was in charge of groceries had not stocked up yet.

There were eggs in the fridge and milk, so she opted to make some tamagoyaki. But of course, just because she was in another time didn't mean she was free from her bad luck in the kitchen. As soon as she grabbed an egg, it shattered before she could break it inside the bowl.

She was careful. Sometimes they survived in her hands but didn't make it safely into the bowl, other times, they landed but with shattered shells in the mix.

[Easy]

"It's not easy!" She hissed to no one as she tried to remove the shells from the yolk. It was salvageable if the batter did not crisp when trying to cook it. Which it probably will. And she was out of eggs, so... charred omelette it is then.

"Sawada-san?"

"Shit" The bowl was knocked out of the counter by her startled elbow, and not even her reflexes could save it from crashing on the floor. It was a plastic one, thankfully, but now there was yellow goo staining the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Yuni rushed to kneel on the crime scene, napkin ready in hand to clean the mess Tsuna created. Which, no.

"It's fine, it's fine, don't worry" Tsuna grabbed the nearest towel to swipe it in two moves. It left the floor sticky, but that will do. She grabbed the bowl next and went to the sink to wash it and her hands, aware of Yuni moving quietly behind her.

"There are some oats and berries left, would you like some porridge?" She asked.

She thought porridge was for sick people, but anything sounded good right now. A few directions later, they stood side by side on the counter, Yuni stirring the milk while Tsuna cut the strawberries. Oh the irony, that she was better at wielding a knife when she never did like using one. But the task made her focus on her fingers instead of the other girl; which made the silence…awkward.

Tsuna wasn't being petty on purpose. She wasn't! Really. She just… didn't know what to say. So of course, it was Yuni who started to talk.

"I want to apologize, for burdening you with my presence"

"It's fine" Tsuna muttered, and after another lapse of silence she forced herself to continue speaking "You're… Reborn's niece?"

"Not by blood though"

"Blood doesn't matter"

"No, it doesn't" Yuni agreed mutedly "Sometimes it should"

Tsuna finished cutting the berries just as Yuni added the oats to the boiling milk and stirred steadily. The brunette took the chance to sneak a glance at the other girl. Yuni was older by two years and barely an inch taller than her. But her soft-spoken attitude mixed with her bleeding smile highlighted an invisible weight Tsuna was becoming intimately familiar with.

"Why didn't Byakuran kill you?" Tsuna asked before grimacing in remorse "Sorry, that was horrible"

"It's alright" Yuni smiled and turned the stove off, still stirring. "He wanted. He tried, but... My life needs to end at a specific time by specific conditions. He was willing to wait"

"I need to kill him with specific conditions too"

"The three of us, we are bound together like that"

That, Tsuna knew. Felt it, the moment they were within close distance, there was a humming in the air that enhanced the colours of everything. And it was mesmerising in a deadly way.

And it was then, when Yuni was pouring the creamy prodigy into two bowls that Tsuna realized she couldn't use her Hyper Intuition on her. She didn't know if she poisoned the milk, added chilli or had given Tsuna the smaller portion. She knew she was being overdramatic, but Irie's random ploy to fool her had spooked her.

She has been playing the lying game with a magical entity for months now, it was lazy but she felt protected. And now more than ever, when an inner part of her bristled at the mere presence of the girl she wanted to know why. But she couldn't read her, it was like Yuni was a ghost herself. Tsuna has interacted with ghosts before and was able to grasp an inkling of their intentions, but with Yuni… it was like she didn't exist.

She hated it. Hated her. She just doesn't understand why. It was irksome and maddening to not like someone without even knowing them. She couldn't use her hyper intuition, but her whole soul and body screamed rejection.

Yuni was an enigma, but Reborn trusted her. So she was fine. Yuni was kind and has been trying to help since she got here, always busying herself with tasks and chores, she looked too honest in her actions. Too sincere, like Kyoko.

But it wouldn't be the first time an innocent face stabbed her in the back.

"I heard people want to join us because you're here" Tsuna mentioned, accepting her warm bowl and moving the cutting board so that both could reach the berries.

"Gamma. I'm aware he hurt one of yours, I apologize on his behalf"

"He's your guardian?" What a stupid question Tsuna.

"No…" Yuni bit her lip, eyes downcast to her porridge topped with red berries "In all terms but that, he... he looked after me when I was a child. He saw me grow"

He was her Daemon then.

"Is he trustworthy?"

"He can be rowdy, he worries, but his heart is sincere" Yuni finally moved to add some extra sugar to her bowl before she stirred her porridge again "If you allow him to stay here, I'll stop him from interacting with your family"

"It's fine" Tsuna said as she added her own handful of berries and a spoonful of sugar into her own bowl, but didn't mix it thoroughly as the other girl was doing.

They soon fell into another awkward silence, whatever they were waiting for wasn't happening, and neither knew how to break the tension next. But once more, it was Yuni who did so.

"Sawada-san… I'd like to speak with you"

"Aren't we?"

"Yes" Yuni nodded and held her spoon tightly, eyes looking at the pink goo she had created "Yes, we are. I… I want to apologize"

"You already did"

"Not for that, forgive me, I…" Yuni sighed unevenly and hunched on her shoulders "I hurt you. The future is crumbling, not because of you. But because of me"

"...what did you do?" Tsuna was almost too scared to ask, but she did so. Because if the other girl was forcing herself to talk, then Tsuna was going to force herself to demand.

"You have seen my birth certificate" Yuni confirmed rather than ask and continued as if Tsuna wasn't frozen with dread "I was a premature baby, born in 7 months. It was so sudden, mother almost died during childbirth due to the complications; and there were so many after. I was so sick, there was a chance I wouldn't make it. But it was impossible. Mother had seen my future, and that wasn't it. It wasn't… I didn't have a clear picture of it, not until the day my mother died and I succeeded her place as the Sky Arcobaleno that I saw it clearly"

December 15. What a miserable day.

The day everything ended and everything started.

Yuni's Birth and Tsunayuuki's…

But, wait... wasn't there someone else? A name in a detective board hidden in an attic that looped a trinity in the centre, binding three people to the core and connecting those adjacent to them in infinite loops. On that miserable day, when Tsunayuuki was lost and Yuni was born, someone else died that day, another Sky...

"This is how we rule the world. A life for a life" Yuni explained so very quietly "My mother and I. Me and You. My sin was to be born ahead of time. And so to right the World, I have to die"

"Then die" Tsuna blurted before she could stop the words from leaving. But Yuni didn't look shocked, hurt or even offended. She looked down at her cooling breakfast and gave a small smile that looked plastered on her lips like that of a baroque painting, in which the painter commanded her not to move, not to speak and immortalized forever in a canvas that hid away her voice a porcelain version of herself. You couldn't see it in the strokes, but the weight of the World was present, whispering candidly in her ear what must be done.

And she did.

They both did.

"̸̙̐k̷̹͝í̵̛͉l̶̜̄l̴͉̻̾̆ ̸̦͝ẖ̸̙̅ė̷̞r̶̻̀"̶̝̓

"Shut up!" Tsuna blurted by habit, but froze when Yuni dropped her spoon and Tsuna realized then that no one had spoken out loud "S-Sorry! I didn't mean you- shit, sorry"

"Wait, Sawada-san" Yuni called, extending a hand, but Tsuna rushed out of the kitchen, clutching her porridge and cringing in dismay.

What more proof was needed to prove Tsuna was crazy? God that was embarrassing. Stupid voices. And just what the fuck did Yuni mean by that? What was her reason for cornering Tsuna like that? What was she even implying?

She fled back to her room. Bester had not moved from his place on top of her bed, sleeping without a care Tsuna envied. She sighed and set her clumping breakfast on the bedside table and went to sit on the floor instead.

This couldn't go on, she either needed to learn how to ignore it or block the voices. But who was calling, exactly? Was it her hyper-intuition? A ghost? The World? Who could she even talk to in search of help when she didn't even know if it wasn't just her mind playing games?

"I know you're there. Can you hear me?"

She asked out loud and waited for an answer. Either she would imagine a conversation in her head or someone only she could hear would answer her. Both sounded mental, but she needed a sign it was happening. She drew her knees up and stared at the wall dispassionately, one hand over the other. If she wasn't paying attention, she wouldn't have seen the shadows flickering at her feet.

"Hello?"

[Hello]

Okay, she was doing this.

"Are you real?"

[Do I scare you?]

"No" She whispered "You are… who are you? Do I know you?"

[One day]

Must they be so vague? Even Tsuna's messed up mind was playing games with her, figures.

"Where do you go, when I can't hear you?"

There was no verbal answer, no physical presence, but from her clasped hands suddenly came a light, like covering a candle, orange hues filtered through the cracks, and when she uncovered it, her ring was lighted in orange flames so pure and bright; she almost felt all her fears melt away at the sight of it.

"The Ring?" She questioned in wonder and cold dread "Are you saying your soul is trapped in this thing?"

[I'm a memory, preserved in time.

Sustaining the Worldline]

"Is that what will happen to me?" She breathed new fear and ignored the shadows coiling around her ankles to keep staring at the burning Ring.

[It's not what I wanted]

The ghost mourned in remorse Tsuna felt bleed in her chest.

[The price was paid with my blood.

For you and me to live, we are to stay bound to the World]

"So that's it?" Tsuna heaved "Do I just… give up? Do I just trade one curse for another?"

[You won't be alone]

"That's not reassuring!" She snarled, voice barely heard by the loud grumbling coming behind her. "I don't understand what's happening, but I don't want this!"

Tsuna snatched the ring from her finger and flung it to the wall, watching it smack loudly and fall lifeless to the ground. She panted as if she had run a mile, eyes burning. Then Bester flickered his tail to coil around her neck and she immediately felt guilty at her outburst. No wonder her own box-weapon refused to take form, she was a mess inside and outside. Crawling, she tentatively held the Vongola Ring, still burning, albeit weaker, and slid it back into her finger with a shaky breath.

"Sorry, did that hurt?"

[No]

[Flying does not hurt anymore.

Falling, however, does]

Well, that's depressing. Tsuna was going to fall and hurt a lot if things continued this way.

"H-How long have you been in there?"

[I have forgotten the passage of time.

Generation of memories, all scattered like feathers in the wind.

But they all follow a line. Mine. Eight paths.

They waltz to the Will of the World]

"Why are you helping me?"

She had to ask because while all this voice had told her to breathe when she was on the brink of a panic attack, there were always dubious intentions when it came to showing concern. Like probably use her as a vessel so he could break free. But was he the only one? Are there more? What's stopping the other souls inside this thing from possessing her and doing the same? It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to kill her in the name of Vongola.

[I felt you. Heard you.

Praying. Many years ago.

You signed your fate to mine]

And Tsuna was not even surprised.

She did a lot of things when she was at her lowest. She prayed silently, she cursed loudly, she hoped desperately, she dreamt restlessly, she yearend fiercely, she wanted carelessly and she bargained foolishly. She won't blame anyone but herself if somewhere along the line of burning memories fading white, she did indeed sign her soul away.

To whom, however, was the golden question.

Was the kind devil salvation or was the devious angel liberation?

"What is wrong with me?" She asked because might as well come up with an excuse for what was happening to her. The shadows were still, but on her face, there was a gentle caress that felt too real to be a lie, or maybe her mind was that gone.

[You were cursed by Fate, but saved by blood.

Something not meant to be,

became your lifeline as long as you wear the Ring]

The Ring. Everything seems to come back to it, one way or another.

Tsuna stared at her hand, at the gleaming sapphire swallowing the dying embers… and wondered.

.

.

.

Lambo was not a crybaby anymore. He was a man. And men don't cry easily, not when they can't enjoy their favourite meal anymore or do whatever they want without breaking some rule or law. He was a man, and he had responsibilities. And as the last guardian standing, the leadership to protect his family laid on him.

But just why were the young ones too stubborn to listen to him? Tiny Gokudera, he could understand. No one could order him around but nee-chan. But he would have thought that with his maturity and experience, the brunette would look up to him and follow his advice. But no! Even when he screamed danger out loud, nee-chan refused to listen.

And true, she was also a stubborn one who listened only to stupid Reborn on the good days, and only that brutish Xanxus on the bad ones.

But in all his excursions to the past, his nee-chan always listened to his tales, always praised him and had an expectant look in her eyes, like she couldn't wait for him to grow up and be their age. That was another battle of stubbornness, tagging along when he was a kid. His nee-chan was kind, she didn't allow him to participate in dangerous missions if she had a say in it, and when things got bad for the cry-baby him, then he, the older, cooler, experienced Lambo, took the burnt. Not the kid one. Him.

He was stronger, he was reliable, and more than anything, he loved his nee-chan and knew how to stop their nightmares.

So why couldn't she just listen?

He wasn't even being cruel, he just made sure his nee-chan was never alone with the Misty girl. And it was worse now that the fucking bastard broke out of prison somehow, and all but enchanted his nee-chan again with pretty words and whatnot. This future will break, but Lambo could still prevent it from happening. If only she would let him!

"Enough!" His nee-chan put her foot down and yelled "Stop antagonising Chrome!"

The Dokuro girl should have returned to the past, but no. She stayed when they were at their most vulnerable and where Mukuro could possess her at any minute to finish whatever he started. Nee-chan was going to dinner when she crossed paths with the girl, and it just so happened that he and Ipin were on their way too, so Lambo reacted by pulling his nee-chan away, yelling at the other girl, and causing nee-chan to get angry at him. It did not help that the lazy beast was lounging behind her, eyes fixed like a predator waiting to claw his prey. Lambo couldn't even shake nee-chan's shoulders without that white lion growling.

And here they were, once again, fighting in the corridor for the same reasons. Ipin had his back and rushed the misty girl away as he had his argument with nee-chan, preferably for the last one. There was so much wasted time, he really didn't want to fight with her. But why was nee-chan even defending those killers? She knew, of course, she did. So why? Why?

"Why are you doing nothing?!"

"Chrome had nothing to do with it! Lambo, you're being a mean bully!"

"I'm protecting you! Nee-chan, you have no idea what those two are capable of! That bastard Mukuro-

"He didn't kill me!"

"You weren't there!" He screamed with burning eyes "Even if you saw it, you weren't… we were the ones that lived through that. We are the ones who have to live with that! Why can't you listen to me!? I just want-"

He shuddered a sob and looked down at her. Has she always been this tiny? She looks too young, looking up at him with wide eyes, expectant. Stubborn. But waiting. And he... he has so much to tell her. So many stories and stuff he wants to tell her, but there isn't enough time.

"All I wanted...-" His voice cracked into the familiar whine of a kid crying for attention "I just want to save you"

Tsuna knew this confrontation was coming, but she wasn't prepared to feel emotional over it. She knew his hatred came from fear of history repeating, so she didn't blame him. When one knows of a terrible future, their desperation to change it makes them reckless and unreasonable.

Tsuna saw it in the ring battle, yet she was still dazed by how pure his drive was. 10 years ago, 10 seconds ago, and a decade later, his resolution to protect remained unshakable. No matter which point in the timeline they stood, it seemed this kid's dream was still alive.

"You did" She said and approached the shaking boy. Though maybe it wasn't her place to comfort him; in a way, Tsuna did know this person, had seen him grow, had heard his tales, even if they were just flashes of 5 minutes, Lambo was Lambo and was always going to be. "I watched you grow up, didn't I? You stayed with me"

And she was still his nee-chan because he broke down in tears as he finally embraced her. That fear was never going to leave, it would simmer sometimes, it would fester some days, it would be forgotten on the good ones, and burn on the bad ones. But for the dreamers, for those who hope brightly against all odds, Tsuna knew they could light their way through the darkness.

"Please don't leave me again" He sobbed over her head "I'll protect you. I'll grow stronger and be a hero, just please don't leave me again!"

"Mn" Tsuna patted his back gently "I'm counting on you, Lambo"

Her answer was another loud wail, but she smiled at the familiarity of it all.

Tsuna looked up then, where behind the curly-haired boy, Ipin stood smiling and holding back tears. It was easy to reach a hand towards the other girl. And soon she found herself with two sobbing teenagers and wondered when exactly they grew up on her.

.

.

.

After the crying session, all Tsuna wanted was to shower and sleep.

She was still basking on the fact that Xanxus let his box weapon part from him and cross the continent to be here. That he was letting her cuddle the mighty beast and nuzzle it closer like a teddy bear instead of cowering in fright at the massive jaws and claws he had shown Dino when he tried to pet him.

For the first time in a long while, Tsuna felt truly safe.

Which is why it was justified to do something stupid.

She was curious, has always been and it was going to be her downfall one day. But so much has happened in the span of days, it seemed like she never left the ocean, like she was still caught on that wave pushing and pulling her all over. She was calm and rested, then she was anxious and high-strung. She laughed, she cried. She learnt one thing, she wondered another. She hid one thing, she discovered something else. It was a constant back-and-forth tumble, it seems the tide finally threw her to the one thing she has been ignoring ever since she woke up in that coffin.

The wrongness in the air. The disconnection from the Sky. The glitch in reality that apparently overwrote the timeline. Byakuran. Yuni. Tsuna herself. She wanted to know.

To be fair, she didn't plan for it, but one thing led to another and she was an opportunist.

In a late-night beating session with Lal, after she had successfully landed on her feet without skidding, Tsuna made the offhand comment of calling Reborn to show off her progress. Which was minuscule, but it was progress.

"You need to stay away from him" Was Lal's response, the total opposite of what she had once encouraged when Tsuna was trying to break the wall Reborn had built after that one hospital quarrel. Funny, how Lal's suggestion then was for Tsuna to give up one of her secrets when no one was telling her anything now.

"What?"

And Tsuna wasn't blind, oblivious or stupid to not catch on to the strained interactions despite being a paranoid loner for the past six years.

"Forget it"

"No. No, Lal" Tsuna held on, refusing to let it go. "What the hell does that mean? Ryohei-senpai, he said, he, he said that I bonded with another Sun. W-Was it Reborn?"

"He's a possessive creature, that one. But so are you" Lal pursed her lips like she was stopping herself from saying more than she should. "The Vongola Sky, Mare Sky and the Arcobaleno Sky, they are individual sets with assigned thorns. Every Sky needs its elements. They can court, they can harmonize, glue themselves, sink their claws and claim anyone. But only the Sky can let them in. Some bonds are made, but some are intertwined by Fate. No matter when or how they are always meant to be. You are that type of Sky. Fated, but broken"

"Why?" Tsuna pressed, and it wasn't hatred that flashed in Lal's eyes at that moment, but something close to pity.

"You're the Sky everyone wanted, even if they were already claimed, they still wanted you. And you let them"

And it was very easy to connect the starting pieces when she was holding the bigger one.

"The Ring" Tsuna whispered with faraway eyes "Things went to shit when the Vongola Ring was destroyed, wasn't it? The family, Byakuran, I-... I…"

Tsuna took a step back, then another and another, she stumbled backwards, shaking her head, breathing slow but loudly. Her hand went to cover the Vongola Ring, remembering her conversation with its ghost. If that was real... If it was real then...

No one expected her to know this much, or at least, not to connect the dots so fast. By the time Lal realized what she was planning to do, Tsuna was already running.

"Sawada!" She shouted as she went after her "Sawada, come back here! No, stop it! Fucking, idiot, Sawada!"

But Tsuna didn't stop. She ran through the familiar path that led to the shrine, the easiest escape route for her to reach the outside and breathe fresh wind. The signs were so clear, she just didn't want to see it.

In a time where she didn't belong, in a world where she didn't exist anymore, she stared at the darkening sky and removed the chained Ring from her finger. It fell like a stone to the ground, and Tsuna stood there, unmoving and breathing, just breathing.

She breathed deeply.

And breathed out.

Breathed in-

and chokes.

"Tsuna!"

There was a surge of dark sensations clouding her senses. Shadows took her sight, petrichor invaded her throat, there was fire in her lungs and ice in her veins. She shook and trembled and was submerged in the shrieking pitch of a dying bird, or maybe she was screaming, or maybe she was crying.

"Fuck, fucking shit"

"Get her inside!"

"I'm fucking trying!"

From the dark, a star was born. Like a flower blooming, it grew and flourished, bleeding orange hues so bright, it chased the shadows and burnt the thorns coiled around her being. It took aeons to gasp, mere moments to wheeze.

When Tsuna came back to, the Ring was back on her finger, stifling cold it was almost burning. She was inside what she recognized as the shrine, pulled towards the farthest side away from the exterior and being surrounded by familiar people. It felt like she was waking from a dream, but the nightmare was still fresh in her throat.

"W-Why?" She croaked and hissed when her voice broke in a wounded whisper "Why is the air affecting me?!"

She could still feel it, could still taste it, could still hear it. As discord thrummed all around her, Tsuna understood everything. And she-

She can't tell Reborn. Was her first rational thought. Oh god, Reborn can't know that she… that she- But, but isn't that what she's always wanted?

"Sawada, breathe. I need you to breathe!"

"W-What the fuck, Lal, what the fuck?!" She shook her head in denial, blinking burning tears and trying her best to get air that didn't hurt but every fibre that made her inwards was raw.

"Tsuna, listen to me" Dino gripped her shoulders gently but she wasn't listening.

All she could hear was the echo of the wind, the song dying, scattering in a melody she knew but had forgotten but didn't understand. Fuck, she takes it back. She takes everything back. She would rather succumb to the painless numbness of the tri-ni-sette than become one with the broken World. But she wanted to know, and now she did.

She had thought she had surrendered the Ring to join forces with Byakuran while stopping him from taking control of the World. And in a way, it was. But it was so much worse than that. It was so much clear why everyone wanted the Ring. Not for themselves, but for her. It needed to be with her. Otherwise...

The Vongola ghost called it her lifeline, Hibari-san called it her suicide note, and it couldn't be more true.

She wrote her own death sentence the moment she destroyed the Vongola Ring.

.

.

.

Coming down from that mental breakdown was agonising and slow, she couldn't even think of what happened without bursting into choked tears again. The hysterical denial was still lingering in her throat, the terror was thick in her chest, and now that she knew what everyone tried so hard not to make her think about, all she wanted was to fall deeper into that abyss and get confirmation. There was horror, there was confusion, but there was elation too.

When questioned, Dino spun a tale about weights and expectations finally crashing on her poor young shoulders. To say no one wanted to tell Reborn the truth was so painfully clear now. She can finally understand why older Hibari-san had been so spiteful, why he…

It could also explain her own unexpected hostility towards Yuni and her childish fear of being replaced.

After minutes of pleas and threats to go out again if they didn't leave her, Tsuna was left on her own, still in the Shrine. Midnight had settled but she was too awake to sleep. She was scared of what she would see if she closed her eyes, so she remained awake, torturing herself with every piece of information she had and letting it glue like magnets to other fragments of thought.

It all made sense now, yet nothing made sense either. Her life was like trying to solve a puzzle without the corner pieces, and there are a thousand pieces. And she's blindfolded, too, just for good measure.

Bester yawned behind her. How the box-weapon found her was a mystery but she all but leaned on him when he went to curl behind her. The cats who had lost their owner were sprawling all over him, pawing and rubbing fearlessly against the mighty beast who only grumbled in annoyance and bated away from his nose. It was an adorable sight, but it left her staring at the night sky with dispassionate eyes.

What was she going to do?

The sound of heels against wood made her blink and the shiver that ran down her back made the fog in her mind to withdraw. Slowly, she turned to see the older woman she talked with a few hours ago approaching before Tsuna sighed and hugged her knees closer to her chest.

"Why Hana?"

"Kufufu, her body's best compatible to host me after Chrome"

"It's creepy" She muttered before remembering "She's married"

"I was engaged too"

He said it casually, shedding the skin of her older classmate and settling on his own. His long trenchcoat was as dark as the sky out there, but the silver trims shined with a light of their own like her own ring did. He didn't have visible wounds or showed pain other than amused annoyance when the cats hissed and yowled at his approach. He looked perfectly assembled, with long hair trailing behind him and mismatched eyes that did not show an ounce of grief like all the previous guardians held. He was an illusion, after all.

Tsuna couldn't help but stare.

"Charmed?"

"Shut up" Cheeks blushed in pink, she turned her head to stare at the night sky instead.

Bester growled deeply and tensed, poised to attack as he eyed Mukuro's sitting down next to her, albeit with a space of distance between the sharp jaws of the box-weapon. Tsuna patted his ears, and felt him settle down but vibrate in anticipation as he continued to glare at the illusionist, who was waving mice out of thin air and moving yarn to keep the tiny felines away from digging their claws into his coat.

It was funny, knowing how they loved Hibari-san instead.

And it was only when someone who shouldn't be here invaded their space, that they felt threatened.

"...I wasn't supposed to be Vongola, was I?" She whispered into the night, too scared to even say it out loud.

"You made the throne yours"

"But it's not mine"

"It is" Mukuro ratified "As long as you wear the Ring, Vongola's Will recognizes you as theirs"

You're ours, he did not say but Tsuna heard it all the same.

"The fallout of Vongola and the Arcobaleno… It wasn't Byakuran's plan, was it? It was me, for me. You killed them, they…" Tsuna trembled as she exhaled "Why?"

"They tried to claim someone that didn't belong to them"

She should cry. She should scream.

But she could finally understand the implications of what doomed this future, of what broke the world. She could see the glitch that ruined the timeline Byakuran was fighting so hard to back to and feel why everything felt so wrong. Of why bonding with elements not her own, but rightfully hers in a time long forgotten wasn't a crime but a cataclysm on its own. That moving to the tune of an ancient stone while following a fixed line crafted by blood was tearing her apart.

All the scattered pieces, big and small, were lining up and connecting in a way she would rather have never known.

Yuni called it a bind, a life for a life.

A Sky for a Sky.

And death was the key to set the World right.

Vongola will rise with you. It's what Daemon had been saying for years. As he constantly pushed her to become heir to the throne of not just the underworld, but Vongola's specifically. It had to be Vongola. She had to be.

There can only be one. It's what Xanxus told her when he beat her down and scorched her Will to light up when the Ring rejected him and she needed to claim the right to be Vognola.

You're disconnected The blind man in tattered robes playing with smoke had stated, unwinding the thread of fire coiling in her shaking hands and throbbing head, telling her that to heal what was broken, she needed to choose and find herself.

Kill the spare… It's what the mysterious note from the future had asked, requesting to put an end to the one who ruined the world, and when the World turned upside down, in comes a girl taking Tsuna's place.

Our future was destroyed! Byakuran had roared. One flutter and time collapsed, wrapped reality and changed everything.

They were trapped, but if they worked together, they could free themselves from what was set in stone and make their own paths. But that path didn't belong to Tsuna anymore. Because if Yuni was already filling Tsuna's supposed place in the World, then she needs to slide into the next empty slot for the gears to work, otherwise…

Otherwise…

She will…

But if it was that simple, why hasn't she?

"You are the Sky" Mukuro said quietly, grabbing her chin and tilting her head up so that she could see the manic glint in his eyes. "You claimed us, but you wanted them. It tore you apart, and the World with it"

He had removed one of his black gloves, his touch was light and cool on her skin, but Tsuna still flinched as if she was dosed with cold water when she felt the greedy tendrils of Mist flames unwind through his fingers.

"You really are the only one this world will go to war for, just to keep you"

"I don't want war!" She snarled, though it sounded strained.

"Perhaps" He hummed "But I don't need permission to win it"

Whatever it was that he was doing was soothing the overwhelming fire inside of her and flooding her frayed nerves with a pleasant breeze. And Tsuna stopped moving, glued to her place by a force too great and confusing for her to comprehend. His skin was cool, his flames were soothing, and his grip was gentle on her face, but she could feel the tide of hunger and yearning settling her back to shore.

Her heart stumbled and she had to open her mouth to breathe.

"It's either them or us." He whispered to the night "For the you of now to live in this Worldline, one fraction needs to die"

.

.

.

---

I don't want to explicitly say it yet, I'm saving that textual reveal for later but if you know, then you know.

Lost Summer Days update will explore this spoiler in its next chapter, so make sure to tune in if you want more answers. But if you prefer a slow, gradual reveal, then stick around. Things will unravel soon in the plot.

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I'm so happy to say my Master's is officially done! I can't believe I pulled it through. I want to dedicate this chapter to my laptop! It had been with me for 12 years and saw me finish my thesis (and the start of this fic waaaaaay back) before it died. I managed to save all my stuff so no files were lost. Thank you laptop, you'll be missed. Except my back. You were too heavy for my back.