"....Tsunayoshi, are you hiding something from me?"
Asked Tsuna˙ cutting, straight to his point as always. That question almost--...almost made him cringed, exposing everything on his face. Luckily, Tsuna˚ somehow managed to pull out the best poker face he had with his usual awkward smile.
"Um.. like what?" He asked back.
His parallel self narrowed his eyes. 'What?' Indeed. It's not like he understands it any better. There's no actually reason for him to accuse the older brunette like that. It was just a feeling of some kind. Something in his mind is telling him he's hiding something. The question just came out of his mouth without his realization.
Then he asked the most obvious question.
" Where did you get the information about the ring? How did you found out? Who told you?"
Tsuna˚ gulped. He was hoping somehow he wouldn't asked that. He's not a very good liar or making a convincing lies. Kyoko is a totally different story... compared to someone like Tsuna˙.
So he decided to tell the truth... but not entirely.
".... In my world... There's this person called Byakuran. He's the holder of Mare Rings... one of the Triniset. He, who holds the power of the Triniset had an ability to stay connected to his parallel self and gain various knowledge about the parallel world... Well... a lot had happened.. Even though we fought before now he's... trying to help us. The last time we swapped bodies, Byakuran came to me and explained a few things about our situation... "
"And?" Tsuna˙ asked.
"He told me about how the flames were use... to return back you're the one have to learn to use your own flames.. He didn't tell me much ... except to figure the rest out on my own.." Tsuna˚ explained.
Tsuna˙ stared into his brown orbs, he didn't seems to be lying... but somehow it feels like he's not being completely honest either. But... he also had things he couldn't tell the brunette. In term of honesty, both of them had 'something' to hide and refused to tell each other.... Tsuna˙ sighed and ruffled the back of his head.
"... Tsunayoshi...," he started. " ...Can I trust you?"
Tsuna˚ was taken back by the questions. "H-Huh?"
"... Honestly, everything that happened between us make no sense whatsoever... There's no rational explanation or logic behind this, that could help to clear up the confusion in my mind. No matter how many numbers I've tried to add up, subtract, divide, multiple ... the possibilities of future outcome to our circumstances lead up to either mathematical error or infinite. So in the end I was left with only one option that had no basis ground and couldn't provide actually beneficial results"
".. Huh..?" Tsuna˚ blinked. He spoke too fast and too confusing for him to understand that in one go. He panicked. "W-Wait, c-could you say that again?"
His parallel self sighed. "Just this once... I decided to... trust you-- As long as you follow my rules."
"Rules?"
"One, don't bother telling anyone about our 'circumstances'. I doubt anyone will believe... so don't make them think I've lose my mind.
Two, I know you're curious about me. But don't you ever...I mean seriously don't ever try to stick your nose into someone else's business.
Three, I'm telling you as a warning if you ever feel unsafe... run. Don't ask why, just run... try to keep yourself as safe as possible. Wise option is to stay in your room... all the time."
"Listen, both our fate is pretty much carelessly had been entrusted to me now. I promise I will try my best to obtain my own flames and switch our bodies again. As long as you keep your promise I'll keep my end of the deal. Until then... "
"Don't die yet"
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-Original World- (P.Tsuna)
Bang!
Tsuna immediately woke up, having Neru-sensei with an obvious annoyed and disgust looks at him with his half-inch textbook rolled up slammed on his desk.
Who...? Oh, right... the teacher..
"Sawada-san! I know you're nowhere near good in math! Even if you don't understand anything I'm talking about in the front! Can't you at least pretend, to pay attention during my class?!" He scolded.
"....Hm?... Ah.. hai..hai ....Gomen...Sensei," Tsuna mumbled, a bit half-asleep. He noticed Gokudera behind the teacher had a deadly looks on his face, holding something that looks awfully similar to a dynamite. Yamamoto next to him, was snoring lightly with his textbook covering his face.
...Why didn't Takeshi get scold..?
Not satisfied with the lack of response Neru-sensei shot his a scorn looks before walking back to the front and takes out a stack of papers.
"Now then...," he smirked. "Today we'll be having a pop quiz"
The moment he said that, the other students groaned.
Tsuna didn't pay much attention and kicked Yamamoto's chair, telling him to wake up. The sleepy head woke up with a sheepish grin, Gokudera was glaring at him, saying things like 'how dare you sleep in Juudaime presence!'.
An irk mark appeared on Nezu-sensei head.
"We're going to have a pop quiz today, whether you like it or not! Anyone who received less than 70 marks will stay after school for entire week starting tomorrow!"
He looked at Tsuna. The brunette yawned slightly, throwing his gaze out of the window with bored looks as Gokudera had his usual one-sided argument with Yamamoto.
Another irk mark appeared on his head. He began giving out the papers and decided to pull out his trump card.
"Listen well! You're not allowed to leave a single questions blank! Anyone who didn't finish it in 30 minutes will stay after school today!"
"Uwaa... but my club activities," Yamamoto whined. The other students started to feel the pressure. Gokudera glanced worryingly at his precious Juudaime. Tsuna takes out his pen, tapping on the questions paper with the same bored looks.
"You may begin"
And started to fill out the questions.
*****
-Parallel World- (O.Tsuna)
"Giotto-san!"
Yamamoto waved his hand as he spotted the older blonde, skipping pebbles on the river, making few ripples on the clear water.
"Ah! Takeshi-kun, your here," Giotto greeted him with a smile.
"Haha...Gomen...Did you wait long? The practice went longer that I expected," Yamamoto shot him an apologetic looks.
"No worries, I also just arrived after snuck out to skip-- I mean, to meet you when G wasn't looking," Giotto said, giving him a thumb up, trying to look cool.
Yamamoto sweatdropped. 'President...'
'Giotto-san...G-san is probably turning the school upside down searching for you, right now,' Tsuna thought.
He was hiding behind a tree near where the two was sitting. It took him a while to figure it out, but when he saw Giotto was alone, he thought there's something going on and decided to follow him.
There was silence between the two, until Giotto takes his breath and broke the silence.
"To tell you the truth... this might take a while.. still... would you listen?"
"... Of course,"
"Then, I guess I better start talking," Gitto said with a bitter smile, staring at the orange dyed sky.
Memories started flowing in his mind, an image of of small brunette clinging to him.. how he suddenly changed... that fateful day... that fateful night... how it all started.... everything.
"Tsuna, my Otouto.... wasn't always like this..," he began.
"He used to be a shy but a kind child.. always hide, rely on me...a bit of a crybaby and awkward around people ... especially kids around his age. Probably, because he had a slightly different way of thinking."
"..Different? How?" Yamamoto asked.
"Well... When Tsuna was 8, we discovered he had 180 IQ and as recommendation from his teacher, we let him skipped few grades and join in with the 10 year old kids.. and Kaa-san think he'll be fine because I promised to take care of him...But ...Things didn't go well... he couldn't get along with the older kids either.. and he always come to my classroom to ask me to help him with something... Before I knew it his classmates started to call him 'Dame'... and bully him a lot... and I... couldn't do anything about it," Giotto sighed.
"...Tsuna classmates thinks he's a Dame because he always come running to me whenever he's in troubled.....after that, he takes a few self-defense classes... and completely stopped asking my help.... It lasted for 3 years.. and Tsuna is already 10 year old and in the same class with 12 years old kids. I know Tsuna is still having trouble with those bullies... but for some reason, Tsuna didn't bother to actually fight back or change his class... It strange... but I think he's happy like that..."
"Happy?" Yamamoto asked.
"I also didn't understand it," Giotto sighed again, messing the back of his hair. "... he's in trouble but didn't need my help... He act like he can handle it all ... He probably wanted to do things for himself and stop relying on me..."
Yamamoto stay silent for a few minutes before asking.
"... If he's really happy.... then why did he change?"
Giotto face suddenly change to more serious and painful looks. Still he kept his eyes fixed on the broad sky, trying to find some comfort from the terrible memories. "...That day..."
"It was raining heavily... I was down with a cold... and didn't go to school... and Tsuna was getting ready normally... He was smiling... happily to start a new day... everything seems fine... until that evening...
Tsuna didn't come back...
...He was late... even though school ended hours ago... he's still not home... I might be overly paranoid at first... but it's just... something is telling me... something isn't right... and it's raining and already dark... I was worried... so I went out to look at him."
"... I found him... he bumped into me, panting hard like he's been running from the devil itself... soaked to the bone.. shivering... and pale.... not because of the rain... it was something... something else... his eyes was red and empty... like nothing else matters... I was there in front of him.. when I tried talking to him... his looks changed... to the looks of fear"
"When I bring him back home. He just shut himself in his room and didn't come to school for days... he stopped talking and eating... He didn't want to see anyone... At night, I can hear him crying quietly... For days, I tried to talk to him... to come out... talk to me... come back to school...
Until all of sudden, he did came out... on a weekday... wearing complete Namimori uniform... with bang under his eyes like he haven't slept for days... and casually speaks to me like nothing happened.."
Giotto flinched at those memories. Tsuna that day, his eyes seems dead. He gives as a painful, forced smile as he spoke to him...
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'It's been raining a lot lately, right... Nii-san?'
'...H-huh? Ah! Rain? Y-Yes! Really!"
'Nii-san.. what's wrong?'
'Tsuna you...! I-I... Um... A-Are you alright?'
'Not really... but soon I will...,' he said with the same painful smile.
'... I'm sorry for making you worried.. Nii-san'
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" He went to school normally.... I was worried but didn't say anything as we parted to our class. If only... I did... because... after that, during afternoon lunch...
"He jumped from the school's rooftop"
******
Time seems to have stop for Tsuna.
What did he just said? He... His other self, jumped? Tsuna... tried to commit suicide? ...Why? His mind went blank.
Giotto suddenly held his head down, shivering. His breath were hitched and uneven, slowly engulfed by the traumatic event.
"When I found out.... t-there's a lot of students... crowding... screaming.... there was... blood... blood... everywhere...! I-I don't understand... why...Tsuna was there... his body wasn't moving... It was scary.... some people came... and Tsuna is taken away by an ambulance.. and I was still there... my feet wouldn't move... w-why...?"
"Giotto-san!" Yamamoto held both his shoulder, slightly shaking him, trying to make him snap out of it.
After a few minutes, Giotto was quiet. Tsuna can't help but feel a bit worry, shifting uncomfortably in his hiding place. He can't do anything else except to just stare at him from a distance.
"I... nt.. that kind..," Giotto mumbled with a low voice. "I don't want... to experience that kind of thing again... It was a scary... I don't want to see my Otouto die.. I was supposed to protect him..."
"Giotto-san?"
"...That's why... Kaa-san and I decided...It's fine if he didn't want to go to school... It's fine if he didn't want to go out... It's fine if he want to stay in his room... it's fine if he want to shut himself from the outside world.. it's fine if he didn't want to tell me anything... it's fine if he hates me even... as long as, he didn't do anything like that again... as long as, he's alive.. as long as, he's okay... even if it had to be this way...
"I am happy with just that"
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TBC....