quick note; i haven't watched khr in... nearly three years, so i might be inaccurate about some things, feel free to correct me :)
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"Tsuna, where'd you get that?"
"What?"
Ienari pointed to his neck, and on instant reflex, he hopelessly tried to hide the orange pacifier around his neck. He was lucky he didn't seem to realize it was the same as Reborn's, but the thought wasn't one he could rejoice in. With the Decimo's intuition growing at a constant pace, it was no wonder he became more attentive. And it was getting harder to keep up with half-truths.
"It was a gift," he said briefly. "It's... important to me."
Or else I'd probably die, he thought wryly.
Ienari seemed to accept the answer, turning back to his homework. Reborn had entered moments later, his childish smile so innocent and befitting that it was nearly so convincing he was actually an infant, but the two brothers knew better, attempting to look like they were seriously working on problems. He hopped onto the table, looking at Ienari's papers.
"Do that one over again."
"Eh? But it's—" he refrained from talking any further as Leon turned into a hammer, hitting him on the head. He hissed in pain, clutching his forehead. Defeated, the older Sawada looked back at the previous problem, scrambling to figure where he even went wrong.
He eventually settled in for the night, residing to his own room, mentally exhausted. Tsuna watched his back, an awkward sense of deja-vu coursing through him. Ienari was a lot like him, but he wasn't. Huh. He suddenly longed for those boisterous nights Lambo, I-Pin, and Fuuta would be scrambling around the house, energetic and lively as they chased one another.
But for now, it was only the crybaby Lambo and he was fast asleep already, crying himself to sleep because of Reborn.
"So, you're a Tsunayoshi from a parallel world," Reborn mused, hopping onto the desk beside his bed.
"And you're exactly the same where I'm from," Tsuna huffed.
"Ho, really?" it piqued the hitman's interest. Idly, he wondered if the interest in him was because of the sky's natural charisma, or simply because he was a fellow arcobaleno. It definitely didn't stem from the fact he was another candidate for the Vongola position, though the chances were very awkward and unlikely, given he was holding an arcobaleno position.
Either way, he felt somewhat at ease knowing Reborn would somewhat help him out, even if he wasn't exactly the same—he was not the victim to the questionable tutoring methods, but he was glad he stayed out of most of it and he dare wouldn't complain. Reborn would always be that monstrous tutor, no matter who the student was.
He wondered idly when Dino would appear, it was surely soon.
Not receiving the tutoring felt odd to him, a bitter taste lingering. He'd grown accustomed to a daily, life-threatening case of his mentality or physical being at stake, but instead, he was a sideline, as if watching himself go through it all again.
"How was Ienari in that world?" it was an innocent question, but it struck an odd, heavy chord in him.
"He did not... exist in my world," he said, an odd feeling in his throat. "You were tutoring me."
Reborn's eyes stared at him warily, gauging the weight of the sky arcobaleno's words. "Who was the arcobaleno?"
He swallowed. "Aria-san."
He tipped his fedora, nodding.
"I see."
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"Jyuudaime! Good morning!"
It took everything in him to keep himself silent, allowing Ienari to respond hesitantly, still getting used to the nickname. Gokudera, wary of him, gave a curt nod in greeting. He was careful not to spill anything mafia-related around him, even when Reborn or Yamamoto explicitly would, really just breaking down the effort.
His loyalty in this world was to Ienari, not him, he constantly reminded himself.
The nagging jealously in him was tempted to take over, to pull his guardians back to his side. But he was living as an arcobaleno, just until it was over. Reborn was his fellow element, not this achingly familiar storm.
"Yo!" Yamamoto, too, he thought bitterly. Heaving a heavy breath, he allowed himself to fade from the conversation, another typical argument between the rain and storm erupting.
He couldn't hide the fact he often contemplated why he accepted this, but he did, and he would just have to live with it. Reborn sat atop his head, growing rather comfortable with the habit.
Everything was too familiar to him that he was forgetting to breathe.
"—na, Tsuna," Ienari called out.
The reflection of his own brown eyes stared at him worriedly, causing concern on the two guardians' faces. Tsuna was so oddly tempted to confine to them, pour his worries, but he held back.
"We're even, Ienari, thanks," he said briefly, walking forward on his own.
His brother was confused, but he said nothing, nodding dumbly.
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"Mafia, huh? Sounds fun."
"Tsuna, hearing that from you does not sound right. Please never say that again."
He felt like he was staring at his thirteen-year-old self, hearing Ienari's discomfort. "Okay."
"It's stupid, I don't want to be a boss," his brother moped.
"But you're still doing it," he said.
"I don't want anyone getting hurt, and if it means you and kaa-san will stay safe." Tsuna then wondered what things would've been like to him if Ienari was in his world. The concern on his brother's face resurfaced. "How is it?"
Oh. He meant the wound on his shoulder.
"It doesn't hurt," he said. He was still feeling guilty about the shot, but then, the sky wondered just how much pain he would feel upon learning the real Tsuna had died, and he was just a fake in this world. Could he erase his memory somehow? It wouldn't work, and the idea was selfish of him.
"I'm sorry." Those are supposed to be my words, he thought sadly.
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"You've taken Aria's place."
"It is not for long, unfortunately," he said, trying as hard as he could to keep eye contact with his storm. Reborn was listening quietly, avoiding conversation. He made sure to keep his presence known, and seemingly deciding to step in just to confirm he was still there.
"You're young, Tsunayoshi-kun."
Eyes so similar to Hibari's softened. Tsuna swallowed. "I was Ienari's age when pulled into this."
"That explains your ability to control your flames easily," Reborn said, frowning. "But your body isn't used to it, so it's taken a harsher toll on you, along with the curse."
Spot on as always. His health was not at its peak, he didn't have too long. He heaved a sigh, idly staring at the sky. It was cleared and calming. An opposite to him.
"How much longer do you have?" Fon asked.
"...Who knows?" he laughed bitterly. "I'll probably die before I can even go home. In the end, Aria will take the curse back, or it'll even pass onto Yuni."
When had he become so wistful, he wondered. He was sixteen, living as thirteen, and was way too young to act this way. Reborn and Fon frowned at his words. Neither were amused at his lack of hope, it was sickening and uncharacteristic of a sky.
"You're more dame than Ienari, it's blinding," Reborn said. Whether it was a pure insult or an ease to the tension—most definitely the former, Tsuna found a wry smile on his face.
"I was always called dame-Tsuna for a reason."
A smirk. "It suits you, dame-Tsuna."
His heart clenched at the nickname.
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"Don't involve Tsuna in this, Reborn. He's already having enough with his health, I don't want him part of this."
Ienari's words behind the door wasn't a shock to him. Their mother had no idea of the real reason to Reborn's presence in the Sawada household, and Tsuna, at least to him, was catching on and growing interested. Little did the Decimo know just how much he himself didn't even know.
"It's inevitable, dame-Nari. He is as much of a candidate as you are, but the ninth had selected you," Reborn said, and even without having to see it, he could tell the hitman had tried to find the right words to put it, without revealing too much. It was a straight-up lie, but with the authority the arcobaleno held with his position, even Ienari couldn't see past the lie.
"Why?"
He'd come to see Ienari as real family, whether it be the emotions of the real Tsunayoshi of that world, or just his experience with a twin that was so much like him that it felt normal. He was tempted to say something, but he himself was also at a loss for words.
His mere existence in this world already sprouted another set of what-ifs, another set of parallel worlds. Byakuran was aware of it when he'd sent him here. The chances of the two of them meeting again were not very high, as they had agreed the Gesso would find him again when his duty was done.
Lambo peered at him, curious but silent. It was a real wonder this boy did not have the same loud-mouth as his little lightning. He'd heard the boy's footsteps as he tread up the stairs, but he had expected the boy to go to bed. His green eyes flickered with evident curiosity.
"Ne, ne, Tsuna-nii, why're you eavesdropping?" he whispered. "Is Nari hiding something?"
He didn't expect Lambo's voice to flick a switch on him. Immediately, he sank to his knees, pulling the little lightning into his arms, shaking his head. The innocent five-year-old, confused and unsure, hugged him back tightly, adding, "Lambo-san will make Tsuna-nii feel better. Tsuna-nii can have Lambo-san's grape candy."
"Thank you, Lambo," he whispered, a soft sob breaking his words.
Then, Lambo pulled away from the embrace, slamming the door to Ienari's room open. He puffed his chest out as he held himself in a confidence a five-year-old could have, and he said, "Lambo-san won't forgive Baka-Nari for making Tsuna-nii cry!"
Ienari's face was dumbfounded, confused.
In that split second, Lambo pulled a grenade from his hair. Ienari shrieked, waving his hands frantically as he tried to coax the boy to stop. Tsuna was wuick to react, sprinting into the room and pulling it from the boy's hands. The trigger wasn't pulled yet, and relief washed over the twins.
Ienari fell to his knees, sighing with exhaustion. Lambo had taken a liking to Tsuna rather easily, always listening to the younger Sawada. Then, he looked to him who was whispering something to the boy clad in cow-print. He noticed the drying tears on his face, Lambo's words repeating in his mind.
"Did I do something?" he asked, concerned. He shook his head.
"Lambo was just trying to make me feel better," Tsuna elaborated, forcing up a smile. "Right?"
"He was just being a nuisance," Reborn chirped.
"Reborn!"