It's a Mafia Life (7-8)--KHR Fanfic
Title: It's a Mafia Life
Author: Reidluver
Pairing/Characters: Um...pretty much all of them (characters I mean)
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Spoilers for Future Arc
Summary: As Christmas draws near, TYL!Tsuna starts thinking his Guardians would have been better off without him. But would they? Tsuna's about to find out when his Guardian Angel takes him for a ride, but why does he look so much like Reborn?
[1-2] [3-4] [5-6] [7-8] [9-10] [11-12] [13-14] [15]
Chapter 7: Hollywood Glamour
One second Tsuna was staring down a barrage of flamed bullets, and the next he was surrounded by people from all sides. Instantly he began to panic, seeing as how he was still in Hyper Dying Will Mode, and despite how crazy as his life had gotten, he knew that normal people would be just a bit unsettled by a person with their forehead on fire. Yet before he could do anything, a person went right through him and Tsuna gasped from that unfamiliar feeling, his flame going out instantly.
"Do you really think me that stupid, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn said, sounding rather amused at his side. "Unlike you, I know how to not cause unnecessary trouble."
"Uh-it's-I-can we please get out of the way!" They were merely standing there and Tsuna really hated the feeling of people going through him. Reborn chuckled but nonetheless lead Tsuna out of the throng of people.
They were standing in the safety of a shaded, more secluded area near what looked like an office building. When he was sure on one was looking, Reborn let go of Tsuna and they became tangible again. Once Tsuna was able to relax from no longer having people go through him, he then realized the people on the street were speaking English. Not to mention the fact that back in Namimori it had been late at night, but here it looked like midday. "Where are we now, Reborn?"
"The United States. Los Angeles, California. Or more specifically-Hollywood."
Well that explained why it was so light outside, though Tsuna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Now that's an odd place to go."
"It isn't if a member of your Family is here."
Tsuna's eyes widened rather comically. Then he started laughing. "And who would that be? Is Ryohei a famous boxer in sports movies? Or-or did Hibari discover a secret talent for acting? Did Mukuro escape the Vendice to become a famous singer?" At this point his laughing had progressed to hysterics. Passerby gave him strange looks, most likely finding his combination of a foreign language and crazed laughter a little disconcerting.
But Tsuna couldn't care. He didn't even know what he found so funny to be perfectly honest. It's just that with everything being so damn messed up he didn't know what to do anymore. This was all starting to get to him. He just-
Reborn silenced him with a quick smack to the face. Tsuna blinked against the blinding pain but gave the angel a grateful look. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Why do yo keep showing me this stuff, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, his voice small.
"Because this is your wish, isn't it? And you can't tell me you're not the least bit curious." Tsuna gave a halfhearted shrug. No use in denying it. "And besides-I figured it was about time to show you someone who was able to achieve their dream."
Tsuna visibly perked at that. After all he had seen, he was beginning to think it was impossible for any of his friends to be happy, but now it seemed like there was a bright ray of hope. Of course, in comparison to everything else it wasn't really much to celebrate, but he needed the encouragement now. Perhaps this would be the cheering up he needed.
"So who is it, Reborn?"
"Just follow me and find out." With that Reborn started walking and Tsuna had no choice to follow him. As they made their way into more direct sunlight, they suddenly found themselves at the center of attention. Tsuna made another mental switch to English then immediately regretted it.
"Look at those two! Why are they dressed like that?"
"Maybe it's for some movie?"
"Who cares! Just look at them! They're obviously foreigners!"
"You're totally right!"
"They're so attractive!"
"I wish we could hear them speak."
"Oh gosh-I bet they'd sound so hot!"
Tsuna fought the urge to grimace. Did they really think he couldn't hear them? When he was younger, he found the way random girls would whisper about him behind his back to be rather flattering, having never had girls talk about him that way before. He had heard girls say those things about all his other Guardians, but never himself until that point. However, it got old rather fast and Tsuna quickly understood how Gokudera could get so irritated by it.
But now wasn't the time to be bothered by such things. Which of his Guardians was in Hollywood of all places? All that were left were Hibari, Ryohei, Mukuro, and Chrome. None of them really seemed to fit the acting type, though he supposed all of them could be models, and he could somewhat see Chrome as a movie star. Not that she didn't have what it took, but it just didn't seem to be her thing. But he only knew her through the mafia so perhaps without him she was able to make a career out of it?
Well, whomever it was Tsuna was happy for them. While he knew that the type of international fame associated with movies and Hollywood wasn't always the best, it had to be safer and more enjoyable than mafia life.
After they had walked for about five minutes, Reborn abruptly stopped and turned around to face Tsuna, as if he expected him to say something. Tsuna gave Reborn a look that clearly said he had no idea what the angel was trying to do, then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Tsuna turned to look at it and his jaw dropped. He started walking forward without realizing it, hand slightly outstretched.
They had stopped in front of a movie theater, and one of the movie posters had a very familiar woman on it.
Haru.
Tsuna didn't even bother with the title of the movie-all he could do was gape at the image of Haru on the enormous poster. She looked like the lead role in some romance movie, and Tsuna was beyond pleased to see how well she was doing. "Reborn she's-Haru is-"
"Oh, you talking about Haru Miura?" Tsuna turned to the unknown voice to see a young woman dressed in what only had to be a movie theater uniform; black pants, dark maroon shirt, and a matching visor that went well with her blond hair. She was carrying a broom and one of those long, black dustpans.
"Yeah, uh-is she good?"
"She's amazing!" The girl beamed and looked at the poster longingly. "She's beautiful and her accent is so cute! I'm taking acting classes right now and I hope to be just like her! Oh, and you should totally go and see the movie. Matinee hasn't ended yet so you can go and see it at a cheaper price."
Tsuna gave the woman a small smile. "Thanks, but not today. Maybe some other time, and thanks for the suggestion."
"Anytime." Tsuna waited until the girl was far enough away to turn around to Reborn with a wide grin on his face. "This is just amazing! I should have known Haru would have done so well." Memories of all the costumes she made in the past brought a fond smile to his face. Without Tsuna around for her to want to be the wife of a mafia boss, Haru was able to go places and do something constructive with her life. "Hey, Reborn? Is there a chance I can meet with her? I know there's no way for her to remember me, but I just want to tell her my congratulations."
And be able to see for myself that at least one person in this twisted dimension is happy, was an added, unspoken reason.
Reborn nodded. "Her apartment is down a few blocks this way."
Tsuna really had no idea how Reborn did it, but somehow he had gotten them into one of the most expensive apartment complexes he had ever seen. He took it that many high-paying actors and actresses lived here. There were even security guards in the foyer! It was almost nostalgic of the Vongola mansion stationed in Japan actually, though Tsuna quickly squashed that thought.
An enormous chandelier hung overhead, and Tsuna was momentarily mesmerized at the way the reflecting light sparkled against everything in the foyer, causing the large staircase to look like it were made of glistening gold.
"This way," Reborn said as he began to make his way up the staircase. As Tsuna followed, he found himself rather grateful that he and Reborn were wearing the clothes they were. If he had anything on but his suit and cloak he would feel rather out of place. They stopped on the fourth floor and Reborn started going down one of the halls. At door 102 the angel stopped and faced Tsuna.
"We're going to be invisible."
"What?" Tsuna glanced around nervously and leaned in to whisper, "Are you crazy? Perhaps you missed the part where I said I wanted to speak with her and besides that, don't you think the security will find it a little odd that two people just suddenly disappear in front of someone's door?" As one trained to locate hidden cameras, Tsuna had definitely seen a fair amount.
Reborn sent him a smirk. "Which is exactly why I've made us invisible to all the cameras."
"So you're able to make us invisible to cameras without touching me, but with ordinary people we have to be in contact?"
The angel gave a barely perceptible shrug. "Simple machines are by far easier to trick. Humans aren't." And as if that was explanation enough, Reborn grasped Tsuna's arm and dragged him through yet another door. Tsuna was really starting to hate this part of the angel's power.
It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. The only light came from the cracks in the drapes in front of the large, floor to ceiling windows on the other side of the room. It was actually rather surprising to be so dark, and for a moment Tsuna feared that Haru wasn't there. Reborn seemed to sense his apprehension and pointed over to a couch, which Tsuna now realized had someone sleeping on it. A little disappointed that his visit to see Haru would just be seeing her sleep, Tsuna opened his mouth to talk to Reborn but instantly shut it at the sound of a phone going off.
The figure curled up on the couch grumbled before rolling over and slamming a hand on the ringing phone. "Yes?" the figure said, voice groggy with sleep.
". . . Yeah, yeah-I'm getting up I swear." A lamp was turned on and Tsuna watched as Haru recoiled from the light, bringing her arm up to block it. She laughed. "Hey, you know you were partying as much as the rest of us and that you had twice as much alcohol as I did." She stretched with the elegance of a feline and yawned. "Can't help it if I'm a little more of a lightweight than you, Richards . . . all right, all right-meet you at the studio at six."
Haru tossed the phone beside her on the couch and finished stretching and yawning. Her hair was tousled, her eyeliner lightly smudged, but she was still as beautiful as she ever was. Tsuna noted that her hair was longer than she kept it during his time, which he supposed had to do with whatever movie she was working on now. Haru rubbed her eyes and stood up to make her way over to the open kitchen, her silver silk nightgown flowing behind her. She turned on the kitchen light and moaned, covering her eyes and face from the bright light. After a moment she then turned her attention to a black coffee machine.
As she set about making some coffee, Tsuna turned to Reborn. "I don't understand why we had to come in now. Why can't I wait a while and then try to talk to her?"
Reborn sighed as if he were speaking to a child. "Because she's an actor, Tsuna." He then directed his attention back to Haru, leaving Tsuna to mull over his meaning.
There was a beep and Haru took the coffee cup out from under the machine. She rested her elbows on the marble counter-top, looking exactly how Tsuna felt whenever he woke up from a hangover. Her eye were half closed and she looked to still be partially asleep. After a few sips, she wrinkled her nose at the cup before her and sighed. "Oh what the hell," she muttered before slamming down the mug. She bent down and disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a bottle of something alcoholic and a small glass.
Haru made her back to the couch and plopped down on it, her cheery demeanor now vanished. She poured herself a glass and sunk into the couch with such a detached and forlorn expression Tsuna couldn't help but be moved. That sort of expression did not belong on Haru's face. On instinct Tsuna started to move forward to comfort her, but was stopped by Reborn's grip on his arm.
"She'll call the police and have you evicted before you'd be able to say anything," Reborn warned. "You're invisible, remember?"
Tsuna scowled. He was getting rather impatient about the whole invisible thing. "Well, what do you expect me to do then, huh? Just stand by and watch? What's going on with her anyway?"
"Her job isn't making her happy," Reborn said.
"But . . . she's famous and she's doing what she's always wanted!" Tsuna protested. "Really, how can you make that sort of assumption anyway? Being able to act professionally is something she's always wanted."
"There's a difference between what you want and what you need."
"What are you, some kind of fortune cookie now? What Haru needs is to be happy, and acting makes her happy. Simple as that."
Reborn gestured to Haru in exasperation. "Does she look like she's happy?" Tsuna looked back to Haru and his heart clenched at how lost she looked. Her eyes were glazed over and she was staring at the partially filled glass in her hands as if it held all the answers.
"Well, it's just . . . no she doesn't but it's probably just something temporary. Maybe she just recently broke up with a boyfriend or something. She'll get over it like she always does when times are hard."
"How?"
Tsuna frowned. "What do you mean how? She'll just . . . get over it because that's who she is. She's strong."
"Did you ever find it strange how she never talked about anyone from her old school? How she was always available to hang out with you and the others no matter what?" Tsuna frowned. He actually hadn't thought of that before. Because he saw her so often, there were times he forgot they went to different schools. He never saw her during class, but it was the same with Ryohei. It felt like she was just in another class.
"She didn't have any friends besides us, did she?" Tsuna said aloud, mainly to himself. Then he shook his head. "But that was in middle school! What does that have to do with how she's feeling now?"
Reborn sighed once again. "Look around, Tsuna. Tell me what you see."
Tsuna frowned at the odd request but nonetheless did as he was told. It was certainly the home of a movie star, with all the expensive furniture and paintings and vases. Truthfully, Tsuna couldn't find anything wrong with it. Everything was clean, it looked as if a professional had designed it. In fact, it looked a little too well done.
"It's not Haru," Tsuna said. He quickly glanced around again. "This apartment doesn't feel like Haru at all." It actually felt like no one lived there, like everything was only for display. The Haru he knew loved bright colors and had an almost haphazard flair for decoration. Her decorating skills always looked like an explosion of colors and objects, yet they always seemed to go perfectly together. This place didn't have that. It was too strict. Haru was the one who stuck out like a sore thumb, the only thing in the apartment that didn't belong. "So she doesn't have any friends now either I guess is what you're trying to tell me?"
Reborn nodded.
"Well how do you know?" Tsuna asked angrily. "If she's been in movies she's had to have gotten close to someone, right? She's had to have made some friends!"
"You're right, she's made some close acquaintances over the years," Reborn said, "but in her business it's harder to keep a solid friendship going because of the long hours you have to work and the competitive atmosphere. It's one of those places where you can be surrounded by people but also be completely alone."
"You're definitely sounding like a fortune cookie," Tsuna muttered. He turned his gaze back to Haru and his heart clenched again as he noticed she was practically out cold, looking like she had lost all reason to live. The brunette bit his lip. "Reborn . . . don't you think that I could help-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Tsuna whipped around, ready to fight no matter what Reborn said when a very stereotypical-looking talent agent strode through the door. The man zeroed in on Haru and swore.
"That's the fifth time this damn month!" he said, shaking his head. He rushed over to Haru's side and gently pried the empty bottle and glass from her hands. Haru stirred slightly at his touch and peered at him through glazed eyes.
"Wha're you doing 'ere . . . Richards?" she said, her words barely discernible.
The man clicked his tongue. "I was going to try to stop you from doing this, but it seems I wasn't fast enough."
Haru let out a garbled laugh. "Some f-fine . . . Prince Charming you-hic-turned ou' to be."
"Yes well, I'm sorry but you'll only find those kind of people in the movies," Richards said with a fond smile. "Now let's get you freshened up so we can get you to that studio in a respectable condition." The dark-haired man slid an arm under Haru's legs and wrapped one around her back then picked her up. He made his way down the hall and Reborn tugged on Tsuna's arm.
"We're done here."
Tsuna shook his head, his gaze still trained down the hall. "I'm not really sure I want to leave her alone with him."
"Don't worry, Tsuna. The man may love money too much, but he has his morals. He hasn't taken advantage of Haru yet and he never will." He tugged on Tsuna's arm once again to get his attention.
"Now before we go to our next destination," Reborn said, looking at Tsuna seriously, "I want your promise that you will do exactly as I tell you and that there won't be anymore mishaps like we had with the Varia, understand? When I want you to be invisible you need to be invisible."
"Huh?" These were rather specific instructions. "What, is the place we're going next really that dangerous? Where are we going, Reborn?"
The angel looked away for a moment. He then sighed with the air of someone about to reveal something unpleasant.
"Vendicare Prison."
Chapter 8: Mindless Carnivore
Tsuna had to admit he was a bit unsettled. They were in Vendicare Prison after all. And yes, they were invisible but Tsuna couldn't help but feel an irrational fear that the Vendice had the power to see him. There was just something . . . off about them. Mention the Vendice to even the toughest of mafioso and their face would turn pale. Even Reborn (the real one) seemed wary of them. So far, Tsuna hadn't really been able to solve the mystery that was the Vendice, but if he were to be honest he was willing to let it remain a mystery.
The two were currently walking down a hallway, the floor squeaking with each step they took. At one point a Vendice member passed them, and Tsuna held his breath the entire time for fear the man could hear him breathe. Thankfully, he passed by the two of them without a glance and Tsuna was able to relax as they continued their journey. The place actually bore a resemblance to the Vongola underground base, with its reflective waxed floors and plain cement walls, though this place was immaculate and stripped bare of all unnecessary items. It made Tsuna feel like he was in a tomb for some reason.
"So Reborn, uh . . . is it Mukuro?"
The angel glanced at him sideways. "No. He was never recaptured by the Vendice because he never went after you. And don't worry-we'll see him soon enough."
Tsuna nodded, unsure of what to say next. Part of him was curious as to which member of his Family was here, but part of him was also horrified. Who would it be?
"This is the room." Reborn said. He had stopped in front of door 13. There was nothing special about it to distinguish it from all the other doors and there were no voices coming from the other side, which Tsuna decided was a good thing. It meant that whomever was beyond the door wasn't being tortured by the Vendice-for now at least.
Tsuna tried to swallow against the lump that had formed in the back of his throat, but his mouth was completely dry. His breathing began to accelerate and his hands started growing damp from sweat. This was it. Once they went through that door he would see one of his Family members, and there was no way he could fool himself into being optimistic.
"S-say um . . . Reborn? Why didn't you just make us appear in the room? Why go through all the trouble of walking?"
The angel looked at him with a bit of a pitying expression. "Because I didn't want the shock to be too much for you." And with that, the two of them went through the door.
Tsuna had thought he was prepared for the worst.
He was wrong.
They were currently standing in a padded room, which for all intents and purposes made Tsuna feel like he was surrounded by big, fluffy pillows. Or marshmallows, but Tsuna had long since developed a fear for those particular sweets. Actually, the entire Vongola Family now had an irrational fear towards them, and their hot chocolate would be forever free of the sugary confection.
But enough about marshmallows. The real trouble was sitting before him, arms bound by a white jacket.
"He can see us, but I've made it so the cameras can't," Reborn muttered, letting go of Tsuna's arm. Tsuna didn't hear a word the angel said though, his attention too focused on the figure in front of him.
Hibari glanced up at their sudden appearance, his eyes unfocused for a moment. Then his face split into a wide grin and Tsuna was unable to stop the girlish shriek that escaped his throat. He had seen Hibari smile before (though out of respect for Hibari's pride he never said anything) but this . . . this was the smile of a madman.
Not to say that Hibari's sanity was ever completely intact in the first place (Tsuna learned early on that most of the people in his Family had some level of mental instability, and as such he was guilty as well for being able to put up with it) but this was different. That single smile let Tsuna know that everything that made Hibari who he was . . . was gone, overcome by the dark throes of insanity.
"What are you crowding around in my room for?" Hibari said, his voice gruff and scratchy, no longer smooth and regal. He locked gazes with Tsuna and glared. "If you don't leave soon I'll bite you to death."
Then he smiled again and giggled. Actually giggled. "Bite you to death! Hahahahaha! Teeth in your skin, little red dots-blood pouring in my mouth!" Hibari threw his head back and laughed, oblivious to Tsuna's horrified expression. Then Hibari stopped and glared at Tsuna once more.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed. "No one else is allowed here. You're disturbing the peace! Disturbing the peace! I've got to punish you-punish you! Where's my tonfa? Blood on the tonfa-your blood! Kill! Have to kill; it's the only way you'll behave! Hahahahaha!"
Tsuna could only stand there, paralyzed with terror. He wanted to look away, but for some reason he couldn't. All he could see was Hibari laughing in a voice that most certainly did not suit him.
"I think that's enough," Reborn whispered. He tugged on Tsuna's arm and led him away. They walked in silence for a while, with the sound of Hibari's crazed laughter echoing through the halls. Eventually, Tsuna leaned against a wall and slid down a few inches with a blank expression on his face.
"H-he's gone mad," he said, barely over a whisper. "I never thought that I'd . . . he looked so . . ." He took a deep, shuddering breath and looked up at Reborn helplessly. "What happened to him? Why is he acting like this? How could . . . this happen because I was never born?"
Reborn sighed with an expression that told Tsuna this wasn't going to be pleasant. "Because he never met you or Reborn, all Hibari could do was keep the peace in the way he had always been doing. Without any positive influences or sense of a normal life that you offered, all the killing and bloodshed started getting to him. It started messing up his mind and he grew even more fanatical about fighting, since it was all he knew.
"It got so bad that he started attacking people for walking the wrong way. Eventually, the Vendice had to intervene because he was causing too much trouble."
Tsuna frowned. "Vendice? But . . . they deal with mafia. From what Yamamoto said, he didn't join the mafia, and I can't ever see him joining without Reborn's intervention."
"It's true, he didn't join the mafia, but he caused so much trouble that the Vendice were the only ones who could intervene. Hibari had grown bored of people he regularly fought and wanted a real challenge. He had grown so powerful that he decided the only people strong enough to fight him were in the mafia. On his way to gather information about Byakuran, he started challenging Family after Family, and after entirely annihilating three of them, the Vendice decided they had to put a stop to him. Because he wasn't in the mafia, they couldn't pass a death sentence on him, and so their only remaining option was to lock him up forever."
"I don't . . ." Tsuna rubbed his eyes, vainly hoping this was all a dream. "I can understand Hibari getting a bit uh . . . overzealous with fighting but there had to be something else. What was it that finally made him snap?"
The angel gave a slight wince. "After destroying an entire Family, Kusakabe intervened and tried to talk some sense into Hibari. He told him that fighting these people for no reason was pointless and tried to get him to focus on their mission to find Byakuran. Unfortunately . . . in a violent rage Hibari killed him right there." Tsuna froze in horror. No . . . no it couldn't-
"Hibari never meant to," Reborn continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "but it happened all the same. It was then, when he was covered in the blood of the only person he was ever close to, with his dead body before him that Hibari lost his mind. It was then that he easily slaughtered two other Families, and the Vendice took him away."
By now Tsuna's legs had lost all their strength and he slid all the way down to the floor. Reborn crouched down with him, still keeping a hold on his arm. It was silent for a while as the angel left Tsuna to his thoughts.
"Come on," Reborn said after a few minutes had passed. "There's someone else you need to see."
Tsuna snapped out of his trance at that, a horrified expression on his face. "Wait . . . you mean . . . s-someone else? Here?"
Reborn nodded. "This person is here under special circumstances in a way somewhat similar to Hibari."
Tsuna turned his gaze towards the ground. He clasped his shaking hands together and shook his head. "No . . . I-I can't-I don't know how much more of this I can take, Reborn," Tsuna muttered softly.
"You have to," the angel said, his voice so soft and gentle that it almost felt wrong to hear it come out of Reborn's mouth. The angel held out his other hand, smiling the whole time, though it was a sad smile. "This is your wish, and so you should see it to the end."
Not really having much energy to argue, Tsuna took the offered hand and they stood. He gave the angel a small nod and they made their way down the hall again, only to stop three doors down.
"So Reborn," Tsuna began, "when you said special circumstances-what do you mean by that? Has this person gone mad, too?"
"No. This person is not a prisoner, nor has he committed any crime."
Tsuna frowned. "Then why is he here?"
"For protection," Reborn said. "As such, he has no cameras or videos in his room, so you are allowed to show yourself and speak to him. Let's go."
When they arrived on the other side of the door, Tsuna felt like this had to be a trick. It had to be. Never in a million years would he have thought this possible. It was just . . . it was just so wrong!
The light-haired young man sat up in slight surprise at Tsuna's arrival. "I already gave Aton the rankings on the Medici Family," he said in a monotone, deadpan voice. "Did something else come up?"
If Reborn hadn't stepped forward to grasp Tsuna's arm, he would have collapsed on the floor. "F-Fuuta?"
Or what was left of him. Emotionally that is, though he did have a horrible burn that covered his entire left arm and there was a jagged scar that ran down the entire right side of his face. It was a miracle he could still see out of that eye. And as horrifying at those injuries were, the thing that hurt Tsuna the most was Fuuta himself. His personality or essence as you could term it.
If Tsuna wanted to get technical, he would argue that Fuuta was no longer there. That he was dead. That the one standing before him with a slightly confused expression was just a living body with no soul. The light had died from his eyes and Tsuna was reminded of the look people had when they had given up on living. There just wasn't anyone there.
"Yes . . . that's my name," the young man said. "Are you here for rankings? Forgive me for saying so, but I don't think I've seen you before. Are you a new recruit for the Vendice? Oh-Aton must have sent you here for your ranking. Please excuse me while I get my book." Fuuta sent a small bow in Tsuna's direction then calmly walked over to a desk in the corner of the room, where Tsuna saw the very familiar red book. Then to his surprise he noticed there were two others stacked up on the desk, with one of them looking like it had been through a battle.
"Reborn what the hell is going on here?" Tsuna hissed as Fuuta made his way back over to them, book in hand. Fuuta's room was spacious, all the possessions and furniture were high quality and well taken care of; for all intents and purposes it looked like an ideal young adult bedroom. Though for some reason, Tsuna couldn't shake the feeling that it was just as much as a prison as Hibari's room was. "How is this for his protection? Why does he need it anyway?"
"Because he's the Ranking Prince," Reborn whispered back. "Don't you remember what happened when you first met him? People have and always will be willing to do anything to get their hands on his book, and that's why he's here for protection."
"But why did-"
Tsuna's words were cut short at the familiar sensation of being lifted into the air.
"Do you hear me Ranking Planet?"
"Shit, this isn't good." Tsuna glanced over at the floating Reborn in surprise. Just what kind of angel was he? "We've got to go, Tsuna." Reborn rushed over to him, swimming through the air rather comically, and were Tsuna not so depressed about Fuuta's situation he would have been doubled over in laughter.
The planetary glaze in his eyes vanished and Fuuta gasped. "You're from-"
At that moment, Reborn grasped Tsuna's arm and they disappeared, leaving behind a rather shaken Fuuta who collapsed on his bed. "How is . . . why was . . ." His rankings had never been wrong before, so why were they telling him that this man had never been born-and why was it specified that it was only from this timeline? Just who was that man?
The pair reappeared in a neighborhood of some kind, and judging by the amount of light outside it was early morning. Tsuna quickly turned on Reborn. "Explain to me how things got so bad for Fuuta that he had to go and live with the Vendice!"
Reborn sighed. "As I said and as you remember, Fuuta's rankings are so accurate many feel they're worth killing for. Since he was never able to join your Family, he didn't have nearly as much support and protection. The Vongola Family is the only one other Mafia Families wouldn't dare to mess with."
"But what about Dino?" Tsuna protested.
"The Chiavarone Family did look after Fuuta for a while, but they were eventually overwhelmed and Fuuta was taken from them."
Tsuna's stomach twisted with worry. "Dino is all right, isn't he? He's . . . still alive, right?" Reborn nodded and Tsuna let out a sigh of relief.
"After that, Fuuta became the attention of so many Families that it started turning into a war. Everyone wanted him and things got so bad that the Vendice had to get involved."
"But why did they have to take Fuuta? None of this was his fault! Why did he have to be punished?"
"It was the best option," Reborn said. "There were too many Families fighting that they would overflow the prison, and fighting over Fuuta wasn't a large enough crime to land them there anyway. To stop the war from progressing any further and to save Fuuta's life, they had to bring him somewhere he wouldn't be a target, and that place was the Vendicare Prison. They give him all he needs and generally leave him alone unless they need rankings on criminals they need to take care of."
Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "Then that makes them just as guilty as everyone else!" he spat. "They're just forcing him to give them rankings!"
The angel shrugged. "Call it what you want, but it's the only reason Fuuta is still alive today."
If you'd call that living, Tsuna thought bitterly.
"And now that I've finished explaining, would you like to visit the next person?"
" . . . Do I really have a choice?" Tsuna sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Who's next?" he asked, mentally bracing himself.
"Sasagawa Kyoko."
Tsuna immediately beamed. Kyoko was the answer! There was absolutely nothing that could go wrong in Kyoko's life without him there! This was what he was looking for. "Let's go, Reborn! Kyoko will be just fine-you'll see!"
Reborn stayed silent.
Meanwhile in Italy, a young white-haired man set down his phone on the receiver. He smiled and addressed the man kneeling before him.
"Looks like our Vendice contact has finally proven himself useful," Byakuran said. He twirled a marshmallow in his hand and squeezed it experimentally. "It appears that just minutes ago, the young Ranking Prince was visited by a brown-haired man with a mantle coat and a dark-haired man in a fedora."
Gokudera lifted his head quickly. "Those are the same people I encountered, Lord Byakuran!"
Byakuran laughed. "Well that's just wonderful news. I've been waiting for this for quite some time."
"So you know who it is, Lord Byakuran? Is it true he's a Vongola descendant?"
"Yep!" His purple eyes narrowed. "Tsunayoshi Sawada . . . now we shall finally meet in this world." He stood up abruptly and made his way over to Gokudera. "I feel we should give this man a proper greeting, don't you agree?"
"Yes, Lord Byakuran!" Gokudera leapt to his feet and nodded passionately.
Byakuran laughed and pat Gokudera's shoulder. "Well then, I suppose it's time to go visit my dear Shouichi."
**NOTE** The talented daigranon has written a oneshot about insane!Hibari and I HIGHLY recommend reading it. It's called Infestation Coleoptera.
Previous | Next
Author: Reidluver
Pairing/Characters: Um...pretty much all of them (characters I mean)
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Spoilers for Future Arc
Summary: As Christmas draws near, TYL!Tsuna starts thinking his Guardians would have been better off without him. But would they? Tsuna's about to find out when his Guardian Angel takes him for a ride, but why does he look so much like Reborn?
[1-2] [3-4] [5-6] [7-8] [9-10] [11-12] [13-14] [15]
Chapter 7: Hollywood Glamour
One second Tsuna was staring down a barrage of flamed bullets, and the next he was surrounded by people from all sides. Instantly he began to panic, seeing as how he was still in Hyper Dying Will Mode, and despite how crazy as his life had gotten, he knew that normal people would be just a bit unsettled by a person with their forehead on fire. Yet before he could do anything, a person went right through him and Tsuna gasped from that unfamiliar feeling, his flame going out instantly.
"Do you really think me that stupid, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn said, sounding rather amused at his side. "Unlike you, I know how to not cause unnecessary trouble."
"Uh-it's-I-can we please get out of the way!" They were merely standing there and Tsuna really hated the feeling of people going through him. Reborn chuckled but nonetheless lead Tsuna out of the throng of people.
They were standing in the safety of a shaded, more secluded area near what looked like an office building. When he was sure on one was looking, Reborn let go of Tsuna and they became tangible again. Once Tsuna was able to relax from no longer having people go through him, he then realized the people on the street were speaking English. Not to mention the fact that back in Namimori it had been late at night, but here it looked like midday. "Where are we now, Reborn?"
"The United States. Los Angeles, California. Or more specifically-Hollywood."
Well that explained why it was so light outside, though Tsuna couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Now that's an odd place to go."
"It isn't if a member of your Family is here."
Tsuna's eyes widened rather comically. Then he started laughing. "And who would that be? Is Ryohei a famous boxer in sports movies? Or-or did Hibari discover a secret talent for acting? Did Mukuro escape the Vendice to become a famous singer?" At this point his laughing had progressed to hysterics. Passerby gave him strange looks, most likely finding his combination of a foreign language and crazed laughter a little disconcerting.
But Tsuna couldn't care. He didn't even know what he found so funny to be perfectly honest. It's just that with everything being so damn messed up he didn't know what to do anymore. This was all starting to get to him. He just-
Reborn silenced him with a quick smack to the face. Tsuna blinked against the blinding pain but gave the angel a grateful look. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Why do yo keep showing me this stuff, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, his voice small.
"Because this is your wish, isn't it? And you can't tell me you're not the least bit curious." Tsuna gave a halfhearted shrug. No use in denying it. "And besides-I figured it was about time to show you someone who was able to achieve their dream."
Tsuna visibly perked at that. After all he had seen, he was beginning to think it was impossible for any of his friends to be happy, but now it seemed like there was a bright ray of hope. Of course, in comparison to everything else it wasn't really much to celebrate, but he needed the encouragement now. Perhaps this would be the cheering up he needed.
"So who is it, Reborn?"
"Just follow me and find out." With that Reborn started walking and Tsuna had no choice to follow him. As they made their way into more direct sunlight, they suddenly found themselves at the center of attention. Tsuna made another mental switch to English then immediately regretted it.
"Look at those two! Why are they dressed like that?"
"Maybe it's for some movie?"
"Who cares! Just look at them! They're obviously foreigners!"
"You're totally right!"
"They're so attractive!"
"I wish we could hear them speak."
"Oh gosh-I bet they'd sound so hot!"
Tsuna fought the urge to grimace. Did they really think he couldn't hear them? When he was younger, he found the way random girls would whisper about him behind his back to be rather flattering, having never had girls talk about him that way before. He had heard girls say those things about all his other Guardians, but never himself until that point. However, it got old rather fast and Tsuna quickly understood how Gokudera could get so irritated by it.
But now wasn't the time to be bothered by such things. Which of his Guardians was in Hollywood of all places? All that were left were Hibari, Ryohei, Mukuro, and Chrome. None of them really seemed to fit the acting type, though he supposed all of them could be models, and he could somewhat see Chrome as a movie star. Not that she didn't have what it took, but it just didn't seem to be her thing. But he only knew her through the mafia so perhaps without him she was able to make a career out of it?
Well, whomever it was Tsuna was happy for them. While he knew that the type of international fame associated with movies and Hollywood wasn't always the best, it had to be safer and more enjoyable than mafia life.
After they had walked for about five minutes, Reborn abruptly stopped and turned around to face Tsuna, as if he expected him to say something. Tsuna gave Reborn a look that clearly said he had no idea what the angel was trying to do, then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Tsuna turned to look at it and his jaw dropped. He started walking forward without realizing it, hand slightly outstretched.
They had stopped in front of a movie theater, and one of the movie posters had a very familiar woman on it.
Haru.
Tsuna didn't even bother with the title of the movie-all he could do was gape at the image of Haru on the enormous poster. She looked like the lead role in some romance movie, and Tsuna was beyond pleased to see how well she was doing. "Reborn she's-Haru is-"
"Oh, you talking about Haru Miura?" Tsuna turned to the unknown voice to see a young woman dressed in what only had to be a movie theater uniform; black pants, dark maroon shirt, and a matching visor that went well with her blond hair. She was carrying a broom and one of those long, black dustpans.
"Yeah, uh-is she good?"
"She's amazing!" The girl beamed and looked at the poster longingly. "She's beautiful and her accent is so cute! I'm taking acting classes right now and I hope to be just like her! Oh, and you should totally go and see the movie. Matinee hasn't ended yet so you can go and see it at a cheaper price."
Tsuna gave the woman a small smile. "Thanks, but not today. Maybe some other time, and thanks for the suggestion."
"Anytime." Tsuna waited until the girl was far enough away to turn around to Reborn with a wide grin on his face. "This is just amazing! I should have known Haru would have done so well." Memories of all the costumes she made in the past brought a fond smile to his face. Without Tsuna around for her to want to be the wife of a mafia boss, Haru was able to go places and do something constructive with her life. "Hey, Reborn? Is there a chance I can meet with her? I know there's no way for her to remember me, but I just want to tell her my congratulations."
And be able to see for myself that at least one person in this twisted dimension is happy, was an added, unspoken reason.
Reborn nodded. "Her apartment is down a few blocks this way."
Tsuna really had no idea how Reborn did it, but somehow he had gotten them into one of the most expensive apartment complexes he had ever seen. He took it that many high-paying actors and actresses lived here. There were even security guards in the foyer! It was almost nostalgic of the Vongola mansion stationed in Japan actually, though Tsuna quickly squashed that thought.
An enormous chandelier hung overhead, and Tsuna was momentarily mesmerized at the way the reflecting light sparkled against everything in the foyer, causing the large staircase to look like it were made of glistening gold.
"This way," Reborn said as he began to make his way up the staircase. As Tsuna followed, he found himself rather grateful that he and Reborn were wearing the clothes they were. If he had anything on but his suit and cloak he would feel rather out of place. They stopped on the fourth floor and Reborn started going down one of the halls. At door 102 the angel stopped and faced Tsuna.
"We're going to be invisible."
"What?" Tsuna glanced around nervously and leaned in to whisper, "Are you crazy? Perhaps you missed the part where I said I wanted to speak with her and besides that, don't you think the security will find it a little odd that two people just suddenly disappear in front of someone's door?" As one trained to locate hidden cameras, Tsuna had definitely seen a fair amount.
Reborn sent him a smirk. "Which is exactly why I've made us invisible to all the cameras."
"So you're able to make us invisible to cameras without touching me, but with ordinary people we have to be in contact?"
The angel gave a barely perceptible shrug. "Simple machines are by far easier to trick. Humans aren't." And as if that was explanation enough, Reborn grasped Tsuna's arm and dragged him through yet another door. Tsuna was really starting to hate this part of the angel's power.
It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. The only light came from the cracks in the drapes in front of the large, floor to ceiling windows on the other side of the room. It was actually rather surprising to be so dark, and for a moment Tsuna feared that Haru wasn't there. Reborn seemed to sense his apprehension and pointed over to a couch, which Tsuna now realized had someone sleeping on it. A little disappointed that his visit to see Haru would just be seeing her sleep, Tsuna opened his mouth to talk to Reborn but instantly shut it at the sound of a phone going off.
The figure curled up on the couch grumbled before rolling over and slamming a hand on the ringing phone. "Yes?" the figure said, voice groggy with sleep.
". . . Yeah, yeah-I'm getting up I swear." A lamp was turned on and Tsuna watched as Haru recoiled from the light, bringing her arm up to block it. She laughed. "Hey, you know you were partying as much as the rest of us and that you had twice as much alcohol as I did." She stretched with the elegance of a feline and yawned. "Can't help it if I'm a little more of a lightweight than you, Richards . . . all right, all right-meet you at the studio at six."
Haru tossed the phone beside her on the couch and finished stretching and yawning. Her hair was tousled, her eyeliner lightly smudged, but she was still as beautiful as she ever was. Tsuna noted that her hair was longer than she kept it during his time, which he supposed had to do with whatever movie she was working on now. Haru rubbed her eyes and stood up to make her way over to the open kitchen, her silver silk nightgown flowing behind her. She turned on the kitchen light and moaned, covering her eyes and face from the bright light. After a moment she then turned her attention to a black coffee machine.
As she set about making some coffee, Tsuna turned to Reborn. "I don't understand why we had to come in now. Why can't I wait a while and then try to talk to her?"
Reborn sighed as if he were speaking to a child. "Because she's an actor, Tsuna." He then directed his attention back to Haru, leaving Tsuna to mull over his meaning.
There was a beep and Haru took the coffee cup out from under the machine. She rested her elbows on the marble counter-top, looking exactly how Tsuna felt whenever he woke up from a hangover. Her eye were half closed and she looked to still be partially asleep. After a few sips, she wrinkled her nose at the cup before her and sighed. "Oh what the hell," she muttered before slamming down the mug. She bent down and disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a bottle of something alcoholic and a small glass.
Haru made her back to the couch and plopped down on it, her cheery demeanor now vanished. She poured herself a glass and sunk into the couch with such a detached and forlorn expression Tsuna couldn't help but be moved. That sort of expression did not belong on Haru's face. On instinct Tsuna started to move forward to comfort her, but was stopped by Reborn's grip on his arm.
"She'll call the police and have you evicted before you'd be able to say anything," Reborn warned. "You're invisible, remember?"
Tsuna scowled. He was getting rather impatient about the whole invisible thing. "Well, what do you expect me to do then, huh? Just stand by and watch? What's going on with her anyway?"
"Her job isn't making her happy," Reborn said.
"But . . . she's famous and she's doing what she's always wanted!" Tsuna protested. "Really, how can you make that sort of assumption anyway? Being able to act professionally is something she's always wanted."
"There's a difference between what you want and what you need."
"What are you, some kind of fortune cookie now? What Haru needs is to be happy, and acting makes her happy. Simple as that."
Reborn gestured to Haru in exasperation. "Does she look like she's happy?" Tsuna looked back to Haru and his heart clenched at how lost she looked. Her eyes were glazed over and she was staring at the partially filled glass in her hands as if it held all the answers.
"Well, it's just . . . no she doesn't but it's probably just something temporary. Maybe she just recently broke up with a boyfriend or something. She'll get over it like she always does when times are hard."
"How?"
Tsuna frowned. "What do you mean how? She'll just . . . get over it because that's who she is. She's strong."
"Did you ever find it strange how she never talked about anyone from her old school? How she was always available to hang out with you and the others no matter what?" Tsuna frowned. He actually hadn't thought of that before. Because he saw her so often, there were times he forgot they went to different schools. He never saw her during class, but it was the same with Ryohei. It felt like she was just in another class.
"She didn't have any friends besides us, did she?" Tsuna said aloud, mainly to himself. Then he shook his head. "But that was in middle school! What does that have to do with how she's feeling now?"
Reborn sighed once again. "Look around, Tsuna. Tell me what you see."
Tsuna frowned at the odd request but nonetheless did as he was told. It was certainly the home of a movie star, with all the expensive furniture and paintings and vases. Truthfully, Tsuna couldn't find anything wrong with it. Everything was clean, it looked as if a professional had designed it. In fact, it looked a little too well done.
"It's not Haru," Tsuna said. He quickly glanced around again. "This apartment doesn't feel like Haru at all." It actually felt like no one lived there, like everything was only for display. The Haru he knew loved bright colors and had an almost haphazard flair for decoration. Her decorating skills always looked like an explosion of colors and objects, yet they always seemed to go perfectly together. This place didn't have that. It was too strict. Haru was the one who stuck out like a sore thumb, the only thing in the apartment that didn't belong. "So she doesn't have any friends now either I guess is what you're trying to tell me?"
Reborn nodded.
"Well how do you know?" Tsuna asked angrily. "If she's been in movies she's had to have gotten close to someone, right? She's had to have made some friends!"
"You're right, she's made some close acquaintances over the years," Reborn said, "but in her business it's harder to keep a solid friendship going because of the long hours you have to work and the competitive atmosphere. It's one of those places where you can be surrounded by people but also be completely alone."
"You're definitely sounding like a fortune cookie," Tsuna muttered. He turned his gaze back to Haru and his heart clenched again as he noticed she was practically out cold, looking like she had lost all reason to live. The brunette bit his lip. "Reborn . . . don't you think that I could help-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Tsuna whipped around, ready to fight no matter what Reborn said when a very stereotypical-looking talent agent strode through the door. The man zeroed in on Haru and swore.
"That's the fifth time this damn month!" he said, shaking his head. He rushed over to Haru's side and gently pried the empty bottle and glass from her hands. Haru stirred slightly at his touch and peered at him through glazed eyes.
"Wha're you doing 'ere . . . Richards?" she said, her words barely discernible.
The man clicked his tongue. "I was going to try to stop you from doing this, but it seems I wasn't fast enough."
Haru let out a garbled laugh. "Some f-fine . . . Prince Charming you-hic-turned ou' to be."
"Yes well, I'm sorry but you'll only find those kind of people in the movies," Richards said with a fond smile. "Now let's get you freshened up so we can get you to that studio in a respectable condition." The dark-haired man slid an arm under Haru's legs and wrapped one around her back then picked her up. He made his way down the hall and Reborn tugged on Tsuna's arm.
"We're done here."
Tsuna shook his head, his gaze still trained down the hall. "I'm not really sure I want to leave her alone with him."
"Don't worry, Tsuna. The man may love money too much, but he has his morals. He hasn't taken advantage of Haru yet and he never will." He tugged on Tsuna's arm once again to get his attention.
"Now before we go to our next destination," Reborn said, looking at Tsuna seriously, "I want your promise that you will do exactly as I tell you and that there won't be anymore mishaps like we had with the Varia, understand? When I want you to be invisible you need to be invisible."
"Huh?" These were rather specific instructions. "What, is the place we're going next really that dangerous? Where are we going, Reborn?"
The angel looked away for a moment. He then sighed with the air of someone about to reveal something unpleasant.
"Vendicare Prison."
Chapter 8: Mindless Carnivore
Tsuna had to admit he was a bit unsettled. They were in Vendicare Prison after all. And yes, they were invisible but Tsuna couldn't help but feel an irrational fear that the Vendice had the power to see him. There was just something . . . off about them. Mention the Vendice to even the toughest of mafioso and their face would turn pale. Even Reborn (the real one) seemed wary of them. So far, Tsuna hadn't really been able to solve the mystery that was the Vendice, but if he were to be honest he was willing to let it remain a mystery.
The two were currently walking down a hallway, the floor squeaking with each step they took. At one point a Vendice member passed them, and Tsuna held his breath the entire time for fear the man could hear him breathe. Thankfully, he passed by the two of them without a glance and Tsuna was able to relax as they continued their journey. The place actually bore a resemblance to the Vongola underground base, with its reflective waxed floors and plain cement walls, though this place was immaculate and stripped bare of all unnecessary items. It made Tsuna feel like he was in a tomb for some reason.
"So Reborn, uh . . . is it Mukuro?"
The angel glanced at him sideways. "No. He was never recaptured by the Vendice because he never went after you. And don't worry-we'll see him soon enough."
Tsuna nodded, unsure of what to say next. Part of him was curious as to which member of his Family was here, but part of him was also horrified. Who would it be?
"This is the room." Reborn said. He had stopped in front of door 13. There was nothing special about it to distinguish it from all the other doors and there were no voices coming from the other side, which Tsuna decided was a good thing. It meant that whomever was beyond the door wasn't being tortured by the Vendice-for now at least.
Tsuna tried to swallow against the lump that had formed in the back of his throat, but his mouth was completely dry. His breathing began to accelerate and his hands started growing damp from sweat. This was it. Once they went through that door he would see one of his Family members, and there was no way he could fool himself into being optimistic.
"S-say um . . . Reborn? Why didn't you just make us appear in the room? Why go through all the trouble of walking?"
The angel looked at him with a bit of a pitying expression. "Because I didn't want the shock to be too much for you." And with that, the two of them went through the door.
Tsuna had thought he was prepared for the worst.
He was wrong.
They were currently standing in a padded room, which for all intents and purposes made Tsuna feel like he was surrounded by big, fluffy pillows. Or marshmallows, but Tsuna had long since developed a fear for those particular sweets. Actually, the entire Vongola Family now had an irrational fear towards them, and their hot chocolate would be forever free of the sugary confection.
But enough about marshmallows. The real trouble was sitting before him, arms bound by a white jacket.
"He can see us, but I've made it so the cameras can't," Reborn muttered, letting go of Tsuna's arm. Tsuna didn't hear a word the angel said though, his attention too focused on the figure in front of him.
Hibari glanced up at their sudden appearance, his eyes unfocused for a moment. Then his face split into a wide grin and Tsuna was unable to stop the girlish shriek that escaped his throat. He had seen Hibari smile before (though out of respect for Hibari's pride he never said anything) but this . . . this was the smile of a madman.
Not to say that Hibari's sanity was ever completely intact in the first place (Tsuna learned early on that most of the people in his Family had some level of mental instability, and as such he was guilty as well for being able to put up with it) but this was different. That single smile let Tsuna know that everything that made Hibari who he was . . . was gone, overcome by the dark throes of insanity.
"What are you crowding around in my room for?" Hibari said, his voice gruff and scratchy, no longer smooth and regal. He locked gazes with Tsuna and glared. "If you don't leave soon I'll bite you to death."
Then he smiled again and giggled. Actually giggled. "Bite you to death! Hahahahaha! Teeth in your skin, little red dots-blood pouring in my mouth!" Hibari threw his head back and laughed, oblivious to Tsuna's horrified expression. Then Hibari stopped and glared at Tsuna once more.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed. "No one else is allowed here. You're disturbing the peace! Disturbing the peace! I've got to punish you-punish you! Where's my tonfa? Blood on the tonfa-your blood! Kill! Have to kill; it's the only way you'll behave! Hahahahaha!"
Tsuna could only stand there, paralyzed with terror. He wanted to look away, but for some reason he couldn't. All he could see was Hibari laughing in a voice that most certainly did not suit him.
"I think that's enough," Reborn whispered. He tugged on Tsuna's arm and led him away. They walked in silence for a while, with the sound of Hibari's crazed laughter echoing through the halls. Eventually, Tsuna leaned against a wall and slid down a few inches with a blank expression on his face.
"H-he's gone mad," he said, barely over a whisper. "I never thought that I'd . . . he looked so . . ." He took a deep, shuddering breath and looked up at Reborn helplessly. "What happened to him? Why is he acting like this? How could . . . this happen because I was never born?"
Reborn sighed with an expression that told Tsuna this wasn't going to be pleasant. "Because he never met you or Reborn, all Hibari could do was keep the peace in the way he had always been doing. Without any positive influences or sense of a normal life that you offered, all the killing and bloodshed started getting to him. It started messing up his mind and he grew even more fanatical about fighting, since it was all he knew.
"It got so bad that he started attacking people for walking the wrong way. Eventually, the Vendice had to intervene because he was causing too much trouble."
Tsuna frowned. "Vendice? But . . . they deal with mafia. From what Yamamoto said, he didn't join the mafia, and I can't ever see him joining without Reborn's intervention."
"It's true, he didn't join the mafia, but he caused so much trouble that the Vendice were the only ones who could intervene. Hibari had grown bored of people he regularly fought and wanted a real challenge. He had grown so powerful that he decided the only people strong enough to fight him were in the mafia. On his way to gather information about Byakuran, he started challenging Family after Family, and after entirely annihilating three of them, the Vendice decided they had to put a stop to him. Because he wasn't in the mafia, they couldn't pass a death sentence on him, and so their only remaining option was to lock him up forever."
"I don't . . ." Tsuna rubbed his eyes, vainly hoping this was all a dream. "I can understand Hibari getting a bit uh . . . overzealous with fighting but there had to be something else. What was it that finally made him snap?"
The angel gave a slight wince. "After destroying an entire Family, Kusakabe intervened and tried to talk some sense into Hibari. He told him that fighting these people for no reason was pointless and tried to get him to focus on their mission to find Byakuran. Unfortunately . . . in a violent rage Hibari killed him right there." Tsuna froze in horror. No . . . no it couldn't-
"Hibari never meant to," Reborn continued, his voice barely above a whisper, "but it happened all the same. It was then, when he was covered in the blood of the only person he was ever close to, with his dead body before him that Hibari lost his mind. It was then that he easily slaughtered two other Families, and the Vendice took him away."
By now Tsuna's legs had lost all their strength and he slid all the way down to the floor. Reborn crouched down with him, still keeping a hold on his arm. It was silent for a while as the angel left Tsuna to his thoughts.
"Come on," Reborn said after a few minutes had passed. "There's someone else you need to see."
Tsuna snapped out of his trance at that, a horrified expression on his face. "Wait . . . you mean . . . s-someone else? Here?"
Reborn nodded. "This person is here under special circumstances in a way somewhat similar to Hibari."
Tsuna turned his gaze towards the ground. He clasped his shaking hands together and shook his head. "No . . . I-I can't-I don't know how much more of this I can take, Reborn," Tsuna muttered softly.
"You have to," the angel said, his voice so soft and gentle that it almost felt wrong to hear it come out of Reborn's mouth. The angel held out his other hand, smiling the whole time, though it was a sad smile. "This is your wish, and so you should see it to the end."
Not really having much energy to argue, Tsuna took the offered hand and they stood. He gave the angel a small nod and they made their way down the hall again, only to stop three doors down.
"So Reborn," Tsuna began, "when you said special circumstances-what do you mean by that? Has this person gone mad, too?"
"No. This person is not a prisoner, nor has he committed any crime."
Tsuna frowned. "Then why is he here?"
"For protection," Reborn said. "As such, he has no cameras or videos in his room, so you are allowed to show yourself and speak to him. Let's go."
When they arrived on the other side of the door, Tsuna felt like this had to be a trick. It had to be. Never in a million years would he have thought this possible. It was just . . . it was just so wrong!
The light-haired young man sat up in slight surprise at Tsuna's arrival. "I already gave Aton the rankings on the Medici Family," he said in a monotone, deadpan voice. "Did something else come up?"
If Reborn hadn't stepped forward to grasp Tsuna's arm, he would have collapsed on the floor. "F-Fuuta?"
Or what was left of him. Emotionally that is, though he did have a horrible burn that covered his entire left arm and there was a jagged scar that ran down the entire right side of his face. It was a miracle he could still see out of that eye. And as horrifying at those injuries were, the thing that hurt Tsuna the most was Fuuta himself. His personality or essence as you could term it.
If Tsuna wanted to get technical, he would argue that Fuuta was no longer there. That he was dead. That the one standing before him with a slightly confused expression was just a living body with no soul. The light had died from his eyes and Tsuna was reminded of the look people had when they had given up on living. There just wasn't anyone there.
"Yes . . . that's my name," the young man said. "Are you here for rankings? Forgive me for saying so, but I don't think I've seen you before. Are you a new recruit for the Vendice? Oh-Aton must have sent you here for your ranking. Please excuse me while I get my book." Fuuta sent a small bow in Tsuna's direction then calmly walked over to a desk in the corner of the room, where Tsuna saw the very familiar red book. Then to his surprise he noticed there were two others stacked up on the desk, with one of them looking like it had been through a battle.
"Reborn what the hell is going on here?" Tsuna hissed as Fuuta made his way back over to them, book in hand. Fuuta's room was spacious, all the possessions and furniture were high quality and well taken care of; for all intents and purposes it looked like an ideal young adult bedroom. Though for some reason, Tsuna couldn't shake the feeling that it was just as much as a prison as Hibari's room was. "How is this for his protection? Why does he need it anyway?"
"Because he's the Ranking Prince," Reborn whispered back. "Don't you remember what happened when you first met him? People have and always will be willing to do anything to get their hands on his book, and that's why he's here for protection."
"But why did-"
Tsuna's words were cut short at the familiar sensation of being lifted into the air.
"Do you hear me Ranking Planet?"
"Shit, this isn't good." Tsuna glanced over at the floating Reborn in surprise. Just what kind of angel was he? "We've got to go, Tsuna." Reborn rushed over to him, swimming through the air rather comically, and were Tsuna not so depressed about Fuuta's situation he would have been doubled over in laughter.
The planetary glaze in his eyes vanished and Fuuta gasped. "You're from-"
At that moment, Reborn grasped Tsuna's arm and they disappeared, leaving behind a rather shaken Fuuta who collapsed on his bed. "How is . . . why was . . ." His rankings had never been wrong before, so why were they telling him that this man had never been born-and why was it specified that it was only from this timeline? Just who was that man?
The pair reappeared in a neighborhood of some kind, and judging by the amount of light outside it was early morning. Tsuna quickly turned on Reborn. "Explain to me how things got so bad for Fuuta that he had to go and live with the Vendice!"
Reborn sighed. "As I said and as you remember, Fuuta's rankings are so accurate many feel they're worth killing for. Since he was never able to join your Family, he didn't have nearly as much support and protection. The Vongola Family is the only one other Mafia Families wouldn't dare to mess with."
"But what about Dino?" Tsuna protested.
"The Chiavarone Family did look after Fuuta for a while, but they were eventually overwhelmed and Fuuta was taken from them."
Tsuna's stomach twisted with worry. "Dino is all right, isn't he? He's . . . still alive, right?" Reborn nodded and Tsuna let out a sigh of relief.
"After that, Fuuta became the attention of so many Families that it started turning into a war. Everyone wanted him and things got so bad that the Vendice had to get involved."
"But why did they have to take Fuuta? None of this was his fault! Why did he have to be punished?"
"It was the best option," Reborn said. "There were too many Families fighting that they would overflow the prison, and fighting over Fuuta wasn't a large enough crime to land them there anyway. To stop the war from progressing any further and to save Fuuta's life, they had to bring him somewhere he wouldn't be a target, and that place was the Vendicare Prison. They give him all he needs and generally leave him alone unless they need rankings on criminals they need to take care of."
Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "Then that makes them just as guilty as everyone else!" he spat. "They're just forcing him to give them rankings!"
The angel shrugged. "Call it what you want, but it's the only reason Fuuta is still alive today."
If you'd call that living, Tsuna thought bitterly.
"And now that I've finished explaining, would you like to visit the next person?"
" . . . Do I really have a choice?" Tsuna sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "Who's next?" he asked, mentally bracing himself.
"Sasagawa Kyoko."
Tsuna immediately beamed. Kyoko was the answer! There was absolutely nothing that could go wrong in Kyoko's life without him there! This was what he was looking for. "Let's go, Reborn! Kyoko will be just fine-you'll see!"
Reborn stayed silent.
Meanwhile in Italy, a young white-haired man set down his phone on the receiver. He smiled and addressed the man kneeling before him.
"Looks like our Vendice contact has finally proven himself useful," Byakuran said. He twirled a marshmallow in his hand and squeezed it experimentally. "It appears that just minutes ago, the young Ranking Prince was visited by a brown-haired man with a mantle coat and a dark-haired man in a fedora."
Gokudera lifted his head quickly. "Those are the same people I encountered, Lord Byakuran!"
Byakuran laughed. "Well that's just wonderful news. I've been waiting for this for quite some time."
"So you know who it is, Lord Byakuran? Is it true he's a Vongola descendant?"
"Yep!" His purple eyes narrowed. "Tsunayoshi Sawada . . . now we shall finally meet in this world." He stood up abruptly and made his way over to Gokudera. "I feel we should give this man a proper greeting, don't you agree?"
"Yes, Lord Byakuran!" Gokudera leapt to his feet and nodded passionately.
Byakuran laughed and pat Gokudera's shoulder. "Well then, I suppose it's time to go visit my dear Shouichi."
**NOTE** The talented daigranon has written a oneshot about insane!Hibari and I HIGHLY recommend reading it. It's called Infestation Coleoptera.
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