Vestige [KHR prompt fic]
Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn
Type: Prompt fic Livejournal challenge (write_and_run )
Prompt: Memories; "He looked back into the past" (Sawada Tsunayoshi)
No. of Words (not including notes): 1,166
Genre: Angst
Rating: T
Summary: “There is no heaven or hell after death. People who die in reality go to the minds of their loved ones and proceed to live there as a memory. The only downside is that this eternity is set in the fantasy of the past.” A glimpse of Vongola Decimo's silent hour.
Warnings: Character death and some bizarre parallelism
Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Vestige
0-0-0
“There is no heaven or hell after death. People who die in reality go to the minds of their loved ones and proceed to live there as a memory. The only downside is that this eternity is set in the fantasy of the past.”
0-0-0
I need to die.
Twenty-five-year-old Sawada Tsunayoshi stared contemplatively at the lustrous bullet he held in between his fingers, which, in a few hours, would see itself embedded in his flesh and send him knocking into the gates of death.
It was strange, really, how calm he seemed to be about dying. Some would call it preparedness needed in the dangerous world of mafia; others would consider it resignation to a cruel fate...
He thought it was neither. Or was it both?
Leaning further back into the plush swivel chair in his silent, moonlit office, the brunet closed his eyes. It didn’t really matter whether he had them open or not because he’d be seeing black both ways, but there was something different about the darkness of his mind. It was like a separate dimension from the world and was a place he could come to when the bitter whispers of regret occasionally emerged to combat his conscience.
‘Are you afraid?’
Should he be? To be fair, if it were his younger self, he’d probably have run away at the mere thought of death and his name in a sentence together. In fact, he’d probably have outright refused from the start if he knew that this plan didn’t just involve perilous battles for himself and his guardians or situations that could put the non-fighters like Kyoko, Haru and I-pin in danger but also possible death for all of them.
He did fight the idea until the last moment, eventually giving in to the reason (or was it an excuse?) of “It is necessary.”
Besides, didn’t he already experience dying the day his home tutor shot him on the head?
So why fear death? All the more a false one?
If anything, he was more afraid of the fact that he was actually able to become a pragmatic mafia boss.
‘Do you want to turn back?’
Should he even consider that? This was already planned between Irie Shouichi, Hibari Kyoya and him. This was the way they had come up with to stop the reign of the Millefiore. Though, he did remember Irie asking him beforehand if he really was fine with dying, even if it wouldn’t be permanent. He argued that he’d do anything to protect his family and their future, even if it meant he had to sacrifice himself.
Although, the bespectacled genius had also questioned him why he had agreed to be shot to a state of false death with the bullet sheltered in his fist. If he wanted to, he could have chosen to be shot by other less-dangerous magical bullets.
In fact, he could have chosen not to be killed in the battlefield.
But... he refused to do that. His younger self that would come from the past later needed to undergo the trials of this future world with a pressure to greatly accelerate his growth. No matter how dastardly a method it was, this was the quickest way. Besides, the other bullets wouldn’t give the same impact that this one would. They’d already done their job on someone else.
The Dying Will bullet killed No-Good Tsuna.
The Rebuke bullet killed Dame-Tsuna.
That’s why, if Sawada Tsunayoshi the Mafia Boss wanted to be killed by the power of a bullet, it couldn’t be those.
(And Reborn was no longer around to shoot them anyways.)
If there’s an instance where he wished he could have run away, it’s when his X-Gloves were first stained with blood.
‘Do you have regrets?’
Should he have? He was certain that he didn’t regret ordering the destruction of the Vongola rings because conflict over power within his family was something he never wanted to see. However, it was hard to deny the biting remarks about the consequences of his decision, especially the fact that if he didn’t do that, the Vongola family would have had a much better and easier time dealing with the Millefiore.
Others could keep on calling it a mistake. He wouldn’t.
But since he didn’t know exactly how long he’d be asleep in his coffin, he could already list what he’ll be missing out on: his Sun Guardian’s wedding anniversary, the baseball championship game of Yamamoto... and many more things he could have thought up if he wasn’t suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when he vaguely felt his hand that housed the bullet shake uncontrollably.
... Why did he suddenly have the urge to throw the damn thing out of the window?
‘Decimo... It’s time to go.’
The brunet appeared not to have heard that as he remained in his shuddering state, showing no signs of stopping. However, moments later, the trembling was reduced to mere twitches, and finally completely stopped when he tightened his fist, the silver casing digging deep into his palm.
He finally opened his eyes, which did not look like the sharp, mature amber orbs of the Vongola Decimo, known for their unswayable power and authoritative gaze.
They were the sad brown eyes of Sawada Tsunayoshi, coated with the sheen of tears.
The young boss quickly covered them with the back of his hand, willing himself to not break down. After a minute of deep breathing, he turned to staring at the bullet again until the door finally opened.
He stood up.
0-0-0
The last thing he saw was the sky.
The last thing he smelled was the smoke from gunfire.
The last thing he heard was the orchestra of gunshots in the distance.
The last thing he tasted was the copper tang of his own blood rising up from his throat.
The last thing he felt was the stinging pain of the bullet that had been pre-arranged to be shot at him.
As the Vongola Decimo fell to the ground, he could feel his blood gushing forth, taking with it his energy, and it was almost as if his life was literally being drained away. His consciousness slowly faded into nothing, and as the ice-cold darkness started cocooning him, he found it strange how, suddenly, the sensations within the darkness of his mind replaced what should have been his last memories.
The gray raining sky that looked like it was crying... The scent of smoke and incense... Hibird’s mournful song as he nestled atop a nest of black hair belonging to a man with his back turned-only looking forward... The salty tears of those who would find out too late... And then there was simply the heart-wrenching sadness...
But there was no time to grieve and regret. He could only gather them into the dreams of the past that would accompany him to his death.
It was time for him to go to sleep...
... And become a memory.
-The end-
(Review/feedback if you please. All comments and suggestions are appreciated.)
Type: Prompt fic Livejournal challenge (write_and_run )
Prompt: Memories; "He looked back into the past" (Sawada Tsunayoshi)
No. of Words (not including notes): 1,166
Genre: Angst
Rating: T
Summary: “There is no heaven or hell after death. People who die in reality go to the minds of their loved ones and proceed to live there as a memory. The only downside is that this eternity is set in the fantasy of the past.” A glimpse of Vongola Decimo's silent hour.
Warnings: Character death and some bizarre parallelism
Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Vestige
0-0-0
“There is no heaven or hell after death. People who die in reality go to the minds of their loved ones and proceed to live there as a memory. The only downside is that this eternity is set in the fantasy of the past.”
0-0-0
I need to die.
Twenty-five-year-old Sawada Tsunayoshi stared contemplatively at the lustrous bullet he held in between his fingers, which, in a few hours, would see itself embedded in his flesh and send him knocking into the gates of death.
It was strange, really, how calm he seemed to be about dying. Some would call it preparedness needed in the dangerous world of mafia; others would consider it resignation to a cruel fate...
He thought it was neither. Or was it both?
Leaning further back into the plush swivel chair in his silent, moonlit office, the brunet closed his eyes. It didn’t really matter whether he had them open or not because he’d be seeing black both ways, but there was something different about the darkness of his mind. It was like a separate dimension from the world and was a place he could come to when the bitter whispers of regret occasionally emerged to combat his conscience.
‘Are you afraid?’
Should he be? To be fair, if it were his younger self, he’d probably have run away at the mere thought of death and his name in a sentence together. In fact, he’d probably have outright refused from the start if he knew that this plan didn’t just involve perilous battles for himself and his guardians or situations that could put the non-fighters like Kyoko, Haru and I-pin in danger but also possible death for all of them.
He did fight the idea until the last moment, eventually giving in to the reason (or was it an excuse?) of “It is necessary.”
Besides, didn’t he already experience dying the day his home tutor shot him on the head?
So why fear death? All the more a false one?
If anything, he was more afraid of the fact that he was actually able to become a pragmatic mafia boss.
‘Do you want to turn back?’
Should he even consider that? This was already planned between Irie Shouichi, Hibari Kyoya and him. This was the way they had come up with to stop the reign of the Millefiore. Though, he did remember Irie asking him beforehand if he really was fine with dying, even if it wouldn’t be permanent. He argued that he’d do anything to protect his family and their future, even if it meant he had to sacrifice himself.
Although, the bespectacled genius had also questioned him why he had agreed to be shot to a state of false death with the bullet sheltered in his fist. If he wanted to, he could have chosen to be shot by other less-dangerous magical bullets.
In fact, he could have chosen not to be killed in the battlefield.
But... he refused to do that. His younger self that would come from the past later needed to undergo the trials of this future world with a pressure to greatly accelerate his growth. No matter how dastardly a method it was, this was the quickest way. Besides, the other bullets wouldn’t give the same impact that this one would. They’d already done their job on someone else.
The Dying Will bullet killed No-Good Tsuna.
The Rebuke bullet killed Dame-Tsuna.
That’s why, if Sawada Tsunayoshi the Mafia Boss wanted to be killed by the power of a bullet, it couldn’t be those.
(And Reborn was no longer around to shoot them anyways.)
If there’s an instance where he wished he could have run away, it’s when his X-Gloves were first stained with blood.
‘Do you have regrets?’
Should he have? He was certain that he didn’t regret ordering the destruction of the Vongola rings because conflict over power within his family was something he never wanted to see. However, it was hard to deny the biting remarks about the consequences of his decision, especially the fact that if he didn’t do that, the Vongola family would have had a much better and easier time dealing with the Millefiore.
Others could keep on calling it a mistake. He wouldn’t.
But since he didn’t know exactly how long he’d be asleep in his coffin, he could already list what he’ll be missing out on: his Sun Guardian’s wedding anniversary, the baseball championship game of Yamamoto... and many more things he could have thought up if he wasn’t suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when he vaguely felt his hand that housed the bullet shake uncontrollably.
... Why did he suddenly have the urge to throw the damn thing out of the window?
‘Decimo... It’s time to go.’
The brunet appeared not to have heard that as he remained in his shuddering state, showing no signs of stopping. However, moments later, the trembling was reduced to mere twitches, and finally completely stopped when he tightened his fist, the silver casing digging deep into his palm.
He finally opened his eyes, which did not look like the sharp, mature amber orbs of the Vongola Decimo, known for their unswayable power and authoritative gaze.
They were the sad brown eyes of Sawada Tsunayoshi, coated with the sheen of tears.
The young boss quickly covered them with the back of his hand, willing himself to not break down. After a minute of deep breathing, he turned to staring at the bullet again until the door finally opened.
He stood up.
0-0-0
The last thing he saw was the sky.
The last thing he smelled was the smoke from gunfire.
The last thing he heard was the orchestra of gunshots in the distance.
The last thing he tasted was the copper tang of his own blood rising up from his throat.
The last thing he felt was the stinging pain of the bullet that had been pre-arranged to be shot at him.
As the Vongola Decimo fell to the ground, he could feel his blood gushing forth, taking with it his energy, and it was almost as if his life was literally being drained away. His consciousness slowly faded into nothing, and as the ice-cold darkness started cocooning him, he found it strange how, suddenly, the sensations within the darkness of his mind replaced what should have been his last memories.
The gray raining sky that looked like it was crying... The scent of smoke and incense... Hibird’s mournful song as he nestled atop a nest of black hair belonging to a man with his back turned-only looking forward... The salty tears of those who would find out too late... And then there was simply the heart-wrenching sadness...
But there was no time to grieve and regret. He could only gather them into the dreams of the past that would accompany him to his death.
It was time for him to go to sleep...
... And become a memory.
-The end-
(Review/feedback if you please. All comments and suggestions are appreciated.)