Title: For You, More than Anyone Else

Summary: Sawada Tsunayoshi of ten years later had made his choice. Now he just needed enough resolve to go through with it.

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

Pairing: None

Warning: Set pre-TYL, possible spoiler alert.

For You, More than Anyone Else

'Hey, Reborn? I wonder…

…are you proud of me?'

When twenty-four year old Sawada Tsunayoshi appeared in present Namimori Town, it was in his old bedroom at the Sawada residence.

The bright pink smoke that usually accompanied the trip slowly cleared away, and Tsuna took a good look around the room, relishing in the wave of nostalgia that hit him. He took in every little bit of the bedroom, from the single bed with the familiar sky blue covers, to his small yet sturdy desk, to the small hammock put up in a corner of the room, and the beady black eyes that watch his every mo— 'Wait, what?'

"R-Reborn…?"

"Tsuna." The infant nodded in greeting. "The switch did not initiate from this time; what are you doing here?"

The future Vongola Decimo wasn't surprised that his tutor managed to figure it out instantaneously. "I could ask you the same thing; you weren't supposed to be here tonight." Caramel orbs flickered to the usual black suit Reborn wore. "And judging by that attire, it seems I was right too."

"So you planned to avoid me." Reborn stated matter-of-factly.

"…I planned to, yes." Tsuna replied honestly, figuring that lying to his tutor was still impossible for him ten years later and so it was a waste of time to even try. "I'm sure you figured out that I successfully inherited the Vongola Famiglia in the future. I moved to Vongola's HQ in Italy for that. I came here to see my own house once― …again."

"Instead of getting a plane back to Japan?" Reborn questioned, as if Tsuna never stumbled over his words.

"I can't afford to leave Italy right now." Tsuna answered, his lips unknowingly twisting into a bitter smile. "And what about you, Reborn? I'm pretty certain you're not supposed to be here tonight. According to my memories, you were off to report to Grandpa about the Ring Conflict."

"I had a feeling."

Tsuna sighed. "I'm taking a walk."

It went without saying that Reborn accompanied Tsuna on his walk.

Neither student nor teacher said a single word for the longest time, simply enjoying the peaceful silence of Namimori at night. From the Sawada residence, Tsuna left for the intersection that they would often split up at after school, taking a moment to glance at all four ways, before heading for the Shopping district. It went without saying that not a single shop was open, but still the Vongola Decimo took the time to remember the frequent trips he made with his mother (and later, family). Tsuna headed for the Namimori shrine next, turning around to glance at the town from above after making a prayer. His last stop was, unsurprisingly, Namimori Middle.

"The Ring Conflict just ended, huh…" Tsuna sighed wistfully.. "That's about a decade ago for me now."

"How long has it been?" Reborn questioned.

"Seven years." Tsuna murmured, staring up at the school through the shut front gates. "I've officially inherited Vongola for seven years now…"

Memories of the time he'd spent here flashed through his mind—he could still vividly recall all the rather insane antics he'd been pulled into on school grounds (which also often led to them being bitten to death by a certain head of Disciplinary Committee). Tsuna chuckled softly to himself; he'd constantly complained about all the chaos his tutor had brought into his life as a teen, but now, as Vongola Decimo, it was clear that those years were definitely more enjoyable and carefree, even considering the fiasco with a certain illusionist and Varia.

'I was Dame-Tsuna, a no-good nobody who was good for nothing. I changed. I've gotten stronger both physically and mentally, and I have gained friends; people who I can count on and entrust my life to. I've gained the power and strength to protect the ones important to me. And all of these… I owe it to him.' Brown orbs flickered to the infant seated on his shoulder, unsurprised to see onyx orbs staring right back. 'Reborn… I'd planned to avoid you because I couldn't bear seeing you again just yet. Did you know? I've made my choice, but I was still hesitating. But seeing you, Reborn, reminded me of why I decided this, and gave me the resolve I needed. What I'm about to do… It's—'

A loud beep cut through the silence and Tsuna's thoughts.

"Ahh… The time limit for the switch is almost up…" Tsuna murmured.

"Let's head back before your present self returns in the middle of an empty street at night." Reborn spoke up.

Tsuna nodded, taking one last look at the Namimori Middle School before walking away.

By the time they returned to Tsuna's old bedroom, the time limit had trickled down to five minutes.

"I've given you enough leeway." Reborn stated, staring firmly at his student. "Why are you really here, Tsuna? You would have had to specifically modify the Ten-Year Bazooka to send you ten years backwards and for more than five minutes―you've already been here for close to an hour."

"I modified the Ten-Year Bazooka." Tsuna nodded, turning away from his tutor's piercing gaze. "I just needed to see Namimori again. Like I've said, it's been a while since I've returned here."

"Tsuna..." Reborn gritted, his voice mixed with exasperation and annoyance. "Are you taking me for a blind fool? What happened in the future?"

"Of course not. Even in the future, there's still no one who can read me better than you did." Tsuna smiled bitterly. "And you know I can't tell you anything about the future, Reborn."

"Then let me tell you what I think." Reborn said. "One, you're not wearing the Vongola Sky Ring. You're not that reckless to walk around without it, so I can only assume that it was either destroyed or taken. Two, you weren't just taking a stroll; you looked at Namimori as if you will never see it again. And three…" The tutor paused briefly, as if unwilling to make his final point. "You planned to avoid me. That failed, but it didn't stop you from not looking at me as much as you could." Reborn trailed off again, this time waiting to his student to turn back to him with the anguished gaze he'd been looking at Reborn the entire time. "Tsuna… When you do look at me, you look like you're seeing a ghost."

Tsuna's face did not even twitch, but his hands curled up tightly into fists. The brunet didn't say anything, not for a long time. "Reborn…" He let out a shaky breath. "…Time's up."

It was rare for the Vongola Decimo to be able to shock his tutor, but he did. The last thing Tsuna saw before the pink smoke consumed him was Reborn leaping at him, as if trying to catch him, and he smiled.

'Goodbye, Reborn.'

Nearly a decade in the future, Sawada Tsunayoshi stepped out of the outrageous pink smoke. Loosening his tie, Tsuna undid the first button of his pristine white shirt and gently pulled out the clear pacifier hanging on a chain he wore.

There, in his empty office where no one could see, Tsuna broke down.

"You went to see him." A voice spoke up.

Tsuna laughed, his voice cracked and broken. "More like he waited to see me." He glanced up slowly, and through bleary vision, saw the man watching him from beside the door. "Don't give me that look. I'm not changing my mind." Clutching the pacifier tightly in a hand, Tsuna wiped away his tears with his free hand.

"Tomorrow's the day. I'll leave the rest in your hands, Kyouya."

Omake.

One month, twenty-seven days later.

"…and that's the situation we're in right now."

"Where's Tsuna."

"Decimo is…—"

"—dead."

"…"

"Decimo attempted to negotiate with the Millefiore Famiglia, and he failed. He was shot down, and pronounced dead less than five minutes upon returning to the Vongola estate."

"…"

"You understand, don't you. What we're doing, we do it for him and the Vongola Famiglia. But for him… What he did, he did it for you, more than anyone else."

'Tsuna… You know that I'm proud of you…

…right?'

A/N: I have a rather mixed feeling at how this turned out. The main idea was that Tsuna's main motivation for almost everything that he does is for Reborn, because Reborn brought out a lot in him and helped him to change for the better. I think I managed to convey that, but I also felt like I didn't phrase it well enough?

Either way, I hope you've enjoyed this little piece. Ciao ciao~