A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I was surprised with the amount of positive feedback. Some of you expressed concern with me dropping this story, but I would like to reassure you that I plan on continuing and finishing this. I find that connecting with my readers keep me centred; getting to know each of you and how this story has impacted you has definitely reminded me to keep writing!

I'm very aware that there are many story plots similar to this, but the focus of this story will primarily be a psychological analysis of Tsuna and his potential, whether it be for good or bad. Though this will be Strong!Tsuna, I have no desire in making him into an OP character or a Gary Sue badass. He is still fundamentally all that Tsuna encompasses, though the decisions and circumstances he has been through has shaped him. In doing this, I hope to create a complex and multi-dimensional view on Tsuna as he was meant to be portrayed. Hope you all enjoy!

Tsuna awoke to the smell of brewed tea and pastries. He blinked his eyes a few times to shake off the disorientation and attempted to stand, which was met with soreness, to his dismay. It felt like he was hit by a truck. Tsuna put his weight on his forearms to pull himself up and dully noted the crunch of white lilies beneath him. A shot of pollen went up his nose and he resisted the urge to sneeze. Did he land on someone's flowerbed?

"Ah, Tsunayoshi-san!"

That voice… it sounded familiar. He turned his head and met Yuni's warm gaze. The tone and gentleness reminded him of the woman's voice he heard; Giotto called her Sepira, if he could recall correctly. Beams of light framed Yuni's face and it softened her features in a way that was undeniably ethereal.

Yuni was seated at a round table with a three-tier tray featuring an assortment of cakes, macarons, sandwiches, and tarts. Given the circumstances, he was not surprised to see Byakuran sitting across from her and Gamma pouring tea for the both of them. The same light and warmth danced around them, making the scene look like something from Heaven itself. He felt oddly out of place.

"You're finally awake, Tsunayoshi. Come have afternoon tea with us!" Byakuran flashed him his signature smile and dragged out the syllables in his name as if he were tasting fine wine.

After a moment of silence that would have made any normal person uncomfortable, Tsuna lifted himself to his feet and headed to the empty chair that was pulled out for him. There was little that could make Byakuran feel awkward, being the eccentric person he was, and he had gotten used to exercising patience when it came to Shoichi. He knew better than to rush someone who was on the edge of fleeing. The man in question sat across from Byakuran, beside Yuni, and seemed particularly invested in one specific spot on the table. He didn't move until Yuni peered up at him with round eyes.

"Sepira told me we were expecting a special guest, but I had no idea you make such an entrance!" Yuni giggled and place a few pastries onto Tsuna's plate with enthusiasm.

He nodded stiffly in gratitude and tried to make sense of her words. My entrance? What -? It was then that he realized they were in a conservatory. Rays of sunlight shone through the glass roof and a beautiful array of florae was displayed around them. There was two things, however, that was out of place: a human sized space on the glass roof and shards of glass directly underneath it. The exact place he got up from.

Tsuna sighed in realization. He never asked for his life to be so absurd.

"I… apologize for my rude intrusion." Tsuna scratched his head and felt the blood go to his ears. "I wasn't aware I would be dropped from the sky in such a manner." He mentally cursed the universe and hoped a certain blond man would hear his indignation.

The dark scowl on his face induced a chuckle from Byakuran. "You are so unlike all the other versions of yourself I have encountered. Of course, this will prove all the more interesting. I hope you find whatever it is that you're looking for!" He plopped a small piece of strawberry cake into his mouth and licked his fingers. "We're rooting for you, Tsu-kun~"

Tsuna continued to stare at the forgotten food on his plate. He didn't have much of an appetite these days. Gamma turned to pour tea into his cup and he shook his head politely.

"I appreciate it… I guess," he began hesitantly, "To be honest, all of this doesn't feel real to me. Seeing you both alive… it feels as though I'm dreaming. Or maybe I've gone crazy and you're just a hallucination."

He felt a small hand on his shoulder but he couldn't find the courage to look up from where his head was bowed in shame. Seeing those warm, welcoming eyes would break him.

"We are as real as you are. I know it will take some time, but give this a chance!" Yuni begged earnestly, "No matter how little you think of yourself, I believe in the Tsunayoshi that saved the universe. Sepira told me that you're special. If it's you, then I know everything will be okay!

A bitter laugh escaped his lips before he could hold it back. "Perhaps you're speaking to the wrong Tsunayoshi. I'm not —I'm not who you think I am. No, everything that was Tsuna died in the world I left behind."

"Then who are you?" Yuni tilted her head and regarded him with confusion.

"I am nobody," came the reply.

"Well, Mr. Nobody," Yuni responded playfully, "maybe you aren't the same Tsunayoshi we know and maybe, you don't have to be. Whoever you may or may not be, we love you all the same. But if we can't call you Tsuna, what should we call you?

"Call me… Noctis. All I am is a shadow and fragment of who Tsuna was. This is only fitting." Pain washed over him in another wave and he began to shrink into himself. That's right, I don't deserve to be Tsuna in a world that already has one.

Arms wrapped around him and he felt the trickle of tears on his shoulder. His eyes widened and he started at the girl crying on his behalf. Her voice shook with the pain he was too afraid to show. That empathy was a trademark of Sky flame users, most notably the Sky Arcobaleno.

"I… can feel your soul crying. It's okay to admit that you're hurting and that you feel broken. You've been fighting alone all this time and you've lost yourself along the way," Yuni spoke with an understanding he felt he didn't deserve. "That doesn't make you a bad person and you shouldn't feel the need to punish yourself. You deserve to be happy for once."

Her words were too wise for someone so young, but it spoke of the ancient knowledge that resided within her and her predecessors. Though well-intended, the words were like acid to his fragile mindset. He promised Giotto he would try and start a new chapter, but this? She was asking for the impossible.

Noctis pushed his comforter's arm away gently and stood up without making further eye contact, "Thank you for your hospitality. I'm afraid I have overextended my welcome."

The trio watched as their guest rushed out the door, noting the words that got caught in his throat.

"Don't worry, princess, he'll come around eventually." Gamma placed a reassuring hand on Yuni's shoulder.

She shook her head and sighed, "I hope so… He's just so sad. When I look into his eyes, all I see is lost and despair."

Byakuran plopped seven sugar cubes in his tea while keeping his gaze on the imprint Noctis left on the grass upon his arrival. "You know we can't interfere. The outcome will have to be decided by him." With that he added solemnly, "My other self made that very clear."

Yuni hummed and raised the cup of tea to her lips. "I'm not worried about whether he'll be able to save the world this time. He'd rather die than fail, and that's what I'm afraid of." She paused for a moment and then mused, "I don't think he's even thinking about saving himself."

Frowning, the white-haired man couldn't find it in himself to formulate a reply. She was right and it concerned him —whether he would openly admit it or not— because he actually cared for the man.

Tsuna… I really hope you win this time.

The Giglio Nero residence in Japan was located in the outskirts of Namimori and it took Tsuna longer than what he would have liked to arrive in the town. He ended up hitchhiking with an unsuspecting shop owner. She was on her way back from a delivery and she fell straight into the trap of puppy eyes and a handsome face.

The only downside was having to listen to her ramble on about all her unsuccessful encounters with men. With a timely nod here and hum there, Tsuna was able to zone out for the most part of their one-sided conversation.

"… And here we are! My family has owned this tea shop for five generations. If you're ever around the area, don't be a stranger!"

Tsuna was visibly relieved to be more than a foot away from the lady. "Ahh… thank you Yoko-san! I really appreciate your kindness. I'll be sure to visit once I have some time off! You know how my boss can be…"

As an excuse to why he was stuck in the middle of nowhere, he fed her a story of a naive young man who was taken advantage of by his employers. They had sent him to attend a meeting with one of their stakeholders without a ride back. The false tears added to the effect and soon, she was almost frothing at the mouth at the injustice committed against him.

Once he had left her line of sight, Tsuna dropped the act and picked up the usual burden that rested on his shoulders. The sight of buildings intact and much of the town undeveloped brought up feelings of nostalgia. It looked just like it did before everything went wrong.

Now that he had some time to process what happened, all the dread and anxiety that was lost in his initial confusion came back with a vengeance.

Everyone died. I avenged them and then I died. I'm alive again. Everyone's alive. What now? What do I do? Where do I go? How do I face them? Should I just hide? Do I fix things? I failed. I'm not good enough. I'll just fail them again, and they'll just die over and over again. It's all my fault. Kami, Tsuna why do you have to screw everything up?

Thoughts like bullet trains sped and crashed into each other in his head. He had no idea with what he was supposed to do with this second chance he was given. There was a disconnect between him and the reality of his world. For all he knew, everyone he loved and everything he was already died.

He was saved from another round of conflicting thoughts when a familiar silver head appeared in his vision. On the other side of the street, walked Gokudera and a younger version of himself. He didn't look as young as Tsuna had originally estimated for this timeline, so he probably wasn't sent to when everything began. No, this version looked to be in his late teens.

The pair was engaged in light conversation and Tsuna quickly ducked behind an alleyway in case either of them caught his stare. Seeing a young and alive Gokudera was all it took to set the resolve in his heart.

He was going to prevent all of them from dying. If the catalyst and reason for everyone's death was himself, he would get rid of the Tsunayoshi Sawada of this world. He owed that to his guardians.

It was an average day of life for Tsuna. He left the house at 7:30AM and as usual, Gokudera was there to pick him up. It had just been the two of them for a while now, ever since Yamamto's dad… His heart wrenched at the thought but he knew he had to respect his Rain Guardian's choices.

His classes was painstakingly long, as usual, and he continued to struggle despite Reborn's efforts. Horror filled his soul at the thought of a gun pointed to his forward and he smacked himself in an attempt to stay awake. Luckily for him, Reborn had said he was taking a day trip to visit an old friend. He would be back by dinner time but it still gave Tsuna precious hours of peace. A strange sense of foreboding lurked in his mind at the thought, but Tsuna quickly ignored it when it was interrupted by screams of terror in the courtyard.

No one paid any attention since it was a natural occurrence now. Tsuna didn't have to look outside the window to know Hibari was beating up some troublemakers for skipping class. Though he had already graduated, the school president decided it would be a good idea to hire Hibari as a staff member. Whether a tonfa was held to his throat during the decision, Tsuna decided it was as good a guess as any.

His last class of the day was Physical Education. The sight of Ryohei brought a smile to his face, who had volunteered to help out when he wasn't working at the boxing ring. The department head wasn't able to deny the loud man when he showed up to his office and proclaimed his extreme desire to help coach the boys. It turned out to be a great decision as Namimori High became the unlikely underdog in just about every sport in Japan under Ryohei's coaching. His positivity and energy brought out the best in their athletes, and he did everything he was given with 150% effort.

Even Tsuna, who avoided physical activity like the plague, came to eventually tolerate and even enjoy the class. It was a nice feeling when you weren't made fun of or embarrassed in front of the entire class for something you didn't do right.

When the final bell rang, Tsuna took the opportunity to help his Sun Guardian put away the equipment into the storage room and strike up casual conversation. Once they were finished, he waved a good-bye before meeting Gokudera in front of the school gates.

Yamamoto met them there as well, though he did not speak much as they walked. Up ahead, he saw Kyoko and Hana rush to embrace Haru. Much to her displeasure, Haru was unable to convince her parents to go to Namimori High and had to continue attending Midori high. She had to obey her parents' wishes to become a doctor and thus, had to attend the school with the highest rankings in their district.

Though she couldn't attend the same school as the other girls, they made it a habit to meet up everyday after school. Namimori was a small town and it wasn't more than a couple of blocks away. The way they embraced each other now, however, made it seem like they hadn't seen each other in years. Girls.

They waved to his group before they left in the other direction, no doubt to meet Chrome. He was delighted with how close the girls had become in such a short amount of time. They formed a strong sisterhood and it had helped them overcome the trials they faced being a part of the Vongola famiglia. In banding together, he had seen them all grow into strong young women, so unlike the insecure and air-headed girls he first met.

"What are your plans today, Tsuna?" came the familiar voice of his Rain guardian.

He smiled brightly at Yamamoto, "My mom is making curry tonight! Everyone is coming over at 6:30, will you be there as well?"

The little spark of hope died when Yamamoto smiled sadly, "Maybe next time, Tsuna. I'm going to go practice a little more tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

The Rain Guardian waved and left as usual, once they reached the intersection that would head towards TakeSushi. Neither of them commented how "next time" had never happened for six months. They continued walking in silence. Gokudera clenched his fists and muttered a few curses under his breath.

To lighten the mood, Tsuna changed the topic and his Storm Guardian took the diversion with gratitude. They chatted easily about their classes and the upcoming visit from Vongola Nono. He was currently in Hong Kong for a business trip and he would be making a stop in Japan to visit Tsuna and his guardians. As Tsuna was getting older, Timoteo had made his visits more frequent and it was obvious that his retirement was drawing closer.

The strange sense of foreboding hit Tsuna again and this time, he was unable to ignore it as his hyper-intuition flared. This was bad. They were walking through an alley in a more isolated part of town. Reborn would have his head if he knew Tsuna failed to notice an enemy presence until it was too late.

"Gokudera, there's someone -"

Before he could finish his sentence, the air was knocked out of his lungs as he was sent flying back into a brick wall. Spots clouded his vision and he reached back to touch the part of his head that got hit the hardest. Blood coated his fingertips.

A yelp caught his attention and he looked up to see Gokudera slumping into the ground. Their attacker, a man dressed in all black with a hood covering his face, picked his Storm Guardian up and held him underneath his right arm like a sack of rice.

"Vongola Decimo." The sound of his name from the man's lips caused a shiver to go down Tsuna's spine. "If you want to see your precious guardian alive, meet me at the abandoned factory by Namimori river. Come alone. If you tell anyone, I will slit his throat before you can even say a word."

With those final words, the man disappeared with Gokudera in a blink of an eye. Tsuna didn't even know someone could move that fast, aside from Fon. That was saying much, to compare the man to the fastest Arcobaleno.

It didn't take long for the threat to register in Tsuna's mind. Orange eyes glowed at the thought of one of his friends being hurt. He was going to save Gokudera.

Using his flames to propel him to his destination, Tsuna arrived at the entrance of the abandoned factory. His mom had said it used to be a manufacturing plant before an accident broke out and people died. Apparently, the machinery they used broke down and several people were crushed in the process. Since then, no one dared step foot in as myth went around that the place was haunted.

At any other given time, Tsuna would have peed himself at the prospect of entering such a place. Today, that was the least of his worries as the concern for his closest friend toppled all sense of self preservation.

He opened the double-doors leading with a strong shove and the resounding clang echoed throughout the empty facility once they closed behind him. In the middle of the wreckage stood the mysterious man.

"Where is my friend? What did you do with him?" Tsuna asked urgently.

The man did not bother answering, instead choosing to point two guns towards him. Tsuna stiffened and allowed his sky flames to burn brightly through his gloves.

His opponent studied him for a moment before narrowing his eyes, "I returned him to your house. Your mother would have found him by your doorstep by now."

The safety was switched off.

That threw Tsuna off guard. "Huh? Why would you-" He was unable to finish his question as he was now avoiding a bombardment of metal that fired mercilessly.

It was one thing to dodge bullets from Reborn, who did not meant to kill him. It was another thing altogether from someone who did.

There was a delay in a round of gunfire and he soon found a fist aimed right at his face. Even his hyper-intuition could not prepare him for the speed of this man's attacks. "My fight is with you. I had no need to involve anyone else. He was used to lead you out here alone."

Blood gushed from Tsuna's nose and the hit opened a cut above his eyebrow, obscuring his vision with crimson.

A firm hand wrapped around his throat and Tsuna gasped for air as he was slammed against a concrete pillar. Once he felt the cool sensation of a barrel pressed against his forehead, he knew he was done for.

Fire swelled violently around his body in a last-ditch attempt to fight for his life.

"If I don't kill you now, your entire family will die terrible deaths." Tsuna's eyes filled with rage before the man's voice took a softer tone. "It's not going to be me who will kill them. It will be all your fault. If you don't die now… everything you love will be taken away from you. Please… let me protect them."

In that moment, a slight breeze lifted the man's hood and Tsuna made eye contact with glowing amber orbs, gasping at its intensity. For whatever reason, Tsuna felt the man's desperation and found himself letting his flames die in acceptance. He believed those words and would do anything to protect his family. His only regret was not being able to say good-bye to everyone.

Everyone, I'm sorry. Please live on.

Tsuna closed his eyes but the shot never came. Instead, a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Get away from my student."

Reborn? He shouldn't be back for another hour. Even still, Reborn was too far away to stop the gunshot in time. It hurt him deeply knowing that Reborn would have to watch as his brains were blown off in front of him.

He indulged a glance at his attacker but was dumbfounded with what he saw. Those golden eyes were frozen in… was that shock? There were so many emotions being relayed that it left Tsuna breathless. The faint tremor of the gun pressed to his head was not unnoticed.

It would have been easy to kill him before Reborn reached them, but why didn't he? He wondered that when the gun was knocked out of the man's hand in a carefully placed shot.

There was still time before Reborn crossed the distance between them. Even without a gun, the man had proven more than capable to kill him with his bare hands. Why didn't he? Instead, he just stood frozen like someone had turned the off switch on his body.

He had every opportunity to avoid the kick that was aimed towards him, but again he didn't. Though it didn't send him flying like it would to any other ordinary person, the man staggered back a few steps until he was out of Tsuna's reach.

Reborn now stood protectively in front of Tsuna, acting as a barrier between him and the mysterious man.

The impact of the kick did do one thing, he realized, when the force blew back the hood covering his face.

Holy crap.

It was like staring straight into a mirror. However, upon a closer second glance, this man resembled Giotto more than it did himself.

His wild locks were lighter than his own, though not quite the blond Giotto was known for. If Tsuna was a milk chocolate type of brown, this man was a light, melted caramel. In the bits of light that shone from where the ceiling had collapsed, it appeared even lighter.

Most of all, what separated them were his eyes. Tsuna had brown doe-eyes that held every bit of compassion and acceptance he was known for. This man's eyes were a cold, predatory gold. It was like looking into the eyes of a ravenous lion or snake.

The resemblance was not lost on Reborn, who stiffened.

"Who are you?"

His look-a-like, now broken out of the spell he was trapped in earlier, made a move towards his side. He was reaching for another gun.

Reborn, having the advantage of already drawn his weapon, prepared to shoot.

What happened next could not be explained by Tsuna. Every fibre of his being was filled with horror and dread at seeing his tutor preparing to kill this man. It made no sense why he felt such a strong objection towards the man's death, despite the feeling not being reciprocated.

"Reborn, don't kill him! He… He's just scared!"

His tutor merely scoffed. "Don't be an idiot, Tsuna."

It all happened so fast. With an urgency that was not understood by him, Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut and shouted with all of his might, "Stop!"

Before he knew it, his feet were moving. What was he trying to do? Jump into the crossfire in hopes that would improve the situation? Tsuna vaguely remembered the sound of a gunshot and bullets hitting metal.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Reborn had his gun titled towards away from him, where he was forced to divert his trajectory or risk the chance of killing his own student. The furious gaze of his tutor was something that sent shivers down his spine, but he did not for a second regret what he did. No, something within him screamed to keep this man safe.

His look-a-like merely regarded him with a look of curiosity, head tilted to the side as he pinned Tsuna down under his scrutiny.

After a moment, a soft voice carried over the silence.

"Noctis."

"What?" The man shifted his attention back to Reborn. If Tsuna wasn't mistaken, he would have thought those eyes looked a bit sorrowful.

"My name… you had asked. Call me Noctis."

Reborn's eyes narrowed but he acknowledged the new piece of information about their mysterious attacker. With that, Noctis turned his back on them and started walking away.

"I'll be back for you, Vongola Decimo. The next time we meet, I will take what I desire."

Noctis stretched out his hand and before Tsuna could protest or Reborn could stop him, tendrils of smoke emerged from his fingertips and covered the entire room. Of course, Tsuna would think it was an appropriate moment to exclaim his surprise and simultaneously breathe in a waft of smoke into his lungs. He succumbed to a coughing fit and as the smoke began to clear up, the room was empty save for him and Reborn. His tutor had - was that a gas mask on his face? Where did he-

He shouldn't even be surprised. The hitman had peculiarities and if he had a shape-shifting chameleon with him, then what was to say Leon couldn't shift into a gas mask in the nick of time?

"You have 10 seconds to explain yourself, Baka-Tsuna."

Tsuna sweat-dropped and backed away slowly. That tone was reserved for when Tsuna screwed up big time. He doubted he would be able to go home before he ran around Namimori at least fifteen times.

This was the worst day ever.

End Note:

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!