Summary: Pre-mafia AU. Bullying is a vicious cycle that can easily lead to the loss of a young life. And with that one life, everything that person would have achieved with it is also lost. Now imagine if one Sawada "Dame-Tsuna" Tsunayoshi became that person? Bullying awareness fic. Warning: character death.

SkyGem: Hey guys! So yesterday, I was having this discussion with some friends about bullying, and it got really emotional, with everyone sharing their stories, and it really inspired me to write this fic, because if Tsuna hadn't had such a strong person, this outcome could most definitely have come true.

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

It had started off as a normal day.

Her son had rushed off to school, screaming that he was going to be late.

Nana had just laughed it off and continued with her day, cleaning the house before going out to do some grocery shopping.

It was just past one when she returned, her arms full of grocery bags.

After setting all the bags on the table, the Sawada matriarch was about to start putting them away when she saw a light blinking on the telephone, signaling that there was new voicemail.

Her eyebrows furrowing a little as she wondered who it was from, the brunet headed over to check it.

It wasn't long before an automated voice rang through her kitchen, saying "This is Namimori Middle School, calling to inform the parents and/or guardians of Sawada Tsunayoshi that the aforementioned student or students has signed out of school early on [Insert Date Here] for medical reasons. Thank you. Goodbye."

Letting out a sigh, Nana shook her head resignedly.

"Just what is that boy doing with his life?" she asked herself in a soft voice, already making her way to her son's bedroom, ready to chew him out.

When she arrived, though, the woman was surprised to see that her son was nowhere in sight, and his room was sparkling clean, completely the opposite of how it usually was.

The sheets were folded neatly on his bed, his clothes all either folded away in his drawers or in the dirty laundry hamper, his video games were neatly tucked away, and all the trash had been picked up.

Even all of Tsuna's textbooks were neatly stacked on his little used desk.

More than a little surprised at the change, Nana turned to check the rest of the house for her missing son.

It was as she was passing the bathroom door that the woman noticed something strange, and pushed the door open, freezing in shock at the scene that greeted her.

The woman stared, uncomprehending, for more than a minute, not believing what she was seeing, before dropping to the floor as her knees buckled under her, a bloodcurdling scream tearing out of her throat.

It felt to her as if she sat on that floor, staring at her son's pale, pale body in the bathtub forever, not able to tear her eyes away from his bloody wrists.

One of the neighbours had apparently heard her scream, because it wasn't more than five minutes later that the woman from next door was knocking loudly, calling to Nana and asking if she was alright.

When she didn't answer, the woman tried the doorknob, and when it turned easily, letting her in, she climbed the stairs, looking for her friend.

The woman had to stifle a startled gasp when she saw what had brought this reaction out of the ever-cheerful Nana, and quickly nudged the brunet to her feet, leading her to the nearest bedroom and getting her to sit on the bed as she called the police.

When the police arrived twenty minutes later, Sawada Nana was still sitting in her son's bedroom, her eyes still pouring tears as she stared into space, not letting so much as a whimper escape her.

The worried neighbour was trying to get her to respond, to do something, and she looked up in relief when one of the police officers approached them, telling her that he would take care of the rest.

But Nana just kept staring straight ahead, completely unresponsive to the world around her as she drew deep within herself, trying to protect herself with the knowledge of what had happened to her son.

She is the grieving mother who had the unfortunate task of burying her son.

Iemitsu was in a meeting with Vongola Nono and a few others when he got the phone call.

Looking at Lal's distressed expression, Iemitsu hesitantly took the cell phone she was holding out, wondering just what could make the usually tough as nails arcobaleno look like the world was ending.

"Namimori," she mouthed when he looked at her questioningly, and he suddenly felt alarm course through him.

Hoping that nothing had happened to his precious Nana, or his adorable son, he took the phone, saying, "Moshi moshi?"

"Is this Sawada Iemitsu?" asked a strictly professional male voice.

"Yes, this is he," replied Iemitsu, now slightly confused.

"Hello, Sawada-san. I'm officer Morishita Takumi of the Namimori Police department. It is my unfortunate duty today to inform you that your fourteen-year-old son, one Sawada Tsunayoshi, was found dead an hour ago at the Sawada residence-"

Iemitsu didn't hear the rest of the officer had said, having dropped the cell phone, his eyes wide with shock.

"Iemitsu?" asked Timoteo in alarm. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Iemitsu didn't reply, merely shaking his head in disbelief.

There was no way this was possible, damn it!

"Iemitsu, sir?" asked Oregano, getting worried for her boss, who was now shaking uncontrollably.

His lips parting slightly, Iemitsu uttered a single word that had everyone in the room staring at him in shock.

"W-what was that?" asked Turmeric from where he was sitting, thinking that maybe he'd heard wrong.

"D-dead," repeated Iemitsu without looking up, his eyes pooling with tears as he bent nearly double in his grief, repeating that one word over and over again, as if he thought that if he said it enough times, it would make it less true.

"Dead?" asked Timoteo, "Who's dead?"

But Iemitsu was in no state to reply, completely lost in his own little world of grief, and so everyone turned to look at Lal Mirch for an answer.

"Tsunayoshi," she replied in a voice just above a whisper, her eyes fixed on her boss, her expression sympathetic; she had met the boy once, and he was the kindest, most cheerful, most energetic boy she'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. It was so hard to believe that he was gone.

Iemitsu completely ignored the gasps of disbelief from the other occupants of the room, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his beautiful, loving little boy was no more.

"Dead, dead, dead," he kept repeating to himself, and before long, the word was no more than a sound that he couldn't stop repeating, a sound that had leeched all meaning from his life.

He is the guilt-stricken father who never had the chance to know the stranger that was his son.

Yamamoto Takeshi stared at the empty seat that used to be occupied by the one everyone called Dame-Tsuna.

The vase of flowers that sat atop it shone softly in the sunlight streaming through the window that the brunet had often stared through during class, a dreamy expression on his face as his eyes roved over the sky.

Takeshi had been one of the few from his school that had gone to the brunet's wake and his funeral, and he'd been one of fewer still that had actually shed tears upon seeing the corpse.

The baseball ace had never told anyone before, but that boy in the coffin, that boy that everyone used to tease and bully mercilessly, he'd been Takeshi's role model.

He might have seemed like a strange choice to anyone else, but in Takeshi's mind, Sawada Tsunayoshi was the one most deserving of respect.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was the boy who always came to school with a smile on his face, despite all the abuse he had to go through.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was the boy who never gave the bullies the satisfaction of seeing him break.

Sawada Tsunayoshi was the boy who never had a cruel word for anyone, not even those that tormented him every day.

…Sawada Tsunayoshi was the boy that could have been the best friend that would have stayed by Takeshi's side until the end.

He is the tranquil rain that needs all his pain washed away.

Ryohei sat beside his sister, who was crying her eyes out.

"I-I can't believe he's gone, onii-san," she sobbed, clutching onto his shirt. "If only- if only I'd done something! Onii-san, he was always so cheerful and kind, and he seemed so strong! It seemed like he didn't even mind the bullying! But I should have known! I should have known that it still hurt him, even if he didn't show it. Onii-san, if I had talked to him…if I had only told everyone to stop bothering him, he would still be alive!"

Ryohei just sat quietly, holding his sister as she cried.

He'd often seen Sawada Tsunayoshi sprinting to class, desperately trying not to be late.

The boxer had never had a very high opinion of the boy, but that didn't mean that he wasn't upset that he had died.

Because, in his own way, Sawada Tsunayoshi had been a pretty extreme person.

He is the brightly shining sun who never met his sky.

Hibari Kyoya stood on the roof of Nami-chuu, looking out over his school, making sure that all was peaceful.

But even though everything was quiet in the middle school, the state of the prefect's mind was completely the opposite.

Of course he'd known of the bullying that the herbivore had went through, and he'd always rightly punished the bullies whenever he'd caught them.

But bullying isn't always physical.

Kyoya knew that Sawada Tsunayoshi wasn't just your typical herbivore; he would never have done what he had just because there were some thugs found it fun to beat him up every day.

It was the other bullies, the sneakier ones, who were the real perpetrators.

They were the ones that had driven a Nami-Chuu student to such extreme measures.

And Kyoya would do whatever he possibly could to make sure that it never happened again.

He is the drifting cloud, never to find his place without his rightful sky.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU BASTARDS!" shouted the illusionist, struggling against his chains.

The teen took a swipe at the nearest guard, but was stopped long before he made contact.

Doubling over at the sudden sharp pain that lanced through his arm, the purple-haired man let out a cry of pain.

"Why the hell can't you just let me go?" he demanded, looking up at them with broken eyes.

The guard turned his bandaged face towards him, stating in a dry voice that rattled like dead leaves, "You broke the law. You must be punished."

"I was only getting back at the damned mafia for what they'd done to me," hissed the captor, one Rokudo Mukuro. "Or does your corrupted justice only work to protect the power-hungry?" he sneered.

Without a word, the guard to his right brought his hand down hard on Mukuro's head, rendering the boy unconscious as he was dragged to the water prison where he would live out the rest of his days.

He is the captured mist, with no sky to set him free.

A girl whimpered weakly in her hospital bed, her mother's harsh words still ringing in her head.

"Why the hell should I pay good money to save a life as worthless as hers? Let her die, for all I care!"

Tears leaked through the girl's closed eyelids.

She was scared.

So, so scared.

She was still only a thirteen-year-old girl, damn it! She didn't want to die yet! She was still supposed to have her entire life ahead of her!

Why?

Why did she have to be the one in that accident?

Why couldn't it have been someone else?

Why couldn't she just live a normal life?

Why, why, why?

She is the dying mist, with no sky reaching out a guiding hand to give her the family she needs.

A cruel laugh.

"You want to be the boss of the Bovino? Don't make me laugh."

The little cow boy stared up with wide, tearful eyes.

"You're nothing but a waste of space.

I was so proud when you were born.

If I'd known what a disappointment you'd be, I would have never wasted my precious time and money on raising you until now.

Get out of my sight."

The little boy slowly backed away, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor, not letting him see how hurt he was, not giving him the satisfaction.

The moment the boy, one Bovino Lambo, had reached his room, he collapsed to the floor, letting the sobs wrack through his body as he cried his little heart out.

Everyone hated him.

They all wanted him to leave.

Why was he even alive?

He is the lonely lightning, with no sky, no older brother to show him to greatness.

A sneer.

"What are you doing here, half-breed?"

The silveret didn't flinch, not even dignifying that insult with an answer.

"He's probably here to beg to join the family," another voice said, disgust emanating from his voice.

"What do we need with a pianist? Get out of here and run back to your daddy, little rich boy. Or doesn't he want you either? I wouldn't blame you if he didn't."

Snarling in anger, Gokudera Hayato asked, "Why the hell would I want to be a part of your pathetic Famiglia?"

"What did you say?" the two men demanded, anger evident in their faces.

Now it was Hayato's turn to sneer, saying, "You heard what I said."

And with that, he turned and walked away, his hands jerkily taking a stick of dynamite from its hiding place and lighting it with his cigarette.

Throwing it behind him, the silveret walked off nonchalantly, completely ignoring the explosion went off behind him, seemingly deaf to the moans of pain that came afterward.

He is the tempest storm that never rests, forever searching for the sky he'll never find.

Why do you do it?

Do you like the power it gives you?

Do you enjoy the desperate expressions and pleas to stop?

Are you proud of what you do?

Do you think that your victims are lower than you?

Do you think they have no right to be alive?

Are you happy, then, that I died?

I am Sawada Tsunayoshi.

I am the fourteen-year-old who never had the chance to contribute to society.

I am the classmate who won't graduate with his peers.

I am the son who can't be there to take care of his parents in their old age.

I am the brother who will never be the role model his siblings need.

I am the sky

Who never had the chance to influence, to understand, to accept.

I am Sawada Tsunayoshi.

SkyGem: I hope you enjoyed this one-shot, guys, and I hope it made you think about things. I'm sure all my readers are all wonderful people that would never intentionally bully someone (at least, I hope you are), but bullying isn't always intentional. But really, how hard is it to give a kind word to that girl who is always sitting alone, or invite that boy who is always studying to hang out with you and your friends? Anyways, please do leave a review and let me know what you thought! Ciao!