Disclaimer: Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn belongs to the wonderful Amano Akira-sensei. The author does not gain anything in writing this fanfiction, well, except having fun screwing with the characters. (^Δ^)v

Ghosts of Future Past

Summary: Something was off in the Vongola mansion. Rumors spread among the servants, the guardians are confused, G is curious and Giotto is aghast that someone's been impersonating him. Canon-ish AU. A series of shorts.

A/N: Was there a missing chapter? Nope. Everyone's confused? Yes? Good. So was I.

Lucid Dream

Usually, one doesn't know that he is dreaming. Sawada Tsunayoshi, however, is an exemption.

That's probably because he's been living the dream for a while.

Tsuna meant it literally.

The first time it happened, it was like any other dream. The scenes were disjointed and didn't make any sense. One moment, Tsuna was inside a room and a blink after, he was walking along an empty hallway, or a dark dungeon, or a beautiful garden. It was like watching a movie where the scenes were jumbled and cut off in the most important parts.

It became a cycle of sorts and it stayed like that for quite some time.

At one point, the scenes began to change. Everything started to become much more detailed: he could now hear sounds, the colors were livelier and brighter, the air smelled different and he could feel... things.

Tsuna confirmed this when at one encounter with a servant – where'd she come from? – he had instinctively grabbed the girl before she could hurt herself from tripping. The movement surprised him as well that right after it happened, he was again transported to another place: the lavatory.

He never bothered before but that got him to think about it.

It was really odd feeling his senses now because he is dead.

Or well, technically, temporarily dead. In a suspended animation. Whatever Shouichi Irie called it in his explanation.

He is currently in a slumber like death.

Why?

Alas, he remembered everything.

And he was made aware that he is dreaming.

Everything in his dream halted the moment he realized what it really was. Everything went stark white and he found himself contained in a cylindrical room with no decors whatsoever.

Silence permeated the air.

Time tick-tocked.

Tsuna didn't like it much.

He was supposed to be stored as mere molecules in this room – this white round thing – if he remembered correctly.

As a lump of chemically-bonded atomic particles, he shouldn't be feeling anything right? Time for him should have been stopped; he was supposed to have died and if their plan succeeded, he would awaken right after everything had settled to normal once again.

So why was he feeling like this?

Tsuna felt really, really bored.

Time tick-tocked.

And he really, really felt alone.

He heard of churning and clicking gears. It was the most interesting thing that happened to him in Kami-knows-how-long. When it stopped, Tsuna was greeted by the Vongola boxes that was once theirs, floating in mid-air.

It looked like Shouichi had successfully acquired the Vongola boxes from Kyoya secretly.

Tsuna sighed regrettably as he remembered the burden he had given his Cloud guardian.

Looking at the boxes, he reached out to the one closest to him – his own box weapon Natsu. As he cradled it on his palm, he was rewarded with a slight trembling of the box, an indication that Natsu had felt his presence. If only he had his Vongola ring, he could open the boxes and bask in the company of his friends' companions.

Then, he would never feel alone in this place.

Maybe it had been better off with his strange dreams. At least there, he had something to do that would prevent him from thinking too much about… his family…his future… the rest of the worlds' futures.

As Tsuna thought this, he felt warmth coming from his box weapon.

In a matter of seconds, he was engulfed in soft sky flames.

He was dreaming again, but this time around, he was very much in control.

Did he say very much in control? Well, not really…

They say dreams express the things in a person's subconscious. Now finding himself inside the Vongola mansion in this new dream, what does that say about his subconscious?

If he was in control, he probably would have willed to be in Namimori – in a normal day with his family.

It was no use complaining, he thought. Better here than in that dull white place.

And at least, he's self-aware in this new dream. Honestly, this wasn't the first time he had experienced this. He remembered Hayato explaining the phenomenon (he couldn't remember the name) to him – because it is just right up his expertise – talking about REM, brain signals, neurobiological models and other scientific jargon. But like any other theoretical discussion with his right-hand man, he never fully understood.

The only thing that stuck with him is this: when this kind of dream happens, he could do what he wanted.

And yes, that's what he's going to do.

He's going to enjoy whatever this dream has to offer him.

He proceeded to walk through familiar paths, beholding the refreshing feeling of having something to look at – being stuck in that endless white really depressed him too much. He wandered throughout the mansion, taking in everything.

As he inspected the place though, Tsuna noticed some differences from the mansion he knew. Like the 200-year-old antique jar decorated near his office that he was fond of; it looked rather new. And the portraits of the Vongola Bosses in the Assembly room were nowhere in sight.

Dreams are really weird...

This is the weirdest dream Tsuna had. Hands down.

Its silliness even precedes that dream where he was chased by a giant Pacman.

Just what kind of subconscious does he have for giving him a role of a ghost in the Vongola mansion being occupied by the First generation? That lady in the kitchen even thought he was his ancestor.

Honestly though, he was seriously enjoying himself.

Because seeing the heralded Vongola Primo being scolded by his right-hand man for not doing his paperwork?

Just priceless.

Tsuna could only chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

A/N:

And thus, explains the title of the story. I hope. Been years since I watched the anime and read the manga so bear with me.

So, what really happened before the chaos in the last chapter? Someone's giving us his account soon. Hint. Hint.

By the way, lucid dreaming is a phenomenon by which the dreamer is aware that he is in a dream, giving him some control in what he's going to do in it. You know, the feeling when you realize "Oh my gahd, this is a dream. I don't like it. I'm going to wake up!" and sometimes you really wake up, or you thought you woke up but actually you just have another dream where you wake up. Did I make sense? I am no expert in this!

Anyways, thanks so much for the positive response.

Comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions?