Title: Fated to Be

Genre: Drama/Romance

Pairing: G27, may have other pairings

Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Summary: Both of them were instantly drawn to each other, as though it was meant to be. But when everything was planned to happen from the beginning, it was countdown to destruction, and Tsuna had to make an ultimate decision–to risk everything he had, or lose his life. 4YL: G27, Semi-AU, may have other pairings

Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder ...

- Henry David Thoreau

xxx

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Summer

Tsuna yawned as he sat up on his bed, looking above as he peered at the time shop shown at the clock hung on the wall. It was currently seven in the morning. The brunette stared at the closed door blankly for a moment, trying to register the reality that the holidays were over and a new semester of his university had finally begun. Frankly speaking, he wasn't so looking forward to the starting of school. Thinking of the endless stack of homework and the endless detentions he would most likely from his teachers because he either forgot to do them, or because he screwed up badly was enough to make his head spin.

He was shocked that by his results, he could still enter a university. Well, it was all thanks to Gokudera who was a genius even though his temper was rather bad at times. Kyoko had also helped in his English as well. Ah, thinking of that kind and gentle golden-haired girl made him sigh in content. It was so blissful of him to know such a caring girl in his life. Tsuna closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, before he sighed again.

And Kyoko would be entering the same university as him! To think that there is such fate! Tsuna giggled to himself as he rolled on his bed and began fantasising sweet moments he was doing with his crush.

"Tsu-kun! Time to wake up and go to school!"

His mother was calling him downstairs. He had no reason to laze on his bed anymore. Sighing, Tsuna got out of bed reluctantly. After washing up, he took out the clothes he wanted to wear and began to dress up. He was happy to be able to wear his own clothes and go to school. He was sick of wearing uniforms, so it would be good for a change. Tsuna looked in the mirror as he combed his hair, a smile appearing on his face.

"Tsu-kun!"

"Coming!" Tsuna shouted, grabbing his bag by his chair as he rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping down in the process, but he "danced" through the stairs and managed to reach the floor perfectly. The brunette heaved a sigh of relief, grinning proudly at his agility and reflexes. He walked into the dining table, seeing the food placed in front of him.

"Come and eat quickly. You are going to be late for school," Tsuna's mum, Nana, spoke from the basin. Tsuna pulled the chair and sat down, taking the chopsticks in his hand as he took up an egg roll and popped it into his mouth. The food melted inside instantly. He couldn't help but shiver in happiness.

"Your food is the best, Kaa-san," The brunette said.

"You flatter me, Tsu-kun," She gasped in slight embarrassment, smiling.

"Where's Dad?" He asked.

"He has gone out for work. It seems that his boss needs him early in the office for some important matters." She replied, humming a soft tune at her lips as she continued to wash the dishes.

"I see..."

"Tsu-kun?" She turned around and asked in concern.

"No, nothing." Tsuna finished the last drops of the soup as he placed the chopsticks on the empty bowl. He stood up and took his bag, walking towards the main door. As he opened the cupboard and took out his shoes, his mind recalled the words that his mother said a few minutes ago. Brown eyes narrowed in slight disdain.

"Liar." He muttered.

"Are you going, Tsu-kun?" His mother went to the porch and handed him his lunch box. Tsuna took it and walked out of the door, stepping onto the street.

"I'm going now."

"Have fun!" She shouted from the door. Tsuna turned and began walking to the school. He could see the same Chihuahua standing at the gates which had scared the hell out of him for the few years. Though he had finally got used to the fierce barks and was not as frightened as before, he still did not really like it. The brunette quickened his steps as he walked by the household, trying his best to block out the piercing barks ringing painfully in his ears.

He then reached the bridge which he would always walk past whenever he was going to his high school in the early years. In those days, he, Gokudera and Yamamoto would always cross this bridge as they were walking their way back to their homes. Sometimes Ryohei, Kyoko's brother, would join them occasionally. He could still remember the hearty conversations, the quarrels between Yamamoto and Gokudera, mostly started Gokudera simply because he could not stand how simple minded and naïve Yamamoto was. Tsuna always had to be the mediator and stopped them before something bad happened.

Now, everything had all become a memory. Yamamoto had gone to a sports school. Gokudera had returned back to Italy for his private matters. Although he was glad he wasn't involved in any of their disputes, he was starting to miss their voices and their bickers surrounding him every day, but there would eventually be a time when all of them would choose their own paths to move on. It made him slightly sad and lonely.

Tsuna reached the bus stop. There were so many people–students, office ladies and businessmen–waiting for their buses. He wondered whether he could even board one. He stood beside a rubbish bin as he took out his phone to check for any messages. His eyes lit up as he saw a message from Kyoko.

I will be waiting at the school gates for you, Tsuna-kun.

Kyoko.

A smile was threatening to form at his lips. It was his first time Kyoko was waiting at the school gates for him. For him. The brunette looked up and peered at the roads, silently urging for the bus to come quickly so that he could reach on time. He did not want her to wait for him for too long.

After a few minutes, his bus finally came. To his great dismay, many teenagers were rushing up to the front, wanting to board the bus. Tsuna tried squeezing himself forward, but no matter how hard he tried pushing his way into the crowd, he would always be pushed out. He frowned in frustration. He was small-built, so why couldn't he squeeze himself inside? Tsuna bit his lip and tried forcing himself in, but an arm came out of nowhere and elbowed his chin. He gasped as he fell out, crashing into another person standing behind him.

"I'm sorry!" He turned around and apologised profusely. He did not want to offend anyone on his first day of school. As Tsuna turned and looked over his shoulders, he was slightly taken aback by the stunning looks of a student who was probably his senior, though he wasn't sure whether he was studying in the same university. That person was tall-built and had a rather slender body. In simple terms, he was gorgeous for a teenager. Most importantly, that pair of cerulean eyes gave off a strange yet alluring aura which attracted him instantly.

What a beautiful stranger. Who was he?

"Are you alright?"

Tsuna couldn't help but blushed. He nodded his head in a daze, not knowing how to react all of a sudden. His heart beat so fast and his mind was totally blank. If he did not catch this bus, he would surely be late for school! Not to say that Kyoko was still standing there waiting for him!

Suddenly, he felt a light push. Brown eyes widened slightly as he stumbled, his right foot stepping up the stairs of the bus in coincidence. Not able to figure out why he could somehow get into the bus, he followed the people up the vehicle quickly, standing at the narrow space between the seats as he gripped onto the pole tightly. The doors closed as the bus finally set off. He peered at his watch in anxiety, wondering whether he would be able to reach on time. Should he text Kyoko to go to her class first? He was unwilling to take out his phone.

Tsuna squirmed slightly at the tight space between him and the students. Maybe it would be a good time to go to school early next time. He looked up, seeing that all of them had blank expressions. Some were staring at the scenery, while others were listening to their music, their minds wandering into another world. It was deadly silent throughout the whole trip. He wished that there was someone talking. The silence reminded him more about the memorable days he spent together with his friends in the past.

He wished that everything would not change. He wished that everyone would still be together with him. Somehow, it seems as though everything returned back to square one–back to the time when he was alone and had no friends as all. Through this silence, he could feel the loneliness slowly coming back to him. He wasn't ready to face the reality yet.

"...I would be free around five in the evening, right after my lessons..."

In this silence, he could hear someone talking softly within the hordes of people squeezing in the bus. His voice was low, but the soft tone he used was light and gentle. Tsuna wondered whether he was someone who had a kind personality. He knew he was stereotyping, and one cannot judge a book by its covers just by the way he spoke, but somehow, he couldn't help but think of that.

"...dinner? Sure. At your place as usual?"

Was that his girlfriend calling him? Tsuna thought back to his crush, Kyoko, whom he liked for almost two years. Yet he still did not have the courage to confess to her. It was so pathetic. He was already eighteen, yet he did not have experience of dating a girl.

"...I love the spaghetti that you made. It is delicious. Alright then..."

Somehow, he was a little jealous of him and the loving feeling he shared with the person he was currently talking, who might be his girlfriend. He too, wanted to visit his girlfriend's house and try her homemade food. If it were Kyoko, the food would be heavenly. Tsuna imagined the scene when he and Kyoko were cooking their meals together, drowned in their laughter and a few occasion of teases and playing between each other. His heart thumped hardly at his ribcage, and he wished all of this would come true.

"...see you later. Bye."

The conversation ended, and so was his hopeless imagination. The bus slowed down, entering the business district. The university could be sighted just by a few metres away. The brunette clutched the straps of his bag, feeling slight nervous. He hoped that it would go well for his first day. He did not want to screw everything up just like what he did in his elementary and high school.

The bus stopped at the bus stop and opened the doors. Now he felt himself being pushed forward as the people were squeezing themselves towards the exit, wanting to get off as soon as possible. He stumbled out of the bus as he stood on the street, breathing heavily. Tsuna began to run, taking note of the school gates to see if Kyoko was still there.

"Tsuna-kun!" She shouted to him. Tsuna smiled as he waved to her. Luckily she was still there.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" He panted between breaths as he stopped in front of her. Kyoko shook her head.

"We are not late yet. Let's go!" He nodded his head. The two of them walked inside the school gates. A strong scent of jasmine filled the whole large space which looked like a big garden, surrounded by sakura trees and bushes of flowers. There was a water fountain situated in the middle of the pathway which connected the school gates to the entrance of the school. Loud chatters could be heard from students flocking in, and the two of them hurried inside, not wanting to be late for their class.

"Oh, you are here, Giotto! It's so rare of you to be late!"

He heard a shout. Tsuna looked up, seeing a student his senior waving at someone as he rushed down the stairs. He was slightly curious on who he was calling out to, but due to the large crowd heading in the same direction, he had no choice but to follow the crowd, lest he wanted to be pushed out of their way again.

As they entered the school, he couldn't help but stare in awe at the surroundings - the lights, portraits hanging at every corner of the school, and the structure of the whole building. The feeling he got was definitely different from when he was still in high school. It felt so refreshing and so new from his past. Somehow, he was convinced that his school life wouldn't be as bad as the times in the past.

"Where's our class?"

"First floor. Probably...just after the turn at the administration office," Kyoko answered, pointing at the administration office in front of them. As they turned and walked through the corridor, they peered at the numbers of the classrooms and finally reached theirs. They found seats at the corner from the last third row and sat down, catching their breaths. Tsuna took his books and notebook out, spreading on his desk. As he stared at the thick layers of pages he had to read for the next few months, he let out a long sigh, hoping that he would manage to survive through this semester.

Tsuna continued shaking his head, accompanied by a series of sighs. Kyoko sat beside him, wondering what she could do to help ease his worries.

"Don't worry, Tsuna-kun. It's only the first day of school."

"But! I cannot even understand what the teacher was saying in the morning!" Tsuna wailed, eating the bento his mother had prepared for him. He had tried to be interested in the lessons, opening his eyes as wide as possible to keep himself awake. However, the knowledge that the teacher taught them somehow had its own way of escaping from his other ear before he could absorb them. To add on to his embarrassment, he could not answer all the questions asked by his teachers for the whole morning!

He munched the grilled chicken in his mouth as he stared at the table in depression. It did not come out what he expected to be.

"I will teach you if you don't know," Kyoko said, biting the bread in her hands. Tsuna almost jumped in joy, only to stiffen for a few seconds, before he sighed again. When was he going to stop depending on Kyoko? As his boyfriend (proclaimed), he should be letting her depend on him, not the other way round! How could he be so weak?

"No...it's okay..." The brunette said in slight hesitation, wondering what was his next way out. If he rejected her option, he somehow had to find one. Without someone to teach him, he had a hunch that he would fail very badly. After all, it was thanks to his friends that he was able to enter this university.

"Eh, isn't this Sasagawa Kyoko? And...Dame Tsuna?"

He stiffened at the familiarity of his nickname in high school which had disappeared ever since he graduated. He thought everything would end at that time, and no one would mention his embarrassing moments and that embarrassing name he did not want to hear. Great, it had to come out at this timing.

He and Kyoko turned around to see a small group of guys coming over. It turned out to be Yagiri Jinnai, Kamiya Daichi and Nakamura Tatsuya, and they had been in his class for the whole three years in high school. The brunette turned around and shaded his face, wondering why of all people, he had to meet this three of them in the university.

"Hey, how are you all these days?" Kyoko asked politely with a smile.

"Everything is still normal. By the way, why is that Dame Tsuna here?"

Great. Can they stop calling him that?

"He enrolled into this university and got in," She answered, frowning slightly. The three guys just gaped at her with widened eyes, before they burst out into loud laughter, earning many stares and attention from the rest of the people in the cafeteria.

"Wh-What...What...What...You have...got...to be kidding!" Tatsuya gasped and patted his chest as he continued to roar in laughter, thinking that this was the funniest joke he ever heard on Earth. Tsuna shot a glare at them in anger. Even though he might be stupid in everything, nothing was impossible as long as he put effort into it. He did work extremely hard in the final examinations, and they just denied it immediately?

"...Are you serious?" Daichi asked, seeing Tsuna's angry face. He opened his mouth and was about to explain when he was cut off by another series of laughter which seems to be endless. Kyoko was staring at him worriedly, wanting to do something to stop this. The brunette slowly closed his lips, flushing in extreme embarrassment at the meaningless ruckus they were currently making. It was supposed to be something that was over–something in the past. They brought it up as though it was nothing– that in their lives, such occurrences were just necessary to make their lives more interesting. He lowered down his head, tears forming at his eyes as he wished he could disappear at once.

"Shouldn't all of you be eating? The school bell is going to ring any time soon." The laughter stopped abruptly by a voice coming from behind. Tsuna blinked in slight astonishment at the sudden silence, before he turned around, seeing a group of seniors sitting on the bench, staring at them. One of them was strangely giving a smile, another senior who had dark maroon hair and a distinct scar at the side of his face was giving a death glare as though he wanted to chase away everyone. The senior with black hair was mumbling something about "to the extreme!" while the senior with bleached hair was extremely emotionless and very calm at this situation.

"You, shut up! You are disturbing our lunch!" The one giving the death glare pointing at Daichi and snapped. Daichi shut his mouth obediently and backed away, hiding behind his two friends. Tatsuya and Jinnai weren't too willing to be standing in front of them either.

"Stop that, G. You are scaring them." The one giving the strange smile said. The red-haired guy slowly turned and glared hardly at him.

"The hell is your problem?"

"Ah, and it starts again."

"What did you just say, Alaude?"

"You must be committed TO THE EXTREME!"

Tsuna couldn't help but shiver, terrified. Who exactly were they? That redhead was acting like a gang leader, but the worse thing was, that smiling guy just continued smiling as though nothing serious had happened. Normal people would be so frightened till they could not utter a single word, just like that three people who looked so pale that they would faint any moment, but he showed a very calm face, not shaken by his death threats. It looked like the red-haired guy gave up as well, turning his head to focus his glare at the three of them.

"And you. Why the hell are you laughing so loudly in school?" G asked fiercely.

"I...it was...it was..." Poor Daichi was shaking so much that he was about to fall any moment. Tsuna was trying to force back a smug grin from forming at his lips. Although it was bad laughing at people's misery, sometimes they really deserved it.

"Okay, stop this, G. I just want to tell you that it's not right laughing at people's past. You wouldn't want it to happen on you right?"

His eyes widened. Tsuna looked around for that person who was talking, but his view was blocked by the fierce red-haired guy. He did not have the guts to stand up and have a clearer look at him. It would be best to stay here until the tension had died down.

At this moment, the school bell rang. Everyone stood up, preparing to go back to class. The three cowards had probably fled the moment they heard the bell. The heavy tension which last for a few minutes finally died down. Kyoko nudged him at his shoulders, telling him silently to go back to class. Tsuna nodded his head as he kept his empty lunch box and stood up. As he was about to go, he looked up, his eyes slowly went wide at the first person he saw.

It was that beautiful stranger.

Was he the one who said it?

His heart pounded at his chest. Tsuna looked away, flushing red. He could not explain the wild beats of his heart reacting to his overflowing emotions, especially towards a stranger he met for the first time. Well, it might be due to his beautiful features which had never failed to make his heart skip a beat. At this, Tsuna blushed again. He shook his head vigorously. He had been blushing unconsciously, and this had to stop. That person was just a stranger, and worse, he was a guy!

"Tsuna-kun." He snapped out of his thoughts. The brunette turned to the golden-haired girl who was showing a guilty expression.

"Kyoko-chan?"

"I'm sorry. I did not stop them just now. They were wrong to laugh at you. I mean, they doubted that you have the ability to come to a university. I cannot believe that!" She said in slight anger. Tsuna couldn't help but smile, feeling a warm feeling lingering at his chest. Having Kyoko's concern was more than enough for him to forget about today's incident.

"It's okay. Part of it is true. Without you, Gokudera and the others, I wouldn't...be able to come to the university today," He said. Kyoko just remained silent. Tsuna bit his lip and let out a weak smile. Although he was slightly furious at their words, he had to admit that it was slightly impossible for him to go to the university just by his own hardworking. In the past, he always thought that it was fortunate of him to be surrounded by people who helped him up till today. However, as time passed by, he began to realise that this blissful feeling was starting to burden him slightly. His uselessness was just causing other people's convenience. It showed so clearly just how incompetent he was.

"Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko asked in uncertainty.

"I'm alright," He replied softly. Tsuna stared hardly at his empty lunch box, his hand gripping at the sides of it tightly. He could not tell her how terrible he was feeling right now. Until now, what had really changed? His friends had gone separate ways, but other than that, everything was still the same. He was still the same person who couldn't understand anything, couldn't do anything, and needed someone to help him out in the end.

He was still the Dame Tsuna.

After school, Tsuna slowly walked to the bus stop. As he stopped by the noticeboard which had all the bus numbers listed down and details where the buses would go, he let out a soft sigh. It seems that the first day wasn't a productive day. He still couldn't understand the lessons taught for the rest of the afternoon, not to mention that embarrassing and humiliating moment in his life when he met his high school classmates who said out his embarrassing name in front of the whole school.

At this, he let out another sigh. This was just so depressing.

Though something different had occurred. He had met that beautiful stranger twice by coincidence. He was sure that beautiful stranger was just there to help him out, but he couldn't dismiss a thought in his head that he would always appear whenever he needed help, as though the two of them were fated to meet each other...

Eeewwwaaahhh, what was that! Tsuna gawked and shivered at that. It sounded as though he was some girl in shoujo mangas. He was a guy! Why was he behaving like this? He was supposed to like Kyoko only! This was just plain disgusting!

After a few minutes, the bus came. He was able to board with ease, since he was standing at the front. The brunette tapped his card and scanned around the place, before he took the seat at the last corner of the bus. Many students were starting to come in as well, and soon, the whole transport was loaded with people, just like what happened in the morning. He could hear the doors closing and the rumbling of the engines as the bus started to move.

His eyes stared outside the windows, peering at the scenery and the buildings passing by as the vehicle moved along the busy road. Soft strands of his light-brown hair brushed across his eyes, and his hand reached up and brushed them away gently. As he did that, he looked across the bus, his eyes landing onto someone familiar. Brown eyes widened in shock at the blonde whom he had met just now.

It was that beautiful stranger!

His heart skipped a beat. The blonde was standing, his hand holding the railing while his other hand was gripping lightly onto his sling bag hung at his shoulder. Tsuna couldn't take his eyes off him. He wondered how tall he was, which year he was in, where he lived, why did he always appear in front of him...

Who was he? Who was this beautiful stranger?

The bus stopped. He heard the doors opening, and several students squeezed through to alight. The blonde leaned in slightly to allow the others to walk to the exit. The brunette then noticed that the girl who was sitting beside him looked down in slight embarrassment, a slight tinge of red seen at her face. Tsuna blinked for a few times, wondering what he had just seen. Somehow, he wasn't really comfortable seeing this.

...what? He thought. It was slightly wrong to think that way either. The brunette dismissed the idea immediately and turned to stare outside the window instead.

The doors closed and the bus continued to move on.

After a few minutes, he could not help but avert his gaze, wanting to take a glimpse at that beautiful stranger, but to his disappointment, the blonde wasn't standing there anymore. Tsuna lifted his head and peered around, searching for the blonde. He then found him again, but this time, he was sitting beside that girl who blushed at his previous action! The girl was still blushing, but it seems that he did not notice.

His fingers twitched, and a sudden unbearable feeling rushed within him. There was no reason to feel this way. They were just strangers. He just helped him whenever he needed help. But...that was it? Their relationship was just merely to "help each other"? There was...nothing more he could do to get to know more about him?

Tsuna gripped the straps of his bag tightly. Although he was a person who was a coward and would avoid anything which would get him into trouble, for the first time, he wanted to get to know about a person whom he did not know at all. That blonde might have a dangerous past, and it definitely wouldn't be good hanging out with him when his friends were rather violent. Thinking of that red-haired guy acting like a hooligan already frightened the hell out of him, not to mention that his appearance looked so similar to his.

He stared at him. He stared at the soft strands of his bright orange hair fluttering lightly in the wind. As the brunette looked down at his books placed in his lap, Tsuna wondered what was actually happening to him. He could not believe that images of Kyoko which he always thought of every single day, even in his dreams, were gradually leaving his head, only to be replaced by the tall slender body and blue cerulean eyes belonging to that beautiful stranger...

The bus finally reached his neighbourhood. Tsuna pressed the bell and got out of his seat, squeezing himself to the exit doors. The bus was not as packed as before. As the vehicle slowly came to a stop and opened the doors, he alighted and began walking back to his home.

"Ouch." Due to his clumsiness, he bumped onto someone and tripped slightly, dropping the books he was holding. He mumbled an apology and bent down, picking up the books. As he was about to take the last one lying on the floor, a hand reached down and took up the book. Tsuna blinked in slight bewilderment, before he looked up.

Brown eyes slowly widened, shocked.

The beautiful stranger whom he met at the bus stop in the morning and helped him at the cafeteria was now standing in front of him, holding the last book in his hand. The brunette slowly stood up, standing just a few metres across him.

"We meet again," Giotto said with a smile. Tsuna said nothing and just stared at him in astonishment. They just stayed there, with the accompaniment of the wind as yellow leaves fluttered lightly onto the ground.

And that was the beginning of summer.

Hi, SingingBlues here! I have started on a new fandom, which is KHR! I love G27, and I have always wanted to come out with a story about this pairing. It is my first time writing KHR stories, so please be kind and review to tell me your opinions about this chapter! No flames please, but suggestions and corrections on grammar and vocabulary is gladly welcome! Thank you! :)

SingingBlues