Code: KHR-CSST-CH.01

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the featured media, the rights go to their featured media.

Media: Katekyo Hit-man Reborn.

Title: Choosing Sides and Standing Tall

Chapter: 1. This is the end...

Status. In-Progress.

This was the end. The shots being fired echoed through the evenings cold and sorrowful air, bullets flying over head without a thought of who it might hit - targets in the wielders mind either falling down with a lifeless 'Thump' or returning the favour.

The death toll was racking up on both sides but the leadership differed on one side - the losing side; this leader - the wise and kind leader never wanted this, even when running through the street turned battle field with his most trusted of friends, being helped to carry one of the most precious of cargo with tears in his cerulean eyes and blood on his hands, did he ever want this.

Giotto Taru was his name, framed for his soft but stern fist in such a dark world that he wonder into all most by accident, and was now leaving it in the same manner. A shrill scream of pain rippled through the noise of battle cries and explosions and a sob escaped the man without being able to hold onto it.

His son, Tsunayoshi was just turning fourteen in a handful of nights and now this?. A bullet to his stomach, bleeding heavily with such a contorted face of pain; Giotto knew how much it hurt - he had been shot more than he cared to remembered but he would never wish it on anyone - lest all his baby.

Giotto had a tight hold on Tsunayoshi's shoulders while his footwork was sloppy and his knees buckled at very other opportunity and just barely stopping himself from dropping the boy in his arms as his best friend, G - the person who had known him for the longest made sure that he didn't do just that.

'Sh, baby, shh, daddies got you' he hushed, the voice leaving his mouth was broken and desperate as the rest of his friends - the rest of Tsunayoshi's uncles had to look away 'Daddies got you'

'Child, keep hold of that wound' another voice instructed - Knuckle, from a step or two head, his sharp eyes keeping watch other the bleeding. Panicked chocolate orbs flickered to him, tears in their corners as numb hands applied pressure to his side, warm crimson liquid escaping through the fumbling and weakening digits. A fractured cry left his young mouth as the pain circulated.

'Good boy' Knuckle whispered, his heart aching not just with fatigue but with grief.

'Y-yeah' a younger voice spoke up from the side 'Keep it up, Tsuna! Your doing great!' Takeshi exclaimed weakly, his father grimacing; this is something no parent would want to subject their child to, but it was too late now and their was turning back from this.

'Of course!' Hayato said, but the boy couldn't hide the crack to his tone as he continued 'He's our brother! What do you expect?.!' the boy ran along side his own father, left to Takeshi's.

No one could answer that; they expected him to be dead by now, but they could never utter such taboo words, not now - not when Tsuna was trying so hard.

'D-dad' the brunet gasped; it was so hard to talk now, with a lump of pain in this throat and pure agony running through his veins made forming sentence like sucking on a of spiky lemon 'Dad!'

Giotto shushed 'N-no, don't talk. We're nearly there, just don't talk, we're nearly there' he said it like a mantra; the children thought because of his injury but their fathers knew better - Giotto just didn't want to say goodbye.

'G-going?.! Going where?.!' Tsuna sounded so confused and lost; they couldn't blame him, he had been feverish for awhile. His eyes looked to his father's and then to his uncles before they returned with a snapped 'You - you can't! You've left them behind!' he shouted and Giotto's heart weighed heavier as he tried to stop the tears from falling 'Dad you've left them behind!'

'We're nearly there' Giotto whispered, it seemed that's all he could say with the world crumbling down around him. He just had to make the children safe - not just safe from the mafia war that was raging on the streets of Sicily but safe from the man he helped create.

It was a month ago - just a month for everything he had built to be destroyed; he got rib of a lot of their weaponry because guns didn't solve problems, they caused more and he didn't want a fight to be about whose got the bigger stick, but the mansion got attacked and everything went wrong.

Elena - a woman, such a beautiful, kind woman died that day. She was a friend of his; he thought Elena would have such a bright future…

He was wrong again…

Daemon was there by the time Giotto returned, cradling her body with an urgency that he hadn't seen his guardian show anyone but his two children, tears were running down his face and dripping on to hers while her blood added to his. It made Giotto feel sick, but than he turned - Daemon turned to him and his expression turn angry - full of rage and hatred that Giotto had to take a step back.

Daemon's voice had come out thunderous 'Look what you've done!. Look where you stupid - pitiful compassions put me!. Look what you've done!' he spat.

'Daemon -' Giotto started, hand out stretched and ready to give comfort when mist flames encircled his guardian.

'I'll make you pay, Giotto. I'll make you pay, and than maybe - maybe your understand' and Daemon was gone. Leaving his two children alone and Giotto with a hole in his heart and a very bad feeling.

Two weeks in, Giotto found his wife - Tsuna's mother dead and new immediately what had happened. Another piece of his heart was torn out and Tsunayoshi made it no easier; the boy had been by his side when they discovered her and his haunted chocolate eyes had already seen so much darkness - seen the way his father and uncles worked that he recognised the marks of one of his most beloved people's signature, felt the lingering mist flames and screamed.

The scream echoed down the hallways and corridors - travelling all over the building and soon not just every maid and butler by their side but the Vongola's guardians and children - all who recognised the sound ran and stopped just short of the doorway.

Mukuro and Chrome where the last to get there - everyone else silent - unable to say or speak. It was soundless if it wasn't for the stifled sobs. The twins look at each other, frowning and making the decision to see what the trouble was about.

When they were noticed at the back of the crowd they were treated with varying ways - scowls, sneers and than the whispering started 'If it wasn't for Daemon…', 'Do you think they were in on it?' and 'How do you think he got in in the first place?.!'

Their eyes widened, but the crowd parted and they hesitantly walked through, looking side-to-side, their sight lingering on the faces of their uncle's who couldn't look at them at all. Chrome's hand held onto her brother's shelve but it dropped when they entered the room - sight going past the familiar figures to the body on the floor.

Their breaths hitched and choked on the iron in the air as Chrome gasped 'Aunt Chiara?.!'

Father and son turned than, and both of the children's eyes gravitated towards Tsuna; he who would surely blame for this - everyone else did it seem, he would surely be angry for this, he would surely hate them for this because everyone knew how close his mother and he were - he loved her so terribly and now he was dead and from what they could tell it was their father who took her from him.

'Mukuro? Chrome?' his voice was hoarse and so broken that they flinched, he walked a step forward to the eldest when the female pineapple ran in front of her brother - arms outstretched protectively.

Tears were in both of their eyes as they looked to Tsuna - because they knew they were in the wrong and that they had caused this 'P - please, T - Tsuna, we're sorry - we're so, so sorry' Chrome sobbed, her shoulders quivering and under the impression that one of the people she trusted more than anyone else - one of the people whom she loved above all others were just about to disown them.

Mukuro wanted to say something - anything but words caught in his throat and he fumbled for the right ones; but what could he say? Was there anything that all? But he didn't have much time to think about it as he and his sister was soon crushed together with shaky arms and given the most awkward embrace they had had with them squashed together.

There were a few gasps in the coward who were watching, eyes widening ever so but that was lost to the two pineapples as Tsuna's knees buckled and they were all brought to the ground 'What are you apologising for?' he whispered, and they would swear later that their hearts stopped right than.

Mukuro blinked stupidly 'B - but, Tsunayoshi -'

'Did you?' the brunet swallowed, nuzzling his face against his big brother and sister 'Did you help?' they both tensed and the air around the room stiffened 'No?.! Was that a No?.!'

'O - of not course! - we wouldn't - wouldn't - '

'Than why are you sorry!' Tsuna demanded against their clothes, having no strength to pick himself up- to straighten himself and show them his face even when he should 'Why are you sorry! Idioti! Why are you sorry! You shouldn't - you shouldn't be sorry!. Never be sorry! Not for this! Never for this!'

The twins looked at each other - both crying before they completed the embrace and made the silent plague to never leave his side - never.

'Dad! Please!' Tsuna cried in his fathers arms 'What about Toni and Alex?.! What about Kimi and Heather, what about - what about' his breathing hitched, thinking of anyone - anyone who would make his father turn about 'What about Cozart!' and everything grew thick and weighty 'Dad what about Cozart!, surely he's there! Surely he's out there! Dad you need to go back! You need to go back and help! They need you!. They need you!'

Giotto's tears flowed freely now; the mention of his friendship that could never be mentioned, hitting a very raw nerve 'And I will, daddy promises. I - I promise, I'll go back and stop it - stop him. I promise, just as soon as you and your brothers and sister is safe. I swear'

A feeling of dread embraced Tsunayoshi's gut 'Where are we going?' his tone was that of a whisper but his uncles still flinched and his father couldn't look at him 'Where are we going?.!'

'Tsuna' Knuckle addressed and instantly got the brunet's attention because he would never use the nickname when not worried or serious 'Tsuna, you need to calm down, all this stress is going to make the bleeding worse'

Tsunayoshi couldn't careless; that was the least of his worries as he shook his head, his sight blurry and unfocused and he tried his best to recognise where they were; the battlefield was far behind them now but the noise still reached them - the smell still reached them and made him wrench. But as he just to find a street sign or familiar building, he found his heart jump to his throat when his eyes flickered back to his father and saw the glow to the Vongola ring.

No.

No.

Tsuna looked to his uncles, bending his head anyway he could to see their hands and realise their guardian rings were glowing too.

'The warning glow of the elements will shine only when their children's roads are losing distance' the remembrance of something that had haunted his dreams for years made the hair stand up on end and suddenly the aches and pains - the utter agony that hugged his very skin didn't matter 'And when all is crumbling and all seems lost, that is when the Clam opens and their kin is given a miracle'

'Please, please not Aunty Sepira?' he said it like a question - because he wanted his heavy head and thumping eyes just to be seeing things; for his mind to be playing tricks on him and for everything to not be as bad as what it would be.

Giotto grimaced and his eyes closed for a second or two 'I was hoping' his voice broke 'I was hoping you wouldn't remember that'

Tsuna opened his mouth to say something; that the boss of Giglio Nero had been a "Family" friend for a long time and he had seen Sepira often while growing up, but the time she came over for no apparent reason and allowed him to sit on her lap although heavily pregnant stayed with him. He may have been young - younger but they way her usually kind eyes had dulled into endless pools of cerulean and how her gentle voice had dipped into indifference had scared him. But as it happens, he never did get around to saying another, the last thing he saw before his vision darkened was his uncle Aluade coming over - still running, still angry. Sad blue eyes looking down on him before a gleam of metal.

And than nothing.

CSSTCSSTCSSTCSSTCSSTCSSTCSST CSSTCSSTCSSTCSSTCSSTCSSTCSST CSSTCSSTCSSTCSST

The wind whirled in his ears and his vision was blurry as he looked out from his place in the grass, his body being held onto my multiple little hands - none of which were the ones he wanted, none of which was the ones he needed.

He blinked slowly unawares and fading - dying as he looked - but not processing the seven huge towers that were around ten feet away. The tower's were white and decorated with patterns that he couldn't sort out, everyone shined a different colour, from left there was yellow, green and than purple. On the right side it continued on the far end with indigo, red and blue and finally, the last pillar that was set out from the rest - was orange.

Awareness was starting to bite around his consciousness and he noticed with a start that there were men standing in front of those pillars and that he knew them very well 'Da - ' the words weren't coming out of his throat as he tried to swallow, too far away for his father or uncles to hear him but his silent brothers and sister did.

'Tsunayoshi, you gave us a scare' his chocolates slide to the speaker - to Mukuro. He wondered if his brother realised that he knew the reason he stopped laughing that creepy laugh or refrained from smirking. He wondered if Mukuro knew that he knew why his hair was now styled in a ponytail; it's ordinariness not suited for such an unusual boy.

'I -' Tsuna swallowed 'I wasn't the one who knocked me out' he tried to sound indignant - he tried to sound anything what he was. One of the many hands holding him tightened.

'How are you feeling?' Chrome asked gently. Tsuna wonder if she knew that he knew why she knew wore her hair down - just like her brother, or why she covered her right eyes. He wondered as he did with her brother.

His eyes trailed to his wound that was being covered by Hayato's small and shaking hands and that was enough of an answer for Chrome as she nodded and her lips were set into a thin line.

There was so much that need to be said - done that it drowned the children into silence, but before anything could be done - like alerting their uncle that his son was awake, a rumble shook the ground and the wind picked up further.

'Wha - wh' Tsuna tried to stuttered, but his words got stuck and flattened over the hardening lump in his throat, his bare feet sensing the power that was being rooted through it's ageless self. He didn't like it. Tsuna didn't like this feeling of flames; the was they were being channelled - the way it was being twisted into something it was not and than used like a battery.

The men turned to their children from their respect pillar, heaviness in their posture as they did so and Tsuna's dread grow as he struggled to look up to his siblings whose faces had become shadowed with such weight. Knuckle tried to smile; he was the Sun after all; it was his job and looked at his nephew that had been entrusted to him by his brother and nodded 'Keep yourself well, Ryohei.' hazel eyes flickering to Tsunayoshi for just a moment 'Look after your brother.'

'Look after?' Tsuna whispered in a ghost of a voice that seemed to echo so loud, even above the weather changes 'What - what about - what about you?' he breathed a shuddered breath; struggling to continue to breath and feeling increasingly light-headed 'Where are you going?.!'

The boy who always seemed slow and oblivious to subtle things nodded solemnly 'Look after Kyoko for me as well!' he called over the thunder that was starting to strike in ominous colds that were so very black.

Wide chocolate eyes looked up to his big brother Ryohei with obvious shock; Ryohei was as protective as they come; he would never leave his little sister alone without him, even with that person was someone he trusted more than he did himself.

Lampo looked over all the child - none of which was his but had played such a huge role in his life, and in retrospect, taught him so many thing. He shook of his usual bored look for something more effectuate; this, after all, wasn't your usual "See You" took a deep breath and tried to look like his same, old-self he was a month or so ago.

'See you brats'

Distressed eyes turned to the lighting guardian than and Lampo did his best to remain indifferent 'U-Uncle L-Lampo?'

Alaude simply shook his head; having guessed the youngest guardian would say something along those lines before he turned his attention to his son, Kyouya, keeping his expression the same - and neutral 'Do what you have to do in all that you do.' the boy nodded and for once - just this once the ex-policeman smiled which was returned after a surprised pause.

'So - something's wrong' Tsuna gasped, Alauda and Kyouya didn't act like this, only when there were certain conditions forcing them to. He reached out - tiny fingers looking for something to grasp hold of - something - anything to make this reality seem more real. Something to make everything seem okay 'Something's wrong!'

Chrome snatched his hand from the air, her fingers shakingly interlinking with his own. The little lady's expression was grim - tears were close to following down her pale cheeks and her lips set into a thin line on her face, looking at his hand.

The Mist tower started to ooze fog but standing there was not Daemon but the Varia's Mist Guardian; standing in. The Vaira were close to the Vongola; their leaders were cousins after all and were created at the same time, one because of the Tri-Ni-Sette and the other to be a foundation to the other; they were different and that often but people thought they didn't get on, but they were as close as close could be.

The other Varia members stood away from the pillars and children, Ricardo standing with a harsh expression that softened once he felt Tsuna's frantic eyes place him from where he was forced to lay. He nodded in his nephew's direction - knowing that this would now become one of the final memories of the little brunet who could shape or destroy anything without even trying.

'Pick your chin up, boy.' Ricardo commanded, through in his voice was not authority but something else - something different 'Tsuna, keep your chin up.'

Tsuna shook his head, wriggling slightly to get to where his uncles were, because he was sure now - he knew that this was wrong and that - He had to swallow - And that this sounded so much like a goodbye. The power fluctuation than, sending another jolt of flames through his already tingling skin. His vision tunnelling as his eyes tried to sort out the different shapes and colours.

G looked to his best friend for a moment, scarlet eyes shining before the slide to Tsuna how was still bleeding out through his own son's fingers and shut them tightly; knowing that this would take a long time to recover from and not just the bullet wound.

Hayato looked up from the crimson liquid that was pouring through his hands, his eyes instinctively landing onto his father, the man's face intense and hard set from where he stood by his glowing-red pillar. In that one glance Hayato knew just about everything his dad wanted to tell him but just couldn't expression. In that one glance an entire conversation was shared and he nodded stiffly from where he knelled on the other side of what felt like the world.

'Later, old man' the usual address in anything but the usual tone. It was too raw, too open but it still put something that was meant to resemble a smirk on G's face. They gazed at each other for a moment before it was broken another pain-hazed screamed. Heads snapped downwards to the small brunet as shivers started to shake his tiny frame 'T-Tsuna!' Hayato exclaimed in worry, biting his bottom lip as he added more pressure to the bullet wound in desperation.

Tsuna's head slumped against Mukuro's lap, swallowing continually and dryly, his eyes gaining weight once again as he tried to stain to keep them open, the tendons on his neck standing out and making the furiously beating pulse all too visible.

Voices appeared distant and his body was becoming numb with ever passing -agonising- second that ticked by. He was slipping without even realising, his grip on reality loosening as his breathing picked up and came out harshly from his mouth; his body finding his nose too slow to regulate oxygen.

Tsuna vaguely register the howl of the wind on his burning, feverish skin and the sound of something that felt concerned - something that he wanted to pay attention to, but just couldn't as he started to fall - fall through the floor and his head spun up towards the sky…

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Numerous voices, different voices shouted the same name in the alarm as the blurry and barely open- chocolate eyes fluttered closed. Primo's guardians had o restrain themselves from running over; from wanting to help - Knuckles in particular as he shouted orders over the howling wind and crackling thunder.

Giotto's face was stony and his silent disposition would be worrying but not right now. Those chocolate orbs drifted over to the blond, barely focused; the boy probably not processing what was happening at all 'Tsuna' the Vongola leader addressed, calm and broken as he stood amongst the chaos - where he had to be and not where he wanted to be 'Tsuna, try to focus on me.' he smiled sadly as he watched his son's brow draw closer together in confusion 'That's it. That's it, good boy. You have to listen to me Tsuna; this is important' he swallowed as his voice became thick with emotion, everyone else quietening from the panic and worry 'We're - I'm sending you somewhere safe. You know….you know what U - Uncle Daemon's like; he won't stop until…until he's completed what he's set out to do and …Aunty Sepira's never…wrong'

Giotto's breath was taken when his own pillar started to activate, his flames draining from his body painfully; he had never used his flames like this before and couldn't say he'd do it again - couldn't do it again; he didn't have the strength for this.

'You're being sent into the future; I'm sorry, Tsuna, I'm so, so sorry I know you have a life here - everyone you know is here, everyone you care about it is here' Giotto's words stopped 'I - I can imagine what you'd say; you're…so much like your mother…'the guardians stiffened, looking to their boss. Giotto cleared his throat, quickly changing the subject as he knew if he talked about Chiara any longer he wouldn't be able to talk at all 'I don't - I don't know how far you're going, but - but I'll try to have someone meet you on the other side….'

A/N (27.12.12) -

Been thinking about this story for awhile; ever since I started to write 'Our Family', because this was a direction I could have taken that story but just didn't want to, so I thought about working on the idea and changing it into something that could back a good story, I hope you like it : ).

So, I've asked this before but does anyone know a good beta?

Inspired by 'Skyfall' by Adele.

Livejournal: sky-flower24

I apologise if there are any mistakes in my spelling/ grammar, or if you find anything I have written offensive.

Thank you to everyone who added the new story of 'GUN' to their favorites/ alerts or reviewed. You also have my gratitude for taking the time.

- OW