WARNING: Torture and gore.

This isn't canon – to the Rifiutare Famiglia story, considering that it's set in the same timeline as Vongola 1st generation. That is why I decided to put this down as a separate fic – even though same characters. I also changed a few things from when I posted it in the other fic last time.

Any chapter with the prompts is typically not canon to the Rifiutare story.

PROMPT: After (character you choose)'s s/o gets tortured for being a traitor, proven innocent, and then the s/o disappears and cuts all ties to Vongola – they meet again on a mission. And the s/o looks devoid of emotions. (I chose Alaude and changed the prompt a little while writing, but the basic premise of "getting tortured for being a traitor and being proven innocent" will be the same.)

If any of my OC acts like a Mary Sue in any way or if there are any mistakes, TELL ME IMMEDIATELY!

Oh and no flames please! Thank you~!

"" - speech

italics - thoughts

Disclaimer: I do not own Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn.

Burnt Flower

"Wake up." A harsh voice called out to her. Nina groaned as she felt the aching pain in the her stomach and legs. When she raised her head tiredly, the tall man stared down at me indifferently. He flexed his arms as he watched her with a calculative gaze. When she tried to move, the chains attached to her arms and legs jingled. She hung from them without trying to further any attempts of movements. Complete dread pooled in her stomach as she remembered where she was once more.

He smiled stiffly at her. "Shall we begin the next stage?" She subtly flinched, preparing herself for the pain. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar figure, sitting down on a chair casually. His platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes almost seemed to mock at her.

Hurt… Betrayal… Unforgiving anger…

"It's...not me…" She managed to mutter in a frustrated tone.

"Begin." Alaude's voice cut through - not hinting at how he even felt. She bit her bottom lip painfully.

Of course… When did he ever trust me? He probably never did and I was such a fool-

The male stuffed a cloth into her mouth aggressively and then taped it shut, forcing her to gag reflexively. He gave her one second before kicking her in the stomach consecutively without rest. She flinched at the bruise that formed on her stomach, feeling her gaze become hazier than before. Within minutes, he grabbed her hair and pulled her head towards him. The prickly agony gradually built inside of her; she glared at the man rebelliously. In response, his hand slammed against her cheek, leaving a flash of white burning force. She choked on the cloth, trying to throw up but the tape held it in without a budge. He grabbed her hair again as he whispered in her ear. "Admit it. It's you."

She barely was able to shake her head in disagreement when the man backhanded her face. She winced, doing the best she can to stop herself from screaming. Searing hot pain flashed in her mind. Blood dripped from her now broken nose. Her tears mixed with her blood as though they were never separate from the beginning.

"Still saying no, eh? We'll see about that." He took out a small whip, cracking it down on her shoulder harshly. She stopped herself from choking on the cloth, but the next set of whipping turned her mind into pure white. Crazy. White. Burn. Too sensitive. Too fast. It burned from everything around her.

More tears unwillingly fell from her eyes as she held in her screams to stop herself from gagging anymore. She shook and stared down at the ground.

I'm okay. I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay-

She watched as his whip struck her open stomach. An angry red burn appeared as speckles of red began to form. He continued to strike at her with no rest. Every single time, it burned so much. Ripped at her skin like an angry fire. She saw flashes of white. Flashes and blurs of cold isolation.

Please. Please…

She shook her head furiously to stop the gagging reflex, but to no avail, it did nothing to help. Hot tears trailed down her cheeks, staining her injuries. She wanted it out of her mouth.

Get it out, get it out, get it out, get it out of me!

A muffled scream ripped out of her as he moved his whipping to her arms. She struggled to get out of the chains, never stopping the scream - the scream for help.

Get me out of here. GET ME OUT OF HERE - STOP!

Her throat felt dry as though the rubber had replaced her voice box as she shrieked out in pain. She violently shuddered when the tip of his whip gently hovered over the area of her faded skin that he had carefully and slowly destroyed.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no-

Her skin no longer burned as needles and waves of pain shot through her nerves. "Admit that it's you." She heard a blurred whisper in her ear as she never made a move to answer him. "Move your head if it's you." She did not move. "I see. Then let us continue. We shall start stage two. But... Before that, let us blindfold you." She flinched when she felt her eyes being covered by a piece of cloth. "Shall we count the minutes now?"

Count...? What?

She breathed through her nose heavily until something covered her only source of air. She shook her head to get it off of her, but whatever was covering her nose did not budge at all. It stuck to her airway like a stubborn plug. Feeling desperate, more tears drenched the cloth around her eyes as she tried to release her heads, pulling and shaking them. Her muffled screams seemed more muffled than before and she once again felt lightheaded. So nauseous and so dizzy - her wounds still stung as if it flaked from a burning fire. "One…" The man's voice drove her crazy.

It was only one minute? Oh god please. Oh god, oh god, oh god. Please spare me. PLEASE!

A single touch from something cold seared her mind with white utter pain. Burns that ripped through her nerves.

"Would you like to tell me the truth now?" She managed to shake her head furiously at him. She heard a small sigh and was about to give up on breathing when the sticky substance that blocked her airway disappeared. She breathed through her nose desperately as if the air around her was precious.

Is it over?

She thought too soon. A muffled scream ripped out of her again from the slashing of something sharp. The smell of salt and metal invaded her nose. She wanted to throw up. She wanted it all gone. Disappeared. She could not stop herself from shaking. She could not focus on where she was. She heard a loud cracking sound from behind her. White hot pain seared through her skin, leaving an angry red burn on her back that tingled uncomfortably at a single touch. She cried through her stuffed mouth as she felt another whip slash from behind her. He ripped the tape off her mouth and she spit out the cloth from her mouth. "This is your last chance, woman."

She gritted her teeth. "I. Refuse." The slap he gave her never stopped her from saying her next words. "IT'S. NOT. ME."

Alaude stood up from his seat, casually walking towards her. She leveled her gaze at him. "Leave. I will take over." He motioned to the man.

"Yes sir." The tall male put down the whip and walked out of the room. The tension in the room shot up as a cold breeze entered. She shuddered at the sudden change in temperature.

He grabbed her chin harshly, pulling her close as she dangled from the ceiling chains. "Don't test me, woman. We all know the truth and the truth is that you betrayed the Vongola Famiglia and your own. Do you think I wouldn't notice your strange behavior in the last few weeks?"

That was…

Her eyes flickered of something he could not discern. Her lips curled upwards, showing him a dismal yet beautiful smile. She realized that it was too late and that there was nothing she could do anymore.

It was supposed to be for you…

The silver chain she personally made out of scratch for his pocket watch that he received from Vongola Primo remained hidden in her desk at Rifiutare Famiglia's base. Why did she do such a thing? The time she spent trying to make it seemed to mock her of her stupidity.

To be a part of your life… I hoped that present would remind you of me during your busiest moments. And yet, it becomes my undoing.

I loved you. I trusted you.

But-

Now…

All of the occasional notes she slipped into his files, so that he could enjoy a tiny moment of surprise and happiness, squeezed at her heart like a strangling rope. She finally gave a loud laugh; tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Why are you laughing?" The dissatisfaction in his voice made her laugh harder - so close to breaking. The letter for his upcoming birthday that reflected of her appreciation for him in her life, the expensive cleaning agent for his favorite pair of handcuffs that she was going to gift him for the holidays, and the effort she put into learning how to cook his favorite dish went down the drain. There was nothing that mattered anymore.

"It's...not me… It's never me, but… You don't care about that anymore, do you?" She whispered under breath, feeling so tired - so exhausted. "As long as you have someone to blame, then that's good enough. An easy target, that's who I am to you now."

His eyes narrowed. He let go of her chin and swiftly grabbed the whip from the ground. "Nina, considering our relations of the past, I will give you the chance to mentally prepare for what I'll do to you for betraying all of us."

She frowned. Her eyes dulled. She no longer moved. She no longer saw him. She looked past him. "Go ahead." She shut her eyes with no intention of defending herself. Her will to live had snuffed out - just like the smothered flame on a candle.

The moment he swung the whip down at her, the door suddenly swung open. "Alaude-san!" Someone came into the room with a desperate cry. "It's not her! It was Alvah!"

"...What." All of the things he said, all of the cruel things he did to her - none of it was excusable anymore. The disbelief in his voice made her look up at him. Her lifeless eyes bored into him. It seemed so ironic to her for some reason. The man that she loved had gotten the wrong person and no matter how close they were with each other before, he chose to never believe in her, despite her cries about speaking the truth.

They stared at each other for minutes. Time seemed to stop between them. "I…" He whispered out. The guilt and pain in his voice… She ignored it readily.

"Enough." She answered. "No more." Even though her heart was beating, she no longer could feel it in her chest.

Enough.

He was about to reach out to her in a gentle manner when she spat at him. Her spit and blood dripped down his face. "Not you. Never." Hurt and uncertainty flashed in his eyes, but it quickly faded away as he turned away from her and wiped his face with his arm sleeve.

"Set her free and treat her wounds well." He commanded his subordinates as he faced the other way.

She fell to the ground harshly when the subordinates released her from the chains, but she continued to watch the CEDEF boss with a dispassionate gaze. The resentment she felt for him deepened when she noted his reaction towards her fall - nothing.

Beg for forgiveness, but I will never let you live in peace.

While I get that it's your job, your lack of faith in me… It will be fully reciprocated.

Just wait...

As though he heard her thoughts, he turned to lock his eyes with her; his icy blue eyes flickered of something but she never bothered to think about it anymore. She almost snorted at him to express her disgust towards him.

Just looking at him makes me feel sick to the stomach.

"I told you to treat her wounds - not give her more." He glared at the subordinates who flinched under his anger. "If I find that she's injured even more, I will personally take care of you." His heartwarming protective behavior only fanned the flames of her hatred for him.

She bit her bottom lip hard until small droplets of her blood trickled down. The very fact that he was unhurt angered her. All she wanted to do now was to rip out his eyes and to burn the very flesh in his body until he screamed for help.

I will never… NEVER FORGIVE YOU!

Her eyes darkened as they finally tried to take her out of the torture room carefully to treat her wounds. Unfortunately, the sudden movement made her abruptly throw up, spilling the acid onto the ground and mixing with her blood. As she stared down, her vision began to flicker and shake ominously.

The colors swirled.

It swirled too quickly, too fast.

Dull grey, charred black, transparent yellow, and matted red.

Her hatred will never end with just him.

END.

If you read it and liked it, then I would love to see your support for this fanfic in the form of reviews, so send those reviews/faves/follows in my direction! :D

There is a sequel to this fic called, "Blood in the Ashes."