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 Dino 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.

Broken Hourglass

Ai tiredly gazed up at the tall man who stood before her. Her heart cracked a little bit more. "What are you going to do to me, Dino-san…?" Her teeth chattered from the full blast of the air conditioner that she was under for so many days.

That day was supposed to be a good day…

From her memories, a gentle flash of flowers and sunlight flickered. The water dripped from her hair. Each droplet pierced her injuries and mixed with the deep red. Her head felt so numb - she could barely think. White. So much white around her. The chair that she was tied to seared her skin like a violent fire. She lost track of how much she screamed - how much was real. So when the lights flickered out, she sharply held her breath. Something was going to happen- She felt her chair leaning back and the voice that ripped out from her throat thundered in her ears. Her body - despite being tied to the chair - floated and rapidly drowned into a horrible sense of zero gravity.

"Pl-please… Dino-san…" She cried; her tears rolled down her cheeks. Her mind could no longer keep up with the confusion of what was the correct gravitational force. Her screams and struggles in her chair combined with the burning frost. "STOP IT! I BEG OF YOU-"

Something whacked her face hard. She spat out blood, wincing when the blood mixed with her tears. Laughter bubbled up from her - exhausted. No longer holding hope for her life.

When did things go so wrong?

Why…?

Why am I here when I did nothing wrong?

There was a moment of silence; she briefly wondered if she was finally left alone, but his unnaturally cold voice put a stop to her thoughts. "You will tell me the truth, Ai." The smell of salt and iron permeated the air deeply.

"I...did nothing…" She managed to whisper out. Her voice croaked and her throat tightened from the lack of water. The itch that lingered inside taunted her as she desperately tried to get a hold of herself. "I DID NOTHING WRONG-"

An abrupt jolt tore at her skin. She could literally feel the change in her skin from purple to speckles of red. The smell of iron only grew stronger. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out but another shock slammed against her cheek. She was sure that something broke because even crying hurt.

I beg of you…

Tears rolled down her cheeks; her hands shook from the aftereffects of being shocked. "Please…" A cold blow of wind burst in front of her again; her teeth chattered automatically. Her lips numbed - no longer working. Something wet swiftly covered her face as she struggled to breathe. Inwardly, she knew that she isn't drowning, but the state of her mind no longer allowed her to remain sane. She shook her head, trying to get it off of her. The water plugged her nose and her mouth. She just wanted to die already.

"Tell me the truth, Ai." The whisper that usually made her blush instead caused her to shudder. This man - Chiavarone Decimo - was the devil himself. The memory of his soft smile and gentle words crumbled into nothing but dust.

I...want to die…

She could not even let out a sound. The exhaustion slowly drowned her until her eyelids began to flutter. The chilling breeze and the frosty water numbed her nerves. Icy sharp paralysis.

Can I… sleep…?

Sounds of her friends laughing and calling out her name lingered in her mind.

"Ai-chan, what are you doing? You shouldn't just sit there!"

"I'm… trying to sleep…" She murmured under her breath. The darkness of the room and the whrrring of the air conditioner drowned out Dino's voice. "Don't...wake…" me… The last thing she saw was her friends holding out their hands for her to reach out. She couldn't help but smile as tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks.

You're finally here...

Even the electric shocks that he aggressively gave her never woke her from her dreams. The only indication that the shocks were working was the way her body flailed in her seat, but her voice never left her throat. She stayed silent as though she was at peace.

"...Ai…?" Dino paused and listened to any sign of breathing or noise.

Nothing…

He stood there quietly - unsure on what to do next. He couldn't bear to see the injuries that his previous loved one gained. That was why he turned off the lights in the first place, so that he could treat her like a regular enemy. Even so, every torture method that he allowed was supposed to give minimal damage to her body. Temperature-based.

"Dino-san!" Someone charged into the dark interrogation room. "Ai-san is innocent! We found out the true culprit-" They stopped talking once they saw the state of her listless body. "She…" At his subordinate's words, Dino's heart dropped.

"What…?" It felt like someone had torn out his soul and burned it into the cold hell that he had created for himself. "She…" Her voice crying out her innocence echoed relentlessly. He dropped down to his knees and tears gathered in the corner of his eyes. He couldn't look at her. Guilt and shame ate at him.

Dino~!

He could hear her bright voice calling out to him affectionately.

I...did nothing…

"You really did...do nothing wrong…" He muttered. His fingers curled into fists. "I'm… I'm sorry, Ai…"

"I killed you with my own hands…"

It was at this moment that he remembered the worst information to recall. He shuddered in horror.

"Dino, remember that I'm anemic, so I'm really sensitive to temperatures, okay?"

A devastated scream ripped out from his throat as he slammed his forehead against the hard cold floor.

He felt himself falling into complete darkness - in the cold where she waited.

END.

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