Again do not own
For those of you wondering Caina is a circle of Hell from Dante's Inferno
Sorry for the late…okay, really late update and poor story but this one was a bitch to write and I really needed to explain what happens next…which hopefully won't take as long.
Tsuna sat at the table with Timote, Iemitsu and Reborn balancing a ring on his finger tip, it was a plain steel band with the phrase "even in death there is love" carved on the inside. He looked at his predecessor and with his other hand tapped his chin. The Ninth had called him to his office to speak about his marriage. A compromise had been struck with the Caina family, Tsuna was to marry the daughter of the family head. "in exchange for what?"
Tsuna's dad looked puzzled "huh?"
Tsuna clarified " they get an alliance with the largest and most powerful family what do we get?"
The Ninth chuckled "already learning to play the politician. We get exclusive trading rights to the resources in-" and his words faded as Tsuna waved a hand.
"not the Vongola. 'we' as in the tenth generation. You're ruining two lives here. What do we get?"
A knock on the door saved the three elders, Schnitten "Ninth, there's been a problem with the shipment from Greece…" and Tsuna left to deal with the problem.
The Tenth Generation guardians looked at the Sun Arcobaleno in shock, The Boss was getting married! Only Chrome didn't look surprised, Tsuna had told her as soon as he himself had found out. She wasn't surprised, a family boss was a resource that could influence entire nations just by who he married. She was sad, yes, but she couldn't keep moping all the time.
A few days later the woman, Sofia, finally met the Vongola. Compared to all the models and celebrities that had pined for Tsuna's affection she was…well, pleasant. She wasn't all that tall for an Italian, with her long blond hair and refined bones she could have passed for a minor noble. Her face was pretty, not alluring or seductive, but pretty, across her cheeks and nose was a faint dusting of freckles. All in all she didn't stand out. Other than her eyes. A green-gray like a stormy sea. Gokudera took her to see her future husband. All the guardians sat outside with ears against the wood. It didn't do anything as every Mafia boss knows that doors need to be soundproofed.
Tsuna walked around his desk and kissed her knuckles with great respect, "welcome to my home Lady Sofia"
She nervously giggled and curtsied "and a lovely home it is Master Decimo"
As she sat at a small parlor set he offered her a glass of wine. She accepted and relaxed as Tsuna sat in the wrought iron chair across the small circular table. "I'm sorry that your family forced you into this…"
She looked down into her lap before answering "I know you're in love with this Chrome lady" he stiffened as she spoke "I'm sorry that you got forced into this…" she tried to hold back a tear that rolled down her cheek.
Tsuna stepped around and knelt beside her and brushed the tear away "you did nothing wrong. For all the good it does we knew that it would be nearly impossible for us to be together. However there is one good side to this" she lifted her tear stained face and sniffed. Her eyes glued to his brown gaze "of all the other women in the world I'm glad it's you, you care for those around you and work earnestly to help them. That's more than a lot of people can say." and she was exposed to his smile. She started to relax some, only occasionally sniffing. after chatting and getting to know each other better Sofia exited the room.
As she looked among each of the guardians her voice blew like a gentle breeze "could one of you tell me who Chrome is?" and the Mist guardian stepped forward and the two disappeared into a guest room. As the mist closed the door and sat down Sofia knelt in front of her and cried into Chrome's hands with pleas for forgiveness.
A year later the twenty three year old Tsuna was married to Sofia Caina, it wasn't a bad marriage even underneath the surface. Sofia was a kind hearted gentle woman who worked hard for her family. As Maria and Hibari sat in their room Maria noticed the three oddest things and mentioned them to her lover. After a long deliberation it was brought to Reborn's attention. The baby smirked and lowered his fedora. Soon all the family minus Tsuna was in the room.
Although all the group gathered was sitting when the three month pregnant Sofia walked in the entire group stood, she pulled a hand to her mouth "my, my who walked in, the prime minister?" and she turned around before smiling at the group "don't stand up for me…please?" and the group sat again, Chrome helped Lady Vongola into her chair. In truth the child was not completely a product of the pressure for an heir
Hayato, never the patient one, started with a "so Reborn, what's this about?"
Reborn looked at the first two that noticed and they nodded, "this is a meeting about the oddest things about the family…I can't believe they happened but they did"
Hibari pointed to the two women sitting next to each other and Maria explained "Chrome and Sofia's friendship." and in truth it was one of the oddest things even Reborn had seen. Sofia had been forced between Chrome and Tsuna and had essentially torn the two apart yet here they were like sisters. It had long been known that Sofia had been Chrome's confidant, after one of the latter's school friends got caught in a shoot out and had died the only one who could get into the room without getting hurt was Sofia as Tsuna was out of the country. While it is true that Chrome never held it against the other woman a natural amount of animosity was a near certain…except here, there existed no negative feelings between the two.
Reborn let a genuine smile plaster his face for once in his life "the second is Tsuna's becoming himself again!" and the group let out and gasp before evaluating the statement to be true. Tsuna's personality was slowly morphing into that of before the representative wars. He could laugh and smile, although he didn't get startled/scared as easily and the harshness could come out at a moment's notice he was relearning how to relax again. Some thought it was due to marriage, others thought it was Sofia herself, the right answer was lost amongst the harmony of the sky and it's aspects.
The third thing was spoken about for hours. The mere thought of this change startled everyone. It had been one of Tsuna's private fears that with the growth of his family his heart couldn't grow fast enough to hold each and every person. Something odd, unexplainable, and magnificent had happened instead. With each person that entered the family his heart had not only grown to accommodate them, but with each new member this love for each person magnified. And there were several families that witnessed it first hand. When he first got the post if you killed a low ranking member, maybe a driver, he would cry at the grave all day, two years ago Tsuna would barge into your office and haul you across and threaten that if you scratched another family member you would be dead, now if you killed the same man you would be exterminated and your body would never be found.
Mukuro laughed and pulled his lover closer and rubbed his cheek onto the little cheetah tattoo that currently inhabited the spot. He then said the one remark that everybody in the group could agree with, even just a few years ago he would never have thought about saying the words about Tsuna. "we have the best boss in the world"
Six months later a little girl was born, her name was Emi Vongola Sawada, she was an exact replica of her mother. As Tsuna cradled his first born in his arms alone with his wife she brought up a strange point "you haven't taken a mistress…"
Tsuna's body suddenly went stiff as he tried not to drop Emi he laughed as he turned "I know we didn't have a great start but why would I do that?"
Sofia smiled and put her head on his shoulder "I heard some other dons talking…I guess that I'm just surprised, looking back, that Chrome isn't your mistress…"
Tsuna stood and put little Emi in her crib before settling back down with his wife "I would never do that, I swore I would bind myself to you until death do us part. And besides I really do love you" and he pulled her to his chest.
Three years had passed in the stream of time. Sofia never referred to herself as a Caina, but as a Vongola…perhaps that was a subtle sign of what was going to happen.
The day started out better than anyone had a reason to believe. The desk of Decimo didn't have any paperwork and all the meetings for the day had been rescheduled or canceled all together. The weather, however, was filled with warnings- the winds whipped at gale force speeds while the rain fell like knives cleaving at everything. After a four year no-see policy Alexander Caina decided to see his daughter and granddaughter. As the elder man and his retinue entered the Vongola mansion the air was filled with the happiness of long accomplished dreams.
Caina walked entered a room where Decimo sat next to his wife on a couch and read to Emi who was sitting on her mother's lap entranced by her father's voice. As the door shut Sofia picked up her daughter and hugged her father. A smoking hole appeared in Sofia's abdomen followed by the sound of a gun shot. Mukuro and Hibari burst in only to be knocked out by Tsuna. As he slowly lowered their bodies to the ground he whispered "please keep the others safe…" and rushed out.
A call went out and the other's rushed to the home of the Vongola. Only a smoking wrecked home awaited them. The home, normally filled with vibrant people was filled with hundreds of lifeless bodies. The group moved to the Boss' room and found Sofia barely hanging to life as the gun shot wound robbed her of the last remnants.
The remaining guardians could only listen to her last words "save them…I'm sorry I didn't know this would happen" and her sobbing gasps faded with the last bit of lifeblood in her body. The two guardians were checked over and the awoke with headaches and nothing else. Lady Decimo was placed in cryostasis by Verde.
As soon as the two guardians awoke Reborn had a barrel at each head. His rage and sorrow was driving him insane. "where are they?!"
Mukuro shook his head "don't know…when Caina shot Sofia we rushed in and then…I don't remember…" and the illusionist let out a growl of frustration and slumped against the wall. More gun shots rang out in the corridor, Reborn pressed the smoking barrel between Mukuro's eyes.
Seven smoking holes surrounded the target's head and Reborn's voice cut all the guardians "You will tell me what happened or I will personally find the deepest gutter to bury your filthy carcass in!"
Verde saved everyone as he burst into the hall. The Simon, the Acrobaleno and the Vongola guardians, watched the attack on one of the monitors in the hidden surveillance room. After the gun shot in Tsuna's room a horde of gunmen stormed the mansion killing everyone they saw, Monitor b showed Tsuna knocking out the duo to protect them against the flood of lead and rushing to tear apart Alexander, who held a crying Emi. The kidnapper jumped off the third story railing and rushed out. A group of men tried to stop the father, they died by the dark side that had been seen at the hotel when the New York mafia had tried to kill his family. Hundreds died trying to stop him. That's when it happened. Tsuna just collapsed. Something not shown on the monitor dropped their beloved boss. One of the men looked at the camera and held up a sign "we have them" and shots destroyed the image.
The group looked at their leader, Reborn, who glared at the screen shaking with anger. Enma put forth the question "what do we do next?"
Bermuda stood up and clenched his fist "all of you scatter, find Tsuna and Emi. If you find anything call the others!"
Ryohei looked at the one-armed baby "then what?"
Bermuda moved the bandage so that one eye was visible "then we save them and slaughter everyone trying to stand in our way!"
The group rushed out as the Vendice warped to find any clue. They found only bodies and blood. As the guardians jumped into a car Lambo looked at Hayato "Bakadera?"
The driver didn't look back "what? I don't have time!"
"…did Sofia have anything to do with this?"
All the guardians were jerked to a stop as the car went from 180 mph to complete stop, the storm's eyes were absolutely shocked and he gaped like a fish. It was the littlest mist who spoke "no, Sofia wasn't particularly close to her dad. He decided that she wasn't needed when her brother was born. She agreed to the marriage to get away from him" she sniffed before the car started again.
An hour passed, a day, a week.
The group was out searching a section of the city when Jager appeared and wrapped a loop of chain around each of them. The Mafia watching the Vongola family leapt back out of primordial fear and the entire group warped to the location of the found Decimo.
Two steel slabs sat next to each other under a harsh surgical light. Chained down were the two they were searching for. The slabs were just far enough that the chained occupants couldn't touch each other but if they both stretched the heat from one could travel to another, to know but to never touch, another form of torture. Emi had been beaten until bones broke but her life wasn't in peril, her left eye, however, had been ripped from it's socket and a gaping hole now sat under the blindfold. At the footsteps she whimpered until he dad spoke. The normal quite voice of Tsuna had been replaced with a ragged, hoarse voice, breathless with the exertion of speaking and broken from the multiple stab wounds in his throat "Emi, listen to me, the others are here" he drew a shuddering gasp "no matter what happens remember I love you"
The group stopped as they beheld their beloved Decimo. It was a sight that filled them with sorrow and burned into their minds for all eternity. One eye had been burned beyond recognition and every bone in his body had been shattered, every organ save heart, lungs and brain had been ruptured. His skin was darker from the acids and fire and covered with gruesome messages carved into his skin. His body was destroyed. As Verde approached Tsuna called out for the scientist "take my eye and transplant it to Emi" he chuckled "I've no need for it where I'm going" Verde nodded his tear stained face.
Reborn pulled Verde back to the group "what are his chances?"
He shook his head "even from a glace he has none. All his organs are ruptured, he only has a few minutes"
As the group said their goodbyes Tsuna looked at his crying guardians "hey, don't cry. You guys can run the family better than I could" he smiled weakly and coughed as blood filled his lungs and the broken shards of rib started to dig into the chambers of his heart "I'm giving you guys the last order of Vongola Decimo-watch after Emi. Take this opportunity to rise again. You guys can do it. You're my family after all…" and his body sat near the edge of death
Mukuro slammed his hands down on the counter as Verde transferred the eye of the father to the daughter. Emi let out a shuttering laugh "Mu-nii, now we both have d-different colored e-e-eyes" and she started begging for her father.
Reborn kicked a computer that flew into the wall and exploded before stopping. The cogs in his mind started to spin. Two different color eyes…rise again "VERDE!" the scientist flew at the unexpected shout "do you still have the illusion system?!" he yanked the glove out of Verde's hands and rushed over the Mukuro. The chances were less than one in a million and Reborn handed the gun to Mukuro who's face scrunched up in concentration.
He pressed the barrel to Tsuna's temple, his boss smiled a soft smile and whispered "never once did I cry out, but please end the pain" and the bullet buried it's self into the late Tsunayoshi's head.
He knew this place. It's cold heat that brought fear into every soul. He looked around and found himself in a hospital setting. He lifted his hands to his face, here he was whole, his body had no signs of the torture he had endured and he was in a dark suit. He moved off the bed and down the hall. The hall led to stairs which he took down to the gardens. Sitting on a bench was an ancient man in jeans and a doctor's coat with a wooden cane. The doctor looked up, his face was covered in long gray hair with bright blue eyes "Mr. Tsuna, do you know who I am?"
Tsuna looked at the man and nodded before sitting down next to the doctor "I didn't know you were a doctor Minos"
The long dead king chuckled and looked the young man in the eyes "then I don't need to explain where you are. Now to the real question, do you think you belong here or do you think there's been a mistake?"
Tsuna put his arms across the back of the wrought iron bench and pulled a leg up and thought "…no, I belong here. My stupidity killed hundreds of innocent people and I have killed and ordered killed 372 people in order to advance my family. No, I believe that I deserve to be in the ninth."
Minos blinked and let out a loud snorting laugh, "I never thought I'd see the day someone thought that they belonged in the ninth. My, I spend all my days hearing from whining sniveling people trying to get off with a lighter sentence."
Tsuna looked at the ground "may I ask you a question?" the king hummed "what happened to Sofia and Emi?"
Minos stopped fiddling with his cane and looked again at the man "your wife rests in heaven and your daughter is still alive" Tsuna opened his mouth and Minos put up a hand to stop him "I'm sorry but you can't see your wife…" he shrugged "sorry, it's the law…"
Tsuna nodded "I understand" he gasped and twitched as a lance of pain hit his body like lightning "what's, what's happening t-to me?!" and he fell to the ground and clutched his chest.
Minos slowly lowered himself to his knees. "my boy it seems that you were shot with the resurrection bullet. Make me a deal boy" Tsuna looked at the doctor between fits of pain "kill the guys who murdered your wife and I'll see to it that your family doesn't end up here"
Tsuna whispered "why are you helping me?"
Minos laughed "you didn't know it, well, neither did she but Sofia was the last of my blood…and Emi, go back and kill them" and tears crawled down the old man's face and Tsuna nodded before a spike of pain dropped his body to the ground and pulled him into unconsciousness.
Pain, lots of pain. A weight on his chest. Annoying beeping. An eye opened, wait both his eyes were gone- he didn't think about it a minute ago since he was dead, but he distinctly remembered one eye being burned and he gave the other to Emi…EMI! And he shot up with a groan and the weight on his chest fell to his legs. With his eye he looked at his little girl sitting on his lap rubbing her head from where it hit his knee. She looked up and screamed "PAPA!" and he pulled her tiny form into his chest as tears flooded his face.
A real doctor burst in and fell back against the wall muttering about the impossibilities and was promptly thrown aside as his family burst into the room. He and Emi were crushed under all the hugs they got. He somehow managed to push the group away before he was suffocated. He looked around in confusion before asking "what the H-" he looked at his daughter "what happened?"
Mukuro kfufu~ed and looked down at his boss and grinned "you remember when we found you?" nod "well I used the illusion system and made the resurrection bullet-it's a possession bullet that Reborn and I have been working on…this is the first time we used it, and I really didn't think it would work" and the group looked at him stunned, he made the boss a GUINEA PIG!?
A gentle laugh issued forth from the mummy Decimo, "I'm glad it worked!" he cradled the sleepy Emi to his chest and continued "but how am I seeing you?' Hayato cleared his throat and picked up a mirror. Tsuna hiked an eyebrow at his second's actions and looked into the mirror. He had no left eye but his right eye was healed from all it's burns and had the kanji for Hell contained inside. He chuckled "well Mukuro, you me and Emi all have interesting eyes…or eye in my case"
Spanner and Shoichi looked at each other and muttered before the blond looked at his boss "Tsuna…" he looked at the man in the bed before continuing "we think we can make you an eye"
Tsuna's grin knocked everyone back with it's force "do you guys think it could double as the contact?"
The blond grinned back and nodded decisively "we'll get on it as soon as we get back"
Tsuna stroked his daughter's head as she leaned up against his chest asleep, she looked so much like her mother. "guys?" the group looked at him with apprehension, his mood was just so sad "when's is the funeral?"
Verde stepped forward "I'm sorry but it's tomorrow, we didn't think you would…make it so we went ahead and scheduled it. I don't think you can be dischar-HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
Tsuna shakily stood and glared at the scientist "I won't let anyone stop me. I'm going to say my goodbyes to her even if I have to crawl I will do so."
Everyone expected to see Emi and her grandfather and see no trace of the Decimo that currently sat in a coma in the hospital. They had written him off as "Dame-Tsuna" again.
The black Limo pulled up and Iemitsu stepped out with Nana, he reached in and his granddaughter hopped out and the car was suddenly surrounded by the Ninth, his guardians and the tenth guardians. Everyone watched in confusion as Iemitsu reached back in to help someone else out. Who else was in the Limo? Some murmured that it was Dino, but he sat in the second row, Xanxus? No, Varia, CEDEF and Vindice were sitting around the perimeter as guards. Even Bel and Squalo sat in silence, they had respected the late Lady Decimo, she had shown them compassion that they had long since believed dead to them. She was their friend. When Tsuna stepped out in a dark suit, bandages covering his neck and his left arm in a sling and a black bandanna over his eye, gasps echoed from those surrounding. They watched in an awed silence as Ryohei gripped his hand and carefully helped him to his seat, even Hayato didn't question it, he had simply stated that "of course, lawn head's going to do it, the strongest one of us needs to help him"
As he walked by they noticed the thin sheen of perspiration that coated his body as he commanded it to move, even so close to his own death he was here. It was slow. Nobody took their eyes off him, what hell had he gone through to see her off? His gait was marked by the pain, only few knew he had been dead for a week, even fewer knew how much he had suffered at their hands. As he sat the other took their seats.
After all was said the people slowly walked to the two survivors, it started with Bermuda, he floated over to Emi and gently patted her head before kneeling before Decimo and kissing his ring. The action shocked everyone. Bermuda was taking a step he had not ever taken before, he was showing his sorrow for the dead.
As each person voiced their regrets and condolences they left in silence, they would not disturb him in his grief.
As the final person left an exhausted Emi was taken back to the ancestral home of the Vongola and he was left alone with his driver, a man named Arun, who sat in the car awaiting his boss.
As he knelt alone in front of her tombstone Lady Death appeared before him, without looking at her he spoke "did she suffer?"
The ghostly pale woman knelt beside him and wrapped thin arms around him, her long white hair framed her ageless face as she cradled his head against her bosom. Her immaculate white summer dress didn't wrinkle as he cried against her while her pale blue eyes streamed identical tears, she had chosen him. He was her last hope. Tsuna felt her nod and sobbed, to the others he needed to remain strong, a pillar of strength, but who was to be his?
"Lady?" she looked at his brown orbs "please give me the strength to do what Minos asks of me…"
She nodded and kissed his forehead and faded out with the wind. He leaned forward and kissed the marble "I will keep Emi safe. I know you wouldn't want me to do what I will. Please forgive me…" he leaned his head against the cooled stone and let his tears water the flowers that sat above her. With a final kiss he turned back to see his family.
As he haltingly made his way into his home he slowly waved away those that tried to help "I need to overcome myself…it's the least I can do for her"
After an eternity of pain he made his way to the main room and turned to look at all his allies that had come to answer his call. The Simon and Chiacarone and multitudes of other parted to allow him to walk to the steps. Then the clapping started. It was Hibari next to his lover, in the silence of the hall his hands echoed. Then it was the others than all the hall, and like a stone in a pond they all gave the fragile man a demonstration of their loyalty.
As he approached the stairs he slowed to a crawl, he couldn't walk up them it was at once the simplest thing and yet the hardest. Then she stepped down, Chrome took his hand like she would and egg and he leaned on her as he climbed his way to the stair that would allow him to see everyone.
He turned and looked across the room with a deep fondness, these people were his friends. He had been there for them and now they looked up to him like a father, he looked across his children and lifted his unbound hand and the clapping calmed.
With his fiery eyes and trademark clothing he spoke "to each and everyone of you, Thank you. I need each of you to do something for me. Two weeks ago we were attacked by the Caina family" gasps were heard as all realized they sin committed by Alexander, he had killed his own daughter.
He lifted his voice so the other could hear him "they have gone into hiding, leaving no trace for us to follow. I need you to help us." he bowed and the murmuring started again, since when did the god of the underworld bow "I need your help. Please"
A voice came from the back "and what will you do when you find them?"
Tsuna's eyes hardened into orange steel "I will burn them all into oblivion, they consigned her to death. I will do the same"