Disclaimer: Does not belong to me.
Burning so brightly.
Fire burned around them, as black as the night and hatred from which it was born. They were the only two inside the ring of fire, staring each other in the eye and weighting the heaviness of what was asked and would have to be sacrificed. There was no way out, the human knew it all too well – he had broken promises and laws and so much more. This was his punishment to bear, his sins to carry.
"So you're giving me a choice, Bermuda?" Tsuna's voice shows interest, curiosity of a child even, "Even though I shouldn't be given one at all?"
A laugh is the answer that he receives and then Bermuda is in front of his face and, even though he's covered in bandages and the top hat is shadowing his face, Tsuna can almost see the eerie smile that stretches beneath the dirty bandages. He's floating in the air, circling around the Vongola Decimo and laughs – a laugh hollow and empty and just a little bit twisted.
"No, I'm not giving you a choice; I am taking you for myself."
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The mansion was in ruins, blood and flames and bullet holes covering the floor and walls. Those that were still alive, those that had survived the war of mafia were now trying to regain their breathing, eyes burning the destruction and death into their minds. This was what they had to do to survive; this was the only way to secure the future of their children and family – both the mafia and the one that is tied by blood and marriage.
Tsuna stood in the shadows, moved with them as he walked through the rooms full of debris and death, as he looked at his guardians and friends and those from his family that were still alive. This was his fault; all of this was his sin. But there had been no other way, Tsuna tried to reason silently, there had been no other way to clean out the darkness and filth inside the Vongola. Even if it meant breaking the omerta, even if it meant risking the lives of those he held dear, even if he were to be taken away by the darkness in the end.
It was his price to pay, after all.
He looks at his right hand man, who was slumped against the wall and holding his broken left hand, and when those tired green eyes land on him Tsuna smiles a small smile of regret and sadness and comfort – it was time to go.
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He tests the coldness of the black flame dancing on his fingertips. It's cold and foreign and doesn't feel like a part of him. There was an emptiness that came when he had been turned into one of the Vindice, a hole that couldn't be filled by the Flame of Night, the hole that had been taken by his pure and bright Sky Flame.
"Getting used to it?" His new boss asked, floating into the room where Tsuna is sitting. "I assure you; the feelings of it not being yours will disappear with time and then the flame becomes one with you. The rest were like this at first, too."
Tsuna curls his fingers into a fist and looks at Bermuda, brown eyes still holding some of the light they once possessed. "I know. I just need a little time."
A chuckle and Bermuda is motioning for Tsuna to follow him. There was a mission to do, something important if the rest of his new family were also in the meeting room and already waiting for orders. Tsuna stands next to Jack and shifts hic chains closer to his body. The murmur falls silent and they all look at Bermuda – the boss is already sitting in his chair.
"Now then, our next mission is about…."
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They arrive at the battleground while the fight is still alive and flames of different colors are roaring around them. Tsuna's been paired up with Alejandro while the others have been sent to different locations of the area, Bermuda's orders as usual. As soon as they step out of the portal the bullets and attacks stop, eyes turn to them and Tsuna is glad that he can hide his face with bandages.
He's been sent where his Guardians are, where Reborn was, right at the centre of the whole thing.
He takes a deep breath, chains circle around him and he can feel Alejandro already moving forward, looking for those poor souls that were to be put in Vindicare for the sins they've committed. Tsuna stays where he is, observing those that he was facing.
"We've come to arrest those from Lucchesse family for crimes made against the mafia society." Tsuna starts, noticing the reactions by the family that was once his, "All those who will hinder us will be killed or also taken in." Tsuna made sure his voice was cold, void of emotion and everything that was not him. It would be too much to have the other's know what he had to become in order to achieve their freedom.
None interfered; those who they came for are wrapped in chains and handcuffed, already being taken to the prison through the portals. Bermuda will be pleased, Tsuna thinks. He always is when a mission goes smoothly. He also turns to leave, making his chains wrap tighter around the man he is holding.
While leaving Tsuna misses the looks from his old family, unaware that some already knew who he was.
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The forest around him is quiet, void of life. He'd started to come here quite often, to practice handling and using his new flame. There was only ice and snow around him, even animals had long since deserted the surrounding area of the prison. There was no need for bandages and coats.
The black flames floated through the air, licked the icy tree barks and melted the snow by his feet. They took and destroyed everything as Tsuna ordered them to, they possessed and changed and grew larger and stronger. He covered his whole body, then only his hands and then the chains that were forever bound to his body. He jumped through the portals he made and then stared into the empty forest while his flames went on rampage, unattended and wild and deadly.
"How did you know?" he asks to the emptiness of the forest, willing his flames to come back to him and go back to sleep.
A shadow suddenly moved, revealing the man that was once his teacher. The cursed body was no more, thanks to Tsuna and everyone else, letting Reborn finally live a life worth living for. He stops in front of his student and looks at the man that was once so full of life and hope, but now is nothing more than a living corpse.
The hitman reaches out his hand and strokes the cold cheek, a strange look in his onyx eyes. "I taught you, Dame-Tsuna, of course I would know. Others know too. Why did you have bear Vongola's sin by yourself?" he asks and pulls his hand back, waiting for an answer.
Tsuna looks frightened, lost for a second before managing a small smile or reassurance, "Because I was a direct descendant. I made a deal with Bermuda and now I fulfill the promise I've made." He stops and then looks away, up at the sky that holds no life and light, "I would have died soon either way, and you know it, Reborn."
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Next time he meets them he's together with Bermuda, no longer wearing the bandages around his face, only the black cape and top hat that are the symbols of his new family. There were no surprised faces when he walks out of the portal, with Bermuda sitting on his shoulder – his body had died long ago, he could no longer be saved from the curse.
He walks over to the meeting table and waits until Bermuda has floated on it before taking two steps back. Tsuna was no longer the boss after all; he was to act like a subordinate now, acting on orders and listening to every word his boss said. There were orders given to him before coming here, so the new Vindice member already knew what to do and how to act.
"Jager-kun wasn't able to come today, so I took Tsunayoshi-kun with me, if you don't mind." Bermuda started, his small hand gesturing to Tsuna as he was bowing his head slightly in a greeting, "You already know him, so I thought it would be best for him to come, rather that someone else from my family. Now then, as for the reason why I've come…"
Tsuna didn't listen to his boss talking. He was looking at his Guardians, a message of 'I'm sorry' and 'I'm glad you're doing well' shining in his eyes and an apologetic rise of the corners of his lips made it even clearer. There would never be anything that he could do in order to apologize for the grief caused and tears shed. But this was done for them to be able to move forward and live a life that wouldn't kill them one day. This was all that Tsuna could do for them – he hoped that they would understand one day.
"Tsunayoshi-kun," Bermudas voice is like a wakeup call and Tsuna answers with a soft 'yes', "The contract, give it to me."
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Black flames dance around him. They are like a beast that circles its master in order to protect and keep away from enemy. Tsuna's used to them now, they feel right and like a part of him, so he lets them do as they please. The flame burns and destroys, moving forward together with its owner and licks up the blood from the floor and walls.
"And they call us monsters." Tsuna quietly says, his flames rising and falling in the rhythm of his footsteps. They seem to feel the same as their master, quivering when Tsuna's voice takes on a dark tone and a shadow of disgust shines in his eyes.
There are only those who he is searching for alive, waiting for him in the boss's room, with their guns ready and aimed at him the moment Tsuna walks through the door. But they don't work against him, his flames are there to protect and destroy. His chains unwrapped from around his hips and swung forward, catching the bullets and wrapping around the men he was to capture. He didn't kill them, no, just captured. The broken bones and open wounds were merely the fruits of their foolishness.
A portal is open already and everyone except the boss and Tsuna are left in the middle of the destruction. It is then that Tsuna's flame quivers and circles around its master, burning as bright as when the young Vindice had broken inside this room. He sighs and makes his chains push the new prisoner through the portal to the Vindicare, so that others could take care of him. There were voices coming closer, footsteps rushing to this room.
Tsuna has already wrapped the chains around his body and made the black flames disappear, ready to leave the scene of crime and murder. But he doesn't make it in time, the doors fly open and old and familiar eyes fall on him, widening in recognition and understanding. It's all he can do to shake his head a little – a sign that everything has been done and nothing can be fixed anymore.
"I am no longer alive." He quietly tells and disappears into the portal.
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Bermuda is laughing when Tsuna asks him about the meaning of the Night Flame, about why he was taken in and was it worth to continue existing. The sound is hollow and makes Tsuna's hands tremble and shivers run up his spine. But he can't take those questions back again and he can't pretend that he doesn't know.
Once the laugher is kept at bay does the leader of Vindice speaks, "I gave you a chance because you are strong, capable of adapting and it would be a shame to just let you rot away in a prison cell or let the Reaper take you with him. You owe me, you belong to be, you are mine. That is all there is."
Tsuna is left sitting in front of the rows of prison cells, deep down underground and inside the Vindicare. Thoughts ring in his ears and the memories of his sins replay before his eyes. He should have been there, inside that cramped little space and waiting for his death day. But he's not.
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There is panic and there is death and blood once again. They follow Tsuna wherever he goes – dead or alive, it doesn't matter anymore. He is the reason for panic, the monster that they all fear and try to run away from. He doesn't care anymore. Tsuna has finally come in terms of who he now is. Noting can stop him now, nothing can confuse him and nothing can scare him.
He is Vindice. He is a monster. He is Sawada Tsunayoshi. He is the bearer of Night Flame.
The bandages are around his face and they muffle his voice a little, but it still rings clear and powerful when he speaks, stepping over the rubble that was once a wall, "I am Vindice, I've come to arrest you for your crimes."
The black flame burns brightly around him – it protects and it destroys. He is here to do his job, to fulfill his mission and bring order on those who are not bound by the laws of society. Nothing can stop him anymore; he's finally opened his eyes and accepted his fate. He burns brightly in the middle of the fight – a monster and a guardian of peace.
A/N: I just wanted to write Vindice!Tsuna and so I've done. There probably is no deep meaning to this story, but if you try to look for it you just might find it, I think.
Ayingott out.