Read: This chapter will not enlighten much of why the guardians are in this strange world where no one seems to know Tsuna, their kind, caring, yet somewhat cowardly boss.

Title: The meaning of the title will also be somewhat be seen here. Someone's 'dark heart' will be shown and the reason behind it will be further discussed in future chapters.

Warning: You will see a slightly(not really slightly) bloodthirsty Tsuna. And a very tiny bit insane Tsuna as well. But he has a good reason to be though! Don't worry!


Cuore Oscuro

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.–Martin Luther King Jr.


Chapter II. Not Until Then

The guardians always had a way to find each other. This fact could not be changed no matter what crazy situation they were in.

They didn't know if it was because strong people were naturally drawn to each other, or destiny had long predetermined that through the next harsh trials of their lives they will be together, thus stemming an ability for them to locate each other much like the famous intuition of their loved friend and boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi.

So it wasn't a shock, that on that same day they found themselves in the uncanny position of being in a different world from the one they remembered, at twilight, all of the guardians naturally gravitated towards the known school of Namimori Town. Namimori Middle School.

Hibari was there by the gate. After telling- threatening- the teachers to send the whole student body home early, he had been waiting by the gate patiently when mist suddenly sprouted from nowhere, blocking the streets and even the familiar scenery of the peaceful day.

"Kufufu, it seems like we were right dear Chrome. They are here. The stinking Vongola guardians of the despicable mafia." Mukuro, as always, had to show his intense dislike for the mafia at least once a day.

Hibari's fists tightened around his tonfas but he kept his calm. Other matters had to be handled today. For the first time, there was no time to fight with the annoying pineapple herbivore.

"Cloud man." Chrome greeted silently as she and her Mukuro-sama went passed the gate.

"Roof top. The baseball herbivore and the boxing herbivore are waiting." Hibari stated quietly as they passed him.

"Oya, how strange. And I thought the Italian bomber would be at the center of things." Mukuro told Chrome who nodded. The two mist guardians made their way to the rooftop, leaving Hibari to wait for the two remaining and very tardy guardians.

He didn't have to wait long though because before long…

"Long time no see…" Gokudera said to the prefect. He had a serious look on his face, bandages on his face and arms, and on his shoulder was a sniffling Lambo.

"You're late." Hibari raised an eyebrow. "You want me to bite you to death?"

"I don't have time for you right now." Gokudera growled and upon closer inspection, Hibari could see red rimming the dull green eyes. "I just went through hell and I just wanna know what the heck is going on."

Hibari said nothing and just let the irritated bomber pass. He closed the gates of Namimori before leading the way to the rooftop.


Yamamoto was leaning against the metal fence, looking at the sky with utmost worry. Ever since waking up and finding out he was in the baseball lockers, the rain guardian had a strange sense of wrongness that seemed to make his hands shake and make his heart beat in fear.

His instincts were telling him that something bad had happened. And as a firm believer of instincts, Yamamoto never doubted this opinion.

On his hand he had the names and files of all of their classmates in Class 2A. Never had he before been disappointed by results and the results of his search made his instincts ring in danger even more.

He was worried and anxious. He knew that each of his fellow guardians were strong, a few were even stronger than him! But then…

An image of a beaten up Tsuna protecting them, flashed in his mind.

Was this another situation wherein Tsuna was sacrificed for them to be spared?

"Yamamoto! They're extremely here!" Ryohei shouted and the baseball idol snapped out of his musings just as the door to the rooftop opened.

"Kufufu, well it seems like we've gathered in a rather homey setting." Mukuro commented as he looked around but then he frowned. "Oya? Where is the Vongola and his little puppy?"

"Tsuna doesn't go to this school Mukuro, nor does Gokudera." Yamamoto stated as he threw the stacks of paper to the illusionist who caught it with illusionary tentacles.

"B-But…" Chrome looked at Mukuro and then at Yamamoto. "W-What does this mean?"

"We extremely don't know!" Ryohei said as he crossed his arms. "We're still extremely confused to what happened to Vendice and our injuries!"

"Hn, nothing seemed out of place when we woke up. It's just that I expected to wake up in a hospital after what happened." Yamamoto held a hand to his chest. He remembered being stabbed so close to the heart. The pain felt so real that it couldn't be a dream. "My old scar is also gone." He said referring to the injury Kaoru inflicted on him before.

"Speaking of the Shimon, I haven't seen their names on the list as well." Mukuro said and then the door to the rooftop opened once again and a familiar voice made everyone turn.

"Of course they're not here pineapple head. They're all back in Italy." The voice said and Yamamoto stood up.

"Gokudera!" He said relieved as a very injured silverette entered. Yamamoto's eyes widened at the injuries before it narrowed in confusion when Hibari was the last to come in and close the door behind him. "Tsuna? Where's Tsuna? He isn't with you?"

"No." Gokudera shook his head before he looked around. "And I see he isn't here as well.

"Octopus head, why are you so extremely calm about this? Sawada is missing!" Ryohei shouted as he tried to rile up the bomber but Gokudera looked so tired and so dazed that he quieted down in the end. "What extremely happened anyway?"

"That annoying herbivore, don't tell me he ran away…" Hibari said quietly and everyone quieted down.

"But then what could he be running away from, skylark? Your logic makes no sense at all." Mukuro stated.

"Jyuudaime didn't run away." Gokudera said and out habit and tiredness he leaned back against the wall. "He's in Italy. Aneki told me."

Silence.

Yamamoto blinked. "But… what's Tsuna doing in Italy?"

"He's the Vongola Decimo now." Gokudera looked up at the sky. He felt so empty. What his sister told him, he didn't know how to react after that. He didn't want to believe it, he couldn't believe it… but then, Bianchi's scars, the way she told the story with unnerving hatred, despair, and sadness, his father and mother's last letters…

Can he still stand his ground despite the odds stacked against him?

"Tell us what happened, Gokudera." A hand on his shoulder made him realize he had been zoning out. Yamamoto was in front of him a serious and anxious look on his face that made the bomber realize that he wasn't the only one worried about their boss and about what was happening.

The bomber looked at the rest of the guardians.

Sure, all of his boss' subordinates were crazy in their own ways but they also worried about the tenth in their own way too. And the fact that they all gathered here in the same place where everything started, it proved that they would do anything to find their sky and protect him again.

The silver-head took a deep breath and nodded as he stared ahead seriously. "Fine, I'll tell you." He said, and just a little bit, he felt Lambo cling harder to him as he began.


The old castle was cold and empty. The way Tsunayoshi Vongola preferred it after another warm-blooded killing for the sake of his entertainment.

The presence of another person after he had a satisfying hunt, irritated him and him in a bad mood was not good for his sanity. Nor was it good for other people's well being.

Tsunayoshi flexed his tainted white gloved hand. Red stood out exquisitely against the pristine white and no one had to be a genius to figure out what the red was.

Of course, it was blood.

Tsuna watched in self fascination as he felt the crusted blood from his glove crackle slightly. He took the said gloves off and deposited them in a nearby trashcan carelessly. Even if one of the servants found it and showed it to the police as proof that he had been killing for his own satisfaction, it wouldn't matter anyway.

He was in the mafia.

He was the boss of the most powerful family in Italy.

He had the police in his pocket.

And besides, the nosy servant would get killed anyway. That was always fun to watch.

Little tattletalers getting killed in cold blood. Serves them right.

Tsuna hummed slightly as he titled his head, orange eyes narrowed as an emotionless dark guard stepped out from the shadows.

"Lanchia." Tsuna said in a dangerous tone but his eyes blank and carefully devoid of emotion as he stared at his puppet. "You know how I dislike seeing another person after my hunting. This better be important." He clenched his hands impassively, not caring if he got blood under his nails after what he was going to do.

Lanchia inclined his head, not the least bothered by the threat. His eyes looked strangely empty, devoid of any light as well. "I have news that will please you."

This caught Tsuna's attention as his orange eyes glowed mysteriously. "What is it?"

"We have found Gokudera Bianchi, Gokudera Hayato, and Bovino Lambo." Lanchia said in a blank tone. Orange eyes brightened up in a blinding intensity.

"You have found them?" Tsuna's lips twitched in a humorless smile. "Such good timing. I've been bored of the new servants… And besides, I haven't broken Gokudera-kun yet…" His eyes flashed wickedly as he said the nickname of the bomber in a dangerous tone.

Oh he remembered Gokudera Hayato, the silver-haired Italian who had an uncanny appearance to the disgraced pianist. He remembered when he first brought the boy to the mansion. He was ragged and beaten up, after all, he was brought forcefully to the Vongola castle, and he had glared at Tsuna with so much hatred that the brunet felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up at the promise of vengeance he could see in those dull green eyes.

Oh yes, Hayato Gokudera. The one who spat at him when he had smiled kindly and fakely at the other.

The thing he had enjoyed torturing ever since that day.

This was a promising discovery.

"Oh, and is Lambo okay?" Tsunayoshi asked Lanchia who inclined his head emotionlessly once more.

"He is with them, yes." Lanchia confirmed the hidden question.

Bovino Lambo, the cow child sold by his own father just so Tsuna wouldn't wage war against his family. Not that selling the small cow child helped them keep their lives anyway.

Tsunayoshi hated anyone who was cowardly enough to sell a five-year-old boy and the only heir to the Family.

He preferred it when it was for free.

Not that he was complaining anyway.

He got his million pounds back after massacring the entire Bovino Family, so it's even.

"That's good. I have a new invention I had Giannini make to test on him." Tsuna stated as he continued to walk forward as Lanchia followed behind him in the dim shadows. "This time for sure, he's definitely going to burn to a crisp…"

Lambo had this curious ability to repel any type of electric attack and coming out of it unscathed. It's a curious little ability that had defined Tsuna's new hobby:

Create a machine that would kill Lambo-kun!

At least five time a day, Tsuna would go to Lambo's room and torture him with different types of electricity just to test the limit of the other's ability.

He just wanted to see if Lambo was strong that's all.

Although the haunting screams of the five-year-old begged to differ.

"Ah, and Bianchi." Tsuna stated but despite the differing tones of his that showed happiness, sarcasm, and danger, his eyes still remained carefully blank and unaffected. "She's a pretty one. Always having men chasing after her, I heard she was Reborn's lover once. Shame." Tsuna shook his head as he stopped in front of double-oaked doors that led to his room. "I think she'd be more beautiful though if she died. Right Lanchia?"

Lanchia didn't comment as he watched Tsuna enter his room.

"If that's all you have to say, you can leave now. Tell the cooks to prepare me something that I actually want this time." He stated before he closed the door behind him. Lanchia stood there for a moment before leaving to do what the Decimo said.

After all, he was nothing but a controlled puppet anyway.

Meanwhile…

Tsuna leaned back against the door as he panted lightly. He was barely able to hang onto his façade with Lanchia there.

The young burnet hacked violent coughs he tried to muffle by covering his mouth with his hands. The familiar iron taste of blood made him shiver as he pulled back his hands and stared at the red staining his pale and shivering hands.

The young Decimo frowned.

Not yet. He wasn't going to die yet.

He looked up his bangs covering his eyes as an evil smile formed his lips.

Not until he made everyone around him suffer and plunge the world into total chaos.

Not until then.


Author's note: I'm very sorry this came out late! *bows deeply* I wasn't expecting that the moment I get back to school I get settled with so many projects and reports that I'd have a hard time updating!

Oh, and I know some of you will be a bit suspicious that Hibari is actually participating in the herbivore meeting, but he had matured since meeting everyone and realizes that in situations like these, sometimes his carnivorous and no crowding side has to take a backseat.

Anyway, thank you for the reviews on the first chapter! I wish this will be warmly accepted. Chained Away will be updated tomorrow because I really have to work on my script now. Thank you very much! Read and review! :D