A Sleeping Prince
Turin, Italy (11:30 am Local Time)
Vongola Nono looked out of the tinted black windows of his limousine still in deep thought.
It was twelve and a half hours after his departure from Namimori. The minutes ticked down to an inevitable event Timoteo prayed was a lie, but hopelessly knew would happen.
A coup d'état at the hands of his son.
He was informed by Ottavio weeks prior his visit, with his Guardians being the only ones who knew and kept it hidden by his order.
He wordlessly fished out the paper crane from his breast pocket, and still the Sky Flame burned just as he received it.
'Setsuna. Someday you will know what I may have to do, and forgive me for giving him such a fate.'
Coyote and Ganauche whom both woke far earlier noticed the troubled expression of their Boss.
"Capo, are you absolutely certain you don't want our backing?" Coyote asked in a grim tone.
Timoteo shifted his gaze to his Guardians, his normally warm gaze became colder "I'm certain, this is a family matter that I need to handle myself."
"Your grand niece's legacy must be worth hell Boss." Ganauche mused, "Just hope we live long enough to the day of her inheritance."
Timoteo again looked to his home's grand façade. For most of his life, many friends, subordinates, and rival families stepped onto these ground. A great deal of them never stepped back, and like any other he expects more blood to be spilled in these grounds.
"She will face many trials far greater than I could ever imagine. I will gladly face hell for her to inherit Primo's legacy."
The limo stopped in front of the main house. Timoteo exited and vehicle and headed inside.
"I'll head to the study and look over work of what I've missed. Remind me of lunch when it comes. "Timoteo said more casually. It was more of a comforting gesture that everything was still alright.
Vongola Headquarters (1:00 pm Local Time)
The intelligence he was given came true for the Old Boss. At high noon. Gunshots, explosions and alarms all sounded loudly in the building.
As expected, the Varia captains composed of Lussuria, Leviathan, Belphegor, Mammon, Squalo, and the deadly young boss Xanxus all came to make their presence known to the manor.
As planned, Timoteo seated on a throne like chair within a large catacomb like room lined endlessly with pillars, with his scepter by his side. He listened to his breathing, still counting down the moments, more of dread that it came to this than fear for his life.
He was not afraid of Xanxus, but he was afraid for the people that might suffer if he had his way.
A powerful aura of destructive energy effortlessly disintegrated the fortified door, a menacing glow from a young man's palm and a slight gleam of a Spatha from his one handed vice-captain.
The former casually walked pass the large pillar still holding the destructive orb in his hands with the latter following with an eager grin for another challenge. The two of them stopped three metres before the older man.
"Old man, you know why I'm here don't you?!" Xanxus practically snarled.
Timoteo looked to the dark red gaze of his son, not with coldness, but with a fatherly warmth trying to understand. "I honestly do not know why, my son. Why did you invade this home, your home, in such a manner?"
Xanxus felt even angrier in the way the man he once associated as his father played the situation so casually, like it didn't amount to anything. The flame in his palm grew more intense.
"Your reign as Vongola Nono had run its course a long time now. Your way of running this family had gone soft and ineffective. And delaying any succession will mean a sadder state for this underground empire."
The ninth still didn't flinch from his son's words, not one bit. His weary gaze is of disappointment and concern. They contain a dissonant serenity of seeing so many cycles and patterns of destruction he could never take back.
"You are so much like Iemitsu when he was your age. Both of you have so much potential that couldn't be met because of these succession conditions I plan." Timoteo rose from his chair, his sceptre faithfully by his side. "Sadly my son, I am not strong enough to rewrite them nor did I have the right to have this position in the very beginning. This position, this power, had been wrongfully taken from the founder's bloodline. My plans involve the Vongola to return its roots, before my ancestor made it tyranny."
To Xanxus, it was just another excuse and a poor comparison. He clenched the orb in his hand to ash, "You just contradicted your own words. If neither Iemitsu nor your sons inherit it, then who would?!"
Timoteo gaze became sharper, "No contradiction my son. She's not ready yet, or aware of her true lineage. But one day, my hope is that you will lend you strength to her as much as she would protect you."
Like Xanxus, Squalo expressed very vocally of what he thought, "VOII! Are you saying some brat of Iemitsu's has more of a right to become the underground's equivalent of emperor because of some outdated ideal of your's?!"
Timoteo smiled, "Yes, I'm putting my faith into this girl's potential. And I will die by this belief."
Xanxus had the darkest smile, one that Timoteo feared would never be truly a happy one "Then I'll cremate you on the spot!"
Both him and Squalo charged into attack, with Timoteo effortlessly side stepping out of the way and just as quickly, hit both younger men to slide to the ground more enraged.
A bright orange flame glowed from Vongola boss's sceptre with a saddened face. 'So this must be.'
oOoOo
A good half hour when on, with both parties proving to be defiant to their beliefs.
The once pristine pillars were marred with many blasts of fire reminiscing a war zone. Threating to collapse if it escalated further.
Squalo laid against a pillar unconscious from the battle, leaving Timoteo and Xanxus at a standstill.
Xanxus had the biggest grin for bloodshed, "I'd never have thought you could be so powerful. You senile old fart!"
Timoteo held his sceptre out, "Iemitsu told me not to kill you…But with so many sacrifices, as the boss, I cannot allow you to hurt anyone else. At the very least, I will personally take responsibly for my weakness."
Xanxus let of a sadistic laugh, "So you've finally shown your true colour's huh? Now you don't any excuse to fulfill what you've always wanted!"
Timoteo still couldn't fathom how fatalistic Xanxus sounded. "I've never wanted you to die by anyone's hands. I've hoped that you could be by my successor's side as if you were her family. Through thick and thin, you and she could do great things to protect this legacy."
This didn't assure Xanxus, it only made him fell more insignificant in comparison, "SHUT UP! I REFUSE TO BE SECOND TO HER OR ANYONE! AND YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY YOU REFUSE TO MAKE ME THE DECIMO!"
"Then why. What is this really about?"
It was the last straw for Xanxus, "I WAS JUST A SLUM RAT YOU PITIED! I NEVER HAD VONGOLA BLOOD IN ME! AND IT SEEMS I'M JUST ANOTHER PAWN IN YOUR GRAND SCHEEME! AND NOW THAT YOU KNOW, I'LL KILL YOU!" Xanxus fired his hand and charged.
Timoteo focused on his energy and that of Xanxus. It was then, an abnormal pulse from his scepter beat in the air, like a heart in his hands to crush.
"I'm sorry everyone. I have to do this after all…" Timoteo muttered tiredly.
The energy reversed back stemmed out into jagged spokes of ice. Xanxus felt the ice surround and drain the energy away from his being. It felt like death finally caught him to end his miserable existence. And yet, his soul still burns to live.
"…know that I really do love you, my son…." Were the last words he heard from the Ninth before his senses dulled to darkness.
Namimori, Japan (8:32 pm Local Time)
…beat
…beat
…beat…
…
The sound of the ocean waves were close to her. However, Setsuna knew she was supposed to be at home asleep.
Was this a dream?
Tsuna slowly opened her eyes to see the setting sun. It reminded her of yesterday with her Oji-san, where they promised to see world together one day. She slowly picked herself up from the sand.
"You're awake." A boy's voice said forlornly.
Tsuna didn't understand what she assumes is Italian, but quickly turned to him and found he was looking out to the ocean like she did, but looked like he didn't mind her presence much.
He looked a bit older, likely a year or two. His skin was tanned, with short black hair, and a face looking sharp, worn really, despite his age. The clink of beach glass was in his hands.
Tsuna felt self-conscious if it was right to be in his space, but knowing it was a dream, she then thought it wouldn't hurt to talk to him, would it?
"I'm Setsuna, it's nice to meet you…um." She knew she was a Dame if she could be this awkward, this quickly.
The boy stopped playing with his glass, and faced the girl. Tsuna was immediately drawn to how red the boy's irises were, but also how tired he looked. He responded in her language. "If you have to know, my name is Suna."