Author's notes: Hello again, minna-san. I'm back for another chapter. As I've stated, this chapter is an omake that is still related to the story and will have an albeit dark theme. There will be scenes that will feature a little bit if gore (if you have a very active imagination), but I've placed a note in case you don't want to read that part.
Many thanks to Setsu27 for pointing out a few of my mistakes :D And many many more thanks to all the readers and reviewers. You guys are awesome.
On to slightly different things, I might not be able to update next week because I have a lot of things going on next week but I'll still try my best to update. But if I don't update, please don't kill me.
Now, without further ado, I present the omake to you. Please do point out mistakes I might have made and I'll be glad to correct them.
DISCLAIMER: Nope. I don't own it.
Tsuna grabbed his coat from the coat hanger and draped it on his figure. He grabbed a huge bag situated near the door and went outside his room, shutting the door as noiselessly as possible. Today, he especially made sure that he won't have to seat on meetings with his grandpa and today, he especially made sure to finish all his paperwork early. He has kids waiting for him, after all.
He rounded the corner, nodding at the servants bowing his way. Normally, he'll stay and chat with them for a minute or two, but not today. Today, he's in a hurry. Today, he can't afford to waste time. The kids are waiting for him, after all.
As he neared the door, he was stopped by a voice that called from behind him. He cursed his luck. He wasn't being discreet enough.
"Tenth, where are you going?" Gokudera said, walking towards his beloved boss.
"Bianco Rosa. And what did I tell you about calling me Tenth?" Tsuna said, turning to look at his right hand man. He glanced at his watch and inwardly groaned. A minute later and he'll be late.
"Ah. I see. Do you want me to accompany, T-tsuna-sama?" Gokudera said, stuttering at his boss' name.
"No thank you, Hayato-kun. I require no escorts today. I'm just going to play with the kids." Tsuna said, smiling slightly at his right hand man. At this, the silverette nodded in understanding.
"I see. Please be careful, Tsuna-sama. Please do not hesitate to call me should something happen. I'll be informing Reborn-san and Nono that you will not be here for dinner." Gokudera said, a little bit reluctant to let his beloved boss to be out of his sight.
"Grazie, Hayato-kun. I'm leaving. Please tell Reborn and Grandpa I went out and that I'll be back by nightfall." Tsuna said, jogging towards the door and proceeded to the drop off point where a car was waiting for him. He climbed in, setting the huge bag he brought with him on his side. The driver instantly drove away from the mansion and towards their destination. Tsuna looked out of the window with an excited feeling in his chest. He's going to see the kids, after all.
After two hours, they finally arrived at a run-down village, an equally rundown signage held the words 'Bianco Rosa'; White Rose. But the state and appearance did not upset Tsuna. On the contrary, it made him grin widely and a feeling of excitement bubbling in his chest. He got out of the car, his huge bag slung on his shoulder, and instructed the driver to pick him up by 7PM. The driver nodded and drove off, leaving the smiling brunette in front of the village entrance.
The soon-to-be-don was greeted by twenty or so kids, ranging from 5 to 9, when he entered the village. He smiled widely at them and they all ran towards him and tackled him into a hug.
"Now, now children. That's not polite. You're going to hurt Signore if you rush at him like that." A voice of a woman sounded from behind the children. Tsuna looked up from the mass of children surrounding him and smiled gently.
"It's quite alright, Signora Teresa. I am fine and I think the children just missed me." He said to the woman and looking down at the children, he asked them, "Did you guys miss me?"
"Yes, we did, Signore." The children all chorused.
"You were gone for a very long time." One girl of roughly five years of age said, pouting at the older brunette.
Tsuna kneeled in front of the girl and patted her head. He had been really busy from the moment his plane landed in Italy. There have been no breaks for him as he's constantly going about settling alliances and looking over family records and doing paperwork. He's still a boss-in-training yet the amount of work he has to do makes him want to bawl his eyes out. Tsuna shudders at the thought of how much work he'll do once he's a fully instated boss. On top things, there's still the matter regarding the Giagolo familigia breathing down his neck. He received a letter a week ago from the Giagolo requesting a meeting with the future don to "settle disagreements". Somehow, the brunette is finding it hard to believe and trust the man's words 9courtesy of his Hyper Intuition and Reborn's warnings). But now is not the time for thoughts concerning work. He's here to relax and unwind and spend time with the kids and the village people.
"Signore is very sorry, Mami. But Signore has been very busy with work. That's why Signore wasn't able to visit earlier. But Signore is here now. Do you want to play with Signore?" Tsuna said, smiling warmly at the child in front of him. At the word 'play', the children excitedly exclaimed their desire of playing with their Signore Cielo. Tsuna laughed at them, and ushered them inside the village.
"Signora Teresa, would it be alright if we remained in the square until five in the afternoon?" Tsuna said as he passed by the woman who greeted them earlier.
"Of course, Signore Cielo. And if you will, please do join us for dinner. The townsfolk would like to see you too." Signora Teresa said, smiling at the young brunette.
"Thank you, Signora. It will be my pleasure to dine with you. I'll meet you all at the hall later when it's time for the children to go home." Tsuna said, and walked away with the band of children in his tow. He sat on the fountain, gesturing for the children to do the same.
"As promised, I have a present for all of you. Now, now, remain seated. You'll all get a present from Signore." Tsuna said, smiling down at the children seated on the ground. Tsuna took out a box and lit his ring with his dying will flame. Shouichi, Spanner, and Giannini were able to come up with a box that enables him to store things in it. That way, he'll no longer have to bring lots of bags to carry his stuff. He inserted the dying will flame into the box's hole and out came a bag stuffed to the brim. One by one, he took out the contents, calling out the names of the children as he gave out various toys to them. They all excitedly thanked their Signore for his gift. Afterwards, they all played with the Cielo until dusk came, signaling them to head home.
They all went to the village hall as was their custom and ran up to their parents and hugged them, telling them of the great day they've had with their beloved Signore. The parents smiled at their children and bowed slightly at the brunette in front of them.
"Thank you for taking the time to go here, Signore Cielo." One woman said, an arm on the shoulder of the little child wrapped around her waist.
"It's no big deal. I just want to see how you all are doing and I want to see the smiles of the people here, especially the children." Tsuna said, smiling warmly at the woman. The people in front of him smiled back, thinking of the brunette's kind nature.
One by one, they all went back to their respected houses, but not without greeting the brunette on their way. Finally, it was just Mami and Teresa in front of the hall. Tsuna walked near them and kneeled at the young girl.
"Did you have fun today, Mami?" Tsuna said placing a hand on top of the girl's head.
"Uh-huh! Thank you so much for today Signore." Mami said, wrapping her arms across Tsuna's neck, the stuffed animal she got as a present dangling by her hand.
"You're welcome, Mami." Tsuna said, hugging back the small child.
"Let's go inside, Signore. The men are already waiting inside." Teresa said, ushering the young don in.
"Thank you very much for you hospitality, Signora Teresa." Tsuna said, picking up the small child and carried her inside he hall. He let go of the small child as one of the women there ushered Tsuna inside the dining room. Another woman took Mami with her, possibly to give the young girl a bath.
Tsuna sat at the head of the table, smiling warmly at those who are gathered around it.
"Good evening, everybody. Thank you for having me." Tsuna said, looking at each of the occupants of the table.
"The pleasure is ours, Decimo." The man to his right said, returning the brunette's smile.
"Please just call me Cielo like everybody else, Signore Eli." The brunette said to the man. A woman entered the dining hall with a bowl in her hands and began putting food in the plates of all present in the table. When everybody had their portion, they began eating, with small chat resounding as they ate. By the end of dinner, Tsuna reached out for his bag that he placed under the table and gave it to Teresa.
"Signore, what is this?" Teresa said, taking the bag from the brunette with a puzzled expression.
"A gift, Signora, from Vongola to you." Tsuna said, smiling warmly. When the woman opened the bag, she was shocked. The men gathered around her and were also shocked by the contents of the bag.
"B-but, Signore! We can't take this. This is too much." One of the men said, gesturing towards the bag full of money.
"Please, don't refuse. Use it to renovate and reconstruct the village. Use it to invest on business and property. Use it however way it benefits you." Tsuna said, his smile still in place.
"B-but-"one man began but was cut off when Tsuna spoke.
"Please, take it." Tsuna said firmly.
"I-if that's what the Cielo wants, then we accept." Another man said. Tsuna smiled at them but his smile began to falter a little.
"I know you all want to stay here away from the city. But, can't I persuade you to move somewhere safer? Somewhere close to the city?" Tsuna said after a moment's silence.
"Signore, I believe we've talked about this. We can't leave here. This land is where are ancestors are buried." Teresa said.
"I know but I don't want to risk your safety by letting you stay near the border. I won't be able to bear it if an enemy familigia were to come here and bring you harm." Tsuna said, his eyes pleading.
"You concern is enough for us, Signore, as well as your constant visits. But we must decline your offer to move out of this village." Teresa said, smiling at the young don.
Tsuna sighed. He knew that was the response he'd get. But deep inside him, his intuition is telling him to get them out of this village and into the city. He can't help but feel that something bad is going to happen if he left them alone.
"I understand. But please, allow me to send some of my men to guard you and your village." Tsuna said, resigning to the woman's village.
"Of course, Cielo. The security you'll provide is very much welcome in our village." Teresa said, smiling at the brunette. Deep in her mind, she find it hard to believe that such a young man with the heart of a saint is the next leader of a mafia familigia, the familigia on top of the hierarchy. She smiled, thinking that the mafia will change for the better with this young man leading the most influential family in all of the underworld.
"I'll make sure that I'll change it for the better. I promise to protect you with everything I've got. I don't want the children to ever see the darkness of the world we live in." Tsuna said, smiling knowingly at the woman. Teresa smiled back at the brunette, reassured by his promise. Suddenly, the young boss' phone rang and he excused himself from the table and went outside of the room.
"The Cielo will surely do great things." A man said, looking at the brunette.
"Yeah. I'm sure he'll make the world a peaceful place for our children to live in." Another one said. Tsuna entered the room once again, his phone in his hand.
"I'm sorry but it's time for me to head home. I'm afraid my tutor is very cross about my sudden disappearance. Thank you again for your hospitality. I'll be sending in guards to patrol the village." Tsuna said, bowing slightly to the occupants of the table.
"Thank you again for stopping by, Signore Cielo, and for your very generous gift. Please drop by again. We will be glad to have you." Teresa said, bowing slightly at Tsuna.
"Thank you. I'll drop by again once I'm free. Good night." Tsuna said and made his way towards the door where a man in a suit was waiting for him. He bowed at the brunette and escorted him to the car waiting for them and drove off to return to the Vongola manor.
Xxx
"Tsunayoshi, where have you been?" the sight of the hitman's angry figure was the first to greet Tsuna as he opened the door of his room.
"Bianco Rosa. Didn't Hayato-kun tell you?" Tsuna said, taking off his coat and threw it in the hamper.
"I don't care about what your right hand man said. Why did you suddenly disappear without telling me or Nono? And to leave the manor unescorted nonetheless! What were you thinking?! What if you were attacked?" The himan said, his words laced with anger. Behind the anger lies his worry for his student's safety. Things aren't at the peak of their peace as of the moment and having his student disappear with the threat of war breathing down their necks was enough to send the hitman into a worry frenzy.
"I wasn't attacked, Reborn. And I can handle myself should someone attack." The brunette said. He's very tired and wanted to rest, not be scolded by his sadistic tutor.
"That's not the point, Dame-Tsuna. The point is that you've made everybody worry." Reborn said, his fists balled up on either side of him. The brunette is getting cranky because of his tired state and thus had no control over his next words.
"Who told you to worry about me? I said I can take care of myself-"
SLAP!
It had been a long time since the hitman lost his patience. His student didn't seem to understand the worry brought about by his actions. He wasn't able to contain himself any longer when the brunette spoke and thus, resulted to him slapping his student.
"Think about the consequences of your action, Tsunayoshi." And with that, he left the room with the dumb founded brunette rubbing his cheek.
The next day, the brunette apologized to the Ninth, to Reborn, and his guardians about his sudden disappearance the day before and was rewarded with the excruciating torture brought about by paperwork and Reborn's sadistic training.
Xxx
"What do you mean Bianco Rosa's under attack?" Tsuna said, standing up from his chair. It had been three weeks since the Giagolo's attempted assassination of the Vongola Tenth heir (which was prevented thanks to Yamamoto and Gokudera standing in for him). After that attempt, the Giagolo and its close alliances, the Guido and Corvo familigias, declared war on Vongola. The young boss tried everything in his power to settle things peacefully by talking and negotiating. He still can't stomach the idea of ending someone's life.
But the Giagolo familigia did not heed their request and began attacking Vongola and its allies. Unfortunately, the run-down town of Bianco Rosa got caught in the cross fire. Once the Giagolo got word that the Decimo frequents the rundown town, they sent an ambush and demanded to know the identity of the Vongola Decimo from the townsfolk. The villagers, however, were resilient and put up a fight, even the children did not cave in to the Mafiosi's demands. They are not going to trade information about the man who helped them and took care after them. They all were more than willing to lay their lives for their Cielo.
"What happened to the men stationed there? And what about the reinforcements we sent there?" the brunette demanded, frantic to get information regarding the safety of the people he cared for.
"Sir, the men stationed there are badly wounded and the reinforcements were ambushed by Corvo's men. We don't have men to spare as they have their orders from the Ninth." The messenger reported, standing in attention.
"What? How are they?" Tsuna said, his worries and fears evident in his voice.
"Sir, they are alright but are currently engaged in a fight." The messenger said.
"Reborn, let me go. Please. I have to make sure they're okay. Please, I'm begging you." Tsuna said, turning to his tutor, his features in a desperate attempt to get out of where he is and out to protect the people he so cherished.
"Tsuna, I know you're worried but we can't risk your safety. Everybody is-"
"What good is my safety if innocent people get killed and I'm here, inside the comforts of the mansion? Why am I the here while people who have nothing to do with this stupid mafia war are out there fighting?" the brunette said, his pent up frustration bursting and going out of his control.
"T-tsuna-sama, please calm down." Gokudera said, trying his best to cam his boss. But that attempt garnered the opposite of what the bomber was hoping to achieve.
"Calm down? CALM DOWN? You want me to calm down while people are at the risk of getting killed? You want me to calm down while I'm here, hiding in the interiors of the mansion while innocent people are out in the battlefield?" Tsuna said, turning to his right hand man with a glare, his voice rising up in his anger.
"Tsuna, I know it's hard but calm down. Nothing good will happen if you let your emotions go out of control. You should know that by now from the many battles you've fought." Yamamoto said, taking a shot at calming the brunette.
"Yamamoto is right, Tsuna. Nothing good will happen by getting riled up. You're the Sky, the boss. We'll risk everything we've got to protect you. We can't afford to lose you right now, Tsuna. I know you want to go out there and help, but your safety and the concealment of your identity is our top-most priority." Reborn said, tilting his fedora down to block his expression.
"Sir, reporting about the situation in Bianco Rosa." A new messenger appeared at the doorway of the young Decimo's office.
"What is it? How are they? What about the men stationed there? What about the reinforcements? What happened?" the brunette said, his questions flying out of his mouth faster than he can keep track of them.
"Sir, I'm afraid that the situation in Bianco Rosa is turning for the worse. The reinforcements managed to fend off Corvo's men and are now heading to the village but I'm afraid it will still take them an hour to reach the destination." The messenger reported.
Tsuna gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. To hell with Reborn's orders. He's no longer going to sit around and do nothing. He needs to see for himself that they are alright, that he can still see them alive to be able to see their bright smiles. He has to. Because he's the sky that will not let anything happen to his beloved people. He ran outside the room faster than his guardians could realize. He ignored their cries of protest and ran as fast as he could. He can't afford to waste any more time. He has children waiting for him, after all.
Reborn just sighed. He knew that he could no longer stop his student once he set his mind to do something. And if the hitman can't stop him, nobody else can. So instead, he did the next best thing and issued an order to the brunette's guardians.
"Mukuro, cast an illusion to that idiotic boss of yours and to the rest of the guardians to make it seem you're all different people. Make sure all of you are unidentifiable. You lot, follow your boss. Chrome, look after the stupid cow and the kids. Help Mukuro with the illusions. You can do it even from afar right?" Reborn said, turning to the female illusionist, who nodded, determined to keep her boss safe.
"Alright. Get moving. We don't want to lose sight of that idiot." Reborn said, running out of the door with the Tenth Generation guardians following after him, with the shared determination to keep their boss safe.
Xxx (this scene contains descriptions of blood and massacre. Please scroll down if you want to skip this part and look for the note indicating the end of the scene) xxX
What he's currently seeing couldn't possibly be real. The reports told him that there should be an ongoing fight that's supposed to take a turn for the worse. Sure, there were signs of a fight occurring. But what the reports didn't include was the fact that there wasn't much of a fight in the first place because the enemy familigia outnumbered the villagers and the men he stationed there and were easily wiped out. It wasn't a fight; it was a massacre. And to make matters worse, Corvo's men were harvesting organs from the dead villagers: from his dead people. From inside the village hall, he can hear screaming. No doubt the enemy is torturing some villagers for information regarding the Vongola Decimo; information regarding himself. The once beautiful White Rose full of life is now tainted with blood and death.
He stood there, petrified, not because of fear. No, he long outgrew of his fear for these kinds of things. Nono and Reborn have been taking him to missions concerning things like this. He'd always see only the aftermath, not the actual process and he remember grimacing every time he looks at it. But to see people actually opening up dead people and getting their salvageable organs? That was a new experience for the brunette and he didn't know what to do. His beloved people, who are all innocent and did not have anything to do with the war between Mafiosi, were being torn open ruthlessly, their body parts being taken by people who want nothing but to satisfy their own greed. They were already dead but they weren't offered a decent one. No, it had to be in one of the worst ways possible. Those who managed to survive are in a different kind of hell. They were not caving in to the demands of the enemy and lead to them being tortured. For them, they'd rather die rather than sell out the man who gave them hope.
Tsuna stood there a full minute, uncomprehending on what to make of the situation. Should he puke? Should he cry? Should he run away? Should he attack? He doesn't know, his mind is on a haywire and his heart won't stop palpitating. Only after a minute was he noticed by the enemy. They questioned him who he was, though he could not answer. How could he answer? How could he tell them the wretched name that brought about this carnage? The men began nearing him. He's still standing there, his emotions a whirlwind on the inside, awaiting their release. And that release happened when a decapitated head rolled down his foot. He looked down. He could not even conjure a scream, not a single sound did escape his lips. He stared at what's in his foot and continued staring, the head on his foot staring back at him, with empty sockets and blood all over its place. And then he lost it. Who wouldn't lose it if he saw one of his beloved children's head decapitated and harvested of its eyes?
Xxx (no more gory stuff beyond this point) xxX
Tsuna moved swiftly to attack the men that came near him, his attacks not holding anything back, his attacks poised to kill. His mind did not register the shout of the enemy to fire at him. His mind did not register the shout of the enemy calling for backup. He did not care and he will not listen. He'll take their lives for taking innocent ones. The attackers increased but he did not care, he did not feel. He'll make them pay for the lives they took. For now, he did not and will not care.
Soon, there was a mass of dead bodies scattered around him, his clothes soaked heavily with blood, his hands dripping with the same substance. His eyes looked around, devoid of any emotion, of any feeling, of any form of remorse for his actions. His eyes landed on the village entrance and saw his guardians looking at him. He kept his eyes on them as they approached him, his usual brown eyes that were once full of life now a dull orange. He looked at them with the same blank look, expecting their eyes to be filled with disgust toward him and his actions. But instead of disgust and fear, he saw sadness and understanding. Sadness for the situation that caused their benevolent boss to act the way he did and understanding of their boss' action. They understood. They understood well enough that nobody's perfect. And in the world they live in, the unspoken rule of 'Kill or be killed' is a common discipline. In their eyes, he also saw dedication: dedication to follow him wherever he goes and whatever he does; dedication to protect him and those he protect; dedication to kill whoever dare to harm their boss and their family.
Surprisingly, Hibari was the one to approach him and wrapped an arm around the brunette's head and placed it on his shoulder. The brunette leaned in to the hug but did not made a move to hug back, his Cloud Guardian's shoulder effectively obstructing his view. Beside him, he could feel Mukuro looking at him, not with judgmental eyes but with eyes full of sorrow and understanding.
"It's cruel, isn't it? This mafia world we live in." Mukuro said, his voice devoid of its usual mocking tone. The illusionist placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder and looked at the carnage in front of him. Soon, the rest of the guardians went to him and buried the young boss in a group hug. In a scene full of carnage and death, the hug looked awfully out of place. But they did not care, for their Sky needed his Guardians right now more than ever, the Sky needed them before he can break.
Tsuna did not cry. It's not like he did not want to. It's just that he can't. So instead, he looked at his guardians, his eyes reflecting the void and brokenness he currently feels. He's at loss on what to do. What in the world should he say to explain his actions? But now is not the right time to think of such things. There are still enemies lurking around and there are survivors waiting to be treated.
He looked at his guardians, his eyes reflecting brokenness and grief mixed with hatred; hatred for those wretched Mafiosi who killed his innocent and precious people.
"Clean this place up. Keep a few rats to interrogate. If they refuse to give information, torture them until they feel like talking. Break their minds if you see fit and make sure they won't be able to call for reinforcements. Make sure the bodies of the dead are properly buried and the survivors properly treated. I'll go back to the mansion for now." Tsuna ordered in the most stable voice he can muster.
His guardians released him from their hug and looked at their boss, assessing him not because of his orders but because of worry for his well-being. The brunette noticed the meaning of the look his guardians were giving him. He gave them a faint and weary smile and said,
"I'll be fine. I'm sorry to have let you witness this carnage and I'm sorry for asking you to dirty your hands. But in our world, it's 'kill or be killed'… I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry…"
"Tsuna, you can't help it. This is the reality of the world we live in. You don't have to apologize. Sooner or later, we would have to do this. And don't ever think you'll have to do this alone. We're with you." Yamamoto said, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder.
"Yamamoto's right, Tsuna-sama. And we understand your reason for doing this. We know you don't want to do this but you weren't left with a choice." Gokudera said, looking at his boss.
"Sawada, we will always be with you no matter what. Just don't let Kyoko and the girls know, for now. I don't think they're ready for this yet." Ryohei said.
"Kufufufu. And besides, this is a change in pace from the usual boring missions. I think I'm going to savor this and enjoy myself." Mukuro said, his usual tone back in his voice.
"Hn. The pineapple is right, herbivore. And besides, I now have a reason to go wild and let loose. The pathetic herbivores deserve the death awaiting them." Hibari said.
"Everyone…" To say that Tsuna is grateful is an understatement. He was relived beyond words for his guardians' understanding. One look at them told him that they mean it; they'll always be there for him, even if it means having to kill people for him.
On the side, Reborn just silently watched his student with his guardians, assessing them. He didn't want them to see this cruel side of the mafia yet and he certainly did not want them to dirty their hands with death. But the situation they were faced with caused them to mature faster than he wants them to and there's nothing he can do about it. He can't forever shield them from the truth, especially since they are the next in line, but he'll make sure they go the right path. They are his precious students, after all.
"Now, Tsunayoshi. Go back and rest. We'll take care of things here. We'll join you once we're done cleaning this place up." Mukuro said, turning to face the village full of carnage.
"Thank you, everyone. Be safe." Tsuna said and turned to walk away from the village. As he passed by Reborn, the hitman said, with his fedora blocking his face,
"I'm sorry, Tsuna, but this is the harsh reality of the world we live in. Go back to the manor and rest. I'll take charge from here." Tsuna just paused beside the hitman and did not say anything for a while.
"Eliminate Don Giagolo. Maybe Guido and Corvo will learn their lesson after that." Tsuna said, as if he did not hear his tutor's earlier words, and walked away from the hitman without waiting for his reply.
Xxx
When Tsuna reached the main entrance of the manor, he was greeted by the sight of Chrome with Fuuta, Lambo and I-pin with her. Upon seeing the brunette with blood all over his clothes, the two youngest ran toward their brother figure and tackled him in a hug, bawling their eyes out and crying out their brother's name. The brunette hugged them back tightly, unable to contain his tears anymore. He hugged them while repeatedly sobbing, "I'm sorry" to their ears. And that was all he remembered before the world became black for him, dragging his tired and weary self into unconsciousness.
Author's note: I don't have a lot to say right now but please do let me know your thoughts via your reviews. Thank you all so much. Ciao for now :D
