Title: Fiamma: The Assassin

Summary: Every assassin have their own rules, yet all follows one golden rule: Never get emotionally involved with your target. Fiamma knows this. Yet, meeting that person, he can't help but break the most important rule of all…

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano

Pairing: Eventual!G27

Warnings: AU; Language

Fiamma: The Assassin

Chapter 9

"…n… Take Tsu… nd run!"

"…what about yo…"

"Go!"

"No… pa...!"

"I will… ine… cry… Go…!"

"…Noooooo!"

Tsunayoshi screamed as he sat upright in bed. He regretted that action almost immediately, however, as pain spread out from his side to the whole of his body. Tsunayoshi ground his teeth together as he waited out the pain caused by the wounds on his body stretching. He ignored the sweat covering his body, as uncomfortable as that felt. Tsunayoshi doubted that he has enough strength to even lift a leg off the bed at the moment. When the pain finally subsided to a more bearable level, Tsunayoshi slowly lay back down and his mind immediately started working on analyzing his situation.

He started off by observing the room he was in. It wasn't a hospital ―there weren't any stark white walls, nor were there any of the distinctively disgusting smell known as antiseptic. The room he was in looked like a bedroom ―or perhaps, the more accurate term would be 'guest room'. The walls were painted a soft orange, and the windows were shut with the vanilla white curtains drawn. The windows sat to his left, while the door that, presumably, led into this room was on the opposite side of the room. There was a lamp sitting on the bedside drawer and a rather new-looking bureau was situated across the room, opposite to the bed. Since there was already a bureau in the room, Tsunayoshi assumed that the only other door in the room led to the attached bathroom.

All of those, along with his own intuition, told Tsunayoshi one thing: he was not in any form of danger ―at least, for now. Since he could barely move at the moment, Tsunayoshi sat back and decided to think back on what happened before he pas― was knocked out, hoping for more clues to his current situation.

'Someone knocked me out; I'm certain of that. It wasn't the Varia… I had all of them in sight when that happened. It wasn't an illusion either. The Vongola Guardians…? No… Doesn't seem likely. They know I'm trying to assassinate them; they wouldn't knock me out. Even if they did, they wouldn't be stupid enough to leave me in a guest room without even a shackle or a handcuff ―as useless as those are on me.' Tsunayoshi sighed when he came to a dead-end. 'Speaking of which, who in their right mind would hire one of the most famous assassination squad to protect the Vongola Guardians? The others doesn't know ―not even Mukuro or Hayato does. One of the Vongola Guardians themselves? Daemon Spade? Alaude? No… Those two wouldn't trust an outsider to do this. I'm not even sure if they trust insiders… As for the other four… They aren't aware of me, so no. That leaves the Gesso side… But who…?' Tsunayoshi grunted and held his head with a hand. 'Dammit. The more I think, the more my head hurts. How long have I been sleeping anyway…?'

The door opened and a soft gasp rang throughout the room. What followed was painfully soft and gentle voice ―one that he never thought he would hear again in this life.

"A-Ahh…! Tsunayoshi-nii-san! You… Y-You're awake…!"

Slowly, he turned to the door and ―the shirt, the short, the cape; the white, white cape, that wide, puffy ha― Tsunayoshi felt his breath leave him and ―that soft orange pacifier worn on a baby pink ribbo― chocolate brown orbs were blown wide open in shock ―nd those eyes; those brilliant blue eyes that can never find fault with this corrupted world, and that flowe―

"Y-Yuni…?"

"Is that so?" Byakuran muttered lowly.

The Don of the Gesso Famiglia was not a happy man at the moment.

It's hard to be, considering that his best assassin ―his best tool has not only failed to get rid of the goody-two-shoes of the Vongola Famiglia and any one of his precious Guardians, but had also up and gone AWOL. Byakuran growled lowly as he shoved another handful of marshmallows in his mouth, chewing furiously. The two other people in the room barely blinked at the action ―they were rather accustomed to their Boss' habits when in a bad mood… as disturbing as said habit was.

Glancing at Byakuran, Kikyo bowed respectfully and answered, "Absolutely, Byakuran-sama."

"Fiamma has betrayed you, Byakuran-sama." His companion added on.

Byakuran's hand paused in the bag of marshmallow as purple eyes surveyed the man carefully. "Is that your conclusion from your observations, Torikabuto?" Byakuran asked.

"Yes, Byakuran-sama." Torikabuto nodded. "By your orders, I tailed Fiamma ever since you gave the order for him to assassinate Giotto di Vongola and his Guardians. Fiamma took a week to begin his mission. When the time finally came, Fiamma had Giotto di Vongola in his grasp for much longer than it would take to strangle him to death… and long enough for the Varia to show up. He even requested that Varia end his life. And their leader would have too, if not for an external interference."

"I wonder about this… external interference." Kikyo spoke up. "He showed up in the end; stopped the final attack and took Fiamma away. The face that Varia had quietly backed down is an incredible thing in itself. Furthermore, why would the Varia be there as well? Certainly, Varia and Fiamma has a rather… interesting rivalry between them, but if that's the case, we would have expected Varia to finish off Giotto di Vongola and his Guardians, would we not?"

Byakuran, still munching on his marshmallows but at a more humanly-rate now, answered, "Simple. The external interference hired Varia to stop my beloved, loyal Fiamma. No matter how against your nature it is, you'll still listen to the one paying you, am I right?"

"Certainly…" Kikyo nodded. "Does that mean that Byakuran-sama knows who this external inference is then?"

Byakuran smiled eerily and nodded.

Kikyo wisely took his silence to mean that Byakuran would not be elaborating further ―hence, there was no need to ask. Instead, Kikyo voiced his other concern at the moment. "What shall we do with Fiamma, Byakuran-sama?" Sea-green eyes lit in amusement as he continued, "We, the Six Funeral Wraths, are ready to move at anytime."

Byakuran giggled. "We will not do anything."

Well. That certainly wasn't what Kikyo was expecting. As the best of the top eight assassins of the Gesso Famiglia, Byakuran's most used subordinate other than the Six Funeral Wraths, Fiamma was not allowed any failures. For Fiamma and Fiamma only, failure means death ―not simply for himself, but also, potentially, the other seven assassins that he had grown to care for.

Tsunayoshi understood that, of course, and it certainly showed. The assassin had been in the business for ten years; and each and every single one of his missions had been completely perfectly. It was only expected, really. Fiamma was Byakuran's only creation and the man believes that he could not have created a better tool. It was twelve years ago when Byakuran had brought back the then-teen Tsunayoshi and personally trained him into his best assassin, Fiamma. Byakuran held high expectations for Tsunayoshi as Fiamma.

Which is why, despite knowing that Fiamma had not only failed in his mission and had apparently betrayed the Gesso Famiglia, Tsunayoshi has yet to make it to any one of the Funeral Wraths' first-to-kill list thoroughly confused Kikyo.

"…Byakuran-sama?" Kikyo frowned.

"On account of him working loyally for ten years… I will give him his one and final chance." Byakuran spoke, a devious smirk playing on his lips. "We will wait for one week."

Kikyo and Torikabuto exchanged a quick glance before bowing respectfully to Byakuran. Neither of them understood Byakuran's actions nor were they keen to know. As subordinates, they were to follow their Boss' orders without question and that was what they would do.

"We understand, Byakuran-sama."

Byakuran chuckled as he chewed on another marshmallow.

'Let me see your final performance, my beloved Fiamma.'

"Are you feeling better?"

Giotto looked up from his book and nodded.

It had been three days since the… incident (Giotto refused to call it an 'assassination', much to the annoyance of his Guardians), and the blond had been confined to his bed after Knuckle had given in to his request (read: begging and whining) to stay in his own room. He had been hooked up to the ventilator for the first two days, but early on Knuckle had taken him off the ventilator, but still confined him to bed. Giotto didn't complain and quietly complied. The wire Tsunayoshi had used left a line of bruises on Giotto's neck. Knuckle had mentioned that the bruise will heal with time, but the cut caused by the sudden and quick retract of the wire would probably leave a scar on Giotto's neck.

G sighed as he glanced at the blond's somewhat blank look. "…Are you still thinking about him?" He asked, taking a seat beside the bed.

Giotto flinched and glanced back down to his book. Honestly, he wasn't even sure what he was reading anymore. He'd asked for a novel to entertain himself while he was stuck in his bed with absolutely nothing to do, but over the past two days, the words barely made it into his brain. He had read over half of the book and still didn't know what it was talking about ―or even if he had read anything at all. He simply couldn't concentrate; not when he was still thinking about what happened. He tried to force his thoughts away from that, but the alternative was to think of how boring it was with nothing to do. Giotto grimaced when he realized that he was actually starting to miss paperwork.

"Giotto…" G called softly, snapping him out of his thoughts.

It was then did Giotto remember that G had asked him a question. He swallowed; he really didn't want to have this conversation; he knew what G was thinking. But he also knew that G wouldn't let the issue go that easily. Finally, he mumbled, "I… just can't believe it."

G narrowed his eyes. "He wants to kill you, Giotto." G said, gritting his teeth when he remembered the helplessness he felt when he saw his best friend being strangled to death, yet he could do nothing to help. "He nearly did kill you. Twice."

Giotto frowned. There was something else going on; something more than what happened. He needed to make G understand that. "…G… I… don't think he fully intended to kill me." Giotto said slowly. His eyes held uncertainty, yet determination still shone.

"…What do you mean?" G arched an eyebrow.

Giotto pursed his lips, pondering over how he should phrase it. "…He was strangulating me, yes… But he let it loose every once in a small while, as though he wanted to let me breathe." Giotto said.

G rolled his eyes, "Yes, and he immediately tightened the wire and choked you. Certainly sounds like he didn't intend to kill you." He answered sarcastically. While G understood that Giotto wouldn't sprout excuses like this simply because he had confessed that he liked Tsunayoshi, as his best friend who'd watched him grow from a reckless, idiotic kid to a dignified (but still idiotic) Boss, G could help but feel irritated that Giotto was actually trying to build a case for the assassin. He sighed when the blond shot him a pointed look. "Okay. Fine. Answer me this first: intuition or blind belief."

"Intuition." Giotto answered without a shred of hesitation. G gave another sigh in defeat and motioned for the blond to continue. Giotto smiled at his best friend's antics before he straightened up into a serious look once more. "I just felt that he was forcing himself to hurt me."

G thought hard about the situation that day, no matter how much it pained him to do so. It was a little difficult, considering that most of his attention was on Giotto that day, but one or two things about Tsunayoshi had stood out. "…Because he said that… 'Whatever the employers want, we do it. If we have to get our hands stained with blood, then so be it.' …Is that it?" G asked.

Giotto nodded. A look at the redhead and Giotto knew that while G was starting to be convinced, there was still a bit of ways to go. Giotto thought about another thing that his intuition helped to point out and asked, "G… Do you think he's a professional…" Giotto paused before finally spitting out the word, "…assassin?"

"Of course." G nodded; there really weren't any doubts about that. "I mean, just look at him that night. He didn't seem bothered that he might be taking a life. And the way he fought. Sure, he was, according to the Varia, 'unconscious', but still, he was definitely trained. Even when he was bleeding out, he was calmed, as though it had happened to him before." G's eyes narrowed as he continued, "And more importantly… The Varia called him by his title several times… Fiamma."

Despite the shiver that crept down his spine by the title, Giotto pressed on, "…And that's exactly my point." He said.

"E-Eh…?" G blinked. He was not expecting that.

Giotto hurried to explain, "He's a professional. He had me by the neck. If he wanted to kill me, he wouldn't take the time to make small talk. He'll finish the job fast." Giotto said. "But he didn't. I mean, look at it this way. The longer he took, the higher the chances of him getting overwhelmed by back-up. He couldn't have expected Varia to show up, but he couldn't possibly go up against the entire Vongola Famiglia."

G thought over what Giotto had said. "…As your friend, I'm convinced. As your Right-Hand man, I have my reservations." G conceded. There was no lie in that statement and both of them knew it well. G trusted Giotto's judgment and intuition; it was part of what got them so far, after all. However, he had to question things that Giotto believed if he were to serve as the Don Vongola's Right-Hand man ―the one who covered his back.

"…Alright. You have your reasons." Giotto nodded, satisfied that he had at least gotten his friend to consider another view on the situation. Giotto let out a breath in relief as he lay back on the bed. He decided to take his mind off that matter for now, though the next thought that entered his mind was just as unpleasant. "...How's Lampo doing?"

At that, G let out a low growl. "He been in and out of it every since he passed out that day." G gritted his teeth. Until now, Lampo was still sleeping in a private ward by himself. Knuckle had been taking care of the Lightning Guardian personally, but there still wasn't much improvement.

"His conditions?" Giotto inquired.

"There haven't been any changes. He seemed to be constantly in pain though." G grounded out. The arguments between him and the youngest Guardian had only been banter; it didn't mean that he cared less for the kid. To know that Lampo was still suffering and that he couldn't do anything for him either was really just adding to his misery.

"And do we know what he is infected with?" Giotto asked quietly.

"…No. The medics are still working on it." G said. "They've been running tons of tests but they've yet to find anything."

"That's… strange." Giotto frowned.

"What's strange?"

"…Renato is Fiamma, right?" Giotto asked. G nodded in confirmation. "Didn't you tell me before that Fiamma's preferred weapon is poison? Something about internal combustion or something like that?"

G couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Excessive internal bleeding. The victim doesn't burn up from the inside, you idiot." G snapped. Giotto had the decency to blush at the mistake. G sighed in exasperation. "Word out there is that the vital organ self-destruct from the poison and the victim bleed out on the inside."

"'Word out there'?" Giotto echoed. "There isn't any confirmation?"

G shook his head. "Apparently, Fiamma doesn't just work for one employer. He's free for hire, despite being attached to a Family. Seeing as he is one of the most famous ―or perhaps I should say, infamous assassins in the industry, he's on high-demands. Just about everyone wants to hire him for work. Which is why, even though all of Fiamma's victims have been autopsied, no one wants to leak out how exactly the poison kills. Apparently, there hasn't been a successful copy of Fiamma's poison either."

Giotto gritted his teeth and muttered a curse under his breath.

"…It's not your fault, Giotto." G offered gently. "You couldn't have expected it. If anyone's at fault, it's me."

"G…" Giotto sighed.

"I'm the Right Hand man. I'm the Storm Guardian; the one who is always at the centre of the attacks. I should know everything about the enemy. But I didn't. And this happened." G muttered. "If it weren't for the Varia showing up, you would have died."

"G… It's really not your fault." Giotto smiled. "Besides, you had your suspicions. I was the one who forbade you from acting on it."

The two fell into a brief period of silence, broken by the sound of G laughing. Giotto arched an eyebrow at his best friend, who grinned. "Come on, we're fighting over who's at fault here." G explained.

Giotto blinked, and burst into laughter as well. "We are idiots." G nodded. Giotto glanced at him, ensuring he had the other's attention before murmuring softly, "…What did you think of the Varia?"

"Just another assassination squad." G shrugged. "I'm more interested in their employer; who, judging by their conversation, is that hooded guy that showed up in the end. Why did he knock out Fiamma and take him away…?"

"He seems to know Renato." Giotto added. "Since I can safely say none of us knows him, it's probably also safe to say that he was there only for Renato." He paused, a thought emerging in his mind. "He said that Varia was hired to stop Renato from killing me right? Why would he stop Renato from… trying to kill me?"

G frowned as he thought about the question. He finally gave up after a long while with a grunt. "All this thinking is making my head hurt." Giotto chuckled. The redhead got up and straightened his clothes. "Alright. I have to check on the progress of the repair of our dining room. I'll get one of the medics to come around to check on you again."

"I'm absolutely fine. Knuckle is just being overly cautious." Giotto pouted. Subconsciously, Giotto reached up to touch the line that marred his neck. '…Renato…'

G caught sight of the action and ruby eyes softened. "…Giotto?" G called softly. When the blond turned to stare at him inquisitively, G asked, "Are you sure… You don't want me to check out the real identity of 'Renato'?"

"Renato is Fiamma. We already know who he is." Giotto answered.

"That's not what I'm talking about, and you know it." G growled.

Giotto fell quiet as his fingers fiddled with the edge of the page of the book still sitting open in his lap. "…No…" He said finally. "…I… I'd rather not know."

"…Alright." G nodded.

Giotto smiled up at his best friend, "You should get going. You're Vongola's Second-in-Command. Now that I'm temporarily out of commission, they're going to be looking for you." Giotto chuckled at the look on G's face.

G grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, alright. Stop reminding me already."

The fifteen-year old girl quickly closed the door behind her and ran further into the room. She stopped beside the bed and helped Tsunayoshi sit up, arranging the pillows comfortably behind him. She then pressed her hand into the mattress as she peered at Tsunayoshi, examining the brunette carefully. Finally, she asked, "Tsunayoshi-nii-san, are you alright?!"

Tsunayoshi peered down at her with a nod. Chocolate brown eyes stared intently at the girl he had yet to seen for a long while. "It has been a while. How are you? And am I…?"

"You're at the Giglio Nero Famiglia estate." Yuni smiled. She took a step back and bowed, "It has been a while, Tsunayoshi-nii-san. I hope you have been while."

Tsunayoshi couldn't help but let a warm smile grace his lips. He hadn't smile much in the past ten years, but this fifteen-year old girl in front of him never failed to draw a smile from everyone she meets, and Tsunayoshi was no different. He gently patted the extra space beside him and Yuni climbed on, taking a seat right beside the brunette, leaning her head on Tsunayoshi's shoulder. The assassin smiled down gently at the girl as he replied, "Yes, I've been well. At least, until…" Tsunayoshi paused. "…How long have I been asleep, Yuni?"

"Three days now…" Yuni murmured softly. "If it was any other people, that sort of wound would have caused a certain death. Thankfully, Tsunayoshi-nii-san is special. But still… You were bleeding out so much, I… I thought you were going to die…" She sniffled.

Tsunayoshi wrapped an arm around the teen quietly and gently pressed his lips to her temple. "I'm sorry for worrying you." Yuni mumbled something incoherent as she cried softly into Tsunayoshi's chest. The brunette held her silently, letting her cry. When she finally pulled away, face flushed and teary, Tsunayoshi gave her another gentle smile ―a part of his mind registered that he was smiling way too much today― and wiped away the excess tears with a thumb. "Come now, don't give me such a sad face. Ladies look their most beautiful when they smile you know."

Yuni's face was flushed again, but for a decidedly different reason. "Tsunayoshi-nii-san…" She pouted at her surrogate older brother before smiling brilliantly at him.

Tsunayoshi smiled, "Now that's the Yuni-hime I know."

Yuni pouted at the nickname. At the age of fifteen, Yuni was one of ―if not the youngest Don of a Famiglia. The Giglio Nero Famiglia had been passed down from generation from generation through blood, and she was the Tenth leader of her beloved Family. Perhaps it was because of her innocence or maybe it was her beliefs, Yuni treated every single one of Giglio Nero Mafiosi like her own family, and in return, everyone treated her as their beloved Princess, caring for her and loving her dearly. Despite her protest, the Giglio Nero Mafiosi insisted on calling her Princess instead of her name (like she requested) or Boss (as per her position). When Tsunayoshi found out about it, he had kept it in mind, using it to tease the young girl every once in a while, like he did now.

"You've grown up, Yuni-chan," Tsunayoshi continued; traces of his smile still lingering on his face. "Gamma is taking good care of you, I hope?"

Yuni giggled at the mention of her most loyal bodyguard. Gamma used to be her mother and the Ninth Boss of the Giglio Nero Famiglia, Aria's most loyal and trusted bodyguard. At Aria's deathbed, she had, in fact, made Tsunayoshi swear to protect her daughter, Yuni, with his life, and Tsunayoshi agreed. However, as Fiamma, Tsunayoshi was unable to watch over Yuni as much as the assassin liked. Instead, Tsunayoshi had asked Gamma to protect Yuni with his life instead, though there weren't any protest from the bodyguard whatsoever.

"Yes, Tsunayoshi-nii-san. Gamma has been taking care of me." Yuni answered as she smiled brightly.

"Good." Tsunayoshi nodded. "Because when I told him that he'll be on the top of my assassination list if anything happens to you and I was not kidding." Yuni frowned, shooting the brunette a reproaching look, to which the assassin shrugged off casually. Instead, a solemn look slipped onto Tsunayoshi's face as he asked, "By the way… How did I get here? To the Giglio Nero Famiglia estate, I mean."

"Umm, you were brought here." Yuni answered quietly.

"By who?" Tsunayoshi pressed.

Yuni stared determinedly into Tsunayoshi's eyes as she answered, "I don't know. The man wore a hood, and he didn't say anything. He simply handed you over to us and disappeared." She hadn't lie; it really was what happene―

"―You're lying." Tsunayoshi said simply.

Yuni's eyes widened as she stared disbelievingly at the assassin. She pondered over how her surrogate older brother knew when said brother playfully flicked at her forehead. Yuni yelped softly at the pain and pouted as she covered the area with both hands. Tsunayoshi chuckled softly as he stared ruefully at the young girl.

"Lying to me doesn't work, Yuni-chan. Have you forgotten about my sharp intuition?" Tsunayoshi questioned. Yuni shook her head lightly, staring at Tsunayoshi with an inquisitive gaze. The sides of the assassin's lips lifted slightly as he continued, "You weren't lying about the man. I believe you when you said that he wore a hood and that he didn't say anything. But it was a lie when you said that you didn't know the man. Even if it was me that he 'delivered', I'm sure you wouldn't let such a suspicious person go without even a brief questioning. It can only mean that you know this person and that you trust him if you allowed him to go like that."

Yuni nodded quietly. Her wide sky blue eyes twinkled with curiosity as she asked, "Then, does that mean Tsunayoshi-nii-san knows who this person is too?"

Tsunayoshi's eyes softened.

'That person who used to cradle me in his arms so often, just like that night. That person who took me in, cared for me, and brought me up. That person who made me experience the happiest years of my life. That person who knows everything about me, who knows all about my sins and yet still stood by me. That person who I fell into hell for. That person who lives in the darkness.' Tsunayoshi closed his eyes and let out a breath. 'I remember that night ―those arms, that embrace, that scent; a mix of gunpowder and espresso… That person…'

He turned to the closed bedroom door and called out, "You can come in now…" Tsunayoshi felt his heart stop for a moment simply by him utterly his name. "…Reborn."

"Do you think Tsuna… he really…?" Yamamoto frowned, slurping at his green tea frappuccino. He played with the cup in hand, unsure of what he should think. Back then, he had met Tsunayoshi when the assassin, who kills people for a living, had stopped him in his suicide attempt, snarling at him to treasure his own life. It struck Yamamoto as an irony then, but that thought was brushed aside when he had followed Tsunayoshi on a whim. To his surprise, the brunette didn't seem to mind, and even treated him like… a friend. Yamamoto knew then, that no matter how bloody his life was going to be, he would never regret making that choice. And now, he would trust that person with his life. "I mean, I don't think Tsuna would ever do that, but…"

Word of Fiamma's betrayal and escape had spread through the assassins' world rapidly, like a fire out-of-control. It wasn't surprising. With Fiamma's standing in the assassins' world, he was the equivalent of a celebrity in the normal world. He held high focus, and any news of him would spread quickly. By now, the entire assassins' world ―and hence, the Underworld― knew about his disappearance, which was seen to be a betrayal of his Family, the Gesso Famiglia.

The seven other top assassins, disturbed and confused by the news, wanted to discuss it, but knew they couldn't do it in the Gesso Famiglia estate ―not with the tight surveillance there. Instead, since there had been no assignments for any of them ever since Fiamma's disappearance, the seven had gone out to one of the quieter cafés in town to discuss about the brunette's current situation. The first thing they had brought up was, of course, the assassins' world's speculation that Fiamma had betrayed the Gesso Famiglia.

"No way. There's no way Boss would so something like that." Gokudera shook his head firmly. Out of all the seven assassins, he could proudly claim that he was the most loyal to Tsunayoshi, since the brunette was the one who saved him from the streets when everyone else had shunned him away. Someone like that; someone who brought them together couldn't possibly betray anyone, much less the Gesso Famiglia. "Boss would never do something like betray the Gesso Famiglia."

"But… Boss' disappearance speaks a lot..." Chrome murmured. It wasn't as though she doubted Tsunayoshi ―Tsunayoshi had been the second person who treated her with kindness. She had been brought to the Gesso Famiglia along with Mukuro, and was about to be thrown away because of her weakness. It was Tsunayoshi who had gone up to Byakuran and asked him to let her stay; it was Tsunayoshi who spent majority of his off-time with her when she first arrived to help her gain confidence and improve her skills. Such a person wouldn't commit a betrayal, but someone has to point out the alternative. "Boss may not betray the Gesso Famiglia, but… why did he disappear…?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi…" Hibari narrowed his eyes. Unlike the other assassins, he did not really have a friendship with Tsunayoshi. The two assassins simply had mutual respect for each other's strength. Despite so, Hibari knew it wasn't in the other's character to up-and-disappear ―not in the way he did. "What is that carnivore planning this time?"

"'Planning'?" Ryohei echoed with a deep frown. When he first met Tsunayoshi, they were both still teenagers. Ryoehi remembered that back then, he had felt a little frightened that someone younger than him was actually one of the most powerful killers in the Underworld. Yet, as time passed, he began to see more of this 'killer' and found that Tsunayoshi was actually a rather caring person, despite him being stoic or just plain emotionless most of the time. Ryohei grew fond of Tsunayoshi and because of their age, began to see Tsunayoshi like a little brother to him. He may not know Tsunayoshi as well as he liked, but he knew, at the very least, that the brunette wouldn't do something like that. "That's a little too much, don't you think?"

"Unfortunately, since this is Tsunayoshi-kun we're talking about, it's not." Mukuro retorted. From the very beginning, Tsunayoshi's actions had intrigued the illusionist, and until now, the assassin still managed to entertain him every time. To Mukuro, Tsunyoshi was an enigma ―the brunette had no qualms about being used as a tool by Byakuran, killing whoever the Don Gesso wanted to kill without a single question or any shred of hesitation; yet all of a sudden, out of nowhere, he bails on an assassination mission and disappears off the face of the Earth. "Is he planning to leave…?"

"There's no way Tsunayoshi-nii will leave us…!" Lambo cried. He was the youngest of the assassins, and he constantly whined and wailed. He acted like a brat, but Tsunayoshi… Tsunayoshi hadn't mind, always giving in to Lambo and taking the teen's side, even when the older assassin knew that Lambo was in the wrong. Lambo looked up to Tsunayoshi; to him, the brunette was someone could never be defeated ―someone who will always be there for them. Yet… "…Tsunayoshi-nii promised… He promised…!"

"You're too naïve." Mukuro said harshly. "Our job requires us to put our lives on the line. Even if Tsunayoshi-kun is a one of the most powerful assassins in the industry, he's not immortal, nor is he invincible ―there is no guarantee that he won't di– leave."

"I don't like the way you say it." Gokudera growled, running a hand through silver locks. "But I have to agree that… what you said is a possibility."

"…Then what does that mean?" Yamamoto questioned. He didn't like how things are going; not one bit. "What exactly is going on with Tsuna right now? Where is he in the first place? Why did he disappear from the Vongola estate like that?"

Mukuro frowned, "All we know right now is that Tsunayoshi-kun disappeared. He may have escaped, or he may have… died." The illusionist gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue, "The fact remains that we have no absolute news at the moment; all we have are the stupid rumors floating around the Mafia."

"There has to be some way we can confirm the information." Gokudera frowned. "By the way, Boss always meets up with you to hand in his reports. Do you know anything about his mission?"

Mukuro rolled his eyes, "You and I both know that mission details are confidential. Of course Tsunayoshi-kun wouldn't tell me anything. We always met outside; just like he did with you." Mukuro answered. "In any case, there are ways to confirm the information. It is simply that… none of the ways are exactly safe."

"Tell us anyway." Ryohei said.

At this point in time, any way they had to find out more about their fellow assassin was worth a shot. Mukuro understood that, and so he answered, "…One, we ask him. Not that any one of us would want to do that." The rapidly-paling faces, the shudders and the frowns gave him all the answer he needed, so Mukuro went on, "Two, we use our respective connections and see if we can find more credible rumors. That means, use every single one of the informants you have, preferably someone who has a connection to the Vongola Famiglia somehow."

There wasn't even a need to ask for confirmation. Phones were already being fished out while the assassins started splitting up. They had one thought in their minds right now, and one thought only: To find their missing Sky.

"Reborn-ojii-sama." Yuni greeted.

"Chaos, Yuni, Tsuna." Reborn replied, tilting the fedora he wore in greeting. The man was in his usual attire as always ―black suit, yellow dress shirt, black tie and a black fedora with a thick orange ribbon running around the bottom of the hat's crown. Reborn's companion and partner, a strange little green chameleon, sat on the brim of Reborn's fedora as always. "…It has been a while… Tsuna."

"…I could say the same for you, Reborn." Tsunayoshi answered. Yuni glanced between her guardian and her surrogate older brother nervously. Tsunayoshi noted her hesitation and he smiled gently at her, prompting a quirked eyebrow from the suited man on the other side of the room. Tsunayoshi noticed the action, of course, but chose to ignore it momentarily as he called out softly, "Yuni… Could you leave us for a bit?"

"E-Eh…?" Yuni blinked. She was hesitant to leave her two family members; the conversation they were going to have would definitely not be a pleasant one, and she didn't want a fight to break out between Fiamma, one of the top assassins in the Mafia, and Reborn, the strongest hitman in the world. "D-Do… Do I have to?"

"…Ah." Tsunayoshi nodded. "…Don't worry; we're not going to fight. There might be a bullet or two, though." He said, glancing at Reborn with a wry look in his eyes.

"Tsunayoshi-nii-san…" Yuni frowned. She turned to Reborn, who sighed.

"I yield." Reborn announced. "I won't shoot him. I promise."

"…I… I understand." Yuni nodded. "I'll come visit you again later, Tsunayoshi-nii-san."

Tsunayoshi nodded and watched as Yuni left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Chocolate brown eyes shifted to the figure leaning against the far wall with his arms folded before it flickered to the empty seat beside his bed. Reborn took the hint easily enough, pushing himself off the wall gracefully, strolling over to the chair beside Tsunayoshi's bed. Even the way he sat down seemed elegant; a statement of his strength. Tsunayoshi never took his eyes off the hitman and neither did Reborn.

It was after a long period of silence, with assassin and hitman staring at each other with intense gazes, that Tsunayoshi broke it, speaking up first, "…Why did you hire the Varia, Reborn?" There was no need to dance around the issue with the man in front of him; in fact, doing so would probably warrant a bullet from the hitman.

Obsidian orbs gleamed with an unidentifiable emotion as Reborn sat forward, elbows resting on his knees as his hands played with the fedora he had plucked off his head a while back. Reborn had chosen not to answer; instead, he shot back a question in reply, "…Why did you carry out the assassination?"

Tsunayoshi gave a growl in annoyance. He had cut straight to the topic at hand, and he expected the raven to have the courtesy to do the same ―although, as it turned out, he didn't. Tsunayoshi gave another growl and answered, knowing that this conversation would go nowhere if he didn't. "Because I was ordered to. Byakuran ordered for the assassination of Giotto di Vongola and his Guardian. I was just following orders."

For a split moment, Reborn's eyes had flickered with rage at the name of Fiamma's Boss. Thankfully, the hitman had enough discipline as the anger disappeared almost as soon as it came and Reborn replied, "I was following instructions as well."

Tsunayoshi's eyes narrowed at the answer. 'Instructions set by yourself, no doubt.' Tsunayoshi grumbled mentally. "Oh? And since when were you hired, Reborn? No sane person would hire the strongest hitman in the Mafia world to run… errands like this." He bit out, feeling the anger rise within him. Tsunayoshi knew that was dumb. Even when he was in perfect condition, he'd barely won against Reborn. To lash out at the hitman out of blind anger while critically injured is just plain idiotic.

"That doesn't matter." Reborn said, eyes flickering over to the heart monitor, noting that the brunette's heart rate was slowly rising. "Tsuna… Calm down."

Tsunayoshi ignored him as anger flashed in his eyes. "Doesn't matter…?!" Tsunayoshi growled. "You know that man would not tolerate insubordination and failure. You know how high the stakes are. Yet you hired Varia to attack me and to protect my targets." Tsunayoshi snarled. "You know I don't give a damn about what that man does to me; but what about the others?!"

Reborn let his precious fedora fall to the ground as he jumped out of his chair and pressed Tsunayoshi down to the bed, the chair falling back with a loud 'bang'. The raven didn't care that the door was opened hastily ―he knew Yuni wouldn't leave that easily, anyway― and instead growled down at the brunette, "Calm the hell down! Do you want your wounds to open up again?!" Tsunayoshi glared up harshly at him as he heaved for breath. Reborn growled, "They're fine! I kept an eye on them!"

"…for now." Tsunayoshi mumbled, glancing away from Reborn. "I know him… He won't let this go that easily."

Reborn sighed. He let go of Tsunayoshi now that the brunette had calmed down and picked up the chair, settling back into it. He gently massaged the bridge of his nose as he spoke up, "I called in a favor with the Arcobaleno. Wherever they are, they're coming over to help me out."

Tsunayoshi's eyes widened, his head snapping over to Reborn's direction.

The Arcobaleno was the title given to the strongest people in the world. Like the Vongola Guardians, there were seven of them: Sky, Storm, Rain, Lightning, Sun, Mist and Cloud; though the title of the Rain Arcobaleno was shared by two people. They all had different occupations, from hitman to assassin to the military to martial artist… even scientist and shaman. Despite the Arcobaleno being given as their group's title, the Arcobaleno do not usually stay together and instead split off in the world, gathering only when the need arises, usually in the form of one Arcobaleno calling the others for help.

Despite Tsunayohi's anger at Reborn, he knew the hitman wouldn't have hired the Varia if he hadn't planned everything out, but hearing that Reborn had actually called in the Arcobaleno for Tsunayoshi… Let's just say, 'stunned' was an understatement right now.

Reborn picked up his fedora from the ground, twirling it in his hands once more. "Tsuna… Answer me this honestly. What do you feel about the Vongola Famiglia?"

Tsunayoshi's eyes softened. "…What do you mean by that?" he asked quietly.

"I think you know full well what I mean, Tsuna." Reborn eyed him with a gaze that could only be described as gentle.

Tsunayoshi flinched as he clenched his fists. He knew Reborn knew what he thought. In this world, Reborn was the only one left who could read Tsunayoshi easily like an open book ―no one else could anymore. The Vongola Famiglia… They brought up too many painful memories and Reborn knew it. But that was just how Reborn was. By choosing to ignore his feelings on the matter, Tsunayoshi was running away from the problem at hand, simple as that ―and that is something that Reborn would never allow Tsuna to do. Tsunayoshi squeezed his eyes shut and let out a deep breath.

"…The Vongola Famiglia… reminds me of them. Too much." Tsunayoshi admitted, the pain of his admission clear in clouded brown orbs. "The way Giotto di Vongola treated his Family and allies… It's…"

"…just like how he treated you." Reborn finished, glancing over at Tsunayoshi, who was now staring down at his hands.

Tsunayoshi nodded. "Back then… He took me in, too, without a second thought." A smile that can only be described as heartbreaking crept onto Tsunayoshi's face as he continued, barely louder than a whisper, "I remember snapping at him ―well, at everyone, actually… but he… he would always sit there with that gentle smile, quietly waiting until I calmed down before trying again. He… He cared for me… I was giving up on life, but he made me stand up and walk again. Everyone did…"

Reborn sighed softly and resettled himself on empty seat beside Tsunayoshi on the bed. Wordlessly, he wrapped an arm around Tsunayoshi's shoulders, letting the brunette's head rest on his shoulder while he rested his chin on the fluffy brown locks. Tsunayoshi did not return the hug, but neither did he pull away. Neither of them said anything; simply savoring the tranquility of that moment ―a moment that they had not shared for ten years now.

"Tsuna…" Reborn murmured softly. A shift of the body he was holding was the only clue Reborn had that Tsunayoshi was listening. "I understand the stakes. But…" Reborn pursed his lips for a moment. "If I had to choose between saving you or them… I'm sorry, but I'll choose you every time."

Tsunayoshi was silent for a long time, his eyes downcast. "…Why now…? I've been killing for ten years, yet you've never interfered. Why now…?" He gripped the covers tightly within his hands.

"…You know why, Tsuna." Reborn answered softly.

Tsunayoshi squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips into a thin line.

'Giotto di… Vongola…'

"It's been four days. What have you guys found out?" Gokudera asked.

There were still no assignments for the assassins, but for all seven to head out together again for the second time in the same week was simply too suspicious, so they had chosen the private lounge reserved for them this time. They were scattered all around the room; Gokudera, Yamamoto and Lambo sharing a couch, Ryohei sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace, Chrome and Mukuro shared another couch while Hibari stood against the fall wall as usual. The fact that all of them had a grim expression on their faces was a testament of how bad the news was.

"I think we pretty much found out the same thing. How about one of us just talk and we'll add on if there's anything else?" Yamamoto suggested.

"Fine by me." Mukuro shrugged. "How about you go, Smokin' Bomb?"

"…Alright." Gokudera nodded. "Boss was injured in the Vongola Famiglia estate. The Varia came in and attacked him. He was injured badly but he managed to escape."

"From what I managed to find out, Sawada was sliced through his side. That's the main one; he also had cuts, bruises and burns from fighting the Varia." Ryohei frowned. Despite knowing that Tsunayoshi was 'special', all the wounds added together would probably affect the brunette a lot. Ryohei could only hope that the Tsunayoshi was safe, wherever he is.

"Umm… W-Who did it…?" Lambo asked quietly. "Who… hurt Tsunayoshi-nii so badly…?"

"Superbi Squalo." Hibari spoke, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the thought.

Chrome shifted nervously in her seat as she asked in her usual soft voice, "But why would the Varia attack Boss?"

Mukuro leaned back in his seat, throwing an arm around the back of the couch. "The fierce rivalry between the Varia and Fiamma is quite well-known. They are seen stealing each other's targets rather often." Mukuro noted.

"…But they don't randomly attack each other… Do they…?" Lambo asked.

"Sometimes." Hibari answered. "But they do not attack to kill. It would be appropriate to call it an intense spar."

Gokudera frowned as he processed the information. He crossed his legs and folded his arms as he spoke, "So we can conclude that someone hired Varia to attack Boss."

Beside him, Yamamoto nodded, adding, "And the question is who…"

The door to the lounge opened rather suddenly, stunning all the occupants into silence. The lounge was reserved for the assassins only, and few people would dare to enter. The only ones who would other than the eight of them was either Byakuran himself ―rarely, but not impossible; the man had randomly showed up once or twice to get Tsunayoshi personally― or his direct subordinates: the Six Funeral Wraths. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was given the… distinctive looks of their 'guest'.

"K-Kikyo…" Gokudera muttered.

"O-ho? You're all here. Good. This makes things easier." Kikyo smiled. "Byakuran-sama requests to see all of you immediately."

The assassins exchanged a sideway glance with each other, each of them getting a horrible feeling in the pit of their stomachs, before quietly following the teal-haired man out.

Tsunayoshi tried to remain stock still as Yuni slowly removed the thick white bandages wrapped around the lower half of his chest. It was the sixth day since Tsunayoshi was brought into the Giglio Nero Famiglia estate ―six days since his failed assassination of Giotto di Vongola. He had been taken off any and all machines by now, but Tsunayoshi had yet to leave his room. His only visitors were Yuni ―who came to see him every day, bringing him his food and helping him to change his bandages (despite his repeated protest that he could do that himself)― and Reborn.

"It's amazing… Your wounds are almost healed. Except this one here…" Yuni remarked, pointing to where Squalo had sliced through him. "…that was still bleeding a little a few days ago. It stopped now but I think this will leave a scar."

"…It's alright. Not the first one." Tsunayoshi managed a grin. "It's healing well, if you must know. All my internal organs have successfully restored themselves to their proper position; the muscles and skin are healing, though it's still a little… tender."

Yuni didn't say anything in reply, though she shot her surrogate older brother a pointed look. Tsunayoshi grimaced as Yuni wrapped fresh bandages around his wound. In an attempt to distract himself from the bandaging, he took a look around his room and asked, "Where's Reborn? He's usually around to keep an eye on me."

"Reborn-ojii-sama went out yesterday evening. He said he had to meet with some people." Yuni explained as she finished tightening up the bandages. She tucked the supplies back to where they should be as she elaborated, "He didn't say when he will be coming back."

"…I see." Tsunayoshi nodded with a frown. He expected Reborn to run off a while ago. The hitman may be watching over him, but he also had matters to attend to ―he couldn't be watching over Tsunayoshi twenty-four-seven. No, that wasn't what was bothering him. It had been six days since he was in the Giglio Nero Famiglia estate. There was something very wrong with that. Just in case, he asked, "Yuni… Did anyone look for me for the past few days? Did the estate receive any security breaches?"

"No… None at all. Is there anything wrong?" Yuni asked.

'That's exactly what's wrong.' Tsunayoshi frowned. 'That man has many tools at his disposal; it wouldn't take long for me to be tracked down. If so, then… why am I still 'safe'? Granted, it could be Reborn's interference, but I have a feeling that's not the case… In fact, I have a feeling that man is planning something else altogether. I don't get it… I failed, so he has no use for me anymore. What other uses does this faulty tool have for that person…?' Tsunayoshi narrowed his eyes. He turned to the Giglio Nero Boss with a grim look, "…I have to go somewhere, Yuni."

"But you're still injured…!" Yuni protested. "You said that your muscles and skins are still healing right? You can't be moving right now…!"

Tsunayoshi gave her a bleak smile. "This kind of wound is nothing to me. Don't worry, Yuni. I'll be fine." Tsunayoshi threw the covers aside and stepped off the bed. He hissed as the wound on his side shifted. Ignoring his throbbing side, Tsunayoshi slowly made his way over to the bureau and opened it, a wry grin creeping onto his face when he found a single set of clothes sitting neatly inside ―his clothes, brought by Reborn, no doubt.

"But… Tsunayoshi-nii-san…" Yuni tried again.

"Yuni. I have to go." Tsunayoshi insisted.

They stared at each other for a long while; one in pleading, one in determination. Yuni glanced away first in resignation, as though she was accepting something that she should have accepted a long time ago. "I can't stop you, can I?" Yuni whispered. Tsunayoshi gave her a bitter smile and shook his head. "Tsunayoshi-nii-san… Please promise me you'll come back safely." Yuni said.

"…Yuni… I am, after all, an assassin. You know I can't promise you that." Tsunayoshi murmured. "But I can promise you I will be as careful as possible."

Yuni nodded slowly and hesitantly. "Your things are in the bedside drawer."

"Thank you." Tsunayoshi smiled.

Yuni turned around politely as Tsunayoshi stripped out of the clothes he was wearing and changed into the clothes left in the bureau: a dark orange dress shirt, black slacks and tie, along with a double-breasted black jacket with a silver-blue '27' stitched onto the upper left sleeve. Tsunayoshi grabbed his weapons, strapping the wires to his wrists, before grabbing his belongings, tucking those into his pockets. He gently pulled Yuni into a quick hug and, flashing her one last reassuring smile; Tsunayoshi ran out of the room and headed off.

Yuni walked towards the window and watched as the brunette ran out the front gate. She closed her eyes and laced her hands together as though in prayer. "Tsunayoshi-nii-san… Please be safe…"

"Boss…? There's someone requesting for an audience with you."

After a full week of rest, Giotto was finally allowed back to work. It would probably the first (and last) time he was this excited to get back to his never-ending stacks of paperwork, but having something to do was so much better than being stuck in bed all day. With a smile, Giotto looked up from his paperwork. "Who is it?"

"He claims to be from the Gesso Famiglia, Boss."

'I thought I don't have any meetings today?' Giotto frowned. "…Let him in."

"Yes, Boss."

It didn't take long for the guest to arrive; just five minutes from the front door to his office. Giotto observed the man quietly. Early-twenties; white haired with purple eyes, a purple tattoo under one of his eye, and all decked out in white from top to bottom. Giotto frowned; he was not getting a good feeling from his Intuition despite the pleasant smile plastered to his guest's face.

Giotto forced a smile to his own face as he asked, "May I inquire as to who you are?"

"My name doesn't matter." The man's face twisted into a devious smirk. "What matters is that this is the last face you'll be seeing… Giotto di Vongola."

Giotto's eyes widened as the man's fingers glowed. He knew he wouldn't make it in time to reach his gloves and that dodging was the best alternative, but Giotto couldn't move his suddenly-heavy body.

"Arrivederci, Giotto di Vongola."

And as a glowing dragon approached him rapidly, Giotto's helpless eyes were blown wide open in shock as he saw a figure dashing in front of him.

"Giotto!"

A/N: Here we go. My apologies for taking so long; rewriting this chapter took some time ―I actually more than doubled the word count through the rewrite In any case, we finally see Reborn and that Tsuna's healing, and Byakuran is planning something..

Well, that's all for now. Ciao Ciao~