Woah! This was a bit hard on me! Ok, to be honest, it isn't much more to feed you, it's just a setting chapter, a filler as I've already put it. There are a lot of hints, a lot of preparations fro future events I've planned and even hidden little presents that will become clearer as you read incoming chapters :) I have what I want to write for the next one and I think it will be a lot less dramatic or sad, ok?

So, a bit of a WARNING: mention of torture, of abuse, of corpses and death. And this might break your heart, as well as make you really angry.

Now, once more, thanks for everything! You don't know how much what you do makes me happy :D

Sakihinata: Yep! xP Chaos rules when there's a good recipe! Thanks!

Foxluna: Ah, it will take more than that for Daemon to come out of his shell :3 We know him, it got him Tsuna's direct words to cry out his sorrow, and to open that tad bit towards his fellow Guardians to the point of accepting his stalking tendencies :) He'll come around, I ain't telling you when though xP Thanks!

Sakurakoi: Thank you! :D

Klanglilie: Why, thank you! Here it is, hope it's not boring :) Thanks!

Rentamyia: Thanks, it means a lot to me :) Hope you keep liking it!

Aphryl: Oh my... Sorry, as I've said before, it takes me a lot to wrap up a chapter. Each is fairly long and requires so much thinking and many, many notes (you readers only get the final stage, but I go through days' worth of thinking and planning). I don't want to end up writing something cliché or uninteresting, so bear with me, will you? ;) I have no plans on abandoning this. If I disappear suddenly, then I'm dead. Or held captive. Here it is, thanks!

Words: 7020.

Enjoy!

11 – Strong

Reborn finally understood why he'd been so reluctant to leave Tsuna in Italy.

Granted, he couldn't have brought the boy into the mess they'd done to the Triads. Fon had thoroughly destroyed their core members and facilities, letting it stand only on its Boss. That had then sworn – and put black on white – that they would have left the Hibari's alone. Forever. Verde had even registered the conversation for ransom and testimony. The scientist had had a great time taking samples of Flames during the whole ordeal, that had taken around four days to get done. Some more hours for their flight back – Verde had insisted on coming with them, Fon was finally free and the boy simply wanted to meet Tsuna – and they were in Vongola mansion…

He didn't expect to find it in chaos. One he didn't like and hoped not to see ever again.

It was late, too late for the mansion to be so awake. Maids and butlers were running one way or another, looking, searching for something… He quickly stopped one frantic woman, that instantly relaxed at his presence, which was the opposite he wanted.

"What happened."

"Young Master Tsunayoshi…" Reborn felt dread creep through his skin. "We can't find him. He is not in his room, someone saw him going outside, in the garden, but he's not there…" Her voice quivered.

The hitman let her go and ignored his two colleagues following him. He found the office and didn't even knock. Vongola Nono was standing behind his desk, cane in hand and staring at nothing. Xanxus was digging a hole in the pavement, walking back and forth. Squalo was a mix of uneasiness and rage, silently glaring at the only window behind the older man in the room.

They didn't even notice the new group entering through the door. Reborn, a strange and uncomfortable feeling bubbling up in his stomach, closed the door with more strength than necessary. That gained their attention.

"Reborn, thank God… Tsunayoshi…" Nono struggled to keep in rage and sadness, hand on the cane tightening until its knuckles turned white. "We can't find him…"

"Damn idiot guards! What were they doing?!"

"Dealing with the distraction." Squalo cringed, regretting his words.

"What the fuck are they trained for?!"

"Shut up." Reborn flared his bloodlust without control, stepping towards the desk. "What. Happened."

Nono sighed and sat, head covered by his free hand. "Around seven thirty, a group of mercenaries attacked the mansion. There were many, so the guards went to take care of them. A maid, at nine, saw Tsunayoshi go to the back garden, asked him why he was going there and he answered that he wanted to walk a bit. When the attack was stopped, the guards went back to their posts. The ones stationed in the back courtyard found many unconscious bodies and signs of a fight, no trails past the forest's line… Tsunayoshi isn't in the mansion, Reborn."

The weak flash of gold in Timoteo's eyes only worsened the hitman's untamed rage. There were a lot of things passing through his mind, but the most important was the urge to find Tsuna. To make sure he was fine, safe, unharmed.

"The unconscious bodies?"

"The ghosts are taking care of the interrogations." Squalo shivered.

"The mercenaries?"

Xanxus snorted. "Dead."

Reborn brushed a hand on his face, not even noticing Leon curled on his fedora changing colour to a dark, dark red. Fon and Verde behind him were utterly silent, but the same bloodlust could be detected coming off of them.

"Lal?"

"Distracting Iemitsu."

"You haven't told him."

Nono shook his head. "He's already gone through a lot. I want to avoid him going on a rampage all over Italy… and beyond."

Reborn nodded, not sure about that, sending a glance to the sleeping small Hibari. An almost bonded Cloud, he didn't want to know what he would be doing if he heard of this. The hitman himself was ready to tear apart whoever did this, limb by limb, slowly and painfully. He sighed at the image of skin torn off the imaginary culprit and freed his mind from those thoughts – for the moment.

He looked at his phone. 00:56. Approximatively four hours since Tsuna's kidnap. Plenty of time to hide him and do something to him. He was the target, because they had planned a diversion, prepared a second group of people and fled with him. There had not been another attack, they had what they wanted…

"The birthday party."

Nono nodded. "Yes, I agree."

Someone had taken an interest – what kind – in Tsuna. He was, again, in the hands of some psycho.

"We have nothing to track him down?" Fon looked at Verde, talking for the first time. His voice was deceptively calm and silky, his smile sharp and cold.

"No. I will work on something later."

Track him down… Maybe–

Reborn turned to the door and left the room in swift, long strides. He walked along the corridor, turning right and left as memory helped him to. His two colleagues were behind him, soon joined by Xanxus and Squalo. They wisely didn't stop him or ask him what was going on. The hitman came to a halt in front of Tsuna's room. Low whines and scratches could be heard from it. Reborn pushed it open and immediately located the source of those sounds.

The little cub was on the floor, his thin tail swinging angrily in the air and his small, amber eyes narrowed at him. Yes, they both didn't like each other. They'd understood that quite soon. But now was not the time for stupid pride.

"A… lion…?" Fon said, making Hibari Jr stir a bit.

"Another Flame active animal?" Verde unhelpfully asked.

Reborn took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and crouched down. "Can you find him?"

The cub's eyes narrowed even more before his head lowered in a single nod. He didn't dwell on the fact that he could understand human speech, only took him up, gently, and went to the garden. Leon slid to his arm and then on the lion's head, his colour changing back to green, but still a dark shade. Reborn put the cub down when he noticed the first signs of a fight on the gravel path and bushes. There were several footprints, trails dug in the dirt and torn pieces of clothes. The lion sniffed around, bit some rags, padded up and down the area. His tail was literally whipping the air in clear irritation.

Some minutes passed like that. Reborn kept what he was feeling buried down, deep within his body. Verde was not taking notes on what he was observing, a Flame active lion cub searching for a trail. Fon's arms were tighter around Kyouya, that was one step away from waking up. The wolf tailing the scientist was strangely collected while Lichi and Keiman were starting to seem threatening. Squalo was biting his thumb, almost causing a wound. Xanxus was on the verge of imploding.

Reborn kept his cool. Not soon enough, the cub perked up at a certain footprint and dashed to the destroyed gate. The hitman hurried after him like a hellhound, ignoring the others and everything else, focusing on the lion, his surroundings a second thought of his ingrained instincts as an assassin. He sped through the forest that engulfed the mansion, never losing sight of the little animal, jumping over wild roots, past thick bushes, catching sights of footprints here and there in the dirt.

Right trail.

They ran like that for what seemed like hours, but were just ten minutes at their speed. A clearing appeared almost suddenly, making the hitman stop and glare at the tracks of tires on the grass. He took his phone and called the mansion.

"Cars. East. 2 minutes."

And ended it. He took up the cub and ran after the tracks, arriving soon at the asphalted road through a dirt one. The tracks could be followed to the left. The lion was behaving in his arms, maybe he had reached Reborn's same thoughts about cooperating and throwing away his damn pride. He absently poked the cub's head with a finger as three black cars stopped in front of them. He opened the door of the driving seat and internally struggled to let the man get off on his own, taking the spot and waiting patiently for the others to hop on. Thankfully, they knew Reborn, they understood and didn't need to be told to be quick. Reborn's eyes were used to the darkness, but being in the car made things harder. Leon slid on the steering wheel and out through the window to morph into a big flashlight.

The hitman smirked. He could see the tracks clearly. He stepped on the accelerator, hoping the dirt didn't fade too soon. The silence in the car was tense, but Reborn was probably tenser. His hands itched to hold his gun. His brain lusted for heads to shoot at.

Someone was going to pay dearly for this. Once he had Tsuna safe again.

"Carnivores..."

Clouds are strong by definition, but this one had potential Reborn had seen only in Skull. His student had managed to make this Cloud attached, dependant on an equally, if not more, strong Sky. It was an explosive combination in their current situation.

"Kyouya." He took a turn to the left, listening closely to Fon. "We're facing an emergency right no–"

"Where's the little animal."

The martial artist ruffled the boy's hair, not smiling. "Tsunayoshi has been kidnapped."

Reborn wasn't prepared to face such killing intent from a child. On the other hand, he wasn't exactly surprised.

"We're going there, kid. Keep it down." If you can.

He could. The killing intent got suppressed in some seconds, Reborn didn't even want to notice the shock – barely recognizable – on Fon's face.

The tracks were fading, but luck was on their side. They followed them to a crossroad and on the right, where there was no more asphalt. There were tires' lines on the dirt road and Reborn decided it was not safe to go on with the cars. He stopped it on the side and climbed out, like the others.

"Verde, loc–"

"On it."

"Fon, call–"

"Right away."

Reborn huffed and put the cub on the dirt, crouching down. "Do you smell his scent?"

The lion started searching, Leon was on his head. The hitman patiently waited as his colleagues did what they had to. They couldn't take chances.

Whoever had kidnapped Tsuna had thought this through, so he/she was not an idiot. They had to use the surprise effect wisely, raiding the place where Tsuna was being held with all their forces. What if the enemy noticed them coming and moved the Sky, making them lose the tracks this time? No, they had to do this well and thoroughly.

The lion nudged his hand. Reborn looked down and saw it nod, sitting down.

"Ok. We have to wait." And that was more to himself than to the little animal.

Reborn swore in his mind, he would teach Vongola's men how to deal with panic regarding Tsuna's troubles. They had taken the whole night just to reorganize and he was at his patience's end. Fon and Verde were only slightly better. No use mentioning the little Hibari's jump-and-run attempts all the while.

When they finally were ready, the sun was up in the sky and they could not act freely in its light. Reborn instructed them – dark aura enveloping his whole being – to sift through the forest in little groups. No solo craziness, radios existed for reasons. He led a group of his own with the lion cub on the front, sniffing around.

They found the cars used to kidnap Tsuna abandoned under some thick branches. To save the forest, Verde had to use some invention of his to tame the Flames that the lion cub had sent to them in pure ire. Reborn was changing opinion about the beast.

The cub then sniffed around and started following Tsuna's scent. The hitman found some tracks here and there, but nothing he could use to not rely on the lion. It was irritating, very much so, however he had no choice, his priority was to save Tsuna.

When they arrived at a small clearing at the feet of a precipice, the night had fallen on them. Reborn located the door hidden in the rocks just as it opened. The cub sped through the last bush shielding them from who could be their enemy and the hitman bit back a curs–

Tsuna.

Reborn slowly walked forward, his eyes quickly darting from one child to the other. The smell of burning reached his nostrils and smoke came out from the door, not thick, not too much…

"It's ok, my family is here." The hitman looked at his charge, that was smiling at a boy with heterochromatic eyes. "We're safe now."

That… Reborn swiftly approached his student and crouched down at his level to better study him. How was he? What had happened? What did they do? Who dared–

Tsuna just smiled more, but it was strained… and Reborn understood. Not the time, not the location, not the situation to dwell on those answers. The brunette was doing his best to push everything down, away, safely tucked in some corner of his mind… for later. Reborn mentally swore, because Tsuna didn't deserve… any of this.

Estraneo had flown too high.

These were the words that everyone had in their minds, even the ghosts. Expectedly. The rage, along with pure relief, thrummed in the whole mansion. Patches of different Flames trying to calm down all over the building, fiery fires not succeeding at all…

Vongola Nono patiently waited for his 'adopted' grandson to come. His mind was frankly messed and he needed a good night sleep, but he first had to see, to make sure, Tsunayoshi was really safe and sound. He stood from the armchair behind the desk and walked to the little library, listening to his weak Intuition. Someone had finally been informed and was about to storm this study room in some minutes, hopefully after the child.

His memory went to his first meeting with the little Sky, as Xanxus liked to affectionately call him. Who would have known… Everything following that evening, when Timoteo had brought the wounded, scared boy to Vongola mansion, had been unexpected, peaceful and almost impossible. His adopted son acting like an older brother… It was a sight that warmed his chest each and every time. To see Xanxus train someone, become angry for someone, caring… He had privately shed tears over the little, precious miracle.

Timoteo was old. His many years were starting to weigh on his shoulders, on his heart. His duties were becoming harder and harder to carry on. Famiglie all over Italy were showing signs of discomfort with Vongola's current situation, going as far as trying to go against them, like Estraneo just had.

His fists tightened on the cane's handle. What had happened needed a firm and unrelenting answer. His men had stormed each and every facility pointed out by the Mukuro boy, freeing uncountable children and animals. That was the last report he'd received, Reborn was bringing the rest in that moment. The hitman, one of his most-trusted friend by then, had received quite the blow from Tsunayoshi's kidnap. Nono was wise enough to not bring up the subject, but the man was clearly attached to the boy. It was another small miracle, if he could say so. The Mafia Don had noticed how his life was losing significance, how his friend was losing sight of what was important, of a true purpose in life.

And what about Lal Mirch? The Famiglia at large? His Guardians that refused to get near the boy, fearing tainting him? The First Generation? Himself? The new people – two Arcobaleno, even – showing up and claiming to be the boy's acquaintances? … Iemitsu?

… Would he have done the same to–

Two soft knocks on the door made Nono sigh and shake his head. "Come in."

It opened slowly, Tsunayoshi entered, soon followed by Reborn, with a soft smile, eyes kind and happy. He seemed healthy, though maybe tired… As everyone else. His shoulders were a bit stiff and his eyes slightly red.

"Good morning, Timo-jii."

"Good morning, Tsuna. How are you feeling?"

The boy walked to him as Reborn closed the door without a sound. "A bit tired… I'm sorry."

Timoteo smiled at the sad face and lifted a hand to ruffle the mane of brown hair. "You're safe, that's what matters. And if you can…"

Tsuna's smile returned. "Yes, I will." The door flew open and the boy quickly hugged his father's waist tightly.

"T-Tsuna…?"

Iemitsu's prepared and angered words had probably died on his throat at seeing his son, at feeling him breathing and safe and alive and…

"Yes, dad?"

"Are… Are y-you ok?"

The man took up his boy to check on him with his own eyes. "I am, everyone came looking for me and Mukuro helped me."

"Mukuro…?"

"My new friend, he was a prisoner there."

Iemitsu stopped looking at his son's body to move his gaze on the caramel eyes. Tons of emotions, along with a golden hue, passed through the man's orbs. He gave a soft sigh, touching his son's forehead with his own.

"Tsuna, don't… Don't disappear on me a third time, ok?" The father draped his arms around his boy's body and closed his eyes. "Please, don't…"

And if there was a desperate tint in his voice, no one spoke about it. Iemitsu let Tsuna down after placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Go, you need to eat breakfast."

"Ok. See you, dad!"

Reborn left a folder on the desk before leading the boy out. As soon as the door closed, repressed anger shot out of the young father and Nono held back a sigh.

"Before you start, let me tell you that I couldn't have you rampaging throughout Italy to search for Tsunayoshi. My choice has been taken considering your personality and our need to keep everything hidden. We needed to avoid information leak and we took care of the whole thing in silence."

"You didn't tell me my son had been kidnapped!"

Timoteo sighed this time. He'd never heard the CEDEF's Boss so furious.

"Please, understand. Tsunayoshi is safe now."

"He could have been dead and I would have known only when it was already too late!"

"I had to–"

"NO! Tsuna is MY son! You have no right to hide such a thing from ME! I have already lost my wife without even knowing, do not take my son away from me!"

The laboured breath's puffs from Iemitsu were the only sounds disturbing the following, stunned silence. His face was red and his eyes almost glassy. His fists were clenched at his sides, blood dripping from one hand. Nono blinked repeatedly, thinking about what had just been said and… finding everything right.

The images of his two dead sons flashed in his eyes. Enrico, shot multiple times and again after his death, to be sure he was really passed. Matsumo, drowned in the Adriatic Sea with concrete shoes, blue, cold, unmoving. How would he react knowing someone had withheld information about Federico, still MIA?

He massaged his forehead slowly, looking down. "I apologize." He spoke softly. "You're right, I… I acted as a Boss before thinking as a father." He fell on the armchair in front of the library with a grave expression.

Iemitsu took a deep, long breath, pinching the bridge of his nose with closed eyes. "I shouldn't have yelled… I apologize, too, Nono. I'm…"

"We both need to rest, after this… I take it your Intuition kept you awake for two days."

The blonde nodded absently, brushing a hand on his face. "I'll borrow a room, if you don't mind."

"But of course, be my guest."

Timoteo waved at him, waiting for the door to close again, before standing and opening Reborn's folder. His eyes widened, fury and sadness filling his whole being at what was written on the first page. He barely nodded when the hitman came in again without knocking.

"… Is this true?"

"It is. We found the mass graves scattered around the facilities. I haven't called the police yet."

Vongola Nono felt more years suddenly weigh on his shoulders. "We will when we'll be sure we've taken everything remotely useful to use against Estraneo. For now, I'll ask my Guardians to identify the survived children and send them home."

"Regarding that, there's one little girl Tsuna has asked about."

He looked up. "Go on."

"I've sent a maid to collect her from another one of your safehouses, she is the kid's, Mukuro, sister."

Timoteo nodded. "Very well, something else?"

Reborn sighed. "My colleagues, Fon and Verde, want to stay for the time being. I think they've been burned by this whole ordeal. One is well-versed in martial arts, he offered to train the guards – and they need it. Verde, instead, is a scientist. He wants to use your laboratories to study that lion cub and Tsuna's Flames. He is currently studying a device to track him down through them."

"I'll consider it, though I see nothing against them…" He smiled. "I wonder how Tsunayoshi managed to befriend them, knowing you, but… Someone will tell me, maybe I'll ask the child himself."

Reborn smirked. "You'll be surprised. There's also Fon's nephew, Hibari Kyouya. He's a Cloud that has almost bonded with Tsuna."

"I see… Like Hayato, I suppose."

"And the Mukuro kid."

"Reborn… These things aside… I want you to check on Tsunayoshi."

The hitman turned serious immediately. "I will, but not yet. He is trying to be strong for his friends, I'll wait for the evening to fall. Anyway…" He paused. "Go to the last page of that folder, Timoteo."

Nono did. And silently gasped. Mute tears slid down his old skin.

"I'll take my leave."

Federico, too, had left this world… Once more, the father has to bury the son… Sometimes, Nono regretted accepting the mantle from his mother, with every fibre of his fragile, old body.

When the night finally fell and all the kids were tucked to sleep, Reborn walked alone through the corridors to check on everyone. Door after door, almost all left open. The Hibari kid had claimed a tree outside the Sky's window, with his little animals. Verde and Fon had taken the rooms at its sides. Mukuro, with his two friends and sister, the room right opposite. Every child was sleeping, out like a candle. Hayato had fallen asleep in Tsuna's room shamelessly, lion cub curled against his stomach, and had been sent home to his father. Varia had gone back to its mansion with several prisoners and the ghosts had happily accompanied them, though Daemon and Viper had stayed nearby. The first probably because of the file magically disappeared from the hitman's folder about the experiments done on Mukuro, a Mist Flame user and Estraneo's heir. The second because he wanted to know why there were now four Arcobaleno in the mansion, all revolving around Tsuna. Lal was still at CEDEF.

Light snores all over the mansion made Reborn sigh and go take up the beverages a maid had brewed. He climbed the stairs and stopped in front of the door. And waited.

In all the months the hitman had journeyed around the world with his student, he had learnt what happens when Tsuna sleeps… Especially when he feels safe, after a taxing experience. With a deep breath, he pushed the door open and closed it behind. The man walked to the bed, left the mugs on the bedside table, and sat at the edge of the sheets. The lion cub was sitting on the pillow, tail silently whipping the air and gleaming amber eyes seizing him up.

Reborn turned on the little lamp to a simmer light and looked at the thrashing around child, knowing even too well what was going on in those nightmares. They never changed.

Tsuna's forehead was wet from sweat, strands of hair glued to the skin. His eyes were closed tightly, his hands clenched the sheets to the point that the knuckles were white, his lips were bruised and fat tears kept flowing on his cheeks without stop. Reborn recalled the past times this had happened and didn't remember it had ever been so bad.

He thought against touching him to calm him down. It could cause the opposite, as in Tsuna not waking up completely and considering the hitman as the 'enemy'. He took the mug filled with hot chocolate and took a spoon, blowing on it some before hovering it near Tsuna's nose. The aroma usually helped keeping the brunette's nightmares at bay. The boy had once told him it was because his mother always brewed him some after something bad happened.

In fact, his thrashing slowly stopped… But not the tears. Reborn left the spoon in the mug and let his Sun Flames free in the room. The boy's eyes opened, wide and frantically looking around. The hitman didn't move an inch, feeling the Sky Flames disperse in the air, checking every crevice for anything remotely threatening. It was lucky for them that Tsuna didn't do that during his sleep… The mansion would have turned into crisps long ago. These nightmares had started after coming back from China. He still didn't know what had triggered them.

The Flames went back. The breathing calmed down. The tears stopped leaking. Tsuna slowly sat up, bringing a hand to his face, covering his eyes. Reborn silently offered him the mug and took his own, drinking his espressino. He only had to wait now.

The brunette swallowed nothing, circling the mug with his hands, cradling it and probably searching for heat. He sighed once, then took a short sip. And a second. Minutes ticked by. The boy wasn't sweating anymore. The lion cub wasn't trying to get near, simply watching over them from the other bedside table.

"… Sorry, Reborn… and thank you…"

"You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault." Though… damn, whatever. "Just don't pull something like this again."

"I'll try…" That small smile was already a big improvement.

"Now talk."

Tsuna's lips thinned, his eyes looked away, but he knew he had to. It was their agreement. The hitman would help him during these times, the brunette would unwind. Yes, there was no gain for Reborn, nothing that could be touched, anyway.

"Just memories… Cages aren't good for me, I think."

"Didn't notice." He rolled his eyes, making Tsuna chuckle shortly.

"Yes… I just…" He paused, clutching again his hands on the sheets. "I was scared that… They didn't get to do anything to me, but…"

"It's fine to be scared, Tsuna." Reborn left the half-empty cup on the bedside table and put his hands on his lap. "You have every right to be scared, I've already told you this."

"I-I know, but–"

"And you've been brave enough to not show it to your friends…" Tsuna looked up to meet his gaze. "The ones you want to protect." There was a flash of gold in those orbs. "Am I wrong?"

The boy's eyes moved down, then he shook his head. "They… They need, I think… A family."

"Everyone needs a family, Tsuna."

The other softly arched a brow, as in: you don't mean it. He could understand the thought.

"Yes, me, too. I'm here, after all." The brunette blinked. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to."

There were some seconds of pure silence, in which Reborn could almost hear the sound of his own words drop and sink. He didn't regret them, though.

The rewarding smile was all worth them.

"Thank you."

"… Whatever. Go to sleep."

"And Natsu…?"

Reborn silently counted till ten. "Who. Is. Natsu."

Tsuna, as an answer, took up the cub and held him to the hitman. "Meet Natsu."

The lion showed his tongue shortly, making a tick mark appear under his fedora. They both knew what was going to happen, thanks to recent events.

"… He can stay."

Tsuna's yelp of joy resounded through the room.

Tortures had been Xanxus' hobby for years. Of course, there were reasons why he could tolerate his Guardians, one being they agreed on the pastime. Add that a cared for young boy had recently conquered their cold hearts – he had no problem admitting it to himself –, eagerness didn't cover their deep interest in the medieval and modern arts anymore.

Rage was liberating. Rage made people want to kill. But, unfortunately for Estraneo and the mercenaries, Varia was not simply irate. Neither was Xanxus.

They were standing in the room with different degrees of coldness and disgust. Squalo was snarling openly, arms crossed to stop his desire to start the torture immediately. Belphegor was sharpening his knives, something he never did in front of others because it made him too focused and he lost his mad smirk. Levi was not standing at his side, as usual, but the farthest from him, probably thinking that he didn't want his Boss to see him losing his cool. Lussuria, out of them, was the calmest… He was a Sun, Suns do not know the meaning of 'calm' – Reborn didn't count.

Xanxus held back a sigh and eyed the wall through which the ghosts had disappeared, muttering something among themselves. He'd heard a name, but it wasn't his priority at the moment. He detached from the table he was leaning on and unfolded his arms. Instantly, tension grew in the room of the basement in Varia's mansion. He took off his cloak, leaving it on a chair, then eyed and touched the feathers on his chest, tied to his nape.

"Is that a tail, Xanxus-nii?"

"… I don't know. … It's the only thing left from my grandmother, I didn't get to ask her what it is."

"Oh… It suits you, you know?"

"The tail?"

"Red. Those feathers reminds me of a phoenix. I read in a book that they are birds of fire. When they fall, they come back even stronger."

"… I'm not a bird, brat."

He still remembered the giggle coming right after. Xanxus played with a feather and his determination became steel. He turned to the unconscious scientists. A man with glasses, a woman with short purple hair and two twins with long beards. The lab coats were torn, bloodied and black, burned by the Flames that had enveloped the first facility they had raided.

Xanxus nodded to the buckets in one corner. Lussuria, Levi and Belphegor took the three items and didn't wait. They dumped the water on the scientists – and no one addressed the little sparks on the puddle forming on the floor. Screams and yelps greeted their ears… that was only the beginning.

The Varia Boss sat on the chair, gracefully crossing one leg on the other, and observed the scums in front of him. Confused, the shits. They didn't deserve an explanation for their current position. They didn't deserve time to understand. They only deserved the worst.

They had touched the wrong brat.

"Tell me the location of your Boss."

One of the twins, an old man going bald – the other had not the same problem –, blinked and bared his teeth. "Go ea–"

Squalo punched his face, causing one tooth to fly against the wall and blood to stain the grey floor.

"It was not a question, fucktard."

It had been a long time since Xanxus had heard his Rain be vulgar. Not that he'd missed it, especially in the Vongola mansion.

"The location."

"You won't get anything from u–"

A sharp knife flew past the other twin, a thick strand of black hair falling slowly to his lap. "I missed." No madness, no bloodlust, just coldness.

"Do not miss next time."

"Sure thing Boss."

Xanxus stood, turned to the table behind him, hidden from the scientists, and swept his eyes over his collection. He's always preferred the old ways, priests knew how to do things well back then. Maybe they used it the wrong way, because they forced confessions out of normal girls suspected of being witches, but, in his hands… Vongola had never had problems in acquiring intel.

He moved a finger on the one that made women and men a whimpering and screaming mess, but discarded it as a last resort. He had a method, start from the most stubborn one. In this case, the first to go down had to be the bravest… as in, the first that had talked back and seemed ready to start spouting some nonsense everyone else in that room – not tied up – would have ignored. He nodded to Levi, that knew how he worked. Each of his Guardians did.

The Lightning took the man from the floor and unlocked the chains from the wall, yanking him to the centre. Immediately, the idiot stood and tried to attack Xanxus. Squalo stopped him with two kicks at his legs, making a bone crack and the man scream with gritted teeth, one missing.

Xanxus didn't like to see that. He had to fix it.

Levi grabbed the man from the back of his coat. The Varia Boss took the blood-stained crowbar and swung it against the man's face, holding back his strength. Three times. The skull had probably cracks by then and several haemorrhages, internal and external. Sun Flames flared and healed the wounds, fooling the brain. It was a useful trick. They caused wounds, the brain sent the pain, but healing them so fast didn't give it time to stop the feeling, so the pain lingered, and their guest would continue suffering without dying.

"Your tongue will loosen, or you will die painfully, trash."

"If you talk, you'll suffer less… Uhmmm… Don't talk, ok?"

"Prince has to agree, make this enjoyable, peasants. We're in for a loooong session."

"Voooiii, you better desire death."

"Can I go first, Boss?"

Xanxus only nodded. It was time for the bravest, to make the others see and project the pain on themselves. Then, it was only a way to deal with their mute ire. Viper would join them once he dealt with his things about the new kid.

These scumbags were going to regret making Vongola their enemy.

Reborn massaged his forehead after closing the door of Tsuna's room, leaving the boy deeply asleep and finally calmer. He sighed, leaning against the wall and looking up at Fon. His colleague was poking his head through the door of his room, looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"How is he?"

Nice question. "Sleeping." Fon simply hummed. "Have you started your nephew on the bonds?"

The martial artist closed his eyes and sighed. "You know well that getting Kyouya to sit down and learn is quite impossible, if not with your student by his side. Even then, he falls asleep… Why are you asking me this, Reborn?"

He looked away, towards Verde's door. "Tsuna needs Guardians." He detached from the wall and knocked twice, getting a grunt. He opened and let himself and Fon in, closing the door again. "He is vulnerable." The scientist was sitting at a desk, mountains of messy papers on it. "I can't always protect him." He sat at one of the armchair, nursing his headache. "And he can't protect himself from these kinds of things."

"It's not like Kyouya is stronger than us." Fon frowned.

"But he can make Tsuna stronger."

Verde turned in his chair, the wolf and Keiman sitting at his sides. "Explain, full story."

Reborn eyed the scientist with an unreadable gaze. He crossed his arms and silently sighed, sweeping his eyes away. "The trauma Tsuna has is still too strong for him to deal with it alone."

"I fear my picture of things is lacking some pieces." Fon said.

"I mentioned he's been abducted as a child… and abused. Some weeks after leaving China, he began having nightmares. I know how to calm him, by now, but tonight…" He gritted his teeth. "The recent events have worsened the situation." His eyes narrowed. "And those shits are still roaming the planet, right now."

Some moments of silence passed before Fon spoke again. "How does this relate to Kyouya and Guardians?"

Reborn scowled. Then brushed a hand on his face. "Tsuna isn't one to think of himself. He prefers putting others first, as you've seen yesterday. He kept everything hidden for the new kid."

"Mist."

He nodded at Verde. "He can't protect himself from memories and… these events, but he will if it's to protect others."

"Oh." Fon hummed.

"And a Sky will surely benefit from bonding with his Elements."

The hitman looked up at Verde. "What have you found out?"

He pushed up his glasses and took some papers to look through. "I've studied the samples from our raid against the Triads to the best of my equipment here. There happened to be two Skies. One with two and one with four bonds. The most I've found out is that the first's Flames were weaker. It could be that a Sky without bonds is at his weakest, but I'll need more researches to be sure."

"I see… I'll have a talk with Kyouya about it."

"Have it now, he's at the window."

Fon turned and shook his head with a soft smile. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Carnivores." On the windowsill, the young boy was sitting with his arms folded and his back to the wall. "The little animal."

The three Arcobaleno looked at each other, silently throwing the issue around. In the end, the martial artist sighed and approached his nephew, stopping two steps away.

"Kyouya, what do you remember about Flames?"

As an answer, the boy lifted a hand and his Flames took over, lapping at his skin almost contentedly. Reborn was ready to swear they inched to the right, towards Tsuna's room.

"I mentioned bonds and the Elements, right?"

He nodded. The yellow bird on his head chirped once… If that could be considered a chirp.

"What do you feel when you're with Tsunayoshi?"

The Cloud Flames around his hand brightened and grew, clearly showing the direction they wanted to take. "Warm." He looked at them with… amused eyes. "Home." He played with his fingers and lit his other hand. "Mine."

Reborn slowly moved his glare to Fon, that flinched and had a troubled expression. "What do you mean when you say 'mine', Kyouya?"

Surprisingly, the boy didn't answer immediately. He observed his Flames, toning them down as they slowly dispersed. He flexed his fingers, then smirked.

"He's my Sky."

That said, as if proud of his own words, Kyouya yawned and jumped back on the tree. Stunned silence followed.

Reborn didn't know how to deal with Tsuna-related things anymore.

Fon was wondering when exactly had his nephew become so much like his brother – thing that both warmed his insides and frightened him.

Verde silently went back to his studies, simply content that Tsunayoshi would have such a strong Cloud to rely on… Better yet, he had to study the boy, his Flames, the brunette's Flames, and then again after the bond actually happened. Knowing Tsunayoshi and his past, Reborn may have planned this but it was far from happening. In the meantime, he had to build that device that tracked Flames.

Pain. Darkness. Corpses' smell.

Everything was blurry and clear at the same time. He needed to get out of there before they noticed. He had to escape as soon as they went back to retrieve another victim. Sounds of heavy breaths and rustling of leaves and hasty footsteps on the fresh mud were all he could hear.

He waited. He waited until the only sounds were those of the thick forest he'd seen at the very beginning of this nightmare. He waited and waited… and then he had to move. Quick. Go. Run! Get out of here!

His back was heavy. Bodies were all over him, his breath caught up to his agitation, his blood flooded his ears, making them beat as if his heart was in his head, and he knew there was no way he could hear distinctly anymore. He put his bloody and wounded hands on the corpse under him – a boy, a fucking child, goddamnit! He pushed and pushed and pushed on the soft, dirty and torn skin with all the strength he had left. There had to be at least three bodies scattered on his own because it took everything out of him to finally lift his torso…

He held back the tears and tried to scroll them off. It took him five try's. The sounds of skin on skin was far and muffled. He knelt and stood in robotic movements. The only thing keeping him going was his will.

He looked around, blinking repeatedly, and quickly found a way out of the ditch. He stepped on the corpses towards the shortest of the walls. He put his hands on the dirt and pushed again. His body was weak, but thinner. He heaved it up after what seemed hours of thundering pain. Everything hurt.

Tiredness started to hit him, ignoring the adrenaline at the thought of getting caught. He stubbornly stood, panting heavily, and looked right and left. Through his blurry vision, he could see torches' lights on his left. He ran to the right. His legs were like rocks, wounded, bleeding, he stumbled more than once on roots and mud.

Twigs snapping and animals fleeing were all he could register. He didn't know how much he ran, but, when he stopped, it was because he couldn't go on anymore. His legs literally gave up and he fell face-first in the mud. Through his blurred vision, he saw trees still around him, though they seemed less thick.

He lost consciousness.

Do you wanna know who's next? Really?

Well... It's hidden in this chap, ya know?

Still wanna?

Fiiine...!

Next chapter, be ready to welcome...

Simon's Famiglia!

Hope you liked this! See ya!