Tsuna grumbled tiredly as he reached out and slammed a hand down on the be-damned alarm. Five-thirty was just too damn early. He had to get up, though. He had half an hour to show up at Papa Paolo's in order to start up the deliveries or else the man would hand them off to someone else. He had to get Snicker's work clothes ready for him and wake him up, too, so he simply wasn't allowed to go back to sleep.

No matter how much he wanted to.

Sitting up in bed, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes while trying to keep his lids from closing. Four hours was barely enough sleep to stay sane with, but it was all that he got. He got home at one since Isaac was such an ass. The man had hidden three tubs full of dirty plates until closing. He'd put them out after Tsuna had already let all the water out of the sinks and had wiped his station clean. Of course, this had the effect of making Papa Paolo upset at him in belief that he'd been slacking. Meanwhile, Isaac had been able to leave the moment that the kitchen was clean. After he'd gotten home, he'd spent an half an hour dealing with stuff around the house and had squeezed in a poor fifteen minute hour workout before finally retreating up to Snicker. Once there, he'd crawled into bed and passed out after receiving a sleepy 'goodnight' and a kiss from his half-awake husband.

It never ceased to make him smile that Snicker always woke up when he came to bed. No matter how long his hours and no matter what time he arrived, Snicker always pulled himself awake for at least a minute in order to welcome him. Sometimes, he was energetic to give more than a kiss, but lately Tsuna still wasn't ready to do anything more than simply cuddle. That was enough, though. It was enough to make Tsuna drag his tired bones out of bed every morning and not give in to the weariness creeping into him. He could do it because he knew that the faster that he got the day over with, the faster that he could lie next to Snicker once more. Although, there was another reason to get the day started and it was the best part of his day. It was even better than his goodnight kiss.

That reason was the simple good morning kiss that Snicker always gave him.

"Wake up, Snicker," Tsuna yawned, reaching over next to him to shake Snicker awake. He froze the moment his hand touched Snicker's shoulder, sensing that something wasn't right. Snicker usually grumbled at the sound of the alarm and rolled over. He hadn't done that. He hadn't twitched or moved a muscle, even when Tsuna had sat up in bed. Even more importantly... "S-Snicker," Tsuna urged while trying to ignore the missing warmth in the skin under his hand. Snicker's shoulder was just cold because he'd went to sleep in only pajama pants. That's all it was. "Snicker, come on," he gasped, reaching out to touch the skin on Snicker's smiling face when he didn't respond. "You're scaring me. Wake up. W--"

Tsuna pulled his hand back for a moment when even the skin on his face was cold. Tears blurred his vision and he furiously shook his head in denial. It wasn't true. It wasn't true. Snicker was fine. He was just harder to wake up this morning. See. He had a pulse-- His tears raced down his face even faster when he couldn't find it. No matter how he probed nor how he searched, nothing responded to his fingertips. He let out a sob when even an ear to his chest heard nothing.

"Joshua," he mumbled, reaching out to pull him into his arms while his tears continued to fall and his heart started crumbling in his chest. "You can wake up now. April Fool's isn't here yet and this isn't funny. Please, Joshua. Please. You can't just leave me like this. I know that I teased you about being old, but I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it, Joshua, so please just wake up. You're only forty. We're supposed to have another sixty years together. Remember? So, please. Please wake up, Joshua."

Silence was Tsuna's only response. Snicker refused to breathe. He refused to open his eyes and tell Tsuna that it was all just a joke. He refused to reach up and wrap Tsuna in a warm hug. He refused to answer the name that Tsuna repeated over and over again in hopes of waking him. He simply lay in Tsuna's arms while Tsuna continued to weep harder until he finally couldn't take it anymore. Snicker simply refused to do anything other than smile.

Tsuna wasn't sure how much time passed before that smile finally reached him. It was the smile that made his tears falter to a stop. Snicker was smiling. He never smiled that sweet, soft smile unless Tsuna was with him or he was talking about Tsuna. Everyone knew that. That meant that he knew that Tsuna had been with him. He'd known right up until the moment that he'd stopped being able to control his facial expressions. He'd known and he'd left that little gift to tell Tsuna that he was happy.

"You weren't supposed to go without me," Tsuna wept. He continued weeping quietly without a clue as to what he should do. All he could think of was that people would come and take Snicker away if he were to shout. It was too late to save him. Tsuna's sense of smell and his hearing told him that much. From how cold he felt, he'd probably drifted away not long after giving Tsuna his goodnight kiss. Tsuna didn't want anyone to take him away. He wanted to hold onto him for just a little longer.

Just a little longer....


Gigi stretched tiredly, preparing herself to get ready for bed. It'd been a long night, but it'd been worth it. She now had enough blackmail on the last of the city's health inspectors so that Suoh wouldn't have to worry about the boarding house being closed down for a long, long time. It'd been a fun night. The little bald man had been so shy at first, but Gigi had called in Lucas the Excaliber impersonator to help for a little while. It'd only taken an hour to get him to crack enough that he'd been acting like a perfect little slave for the secret camera that Gigi had kept on him.

Filing the disk holding the footage away in the growing library hidden on the bookshelf behind her scarf-draped mirror, Gigi stopped to admire herself for a moment. She looked too good to change clothes just yet. Not until she'd let Suoh admire her a little. She'd lost half an inch of her stomach recently and her rear was perkier than ever. Suoh always noticed the work that she put into herself and his praise was worth staying dressed up for a little longer. Hearing his compliments always made her sleep better, after all.

Looking over at where his sister was still passed out on his bed, he rolled his eyes at her. Marty was worse than any man Gigi had ever slept with. She was sprawled across the bed with the blankets entangled around her leg, having obviously gotten kicked out of Leo's bed again. Not that Gigi could blame Leo. Gigi was the one who'd gotten all the class and manners in their family. Marty was the one who farted in her sleep and scratched her stomach like a beer-guzzling pig. In truth, Gigi had no clue what Leo saw in his sibling.

"Wake up," he laughed, picking up a pillow to smack Marty with when she started talking in her sleep. "You're in the wrong bed to be saying things like that."

"Un?" Marty asked sleepily, waking up for only a second before rolling over and passing out again. Gigi groaned and set to truly trying to wake her. They fought over the covers and the blankets. He dragged her off the mattress twice before she gave up and tried to fall back asleep on the floor. It wasn't until Gigi threatened to put her in a dress that she snapped awake and jumped to her feet. "Do it and I'll break all of your high heels!"

"Don't joke about something like that," Gigi growled. Tossing her head to the side, she smiled slightly when she saw Marty blinking like she was only beginning to truly wake up. Marty really was hopeless in the mornings. "Come on," Gigi sighed. "I smell bacon, so breakfast should almost be ready. You never seem to have a brain until you've got food in your stomach."

"Food?" She asked tiredly.

"Yes, dear," Gigi chuckled, reaching out to guide her by her shoulders. "Food is good," she added like she was talking to a caveman. "We go get food now. Eat lots. Make body strong."

"Ah," Marty nodded slowly in agreement. Then she blinked rapidly as Gigi's mockery finally penetrated her sleep-fogged mind. "Hey!"

"Keep walking," she laughed, shoving her sister out of the bedroom and across the stage to the kitchen before she could think of how to get revenge. The scene in the cathedral was about the same as always. Ore was scarfing down on a mixing bowl full of cereal while he stole eggs and bacon and kisses from one of his two girlfriends around bites. Ollie kept stealing the bacon from his hands before he could eat it, making half of the toast disappear in the process. Leo was trying to enjoy a bagel while working on an essay for one of her classes. Eric and Summer were getting up for the day, too. Of course, both of them were morning people and were far too frisky for anyone to want to look directly at them.

"Where's Suoh?" Gigi asked curiously while she snagged a waffle from the stack on the kitchen bar for herself. "I want to see what he thinks of my new dress before I go to bed."

"Dunno," Cassandra called, slapping Ore's hand with a spatula for the tenth time.

"I think they left early," Dedra yawned from her seat on the couch, where she was flipping through a hair magazine in effort to find what style she wanted to wear next. "It's been quiet up there all morning. They probably went out to do some more shopping for their trip."

"Aww," Gigi replied in disappointment. "Has Poe already come down for breakfast? He has good taste. He always tells me that I look delicious."

"I don't think he's talking about how you look," Leo laughed, looking up from her essay with a bright grin on her face.

"I know," she confirmed with a twitch of her hips. "But I'm not picky. I'll take what I can get."

"You look wonderful, Gigi," Eric called, pulling his lips away from Summer long enough to shoot Gigi a wide smile. "Is that a Namahage original?"

"It's a knock-off," she laughed in delight. "I couldn't afford a Namahage original if I sold the Dojo and everything in it. Rodger got a hold of the latest design and made this for me. What do you think? You can't even tell that it's a fake. Can you?"

"Nope," he replied with a knowing eye on the dress while Gigi gave a small spin before one person who would appreciate her clothes, if not her body. "It looks exactly like the original that I saw on Marvoi at last week's cocktail mixer. She said that she knew the designer and got a free dress in exchange for a little bit of sucking up. Of course, she didn't say it like that, but I can read between the lines."

"You know Marvoi?!" Dedra, Cassandra and Summer exclaimed in unison with Leo and Gigi herself.

"Who's Marvoi?" Marty asked dumbly while Ore merely raised an eyebrow. Gigi goggled for a moment, but decided to leave explaining to the girls that instantly surrounded the poor woman. She was worse than Leo at times. At least Leo was starting to outgrow her tomboy nature. Marty was so deeply entrenched that it'd take an army to pull her out of her ways. Instead, Gigi headed over to grab the phone while Ore started grabbing his hardhat and lunchbox in a rush. The poor man was already running late. He was going to be even later from the looks in Dedra and Cassandra's eyes.

"Hello," Gigi greeted upon answering the phone. "Orange Dragon Dojo. This is Gigi."

"Hey, Gigi," a male voice greeted in return. "It's Frankenfurter, Snicker's Boss. Listen, I hate to be a bother, but is Snicker coming in today? He promised to come in early to help me stock the vending machines, but he never showed. Paula said that he never got on the bus, either."

"Hold on," Gigi replied in surprise. "Let me see if he's here." Covering the phone for a moment, she looked up to call to Ore before he left. "Hey, Big Guy. Look up and see if Snicker's still asleep. He's not at work and he might have went back to sleep if Suoh went in early."

"Okay," he agreed, breaking out of Cassandra's embrace once more. "After that, I got to go. My Boss is going to kick my ass."

"Just hurry up and check!" She exclaimed in exasperation. "Frankenfurter's waiting on the--" She broke off with a strangled choke from the moment that Ore reached up to push the shoji screens to Suoh's bedroom open. He hadn't hesitated, because no one honestly believed that they were home. It was too quiet for them to be home. They shouldn't have been home, but they were home. The phone dropped out of Gigi's grip at the same time Summer dropped her breakfast plate and it shattered on the floor.

It wasn't possible.

Suoh was on his knees on the bed. He was staring into space and the undeniable sight of tears created angry splotches down his face. He wasn't moving. He didn't blink nor react to the screen door opening. All he did was continue to hold Snicker in his arms. Snicker wasn't moving either and the way he seemed stiff in Suoh's arms told Gigi more than anything else could.

Gigi wasn't sure who the first person to scream was. Maybe it was herself. Maybe it was Eric or even Ollie. All he knew was that the sound was like a trigger that sent them all rushing up the stairs in a panic.

Everything that came after that turned the bright morning into the beginning of a nightmare.


Things really couldn't get any worse, Autumn mentally grumbled. It was taking everything they had to keep Gabriel from pressing charges. The punishment for his offense had been decided, which only made keeping him at bay even harder. He had no reason to not want revenge on Suoh once he woke up to find that he'd been throw out of the Family entirely. They had their lawyers on him, but she was unsure of who would win the battle of legalities. They had nothing but Suoh's word to prove that he'd been raped by Gabriel, which made matters on the home front bad, too. Nearly a quarter of the Family were unwilling to take Suoh's claims as truth with no proof to back it up. That quarter was objecting to Gabriel's dismissal over Suoh's with a vengeance. They thought Suoh should pay for the crime of beating Gabriel and that Gabriel was being treated unfairly.

In truth, Autumn wasn't sure what to think. She knew her brother was a heartless man who always got what he wanted without caring about his methods, but he was still her brother. To think that he was capable of rape was too much for even her. Only one fact kept her from agreeing with Gabriel's quarter of the Family and that fact was Suoh himself. He might be a egotistical jerk, but he'd never lied without a good reason. He also never complained and never once had he said something bad about someone without there being truth behind his judgment. He was a jackass, but he was a fair jackass. To say something that would ruin Gabriel so thoroughly was something that he'd only do if it was justified.

On top of that, there was one thing that kept circling through her mind. That thing was the look in Suoh's eyes when he's said, "I'll kill Gabriel before I work for him." He'd laughed it off afterward as teasing, but she had a different perspective now. Suoh had really meant what he'd said. He really would have killed Gabriel if she hadn't of interfered. Her heart still raced when she thought about that moment that she'd jumped in to save her brother. She'd thought that she was a goner, but her brother was the single-most important person to her. In that moment, she'd decided that she really was willing to die in order to protect him. No matter what he might have done to deserve it, he was still her brother.

That was what made punishing him so difficult. She knew that her father had been thinking of the Family as a whole when he'd cast Gabriel out, but she found herself wondering if that was the only way to deal with him. It was true that he'd probably continue on his spoiled and uncaring path as long as they backed him, but outcasting him made her wonder what she'd been working for all this time. She'd only wanted to become heir in order to keep her brother in check. She'd failed him by having let him go so far without being noticed and it was hard to find purpose in everything that she'd done without him around.

She could easily hate Suoh. She knew that and she kept herself from doing so by the thinnest of margins. She wanted to scream at him and rant at him and ask him how the hell he could let himself be raped. She wanted to ask how a guy that could fight like he does could be beaten by a little weasel like her brother. The only reason she didn't ask and didn't vent those emotions was because she'd seen it for herself. Suoh was already suffering enough. Between the suffering that Gabriel had caused him and the suffering that parts of the Family threw at him for Gabriel's dismissal, he didn't need her scorn on top of it. She could leave the wrathful side of herself to others. Despite everything, she still had a crime Family to learn how to run.

Taking things one step at a time seemed to be the right way to handle things until she figured out how to protect Gabriel from her position of power. She wasn't allowed to aid him, but she could still use her influence and dealings in order to benefit him in small ways. She knew his business ventures and how he ran them. A little push to the right people and a small nudge would ensure that he was safe and sound despite his shunned status. That wasn't the problem. The current problem was Suoh.

Suoh hadn't shown up for work. While rare, it wasn't completely unusual. What was unusual was that he didn't call nor did he send any of his men down to take his place. At the moment, her father was furious. He had several special packages that he didn't want to trust to anyone else in his daytime crew and Suoh's absence meant that he would have to deliver them himself. Since he literally couldn't deliver them by himself because of the nature of the deliveries and the touchy nature of the recipients, he'd sent Autumn to fetch Suoh in person. Suoh was going to go to work, even if he was sick and she had to drag him out of bed. He was useless, but he had a way of getting out of sticky situations without even noticing that he was in them. If her father went in person, bad things could happen. Very bad things. So, the only option was to get Suoh and make him do his damn job. That little punk had no excuse for missing work anyway. She and her father were throwing so much support at him right now that the least he could do was to show up on time for--

Autumn's mental grumbling abruptly silenced itself and her footsteps faltered when she rounded the street-corner a mere block away from Suoh's home. There was several police officers, an ambulance, and a vehicle that made Autumn pale. The place looked like a bank that had just been robbed. People were standing around in spades, blocking the traffic along the sidewalk on both sides of the street. Many of them had looks of shock and horror on their faces, which made her want to ask who died.

Digging out her cell phone while she started shoving her way past, she quickly dialed the number for her father and tried not to grumble over how everyone seemed so unlively. Whatever had happened, she didn't doubt that Suoh was probably at the center of it. More than likely, he'd finally went too far and killed someone. The little twerp was a hundred time more trouble than he was worth. It was one problem after another where he was concerned and his value didn't go up with his split personality that thought he really was Vongola the Tenth. She didn't buy that trick with the fire at all. She knew that he used to work in the circus. Something like that was probably child's play for his sort.

"Hello, Daddy?" She said into her cell phone when the sound of ringing stopped abruptly.

"Where's Suoh?" Her father snapped. "Let me talk to him."

"I'm trying to get to him, but there's something going on," she explained hurriedly. "There's a lot of people and I'm trying to get through. It looks like he's caused trouble again."

"Again?" He sighed in exasperation.

"There's police and an ambulance outside his place," she confirmed. "The coroner is here, too. I think he really went too far this time. I can find out as soon as these people GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

She choked when several people turned to glare at her without moving a toe to give her a path to walk through. Even worse, several of them seemed outraged by her outburst.

"You might not know it, but you're in Orange Dragon territory, miss," one of them finally admonished with a strangely understanding voice. The tone his used was like that which a person would use with a child who didn't know better and made her bristle in anger. "You're looking to get hurt if you don't show some proper respect for the dead."

"Who died?" She asked curiously, deciding to get information from the man rather than shove through the crowd anymore.

"One of the gang's leaders," he answered quietly, his gaze going back to beyond the crowd around him while Autumn's stomach turned into stone. "Most of us here are just Dragon Fangs that aren't really important, but him.... He was the Dragon's Heart."

"W-Who?" She asked urgently, grabbing the man's sleeve in shock. "What was his name?! Was it Suoh?"

"No," he replied in surprise for the name that was dropped. "Suoh's the Dragon itself, miss. Snicker was the Heart. He was a very important man to all of us, so I'd appreciate it if you could lower your voice and show a little more respect."

"Did I hear that right?" Her father gasped across the cell phone. She couldn't blame him for him surprise. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut herself. Snicker had died. Suoh's most important person had died. "Princess...?"

"Yes, Daddy," she murmured. "You heard right. He said Snicker died."

"I'll be down there in a minute," he replied after a silent moment to process the information.

"What about the restaurant?" She objected.

"I'm closing it for today. Get to Suoh and see how he's taking it. Don't you dare say anything callous, Princess. Suoh's had a rough time lately. If you're not careful, he might really snap if he hasn't already. Pretend you're in the middle of negotiations in enemy territory. It doesn't matter how much you dislike him. You've got to--"

"I can handle it until you get here, Daddy," she soothed in a hurt voice. "I'm not that cold."

"You make me wonder sometimes," he retorted before hanging up on her. The comment was equal to a spanking from the man. He'd never once said something so harsh before. It made her wonder exactly how much her father liked Suoh. She knew that Suoh was on his favorites list, but for him to put Suoh above Autumn and his restaurant for even a moment made her feel a strange sense of jealously. Then she remembered the circumstances. Suoh really had been through a lot lately. More than likely, her father was just worried about losing one of his wild cards.

Putting her cell phone back in her purse, she once more tried to push through the crowd with more care than before. It actually seemed to go faster when she tossed out 'excuse me' and 'pardon me'. It was when she was only three from reaching the front that the mood of the crowd seemed to suddenly shift. Anger rippled through everyone without a single word being passed. It made her push through even faster in order to see what was going on. When she broke through the crowd, she wished that she couldn't see, however. She had no clue what was going on, but it looked bad.

It looked really bad.

From the looks of it, Snicker had already been loaded up into the coroner's van. No less than six people plus four cops were trying to restrain Suoh while he tried to lunge after the woman standing by it. Suoh looked.... Suoh looked enraged. There was no sanity in his eyes. There was only killing intent. Like her father had feared, he had snapped. That was easy to understand. What she didn't understand was why Judge Ferment's wife was present nor why she was shedding such fake tears.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Suoh roared, making Autumn do a double-take to ensure that it really was Suoh that she was looking at. She didn't know why he'd say such a thing, but the crowd tensed at the words. If something didn't stop him soon, he was going to create a riot. Apparently, he had enough of a hold on the people living around him that his anger made everyone else angry alongside him.

And all that anger seemed focused on Judge Ferment's crying wife.

"It's can't be helped," she said while more artificial tears surfaced. "It's what Joshua would have wanted."

"BULLSHIT!" Suoh screamed, throwing three people to the ground and managing to advance four steps before Ore jumped in to help restrain him before he could make good on his threat. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU BEFORE I LET YOU LAY A HAND ON HIM! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT SNICKER! YOU RUINED HIS LIFE AND I WON'T LET YOU HURT HIM ANYMORE!"

"You poor thing," she replied with an expression of sympathy that made Autumn want to gag. If there was ever a woman that was more fake, she'd yet to see it. "Joshua must have meant a lot to you for you to be so upset, but you don't have to worry. As overseer of his estate, I'll make sure that his ashes are scattered properly."

"Don't you dare," Suoh growled while his whole body shuddering with suddenly quiet rage. "Snicker was scared of fire. Don't you dare burn him. You don't know anything about him. You have no right to--"

"No right?" She repeated while barely hiding her triumphant grin from behind her handkerchief. "I have every right. Charlie is Joshua's only living relative and, unless you have a Will that says otherwise, I am the executor of his father's estate since Charlie is still a minor. Upon his death, everything that was his is inherited by his son."

"What?!" Gigi gasped with wide eyes, letting go of Suoh in surprise along with everyone but the officers trying to restrain him. Suoh was lost in his own shock over the words, so much so that he couldn't even respond to the sudden freedom he was granted. "You better back the train up a few stops, missy! Snicker hasn't even reached the morgue yet! What the hell gives you the right to determine such things already?! As his current spouse, Suoh has far more right than you do to decide what happens to Snicker!"

"Show me the paperwork," she replied, dropping the tears entirely in order to take up a seemingly righteous facade. "Joshua was once my dearest hus--"

"Suoh, no--!" Autumn screamed when Suoh once more lunged forward in effort to strike her before she could say the unforgivable. The police officers that had been restraining him went flying and even Eric and Gigi were knocked aside in his rage. Autumn ran forward with Ore, Leo and Ollie in effort to get to him in time, but he was too fast. He was closing the distance too fast. The woman barely had a moment to register that he was free and wanted to kill her before he was over half the distance between them. In another second--

Autumn choked when her own father was suddenly between Suoh and the woman. It was as if he appeared out of thin air. Suoh started to push him out of the way to get past, but her father did something. He did something that left everyone gaping. With a single, seemingly effortless backhand, her father sent Suoh flying into the crowd behind Autumn. The people that Autumn had just pushed through got knocked over, but Suoh wasn't giving in there. As if they were nothing but stepping stones, he rolled with the impact and flipped himself over before any of them even hit the ground. Using one man as a launching pad, Suoh surged forward once more.

Once more, her father showed the power that was hiding in his plump body. People were usually deceived by his jolly exterior into thinking his round body was all fat. The truth couldn't be any more different. She'd seen his workout room at home and knew that his personal trainers came three times a week. He had four trainers, all of which sparred with him in unison in a thrice-weekly battle royale. There was no one stronger in the Family. Her father just chose to conserve that strength for when it was needed rather than use it at the slightest opening. Doing so doubled his strength when it came out since he also had the added bonus of being underestimated.

She remembered him telling her that a Family was only as strong as their Boss. If he wasn't strong in body and in mind, his Family wouldn't be, either. That was why her father had put both her and Gabriel into the hands of tutors and trainers so early. She'd gravitated more toward the clean-cut physical trainers while her brother had become enamored with the muddy world of logic puzzles and philosophical debates, but they'd both been trained thoroughly since her father hadn't known which would succeed him. They were just at different levels when it came to the body and mind separately.

The reason that her father trained presented itself in a way that she couldn't have predicted. The reason was that her father couldn't be a Boss if he couldn't keep his own men in line. Suoh was given free reign most of the time so that he could keep perspective, but he was still a Martelli. He was a Martelli and this was a situation where he'd completely lost his perspective. The woman was obviously baiting him, but he couldn't see it. She wanted Suoh to lash out since doing so in front of police would ensure that he was safely stowed away in jail until she'd finished with whatever plans she had. Papa Paolo Martelli wasn't about to let that happen. It was his job as Boss to save Suoh from himself.

He reached out once more with a grace and complete lack of effort that made everyone gape. It looked almost as if Suoh had ran into his hand with how easily her father had Suoh's throat in his grip. Suoh choked and fought the grip, but her father wasn't done with that. Lifting Suoh slightly off of his feet, her father ensured that eye contact was made before saying one very quiet command.

"Stop."

Surprisingly, Suoh listened. He stopped fighting completely and the killing intent dissipated. It made her gape for a moment in realization of what no one else could see. They couldn't begin to understand what they were seeing. Her father had just used the Voice of Nobility in order to make Suoh obey. It was one of the three glamours that was gifted to the Martelli Family Boss along with each of the core Family. Her father had told her about the glamours and had ensured her that the power would come to her and her Knights on its own. In truth, she'd already gotten her Armor of Nobility. It had appeared during her training one morning and she'd found it strangely easy to grasp once she'd felt the power once. The Voice and the Spirit were still beyond her, though.

But her father used the Voice on Suoh and it seemed that Nobility trumped Justice in this instance. Her father was showing his chivalrous side by protecting a woman and was stopping an uprising at the same time. Suoh had no power to withstand him because his Justice wasn't strong enough. He was too blinded by the Injustice of what was happening around him since it affected him personally.

"This isn't the time or the place, Suoh," her father admonished while he quietly set Suoh back down on his feet. "Go wait for me inside. I'll be in to speak with you once I've dealt with things out here."

"Yes, Papa Paolo," he agreed with a head bowed in defeat. Autumn and her father were the only ones who weren't gaping when Suoh slowly retreated back into the Dojo. For everyone but them, the sight of Suoh obeying so readily after having been in such a poignant killing rage was shocking. Everyone had expected to see blood. They hadn't expected to see Suoh turn into a whipped puppy in the space of a few seconds, but such was the power of the Voice.

"Mrs. Ferment," her father said, turning in place to begin doing damage control with the confused woman behind him. "I would apologize for my worker's threats, but I frankly find it very suspicious that you arrived so quickly."

"Someone came to inform my son of what had happened and I chose to come in his stead," she replied defensively, her eyes darting between Suoh's retreating back and to Autumn's father. "I rushed right over to ensure that Joshua is dealt with in the manner that he always wanted. That... That hooligan kept trying to stop me from doing so."

"I'm sure you only have Joshua's best interests at heart," he soothed with a winning smile. "At such a distressing time, I doubt that a fine woman like yourself, who truly cares about Joshua, would even think of his life insurance policy, the deeds that are in his name, or the fact that cremation is cheaper than a traditional burial."

"What are you insinuating?" She asked with her eyes narrowed in anger. It was an anger that was mirrored by the crowd, but directed back at her despite her oblivious ignorance. She truly didn't care about the angry mob. To her, they were low-life, low-class mongrels. For a woman of breeding that she presented herself as, the law was supposedly going to protect her from their wrath. Of course, this belief was completely ignoring the looks of disgust on a few of the officer's faces who'd been present for the whole argument and the look of fear in the eyes of those trying to hold the crowd back so that the ambulances and the coroner's van could retreat safely.

"He's insinuating nothing," Autumn interjected with a small smile, already seeing what her father was up to. Her father turned to look at her while she stepped up and she could see the gleam of pride in her father's eyes for stepping in. "He's just stating that a truly caring person such as yourself would think very deeply about what Joshua would have truly wanted before you make any hasty decisions. After all, there's a lot of people who care very deeply about what happens to him. Just look around you. In truth, I'd really hate to be in your shoes right now. Why, a single mistake in judgment and who knows what Joshua's friends might do? I mean, look at them all. There has to be twenty people for every police officer here."

"W-What?" She gaped, finally looking around to see the angry mob surrounding her. They weren't faceless bystanders anymore. By pointing them out as Joshua's friends, her protection of class and breeding seemed suddenly a lot more fragile.

"If I were you," Autumn continued with a small smile. Everyone watching seemed to understand what she was doing and put on a show of punching their fists and looking angry. Although, in truth, Autumn wasn't sure if they were really putting on a show. Some of that anger looked pretty realistic. It was enough to make Mrs. Ferment turned completely pale. "I'd go home and think really hard about what Joshua would have really wanted. While it's true that the state and the law doesn't recognize Suoh as any relation to Snicker, I don't think such things really matter to these guys."

"Are you threatening me?" The woman spluttered.

"No," Autumn replied with her own grin of triumph. "I'm just giving you my opinion of the current situation. I wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen because someone decided to force a very touchy issue at a very bad time. If you believe that my opinion is false, feel free to stick around. I'm sure someone here would love to give you a tour of Snicker's holdings. They might even let you leave at some point. Whatever you decide, I've got more important things to do. Just be sure to tell Judge Ferment that Autumn said hello. I'm sure he'll love to know that we got a chance to talk."

Turning in place before the woman could respond, she felt her father's amused presence at her back while they walked into the Dojo. More than likely, the police would ensure that she was removed from the scene before the crowd got any worse. She really did have more important things to do, however. Her father had shown her the way. It was her responsibility as Boss-apparent to finish the job that she knew was expected of her.

She just hated what she knew that her father expected out of her.

Bosses worked off of making people owe them favors. It was how they ensured that their subordinates stayed loyal and one of many ways that they got new ones. If a person felt that they owed something, then they were more likely to obey. The deeper in debt that they got, the more loyal they became. It was harsh and cruel, but it was a fact of life. Suoh practiced the method without even seeming to know that he did it. He did favors to people and ensured that they knew that they were being done a favor so that they didn't take advantage of what they were gifted. In return, they swarmed to him and tried to do anything they could to please him so that they could repay a favor that had no monetary attachment. As her father said, the deeper the pit that you pull them out of, the higher they'll fly at your bidding. If you pull them all the way out of the pit while they're at the bottom, there's no height that they won't be able to soar for you.

Suoh was in a pretty deep pit at the moment. It was cold for her to use the fact to her advantage, but Suoh had to be brought in line. It was something that she'd discussed with her father on numerous occasions. At the moment, there was nothing really binding him to the Family other than the belief that they could hold off Vongola. If he came to realize that he had nearly as much power as they did now, there was a possibility that he could become their greatest enemy. They'd been looking. They'd been looking for a way to bind him closer without tightening his fragile leash into a choke-hold that he would probably rebel against. This was their only chance to bind him without losing him and she had to take it, no matter how disgusted it made her with herself. There was the whole Family to think about.

Despite telling herself that, she was mentally hating herself when she walked into the Dojo and saw Suoh's face. Without the rage, he looked like a broken doll. She'd always known how expressive his eyes were with his mood, but she'd never seen such a pitiful look in them before. He was completely lost. Without Snicker, he had no clue what to do anymore. It was quite possible that he was contemplating suicide. If he hadn't already, it would happen in the future if she didn't give him something to focus on. It was true that Snicker was dead, but his life didn't stop there. She refused to let it.

"You're in trouble, Suoh," she said softly, falling to a stop outside of where Gigi and Eric were trying to get Suoh to give some reaction. Ore, Leo, and Ollie were still outside with the crowd, but those two had chosen to retreat with Suoh in hopes of helping him through such a hard time. There were tears in both of their eyes, but they were holding them back for Suoh. They were determined to mourn later, once they knew that Suoh was taken care of. They were such loyal friends.

"I'm Joshua's husband," Suoh mumbled quietly from where he stood like a rock in the middle of the cathedral's halted traffic flow. "How can she say things like that? She said that she's going to burn Snicker. She said--"

"You aren't his husband," Autumn interrupted firmly. Despite her tone, her expression was miserable. It wasn't fair to him, but it was fact. Suoh jerked like he'd just been slapped, staring at her in complete disbelief. Gigi and Eric's expressions matched her own, though. They both knew the facts. "It's not fair to you, but it's the truth and you've got to accept that. You and Snicker might have traded vows and had a private ceremony, but the truth is that doing that was illegal. As far as the law is concerned, you're nothing more than his roommate and friend. If Snicker didn't have a Will, then blood trumps friendship. That's the simple facts. You can try to sue, but everything will have been dealt with long before you can get into a courtroom. You're racing against the clock, Suoh. I wouldn't be surprised if that woman gets her hands on everything that was Snicker's before the end of the day."

"No," he moaned, his face crumbling into ash. It made Autumn clench her teeth to hide her dismay over saying such cruel things, but there really wasn't time to be nice about it. Not if they were going to keep that woman from owning the Dojo, the boarding-house, and Snicker's life insurance policy on top of it. Autumn was already calculating it in her head. The Dojo and boarding-house would become hers by inheritance through Snicker's son. They'd put everything in Snicker's name because Suoh hadn't felt comfortable using his fake identity on such important documents. The woman could sue for his life insurance policy in order to cover what child support that Snicker still owed. By taking over his funeral planning, she could claim that the rest of the money in his policy was hers for reimbursement of the costs. That was probably why she wanted to cremate him. Doing so would save her the cost of a funeral plot and a casket. She'd probably scrimp every penny that she could in order to give him the cheapest excuse of a funeral service that she could get away with, too. Even if the insurance policy was made out to Suoh, she could easily take it away from him between the two excuses of child support and reimbursement.

"I can stop her, Suoh," Autumn said while once more hiding her disgust with herself. It was what was required, though. The Family was more important than one little gay man. She had to throw away all memory of how much she secretly felt she owed the interfering prick. She had to throw away the understanding of him that had grown over the past few years. She had to throw away all semblance of friendship that they had between them. She had to do it because the Family needed her to. She had to do it because it was the only way to bring Suoh into the fold. He got into trouble far too often and he caused incidents without blinking an eyelid. He had to be brought under control and he had to be made loyal. The level of attachment that he had with the Family was too fragile and it was dangerous to leave him like that.

"It wouldn't be easy," she continued to ensure that he knew the depths of the favor that he was going to receive. "That woman is married to Judge Ferment and he's just been promoted to a federal judge. To stop her, we'll be going against someone that has the full backing of the government, Suoh. We'll be having to call in a whole lot of favors and we might have to ruin our relations with several very influential people in the city. You might say that stopping her means that we'll have to use every ounce of pull that the Martelli Family has to offer. To throw that much power around is going to weaken us a lot. Not just socially, either. It's going to cost money with lawyers and bribes. It's going to cost a lot of manpower to keep her from getting her way. It's not something that I can do lightly and it's something that would be impossible for you to do at all without my help."

"Please," Suoh replied in a small voice. It was a voice that made Autumn's voice catch in her throat. It was a voice that made her want to take back every word that she'd uttered. It was a voice that told her that her words had far more effect than she could ever dream. The deeper the pit that you pull them out of, the higher they'll fly at your bidding. It was a voice that said he was willing to do anything to be pulled out of his own little hell. He was too deep. He was so deep that she found it to be actually painful to look at him.

The Suoh that she knew would never carry himself with such defeated body language. The Suoh that she knew would never stumble forward so blindly. The Suoh that she knew would never bow his head to anyone. He was the man that was brash and could actually argue with her. He was the man that gave her a taste of how typical men treated typical women. He was the one person in her life that didn't act like she was an idol to be worshipped and it was painful to see him fall on his knees in front of her. She didn't want this of him. She'd never wanted this of him. She realized it now that she was losing it. Suoh really was precious to her. He was a jerk and a jackass and a complete idiot, but that's what she liked about him. He'd never treated her as anything but simply Autumn.

And so easily, that was gone.

"Please," he repeated while he started weeping on the floor in front of her as a supplicant begging for a favor from a Boss. She fought the tears that wanted to surface when she saw him like that. It hurt. It hurt in a way that nothing else had hurt her before. She was used to men begging her for things, but this was different. Suoh was different. He was different and she couldn't allow herself to simply help him like she truthfully wanted to. She couldn't help him without going through the sickening play that was demanded of her as an upcoming Boss. "I'm begging you," he sobbed. "I'll do anything. Just stop her, Autumn. Don't let her hurt Snicker."

"Do you know what you're asking, Suoh," Autumn asked while she fought the urge to cry with him. She felt her father tense slightly beside her, but there was one feeling that she did have to acknowledge. It was the feeling of still owing Suoh. She couldn't throw that away, no matter how hard she tried. The only thing she could do was to repay her debt in full by warning him of what he was getting into. She had to warn him of what she was doing to him. "If I do this, you're going to owe me. The favor that you're asking of me is something a lot bigger than you probably realize. Are you really ready to spend the rest of your life paying it back? You can always try on your own. Snicker wouldn't want you--"

"I don't care," Suoh interrupted, finally lifting his head to stare at her with eyes that reflected a person who was pushed far past his limits. "Just stop her, Autumn. I don't care what it takes. It doesn't matter. Without Snicker, I don't have a reason anymore. I-I just... I can't let her hurt him. I can't let her take away everything that was precious to him. I could kill her, but that would hurt Charlie and Charlie was precious to Snicker, too. I can't.... I don't know how.... Please! If you can stop her, then I don't care what it takes! Just tell me what to do!"

"We'll take care of it from here, Suoh," her father interjected when she was at a complete loss of how to answer such a pleading expression as the one Suoh wore. Never. Never in her life had she had someone throw all their hopes and fears on her in such a way. Never before had someone come to her in need of help. He needed real help, not just a way to pass the time. It wasn't just a favor that he was asking for. He was asking for his fears to be vanquished and his hopes to be realized. He was asking for it from her! She didn't know how to deal with the amount of responsibility that it made her suddenly feel. "You just sit tight and let yourself grieve. You shouldn't have to think of such worries right now, so we'll do the worrying for you. We won't let her have what she wants. For now, try to think of what Snicker would have really wanted for his funeral. I'll send someone over to help you with the preparations while Autumn makes sure that you get the right to oversee it."

Autumn started to try to find something to add to his words, but there was nothing else that she could say. She was completely out of her depths. Suoh and she had never been close enough for her to really know what might make him feel better to hear. Anything that she might have to say seemed empty and meaningless in the face of how much he was hurting. All she could come up with was a cliché platitude that really wouldn't help him at all. Besides, Gigi was already murmuring it into Suoh's ear for her.

Taking her father's cue, they silently withdrew and left consoling Suoh to his true friends. When they got outside, the scene had mostly cleared. People still seemed to be hovering around the building, but it wasn't as thick of a mob as before. They'd spread out more, so that they were huddled around the doorways of the neighboring buildings and loitering in groups down the alleys. The police had withdrawn and there was a strained air to the street. It was an air that she finally seemed to grasp when she noticed something. The pawnshop across the corner from Suoh looked like it'd closed its doors entirely for the day and the shopkeeper was smoking a cigarette while he cried on some other man's shoulder. Everywhere she looked, faceless people seemed to be quietly mourning.

"Five years ago, it wouldn't have been like this," her father said quietly while they walked down the sidewalk, dodging the curious and red eyes of those who were already grieving. "I remember Snicker from back then. He caught my attention because he called me a two-faced ape to my face when he caught me in the middle of reminding little Joey that failure was always forgiven but not always unpunished. Zero was there with him the whole time, trying to drag him away. Back then, he was a lot like how Suoh is now. Always jumping into the middle of things without having any clue about consequences. He'd always been a really good guy, but he never had the charisma that Suoh has. He had the heart that wanted to help others, but he didn't have the ability to make others want to help him. I'm still not sure why he didn't. Maybe it was because there was something about him that always seemed to want something in return. He was far too much of a realist, even when he jumped into the thick of things. If he had died back then, no one would have probably noticed. He would have faded away as a nobody and nobody would have cried for him. They would have said 'damn, that sucks,' but they would have just kept going with their lives. Snicker never impacted anyone deeply until Suoh was beside him. It's because of Suoh that everyone knows him and it's because of Suoh that there are people who miss him now."

"I don't really understand," she admitted quietly. "I know that he was Suoh's life-partner, but he was just a former bum that worked in a factory. This level of grief.... It's kind of unexpected."

"That's because you haven't been watching closely enough," he admonished gently while he guided her on a winding path back to the restaurant. "You've been underestimating Suoh's potential for a long time now, Princess. If we were to be honest with him, he truly does have enough power to stop Snicker's ex-wife on his own. He just doesn't know how to use the power that he has. That charisma that he holds inside him has brought attention to everything that he holds to be important. It made Snicker visible where he'd always been lost in the shadows."

"So, you're saying that because of Suoh, people are crying for Snicker?" She threw her father a confused look of askance since the answer was the difference between people crying because Suoh was crying or everyone crying because Snicker had been someone worth mourning.

"Yes and no," he replied with a sad sigh. "Snicker was a good man. He's always had value for his street-sense and his heart. I'm just saying that it was unnoticed before Suoh came along. He truly will be missed now and not just by Suoh. Snicker had his hands in a lot of things and he was the one who's been bonding with all of those that gravitated toward Suoh. You might not know it, but he's become a father figure for all of the slums in the past year. He even had me beat in a few places. His advice is--was--like gold to the people down here. He had experience and his caring heart gained the trust of a lot of people. He was one of them. Every person that wanted to befriend Suoh found themselves befriending him instead. Snicker was hungry for friendship and Suoh attracted them for him. They made a good team like that. Suoh doesn't have the confidence or the ability to trust people that most have. He is always second-guesses people's intentions when they openly try to make friends with them, but he never questions people when he finds someone that he wants to help. He has a lot of things to hide, so Snicker became his insulation. People saw Suoh's strength and tried to get close to him, but Snicker was the one that would become their friend. That took the pressure off of Suoh. It was a simple system that no one ever noticed since Snicker and Suoh were typically always together."

"I see," she murmured. "So, for them, it's the same feeling as if the real leader of their gang, Suoh, had been the one to die."

"Yes," he nodded while his eyes took on a strange look of concern and heartache. "In a way, Suoh's lost half of himself. Snicker was his emotional support and his purpose to keep going. We can keep him from doing anything rash by keeping him focused on protecting what Snicker left behind, but there's a high chance that there might be suicide attempts in the future. Once Snicker's funeral is over, he might lose grasp on what's important. I doubt that he'd accept our help at that point or that of any councilor."

"I've noticed that, too," she agreed with a pained grimace. "He had a strange look in his eyes. I think that he's been pushed too far, Daddy."

"He has," he confirmed, coming to a stop in the middle of the alley that she recognized. It was the one that would spit them out right next to Pasta da Paolo. She stopped with him, watching as he tried to struggle to find the words for what he wanted to say. It left her gaping slightly. She'd never seen her father struggle with anything, let alone a few words. "He needs help, Princess."

"I know," she concurred with her own head bowing under the responsibility that had been placed on her shoulders. Suoh needed help and she'd promised to help him. "I want to help him," she admitted quietly. "He's a jerk sometimes and a total moron, but what's being done to him isn't right."

"It makes me happy to hear you say that," her father said softly. Autumn blinked in surprise and lifted her head to look at her father's real face. It wasn't like the strong, unyielding, joyful face that she had always seen on him. It was a face that seemed to cut straight into her own heart. If she could wear a face to show what she was currently feeling, it would be the same one that her father let her glimpse. It was a face full of heartache and grief. It was a face that was haggard and weary from the burden of responsibility that she was just beginning to feel. "This is why we exist, Princess. This is what it truly means to be a Mafia Boss. We aren't here for money or for power. We're here to protect the people around us. We're here as the last chance for those that are precious to us to find justice when the system and the law fails them. We're here to do the things that other people can't do, even if it means taking routes that aren't generally accepted. That was something that I could never teach to you and your brother. I could never find the words to explain what it means to sit in the Family throne. Maybe if I had, he could have come to understand what Nobility really means."

"I don't think it's something that can be taught, Daddy," she murmured in sudden understanding. "I'm just learning it for myself and I don't think it's something that Gabriel could ever grasp. He's too selfish. I used to be that way, too, but I'm starting to learn that getting what I want isn't always what will make me happy. It just makes me greedy."

"Suoh needs our help," he repeated while he tried to put his poker-face back on. "Do you really want to help him, Princess?"

"Yes," she confirmed, slightly flustered with the solemn tone that he used.

"This isn't going to be easy," he warned. "You weren't lying to him about how much that it is going to cost to ensure that Mrs. Ferment doesn't get her way. Beyond that, what Suoh is going to need isn't something that he's going to want. He probably won't ever thank us for it, but I know a way to keep him safe and under control until he comes to terms with Snicker's death."

"What's that?"

"It's going to be harsh," he grimaced. "But this is what we're going to do..."


It was cloudy, but it looked as if it were going to stay dry. Not that Tsuna could tell. He'd been indoors ever since the funeral home had opened Snicker's room for visitors. He'd been sitting next to his coffin ever since in order to ensure that his vile ex-wife didn't come near. Autumn had worked fast for him, but the woman had done damage before Tsuna had been given control. She'd had Snicker's beautiful hair cut off. The ponytail that Tsuna had braided time and time again was gone. Even worse, that wasn't the only thing missing by the time Tsuna had been given permission to go to the mortuary.

She'd stolen his ring. The coroner said that he'd removed it and stored it with all of his belongings. He'd been apologetic, but he'd been following what the paperwork told him to do. That paperwork had shown his son to be the recipient of his belongings and all of that had went to his mother in his stead. Autumn had come through for him, though. Mrs. Ferment had been stopped there. Tsuna didn't know a whole lot of what was going on, but apparently the lawyer that she was married to had become a Judge. That Judge was currently being blackmailed so thoroughly that he was keeping Mrs. Ferment in line out of simple fear. Just like with Snicker, the man might lose everything because of his wife.

Snicker wouldn't have wanted that. That small thought was always like a gunshot to him. The moment that it'd hit him, he'd started sending out his own quiet orders. There were people standing around in droves, looking for some way to give release to the grief going through them. Tsuna gave it to them with focused activity. At the moment, Charlie's stuff was being packed up so that he could be moved in with his grandparents. Gigi had went to talk to his grandparents for Tsuna. They understood the situation and were willing to submit to Tsuna's plans. It was a good thing. Gigi had come back and told him that the woman's parents weren't greedy jerks like she was. They were rich and they loved their daughter, but something had happened to change them from the cruel people that Snicker had always painted them as. Maybe it was retirement that did it or maybe they'd finally had their eyes opened to what their daughter was capable of. Regardless of the reason, they understood what was necessary to happen and promised to take care of Charlie.

The plan was simple. Tsuna was going to ruin her. Just like she'd ruined Snicker, he was going to take everything from her. An eye for an eye was the law on the streets. She'd reminded Tsuna of her debt by coming into his life. It was an action that she would regret. The next phase wouldn't start until after Snicker's funeral, however. The next phase was to have her husband leave her. The man was currently under so much blackmail that it should be fairly easy with the simple promise of making all of that go away in return for a divorce. His wife would probably go directly back to her parents if she followed the same series of events that Snicker had once told him about. The problem was that, thanks to Gigi's frank discussion with them, her parents wouldn't succor her this time. The woman would have to find her own way.

Tsuna wasn't completely cruel. He planned to have the Judge leave her with her house. She wasn't getting the car, though. Tsuna wanted her to feel the wrath of the cab drivers who were Snicker's friends. He wanted her to know what it felt like to walk to get where she wanted. She would also have to do her own laundry. Every dry-cleaner and laundry mat in the city was on Snicker's side. They'd seen for themselves the woman that had tried to hurt Snicker. The woman would be lucky to ever get her garments back in one piece after she dropped them off. On top of that, Tsuna had called in a favor from the owner of the Mudpie. The owner had passed the word through his network of club friendships until Snicker's ex-wife was now banned from every night-club, cocktail bar, and cafe on the upper-side of town. She wouldn't be able to find herself a new man to leech off of quite so easily without a place to meet them in. There was also the fact that most of the people that worked at her health spa were friends of Suoh's or a friend of his friends. She'd regret it if she decided to go get her nails or hair done. She'd regret it if she went for a mud bath or a massage. She'd regret it if she wasted a single penny on facial treatments or tanning. The final blow was meals, however. She'd learn quickly enough that it was safer to eat at home than it was to get a hamburger at a fast food place. Restaurants were already completely out of the question thanks to Papa Paolo's influences in the city.

The overall plan was that she was completely cut off. She'd never worked a day in her life. Without money, luxury, or pity, she would have nothing. She would have nothing but her home, which was more than she'd left Snicker. After that, Tsuna didn't care what happened to her. She could learn from her mistakes and get a job to afford her mortgages. She could move into an apartment to save money and learn to cook for herself. She could lose the ten pounds of makeup she wore and learn that exterior beauty was only a crutch. She even had the option of selling her house and moving to another city in hopes of starting over. Regardless of what she did, she'd be dealt with and away from the things that Snicker had cared for. Hopefully, in time, she could fix her horrible attitude and amend her selfish ways. If not, she would get to find out first hand that those on the street got no pity unless they earned it. She would get to become the very thing that she openly scorned.

In this way, she would be the only one punished for the indignity that she heaped on poor Snicker. Neither Charlie, her earnest husband, or her parents would be held accountable for her misconduct. She would be the only one who paid the price for trying to take what was important away from Tsuna. That way was the way that Tsuna felt just.

"Suoh," a voice murmured into his ear. He barely turned his head to acknowledge the sound. So many people had already come up to whisper condolences to him that they were all running together. This time, it looked to be the owner of the pawn shop across town. He was probably a man who'd known Snicker from all the times that they'd tried to pawn what they'd gotten through dumpster diving. "I'm sorry about your loss," he continued quietly. "Snicker was a good man and a fine person. It probably doesn't help you any, but I want you to know that I think he was happier these past few years than he's ever been. He really loved you and I think he probably died peacefully knowing that you were with him."

Nodding to acknowledge that he'd heard the message, he gave no other response. He'd heard those same words nearly a dozen times already. The first few times had helped, but it was becoming empty with repetition. He wanted everyone to go away and leave him alone with Snicker, but they refused. They wanted and needed to say their farewells as badly as Tsuna did.

Snicker would have probably cried to see the offerings that was given to him in his passing. There were so many flowers that it filled three rooms of the funeral home. Many of those flowers had a bottle of whiskey attached and those had been piled up behind his casket. Leo had taken the time to go through all of his old photos and had created several collages that people could look at in the other rooms, so that they could talk and mourn together without trying to sandwich themselves in the same room as Snicker's casket. Tsuna's favorite picture of him had been blown up and pinned to a wall, as well, so that people could write their farewells. The plan was to roll the picture up and place it in Snicker's coffin to send off with him.

The casket itself had cost a fortune. Tsuna didn't care. He'd picked out the one that he thought Snicker would like best. The outside was made of copper and was trimmed in silver, just like it was made out of nickels and pennies. He'd paid extra to get the Orange Dragon Logo and Snicker's nickname etched onto the lid. On the inside, it was trimmed in cherry wood and lined in padded white silk. They're refused to let him be buried in his favorite clothes, but he thought Snicker would have liked the clothes that Tsuna had bought for him. He'd never been one to like suits, so Tsuna had gotten him blue jeans and a t-shirt that looked just like his favorite set of work clothes. Since they refused to let him wear the army jacket that he'd always worn, Tsuna had gotten him a warm sweater to wear over it. He knew that it didn't matter anymore, but there was still that little voice that wanted to tell Snicker to bundle up so that he didn't feel so cold.

He would have been happy if he'd known he was being buried in comfort. Tsuna was positive of that. He wouldn't have wanted people crying. He would have wanted people to use his death as an excuse to party. He'd always been fun-loving and a bit of an alcoholic. He wouldn't have wanted everyone wearing suits and ties. He would have wanted everyone wearing jeans and t-shirts so that even the poorest of the poor wouldn't feel a need to stay away because of a little matter of not having anything appropriate to wear.

That was right. Tsuna knew what Snicker would have wanted. That woman didn't know anything. Snicker would have wanted to be buried in the ground like his parents had been. He would have wanted the space next to him to one day hold Tsuna. Tsuna had bought all the plots surrounding his so that he could one day be surrounded by his family again. He would have been happy knowing that.

He would have been happy.

"Uncle Suoh?" Tsuna looked up to find Houston standing in front of him in a brand new vest and shirt. He had a smudge on his cheek again, which Tsuna automatically reached out to wipe away. It was a motion that he paused in when Houston said one innocent statement that tore right into Tsuna's heart. "Daddy says that Grandpa Snicker went to visit Mommy in heaven. Is that true?"

"Y-Yes," Tsuna confirmed with stinging eyes.

"It'll be okay," Houston soothed. Walking forward to where he was sitting, Tsuna felt the tears start falling again while the little boy hugged him. "We'll get to see him again one day."

Tsuna couldn't think of a verbal response for the boy, so he simply hugged in return while he started sobbing again. He knew that the little boy was just trying to make him feel better, but he didn't think that he'd get to see Snicker again. He'd killed other people and hurt them. He wasn't going to the same place that a good man like Snicker got to go to.

At some point, the little boy was pulled out of his arms and another shoulder presented itself. He didn't care. All he knew was that the tears inside himself seemed endless.


Tsuna hadn't been able to say anything. He'd tried. He'd wrote down the eulogy that they'd asked him to give, but he hadn't been able to do it. Upon reaching the podium, he'd found his throat too clogged with tears. He'd found them welling up and choking him every time he'd tried to open his mouth. He'd tried his best to hold it back, but they'd started overflowing again. In the end, Gigi had helped him sit back down while Eric had stepped in as the best public speaker in the group. He'd read what Tsuna had written and then had proceeded into his own eulogy. Person after person had walked up to try to say something about Snicker after that. Whether it was a story of how he'd helped them or some outrageous event that they wanted remembered, Snicker's friends did their best to give him a farewell that was worthy.

It wasn't until midway through the service that Tsuna saw her. She was sitting next to Charlie in an over exaggerated mourning costume of poor taste. Not far from her was where Autumn and Papa Paolo were seated. Both of them had their eyes entirely focused on Tsuna himself and were slightly shaking their heads in warning. They couldn't keep her from the funeral, despite all attempts otherwise. On top of that, this was neither the time or the place to confront her.

Even so, Tsuna felt himself trembling at the ring on her hand. It was a slap in his face that he couldn't ignore. How dare she. How dare she put her filthy hands on that precious ring. Tsuna had given that to Snicker when they'd exchanged vows. It was a symbol of love and caring that made his stomach clench when he thought about it being displayed like a gaudy adornment on that woman's hand. He was trembling in effort to follow Autumn's silent orders to leave her alone. He wanted to storm across the room and reclaim Snicker's ring so that Snicker could truly rest in peace.

"What's wrong, Suoh?" Gigi whispered in his ear while he clenched his hands together in effort to restrain himself.

"She's wearing Snicker's ring," he answered with a shudder running through him.

"Who-- Oh," Gigi murmured, identifying the person immediately upon looking behind them at the crowd. Tsuna couldn't look anymore. He kept his eyes firmly locked on the ground because looking at that woman tested his self-control too much. He wanted to kill her. He'd never wanted to hurt someone so badly before. Even with Gabriel, he'd truly only ever thought of a clean kill. With this woman, he wanted to tear her limb from limb. He wanted to shave her hair off in revenge for having cut Snicker's ponytail off. He wanted to rip out her throat so she couldn't say another despicable word. He wanted to break every one of the fingers that dared to lay a hand on Snicker and Snicker's ring. He wanted to-- "Calm down, Suoh," Gigi whispered, grabbing his hands to give them a small squeeze of support. "Ollie's going to go get it for you. Just sit tight."

"I'm not going to let her ruin Snicker's funeral," he trembled.

"She's not going to," she soothed. "That's why Papa Paolo and Autumn are sitting by her. They're not going to let her get up or say anything. Just ignore her. Letting her come was probably the only way that Charlie could come."

"I want her gone, Gigi," he replied though clenched teeth. "I don't want her here."

"Just hold out a little longer," she murmured. "It's almost over. See? They're calling Ore and the others over to start carrying him out. Do you want to ride with me over to the gravesite?" Nodding, Tsuna quietly got up to follow the casket out and did his best to ignore the presence of Snicker's ex-wife. In truth, he wanted to be one of the people carrying him. The only reason that he wasn't was because he didn't trust himself. He knew that he was a wreck and he didn't want to take the chance that he'd trip or mess up. He was clumsy and worthless like that without Snicker around.

Most of what followed was done in a daze. He watched while they slid Snicker's casket into the hearse and the door was shut, but it didn't really hit him that it was really happening. Even while he was ushered into a limo with Gigi, Eric, and the others, it all seemed so distant. The only thing he really remembered between the church and the graveyard was the little ring that was stuffed into his hands. He held onto it like a lifeline, barely able to feel anything but cold metal clutched in his hand. He knew that the procession was being handled properly. There were two cop cars out front and the hearse followed with Tsuna's limo behind them. In a straight line, there were dozens upon dozens of cars that followed. Trucks had been rented and loaned so that everyone that wanted to go would be able to get a ride out to the final farewell.

It wasn't real. He felt like he was in a nightmare and he just needed to wake up. There was no waking, however. All there was for him was the dull, overcast day that had yet to be brightened by Snicker's warmth.

He would have been at a complete loss of what to do upon reaching the graveside if it hadn't been for Gigi's direction. He found himself seated in a chair next to her with Charlie surprisingly seated on his other side. He tensed when he realized that Snicker's ex-wife was seated on the same row as him, but he left it. He left it because he could feel Papa Paolo standing behind him with his hands on his shoulders. What looked like a supporting gesture was nothing short of two strong hands that were firmly holding him in his seat.

Altogether, only ten people were seated before the casket once it was in place over the hole that had already been prepared. Everyone else was standing huddled next to each other in a sea of working men and women. Papa Paolo, Autumn, Charlie, and Mrs. Ferment were the only ones who'd dressed up for the funeral. Everyone else had taken Tsuna's request to come in normal clothes. It was still a sea of black, but they were black t-shirts and black denim pants. The only real color in the whole area was the streak of black and orange tied around everyone's arms. It made him smile sadly. They'd heard what Tsuna wanted to do for the Orange Dragon send-off. They'd agreed and the sudden show of handkerchiefs were a sign that they were prepared.

The preacher that had offered to say the final rites was efficient. He'd been warned what was planned and had agreed to stand by once his part was finished. Once he was done, the casket was opened a final time. Tsuna was held in his seat while person after person filed past him to give another set of condolences before giving their last farewell to Snicker. It wasn't until after both Charlie and Mrs. Ferment had stood up to file past that the Orange Dragons made ready.

Leo went first, carrying the rolled up picture bearing everyone's written farewells. It was slid into the casket, tucked comfortably next to Snicker's leg. Ore followed with the whiskey bottle that was tucked into the corner of Snicker's arm. Ollie followed, sticking a pack of cigarettes into Snicker's sweater pocket. Gigi went next, bringing the handkerchief that was tied around Snicker's arm where it was meant to be. Even if he didn't get the jacket that he always wore, they weren't going to let him go without that. Poe was the last of them to go up, tucking a twenty dollar bill into his pants pocket despite the rough times they'd had between each other.

Standing, Tsuna ignored everything else as the last person to say farewell. He didn't have a planned offering like the others, but he took the opportunity to return Snicker's ring to him. Despite the fact that they'd always worn it on their thumbs, Tsuna put his where it was truly meant to be. In death, at least, Snicker would be able to wear his wedding ring on his ring finger. He did it smoothly and quickly, ensuring that no one saw what he put in with him. He didn't want Mrs. Ferment to cause a scene over a ring that had been stolen back from her.

He looked peaceful. He looked happy. The smile was still on his face and he had everything he needed. He had everyone's feelings with him. He had a bottle of whiskey to keep him warm. He had a pack of cigarettes and a twenty to tide him over. He had his handkerchief and his ring. There was nothing left but to say goodbye.

He couldn't do it.

He had his hands on the casket's lid, but the tears in his eyes blinded him from what he needed to do. He couldn't shut it. He didn't want to say goodbye.

"Do you want me to do it?" Gigi asked quietly from beside him. He shook his head, completely unable to get a sound out around the thick lump choking him. He'd screwed up on the eulogy and he hadn't been able to do anything else for him. He wanted to do this much. It just hurt.

It hurt so damned much to hide Snicker's smile away.

He stood for what seemed like an eternity before he finally got control of himself enough to do it. It was easier once he didn't have Snicker's sleeping face before him. He was able to fumble the handkerchief on his own arm off and drape it over the top of the casket. Once that was done, he left the rest to Gigi. He felt like his knees were about to give out, heralding that he needed to sit back down again. While everyone else started once more filing past in order to blanket Snicker's casket in black and orange handkerchiefs, Tsuna did his best to keep himself from breaking down again.

It was a hard, hard battle.

"What are they doing, Suoh?" Charlie leaned over to ask in confusion. Tsuna sniffed and wiped his eyes to clear them of the tears that kept trying to well up before trying to answer.

"T-They.. ah... They're giving h-him a send off a-as an Orange D-Dragon. W-We all talked and... um..." He paused, taking a deep breath to try to settle himself before forcing himself to continue explaining. "We thought your f-father would have liked this. H-He... uh... He a-always liked it in m-movies when... um... when everyone p-piled roses up at f-f-funerals. T-This... ah... This is t-the closest we could give h-him on such short n-notice."

"I'm sure he'd be happy with it," Papa Paolo soothed from behind him. "The Orange Dragon Logo meant more to him than roses could. I'm sure that he'd be honored by everyone's gestures." Tsuna nodded quietly in agreement. He really did think that Snicker was smiling over it. Somewhere. "Suoh," he continued quietly. "While they're finishing up, do you think you could come with me for a minute?"

"O-Of course," Tsuna agreed instantly, trying to hide his surprise over the sudden request. There wasn't really anything more that he could do anyway. Once the Orange Dragons finished, the funeral would officially be over and they'd all go back to the Dojo for the wake. The plan was for everyone to drink until they were sober. It probably wasn't very healthy, but none of them cared. It's what Snicker would have done.

Standing, he quietly followed Papa Paolo away from the crowded gravesite and Tsuna shot one final glance back at where Snicker's casket was hidden by the crowd of people. He would have been happy. Even in his death, he was surrounded by people. Tsuna had went all-out on his gravestone, too. It wouldn't be ready for a few days, but it would be worth it. It was a really big pillar that seemed like a cross between the Asian style that Tsuna was familiar with and the American stone that was traditional. There were two small incense urns on the base that gave Tsuna a sense of familiarity so that he could honor Snicker in the future with the traditions that he knew from childhood. It wasn't so foreign that it seemed out of place, though. Those same urns could easily be mistaken for vases that flowers could be placed in. To keep with what was appropriate for Snicker's background, Snicker's name and everything was to be written in English, too. It was to read:

Here Rests

Joshua
Daren
Timberson

"Snicker"

Beloved
Husband
and
Father

1968-2008

There was a lot more that he'd wanted to put on it. He'd wanted to have it written about how kind and caring he was. 'Beloved' hadn't begun to be enough to describe how much Tsuna cared about him. He'd wanted to write about how he'd helped create the Orange Dragons and he'd wanted to put into stone all the wonderful things he'd done in the past few years. He'd had to settle for the round Orange Dragon Logo being etched above and below the writing. Gigi had said that too much text would undermine the simple nature of what the gravestone was meant to accomplish.

Walking away was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. The only reason he did it was because he owed Papa Paolo. He owed him and he owed Autumn. Everything before him was thanks to their influence. If they hadn't come through for him, he'd be trying to collect Snicker's ashes from the wind right now instead of giving him the burial that he would have wanted. While Snicker's life insurance policy was still up in the air, they'd ensured that the Dojo and the boarding house would stay in their keeping, too. It'd been a simple matter of forgery on the deeds to have them put in Poe's name as the safest person to hold onto them.

"Did you need something, Papa Paolo?" Tsuna asked quietly once they were outside of earshot of the crowd. He blinked a few times upon seeing Autumn had come with him, but he immediately let the surprise go. Autumn was her father's heir. He hadn't really thought about what that meant before, but she had access to everything that he had. It was probably Autumn that he had more to thank for everything than Papa Paolo. He knew that Papa Paolo cared about what happened to him, but Autumn was the one that had offered to help him. Autumn was the one that had saved Snicker for him.

"We've done our part, Suoh," Autumn said softly, surprising him even more since he'd thought she was along out of mere curiosity. "It took some work, but Snicker's life insurance policy will be granted to you. There will still be a large amount deducted for what he still owed in child support, but Mrs. Ferment won't get the entire check."

"I-I don't really care about the money," Tsuna mumbled quietly. "It was the other stuff that I really cared about. Snicker and the Dojo.... I can't... I can't tell you how much..." Clenching his teeth shut, he tried to hold it back when his throat became choked once more. Even the simplest things seemed so hard to say.

"It's alright Suoh," Autumn interjected with tears of understanding in her eyes. "I know how hard this is for you. That's what makes this hard for me, too. I know you haven't had time to really finish grieving yet, but we need you to do something for us."

"Anything," he said simply. He meant it, too. There was no way that he could repay them back with answering only one or two requests. Like Autumn had warned him, this had been a huge favor to him. It really would probably take his entire life to pay them back for what they'd done for him. They'd saved Snicker. There was nothing.... NOTHING.... that he wouldn't do for them in return.

"We need you to confess and plead guilty to assaulting Gabriel," she murmured, making Tsuna's eyes widen in shock. "We're not accepting him back into the Family, Suoh, but there's been a lot of favors being exchanged right now. If we're going to get Judge Killjoy to back up the forged deeds, then we have to give him something in return. He's always been one of Gabriel's supporters and he said that he would do it for us if you were sent to jail for the assault. It's only two years and you can get out early if--"

"Okay," Tsuna interrupted. It was as simple as that. He didn't care what happened to him anymore. Without Snicker, the only purpose he had was to fill the needs of the Martelli Family in return for the aid that they'd already given him. He owed them everything. If they wanted him to go to prison for a little while, that still wasn't enough to pay them back in full. He could never pay them back in full for saving Snicker. His life belonged to them and he gave it willingly. He'd given it willingly in exchange for Snicker. "When should I go?"

"It would be best if you could go now," Papa Paolo answered solemnly. "I know that you want to go back to the Dojo with everyone, but..."

"It's fine," he murmured with a pain shooting through his chest at the thought of going back to a place that Snicker wouldn't be in. It would hurt. It was better that he didn't go back just yet. The idea of having to face Snicker's empty chair and his empty bed was too much for him to even think about. "It might be better for me to go now. I don't think I could... It...."

"Alright," Papa Paolo soothed, putting a hand on his shoulder when he got choked up once more. "Put on your game face, son," he warned while he waved over one of the police officers that had escorted the funeral procession. Tsuna nodded, trying to push everything that he was feeling into a back corner of his mind. It was hard. Of course, everything he'd done today had been hard. Things weren't easy when Snicker wasn't there to take away the hardship.

"C-Can you make sure that Snicker's jacket get to Charlie for me?" He asked quietly, forcing the words out since he knew that he only had a few moments. "Tell him that Snicker's Orange Dragon ring was supposed to go to him, too, but his mother took it. If he really wants it, Ollie should be able to get it back for him. Have Gigi watch over the boarding house for me, too, and--"

"We'll take care of everything, Suoh," Autumn promised with an expression covered in sympathy. He nodded, trusting her completely to keep her word. If she said she'd take care of everything, he didn't doubt her anymore. After all, she'd saved Snicker.

"In that case, I just have to get Jewel to go to someone else for a while," he mumbled. "I can't take her with me into--" Breaking off, he felt Jewel skitter out of his clothes and go airborne. She flew like a racing hawk, settling down on top of Houston's head with a flutter of released wings that were quickly pulled back into its shell upon landing. It's sudden presence surprised everyone, especially Houston, but Tsuna wanted to smile at the little creature's decision. She was smart for a bug. She understood that she couldn't stay with Tsuna, so she'd attached herself to her next choice of caretaker.

Taking Papa Paolo's cue, Tsuna stepped forward to confront the police officer when he finally approached. This was what they wanted from him, so he wouldn't let them down. He couldn't let them down when they'd went so far for a nobody like him.

"Officer," he greeted quietly, bowing his head while he tried to keep his voice from breaking. "I want to confess to putting Gabriel Martelli in the hospital. Please arrest me."

There was no hesitation, telling Tsuna that the man had been forewarned.

"You have the right to remain silent," he responded, pulling out his cuffs while he gently put Tsuna's arms behind his back. "Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you at no cost to yourself. Do you understand these rights?"

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed, smiling slightly when he saw Gigi and several others running toward him to find out what was going on. They all had looks of panic on their faces, but Autumn went to head them off while Papa Paolo whispered to Tsuna that an attorney would be sent for him. He was also told not to say anything until the lawyer arrived since saying too much might get him thirty years instead of only one or two. It all rested on how well his lawyer was prepared in order to get him off with only a misdemeanor charge. If he said too much, he might get hit with a felony assault charge that could possibly put him away for life. It was better to let the lawyer handle everything. Papa Paolo would have ensured that the man who would be sent to him would let him know what to say. "Don't worry, guys," he called while the police officer escorted him toward the patrol car and several people tried to rush over with intent to stop him. "I'm going away for a little while, but I'll be back. Take care of each other for me."

"Suoh, what--?" Gigi gasped.

"It's alright," he soothed with a faltering smile. "Trust Autumn until I return. She knows everything." Ducking down into the police car at the officer's quiet guidance, he ignored the rest of Gigi's yelled questions. This was what he had to do....

Because the Martelli Family demanded it.


OMAKE:

Ryohei: You cried to the limit.

Ashes: I bawled my eyes out.

Ryohei: Why did you write such an extreme occurrence? Didn't you learn anything from Hotaru?

Ashes: But, I had to... I couldn't advance the story without this and I put it off too long already.

Ryohei: What's that supposed to mean?

Ashes: Snicker was supposed to die in chapter 20! --cries-- It's been planned since before I wrote his character in.

Ryohei: You couldn't let him go to the limit.

Ashes: No, I couldn't. But I have to! I got so caught up in deviations that I've got to get the story back on track! That's why this was so abrupt.

Ryohei: At least he died in his sleep. Too bad Tsuna was too worn out to notice that something was wrong.

Ashes: In truth, I had six different choices between how he was going to die. I thought the peaceful death was better for him. He's been such a wonderful character.

Ryohei: Why did you have to kill him at all? Couldn't you have kept him around?

Ashes: --Serious face-- No.

Ryohei: Why not?

Ashes: Because, after this starts a new phase in Tsuna's life. Tsuna would have never went to Autumn and begged if Snicker had still been around.

Ryohei: You're planning on pulling him deeper into the Mafia.

Ashes: Maybe... I have a feeling that the readers are going to hate me in the future.

Ryohei: Why is that?

Ashes: It's just a feeling, but it's okay. I still like the plot too much to not write it, even if my readers lynch me.

Ryohei: Am I ever going to come back? I've been with the EXTREME Varia for a couple of years now.

Ashes: That would be telling.... --deep breath-- Okay. I think I'm ready to interview now.

Ryohei: I'm good to go whenever you are.

Ashes: How did you like the chapter?

Ryohei: THAT'S CLASSIFIED TO THE LIMIT!

Ashes: Ryohei is mad at me, too! --runs away crying--

Ryohei: Until next time... Assuming my sniper rifle misses.