The lost Lamb

Chapter 3: Connections

Giotto smiled bitterly, before him were half a dozen men, all of them unconscious. His clothes were pristine, despite the fact that he had battled for at least twenty minutes. He remembered the harsh lesson Reborn had taught him about being always presentable, ALWAYS.

Shivering a little at the reminder he brushed nonexistent dust from his jacket. "Truce… sure" A trap, even before he had finished reading the missive he had known it was a trap.

How he hated the mafia.

Clenching his fists he left the battered men behind, his arms trembling he turned around, knowing that if he helped them it was as good as a death sentence for the now injured men. Their boss would punish them further. He started to leave when something caught his eye; before him was a pink rabbit, a large, pink, fanged rabbit, and it was looking at him intently and waving-at-him. "Nufufufu…"

He groaned when he heard a small creepy laugh behind him, the rabbit was now a small purple giraffe a very small giraffe that looked more like a pony with a too large neck. He knew that creepy annoying laugh; he needed to escape, now!

"It was really amusing to see your little exhibition." A finger brushed his cheek and he let out a chocked scream, beside him was that green haired menace! Giotto clenched his eyes praying for a little more of patience, because he could not kill the idiot without making a lot of problems. "What do you want Daemon?" He asked politely, with a forced smile that felt heavy and tight. 'You can't kill him, you can't kill him, you can´t kill him!´

"Oh so cold, even though we have been friends for soooo long…" Came the amused response accompanied with that too wide smile, and Giotto froze, because the simple phrase was enough to make a shiver run his body. "I'm not your friend!" he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh then that means we are more than friends?" Asked the other boy with that horrible twisted grin and Giotto felt all the blood in his face drain directly to his stomach, which in turn started to churn in protest. "No" He deadpanned in his best poker face while restraining the urge to run and keep running.

"Oh, that almost hurt. Perhaps you would hear my humble request?" Asked the green haired teen and he found clear blue eyes glaring in suspicion; because everybody knew that the teenager was more than a little imbalanced, and was dangerous despite his frail appearance.

"Why would I make any kind of promise to you?" The giraffe, he noted in a detached way, now had three heads and was starting to skate above a puddle.

"Aww you're so evil! My dearest friend!" Said the illusionist with a grimace and a shy look, his eyes blinking merrily. Creep, he was a creep! "Nufufufu, just an innocent bet, if you are right and my claims of being Demon Spade are just…. How did you say it? 'Psychotic delusions' then I promise not to approach you ever again."

Giotto glared more. "Just that?" He had been trying to get rid of the menace for years; surely it wouldn't be so easy?

"Of course not silly!" He laughed and Giotto almost gave a step back at the sweet endearment. "If I'm right you will be making me your mist guardian." He said once more.

The blond just smirked and turned around, his fast pace echoing once more. He felt the other approaching, and with lightning fast reflexes he caught the other by the neck. "Look, I don't like you and I'm pretty sure you don't like me either, but above of all, there is not a chance in hell that I would trust a Vongola ring in your hands." His fist clenched just a little and the other glared at him in barely contained disgust. "If you ever come near me again without a valid reason I'm going to make you regret it! Allied families or not!"

The hand clenched once and then let go of the prey, the illusionist just smiled pityingly at him and waved with a half sneer. "We shall see Giotto…"

"Giotto?" Came the voice of G and the blond sighed in aggravation. "What happened, we couldn't hear nor see anything inside the alley."

"Sorry there was a giraffe"

"What?" Giotto laughed at the dumbfounded stare and just shook his head "Daemon…" He said and G just nodded with a glare.

"Him again? What the hell is wrong with him?" Almost shouted his right man, and Giotto chuckled at the indignation in his voice, G hated the illusionist with a passion because he always managed to bypass all his carefully placed defense and plans.

"Let's go home alright? I'm tired."

His friend nodded and they went to the car where three more men were standing tense and with frowns of annoyance at the delay in the schedule. Giotto smiled at them and opened his arms to show he was uninjured. "Let's go home." The men visibly calmed but still remained watchful and tense.

G stared at his friend and at the brand new gauntlets in his hands, they were tick and perfectly made for his hands, and G knew that Giotto used them to avoid skin contact more than to avoid injuries to his hands.

"Giotto, Iemit… the External advisor called earlier, he said that everything is ready." Said G staring directly in his friend eyes and Giotto tensed and smiled. "Oh, that's good. Would you..." He was cut off by the serious gaze directed at him and G impassive face. "Giotto, before being a Vongola, or my father son, or your right hand, I'm your friend… what the hell are you and Iemitsu planning?"

Giotto stared at his friend, for three years he had lied to every person in reach, always presenting the ideal image of the successor, being and obedient and calm son and the reasonable leader, being a good dog in training. He was just tired. "If… if I tell you I want you to promise not to intervene, not matter what happens…" He looked at his first and best friend in almost desperation; he just needed to talk, to let it out of his chest.

"Giotto…"

"Promise or just forget you even asked!" Came the harsh reply because the heated glaze and the barely hint of amber in those blue eyes were the only proof that his friend was still inside this 'decimo'.

"I swear idiot, of course I swear."

Croquant Bouche had been the mist guardian of the ninth boss of the Vongola from the very beginning, while the sun and lighting guardians had been changed after the death of the originals ones, because it was an undeniable truth: a guardian can be replaced, the sky cannot.

The sky was the foundation of every element, without it, the elements would be lost, and the family would fall in ruin and chaos. It was a cold truth: between a guardian and the boss the last would take precedence, always.

This was the reason why the family was in turmoil over the fact that the tenth refused to name his guardians. And the worst of it was that they could not force him, he could be coerced, threatened, but no one could choose for him. And Giotto knew this.

The ninth's mist guardian had been away from the main house for over two years now, he had been ordered to America ever since the cradle incident, with orders to squash very rumor about that day. Because of that, the letter ordering him to return immediately took him by surprise.

He looked over at the polluted gray sky of the city. New York was truly a challenging city, he had been working non-stop for three months just to keep their allies in line, the local families were becoming too wily and they needed to be reminded of the power of the Vongola.

The cradle incident was a tight guarded secret, but he knew that Giotto was one of the few who knew the complete truth behind it. Why would he challenge Xanxus then? Revenge? Hate?

"Kufufufu… so the little lion wants to show-off his fangs?" Croquant stared at the blue haired teen, Mukuro had been a real challenge to train; the boy was truly frightening in his power and development, which had taken him almost fifteen years to manage, this kid had learn in mere two years. "As a mist user you must realize that there is something else about this…" He replied to the amused teen. "Are you coming with me to see the challenge?"

Mukuro stared at him in surprise, and he smiled at the rare sight "Oya? I thought this was a Vongola secret?" there, that shark like smile. "Must I remind you that I am not Vongola?" He had, over the years, subtly tried to make the boy part of the family, however, like a true mist the boy continued to escape from his fingers. "I know, however I thought you would like to see Tsunayoshi once more?"

"Kufufufu, such nice bait mist guardian, but you're right, it's about time for me to see my little fish. Perhaps to finally convince him to join me. Kufufufu" By the time he raised his eyes the teenager had disappeared without a trace. Croquant shivered at the blatant display of power.

"Such a troubling child…" Mukuro was a wild cannon ball right now, he had abstained from attacking directly the mafia, but delighted himself in causing as much chaos within the families as he could, and the only ones he respected were the Vongola and only the main branch.

But there was still rage and hate in him in large quantities, if the teenager were to become active in his hate…

The ninth's mist guardian could only be grateful at Iemitsu's son, without him the wild cannon ball could easily become a time bomb.

Tsuna dreamed.

At first he dreamed of a myriad of flames being circled by black ones, like a pack of hyenas circling their prey. The flames were in clusters, but all of them connected by multicoloured treads, together but apart, a whole. The black flames looked hungry and kept launching themselves to the group of flames, but there was something separating the two, a small white wall made of soft light.

There was something in the back of his mind, pushing him, guiding. He should protect those flames against the black ones; he needed to reach at the barrier.

It hurt, a lot; the black was reaching inside him and tearing him apart, as if piercing his very soul. There were a warm hand in his shoulder and a soft voice in his ear, it told him to sleep.

He dreamed of water and salt and violent movements and burning, so much burning, the heat in his chest of his struggling flame contrasting with the biting cold of the water that crashed against his skin.

He dreamed of five small flames, they looked small, yet enormous, 'strange'; one yellow, one red, two in blue, and an indigo one. They were caged, trapped; he was supposed to help them, but how? There were other three connected to the others, but he didn't recognize those, so he left them alone, but the others he knew… he had to help. He reached with his flame and this new strange power inside him.

It hurt, it was burning again, burning and tearing him apart, leaving him weak, so weak, so he slept again to avoid more pain.

Then he dreamed of hands. Hands that hurt him, prodded, pinched, firm hands that opened his mouth and put something plastic and hard in his throat all the way in his chest, it hurt. Foreign, cold air being forcibly shoved in his lungs. He reached inside for his flame but it was too small, and weak and so hurt. So he slept.

He then dreamed of loneliness, he could only feel cold, emptiness, a horrible feeling of being alone in an unknown place. Inside him, his flame reached out for the familiar orange warmth that used to watch over him, the one that always protected him. But he could not reach it; he stretched his flame once more and looked for a vibrant red one that usually was next to the orange one. Desperate he searched for red, another, and for a brilliant yellow that usually made him scared.

His flame seemed to wail in anguish when he could not find even one color, not blue or indigo, or the cheery orange of his earliest memories, he stretched and stretched his flame, desperate for warmth, for kinship, he could not feel anything in the cold emptiness of this place, alone, alone, alone.

So he slept once more.

There was a flame. Cried out in joy his soul. It was purple, small and undeveloped but it was there, it jumped around like a caged animal, violent and agitated, but it was warmth, a wonderful warmth after so much cold, and Tsuna could only stretch and stretch just to feel that speck of heat. Then the flame left and he felt the coldness even more suffocating, the emptiness more crushing.

He called out for the purple. 'Don't go', 'please' 'come back!' Then the horrible hands were again on him, the cold hurting hands with the prods and bursts of pain and the cold air in his lungs, he retreated inside himself.

The purple flame usually reminded him of a cloud, it was unpredictable in its comings and goings, so he stayed alert at the smallest hint of that warmth, and cherished each minute of the light it provided him in his cold and dark prison. Sometimes, he could almost hear a voice; some words filtering thought the thick wall of his prison.

'Crowd' 'bit' 'herbivore' this one he heard a lot, 'Nanimori', 'fight', 'order', 'safe'.

The words were in another language, one he used to speak, Japanese?

But mostly he was content to watch the flame shrink and expand, swirl and spin, it was amusing to him to match a feeling with each movement of the flame, it would swell in anger and shrink when in pain, it would sometimes merrily flicker in contentment like the steady flame of a peaceful candle, then suddenly it would ablaze in irritation, startling his own flame and making him nervous.

Then the flame would leave and Tsuna would wait in his cold prison, from time to time he would stretch his flame once more, searching for the others, he would call and call, but he never felt anything beyond cold emptiness.

So he slept and waited for the purple, cloudy flame.

Gokudera Hayato clenched his teeth in annoyance and almost bit his tongue in the process, he adjusted his glasses and once more grumbled in annoyance at the papers in his hands, there was a storm outside, and that meant that his plan would be delayed at least twelve hours and forty-nine minutes, he grimaced when the injuries in his legs hurt more with the increased cold and humidity.

"Dammit!"

He shoved the papers in his bag and frowned once more, he had managed to lose those idiots following him, enemy and friend alike, but now he was hungry, cold, injured and in need of a smoke, he mused while looking morosely at the drenched package of white sticks.

Gokudera Hayato glared at the merry light of the port in Salerno, one the most beautiful ports in Italy, however he was just interested in the ship number twenty-seven in the port.

Now, what exactly was the reason for stalking a ship in the middle of a storm at 3 am? You may wonder, but for this we may have to go back a few months back.

-Two months previously-

Gokudera Hayato in his best suit, his tie perfectly placed and all the buttons closed stared with a serious gaze at the two men before him.

"So, what number is this one? Twenty?" Asked Giotto in amusement expecting at least a frown, but the child only stared at him "It would be twenty-eight, sir." If Giotto was surprised he didn't show it, but he looked at the external advisor at his side, they were in the veranda of the main ballroom, while inside, people celebrated the ninth's birthday.

"Gokudera Hayato, you have demonstrated great ability and commitment these past years, to be truthful you have surpassed my expectations, however if anything the only thing you're lacking is experience, that is something no book or instructor is going to be able to give to you"

Gokudera remained calm and stared at the man in silent request, all his concentration was in relaxing his hands and in not clenching his teeth at the words.

"You could be part of the Vongola as you are now, why this stubborn attitude? We have told you over and over that Tsuna will return to us one day, when the new Decimo is established and the threat over the candidates is lessened. Why must you insist on making things more dangerous for everybody?"

That did hurt, and it almost was enough to make him waver, but he remained firm, and his mouth firmly closed, there was no need to repeat his question, he only waited for a yes or a no. But, he could feel his almost nonexistent patience coming to an end, even though Fon-sensei and Tumeric had gone to extreme lengths to make him more tolerant.

Iemitsu sighed and frowned at the brat in front of him, over the years Gokudera Hayato had become first a pest, then a nuisance only to suddenly develop into a promising candidate to protect his most precious person, but still, this pup was just that, intelligent, crafty, very well trained but not an expert. He wasn't THE best.

However, the stormy green eyes were fixed on him, the violence and anger tightly held in by his resolution, he would have made an excellent storm guardian, mussed the External advisor.

He was just like a storm, relentless.

"Find him" He said finally and Giotto gasped at his side, and the green eyes narrowed in confusion. "That's your last test Gokudera, I give you a year to find him, and if you can, then I will consider you worthy of being his bodyguard and a true member of the Vongola. I will ask for the approval of the ninth myself."

Gokudera felt his knees almost shake at the rush of adrenaline, a thousand plans and comebacks he had made now useless, in reality he had been expecting another refusal. This was just unexpected.

"A year?"

"Three hundred sixty-five days counting from today."

For a moment Iemitsu believed that the teenager would refuse, because he was asking to outwit the CEDEF best tacticians and the Vongola information net, it would be daunting for the best ones, for a child it would be mind-blowing.

"Yes sir." Said the child who was pale as a candle, but still firm, Iemitsu just nodded and left. Giotto was covering his eyes with his hand and was trembling faintly.

"You are and idiot Hayato!" Grumbled the teenager and Gokudera flinched when the normally stoic boy glared at him in agitation. "What will I say to G? Do you have any idea how worried he will be? Everybody will, all of us!"

"Excuse me?" He asked in befuddlement, because; even though he knew that; for some reason, his idiot cousin kind of worried about him, he could not understand why anybody would else give a damn about him leaving. He felt a pair of arms grasping his shoulders and sad, angry eyes directed at him. "G, Tumeric, Cozart, and even Shamal, and many of the people in Vongola cares about you!"

"Shamal? Come on! He hates me!" He said in defiance. "And you… you don't trust me and you don't want me near Tsuna-sama!"

"Because I don't want either of you hurt you idiot! And we all care, all of us. Even Shamal, he asks about your wellbeing, always, he begged the ninth to take you in, he and G did…" Confessed the blond and Gokudera gaped at him, one look at the clear blue eyes told him Giotto was telling the truth.

"I promised… I promised him I would not leave him alone!" Half shouted the silverette and Giotto let go of him as if burned, blue met green and both looked away, Giotto, frustrated and sad at the half accusation in that phrase, all of them had promised that.

"Iemitsu said that he gave orders not to contact us unless he woke up…" Whispered Giotto and Gokudera gasped at the implications, but the image of a comatose Tsuna in an abandoned sterile room, waking up completely alone was not better that an awake Tsuna being alone for two years.

"Then I better hurry…" Said the boy, with newfound determination, it was not too late to keep his promise.

"Hayato" Called Giotto and he looked back "Said goodbye to G, and say Hi to Tsuna when you see him." Gokudera smiled sincerely for the first time at Giotto and nodded curtly, leaving behind his indecisions.

-END OF FLASHBACK-

The only thing he had not told them, was that he had gifted Tsuna with his own invention, a small transmitter, the kind used to keep track of wild animals, it let small signals at random times, it was small and thin, just a small anklet, flesh colored. He had put it on him after the attack when he had been still consumed in shame at having lost his charge in the middle of the battle. It was rudimentary and only gave a general location in an area. But it was untraceable without the right code.

"The UMA pin is a success." He muttered in satisfaction. He checked the map with the marked dots, there were sixteen signals that he had registered in almost two years, then, they suddenly stopped, either he had been divested of any material possession or the anklet had stopped working.

He was now waiting for the chance of boarding the ship unnoticed, he had readied food, water and other supplies, he had calculated the days it would take to reach land, this ship was a direct one, no detours, so the food would be enough, barely.

He hated the sea, it made him sick and the salt always irritated his pale skin. And it would be torture to remain in that enclosed space for so long. But it was the only way to leave the continent unnoticed.

He glared at the island marked in the map; a circle indicated the very last signal. Why would the CEDEF boss send his son to Japan once more? It just made no sense.

The small white marshmallow was squished and expanded in a rhythmic dance. "You may go now Arturo" Before being engulfed by a white haired teenager. The mare ring in his hand let out a spark and his subordinate scrambled to his feet, leaving the room. Even thought he was not the 'boss' of the family it was a question of time.

Byakuran smiled in amusement at his subordinate while inside he was screaming in frustration, two years ago he had suddenly connected with one of his counterparts in a parallel world; the connection had lasted a mere two hours, but he had received enough information to made him giddy with excitement, but then; it had shut down. However, he had found the origin of the disruption.

The wretched Vongola, whatever was blocking him, was coming from the clams. So it was with mounting irritation that he learned that the two Vongola cubs were about to kill each other for the ring of the sky, the one that never belonged to neither in the other universes, the one that should rest in the hand of certain brunet.

He had been amused and deeply intrigued when he could not find even a speck of Tsunayoshi-kun in this universe, instead, there was another son of the Ninth in the scene, a blond one that seemed so alike Tsunayoshi-kun that made him mad, but still, not a trace of his brunette playmate.

Iemitsu Sawada had married Nana and they got their bundle of joy almost immediately, a boy, whom they called Tsunayoshi, then something happened in Japan and suddenly every trace of the boy and the woman disappeared. Until two years ago when one of his infiltrated men had caught in video a blur in a corridor, a flame that he could recognize anywhere, a sky flame that he had fought and dominated so many times, and still could not stop searching for.

And yet, it was Xanxus and Giotto who would fight for the sky ring, and not a whisper of a third heir.

Perhaps it was time to contact the Cervello?

WAIT!

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