Believe me, not even I can believe that I updated this fast... Wao...

Chapter 4: Infighting

Gokudera moaned at the swaying of the boat continued merrily, they were docking already! Why did the damn ship had to keep moving? It was a commercial ship; that transported electrical goods and common chemicals to Japan, he had chose it because of the total innocent nature of the trade, and it was one of the few cargo ships that were only that.

He had heard the previous night how two men of the crew complained about a damaged engine; so they were going to the port to repair it. Before getting into the open sea.

The teenager growled at the news, but he could do nothing, he had no choice but take this route. He noticed with glee how the crew left the boat and he sneaked out of the semi-empty compartment he was occupying.

He had made a panel to hide the space, it was rudimentary, but one look would not be enough to find it. It was hot, really, stiflingly hot. He snuck out and found the kitchen, he raided it, making sure of only taking odd stuff that would not be missed, the ship was a big one, enough that there were enough hiding places and the nature of their trade made for a very small crew.

He abandoned his safe haven and spied to the exterior, his eyes opened in wonder, Singapore! They were in Singapore, they had made good time then, twenty-three days… More than half the distance! Satisfied, he walked around the more open space and looked longingly at the exotic looking port, seeing all kind of people mingling down. But he had to stay hidden and safe; any detour now would mean failure.

He continued to stretch his legs and went inside his hiding place as soon as he heard the crew starting to return.

Latter in the afternoon he spied the ship and heard the crew nervously chattering between them, from what he could gather, there was trouble in the docks, so they had planned to leave early to avoid trouble. He smiled to himself.

Two hours later, Gokudera woke up at the sound of screams and shots, as well as explosions near, it seemed that the captain was a smart one, it really looked like trouble, this were explosions from grenades and heavy arms, bad, bad news.

He sighed in relief when they left the port, one hour passed in quiet and calm and then he heard it, steps, two pair of them, that he had not registered before. He knew every crew member by voice, look and sounds they made while walking, as well as their duties."…why we are in this lowly boat?" drawled a bored voice.

"Shhhhh We must be extremely QUIET!"

"You shut up! This is beyond acceptable for the likes of me! Ewww is that a rat?"

"I'M HUNGRY!"

Three, he amended, there were three idiots in the boat, one of them sounded like a child, a very small, annoying one. And for his bad luck, they were talking in Italian. The bomber went into pure panic mode, what should he do? If the new stowaways were discovered… then the crew would conduct a search for more, and that was unacceptable.

They were traveling at an average speed of ten to twelve knots… that meant that they still had at least ten, no, perhaps twelve more days of traveling… he eyed his refuge, two teenagers; he calculated, they had sound young enough, and their steps didn't sound too heavy, they could fit in the space, it would be annoying and kind of uncomfortable, but nothing compared to the three months he had lived in the streets…

"hey! Estupidos!" He whispered and reached out from the compartment grabbing the two teenagers to his hidden spot, glaring his best death glare and making the universal sign for silence.

The two were either very stupid o very surprised because they only stared wide eyed at him. One was very tan and had black hair, his face was an interesting mix between European and Asiatic features, while the other was clearly and painfully Italian, then was the kid, it was… remarkable… with wide green eyes and afro like hair, and clad in a bodysuit with cow print.

"Shut up! If the crew discovers you then were all are fish-food" The two idiots were strangely familiar, but he could not place the faces…

"Yare, yare… why would such a commoner order me around?" Gokudera suddenly flinched, that stupid green hair! That curly girly fashion, the stupid face, h-how could he forget?

"T-the stupid bovino!" He chocked while staring a one of his worst memories from when he still lived with his family. The idiot had the impudence to actually smile at him!

"Ara? How do you know me? Well, it's true that I'm very famous!"

"Lampo is he your EXTREME friend? Mmm you look kinda familiar…" Gokudera launched himself at the black haired menace; the other teenager was older than him, perhaps closer to G age, so the task was not an easy one. "SHUT-UP-YOU-MORON! The people in the ship will hear us!" He whispered harshly, he was reconsidering his plan of changing ships, but, he didn't understand Indonesian that well…

"Yare, yare, such a violent boy, who are you by the way?"

"I-I… I'm Antonio, and I ran away from home…" He said without a pause, patting himself in the back for his well-rehearsed, and well planned forty-seventh back-story.

"Ooooh" Said Lampo with a bored gaze. "Me too, well me and Lambo." Gokudera snorted and looked at the pair of idiots. "Your parents weren't very creative were they" He drawled in a bored voice.

"Mmmm, no they weren't." Said the boy in the same lazy tone that was making Gokudera really, nicely, mad. "But the brat is my cousin, not my brother. That means he is the son of my uncle, you see." A thick vein was starting to form in Gokudera's forehead.

"HAHA Lambo-sama could never have such an idiot for a brother! He is my subordinate! HAHAHA!"

Gokudera pinned the boy with a plastic bottle of juice, and the poor Lambo passed out instantly. "HEY! That was EXTRE…!" Now he was pointing his gun to the black haired moron. He should abandon the ship, learning Indonesian would be a breeze over this, he mused.

"Shut the fuck up! They will find us! W-H-I-S-P-E-R" The two were now wide eyed but nodded in silence and Gokudera let out a sigh. "Look, I really, really need to make it to Japan as fast as possible, and I don't fancy to be sent to the police! I have food and water here, and I can teach you how to remain unseen, but we have to be careful!"

The two acquiesced and an uncomfortable silence settled over the small space; then the bovino-idiot suddenly looked wide eyed at him. "Uh… I thought this was an Italian ship… why did you say Japan, did you take the wrong ship?"

Gokudera looked at the pair of idiots looking at him in silent pity, and face palmed.

Mukuro arrived at the Vongola Mansion with a half scowl, while he didn't hate the Vongola per se, he didn't felt comfortable entering by his own wish. It was only a matter of principle. Chikusa and Ken were both in Germany; searching for a very special ring he had heard off, a little ring from nightmares.

The frown became a full one when he could not sense the warmth and soft sky flame anywhere near. Perhaps he was outside? Doubtful, he mussed, the Vongola warded the child like a dragon guarded its treasure; in the deepest part of its cave.

He absently nodded to Croquant and gave a half respectful bow to the ninth, just in the line between respect and disinterest. He would not kneel like a horse before its master. He was not his boss.

He continued to search through the house, under the watchful eyes of the Vongola members who recognized him and the curious ones of those who didn't.

"Please tell me Giotto-san!" The voice was unfamiliar, but the name not, so he walked faster, in search of the owner of the voice. He found himself in one of the gardens, the one, he remembered, closest to the little fish rooms.

There were three people. The candidate for Tenth boss, the son of the Shimon Famiglia and a small red head who looked eerily similar to the Shimon member, a relative perhaps?

His eye activated and he felt himself being surrounded by illusions, making him blend with his surroundings, his presence completely hidden from all. Even he knew of the infamous Vongola intuition, so he stayed far enough to be safe.

"Giotto, I have been keeping my promise, but right now this is hurting Enma. Please, as a friend, I ask you for permission to let Enma know the truth." The Shimon was angry, Mukuro realized, behind the calm and polite words he was pretty pissed off.

"Cozart… I can't… okay. Fine!" The boy let himself fall ungracefully to the soft grass and the other two followed, the child with a wince of pain.

Mukuro saw the small body and noticed the stiff spine and the telltale economy of movement of those who are in too much pain to be able to move without aggravating one injury or another. He spied the bandages peeking from every visible opening of the too large clothes the child was wearing; possibly to minimize pain. What he could see of the face was also not pretty, there were four angry parallel lines in the cheek, either from an animal or human nails, the neck was also heavily bandaged. Who was this boy?

"Enma, You remember three years ago when Tsuna became sick?" Started the blond and Mukuro almost went closer to better hear. "Well, it was lie; he was hurt in an attack, here. And he went into a coma." He clenched his jaw to avoid echoing the cry of surprise that the small child let out, but he could feel himself going enraged, neither Croquant nor himself knew of this. Only of Xanxus betrayal! "Wait, Enma, let me finish. Okay?"

"He was hurt, and he lost his flame… we waited for him to wake up but… time passed and then… it was decided to hide him, until he became healthy again. You understand Enma? Nobody could know that the son of the CEDEF was so vulnerable, and also everybody knows that he is very precious to everybody here… he was in danger."

"You send him away? Is he with Gokudera-san then?" Mukuro saw the blond flinch at the second name and his interest grew. The boy called Enma was clearly upset. "No, he was sent alone to a safe house…"

"WHAT? Why? Why would you do such a thing? Is he okay? Has he woke up? W-why would you do such a cruel thing?" Now he was crying Mukuro noticed in annoyance, but he himself was pretty enraged, he remembered the nightmares that Tsunayoshi used to have, and it always involved being left alone in small solitaire places filled with monsters.

A nightmare come true then.

"Y-you IDIOT!" He had lost the last part of the altercation in his musings but apparently the child had hear enough, and was now running like a hysterical teenager girl.

"I told you" Said the Vongola heir to his friend; he was looking more weary than preoccupied with the answer from the child, like one who had faced the same reaction several times. "Giotto… You know that Enma was also sent away for his own protection… and you can see how well that worked." Groaned the one named Cozart. The pair remained in silence, trying to come to terms with their thoughts.

"Where is Hayato?" Asked the redhead, he too looked more weary than angry and was now sprawled in the grass.

"What happened to Enma? Who hurt him?" Answered Giotto and his friend snorted at the avoidance at his own question. "Who else? That bitch who dares to call herself his mother. I went in a surprise visit and found the woman beating the lights out of him. She was beyond drunk… Of course I took him to the main house, not even Mafiosi can cause him more damage than her."

'Because she is his family' was unvoiced, but Giotto felt the accusation in the tale.

"We didn't do it to hurt him… and he is in a coma"

"Yes, but we won't know if it hurt him until he wakes up, isn't? After that day, there had not been even one attack to the main house. You, or me, we could understand why that decision was made, but… at his age, would you, truthfully, be okay to be discarded like that?" The blond flinched but didn't answer. The other seated himself and let a heavy hand land in the other's back. "I know you did it out of love for him, but he is going to be beyond hurt for it."

"If he wakes up…"

"When he wakes up…" Mukuro had heard enough, and it was time to get some answers, so he revealed himself and frowned when only the Shimon boy got a surprise look in his face. "You heard the story Mukuro. Say whatever you need to say" Said the Vongola heir.

Mukuro felt himself stiffen when that pair of blue eyes stared at him in defiance; this guy should bow and beg for forgiveness, not swell in his self-righteousness. "Well, I only came to ask for his location, after all I promised to snatch him away if you didn't take good care of my little fish."

"He isn't your anything Rokudo Mukuro. And no, I won't tell you where he is."

"Kufufufu no worries I have my ways to find out." His trident materialized itself and he launched his whole strength to try to snatch the information from the other subconscious, threading and weaving through memories, dreams and nightmares. Then he felt something pulling him to the earth with a crushing weight.

The Shimon boy was pointing at him with his hands, in one there was gleaming red ring and he was pushed, no, attracted to the earth by an invisible force. "Cozart let him go; I don't want to start a fight!"

"He attacked first!" Said the Cozart guy and Mukuro noticed with relief when the pressure disappeared, he got up and glared at the pair before him. "You don't know." He stated in a surprised tone. "You claim for him to be safe and you don't even know, where or how he is?"

"It's for his…"

"You are afraid." He stated. He had tasted the fear in his very soul, the fear of losing, the fear of caring even more. "You are worried, true. And you're truthfully trying to protect and care for him… but you are also afraid of him being snatched away. You don't trust yourself to be able to protect him and not for anyone here to do it."

"Kufufufu…. HA, HA, HA!" it was hilarious; he had heard of the mighty Vongola tenth who was young, yet already feared, who had strength beyond his age and body built. Who was scared for his safety blanket to be taken away?

"You coward! You don't deserve his trust. Even in that cursed cell he always trusted in you, in his precious family to come and get him. To not abandon him" He ignored the Shimon heir and grabbed the blond by his collar, giving a precise punch to the pale face.

"Don't worry little mouse of the Vongola, I shall find him and rid yourself of such burden." He snarled at him and looked in satisfaction at the widening of the eyes and the pale face, then bowed from the waist and let his illusions hide his presence once more. He didn't trust himself not to kill the idiot. What did he know about the unconscious mind? Of the paths they could wander in when in dreams or when in the border of death, he was a fool to believe the mind to be an on-off light bulb.

Especially the mind of a flame wielder. Well perhaps this would open the eyes of his little naive fish...

Vongola didn't deserve such tool, such power. But he would find his little pet and hopefully convince him to find revenge.

Iemitsu Sawada stared at the only man that could really, easily, make his live a living hell. While the external organization maintained its independence, and was a powerhouse on its own, they were still part of the Vongola and under the boss.

"I want a real answer Iemitsu."

So now he was faced to his boss, who was looking at him with a stern face that reminded him of his school days.

"In San Ma…" A sharp hand gesture stopped his words. "I know that the two houses of San Marino are a decoy, after we retired the statement of him being dead, I supervised those safe houses myself and the security is too mild."

Iemitsu clasped his hands, he was cornered, he could not lie to his boss, it was a basis for execution or at least a heavy punishment to be caught in a direct lie. "The Shimon Boss contacted me; their safe house in Rome was attacked last night. Nobody was in it, but they are concerned about being attacked once more. I understand your concern Iemitsu, but this charade is putting us and our allies at risk."

"Boss…" He started once more but the icy glare made him close his mouth. "Let me finish. The allies and all the Vongola is in an uproar, Giotto has not made his selection of guardians, and the rings are sealed now, that means that the Vongola is without its greatest weapon."

Iemitsu suddenly understood the necessity of the location of his son, and he didn't like it a bit. "They are pressing for a backup, isn't?" He asked his boss and the old man nodded gravely. "The Decimo is young, but I'm old, meaning we are both vulnerable, and now with the sky battle they are asking for a second candidate in case…"

"In the case that Giotto and Xanxus kill each other?" Iemitsu glared at his hands. "He is in Spain, he left a month before we revealed that he was alive, after that, as you know, we sent some of our people in need of protection to the other four houses, two of them children, I also sent a second decoy to the house in Spain at the same time that Tsuna in the form of one of our lesser projects. The spy drones…"

"The ones who were a failure?" He nodded and grimaced at the reminder of the expensive lumps of metal. "The people in Spain were only notified that they should guard their charges and notify if any mayor change occurred, also they were secured by means of the omerta."

He saw the mind of his boss process his words and plans, the sharp mind used to plan and plot all the time. "I don't like your plan Iemitsu; it's too risky, too many things left to chance… But right now we must focus on controlling our allies and making through this chaos you and Giotto have made."

"Yes boss."

Admiration.

It was the first thing Giotto recalled feeling towards his brother. He could feel the flame merrily dancing inside the other, its warmth and wildness, all of it woke up inside him a strange feeling of nostalgia that bloomed into acceptance of the violent teenager.

His elder brothers were to him more like fathers or perhaps uncles, given the age gap. But the new, grouchy teenager was to him a real opportunity to have a big brother. So, the admiration rapidly became fraternal love, when he accepted that the cold, irritable teenager was indeed his brother, especially when he received hints of acceptance from the other

Fear. Was the feeling that now evoked those burgundy eyes. Xanxus was angry, no; angry was a too mild word. He was beyond the point of pure, concentrated fury. All of it directed at him, and only him.

"The Candidate for the tenth boss of the Vongola Giotto Leoni has challenged Xanxus Leoni for the possession of the sky ring and the right for the succession."

Giotto swallowed and tried not to move even one facial muscle, he resisted the urge to flinch, he resisted the urge to flee, but not even Reborn would be able to make him look directly at those accusing eyes.

"We, the Cervello, will be the judges of this challenge."

He had never trusted the Cervello; there was a deep, ingrained dislike for the organization that had been inside from the very first time he had looked at one of the pink haired, masked women.

"The rules are as follows: the one who can manages to take the other half of the ring wins, both contestants must remain inside the designated area, leaving the area or receiving outside help are means of automatic loss. Otherwise the method of retrieving the rings are without limits."

He and Iemitsu had planned carefully for this day, they had chose for only the guardians and the boss to watch the battle, no outsiders, except for G and Squalo, both as silent seconds in command to each contestant.

"Please start at the bell toll!"

He felt, more than heard the safety of guns being unlocked. He felt the sweat in his neck, cold and uncomfortable and breathed deeply, steeling himself for the fight; he had to make this as real as he could.

The bell tolled and a second latter he felt something collide painfully against his head, he turned it to avoid his neck from being snapped, but the force of the punch sent him to the ground, he looked in shock at this brother who was looking at him in a dispassionate, cold fury. "What? Didn't you want a fight? The Varia only fights to the death scum!" The reply was short and in a low dangerous tone, followed by a merciless attack, flames and body parts slammed into him and Giotto suddenly found himself fighting to save his life, there was no mercy in Xanxus fight style, every blow was directed to kill or permanently maim.

This, was not in the plan.

A hand grabbed his hair and left him in an awkward position, he could not move without exposing his chest or neck and that wouldn't be good. "I'm going to enjoy this, piece of trash"

The sound of the gun going off almost made his eardrums pop, and it left a bleeding gash in his leg, but Xanxus had let him go long enough to dodge the flame. Xanxus, his brother, was really, really trying to kill him, he realized; not injure and not defeat, he wanted him dead.

Giotto let his flame grow and felt his hands being enveloped in bright concentrated flame; he finally looked at his brother's eyes, and found there a predator reading for the kill. "I must thank you trash, for giving me the chance to wipe out all the filth out of the Vongola." Xanxus launched his attack one after the other, merciless, the flame of rage was a destructive force he had never faced before. "The family don't need weak imbeciles like you"

He launched himself at his brother at his maximum speed and saw his brother's eyes widen, he punched the other hard in the stomach, making him double in pain and falter, he forced his arms to keep punching the other, trying his hardest to stop the other, he had to gain some time to… to do something to make Xanxus see his plan… something!

Xanxus Pointed his guns and shot "Scoppio de ira!" the blond barely escaped the barrage of flames, it was incredible the ferocity of his brother's flames.

"The pain of being hit by a gun was greater than a bare fist, and it tore a chocked scream from him, he grabbed both guns with his hands and pushed with his flame, making them both crash in the hard soil. "Stop it! I don't want for any of us to die!" He whispered at his brother and received a disgusted sneer for it. "Oh? And what did you think would happen? That I would just bare my throat like kicked mutt and bow to you?" Snarled Xanxus and Giotto clenched his hands and pushed against the bigger body with his flame, immobilizing the other.

"No you…! I want you to win!" Xanxus stared at him in a shocked dumbfound way, which lasted a mere second and was replaced by a dangerous, angry smile. Giotto could feel the flame inside his brother increase, and become a bigger beast, a bloodthirsty beast. "You, want me to win?" Said Xanxus in a soft voice that made the hair in his neck stand. "bocciolo de fiamma" The attack hurt, and left Giotto singed and nursing burns all over his forearms.

"I will win" Xanxus was completely mad, his own sky flame being overpowered by the anger-driven one. He attacked him with a well-placed round kick "and then I will wipe from the face of the earth every piece of trash that has dared to defy me." A well placed punch in his liver made him clench his eyes and a cruel hand grabbed his chin, making him face the still furious gaze.

"You." A blow to his chest that left him gasping. "The old man." A knee in his stomach. "Your shitty friends." A series of punches in his ribs. "And of course the little missing idiot, I can't have anyone claiming what it's mine."

Xanxus Sneered at him and pointed his gun, preparing his last attack. Giotto snapped. Latter, he could honestly say that he could not remember what really happened. He had been in the process of being mauled and then he found himself above his brother, who was grinning at him with a bloodied nose and a closed eye. "Who's the pacifist now?"

After that it became a blur of flame and punches and all out fury and years of frustration coming out. Both were heavily injured but neither looked inclined to back down, he had to do something, he wanted this to stop.

'stop'

Xanxus was pointing his guns at him, both of them, the flames being concentrated for a final attack. "colpo d'adddio!" Giotto launched himself directly into the path of the attack.

'stop this'

He could see the brilliance of the flames and the heat behind them, Xanxus would not stop, he realized.

So he would stop him.

One minute he had been engulfed in flames and the next he found himself grasping the guns once more, but now there was something different, they were encased in ice. Ice that was rapidly enveloping his brother, Xanxus let go of his right gun but the left hand was already trapped, Giotto tried to let go, but whatever was doing this inside him, refused to stop until he finished the work.

The half sky ring of Xanxus slipped off his finger as if by its own will "N-no STOOOP!" Giotto screamed and watched as Xanxus stared at him in surprise, and then the ice enveloped him whole, and his hands finally let go.

"The winner of the sky ring is Giotto Leoni." Said the Cervello, but Giotto ignored them, he gaped at the ice, it was cold, very cold and hard, he started punching it with his hands and let his flame at it in desperation, but it proved futile because the ice glinted back at him in a mocking way.

"Xanxus!" Desperate now he started to punch harder, ignoring the blood in the places where the ice had cut his gauntlets. "Giotto! Stop it! it won't melt!"

Giotto looked back at his father; Iemitsu and he were running towards them, both were pale faced and were looking at him in a strange way. "What do you mean?" How long could he remain alive in ice? Could he breathe?

"W-what, what's this?" He tried to continue punching the ice but Iemitsu grabbed him in an embrace to stop his arms.

"Tenth we must ask another question of you, as you're now he official holder of the Sky ring we must demand the acceptance of the new Capro Espiatorio, the bond is getting thinner and we must finish the process." Said the woman in a monotone voice; as if his brother wasn't being slowly suffocated in ice, as if his three years of plans had not became dust.

"NO! There won't be any more! I have been trying to destroy that accursed tradition! I WON'T MAKE MORE SACRIFICES!"

The sky ring came alive and the two halves reunited themselves, and Giotto screamed when a flame from it burned the center of his palm, badly. The Cervello was looking at him in horror and so were his father and his guardians. But he was too much in pain and panic to worry about that.

"Let me go Iemitsu!" A blow to his cheek made him react and look at the pale face of his father. "He is not death, nor dying, Giotto. Calm down, that ice can be melted only by the seven flames of the Vongola rings."

Giotto went limp in Iemitsu's hold, he stared at his father and then at the image of his brother encased in ice, he could hear now the enraged yells of Squalo and a frantic G trying to stop the swordsman from joining the fray.

"So be it." Said the Cervello representative. Everybody looked at her, in her hands was a bronze bell, the kind you put on a sheep or a small lamb, and it was cracked in two. "The tenth has severed the bond with the shield."

Giotto stared at her in mounting anger, his mother was dead, how much more severed it could be that bond? "Please, wait a moment Cervello." Pleaded his father. "A new bond has not been established, how can it be broken already?"

"The eight one established the half bond." The second woman pulled out a yellowed parchment, in it were eight names, all written in a strange brown tint, at the middle was a ninth name but the tint was not brown but a dark red, as if…

"As established, we cannot contact the next boss until he or she has been decided. The eight Capro Espiatorio, the one called Alessandra Edmonda passed the power to one Tsunayoshi Sawada two and a half years ago."

The silence was deafening, the arms supporting Giotto suddenly let him fall to the floor, he heard even Squalo stop his screaming and he let his confused mind try to absorb the words. But his mind refused to accept the ridiculous proposition. It was stupid, improbable, impossible.

"No…" It was Timoteo who finally talked. The man was standing very stiff as if all his concentration were on remaining in his feet. "That night in the infirmary, they were side by side…" He mumbled and his already pale skin became a sickly gray. "No." He repeated.

"The name appeared on the contract; as such, it cannot be anything but real. As you know Vongola Nono; it is the Vongola boss sole right to accept or deny the candidate."

"Wait, we didn't know of this! Giotto didn't know he was making that choice!" It was now Iemitsu the one talking. But Giotto was staring at the parchment in the woman's hand and the red line in the penmanship of his mother and the two words in it: Tsunayoshi Sawada.

He closed his eyes and felt the telltale pain in his skull when it connected to the floor.

TBC