#12: Cruelness of time

One year later, Italy

Time often passes too fast for somebody to notice all the changes from his life, but the memories remain deep buried at the bottom of their hearts. The pleasant and the ugly ones. It's almost like a rule they had unconsciously set up, but that helped them survive and surpass many obstacles. Despite their growth, the scars are still there, along with the knowledge their gathered over time, but in the mafia life, death will be always followed by sadness, by grief and pain. Life is almost too expensive to be afforded if you are not careful enough, but that is what one must take care of himself, without involving those dear too him. If that happens, the cruel fate will pay them back and destroy whatever or whoever they loved most. It was a vicious cycle of the life. There were very few people that could defy it and live a happy life.

One year passed without anybody noticed when that happened, but a lot of things changed during that time and almost nobody remained the same. Not even Jolly, who was just an experienced boy that was favored by their late boss. He became a fine man, somebody that found his place in the mafia world, that overcame his weakness and became stronger in order to keep the family united. Even Rayne, who was almost unreachable changed a bit and became more reliable. His cold attitude melted a bit and he got along with more persons than before, but there was something he never allowed to change. His strong personality, his authority over them. It was important to keep their in their previous position if he wanted to maintain the unity between them, at least until Egil was dead. There were a lot who fought for the same cause and unbelievable, he had to accept Byakuran decision to make the Vongola their allies. Jolly had been against the idea the whole time, but in the end they had to agree with that. It was hard, because peace was what lacked between them and the guardians and of course, the Varia. There was an open conflict that manifested by itself everytime they were alone.

The most hard thing was to accept that they had to see Byakuran as their leader, since the majority thought that he would be the wolf that would eat them whole in a couple of months. But that never happened despite their supposition, yet everybody was aware of his true nature. Despite that, Rayne learnt to get along with the Millefiore boss, because in the end, he was the one who ordered them to do certain things and not even once they failed their missions. That if none of the Vongola were involved. When that happened, it seemed that only Byakuran found amusement in the casualties they caused, unlike a certain Vongola boss who strongly disagreed with their behavior. Of course that it was funny for him since he wasn't the one that did all that paperwork, but in time, Rayne and Jolly leant to deal with that. As hard as it seemed in the first days and as frightening as Jolly found Byakuran, in the end they understood that he was just like that and unless you angered him, you had nothing to fear.

Still, after Carmine Wahlen had been removed from her post as the boss of the assassination squad and Jolly took her place, the rivalry between them grew bigger. There wasn't a single they when they didn't argued. Well, she was the one that started a fight, but ended up with her mouth shut, because during that year, Jolly matured pretty much and learnt to control himself. He was no longer the child that acted on his own impulses, but tried to end up the conflict on a peaceful manner, despite how much she tried to make him react and that way Byakuran would give her back her post. Unfortunately, that never happened and their confrontation seemed to amuse Rayne to no end, even more when Jolly came back with a sour face, thanks to how much Carmine managed to annoy him.

Yet, he had been crazy enough to confront Byakuran about something after he eavesdropped unintentionally. For a moment he thought that it meant his end, but now he had to keep that secret, but Rayne felt better after finding it out. A lot of things became clear for him, even if he couldn't say one thing of what he heard, because pretty soon, everybody would know. He couldn't stop thinking of their expressions after they would find out what Byakuran was hiding, especially when they would se with their own eyes. But for now he had to be careful and stop thinking of that, because Mukuro was a sly bastard that did his best to find on his on what was happening. Sometimes Rayne would find amusing the fact that he tried to make him speak, but nothing worked in the end. It was just lost time.

Even if a year had passed, he still hated to be in front of the Vongola mansion or inside, even if it was related to business. He couldn't stand them, but he had strict orders of not causing trouble to them, so even if he didn't like that he had to submit. It was really hard when he met Hibari Kyoya, because he kept stepping on his nerves, let alone Xanxus with his spoiled attitude. It was like he was going to circus, not to a mansion of mafia people. Rayne sighed, finally entering, but instead of meeting the characteristic noise, the silence made him shiver, thinking that something really bad must have happened if nobody was making any noise. For a second he felt the need to laugh, because it was weird to see that weird atmosphere, yet probably, everybody was punished for something they did. Or that's what he thought, because a loud thud made him take a step back, wondering what could have happened.

Sighing, Rayne, despite his reluctance, went to see what was happening and as expected, there was a stupid fight between Hibari and Mukuro. Well, he understood him in that matter, since the mist guardian kept living in their house and wasting their money. It was amusing to see those two fights, especially when the result was known to everybody, but the most bothered person was Sawada, since his mansion was the one that got destroyed everytime. For know, he sure knew that if Elen would be there, despite her calm demeanor, the measure she would take would be drastic. It really seemed that Sawada wasn't a person fit to be Vongola tenth, no matter how hard Reborn trained him.

When he was in front of Tsunayoshi's office, he didn't bother to knock, but felt like laughing from the scene in front of him. Sure, that was a bad habit, Elen scolded him a lot of times, yet he could do that to others. "Hei, Hei, take it easy, brat. Or should I say that you should go to your bedroom?" Despite the countless warnings from Gokudera Hayato, Rayne never stopped to make fun of the brat. For him it was so amusing to tease him like that. But today he didn't come for trivial things, but because some documents needed to be seen by him, yet he thought it was pointless, since Sawada wasn't in the mafia for a long time. He lacked the necessary experience, no matter what others said. He kept his opinion, because it didn't matter that he was young, since Elen had also been almost the same age as him, but the difference between the two could be seen. If he compared Tsunayoshi with Byakuran, the gap was even bigger, since he had even more experience, thanks to the traveling to the parallel worlds.

Rayne saw that Kyoko was now blushing, but things like that made him feel so bored, that he couldn't hide his yawn and instead of greeting her, he sat on one of the chair, before throwing the papers on Sawada's desk. "Look on them, but be fast, unlike you, we also work." Now he was using his normal tone, a bored yet threatening one, but Rayne was aware of the fact that Tsunayoshi didn't fear him. For a reason or other, he didn't like that, because he thought that everybody was good and shit like that. He didn't mind to control himself being in the presence of a girl, but that was the sole thing that stopped him from snapping and showing Sawada that he shouldn't be so stupid and trust people so easily. Instead of saying anything, Rayne waited for him to finish, crossing his arms and still listening to the noise that Hibari and Mukuro made. He didn't even want to imagine the reason for their dispute, but it could have been anything. They were at each other's throats even for a glass of water.

"I think it too dangerous…I can't approve this plan of yours. Was it Byakuran that came with this idea? Tell him that I'll send him by version tomorrow." Rayne was sure that Sawada would refuse to do that, but he also understood that Byakuran send him because the guardians tolerated him better than they did with him. Rayne knew the reason and couldn't blame them, but he preferred a boss like Byakuran than somebody as inexperienced as Sawada Tsunayoshi. "Look, very well if you have plenty of time on your hands, but we don't. If you want to life a peaceful life, just retreat! The mafia world isn't for somebody as you!" Rayne was prepared to leave and got up from the chair, taking back the documents he threw on the desk. He couldn't stay any second there with somebody as oblivious as him. It stepped on his nerves and he could care less if Sawada was really a strong guy, but his way of thinking was really stupid. "Then you want to kill all your people? Do you want them to share the same fate as Elen?!"

Rayne knew that something inside him snapped when he heard that brat using Elen's same so casually, but he had to calm himself. "The next time you say that name, the post of the Vongola boss would be free…Don't make another mistake, stupid brat." His words were harsh, but Sawada Tsunayoshi had no right to speak like that, as if he was the one leading them. Just because he managed to defeat the Vindice didn't mean that he could order everybody around. In his eyes, he was only a child that thought that everything could be solved by smiling. He felt so angry, that seeing Gokudera Hayato didn't help him. Sure, the storm guardian also matured and his short temper was in control, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't do anything to protect his beloved boss. That was also Rayne's case, since he would have done everything to protect Elen, but he trusted her to be strong enough and to ask for help if she really needed it. Because she proved them that she was a strong woman, even if sometimes that tough façade would crack and she'd need their help.

He ignored him, but that didn't mean that their glares wouldn't rival each others, as usual. Rayne was glad that soon enough that situation would end and the outcome would be amusing to him. He wanted to see their faces when they saw what Byakuran had in store for them.

-Byakuran's villa, France-

Makoto hated that he had to stay in Byakuran's mansion, but that was a special request from somebody and therefore he accepted, but he was worried for Julie. After she had been discharged from hospital, she didn't contact any of them and he knew that she needed some comfort, because her life had been destroyed to the point of no return. Not only that she wouldn't be able to participate in a race, but she also had to retreat from the mafia world. Of course that he thought that it was better than dying, like what happened with Elen and Reiji, when their aircraft exploded and nobody could do anything to them, but that girl was too stubborn for her own good. Everybody had their dark past, sure, but if she could be alive, she should be glad. Makoto wondered if Byakuran had been too cruel with his choice of words, because she left crying, but in the end, he was aware that Byakuran had been right.

He ruffled his hair and finally sat on the couch, crossing his arms, because he knew that Byakuran wanted to tell them something, yet only he and Kotaro were their. Julie was somewhere where they couldn't' find her, since despite trying there was no trace of her. Sure, Makoto thought of the worst as well, because she could have been killed or committed suicide, because her state of mind was really frail then, but he tried to think that she only needed some time alone. But he hated that he had too stay with that white haired devil who often teased him with things he shouldn't know.

"Have an idea of what he wants to tell us? I'm kinda bored here…" Makoto shrugged his shoulders, because he didn't really know what Byakuran planned for them. No matter how hard he thought, there was no result and he gave up, because it was futile to try and think what Byakuran had in store for them. It was a mystery. "No idea…he's the only one who knows, so I hope he's going to move faster and come at once…" In that entire year while they stayed at his mansion, Byakuran didn't tell them anything related to Elen, despite his promise. He just said that he never promised anything, since he couldn't remember, but Makoto knew better. Despite their curiosity, they didn't want to die so young because they defied him. Even if he kept hiding the truth, both Makoto and Kotaro thought that it was better than dying. They knew that Byakuran was a dangerous man, despite how he usually acted. They knew he had a bad reputation.

Kotaro on the other hand was exhausted, since till then he trained, but he was called by a servant who told him that Byakuran wanted him in the lounge, so he hurried, but now…He had stopped without a reason and needed sleep, because he was tired, yet they had to wait for his majesty to appear. He thought of going to his room to sleep, but Kotaro was smart enough not to defy Byakuran or make him angry, since that could mean his end. He had his eyes closed, but he opened them as soon as he heard the door open and he saw not only Byakuran, but also Julie, who seemed mad that he dragged her there. Despite her protests, she took a seat near them, crossing her arms, but that meant that Byakuran could start talking now. "Now, let me tell you the reason why you're here~." Julie wanted to retort, but what she saw next made her stop. Not only her, but also Makoto and Kotaro were speechless, because things were so unclear, yet the happiness inside their hearts was so big. "What? No 'welcome back'? That's really cold."

-Back in Italy-

Jolly began to do his job seriously in that year and now, he finally managed to finish all the paperwork, before Rayne came back. He owed him so much, since he was the only one that kept his promise and trained him to the very end. Sighing, he looked through the window, but his mind was absent, he couldn't stop thinking how he first met Elen. He wanted to rewind time to avoid that stupid tragedy, even if that meant that they would never meet. It would be an option that he could accept, yet Byakuran told him that no matter what he did, the outcome would have been the same. That was what happened in other parallel worlds and that he saw her death, countless times.

-Flashback-

The rain kept pouring like there was going to happen a tragedy. The boy kept staying outside, crying like mad because his mother was in danger because of some guys that just broke into their house and started to act as if it was their property. He was afraid and thanks to his parents help, he could get outside, but what could such a small boy could do? Nothing, he was powerless. He couldn't even save his own family, but at the early age of thirteen, what could he do? Was there something such a small boy could do in order to help his beloved parents? Everything seemed as if it was against him, he found no solution and the fear was buried so deep into his soul. Crying was useless, because that wasn't a method to help anyone, yet he didn't know what to do. The rain was so intense that he didn't even hear the sound of a car stopping in front of his car, not the footsteps that slowly approached his crying form.

The moment the boy felt that the rain didn't touch him anymore, he raised his head and watched the face of the girl that put an umbrella over his head. He saw that her attire was really different from their and yet her eyes made him trust her. Even her smile made him feel reassured enough to jump into her arms, keeping crying. Yet, that stopped when he head the sound of something being shot and then he turned his head, looking at his house. What if something happened to his family? He was trembling, but the felt that an arm was around his back, while her hand was stroking his hair. "What's your name little one? I'm Elen." Her voice was so calm and warm, that he stopped crying and looked at her face, before he cringed hearing another gunshot. "..Jolly. Miss, don't go in there! There are some bad people that threaten my parents…!"

He didn't know why her face showed so much sadness, but Jolly also noticed that her expression changed, before she pulled out a gun, ignoring his plead. In that second he knew that the girl was part of the same world those guys were, yet she seemed different. He wasn't afraid of her and watched in awe how she didn't care of the danger awaiting for her. Jolly waited outside, with one of the men that accompanied her and waited, till she came back. He was glad to see that Elen wasn't hurt at all, but now he was worrying about his parents. What if they died? After all he head two gunshots. "Hei, don't worry about your parents…they are safe. Your father's arm will need treatment, but since it's my fault, I'll pay for it." He wanted to go inside, but she stopped him, ordering those men to clean up the house before he could enter. Jolly didn't understand at what she was referring, but he soon got the message when they pulled out a corpse. He was really afraid, that instead of running away, he searched for any kind of comfort in that girl's arms, but even she was surprised to see that he kept clinging to her instead of being scared. "Don't worry…nothing bad will happen now. Let's see your mommy and daddy, shall we?"

Her smiling face made Jolly feel better, especially when she was so gentle, despite killing people a second ago. He always thought that those kind of people wouldn't care what happened to others, but she was really different from them. So different, that Jolly smiled as well and followed her into his house, where nothing looked as if there had been such a disaster. He was glad that it was a girl like that that came and not somebody who would wait for those in the house to die first then he could go inside to finish his job. Jolly was aware that Elen would be a new start in his life since then.

-End of flashback-

Things went pretty good in that year, but there was still something missing and even though Jolly didn't say that, he was sure that Rayne noticed, yet he chose not to speak. Even if it passed a long time since her death, he couldn't forget her that easily and even now he still hoped that one of those days Elen would come through that door and laugh, saying that it had been only a joke to see their reactions. Even if he knew that it was impossible, Jolly tried to make himself feel better even though nothing was going to be the same. Her death changed everything, yet Rayne didn't seem that affected, not even Byakuran who claimed that she had been a precious friend to him. He was really confused, but decided not to voice out his doubts, since that could bring nothing good. In the end, even if they missed her as well, both had more experience and knew how to mask their feelings. Not unlike him, who found it hard even today. It didn't matter that he could do that for a few minutes, when it was necessary, because his hearts was still in disarray.

"Do you even know how stupid you look like this? Sure, we all find unbelievable that boss has died, but shouldn't you move on?" The annoying voice of Carmine made him bite his tongue, since from the very beginning, they didn't get along. The conflict between them manifested everytime they were alone, yet this time he simply didn't react to her stupid tries to annoy him. It was going to be pointless and another mistake that could make Byakuran take drastic measure wasn't in his plan. "Jolly, I'm not here to fight. It's just that you piss me of, honestly…do you really think that her death only affected you? Before being my boss, she was my friend. It was a shock for me to find out that she…died." He didn't look at her, but listened to everything Carmine said, because like she said, she didn't come there to fight with him. Maybe it was the fact that he behaved like that that they kept acting in that manner.

Jolly hated to admit that Carmine was right. He wasn't the only one that was greatly affected by Elen's death and yet everyone tried not to let that get in their way, because Elen would have hated to see that they couldn't keep moving on because of her. He knew that everything he heard was right, yet it was hard to simply move on, because she had been somebody precious to him. "Look, I admit that you changed a lot in this year, but you won't improve unless you choose to move on and make your own fate, like we did. I know you hate me, so don't think of me, but of Rayne." Hearing his name, Jolly finally dared to look at her and saw that her eyes were teary. Almost as if they knew each other for a long time and despite how they fought, they were friends or something more. But Jolly couldn't understand that feeling, yet he listened to what Carmine said. The girl was right in the end and he was aware of the fact that they had to stop fighting in order to be united through all that. But he hated himself for his own weaknesses he couldn't surpass, for his own helplessness.

He heard let out a sigh, before continuing to talk with him, to make him understand that he was not alone, that everybody tried to help him, yet his attitude was what made them so annoyed. Because he was dwelling in the past and couldn't surpass it. "I know you won't change your mind…but you should know that despite everything, Rayne is a good friend of mine, even if we fought. He also regrets Elen's death more than you. After all…he knew her since she was little. I've also known him from almost the same time as her…" Of course that he was surprised that those three knew each other for such a long time and yet he who could say that he barely knew her, suffered that much, while them managed to confront the fact of her death and accept it. Jolly hated himself for being that weak and for not having any resolve, but what could he do? Even Byakuran disapproved with his actions for most time and that made him feel worse. Maybe he wasn't suited for the mafia life like he thought.

"I'm…sorry for all the mean things I said to you. You're right…I'm a failure and I shouldn't even be here…I trouble you all. Even you who had problems with Byakuran because of me." Jolly didn't care that he had to leave, because maybe that was the best option he could choose, since they didn't really need him there. The family was formed of competent people that didn't need the help of a brat that only brought trouble upon them. But his thoughts couldn't be continued, because what he felt next was his cheek hurting really bad. When he raised his head, he knew that Carmine had just slapped him, but he didn't understand the reason for it. All the things he said were true, so why was she reacting like that? "You're an idiot, you know that? Don't think so bad of yourself, you stupid! If you valued yourself a little more, I'm sure you could find something that could be done only by you! You make me so mad, that I want to hit you! I'm leaving!" He was surprised that she reacted like that, but he cringed when she slammed the door, because her words really made him think of that.

Maybe there was a reason why he was in that famiglia. Probably Elen saw something in him that made her chose somebody like him to join and. She was a woman that knew how to draw out their potential, because he often heard how people there talked about how she helped them, but there was something he didn't get right. They were talking about a person with so much hate that Jolly didn't even dared to asked who were they talking about, all because of that hate. It seemed that he did something bad if everybody was speaking of him like that, but he couldn't ask anybody, it wasn't his right for the moment. He wasn't part of the family completely. Yet, nothing came without consequences. The commotion he heard outside his room made Jolly exit it to see what was happening, but people were going so fast, that he barely had time to recognize somebody.

When he saw Carmine, Jolly noticed the worried look on her face, yet in the same time, he could see the hate she felt towards somebody and the need for revenge. "H-Hei! What's…happening?" Instead of receiving an answer, Jolly was dragged after her, till they got into the infirmary, yet he didn't understand the reason for that. He wanted to ask again, but a doctor came to them and began to talk with her. What was happening that serious that everybody was alerted? Jolly let those two talk and went to the other room, where normally patients where kept, but when he opened the door, he felt his heart stopping for a moment. Jolly didn't understand how that could happen, since with a few hours ago, he saw Rayne and he was well, yet now, he was connected to some devices in order to live. "I'm sorry, his chances of living are really small…His blood type is rare and I don't think we can find it…"

He was speechless, but in that moment he finally understood Carmine's words, because she was so desperate in that moment, that he finally got the message. Seeing her so anxious made him finally get what he lacked, but know they had to care of Rayne who so on the verge of death. "Don't worry, I have the same blood type as him, but please…save him. I don't want to lose another friend…Just take how much blood you need!" Jolly couldn't let her do all the job, not when he could help as well and since Rayne wouldn't be able to do anything for a while, it was his duty to keep everything in check. Not even Byakuran was there, but somewhere in France, doing something else. "I also have the same blood type, so don't worry, I'll also donate." He even understood the look on Carmine's face, that happy smile, despite the tragedy. She was happy for him, that he finally managed to fully mature.

"Very well then, but there is also something worse than this. Carmine…his wound was caused by that traitor, Takumi. Rayne managed to tell me before he lost his conscience." In that moment Jolly could see how her features hardened and how mad she was, almost to the point of killing everyone that she met. It looked like the man that everyone was talking about made a move.