I'm so lucky to caught a cold during Christmas. Feel my irony. My back still hurts. That's why I couldn't update sooner.

I hope this chapter (part two) is as good as part one. I'll briefly answer some reviews:

The Mouse Maestro: Actually I didn't know it's an original idea of "going to the past" fanfiction, but I'm happy if it seems so.

ColdCurl: I had fun writing their interaction and wish I could write more about them...but story has to progress and I can't focus only on them. What a shame!

long live marshmallows: Omg, is that you?! Sorry...I just love your fanfictions! I've been reading your stories ever since Detective in Town! Yeah...I wanted to write a story where I could focus more on the 1st gen. and as a background Tsuna and his friends going to the past, even though Tsuna IS the main character here. And no, Tsuna didn't hear Gokudera. You could call that...Hyper Intuition. I like long chapters too but mostly because I can explore the story better. I'm glad my selfishness is being accepted. Yes, I have to make it worth since after summer vacation I won't be as "free" as I am now.

Soul of The World: No romance. Absolutely.

BrokenBlackCat: You guessed right...that's no fun! :D

Lady Ariadna: Thank you so much for point out my childish mistakes! I only realized them after uploading, even though I'd proofread it so many times before. The case is: after spending weeks and sometimes even months writing a single chapter, I just don't feel like revising my stories. Gah. But really, you didn't offend me at all. I'm grateful to you!

Fi Suki Saki: It might be a spoiler but...poor Gokudera, I pity you. LOL. Go read all of previous chapters now. G wanted Knuckle to heal Gokudera. I wrote that.

"Fortunately not, I think. We'll need your flame to fix up a brat I found." (Brat on G's language: that's Gokudera since he was the one to found him)

Uni Giglio Nero: I'm glad you liked it! Well, I thought that was obvious but yes, that was Giotto. Giotto's sexy voice.

Tiger723: LOL! I choked on my coca-cola now! Really, I nearly died! Let's leave the biting for Hibari, because he's expert on this. And why, thank you. I'm glad that's not too confusing. I'm trying to let it easier to understand the sudden change of time (past and future). Thanks for the cake.

Yuu3: The part two is here, and some of your questions will be answered here. I understand your point but keep in mind that when people feel cornered by a problem, some of them tend to see any hope and pursue it. Gokudera is a hotheaded person, yes, mostly when it comes to Tsuna. I don't know if I made it clear, but as I can see I did not, Gokudera is fighting with himself. A part of him, the conscious and logical one, and sadly, is convinced that Tsuna is unfortunately dead. And the other part, a little voice in his mind saying that there was still hope, believed that perhaps there was a way. I still didn't have time enough in these last two chapters to describe well enough of what's going on Gokudera's mind, but soon there will be. Until then, please, let's bear what this chapter has to offer us.

Cecilia Beth: Sorry for the wait. Here's the chapter 6. And thank you, I tried to make it realistic.

And I said it'd be briefly…haha.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn but if did, I would write a whole arc only with the first generation of Vongola.

Important: "Speaking in Japanese."

"Speaking in Italian."

Thoughts

Chapter Six: Doppelgangers – Part II

"P-Please, don't die!"

Those words haunted him. The person was broken, he could tell, and his despair was clear in his voice. It was understandable because he, too, was feeling hopeless. How could he ensure the person that everything was going to be all right?

It wasn't like he wanted this to happen. Then, how could he get back to normal again?

One could think about their death wish in a desperate time or even possibly think about their regrets during their lives. Tsuna was no different; he thought about his regrets during his life as he did countless times already. If he hadn't any regret, he wouldn't have managed to survive to his first time being shot by a Dying Will Bullet. He could have died if he hasn't any regrets. And that day was no different, but what could save him wasn't a special bullet but something even more incredible.

He wished he could change time. That day he made a wish that could change the course of his life if he survived.

Everything around him slowed. And even more cliché, his whole life flashed before his eyes.

Tsuna remembered his mom and absent dad. A good memory of his childhood days flew through his mind. In those days everything was so easy and peaceful; his dad wasn't so absent as he is now. His only worry was to play around and be the mom's child. It was then he remembered something about two months ago.

He once asked Gokudera if he would call him by his name, just like any other close friend would. At the time, the Italian boy refused. Obviously, Tsuna felt hurt. He knew Gokudera for a fair time now; they should already be calling themselves for their given names.

He didn't insist though.

After gaining courage, little by little he dropped off the honorific and started calling Gokudera by just his family name. Then, he wondered if some day all his effort to close the gap between them would pay off. Would Gokudera call him Tsuna one day? Would he really consider him as his friend instead of only his so-called boss? He just hoped so.

When he heard those heavy steps going to his direction, and a rough voice calling him by his name, he knew it had really paid off. And unfairly as life is, he wouldn't be able to spend the moment. Life, or more accurately death, was driving him away from a moment he had been waiting for so long.

He let himself be dragged to a cold and dark place. Tsuna felt as if his body was floating and underneath himself was a frozen ocean. He didn't dare to open his eyes; he was too afraid of knowing where he was. Once he knew, he would wish to have a way to get out of there. However, that peace wouldn't last long. He wasn't alone and he learnt that not long after.

His eyes were drawn to something flashing beside him. He saw nothing but darkness. He was sure he had seen something, and just when he had decided to open his eyes. Tsuna trembled. He shut his eyes tightly. The thought of being trapped on a mysterious place after dying was terrifying. What if he never leaves this place?

It was then he heard it—a soft voice spoke from beside him, exactly where he had seen a flashing moments ago.

Do you want it? The voice asked him. Though the voice was somewhat distant, cold, and pierced through him like a dagger, the voice also calmed his fears. Tsuna wasn't afraid anymore. Slowly he opened his eyes, and yet everything around him was dark.

Though the question made by the voice was vague, its meaning was very clear for the boy. It offered him what humankind many times desired of obtaining. Traveling through time had its implications and it was tempting. If the opportunity to fulfill his wish was available, then why not take it?

It was until he heard the voice again.

Is that what you really wish for, Decimo?

In that moment of despair in his last moments of life, Tsuna couldn't ask for anything more. Until then, he was prepared for anything that would happen. Doctors could revive him, or even possibly, he couldn't even been dying. But all he could least expect was to hear that voice. It was so nostalgic; the last time he had heard it was during a difficult time but there was a difference—this time he was talking to him. And it wasn't a memory incrusted in the Ring or whatsoever; he was right in front of him asking him questions.

Vongola Primo was real. The moment he realized it, the place became lighter and warmer. He could easily see Primo's features and his blank expression. An orange flame danced on Primo's forehead. His surroundings gradually took form, as well as sense. It was like he was in a whole and completely different dimension.

"Primo?" he dared to say. The tall figure's eyes glinted and he nodded, so Tsuna took this chance and continued, "What...what is happening? A-am I dead? Is that why I'm seeing you?"

Primo shook his head. After seeing that the former Vongola boss wouldn't say anything more, Tsuna took notice that he was in Hyper Dying Will Mode as well, and his wounds didn't hurt. He was fine and healed.

"Could you please explain me what's going on?" he pleaded as he scanned the place.

There was nothing except for Primo and him. And Primo himself was pretty much silent even after talking to him first. All he could think after this situation was that he was going to be availed and possibly be given the title as "the worst boss Vongola had and will ever have". Not that he cared much. To begin with, it hadn't been his choice joining the mafia. He still had regrets about letting innocent lives being involved with it.

So you do regret it? Primo spoke, his orange eyes softening. Tsuna gasped in surprise. Tell me, Tsunayoshi Sawada, would you go back in time just to change it on your favor?

Tsuna opened his mouth but closed it as quickly. He had just answered "yes" to the question inside his mind. Yes, he would go to the past and change it so that he wouldn't have to suffer anymore, and his friends wouldn't have to go through painful situations. If that was the question then yes, he would. But on his favor? He didn't agree with it. He wouldn't do it just for him. He wasn't that kind of person.

"No, I wouldn't," he answered with conviction in his eyes. Primo nodded and stepped closer to him. "Not just for me."

You made a wish, as Primo said that, Tsuna slowly started remembering what he had asked for. His stupid wish put him in an awkward position. For his ancestor's presence, the brunette could tell that it wasn't something he could step back now. Just by healing his injuries that actually killed him, Primo was already defying the world's laws. You made a very outrageous and difficult wish. You wish to change time, isn't it?

Tsuna swallowed and simply nodded.

Though I wouldn't have thought that it'd actually be granted.

He had slowly accepted he was going to die as soon he realized that nothing could be done for him. He had accepted that he would have to leave his friends and a desolated mother behind, and even that Reborn could never forgive him for dying so pathetically. And that was all when a sudden ray of hope appeared right before of him in the form of his ancestor. It was too much to swallow.

But I cannot do that, and all of Tsuna's hopes had been shattered again. I cannot do that because I'm not that powerful. Sending you back to your past just to change the course of things would infringe irreparable consequences.

"T-then...why did you save me?!" Tsuna asked. He was desperate; his only chance didn't exist. If he couldn't go back to the past and change it then there was no meaning to it. His friends would continue to suffer. "W-what am I here for?"

Unexpectedly, Primo smiled.

I did say that it was impossible for me to send you to your past. It's way more riskier than sending you to a more distant past where you hadn't been born.

The brunette raised his eyebrows. "What does that mean?"

If I sent you to the time where you didn't know anything about mafia, it would only put your life in danger. You see, sending you to your own past could create a paradox, and your current self as well as your past self would disappear leaving nothing behind.

"I-I didn't know about it," he looked down. He clenched his fists and bitting his bottom lip. "And even though I died, there's still many things I'd like to know."

The blond man smiled sympathetically at him. He knew very well what was going through the boy's mind. Though he was only a projection of what he once was stuck inside the ring, he had things he couldn't do and wished to have a second chance. But unlike Tsuna, who still had a chance, he had none. It was for that boy, who still had many years to live, and was his descendent as well, that his wish would come true.

Primo closed his orange eyes for some seconds as his smile spread. He wouldn't be able to do something like this for a while, but in the end it'd be worth it.

I can send you to my past, he said much to the boy's surprise. He noticed that saying something strange like that and carelessly as he did, did much more damage in the boy as he imagined. You'll have to think in the best manner to re-write you story.

Tsuna frowned. He didn't understand a word that Vongola Primo had said. So, he would really travel back in time, but for the past when Primo was still alive? Was he going to re-write his story through Primo's time? If so...

Tsuna's mouth trembled as he looked carefully at Primo's expression. It was still blank, but a small smile played on his lips.

I-It can't be! Does he want me to go back in time and make sure that Vongola will never exist in the future?

As he was about to ask Primo's true intentions and what he would really have to do, Primo started disappeared within air and the mysterious place they were in started to come down. A last meaningful stare was sent to him before Primo's last words echoed in the collapsing place.

Don't disappoint me, Decimo.

Before Tsuna could argue more, he was able to see Primo gently smiling at him as he said his last words.

Yes, don't disappoint me. The decision you shall make will change everything. Farewell; this is the last time I'll assist you, my descendant.

And with that, Tsuna felt like he was falling to a huge cliff with no bottom. Darkness was the last thing he saw.

He was falling. For how long? He didn't know. It seemed like forever, if it could be possible. When he least expected, he had landed in a very rough way. Tsuna was lucky for not have broken a bone on his fall. His eyes were still shut, but he knew he was somewhere else — and he mysteriously didn't remember what happened moments ago. Why was he in a place like this? Had he been abducted?

There were loud sounds coming from all directions. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell he had landed on a grassy ground with twigs of trees everywhere. It was cold, even though he could tell it was sunny. Why though? Nothing was visible to him. He wouldn't be able to tell. Even so, the sounds of birds and the soft breeze were all sights of a sunny day.

Get him!, a man's voice called out. It was distant but it made the boy alert. If his instincts were right, that was a voice of a man who didn't belong to the normal society. It was voice filled with bloodlust.

His eyes popped open and he stood up in one movement. A sharp pain behind his head made him regret of getting up so sudden. His feet were tingling and his hands were as hard as rocks. What on earth had happened to him? His clothes were all tattered as if he had just come out of a fire, but there were no burns on his skin. Besides some scratches here and there, there wasn't nothing wrong with him. It should be fine to walk then.

Tsuna scanned the place with his sleepy eyes and caught notice of two things: he was in a forest, and there was a kind of war going on.

Carefully he started to walk. The feeling of walking on that steep ground wasn't making him any better; he could feel that it was a matter of time until his unsteady feet gave out. Before falling, Tsuna hold on to a tree to prevent himself to tumbling down. After resting a bit, and hearing everything in his surroundings, he took a deep breath and headed north. He should go to a safe place and being there any longer would only put himself into more danger.

How wrong he was. Going to that direction was something he could only understand days after.

Tsuna kept waking. He tugged his coach tightly around himself as he felt he was losing warmth. He was feverish, he could tell. Then, he stopped abruptly. Tsuna couldn't tell for sure why he had done that, but he was sure he had to. His Hyper Intuition proved to be right when some noises came from somewhere ahead of him.

He crouched down and crawled through the bushes, taking enough care to make no noise. Snapping a branch in two at a time like this wouldn't be good. Definitely. Whoever was ahead, there shouldn't be a good person. He could feel it.

When he was sure he had come as close as possible to the place, and at the same time far enough to not be discovered, Tsuna stopped crawling and pulled the bush aside so he could see what was happening. His eyes widened.

Four men were surrounding a boy. They all had guns aimed at the boy who could do nothing instead. He was surrounded, and injured for what Tsuna could presume.

For some odd reason, the boy seemed oddly familiar to him. Even though he could only look at the boy's back, his light green hair and his way of shaking his whole body in fear brought back old memories.

"Get ready, brat. This will serve Vongola Primo right," one of the men said and unlocked the gun. The others only laughed and Tsuna felt rage boiling in his chest. It was a cowardly—they were about to kill a defenseless boy. And in front of him. Acting on impulse, without thinking things through, he was already attacking one man from behind.

"Wha-?" It was all the man could say before he fell unconscious on the ground. The other three stared at Tsuna dumbfounded, still with their guns aimed at the green-haired boy.

An orange flame appeared on Tsuna's forehead and his eyes that were brown-honey moments ago were also orange now. His childlike eyes were narrowed, and he had a colder expression. He wasn't the innocent-looking boy anymore.

"Put your guns down, now," even his voice sounded fearsome and the men, even though they didn't understand what the boy said, shivered in fear. "I'll only say this time."

One of the three men, a brown-haired and tallest one, turned to others with his gun still hold up.

"Did…did any of you understood what that brat said?" he asked the others. The two others shook their heads. "I thought so. But, no matter what he said, I think he want to pick a fight. What do you think?"

The other two looked at each other and shook their heads simultaneously.

They grinned and took a step closer to the young boss. The three men passed by the green-haired boy without a second glance—because they had found a new prey now.

Tsuna hadn't expected this. He thought those men could back off once they saw how serious he was, but he guessed that there really are stupid people. Even feeling tired he faced the three men, merciless taking them down one after another.

After punching the last one, Tsuna crouched. He breathed erratically and beads of sweat just kept dripping from his face. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest as if it would jump out of it at any moment. And his right hand, which he used more for punching, was throbbing.

Tsuna couldn't bear the weight of his own body and he fell on the ground. Everything around him seemed to be spinning endlessly. He could hear for the first time the voice of the green-haired boy, who called him in a funny way. What was that again? It's like he was speaking another language now, though the boy was just in front of him!

Strange, he thought. Tsuna was sure he had seen that boy somewhere. He was strangely familiar.

But no matter what Tsuna thought, he had to admit one thing. The latest events were strange. He didn't seem to understand one bit of it. Perhaps Reborn was the one behind this. Perhaps he had been sent to a strange place and alone. Reborn surely was behind this. Once he comes back he would be sure to want a full explanation for all of this. That infant, who was also a hitman and the best out there, couldn't just mess up with his life and put him in danger in a place he don't know.

Even so, why was it so painful whenever he tried to remember why was he there?

Tsuna was feeling weird. His body was warm and he was having strange hallucinations. Just now, he was almost sure, he had heard the green-haired boy say that help was coming. He did say that a powerful friend of his would help him and that he couldn't die, not when he was his savior. He had even said that he would ask Primo for him to stay in the mansion with them. And he even said that Vongola would welcome him as a friend of the family.

Those words didn't hold any meaning to him. Powerful friend? Primo? Mansion? Vongola? What was that boy even talking about? So was he in Italy after all? Reborn must have sent him to Italy and now a strange green-haired boy was saying to him that Vongola would help him. Then it meant that the boy didn't know who he was. But that wasn't all. What did he mean by "Primo"? If he remembered well, Ninth's name wasn't Primo. That guy was talking nonsense. He was insane, because if he remembered well, the one who had the title of Primo was…

Decided that he had no time to be lying on the ground because of such injuries, Tsuna decided to open his eyes. First, a sharp pain on his abdomen struck on him and he groaned annoyed. Perhaps he was in a bad condition after all. He slowly opened his eyes, which had to be proven the right thing to do because the lightness of the place was heavy. Through his eyelashes he caught notice of three new figures staring him.

There was a dark-haired man with dark robe. His forehead was sweating bullets and he had blood on his hands, his blood. The second person reminded him of Gokudera, except for his hair colour and a red tattoo on his right cheek. As soon as his eyes landed on the last one, they widened as much as possible.

It couldn't be true. That was just impossible. How could that man be standing before him?

He must have gone insane as well. His lips trembled, and though his lips parted to speak, he couldn't get the words he wanted to utter to come out. Even so, that man spoke to him.

Tsuna refused that it could be true, but the pain he was feeling all over his body told him otherwise.

He couldn't take it any longer. His eyes insisted on closing without his permission and staying awake was proving to be extremely difficult. He gave in to the embracing darkness, but not before hearing the third person talking to him again.

The blond-haired man had caught his arm and Tsuna felt really safe. His hands were so warm and familiar. And he knew why.

If he remembered well, the one who had the title of Primo was…

…none other than the blond-haired man holding him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't ask more questions ever again. He was dying, wasn't he?

(Future — A week before current time in the past, some hours after the incident)

Gokudera was alone in his hospital bedroom. Reborn had left him with restricted orders to not leave his room until he said so.

Feeling alone in that dark room he couldn't help but think of one thing in particular. It couldn't get out of his mind; the image of Tsuna's face as he was shot and his body collapsing on the ground…lifeless. It was haunting him ever since he woke up in that hospital room. He remembered way too well what happened in those regretful seconds.

Everything was in slow motion for him. He saw it happening; he shouldered his gun but at the same time, he realized he couldn't fire. His fear of hitting Tsuna was bigger than his fear of seeing the enemy shot him. Gokudera couldn't forgive himself if he was the one to kill his boss. For a second, he pondered again about his chances, but he wasn't fast enough.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gokudera's eyes met Tsuna's in that frozen moment. He saw his boss' face scrunch up in pain, and just after, blood came out from his mouth. He actually watched hopeless as his boss collapsed onto the ground as a broken toy. He watched as Tsuna's blood spread over his face, clothes and feet. But what actually shocked him was what he saw when he met Tsuna's eyes. Tsuna was terrified. In that moment, he thought he had heard him say:

"I'm sorry…"

It took some time for him to realize what had just happened.

If he had been faster…it couldn't have happened. He wouldn't be in that dark hospital room feeling an indescribable pain in his chest. He wouldn't be feeling the strange sensation of a lump rising in his throat and he wouldn't even be feeling that unknown salty water coming out of his eyes. His hands wouldn't be shaking and his lips wouldn't be bleeding.

Every moment that same scene replayed in his mind, made he feel even more fear and think miserably of himself.

There was blood everywhere and even in him. He still remembered the sickly and strong smell of iron, and how fast it spread over the ground. How quick a person can lose blood. And how fragile a person can be.

His stomach roiled and he felt like he could vomit at any moment.

Something was wrong. Everything seemed so wrong.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to destroy the hospital room he was in, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything besides staring at his own shaky hands.

The man he had sworn to protect for his entire life was gone. Gone.

Why? He wanted to ask, but couldn't get the words out. Why was he so weak? Why did he let things go that way?

Gokudera was afraid that Reborn could be right. They couldn't know if Tsuna was alive, after all, they saw him dying. There was no way, even though he still refused it, that he could survive to that.

He regretted it. He regretted for being useless when his boss need him the most. He regretted for not doing anything to prevent this moment, and regretted even more that he had the guts to call himself Vongola Tenth's right-hand man. Just who was he fooling? He had no right to call himself Tenth's right-hand man when he couldn't even act as one.

Gokudera bit his bottom lip and looked down. Uri had gone out of his gear without his permission and was looking at him with sad eyes. Even his cat pitied him.

The silver-haired boy laid on his bed and patted Uri's head as a feeling of light-headedness hit him. His eyes were forcibly closing on their own.

If only there was something he could do to safe his boss, and friend, he would do it. Anything. Because he still had hope.

Without noticing, Gokudera slept and his body started glowing. He was there sleeping on his bed one moment and the other, the hospital's bedroom was empty.

(Future — A week before current time in the past, twelve hours after Gokudera disappeared)

Reborn was back to his infant form, but it didn't make him less intimidating. And Shoichi knew it too well. It was like he was having a déjà vu as the infant pointed a green gun at the middle of his head. A quick death, but no less fearsome.

Shoichi swallowed heavily. He started counting his last seconds of life as he reported the latest news.

"A-According to a nurse it appears th-that Enma Kozato d-d-disappeared all of sudden," he stammered. "H-He was drinking a soda at the time."

He sighed and looked expectantly at Reborn. They were in a room with Yamamoto, Ryohei, Chrome and Hibari, who was at the furthest corner of the room, away from everyone else. The guardians of Simon family hadn't been notified about their boss whereabouts yet. It wouldn't be easy to explain how can a person disappear leaving nothing behind.

"So, you're saying me that after twelve hours since Gokudera disappeared, now the same happened to Enma?" Reborn asked in a low but intimidating voice.

Shoichi gulped and shook his head. "E-Exactly."

Oh, his stomach ached. He really couldn't stand all that pressure. And everyone was staring at him, but the look that frightened him the most was from the infant. Those hungry eyes stared at him as if they were looking at his soul, searching for any lies and fears. And it was exactly what he was feeling now. Fear.

It had been his mistake to let Spanner go to sleep.

"This is getting out of hand," the usual cheerful Yamamoto spoke with a serious tone. "What do we do, kiddo?"

Reborn looked at any particular point of the room and let out a small sigh. How troublesome. So they were running out of time.

"Prepare ourselves, it seems that we're going to the past."

(Past — Vongola Primo's time)

Giotto wasn't having a nice time. In truth, he always does his best to avoid this time.

He had been sitting in his office room for what seemed weeks, signing papers and more papers nonstop, which only gave him a headache at the end. The content of them was always the same: the cost of repairs of the mansion and the city. Even if he protected the city of other mafia families, if his guardians destroyed something there then of course he had to pay for it. But couldn't they slow down? Every week, at least twenty more of those papers were added to the always-crescent stack of papers.

It could be worse, it was always what he told himself as an attempt to cheer himself up. And indeed, it was worse.

He shouldn't have ignored his headache. It was probably trying to tell him that the worst was about to come.

As soon as Alaude and G entered the room, Giotto knew that something very wrong was going on. His senses started screaming at him.

The all mighty Alaude had stepped on his office room accompanied with G. That was a rare sight.

Alaude was walking to his direction, and he had in his hands a pair of handcuffs. Meanwhile, G stood perfectly still in front of the door, as if he was blocking the only way out of the room. And whatever was coming, Giotto knew that jumping out of the window would be an insane plan.

The other man, however, kept going to his direction with the handcuffs still on hand, and Giotto could swear that it flashed dangerously at him.

"A-Alaude? What are you doing?" he asked, watching as the handcuffs were growing closer to him. And now, Alaude and his handcuffs were only a foot away from him. The silvery sheen of the object blinded him.

"Hey, don't come near me with that thing!" he scolded.

"Quiet, it's for your own good."

That was when he felt a strong pair of hands taking his left wrist and locking it together with the arm of the chair.

"Ouch! Alaude!" it took him several seconds to realize that he had been tied to the chair. "You can't be serious! G, are you not going to do anything about this?"

He tried to raise his left hand a bit so that G could see his current situation, but it was impossible. The handcuffs wouldn't let his hand go too much up.

"Sorry." G shrugged.

It was then that Giotto understood what was happening, and it saddened him deeply.

"You…you conspired against me!" he accused, pointing a finger of his other hand at G. "Do you want me to stay here with this endless paperwork forever?"

G sighed and rubbed his temple. He truly was feeling like he had gone too far this time. Maybe Primo wouldn't forgive him after this, but it was necessary. They were running out of time to the mafia party.

"No, of course not," he answered truthfully. "But if that will make it easier for you to stay here and sign all of this damn papers, then it can't be helped."

"You…! You traitor!" Giotto tried in vain to get rid of the handcuffs, but as expected, he couldn't even loose its lock. Alaude had done a great job as always.

If only he had his gloves with him…maybe the heat could melt the handcuff.

"I'll take this with me," Alaude took his gloves out of a drawer of his mahogany desk and walked out of the room, leaving G alone with Giotto.

G grinned and prepared to leave the poor blond man alone.

"You know you can ask me for help," he suggested. Knowing his best friend well, he knew that Giotto would fall for it.

Upon hearing the word help, a ray of hope lit inside Giotto. It was just what he needed—help from someone.

"Then…help me G!" he asked almost pleading. The young boss didn't want to be left alone with that fearful amount of paper.

But life can be cruel sometimes.

As soon as he noticed a smirk growing on G's face, Giotto knew that he was doomed.

"But I'm sorry," his tone was like that of someone who was truly sorry, but his expression said otherwise. G slowly opened the door behind him and slipped a bit out. "I just remembered that I need to do something first. Maybe later?"

G didn't wait for an answer and shut the door. But he heard a faint shout coming from inside the office room.

"G…!"

Not too far from there, a boy suddenly appeared in the middle of the mansion's garden. He groaned in pain and rubbed the back of his head. The juice box that was in his hand was now pouring strawberry juice on the ground.

He awkwardly got on his feet and wiped the dirt off his clothes. Scanning the area, the boy came up with a conclusion that he wasn't in Japan anymore. The renaissance-style mansion was definitely not Japanese. And that weather! He knew it too well to know that he was overseas. As to how, he wondered about it. In the last recent memory he had, he was at the Namimori Hospital and buying a drink.

How could he be miles away from Japan when minutes ago he was there? It was too strange.

Deciding that he should explore the place, the ginger boy walked to a warehouse nearby. There was a man sitting in front of it and he seemed to be taking a nap. It should be fine to ask for directions.

The boy nudged lightly on the man's arm, but he didn't wake. Realizing that the man snored highly, he reached the conclusion that it would take more than a slight nudge to wake the man. And so did the boy, he poked insistently and more strongly than before. His efforts paid off as soon as he saw that the man's eyelids twitched and he slowly opened his eyes.

It took some seconds before the man realized he had been sleeping on duty and quickly got up from his position. After doing his ritual of straightening his clothes and checking over his face searching for any sign that he had been sleeping, the man finally caught notice of whom had woken him.

"Er, hello..." The boy said shyly in Italian. "Could you tell me where I am?"

The man's eyes widened and his jaw slowly dropped.

"G-G-Guards!" The man cried out. "An intruder!"

The boy's eyes went as wide as the man's. "EHH?!"

He held both his hands at his face and frenetically waved them.

"N-No! W-Wait! I'm not...!" The boy, Enma Kozato, started sweating too much for a day not much hot as he vainly tried to explain himself.

Not long after, Enma was surrounded on all sides. He knew that once things had gotten to that point, it would be difficult to convince the men that he had come in peace and actually didn't know where he was.

Why am I in Italy really? Enma wondered as he let out a nervous laugh. The men surrounding him glared at him with fierce eyes and they had guns pointed at him.

Meanwhile, tied to a chair and amid huge piles of yellowed papers and in the light of chandeliers, Giotto read and signed nonstop mission reports and bills he had yet to pay.

The young boss was already conformed that he'd have to stay there until he finished at least half of all the paperwork, which was around 500 papers in total. He didn't need break. The faster he finished his work, the better.

There were million of things going through his mind as he was doing his work. Giotto still wanted to have a brief conversation with Tsunayoshi and he feared that he'd be feeling out of place in an unknown country. He felt an urge to talk to the boy and ask him who he really was, but at the same time he knew he couldn't. He'd said he would wait for a better time.

He rested his pen on the desk and took his pocket watch, which was resting inside of his waistcoat pocket and opened it. Soon would be dinnertime and he was starving. With that handcuff around his left hand, he couldn't get out of the room without dragging the chair along. And obviously that was out of question, that chair was heavy. Giotto would only hope that a blessed soul would enter the room and take him out of there.

That day, luck was at his side.

Giotto barely had time to react. His office's door had been rudely opened and a thud of wood hitting the wall echoed through the room. His eyes caught the flick of a person going to his direction, but he couldn't see clearly who it was. A thump on his desk brought him back to his senses.

"Boss! I came to announce that we have an invasion on the east wall!"

Giotto turned to face his young subordinate, who should have the same age as Lampo. He quickly looked out the window. East wall; there was a warehouse and his precious garden nearby. His flowers were in danger.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned his gaze at the teenager.

"And whose family is it from?" he asked quickly, trying not to think of that family.

The young subordinate looked nervous for a moment and Giotto wondered if he had been rude to him. He was sure that his voice was not very loud. Sensing his subordinate's discomfort, Giotto got up from his chair and placed a hand on his shoulder encouraging him to speak. This time he really was being polite.

"Yes, Lui? Please continue." And he even preferred calling him by his nickname as to calm him.

Lui bit his lower lip and looked in a shy way at the floor.

"Actually…it's complicated…" Lui faltered and looked around nervously. "We…we have no idea which family the boy is."

Giotto looked at him with surprise on his face and frowned. "Boy?"

Lui shook his head frantically. Even he was confused and if he hadn't seen with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed in what he had seen.

"This boy, does he look familiar? What is his appearance?" Giotto hurried to ask. "But first I need a way to get this thing out of me!"

As he said that, he remembered that there was a gun in one of the drawers of his desk. He quickly picked it up and aimed at the handcuffs. If he had any luck he would get hurt. He shot and everything was fine now.

Giotto jumped out of his chair and motioned for Lui to follow. In an instant they were crossing a door on one of sides of the mansion and going straight to the east wall.

"Then, how's this boy?" Giotto asked again as they ran.

And again, Lui had remained silent to his question, not knowing what to answer. It only made curiosity grown in Giotto.

"What happened?"

Lui winced and shook his head.

"Boss…I don't know how to say this but this boy looks like that red-haired man who came to visit you the other day."

In the same instant, Giotto stopped running and stared dumbfounded at Lui. "What did you say?"

Enma was panicking. He tried several times and in several ways to explain that he wouldn't be a threat to them, but those men pointing guns at him didn't seem to understand, even though he was speaking in Italian. Some of them looked at him with a weird look, in astonishment, as if they knew him from somewhere. But Enma was sure to have never seen them.

Would they be from an enemy family, so that's why they were looking at him that way? But more importantly, how on earth did he get in there? In Italy no less?

He was about to ask the men questions when he spotted two other men running to the circle surrounding him.

Must be someone important, he thought feeling a bit relieved and panicked at the same time.

The two men only stopped running when they were a few feet away from him. Enma widened his eyes when he recognized the face of one of them.

"No way…!" he muttered under his breath.

He felt dizzy as the man cautiously approached him a little more and looked at him with probably the same expression he should be doing.

Giotto took one more step closer, not believing in his eyes and stopped.

"Cozarto?" he asked in an insecure way.

Enma began sweating a much more than before and the only thought crossing his mind was:

Oh shit.

A/N: This fanfiction has made its first year of anniversary on December. And it has just six chapters. That's... a little bit disappointing. I think I'll decrease the number of words per chapter, so that I'll update more often. Because my resolution for this year is: reach at least chapter 15. Will I be able to? Raise your bets!

I just lost my beta-reader, is there someone damn good in grammar that's willing to be my beta? Let me know, it can be by review or PM.

And please don't forget to review. I really appreciate your thoughts. See you soon!

PS: This chapter on Word has 6,666 words. Weird.