Future – 10th Generation

Tsuna stared in shocked fear at the small form standing at the doorway of the abandoned building. "Why…?" He finally croaked as he swallowed, standing before his friends, hating himself for how his body was shaking, unwilling to move to his will and run like his instincts were screaming at him to.

Reborn, the greatest hitman in the world, smirked at him. "Is that any way to greet me after this long a time, Dame-Tsuna?" He purred as he pulled out a lethal—no longer containing Dying Will Bullets, but ones that would murder— gun. "Ciaossu, fools who have joined my useless student."

"They're not fools." Tsuna replied defensively. "They're loyal friends."

A wide, deadly smirk from Reborn that seemed to contain a hint of pity spread across the Arcobaleno's lips. "Friends, Dame-Tsuna?" He asked sweetly. "I never knew that a traitor like you could utter the word. You don't seem worthy enough to even attempt to speak like that, let alone actually speak about such things. You abandoned the Vongola and tried to destroy the very man who raised you…"

Takeshi's eyes darkened and he stepped in front of Tsuna, placing a firm hand on the boy's chest when the once heir to Vongola tried to protest. "All that our boss wanted to do was end the sins of Vongola's past." He snarled.

Hayato quickly joined Takeshi in front of Tsuna. "Are you going to claim that doing that was a sin, Reborn?" He asked, all the fear that would have once overtaken him turned to resolve. "Tsuna is more right than your precious Nono. He wants to stop all the bloodshed that Nono accepted when he became the boss of Vongola."

"My, my." Reborn sighed and clucked his tongue. "How do you plan to manipulate these poor little pawns of yours, Tsuna? Or would you prefer that I call them subordinates? I think that it's time for them to warm up in the lake of fire once they get to hell."

He was prevented from saying more when Chrome slammed her trident on the ground and pillars of lava flew up. The ground beneath them began to crack and lava swirled around them as the air cleared itself, filling quickly with thick black smoke and the stench of burnt bodies.

"I've already been to hell." Chrome informed Reborn. "And Mukuro-sama said to protect Boss, so I won't let you lay a finger on him, Strongest Assassin-san!"

"Chrome Dokuro?" Reborn asked in amusement. "I didn't expect your famed illusions to be so weak. I thought that they'd be a lot stronger… after all, you were able to throw off even Viper."

Chrome shivered and Tsuna placed a protective hand on her shoulder. "Don't get involved in this, Chrome-chan." He ordered kindly. "This isn't your fight. Defeating Reborn isn't a option and getting defeated by him will do nothing for us and as for your goal... even if you help, it will do nothing to help him, so I won't ask you. Take Lambo and run, alright?"

"B-but Boss!" Lambo cried out in protest. "Let us help you! Please let us stay… don't leave us behind! Boss…!"

"Lambo, no." Tsuna scolded. "Run, okay? This is an order."

Chrome's eyes widened. "Boss—you're actually going to do this?" She whispered in a soft, hoarse voice. "Are you sure? Please—please make it out safely. Don't make Bomb-san sad, okay? I've only met you, so I don't know what you're like… I have to learn what you're like, right, Boss? I still don't trust you yet…"

"Tsuna-nii!" Lambo screamed as Chrome faithfully picked him up. "NO!" He screamed as he slammed his fists on Chrome's back repeatedly. "DON'T LEAVE ME! TSUNA-NII! I can help! Don't make me go away, Tsuna-nii…!"

"We have to go, Cow Child." Chrome informed Lambo quietly. "Boss's orders are absolute, right? Let's go."

"No…" Lambo choked out. "I don't want to abandon him… I can't abandon Tsuna-nii! That's… this isn't right! Let me down, Chrome! Stupid Tsuna-nii! Stupid Stupidera! Stupid Sword Idiot and Extreme Boxing man…" He seemed to crumple in on himself as he finally rested his head on Chrome's shoulder and started to cry. "I want to help… why can't you let me help you?"

He started crying even harder when he realized that while he was talking, Reborn had attacked, and the battle had commenced without him noticing. His pleas had fallen onto deaf ears as he was dragged from the fight and separated from the ones that had somehow become his famaglia in only a few weeks.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Why… Tsuna wondered as he dodged the bullets and dashed forwards, aiming a burst of flames at the petite figure that dodged it with an almost insultingly lazy ease. Why!? How could this be so hard… how can the differences be so big? I don't want to be this weak… I wanted to be stronger… I wanted to be able to stop all this bloodshed, and to be able to protect my famaglia…

His eyes widened in shock and… could that emotion be fear?... when he realized that he had begun to think of them as his famaglia. No… they weren't famaglia. Perhaps Hayato, Lambo and Hibari could… but the rest? He couldn't… wouldn't… think of them in a way that may insult them.

They were reluctant allies at best… not famaglia. Not to be described with a word that symbolized strong bonds that wouldn't be broken. Not like the bonds that he had oh so casually broken such a long time ago…

Unwilling Takeshi, who, despite his smiles growing less and less hollow by the day and the fact that his laughs were no longer tentative and broken but strong and filled with joy… he had only joined to save the life of his father. He had only joined to temporarily stop Tsuna from committing the sins that he could no longer count.

Unknowing Ryohei, who, even though they had explained the mafia and flames to, could never truly comprehend the darkness of this twisted world that they lived in. Raised as a peaceful civilian, he could never even begin to understand the shades of gray and silver that created this Underground society.

Reluctant Chrome, who had only joined Tsuna out of her duty to repay the debt of saving her life. Though he had told her that she didn't need to worry about it, he knew that she only remained with him because she wanted to repay the debt, and perhaps increase her chances of saving Rokudo Mukuro by teaming up.

How dare Tsuna go and involve these people in this fight? They didn't deserve to be here… not on this battleground, facing the strongest of the most Elite that Mafioso could get…

It should be Tsuna's fate to protect them. His curse, perhaps, that he had to protect them… so stupid of him, stupid to get his emotions involved in this, stupid to face the strongest.

If he were someone else, maybe he could have just run away. Run so far, far away, that he couldn't get any further from Reborn, run so far that he would never get caught or killed…

But that was cowardice, and it wasn't his style. And… his friends were behind him.

Yeah, he was an idiot. But… Tsuna took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes as he rushed forwards, readying another attack… this felt nice, somehow. Like he could be depended on. And, despite knowing that sooner or later he would probably be betrayed… he wanted to stay like this.

I want to protect them.

Past – 1st Generation Timeline

"Dammit, when the heck did we get infiltrated?" Alaude wondered as he swore, readying his gun as he let out a few shots from an open window, then quickly slamming on the wooden shutters and ducking as three bullets flew over his head.

Alaude let lose a few curses that would have made even G flinch (no, wait… on second thought, probably not. The redhead was too crude to flinch at those words—his reaction would most likely be "amazing. I thought you always had a stick up your ***) as he let lose another shot and let out a small smirk at the gasp of shock that ensured when a thump of a body hit the ground.

The ex-assassin would never have guessed that he would one day help to actually protect somewhere for someone else.

"How many on your side, Daemon?" Alaude asked softly through transmitter on his neck as he picked up a gun from the enemy's body, and despite himself, raised an eyebrow, impressed, when he recognized the expensive label.

"Nufufufu…" The other man giggled lightly. "Alive or dead?"

"…Both, I suppose." Alaude replied. "Do you have any alive? Please keep at least one alive… and sane, Daemon. We need to interrogate some people."

"…Let me finish counting. Let's see, 20… 25… 30… wait, did you say alive and say? Nufufufu… you know, you really should have said that earlier, little Assassin… why don't you ask cute little G to do that for you? I don't think that it's really possible anymore… they're all weaklings."

Alaude groaned to himself before sighing and asking, "G? Please tell me that you have some sane and alive…"

"Bah, don't underestimate me, gun man." G's cross voice answered. Alaude could just imagine the roll of the man's eyes as he picked up a fallen arrow. "Giotto and I made a pact a long time ago to never kill, and I'm not all that into making my victims go insane."

"Well, that's nice to know." Giotto's sigh of relief was audible. "I was kind of worried that I was the only one to uphold the deal…"

"Of course not, boss!"

"I told you not to call me that!"

"But boss is boss, and you're my boss!" G's voice protested in a loud near-shriek.

"Yes, but…" Giotto's voice was cut off as he let out a small, strangled sound and his voice turned dark and murderous. "Hey! That was an antique, you know! It's a one of a kind book you jerk! My dad gave that to me for my birthday!"

"…" Alaude sighed as he cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "Guess I have to take care of you, eh?" He asked conversationally as he dropped his gun, pulled out his handcuffs, and gave a feral smirk to the fifty men training their guns on his chest.

It was a shame, he sighed, that they didn't reply before their death, as they all silently took aim and fired.

0o0o0o0o0

"Armedes Sphere." Giotto muttered as his flames erupted into an explosion of sparks. The panicked yells had barely begun before the men were knocked unconscious. Giotto let out a sigh of annoyance.

How come they always send weaklings? He wondered crossly. Isn't it better to send someone skilled like Alaude was? Hm, come to think of it, Alaude is only 18 like us… how the heck did he get so strong?

He was cut from his thoughts when a loud crashing sound echoed through the room. There was a scream of pain before there was a groan.

"Yare, yare, I didn't want to get caught up in your mess, you stupid blond…"

Giotto blinked in shock as Lampo gave him a wide smirk and raised two fingers in a lazy greeting, dipping his head in acknowledgement.

"Well, my father was the one who hired the grunt thugs so I suppose that it is my duty to save you jerks… but you know, wouldn't have talking been better than pulling a fast one and going against father? Do you know what my punishment might be? I don't even want to think about this… urgh…"

"L-Lampo?" Giotto gasped.

"At your service." Lampo grumbled, soundly unhappy about the whole affair. "My dad blew up on me so I ran away from home and… well…" The green haired boy looked slightly uncomfortable as bright green lightening on crackled around him. "I, uh figured that I could help you out somehow if you could help me out and I would…"

He was unable to continue talking, however, because Giotto's wide eyes had finally given up widening any further, and the blond let out a squeal of joy as he raced forwards and wrapped his arms around Lampo in a bear hug.

"Yeeeessss! You finally joined!"