Dynamites were being thrown everywhere. Tsuna barely had time to enter in hyper-mode and fly to the living room before the fire began to spread in high speed.

I must do something, but what? If I run, would Gokudera-kun be able to leave this place safely? I have a horrible feeling.

Chapter 12: The end of all things

Seeing the devil in his front, in the middle of a whirlpool.

As if someone like you would be accepted by any family, Smoking Bomb!

Hayato-kun is not the son of the Madam?

I know that until you met Tsuna you were a lonely wolf.

You were loved by both your parents.

If a pinprick like you becomes the Vongola Juudaime, the family is finished. I refuse to accept it!

You're a nuisance, die right here!

I WAS MISTAKEN! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S FIT TO BE THE BOSS!

Juudaime, I'll follow you, command me to do anything.

For putting yourself on the line to save me, I'll put my life in your hands.

Juudaime.

"If I use zero chitten toppa, I could stop him, but the fire is already everywhere. It's coming out of the dynamites; it's storm flames!"

Gokudera was coming in Tsuna's direction slowly, preparing more dynamites to throw. His face didn't show any emotion anymore, as if it belonged to someone who had already lost his life.

At the top of the stairs, Catharina observed everything seriously, not worried by the fact that the flames would catch her if she didn't run. Do you realize it already, Great Sky?

It's so hot here! It's getting hard to breathe. I have to get close to Gokudera-kun and freeze his hands. If I'm too close, he wouldn't attack because it would harm him as well.

Tsuna flew to Gokudera, but when he was a few centimeters away from him, the guardian of the storm threw dozens of dynamite around them and grabbed both of Tsuna's hands.

What is he trying to do? Tsuna was desperately trying to break free. We're both going to die if all these things explode so close to us!

I'm glad Tsuna has made such a reliable friend like you.

Don't worry, Okaa-sama. I'll definitely protect Juudaime.

I won't let Juudaime get even one scratch.

I will train harder. With the training, I'll become a person who's fit to be your right-hand man!

Juudaime, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!

It's not your fault, Gokudera-kun.

There isn't one day when Tsuna doesn't mention you, Gokudera-kun.

Even if I die here, I won't withdraw!

Stop joking around! Have you thought about what you're fighting for? It's so that we can all have snowball fights together again! And see the fireworks together again! That's why we became strong! So that everyone can laugh together again! If you die, then all that no longer has any meaning, right?

What was the older me doing? How could I let Juudaime die?

I'll follow you until the very end, Juudaime.

He grabbed the devil in his front… the devil in the middle of the whirlpool.

"I'll take her down to Hell, and then…"

Gokudera-kun, you have to let go! How can I protect you like this? What? He's… smiling now…

"… I'll follow you until the very end, Juudaime. I love you."

Tsuna's heart skipped a beat as he understood everything. However, he wasn't thinking anymore at that moment. He head butted Gokudera hardly and made him pass out, then Tsuna invoked the mantelo di Vongola Primo and covered the guardian with it. Right after that, he held Gokudera while putting his right hand behind him and shouting "OPERATION X! THE ORIGINAL ONE!"

It took two seconds for them to set fly from the place using the original X-Burner as propulsion. However, the whole mansion exploded when they crossed the door.

The darkness fell on the sky.

Tsuna saw himself in a cold forest; snow was falling from the sky.

"Where am I? What happened?" He asked himself, confused.

"I brought your 'inner you' here." A voice replied from his left. It was Catharina.

"What happened to Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna questioned anxiously.

"Both of you are in the hospital now. Thanks to that arcobaleno that happens to be your home tutor, you'll both survive." Catharina said that in an almost kind tone, which bothered Tsuna.

"What are you planning to do now, Catharina?"

"Right now I can't do anything. I was so caught up in watching you that I couldn't run from the fire." She said as if mentioning a minor detail.

"You mean…" Horrified, Tsuna couldn't end the question.

"That's right, Great Sky. My body was reduced to ashes." The girl smiled softly after saying that.

"W-wait! You died? Then how can you be here? I-I don't understand!"

"My power is beyond human comprehension. I can't stop existing even if my body perishes. My inner world is immortal."

Tsuna felt deep angst and sadness. I wasn't able to save her, in the end.

"Don't be so down. My coward brother ran away right after knowing I died, I think he must be relieved now."

"Damn it!" Tsuna was now deeply angry. "What was the point in all that? How can it end like this? This is not right! It should've ended better!"

"Don't be such a child, Vongola Tenth. You can't save everybody and not everything can have a happy ending. As a Mafia boss, you should know it."

"How come you're so calm now? I don't get it. I DON'T GET IT AT ALL!"

"As I said before, my power is beyond human's understanding. It's just a matter of time until I find a way to return to the real world and we stay together."

She's able to come back from death? For a second, Tsuna felt something similar to relief, but then the realization of the second part of her speech hit him.

"What the hell are you saying? There's nothing you can do to make me stay with you!"

"So you haven't understood it yet?" Catharina smiled widely. "Our battle is over. I won."

And then everything vanished.

Tsuna woke up in a hospital bed. Gokudera was sitting next to him, trying to hold his tears.

"Juudaime, I'm so happy that you're alive! I had a horrible nightmare, you see? That damn woman… at least she's dead now, so nothing to worry about. It was her who hurt you, right? I'm so sorry for making you rescue me! I'll train harder. I'll be stronger, I promise you!"

Even feeling guilty, Gokudera was expecting to hear the reply "it's ok, Gokudera-kun, it wasn't your fault." But Tsuna just stayed silent in the bed, listening to everything his storm guardian had to say. His eyes were extremely sad.

Why is he like this? Shouldn't Juudaime be happy that Catharina died? Is he disappointed at me for not helping in his fight? He seems to be so hurt. What's wrong?

Gokudera-kun doesn't know that he's the one who fought me. Maybe nobody knows. I can hide this from him. I can't tell what he might do if he finds out the truth. I must keep this to myself. I don't want him to get hurt.

Days later.

At first I thought it was only in my mind, but now it's hard not to notice it. Juudaime changed. His smiles have been forced since he woke up in the hospital that time. He fakes joy when talks to me; his eyes are sad all the time. I ask him what the problem is, but he always replies that everything is fine. He asks me not to worry about him.

I want to punch him when he says that. I feel like punching him hard and making him tells me what's wrong. I think I'm losing my sanity. I can't stand this. But I don't know what to do. Someone, please, tell me what to do. I've trained so hard to protect Juudaime, but I haven't learned how to make him happy.

I want to give him everything. I want to do everything to him. I don't care what it is. If burning my house would make him smile honestly, I'd do it. He doesn't tell me anything. He says that everything is fine.

Sometime I'm going to snap. I'll beg him to be honest with me. I'll tell him how I feel. Juudaime, I love you so much that it hurts. I want to kiss you and hug you; I want to hold you in my arms and stay close to you forever. I want to see you all the time. I want to make you happy.

Please, let me make you happy.

They went to the cinema that day.

I'll watch the zombie movie until the end. That would make Gokudera-kun happy. I want him to be happy. Whenever he's worried about me and asks me what is wrong, I feel like crying. How could I tell him? He's not that strong. Knowing the truth would crush him.

I wish I could go back to how it was before. I would be the no-good kid who didn't want to be a mafia boss, he would be the strong, intelligent and cool guy who wanted to be my right-hand-man. We would be friends and have a lot of fun. I would worry about him being reckless, but then feel relieved when he returns safely to me.

A part of me would be happy to have someone who cared so much about me.

But I can't go back to the time when I didn't know.

Gokudera-kun loves me and wanted to die when he thought I was dead.

I can't pretend it didn't happen.

I'm strong. I never wanted to believe in that. I just wanted to protect my friends and have a good life. To protect the world… it just felt too distant from me.

I always thought that, no matter what threat I would face, everything would return to normality later. We would all laugh and have fun.

But if something ever happens to me, Gokudera-kun would be destroyed.

Every time I look at him I remember of this fact and feel desperate.

I wish he could be stronger. I can't stand hiding all of this from him, but I don't want to make him suffer.

I care so much about him that it hurts.

What do I do?

They were now in a cafeteria.

"Juudaime, choose anything you want, I'll pay."

"You don't need to, Gokudera-kun."

"I insist, Juudaime. Please, let me pay. What do you like the most?"

"Seriously, I don't want you to bother about it, Gokudera-kun."

"You like vanilla cake, right? I'll buy the biggest one for you. I'm sure it's tasty, you'll enjoy it."

"It's okay, Gokudera-kun."

The fanfic ends here, I may write a continuation someday. I've been busy lately and I apologize for not updating the story. I thank you all for the patience and for the reviews. :)