I'm sorry for not updating for so long. Let's just move on to the story~~
"Talking"
'Thinking'
This story is beta'ed by Pure Red Crane.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter :D
Chapter 9
Fading
After leaving Rosette in her room, Tsuna walked back to his own. He decided to take a bath to wash away his tiredness which was clearly shown on his pale face.
He stood under the pouring water, letting it splash against his skin. He slightly opened his eyes and looked down at his raised hands. He could still clearly remember the dream from earlier.
"I'm sorry for making you to take the responsibility for what I've done."
'What does Ottavo mean? Responsibility? What did she do? Is it about the Oscurità?' he thought to himself. Then, he remembered about all the searching he had done a few days ago. 'I haven't finished it yet. Maybe I can find what she meant.' With that, he was determined to find whatever Ottavo left behind.
After changing into his black suit, he sat on his chair behind the desk. He entwined his fingers, trying to determine all the choices he had and picked one. 'I hope this is the right choice.'
He heard a knock on his door. And then someone said "Decimo. Miss Rosette is here." Tsuna looked at the clock on the wall. 'Time sure flies fast.'
"Come in." After he said it, the door was opened by the maids and Rosette walked into the room. The brunet smiled at the girl.
The girl smiled back as she stepped into the comfy room. The door was closed again by the two maids who helped her.
Tsuna stood up from his chair and walked towards the girl. "Do you like the room?" he asked.
She nodded shyly. "Yes...Thank you."
The Vongola Decimo patted her head softly, not wanting to ruin her tidy hair. "No need to thank me. Let's take a seat." he said as he retreated from her and walked towards the set of sofas in front of his desk, the same sofa they sat on the day before.
After both of them took a seat, Tsuna said, "Anyway...There is something I need to tell you." he said it with a serious business like tone. "Please, don't tell my Guardian and my Famiglia about my condition."
The girl looked confused. She wasn't sure what Tsuna meant, and then she remembered about the Tsuna's situation. "...Do you mean the poison?"
Tsuna nodded stiffly. His tight face masked by a soft smile. "Yes. The ones who know about that are only you, Shamal and me. Understand?"
She nodded. "So, we only have to act as if...nothing's wrong?"
"Yes."
"But...what if they ask?"
"...Just...lie..."
"Okay." She nodded again and looked back at her lap.
Tsuna walked along the bright corridor, followed by Rosette. Then they stopped in front of a dark, mahogany double door. Tsuna looked back at the girl and nodded slightly. He looked at the door again and opened it wide.
As Tsuna walked towards his desk, he could feel the stares from the 6 people who arrived before them. He tried to keep his expression from changing despite the headache that attacked him minutes ago. He sat down on the black leather chair behind his desk while the girl stood not far behind him.
Tsuna eyed the occupants inside his office. Mukuro and Chrome stood near the bookshelves. Ryohei stood not far from the door. Lambo lazily sat on the sofa. Hayato stood in front of Tsuna's desk while Takeshi stood behind the white haired bomber.
"Where's Kyoya?" Tsuna asked. He didn't see his lover anywhere.
Takeshi nervously laughed. "Hahaha...He already went back to Namimori yesterday. He said that his business here was already finished, so...he went."
"Che, that bastard! How dare he say that his business had finished, we still have a meeting about yesterday." Hayato grumbled under his breath.
No one seemed to want to say anything. And then, Tsuna said. "So...is there something you want to ask?" The Decimo eyed his guardians while his hand propped his chin. Truthfully, he wanted to use his hand to massage his head. The headache was really sending him to the edge.
"Juudaime...Who...Who's that girl?" Hayato asked as he pointed to the girl behind Tsuna. Tsuna glanced in the corner of his eye at the girl behind him.
"She...She is Rosette." Tsuna answered while looking at Hayato in the eye.
"Why did you take her with you, Vongola?" Mukuro asked as he looked at the girl with suspicious eyes, making the girl feel scared.
Tsuna contemplated on how to answer the question, "She was an experiment object of the Oscurità Famiglia. I had to help her."
Mukuro raised his eyebrow, "Oya? Experiment? What kind of experiment?"
"Poison." answered Tsuna with all the seriousness in the world.
"Oya, oya. Usually an experiment object for poison would end up dead. Has she been experimented on?"
"No, she hasn't."
"That explains why she's still alive." Mukuro shrugged his shoulders. He eyed Tsuna with scrutinizing eyes, "Then what are you planning to do with this girl?" Tsuna looked at Mukuro and then at his other guardians.
"She will live with us for a while. Her room will be next to mine."
Hayato, who felt like he was being left out of the conversation, barged in, "Why does she have to live with us?"
Tsuna sat in silence, contemplating on how he should answer the question without revealing the fact that he was dying. "She has no place to go. And her life is in danger."
Takeshi also decided to ask something, "What do you mean, Tsuna? What danger?" Confusion was clear on his face.
Tsuna looked up at Takeshi, "Remember the Oscurità Famiglia, they fled. Besides, she knows something important about that famiglia. If the Oscurità Famiglia knows that she is still alive, they will try to hunt her down. That's why." Tsuna lied smoothly.
"What do you mean something important, Vongola?" Tsuna eyed Mukuro, who smirked at him.
"I can't tell you about it, Mukuro." The indigo haired man frowned.
The room fell into silence. Tsuna's face had gotten paler with each passing minute. Rosette became worried about him. She wanted her saviour to rest, but then the plan to deceive the guardians would be useless.
"Bossu, would you please tell us why you were in...that state?" Tsuna knew what Chrome meant. Tsuna looked hesitant to answer his only female guardian's question. He looked at Rosette. Rosette only nodded her head slowly.
Their interaction didn't go unnoticed by the other people in the room. They eyed the man and the girl with confusion and curiosity. 'Is there something they're not telling us?'
Tsuna turned to look at his guardians. "Actually..." he began with uncertainty, "...I was injured...a little..."
Almost all people in the room asked the Decimo worriedly. Almost. His male Mist Guardian only raised his eyebrow. But by looking at Mukuro's face, Tsuna already knew that the said man was also worried about him. The brunet haired man only sighed, he expected that reaction. His Sun Guardian offered to treat his injury, but Tsuna declined, telling him that his injury was taken care of by Shamal the day before.
"Vongola, how did you get the injury? And, what do you mean by little? Judging from the amount of blood it couldn't be from a small injury." Mukuro asked with scrutinizing eyes.
Tsuna's body stiffened. Immediately, he relaxed his body again so no one would notice it. But, they had already seen it, especially Mukuro, who narrowed his heterochromatic eyes.
"Tsuna?" "Juudaime?" "Bossu?" "Tsuna-nii?"
Tsuna didn't say anything. But then, Tsuna answered reluctantly, "...I...I can't tell you about it..."
"Why, Bossu?" Dokuro Chrome asked. Her voice seemed panicked and worried.
"Because...just because..." Tsuna sighed sadly.
"Bossu..." She sounded disappointed. And with that, the aura seemed to grow tense.
Sasagawa Ryohei, the extreme Sun Guardian, looked at his fellow guardians. All of them wore the same extreme expression as his. They were confused, except for Mukuro, who looked indifferent. He then eyed the man behind the desk: Tsuna, his so called little brother, his boss, Vongola Decimo. Ryohei extremely knew about him. Since the first time they met, Tsuna always extremely amazed him. He remembered when Tsuna passed all the fights and defeated his enemies extremely; the VARIA, Byakuran, Enma Kozato, Daemon Spade, and then Vindice. Tsuna got stronger, extremely stronger, yet he still cared for his Famiglia to the extreme.
Tsuna, he would do anything extreme to protect his famiglia, even though he had to sacrifice his extreme life. 'No!' Ryohei thought to himself. At a time like this, he shouldn't think about it. Tsuna would not die. He would extremely keep Tsuna alive.But, back to the matter in hand. 'Why? Why doesn't Tsuna want us to know to the extreme? Was his injury really so bad that he didn't want us to know? Why doesn't he tell us? I can heal him with my Sun Flame to the extreme! Ryohei suddenly stilled...Wait! Yesterday, he called Shamal. Does that mean he doesn't trust me enough to heal him? Tsuna, don't you trust me?'
Lambo Bovino, the Lightning Guardian, slumped down on the soft sofa. He looked around. 'Ryohei-nii looks hurt. Chrome-nee looks anxious. Mukuro-nii looks indifferent. He couldn't look at Hayato and Takeshi's faces because their backs were turned. He then looked at the girl behind Tsuna. 'That girl, umm...Rosette…she looks...guilty? What's wrong with her?' His eyes then fell to Tsuna. He looked at his big brother figure worriedly. 'Tsuna-nii looks more tired than usual. Did he rest properly? I'm afraid he didn't.' Lambo sighed at the thought.
'Why? Why doesn't Tsuna-nii want to tell us anything? Usually Tsuna-nii doesn't tell us when it's really dangerous and...' Lambo thought again. 'Is the situation right now dangerous? But, we are strong! Okay, maybe I'm not that strong, but the others are! Why doesn't Tsuna-nii even let out single bit of information about it?' Lambo's eyes moved back to Mukuro. 'Usually, in situations like this, Tsuna-nii always informs Mukuro-nii and Hibari-nii. But, it seems that Tsuna-nii didn't tell them either. Does Tsuna-nii think that we can't protect ourselves? Does Tsuna-nii not trust us? Does Tsuna-nii not trust me?'
Dokuro Chrome, the female Mist Guardian, was anxious. She wanted to know how her boss' suit was stained with that large amount of blood. She wanted to know why her Bossu didn't want to tell them about it. The man she was facing was the first who acknowledged her as a human being, as a family. And because of that, she believed in him and she wanted to help him, she wanted to stay with him.
Her train of thought only made her get more anxious than before. She looked at Tsuna and noticed that Tsuna's eyes were dull, filled with sadness, guilt, and hurt. She didn't like it. The look on her Bossu's face didn't suit him. The look which suited him most was that loving look. That happy look. That soft and kind look.
She felt down. She couldn't feel the strong feelings she used to feel towards him. She looked at her fellow guardians. Their eyes shone with disappointment, except Mukuro, who looked indifferent. And Takeshi and Hayato stood in front of her with their backs facing her, stiff as walls. Takeshi's hands fisted tightly. Gokudera's body trembled slightly, almost unnoticed. But she could see it.
She looked at the floor beneath her. 'Why? Why, Bossu? Don't you trust us? Don't you trust me? Do you still care for us?'
Rokudo Mukuro, the male Mist Guardian, one of the strongest guardians in Vongola's history, watched everything his Sky did. In his heterochromatic eyes, Tsuna's behaviour since yesterday was very strange. When Tsuna told them to leave him in the Oscurità's mansion, Tsuna looked very anxious. Yes, he always looked anxious, but that time was...strange. Tsuna didn't show it, but Mukuro knew that Tsuna felt fear. He was the last one to leave Tsuna. He saw it. Tsuna's body shook with fear. He knew something would happen to Tsuna, yet he left him, alone.
Mukuro felt guilty about it. But his guilt was covered with a mist of confusion and disappointment. 'Who is exactly is that girl behind Vongola? What actually happened back there? How did the mansion burn and explode? Why was there no trace of the Oscurità's famiglia? When did they leave? And the most important thing was what happened to Vongola?'
He owed Tsuna, his Sky who always forgave and trusted him. The one who wanted to take care of Chrome for him. The one who saved him. The one who gave him freedom and the feeling of having a family, having someone he could rely on in his time of need. Tsuna had given him a lot. And now is the time for him to save Tsuna.
'But if Vongola won't us tell anything, how can I save him? Usually Vongola would ask me or that birdie to help him. He would discuss it with us.' He looked at Tsuna again. Tsuna looked at nothing, but his eyes were blank with no hope. 'Why won't you tell us, Vongola? Do you think that we can't save you? Do you think we are not strong enough to help you this time, Vongola? Back then, you captured me, and now you want to release me from your hold? Do you still trust me, Tsunayoshi-kun?'
Yamamoto Takeshi, the Rain Guardian, couldn't laugh anymore. His duty as the Rain Guardian was to wash away everything, everything that could bring the Vongola down. But this time, he couldn't do his duty. The man, who saved him from committing suicide, was hiding everything.
He looked at Tsuna. His face was pale and he really looked tired. 'Tsuna needs a lot of rest. He fought a lot yesterday.' He sighed. 'Why doesn't Tsuna tell us? If he tells us, we can help him take care of the matter. After all, it's my duty as the Rain Guardians to wash everything away, right? And it's our duty as guardians to help him, right?'
He looked behind the window. 'The sky turned grey and the sun is half covered by the grey cloud.' He frowned at the thought. 'The sky is supposed to be blue with the sun shining brightly and white clouds floating freely.' Takeshi's eyes widened. 'Does that mean that the Sky doesn't need the Rain, Storm, Lightning and Mist?' He looked back at Tsuna. 'Does the sky need the Rain, Storm, Lightning and Mist? Does Tsuna need us?' Takeshi gritted his teeth and tightened his fist. 'Do you still need us, Tsuna? Do you still trust us?'
Gokudera Hayato, the Storm Guardian, and Tsuna's right hand man was stunned. His Juudaime never hid a secret from him. If Tsuna needed help, he would always be the first person Tsuna asked for help. Even though he couldn't help his Juudaime in some points, he would always try to help him. He was the one who told Tsuna to ask for help from Kyoya and Mukuro. Even though he hated them, the fact that they were the strongest guardians would never be changed. And he knew that they were the only ones who could help his Juudaime.
This time was different. Tsuna didn't tell any of them. He didn't even tell Hayato. Tsuna kept it a secret. Even Shamal didn't say a word. 'What's actually happened? If only I didn't leave Juudaime alone.' Hayato looked at Tsuna. His Juudaime looked so weak, pale and tired. And he was always with Tsuna, which meant he knew Tsuna very well. He could see that his Juudaime was hiding pain, guilt, and something he didn't know. 'Is Juudaime in pain? Does his injury hurt that badly? Juudaime, what's actually happening? Why won't you tell us? Why won't you tell me? Don't you trust me, Juudaime?'
The aura within the office turned gloomy as no one said anything after that. The guardians had a lot of different emotions on their faces. Hope. Worry. Fear. Hurt. Betrayal.
Rosette looked down at the floor. She felt guilty towards the guardians. She wanted to tell them the truth, but she promised Tsuna not to.
On the other hand, Tsuna entwined his fingers and used them to hold his forehead. He couldn't stand the headache much longer and the guilty feeling only made it worse. 'I'm sorry. I know that this will hurt you. But I did it for you. For your safety. I'm sorry.' Tsuna held back his fall-threatening tears. He blinked his eyes to shove away the tears.
"Juudaime, are you okay?" Hayato's question brought him back from his thoughts. He looked up at Hayato. His loyal right hand man's eyes showed worry and desperation.
Tsuna opened his mouth, but closed it before he could answer. He looked down at his desk. 'I'm not okay, Hayato. I'm hurt. I'm sick. I'm tired...I'm scared...I'm dying...' "I'm fine, Hayato." Tsuna finally replied.
Tsuna's answer didn't help the guardians' pleas. They were still worried about their boss. They wanted to ask Tsuna about everything. That was why Mukuro's question caught their attention.
"Have anything to say, Vongola?" Mukuro's voice was laced with disappoint and harsh demand.
Rosette bit her lips hard. She was scared. The man was scary and his voice somehow promised bad things which made her freeze as small beads of tears leaked from the corner of her eyes.
Tsuna didn't say anything. He gritted his teeth tightly and shook his head slowly.
The 6 guardians frowned at that. 'Does Tsuna really not trust us?' they thought grimly.
"Vongola, look up." Mukuro demanded with a calmer yet harsher voice.
Tsuna looked up. His eyes widened as he saw his guardians' faces full with disappointment, worry, and distrust?Tsuna turned his face away from his guardians. That act misled the guardians, making them come to their own conclusion.
'Tsuna doesn't trust us anymore.'
With that, one by one, the guardians started to leave the office.
The Sun was replaced with the night and hidden by the grey clouds, drowning the world in darkness.
The Rain started to cry in silence, washing the once beautiful land away, leaving nothing but ruins.
The Storm whirled fiercely at everyone and everything, becoming blind and disastrous to the ones around it, hurting himself and others.
The Lightning growled and struck without mercy, sticking to the black storm clouds as the rain pelted down.
The Mist turned into a dense fog and covered the earth. Everyone and everything became lost and confused in its environment.
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To be continued~~
Ufu~~~ 3000+ words~~ hope this chapter will satisfy you from the long wait.
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See you! :D
