Thank you for following, favoriting and reviewing my stories! I'm sorry that I can't reply. But, I'll tell you this, I Love YOU ALL, and I'll try my best to continue my stories!
I feel like banging my head on my desk! I'm sorry for taking so long time to update my stories, making you all wait T^T i feel very sorry..
Let's go to the story since I don't have a lot to write here...
"Talking"
'Thinking'
This story is beta'd by Pure Red Crane.
Hope you will enjoyed this chapter :D
the Last Breath
Chapter 16
Vongola Nono, Ottavo and Primo
"Do you, perhaps, know about Vongola's truths and secrets?"
Timoteo raised his eyebrow, confused. He opened his mouth, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Tsunayoshi-kun."
Faintly, the ex-boss could hear a soft sigh from the other line. He then added, "Is there something wrong?"
The line was silent for a moment before Tsuna answered. "...Well...there is something wrong...about...Oscurità..."
Timoteo's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the familiar name. Even though no one had mentioned that name for decades, Nono would never forget it. The name of the traitor who betrayed Vongola. The cursed name of an enemy famiglia who almost brought Vongola down by making the Ottavo, his mother, die in pain. He wouldn't forget it. He couldn't forget it.
Receiving no reaction from Timoteo, Tsuna called out to the ex-boss. "Nono?"
Snapped from his thoughts, Timoteo answered the younger man, now with a serious tone. "I'm sorry. What's wrong with the Oscurità? Didn't they disappear decades ago?"
"Yeah...but they suddenly showed up some days ago…They sent an invitation to Vongola..." Tsuna stopped there.
Even though his intuition wasn't as good as Tsuna's, Timoteo knew that there was something more and very wrong. "Did they do anything to Vongola?"
Tsuna didn't say anything.
Alarmed by the silence, the old man was anxious, "Tsunayoshi-kun…Are you alright?" Timoteo began to fear for the worse. A glimpse of memories about his mother showed up in his mind.
"...Not quite alright." That was the dreaded answer.
His mother's pained expresions surfaced in Timoteo's mind. "We need to talk."
A sleek black car ran through a deep forest. In the car, two men sat in the front seats. The black haired one drove the car while the other one with brunet hair just sat, unmoving. His soft brown eyes watched everything carefully. Behind them sat a girl with wavy black hair. She examined the surroundings curiously.
They had driven for almost an hour. Lots of trees made it harder to see what waiting at the end of the road.
Finally, a glimpse of a white building was caught by the sharp eyes of Hibari Kyoya. "We're almost there." he said in low tones.
Tsuna looked up to see the peak of the roof. He didn't say anything until the car reached the clearing filled with flowers and low bushes. There were no trees to hinder their vision from the two story building with traditional Italian Architecture. "We're here."
The car slowed down until they stopped right in front of the main door. Two figures who had been waiting for them walked toward the car, greeting the strongest couple when they stepped out from the car.
"Good to see you here, Tsunayoshi-kun, Kyoya-kun." said the old man with a happy but small smile.
Tsuna smiled at the old man he used to call Nono. Giving a brief hug to the ex-boss, he said, "How are you doing, Nono?"
"I'm fine, at least better than you." Timoteo looked at him with worried gaze.
A tall man Tsuna recognized as Coyote Nougat greet him, breaking the sudden silence they created after Nono's answer. "Hello, Decimo. It's been a long time."
"Yes. Three years to be exact." Tsuna smiled.
Coyote's eyes seemed to peer slightly at what was behind him. Turning his head around a little, Tsuna spotted Rosette behind him. She was lightly grasping his suit.
Nono seemed to follow their gazes. "Who is this girl, Tsunayoshi-kun? Is she you and Kyoya-kun's adopted daughter?" Timoteo asked happily.
Turning to his grandfather, Tsuna answered lightly, "She is Rosette." Then turned to the girl, "Rosette, he is Timoteo. My grandfather and also the Ninth Boss of Vongola."
Smiling softly, Timoteo greeted the girl, "Hello, Rosette."
Rosette stepped closer to Tsuna, tightening her hold on Tsuna's suit. "Ah, Hello." she said timidly.
Chuckling softly, Timoteo reached out and patted the girl's head.
"Nono, about what I was talking..." Tsuna trailed off.
Nono grabbed the hint and told them to step in. "Let's talk inside."
"The two of us." Tsuna added quickly.
Nono nodded and led the way towards his study room while the three remaining people choose to stay where they were. After they made sure that no one was following them, Nono murmured loud enough for Tsuna only to hear. "What's bothering you?"
Even though Tsuna heard it clearly, he decided not to answer, at least for now.
Nono opened the door, walking in with Tsuna following behind him, and closed the door.
"Do you want to have some tea?" Nono asked as he sat down in his seat.
Tsuna only nodded and sat in front of the ex Vongola boss.
For the first 10 minutes, they enjoyed the silence and the tea in their cups until Nono broke it. He put down his cup. "So, what happened?"
Tsuna followed the gesture and answered without delay, "I'm dying."
Timoteo's eyes widened, clearly not quite expecting such an answer. From the conversation they had on the phone, he knew something bad happened to the Tenth Boss. But he didn't expect something bad like that. Then his eyes turned serious. "How?"
The brunet boss closed his eyes and sighed, "As I stated before, the Oscurità come back."
"And, what did they do?"
Tsuna told the old man what happened days ago, starting with when he received the invitation from the Oscurità and keeping in the fact that his guardians left him. Nono listened with full attention to each word.
"...According to Shamal, I'll die in months if he can't make the cure. And according to Rosette, even the Oscurità couldn't make the cure." Tsuna said in defeat.
"Is there something I could do for you?" Nono asked.
!
Kyoya watched silently as Tsunayoshi and the ex-boss walked away towards the study room.
"Let's go in first."
He averted his gaze to Coyote Nougat, nodding silently as he followed the older man to living room.
"Do you want anything to drink?" Coyote asked as he saw the two guests sit down on the sofa, staring questioningly when they sat so far away. Staring at the Cloud Guardian, the cool annoyed look on the black haired man's face made Coyote remember that time when the Cloud and the Male Mist were forced to stay in a room together. They looked annoyed and despised each other's presence. This time it was only Kyoya who pulled that look, while the girl sat anxiously on the sofa.
Since the Storm wasn't sure about the situation and what he should do, he excused himself. "I'll go get you something to drink."
Kyoya eyes stared at the retreating figure of Coyote Nougat. His steel blue eyes then fell upon a certain black haired girl called Rosette, who he had to babysit again. The girl, as if knowing he was staring at her, looked up at him with scared expression.
"...Ummm..." the girl started. "I-Is there s-some-something wrong?" she asked, scared.
Sighing, Kyoya looked away. He didn't like the girl. So weak, defenseless, so herbivorous. For the unknown time, Kyoya sighed harshly. 'Why does Tsunayoshi want to keep her?' he asked himself. 'Nothing about her can be of any use for good."
While the Cloud was busy with his own thoughts, the girl was also busy with her mind. Fidgeting on her sofa, she thought. 'Ummm...why did he sigh like that?' Rosette bit her lip lightly. 'Does he really hate me?'
Choosing not to dwell on the Cloud Guardian. Rosette's mind flew back to yesterday event.
~Flashback~
Rosetter was looking at photo album. On it were photos of the Vongola Decimo's Famiglia. They looked so happy and close, as if nothing could separate them. She bit her lip. She felt sad for Tsuna.
She looked up at Tsuna, who was talking about some business with his Cloud Guardian. The paleness of Tsuna's skin made her even sadder. 'If only...I wasn't there. Tsuna wouldn't have to go through all this.'
"Rosette? Are you alright?"
She looked up at Tsuna's voice and smiled. "I-I'm alright."
Tsuna narrowed his eyebrows. "You're crying."
"Eh?" Rosette raised her hand to touch her face and found some liquid on her cheek. "W-Why am I...crying? I'm...fine..." She wiped the tears away with her small hand. But the tears seemed to betray her. They made a steady flow from her eyes.
"Rosette." the Decimo called. He stood up and walked towards the crying girl, kneeling in front of her. "Is there something bothering you?"
She shook her head.
"Rosette." he called softly, yet demanded her attention and answer.
They faintly heard the door open and close. The Cloud Guardian was out of the room. Both of them knew the stoic guardian never liked to deal with crying people.
"...I'm sorry..." Tsuna heard her murmur.
"Why are you sorry? Did you do something bad?" he asked.
She nodded, but didn't say anything,looking down at the carpeted floor.
"What did you do?"
She bit her lip hard, trying to keep her sobs in. But she failed miserably andcried louder than before. Immediately, Tsuna pulled her into his comforting embrace and soothed her back.
Rosette didn't say anything after that. Just cried and said sorry.
~End of Flashback~
Rosette sighed. 'It's my entire fault. Because of me, Tsuna had to go through so much pain.'She sighed again, not aware of a pair of steel grey eyes watching her every action.
"Tch!"
Rosette looked up when she heard Hibari click his tongue loudly, not to mention annoyedly. Confused and scared, she eyed the black haired man, who glared at the innocent window. She was afraid that she was the reason Hibari got annoyed. Gathering her courage while trying to dismiss her fear of the man, she called out to him. "Hibari?"
The man turned his glare towards her, making her flinched sharply at the intensity and hatred in the glare.
"Hi-Hibari?" she questioned the tall man, scared.
"Yesterday. Why?" the man asked with a stern voice, still glaring daggers at her.
"Eh? Wha-What do you mean?" Rosette fiddled with her fingers.
"You suddenly cried." Hibari answered fast. Not giving any moment for the girl to dodge his question. "Why?"
"I..." Rosette's gaze turned down, scared by Hibari's intensified glare. "I-I was thinking…that…all of this is…is my fault."
Hibari crossed his arms on his chest. "What do you mean?"
"If-If I wasn't there..." She held back her sob climbing up her throat. "Tsuna wouldn't have to go into that room. Tsu-Tsuna wouldn't be poisoned. He wouldn't be dying. And..." A bead of tears fell down from her eyes. "...And his guardians wouldn't have left him."
Hibari tightened his fist. "Stupid." he said with malice. He wanted to bite the girl to death.
"...I-I'm not. Tsuna said so." She wiped the tears from her eyes.
"If you really aren't, you should have already know that even if you weren't there, there must be another person or thing there to lure Tsunayoshi in. And if Tsunayoshi didn't come in, you would be burned alive. Just the thought of it made Tsunayoshi feel bad. What if it really happened?"
Taken aback by Hibari's harsh explanation, Rosette sobbed sadly. "He would have been...depressed." Rosette felt like crying again. 'Why did I not think of that? Tsuna...'
"Right. Don't think about it again. It irritated me when he disturbed my sleep to talk about it."
Rosette looked up. "Tsuna…knew?"
~Flashback~
"Kyoya."
Tsuna's soft voice woke him up from his much needed sleep. Glaring at his lover, while trying to get his eyes used to the bright light of the room, Kyoya answered. "What?"
"...It's about Rosette..." Tsuna said sadly.
Narrowing his eyebrows, Kyoya asked. "What about that weak herbivore?"
Looking solemnly at his lap, Tsuna explained shortly to Kyoya. "This noon, she cried and said sorry..."
"So?" Kyoya held down his upcoming yawn.
"She...I think, she blames herself." Tsuna sighed as his mind retreated back to the event that happened in his office.
Silence took over the room, before Kyoya answered uncaringly. "If she didn't, I would blame it on her."
"Kyoya!" Tsuna stared, dissaproving.
This time, Kyoya asked harshly. "What?"
"That's so not nice."
Rolling his eyes, Kyoya said the obvious. "I'm not a nice person."
~End of Flashback~
Hibari rolled his eyes, "If he didn't know, then why did he stay calm when you cried?"
Silence covered both of them for a moment, before it was broken by a rustle of Hibari's clothes.
Rosette looked up to see that the man had already stood up and was walking towards the door. But the man stopped right before his hand reached the handle. He looked at the girl over his shoulder. "His guardians didn't leave him because of you. They left because of was his own fault and their weakness." With that, Hibari walked out of the room, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.
!
Kyoya walked fast along the corridor was familiar with. His conversation with Tsuna last night echoing in his head. Every steps he took he was drowned into his memories.
~Flashback~
Rolling his eyes, Kyoya said the obvious. "I'm not a nice person."
Sighing, Tsuna stayed silent and looked back at his lap. "Can't you just accept her?"
"Why should I?" Kyoya turned to his side. His back facing Tsuna. He didn't like where the conversation was going.
"Are you still angry because I named her 'Rosette'?" Tsuna asked.
Kyoya didn't budge, as if the question didn't mean anything to him. Which was so wrong. The question did affect him emotionally, a lot.
Kyoya didn't care if Tsuna took in a stranger to become part of Vongola. Kyoya trusted Tsuna and his hyper intuition. He trustedthat his lover wouldn't bring Vongola down. But it did annoy him that Tsuna gave the name, which was supposed to be given to their own daughter, not to the stranger.
He didn't like it. At all.
Tsuna sighed at Kyoya's stillness. He actually did feel bad for naming the girl Rosette without his husband's approval.They already had an agreement about the name,but he didn't regret giving that name to her. "Don't you think that 'Rosette' suits her?"
His question seemed to get Kyoya's attention. Kyoya stirred a little. Honestly, he never thought about it. Kyoya laid on his back again. Closing his eyes as he pondered over the supposed to be simple question.
~End of Flashback~
Finding himself outside the building, Kyoya stared at the large garden. Closing his eyes, he thought about the question again.
"Don't you think that 'Rosette' suits her?" Tsuna voice held softness and happiness. Kyoya could imagine the soft smile on Tsuna's face when he said it.
Opening his eyes, he gazed softly at the blue sky above him. He knew Tsuna's reason. Smiling softly at the fluffy cloud floating freely in the sky, Kyoya said to no one in particular. "So...you already think of her as your daughter?"
!
"My guardians are away." Tsuna said solemnly.
Nono narrowed his eyes. "How can they do something like that when their sky was in this state?" he asked, confused yet dissaproving.
"They don't know about this, Nono." Tsuna tried to defend them.
"But still, why did they leave at the first place?" Timoteo shook his head.
"I…"
Raising his eyebrow at Tsuna, the ex-boss pressed, "You?"
"I betrayed them." Tsuna looked down at his lap. He bit down his lip as he felt the wetness in his eyes.
"What…"
Tsuna cut in before Timoteo could ask anything. "They trust me. But I can't tell them that I'm dying...I lied to them, and because of it, they thought that I didn't trust them anymore...I saw their expressions, filled with sadness and betrayal...yet I can't tell them the truth...that I'm dying." Tsuna's voice trailled off towards the end of his answer.
"Tsunayoshi…you..."
"There's no time for this." Tsuna shook his head. "What's done is done. We have to move on."
Sighing, Timoteo asked him. "Then how can I help you?"
"After I die, there will be no one managing Vongola, so can you please take care of the famiglia again, at least until you can find the right person to be Vongola Undecimo?"
"If that's what you want."
"Thank you."
"But, what about your guardians? Don't you think it will hurt them when they find out the truth after...your death?"
Tsuna smiled sadly. "They can take care of themselves. They are strong. Well, Lambo is still cry baby, but the others will take care of him. At least Hayato and Takeshi will. If they can't, Kyoya will be there. I trust them."
Timoteo nodded in understanding. "Then what about the girl, Rosette?"
"She is part of Vongola."
"What if your guardians can't take in your death and blame her?"
Tsuna was silent for a moment, before answering with a confident smile. "Kyoya will protect her."
"He will?" Timoteo doubted it. Even though he only saw the girl for a mere minute, he could see the space between the Cloud and the girl. They stood far away. Or should he say, Kyoya didn't seem to acknowledging the girl's presence and the girl was avoiding Kyoya.
Tsuna nodded. "For me, Rosette is like my daughter. That reason is good enough for Kyoya to protect her. He really cares about me and will protect anything dear to me." Tsuna smiled softly before adding, "If he didn't, he would have left Hayato to die."
"If you say so." Nono took his cup of tea and drank the now cold tea. He remembered that time when the right hand man almost opened death's door because of a mission and wouldn't have made it alive if Kyoya didn't decide to save him.
"Besides, my 5 private assassins will also protect her."
Nono just nodded his head. In his mind, he hoped for the best for Tsuna. He poured himself and Tsuna another cup of tea.
Tsuna only looked at his filled cup. That caught Timoteo's curiosity.
"Is there another reason you wanted to talk about with me?" Timoteo watched as Tsuna looked up at him and nodded firmly. "Is it about the Vongola's truths and secrets you mentioned on phone?"
Tsuna nooded and answered. "Yes. I found a book in Vongola's library, or should I say Hayato did. That book contained Vongola's unrevealed mysteries. The author of the book seemed to know you, Nono."
Timoteo seemed lost in thought before came up with a name. "Is it Piero?"
Tsuna shooked his head. "I don't know. The name was erased from the book."
"Piero. He was a detective who sometimes helped Vongola investgate some cases. He was a close friend of my mother, Ottavo. I heard once that he wrote a book about Vongola he wasn't supposed to write, and that book ended up being wiped out." Timoteo explained briefly. "I didn't know that there is still a copy of his book in the world and in Vongola's library. So, what about the book?"
"Well...in that book, the author, Piero, he wrote about his suspicions about Ottavo's death." Tsuna said shortly.
Timoteo nodded in understanding. "My mother's death was suspicious. She suddenly got sick, and it happened not long after she met the Oscurità. Not to mention the cause of her sickness was not found."
"Judging from that book which Piero wrote, it must be the same as mine. The sickness, I mean. I did cough blood and have heart attacks. It could be the same poison the Oscurità injected to me."
"Yes...it can..."
Tsuna stared at his cup again. "...And..."
The ex-boss looked at Tsuna, raising his eyebrow and waiting for Tsuna to continue.
"...From that book, too. I found out about an odd motif on the wallpaper of Vongola's Bosses' old office."
"The old office? The new meeting room?" Timoteo asked and Tsuna nodded in confirmation.
"If we just looked at the wallpaper briefly, no one would find the odd motif. But if they concentrated and looked at it from a close distance, one can find it. There, written on it, was a riddle..."
"Riddle?"
"Yes. It's –With shell to protect the family. And key to open the past. We will reveal the truth and secrets. Find the jewels where everything began. May your ring and flame guide you. The truth and secrets are in your hand- That's it."
Timoteo seemed to ponder over it before asked Tsuna again. "I believe the -where everything began- led you here?"
Nodding, Tsuna told Timoteo about what he found the day before. "Yes. I got this one folder about the estates Vongola owned. And I found that this mansion is where Primo started Vongola. I think whatever I'm searching for might lie here." The current boss held the ex-boss' gaze.
"That's right. But, what does the jewels mean? As far as I know, there are no jewels in this mansion."
Shaking his head, Tsuna answered with a doubt. "Well, I think it means what we are searching, but I'm not sure. My hyper intuition doesn't tell anything about this one."
Nodding slowly, Timoteo suggested giving a tour around the mansion. "Why don't we take a walk around the mansion. You might find something useful."
The two bosses stood up from their seats and walked out of the room. Agreeing that they would take a walk around the mansion.
After a while, Timoteo seemed to remember something he had forgotten for a long time. "My mom, Ottavo...She once told me about a big wooden box. The surface of it was covered by carvings. It was placed inside the boss' second office." Timoteo took the lead, leading Tsuna to a room only he knew. "As far as I know, there is no key hole or anything like that. I thought it was just a simple desk or so. But, hearing what you told me a while ago, somehow it rings a bell inside my head."
Timoteo stopped in front of black wooden door. "Here." Opening the door, Timoteo stepped inside.
Tsuna, following the older man, look around the room after stepping in. It was a simple room, not a lot of things inside. Just a desk and a chair. The walls were covered by bookshelves, which were not all filled with books. Then, beside the desk, there was small wooden furniture with beautiful carvings on it's surface. Tsuna watched as Timoteo walked toward it, motioning him to come closer too.
As he walked closer, Tsuna felt his heart beat faster. Something is calling him. 'Found it!' His hyper intuition told him. As if his body was moved by invisible energy, Tsuna raised his right hand, which had his Vongola Sky Ring on it. Gulping his doubt down, he let his ring flare up with his bright orange Sky flames as he moved closer to the box.
Timoteo watched in shock and amazement as the once unopenable box opened on its own. The upside was slowly thrown up, and inside it, were some books Timoteo was familiar with. His mother's journals. "That's..."
Tsuna looked at his grandfather figure. "Do you know about this, Nono?"
The ex-boss nodded slowly. His widened eyes never left the books inside the box. "Some of them. They are Ottavo's journals. During my days as a child, I often saw my mother write in those books. The dried flowers glued to the front cover are proof that these were hers."
Tsuna looked back at the books. Yes. There were dried flowers on some books. Tsuna took the books out. Looking at Timoteo, he asked for approval, "Can I read it?"
Nodding, Timoteo gave the young man permission. "Of course."
March 27, 19XX
It's almost spring. The weather is warmer than yesterday, since the sun is shining quite brightly. If this continues, maybe we can change into lighter clothes.
Timoteo has become strong enough to spar with one of my guardians. But, he still need a lot of training in fighting two-or-morestrong opponents at a time.
There is something suspicious going on in theOscurità's Headquarters. Had to set careful eyes on them.
April 03, 19XX
The sun shines brightly. It's a nice sunny day.
But this annoying pest dares to threaten Vongola with a stupid announcement. Timoteo had taken care of it. So no worries.
Nothing wrong with the Oscurità. Maybe we are overreacting. But I will still set eyes on them, just to be safe.
~~~
November 14, 19XX
The weather is not good. There is an unexpected storm attacking here.
Timoteo had made fast progress on managing the families. This might be too early for him, but sooner or later he will be the Vongola Boss. Chi ben commincia è alla meta dell'opra*.
I got a report about Oscurità creating something outside our dealings. I sent a letter to them, they should be replying in three days or so.
~~~
November 25, 19XX
The Oscurità still haven't replied to my letter. What is making them so busy that they can't even reply to one single letter? It's really inconvenient. They should build their headquarters near Vongola's. It will help both of us if something ever happened.
~~~
November 30, 19XX
Finally, the Oscurità replied to my letter. They said that there was some misunderstanding. One of their staff took the wrong liquid. They ask for forgiveness.
I think I could let them off this time.
~~~
February 03, 19XY
Something suspicious happened in Oscurità again. They are short on the components needed to produce the medicine. It's impossible since the last time they ordered, they had made sure that the components were enough to produce the medicine.
I send my spies. Hopefully they will find something.
I also sent another letter to the Oscurità. Let's see what they will tell me this time.
~~~
February 09, 19XY
The report from my spies and Oscurità were different.
Oscurità said that, their experiment went wrong and they need the components to continue their experiments.
But my spies are telling me that Oscurità's staff was using them for a different purpose.
I need to investigate them. So I sent Piero to investigate them. It's impossible to send Piero inside Oscurità, so he could only investigate the outside of it. But I think it's enough for him to get some information.
~~~
March 01, 19XY
The Oscurità are having another deal outside Vongola. That's enough, I'll go to their headquarters and confront them about this.
~~~
March 8,19XY
Yesterday, I left Oscurità Headquarter in fury.
They wanted to cut their ties with Vongola. It seems they are blinded by money and power.
I have to make sure they won't go too far. They created an illegal drug. If Vindice knew about this, it will also bring Vongola down.
I need some rest. These things making me stressed.
~~~
March 11, 19XY
The Oscurità disappeared. No one knows about their whereabouts.
I got sick recently. My head hurts once in a while. And my throat feels like it's burning. I cough a lot too.
I get some rest.
~~~
March 28, 19XY
My condition isn't getting better, it's worsened actually. I wonder what's wrong with me.
~~~
April 03, 19XY
I coughed blood. Everyone was in a panic. I need to get my doctor.
.
He said nothing's wrong with my body. Maybe the stress is the cause. But the doctor isn't sure himself.
"Yes, ever since that time, Ottavo's condition only got worse and worse. She rarely left HQ at that time. Most of her work was done by her guardian and me." Timoteo said as Tsuna flipped through the pages. From what was written there, Tsuna knew that Ottavo felt the same way he did now.
Timoteo continued. "Then, there was that war between Vongola and some enemy. If my mom were healthy and I didn't go abroad or I could arrive at Italy sooner, Vongola would have won from the start of the war. There wouldn't be a lot of victims and my mom wouldn't have died at that time." Timoteo let out a big sigh. "But what's done is done. I can do nothing about it now, no matter what I tried."
"I'm sorry, Nono." Tsuna said sadly.
Timoteo waved his hand in front of Tsuna. "You don't need to feel sorry. This time you're the victim. You can do nothing about it." Timoteo sad eyes looked outside the window, which showed the sky covered by grey clouds.
"Well…at least we can report the Oscuritàto Vindice. This journal is good enough to prove their crime until now." Tsuna said afterward, looking at the grey clouds covering sky.
Nodding, the old man added, "Yes. This time, I hope, the Oscurità will get their punishment for sure. They have done so many terrible things."
Tsuna could only hum while planning to report to Vindice preferably soon.
!
For once, Tsuna felt a little at ease. Some part of his burden had been taken from his shoulders. He had given Ottavo's journal to one of Vindice's officers, hoping the Vindice could capture the Oscurità soon. So, on his side, Tsuna could make up with his familia.
Speaking of familia, Tsuna remembered one thing that had haunted him ever since he left Nono's retiring mansion. Kyoya and Rosette. Since they left, Tsuna knew that something was different. Tsuna saw the way Kyoya acknowledged Rosette's presence sometimes, eventhough Kyoya was still ignoring her. He still looked uncaring, but it was different now. Tsuna knew that Kyoya, somehow, started to take Rosette's presence to his attention. Tsuna was very happy about it. Maybe, in that short time at Nono's mansion, Kyoya and Rosette had a talk and whatever they had said somehow crushed that disapproving act of Kyoya.
But, the problem was Rosette. The girl, in her eyes, seemed to avoid Kyoya. She didn't look scared of him anymore. She looked wary instead. There must be something wrong with her. He wanted to know. But how could he when the girl was also avoiding him as well?
Tsuna sighed loudly. So loud that it caught Paolo's attention. "Decimo?"
The tenth boss looked up from his unsigned paperwork to his assistant. "What's wrong, Paolo?"
The older man frowned upon hearing Tsuna's question. "I'm the one who should be asking that, Decimo. You look...different and upset."
"Do I?"
"Yes. So...what's wrong, Decimo?" Paolo asked slowly.
Closing his eyes to clear his mind, Tsuna answered as he opened them again to look at Paolo. "It's...Kyoya and Rosette."
"Ahh…Them..." Paolo nodded slightly many times as if he knew what was up with the two.
"Yes, them..." Tsuna turned his chair so he was facing the window. Gazing at the clear blue sky, Tsuna said worriedly. "I wonder what's wrong with them. Kyoya's finally starting to acknowledge her. But it seems Rosette...is avoiding him."
Silence enveloped the room, except for the ticking clock. Then, Paolo cut through the silence. "I can ask her if you want to know about what's troubling to her."
Tsuna gazed at Paolo. "You will?"
"Of course. Anything for you, Decimo." Paolo said as he bowed at Tsuna.
Tsuna smiled gladly, "Thank you, Paolo. I think I couldn't do anything if you weren't with me."
"You are flattering me, Decimo. I just do what I have to. Even if I'm not on your side, there will be another person who will do the same as me for you." Paolo straightened himself as he looked at Tsuna, caringly. "So, if you'll excuse me, I'll head straight away to find Rosette and maybe counsel her."
"You're excused, Paolo. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Decimo. I'll take my leave then." the man said as he left the room. Leaving Tsuna alone with his paperwork and a cup of tea.
!
That afternoon, Rosette spent her time in the green house. She sat on the white wooden chair with her crossed arms on the round white wooden table in front of her. Laying her head on her arms, she stared at nothing absentmindedly.
She felt bad when she thought about her talk with the Cloud Guardian. She felt bad for crying and worrying Tsuna. She let out a mouthful breath she held since a moment ago with a loud sigh.
"Is there something bothering you, Rosette?" a kind and soft voice sounded from behind her. Rosette straighten her position, looking back to find Paolo was walking towards her with a tray covered with tea.
"Paolo!" Rosette smiled widely as he watched Paolo stop beside her and place the tray on the table, not forgetting the colorful macaroon which was Rosette's favorite snack. "Thank you!"
Paolo watched and waited silently as the girl drank her tea and enjoyed the delicate taste of macaroons until Rosette felt the gazing and stopped her activity.
Placing her cup of tea back on its saucer, Rosette asked, "Is there something wrong, Paolo?"
Paolo eyes examined the girl's appearance from head to toe. "Aren't you the one who knows exactly what's wrong, Rosette?"
"What do you mean, Paolo?"
Paolo walked towards an empty seat and sat on it. Looking straight into Rosette's eyes, he said seriously, "You seem to be avoiding Hibari."
"I-It's because...he's scary..." Rosette's reasoning sounded true. But Paolo knew better.
"You know that you're not that scared of Hibari anymore."
Rosette looked down, avoiding Paolo straight hard gaze. "...That's...true..." she said, very softly though.
"So…what's making you avoid him?"
"He..." Shaking her head, she corrected herself. "I'm just thinking."
"…About...?"
"About myself."
That wasn't what Paolo expected. "What do you mean?"
"Hibari...He asked me what I will do...after Tsuna's dead...I…I said that I didn't know..." She looked troubled. And she continued, "He said I have to find him later and figure it out."
"And…what is your answer now?"
"I haven't found anything."
"So…you avoid him?" She nodded at his question. "But you can't avoid him forever, right?" Rosette seemed to flinch at that. "Sooner or later, he will find you to give him answer."
"He will?"
Paolo nodded. "Of course. You don't know how scary he is when he's feeling impatient."
"Err...I think I can imagine it..." Rosette's face paled at her own imagination.
Paolo chuckled. "Believe me, you don't want to know."
"Uhh…Well…you're right..."
Paolo smiled at her. He wanted to tell her about what might be her answer, but it wouldn't mean anything if she didn't figure it out herself. So instead, he patted the girl's head and left. "Don't think too hard. Just think what you want to do. You don't have to care about Hibari or anything. Just believe in your own feelings."
!
Tsuna was sitting on his bed, leaning on the board. On his lap was his hand entwined with Kyoya's. He looked at Kyoya, who was already laying on his back with his eyes closed. He called, "Kyoya..."
"Hn." the black haired man grunted.
"Why...Why do you hate Rosette?"
Kyoya opened his icy cold eyes, glaring at the ceiling of their bedroom. "She is weak and defenseless. She is not valueable to Vongola." With that, he let Tsuna's hand go and turned on his side, his broad back facing Tsuna.
Tsuna looked down at his lap, staring at his hand, which was just some moments ago holding Kyoya's warm hand. 'Kyoya is right. Even I can't deny it. But, there must be something about her...but what?'
Tsuna felt bad over it. He wanted to believe in Rosette, but he couldn't do anything, now. As he was thinking, his mind drifted into the depths of sleep.
~Tsuna's dream~
White. It was all white. Then a splash of orange seeped into the endless white. The orange slowly molded into the silhouette of a man,a man he's very familiar with now. And finally, Vongola Primo stood in front of him.
The blond haired man smiled softly at his succesor. "Hello, Tsunayoshi. It's been a while since we last met."
Nodding his head, Tsuna said. "Yeah...been a while..."
Raising his eyebrow at Tsuna's response, Giotto asked, "Something's bothering you? You look...unwell."
Tsuna slowly shook his head while sighing. "No…It's just..."
"...Just?"
Sighing once again, Tsuna let out his mind. "Kyoya confronted me about Rosette. And I can't deny what he said out about her. I wonder if I did it wrong."
Smiling caringly, Primo said softly, "Why did you take her with you, Tsunayoshi?"
Taken aback by the question thrown at him, Tsuna looked up at his ancestor. "...Eh? Why..?" Looking down, Tsuna pondered about his answer before looking up again.
"My...Hyper Intuition told me to do so. Besides, I just can't leave her alone to die in that burning mansion..." Tsuna shut his mouth. And then, "...I…never told anyone about this, but when I saw her eyes for the first time, I could see the world. I know it's nonsense and impossible based on the fact that she had never seen the world before, but the hope...no...light…flame…whatever it is...something in her scared eyes caught my attention. I just thought that she could...no...maybe would change the world."
Primo smiled as he saw the little smile on Tsuna's face. "Do you believe in your Hyper Intuition?"
Tsuna wasn't sure for a while, but he nodded confidently afterward. "I do."
Grinning, Primo patted Tsuna's head softly. "That's good. Now, just wait and keep believing what you believe in. The time will come soon."
As Primo's body vanished into thin air, darkness seemed to envelope Tsuna.
Tsuna slowly opened his eyes. It was still dark. He was still in a sitting position and Kyoya was still sleeping on his side, though, instead of his broad back facing him, Kyoya slept facing him now.
Raising his hand slowly, Tsuna touched Kyoya's face gently, placing his palm on Kyoya's slightfully warm cheek. Rubbing his thumbs over the cheek bone, Tsuna smiled softly. "We don't know what lies in our future or even Rosette's. But whatever it is, let's just wait for the future and keep believing that this is for our own good."
!
A few days later, Tsuna was working in his office again, accompanied by Kyoya and Paolo. Rosette was with the five assasins who had their day free of missions, along with Bertha and Elizabeth, who always stayed not too far from her.
Tsuna was discussing something when Rosette barged into the room with a wide excited smile on her face. "Tsuna!"
The three occupants of the office looked up at her with questioning glances, though in Kyoya's gaze was a glare, as Lucia and Bertha followed after her into the room.
"We're truly sorry, Decimo, for barging in like this!" Lucia bowed deeply. "Miss Rosette is too excited to keep it down." she said as she held onto Rosette's shoulders, who flinched scaredly because of Kyoya's sharp glare.
Rosette looked down at the carpeted floor, her hands fidgeting. "I'm sorry, Tsuna..."
Tsuna chuckled softly. "It's allright, Rosette." Standing up from his chair, Tsuna walked towards Rosette. Patting the girl's head, he asked. "What's bringing you here? You look way too excited."
Stealing some glances at Kyoya, Rosette turned her attention to Tsuna. "Tsuna! You have to see this!" She raised her right hand up in front of Tsuna. Tsuna looked at Rosette's raised hand and found...nothing. Raising his eyebrow, not knowing what she meant, he asked again with a confused tone.
"See what, Rosette?" Tsuna took a glance at Lucia and Bertha, questioningly. Then he turned to the remaining assasins and Elizabeth who arrived not long after Lucia and Bertha. Their faces lit up with good news.
Grinning widely, Rosette brought down her hand with her palm facing upward. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on her hand.
Tsuna watched with careful eyes, so did Paolo, who watch expectantly, and Kyoya, who narrowed his eyes. Sparks of orange came out of Rosette's hand and it created a small orange flame. It sparked for a while before vanishing.
Opening her eyes, Rosette looked up at Tsuna's widening brown eyes and said happily with a grin. "I have Sky Flames! Just like you!"
.
.
To be continued~~
!
I almost forget that Rosette is still so young! Hope her action in this chapter isn't so adult-like. You may shoot me dead if she is... T^T
Chi ben commincia è alla meta dell'opra (who well begins, is half way through his task.) I got this from wikipedia when I search for some proverb, correct me if I'm wrong. :)
And yeah! Rosette has Sky Flame! ^^ I think you know how the story will goes, right? Hehe~~
Please keep supporting, reviewing, following and favorite this story! :)
See you next chapter!
