Here's the next chapter (I nearly died going through this one)! Thanks to Natsumo, Kuroi Rin and GenderlessPerson for reviewing! I'm sure I failed majorly at the debate…

Anyways, enjoy! :D

This journal entry is proof that I have successfully lived through the treacherous debate against the Vindice (I seriously thought I was going to die with all the pressure I had to go through!). Luckily for me, it was shorter than the debates that I had in class at school (this is in America, obviously), those things lasted for at least three days, sometimes going overtime the class limits (it was hell!).

Ahem, before I veer off from the topic… I still don't know the group called Vindice or their prison, Vendicare (sure I've been told that they were law upholders for the Mafiosi, and those are the most rotten of the rotten that they go after, but other than that, I don't know anything). I've also come to the realization that my Uncle has some sort of connection to the Vindice (pretty slow, I know, but I had a whole bunch of stuff weighing on my mind), for one, I wasn't dead yet and that had some sort of connection with my Uncle as well. We were also pretty free to roam where ever we wanted to (though I had to have an escort since my incident of going to the 'bathroom'), not chained down like were supposed to be (shows you how much I don't know).

They (the Vindice) were also weird (in a way). Their bandages were always on their faces (I have yet to see on how they look like without them on), and they don't seem pretty hungry (I haven't seen a single one of them eat, who doesn't eat? The humanity!). I haven't seen them wear anything but the dreary looking clothes that they seemingly wear day after day (don't they stink?)… Yup, I'm pretty shallow on this 'Vindice' topic.

Anyways, going back to the debate topic (again), after they had accepted my debate I was led to a different room (Mukuro and Uncle Dean were left behind, something with a rule being a private matter between the Vendicare and me only, Uncle Dean wasn't happy but let me go, while Mukuro was… he was his usual pineapple self). Imagine my surprise when the room turns out to be some court…

inside the building, the size was no joke either, all huge and realistic. The only thing that irked me here was that it was all dreary black as well, what's with them and being obsessed with black? I left the topic in order to preserve my sanity, it wouldn't do any good to break apart right before the trail. I took a deep breath and let it out strategically through my nose and let my nerves settle down. It was about time the trail was to start. "Cannon,"

And there was the creepiness to start everything. I held a sigh as I looked up to see all members present around me. I stayed silent, knowing that they couldn't just have called my name to start a trail. A few more heartbeats of silence passed when the baby, I was not hallucinating, spoke up. "You have released a wanted criminal into the world, do you understand the weight of your actions."

I stared right at the midget, he had to end with a statement, didn't he? I squared my shoulders. "I do."

"Then you are aware of Rokudo Mukuro's deeds, are you not?" The bandaged child questioned. This time he didn't wait for an answer. "Letting a criminal of such deeds loose is the same as asking for you to have your being here in Vendicare as well. This you understand."

Was this child practically raised in this prison without knowing the outside world? I'm starting to feel sorry for the kid. I pushed the thought out of my head and focused on my current task. I couldn't afford to mess up here, one wrong move and I could end up here for eternity, and Uncle Dean would have no power over my unsuspected arrest. "Of course."

"Then why is that you went ahead and set free Rokudo Mukuro." Another statement. I couldn't say that I was insane when I did free him, they'd dismiss the case and everything would have been for nothing. I also couldn't say that I found it wrong to see a person in a tank of water, not that I've already seen one, that was an invalid argument without any backups for support. I blinked to hydrate my eyes. Silence was a no go…

"I'm sure you've had memories flood you quite a few days back, right?" I questioned, slowly taking in what their reactions would be. Quite difficult with all the bandages wrapped around their faces.

"What of it." A quick reply.

I resisted the urge to clench my jaw, it wouldn't do any good in the first place. "Those memories should have given you the fact that you were fooled by an illusionist and setting free Rokudo Mukuro."

That was all the rest were talking about before and after our travels from the future. Hurting their pride of being fooled should put a dent in their armor. "The Vindice are not fooled easily, there is currently only one person who can fool the Vindice."

"Right, but the world isn't all sparkles and rainbows," I was having a hard time maintaining a straight face. It was too easy on making a dent. "Sooner or later, whichever the world takes a turn for, there will be more skilled illusionists who can get past your defenses and pluck out whoever you hold captive in hear."

"You are going off topic, Cannon." The creepy voice boomed. It took sheer willpower to not flinch. "Rokudo Mukuro is a highly wanted criminal and you are setting him free, your reasons would have no valid argument if you veer off course."

I held up my hands in surrender, giving a charming smile. Charming in my opinioin, since I hardly do charming. "It's a reason that I leave out there for your debate."

I cleared my throat, going back to the topic on hand. "As for Rokudo Mukuro's reason to be let out, we'll have to go back to the Estraneo, care to start us off?"

There was a small amount of silence. "The Estraneo are long gone, bringing up a dead Famiglia into this debate would have no effect on the outcome."

"That's where I disagree," I pointed out, making sure my smile didn't cross the border of pleasant. "The Estraneo is the beginning of a long and treacherous path. Care to hear the details?"

"We're listening." The child informed.

I gave a nod, and started. "The Estraneo, were a scientific branch of the Mafia Underworld. Developing all those technologies to use, that is until they created a bullet that was banned by the rest of the Underworld and labelled as inhumane."

"The posseion bullet," The infant nodded, as did the others.

Good, looks like I still have the events in order. I continued on. "When this new creation of theirs, the possession bullet, had been banned, the Estraneo were practically stripped of their standing as a scientific facility and were then cornered by the rest of the Underworld. I have to pity them, no one stood up for them, at least not anyone that I know of."

"Get to the point."

"I'm getting there, paitience." I had a split second of irritation before letting it pass and continued on with the story. "Imagine the desperate situation they were in, driven to a corner with their minds set on making more weapons, ones that won't be as easily detected as a bullet would be. And that would have been a genius plan if it weren't for the fact that they were done on their own children. I imagine that by the time they had a shortage of their own children, they made underhand dealings to the civil world, including kidnappings of lost children."

I paused, letting the facts sink in. The infant spoke up. "And what exactly does this have to do with the release of Rokudo Mukuro?"

"Rokudo Mukuro, as a child, was given to the Estraneo in one of their underhanded dealings." I paused before my emotions could get a hold of me. "His parents are the kinds that would have probably given abuse to their children, but they aren't important. Rather, Rokudo Mukuro has been experimented on since his early childhood. I reckon that it gave a lot more trauma to him than he needed, and thus he snapped."

"That only proves that Rokudo is to be put in Vendicare for the rest of his life." The air got chilly, making me suppress a shiver.

I held a grim look. "That is what started it, it's not a reason to throw him behind bars for a life sentence. He wasn't the only child that was experimented on either, the probable what ifs in this situation could extend to so many possibilities. Hatred is what fired his being to cling onto life, any child, after such abuse, would harbor hatred. It's the matter of whether it would be strong enough to carry out the will. Rokudo Mukuro only survived because he had the will to survive, that in itself needs to be applauded."

"Rokudo wasn't the only child to survive the Estraneo, Kakimoto Chikusa and Joshima Ken have also survived." The voice sounded as if it was coming from everywhere.

I let out a small sigh. "They only survived because Rokudo Mukuro had eliminated the Estraneo. Kakimoto Chikusa and Joshima Ken were both at their wits end, and would have died if any further experimentation was done on them. Their mental state was wavered much later than Rokudo Mukuro's as well, showing that they weren't subjected to any abuse beforehand."

I paused letting the fact sink in. The bluff on this knowledge would have the slimmest possibility of making it through. I continued, crushing the urge to blink. "Furthermore the Estraneo had done the experiments without the use of anesthetics, most likely from the low funding that they couldn't afford such things."

Cover the bluff with a true piece of information, done. I blinked. "From this it is safe to conclude that Rokudo Mukuro, with all the trauma he has been induced into, had laid low until his experiment had been completed. Then he took care of them, leaving the base behind alongside Kakimoto Chikusa and Joshima Ken."

There was silence, I'd like to think that I had made them speechless, but then that would be ridiculous since these guys hardly gave any emotion to go on. Frustrating, but I was progressing. The infant than spoke. "Then what would you make of the massacre that Rokudo created, eliminating a whole famiglia."

"Simple, that one was due to the shattered trust within Rokudo Mukuro." I answered.

"That isn't a reason for us to let him out of Vendicare." Honestly, do these guys have some sort of obsession with the prison? I was half tempted to pull the joke on them, but refrained from doing so. The atmosphere around here didn't have a single room for a joke… that was scary, in a sense.

"Okay then," I let out a breath, collecting my thoughts. I became aware with the perspiration I was giving off, but continued to ignore it with a note to have a shower sometime. "let's backtrack to the Estraneo for a bit, they were Mafia, an Italian Famiglia that follows an omérta within their ranks and is one with the Underworld. Or at least they used to be. So it wouldn't be that far off to say that Rokudo Mukuro had the ambition to destroy the one thing that ruined him, it's quite logical, really."

"So you are saying that the eradication of a whole Famiglia was due to this revenge." Did the pressure increase a bit?

I gave a half-hearted shrug. "Everyone has revenge in them, some more stronger than others while some don't even shred a single thought on it. It'd be pretty weird if you didn't act out on revenge, knowing that you had it burning inside you, Rokudo Mukuro's revenge was purely based on his hatred of the Mafia, giving him trauma from childhood till now. You aren't helping to quench those flames, instead you are fanning them even more. If you think about it, it is pretty reasonable."

I caught myself before I started rambling. "Basing this trial on the points that I have given you, I want you to make your decision."

"Incomplete points would lead to an unfinished trail, and Rokudo Mukuro would be put back in the water tank." I officially hated people that had hardly any emotion.

"Then I will stand my ground here until you release Rokudo Mukuro." I stomped my foot on the ground with emphasis.

"Very well," The Vindice gathered around the infant and began to talk amongst themselves. I took this chance to level my hyperventilating breathing, my trembling wouldn't cease either. The moment was short lived when the infant spoke up again, nearly making me jump three feet into the air. It wasn't good to show your opponent that you were breaking under the pressure, they'd just take advantage of it and exploit your weakness. "Rokudo Mukuro shall not be leaving Vendicare."

I narrowed my eyes. This fight was long from over. "And may I ask why."

"He is a cold blooded killer, and if he is to be left alone, he would become dangerous." Man I hated these types of people…

"You are only focusing on the part where he would kill, but he is trying to survive, how many people, do you think, want him dead?" I continued, not allowing them to answer. "I can tell you a lot of people, a novice to this whole situation can tell you a lot of people want him dead. It's not rocket science, but the question here is: have you ever looked at it from his point of view? I'm sure you haven't."

I ended curtly, slightly out of breath. The infant spoke up. "What makes you think that we will change word of your judgment, what the Vindice say is law."

"Because I want you to look at this from Rokudo Mukuro's point of view," I was very tempted to just throw my hands in the air, maybe even flip the bird at them, and walk out of the room and pretend that this all never happened. Very tempted. "you were thrown away at a very young age, sold to a bunch of strangers, and all they ever did was experiment on you without any medical precaution. Your resentment is growing by the day, and then you vow to eliminate these monsters surrounding you, so you lay patiently. The opportunity shines its light unto you and you grasp at it like a life line, wanting to very much live and not in the pain surrounding you."

I paused letting the first part sink in, continuing after a moment. "You leave the facility of monsters behind and have gained companions that grow on you. Later you are found by another family, you do not know how to accept their kindness, because your trust in others have completely shattered, instead you take advantage, convincing yourself that this was the only way to protect yourself and your friends, of them."

"Then what of the time when he slaughters them." Good they were caught on the line.

I continued. "You are confused, and lost, you didn't want to confide in your friends, they were short-term pals, they couldn't keep your secrets, soon you grow tired of being indifferent to their continuous, and constant, familiarization with yourself, and soon you feel your resentment rise again. Before you know it everybody is dead, with the man you have possessed as the only one standing. You then find yourself thrown in jail, and have every intention of breaking out, planning the fall of the Mafia Underworld during your confinement."

"Escaping was only the first step towards your plan of world domination. And to get to the your desired goal, you head for the young Vongola in training, only to be beaten and sent back to the dank prison. This time your plans are pushed to the back your mind, intending for your friends to escape, they are long-term and they deserve the freedom awaiting them. You break out with them, and allow their escape only for you to be thrown in the prison once again, this time bound hand and foot and put in a tank of water." I was so exhausted narrating a storyline that I've probably repeated fifty times now. I really wanted to just fall down and sleep. "You extend your powers and meet a dying girl who provides you a link to the outside world, and soon you are approached by the CEDEF through your link, and you accept their proposal of being the Mist Guardian of the young Vongola. Days later, you receive memories from the future, highlighting the fact that you ten years later self has made another teen promise to negotiate you out of Vendicare."

I breathed in, and let it out. "The rest you should know."

There was silence, and my heartbeat was loud. Made me wonder if they could hear it. It shattered when one of them spoke up. "What was the point of world domination?"

I could've raised my brow at their attentiveness for the narrative I gave, but I resisted. Opting to answer the question. "To let the world out there to feel the pain he felt, a bit farfetched, but if you kept in mind that Mukuro is a rather awkward child that can't give his trust in return to just anyone, it's not that weird. The fight with the young Vongola could have also changed his views and allowing him to stand beside him, seeing as he would be busted out of prison by him anyway if I don't succeed here, as his Mist Guardian."

"Any other questions?" I asked, itching to stretch my muscles. Was I this sleepy? I blinked the thought away.

"If we were to let Rokudo Mukuro out, what would you give in return?" I gave a small flinch at the loud volume thrown at me. I must seriously be tired if I'm in front of a loudspeaker and not know it… or maybe I'm just tired…

"Another deal, huh, people just never run out of those," I ran a hand through my hair, blinking out the sudden sleepiness. "how about I not turn against you? Sound fair?"

"In your current disposition, you are not strong enough to be an asset to us, what threat could you ever oppose us with?" They are such high and mighty people, aren't they?

"I have been through your prison and have walked out of it unscathed, plus I practically know what goes on and where." I pointed out, leaving out the fact that I had gone insane and this was just one big bluff. "Do you think I am not going to use this against you?"

They were silent for a minute, and a rustle later they telepathically agreed, somehow. "Then we would like to give you a proposition, do you agree?"

"Depends on what you're trying to get from me." I swear this is starting to sound more like a business than a trail…

"We let Rokudo Mukuro go," They paused. "but on certain conditions."

"Then state them." I demanded.

"Do you agree, or not." They pressed.

"I would like to know what I am getting myself into," I countered curtly.

"You will be our mole, on keeping tabs on Rokudo Mukuro when he is released, and in the outside world. You will also join the Vindice as a member."

I allowed this to process. "Does that mean I have to wear those bandages and capes too?"

"No, it's not necessary," The light tilt in his voice gave away his amusement. Something I found that I was ticked about. "as a mole you wouldn't want to draw any unwanted attention."

The urge to huff in irritation was tempting that I barely was able to resist it. "Alright then, if that is what you want then I'll be this mole of yours."

"You will be under the omerta of the Vindice." Secrecy, should've seen it coming.

"Okay, okay, I swear upon the name of Vendicare and the Vindice, that I, Cannon, will not tell another soul of my affiliation with the Vindice." I proposed.

"And that you will look at the actions of Rokudo Mukuro, and that you will also come in the aid of the Vindice when needed." The infant voiced.

I nodded my head tiredly, now noticing that I was still in my undergarments. No wonder I felt so cold… "I will come to the aid of the Vindice when needed and I will also look upon Rokudo Mukuro's actions. Done?"

The agreement was short. "Yes, from here on, Rokudo Mukuro is released from Vendicare under the care of the young Vongola Decimo, and Cannon."

I couldn't hold back the blackout I experienced after that…

I later woke up and found that I was back at the run down house at base point of the huge mountain (I thought that I had dreamt the whole thing but my undergarments, and the fact that Mukuro was also there, spoke that it was most definitely not a dream). My Uncle had made dinner, stating that it was a tiring day (I agreed with him whole heartedly), and he whipped up something from the many cans he had in his cupboards (which was way more edible than this yesterday's breakfast). I still had a ton of questions to ask my Uncle considering his relationship with the Vindice, but Mukuro beat me to it (that pineapple bastard).

Uncle Dean stated that he was brought up in a rich wealthy family (he didn't state where), and how he was named Pericoloso Eclissi Atroce Narciso (a bunch of Italian words strung together to make a name, I found it weird, but who wouldn't find it weird?). If it was translated into my mother tongue: Dangerous Eclipse Atrocious Narcissus…. I was literally at a loss of what to say (the randomness led to the thought that his parents weren't much of a fan in naming their children (Mukuro had teased him endlessly, making self-meanings on his name). It somehow came out that Uncle Dean was the thirteenth child among his siblings, and the only one named stupidly (Mukuro and I had a blast at laughing our heads off at this). Turns out Uncle Dean had left home, and cut off all contacts and completely changed his name (it was then that I realized that his current name was an acronym, imagine that), after that he refused to tell us anything else (Mukuro and I were just having too much fun teasing him about his name).

I plan to leave this run down place tomorrow (I miss my home too much), and return back to Namimori, Japn, with Mukuro in tow. Though I still have to figure out how I will cope around with being a mole of all things! My mother did say that if I agreed to being a follower to some bully I was done for (and I am only remembering this now, sulking in my corner as I write this journal out). I should pack up clothes… or more importantly wear something for the matter (it's really chilly out here in the snowy glaciars…).

P.S. I had remembered to use the blender to make a smoothie but then I was hit with the sudden thought that there was no plug to activate the damn blender, so I am also sulking because of that (which reminds me, how the heck do we cook food around here? The stove shouldn't be working….)