The Nature of Wrath by InsaneScriptist

Summary: Tsuna discovers the cost of being able to use the Flames of Wrath. Xanxus isn't sympathetic in the least.

Xanxus slipped back into his hotel room after a quick hit with Mammon floating behind him. Mammon had gotten far too used to floating while cursed, and sometimes the ex-Acrobaleno forgot to walk.

"Nice night, eh Boss?" Squalo asked.

Xanxus just growled in the shark's direction.

"Pest control put Boss in a bad mood." Mammon replied aloud; the illusionist was right though. Xanxus headed for the hotel's fridge in search of alcohol to drown his mood in. Breaking his subordinate's bones would do wonders for his temper right up until they started bitching about it. Best to ignore them.

"Even if the job was a milk run, killing people usually puts Boss in a better mood." The okama stated. "Boss, honey, do you want me to cook you anything?"

Xanxus snarled, as he scanned brands and years on bottles. He selected one of the wines -and really, who left the okama in charge of stocking up on alcohol? Being in France shouldn't make finding whiskey or tequila that fucking difficult. In the mood he was in, he'd even tolerate vodka and he hated vodka.

Wine had to breathe before it could be drank; that made a delay between opening the bottle and getting alcohol in his bloodstream. Xanxus seethed at the existence of the delay, as he lounged in an opulent chair. His subordinates proved that despite having their moments of utter stupidity they still have a sense of self-preservation and retreat to another room in the suite of rooms they were using.

Far too many things anger him. Part of that is he has reasons to be angry, furious and utterly wrathful. Part of it is more personal. The rest of it is the nature of the beast he knows he is, even in such high-class and civilized surroundings. Some things never leave a person, and remain for life.

People just don't understand what it meant to have what's known as the Flames of Wrath.

Wrath was more than just anger.

People were idiots for not recognizing that.

Shoving his irritation away, he checked the clock and ignored his subordinates arguments in the next room. It wasn't something he hadn't heard before. Levi was insinuating that Mammon had screwed up, Mammon was asserting otherwise; the others were tossing in their own opinions at various volumes.

They were all being fucking annoying.

While killing a rat of one of the famiglias allied to the Vongola wasn't that hard -it really was a milk run and he had no idea why the rest of the idiots he called his subordinates had followed him on it- that wasn't what was pissing him off.

It was on the way there that he saw something that brought up bad memories; the sort he usually pretended not to exist and that he didn't have. (But he did and the Flames of Wrath proved it even if they didn't prove his bloodline like he once thought they did.)

Because Wrath was more than just simple anger. Wrath was a living thing made of anger, pain and ruthlessness. A willingness to see everything destroyed no matter the personal cost. It was more than mere vengeance, more than injured pride and ego hidden by fury.

Anger, annoyance, ire, frustration, fury, rage... none of those were quite like wrath. Wrath was unique and all the more painful for it.

The Varia have been busy; the brat might have become Neo-Primo or whatever, but he was making plenty of enemies for the Vongola. The Varia were happy to destroy them, should it be required and it often was. Negotiations were tricky in the mafia; half threat, half promise and half business with a lot of politics tossed on top. Fuck any of that up and you had a war in the making.

While vigilantism was part and parcel of the mafia's foundations, most had moved passed it. Some hadn't, and it was especially true for assassins; those that couldn't do the job themselves paid the Varia for it. Now that the Vongola under the fluffy brat is returning the Vongola to its roots, a lot of the requests are part 'housekeeping' part 'elimination' and always for scum that if God existed, the Lord should have smote with some catastrophe or accident long before. Not that there's a lot of religion in the Varia or in the mafia -the general consensus is that they don't deserve God's Grace- but if anyone deserved to be smote with a bolt from the blue, some of that trash did.

He with practice, ignored the revelations of how the Acrobaleno system came to be and implied with the comment of how the system was meant to guide the Earth and all its lifeforms; that system had changed as times did and morphed into the Tri-ni-Sette but various pagans might have been onto something with the Gods and Goddesses... they were certainly Other and even more pathetic for all their strength.

Xanxus dismisses those implications with an attempt at humor; mankind's fate is their own now since people and civilization don't really need gods or stupidly powerful ancient species to guide them. They make their own fate and it's in those human hands that held the Tri-ni-Sette. Well, Yuni didn't really count anymore since the Acrobaleno pacifiers had morphed into the jars kept by the Vindici. So the fate of humanity was in the hands of those that held the rings...

Alcohol. Now.

"Boss?" The shark asked.

Xanxus looked at the swordsman and figured he needed a drinking partner more than he wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

"Realize something, you shitty shark. The Tri-ni-Sette is supposed to guide the life of the world and the Sky Acrobaleno is the Boss of the Tri-ni-Sette. Due to those jars of that ghoul, there is no Sky Acrobaleno to be the Boss. So the fate of deciding the direction of the world is up to those with the rings or those damned Vindici. So the fate of humanity, the world?"

"Holy fucking hell Boss. That's something worth getting drunk over."

They commiserate the realization that the world is likely going to get fucked over, but chances were that they wouldn't be around for it. Between Byakuran and that brat, who knows what would happen to the world?

Byakuran had more or less made himself into Yuni's dog; one that would gnaw on your shoes and piss on the furniture but would maul anyone that tried to do something to its master. It didn't quite change the fact that Byakuran had far more world-domination experience than anyone else could ever obtain and that his sneaky fox face hid a genius brain that loved to play with things common sense said to leave alone. So the fate of the world in his hands? They were fucked.

The brat on the other hand, well, he wouldn't do anything unless he was forced to by circumstances or need. He could fight, but his ability outside of that was almost the same as it was back when the brat was in middle school; except he had gotten more pathetic because what sort of grown-man did that wimpy give up before you even start bullshit? His half-hearted bullshit was so goddamn annoying and stupid. He still couldn't choose between his long-time crush and her crazy friend that actually loved the trash to the point of nearly throwing herself at him. In short, he wouldn't chose to do something out of fear disguised as consideration. So unless someone notified that trash and convinced him to do something to correct whatever Byakuran might have done... They were fucked.

The Vindici had the jars, but the fact that they were practically animated corpses bar the baby Vindici -who was staving off death with despair of all things- really didn't mean they could use the jars like the Acrobaleno would use the pacifiers. As the Vindici lived for revenge... well, whatever. They had the jars but not authority or ability to use them. Not that Xanxus wanted them too but the Vindici kept their word. (And it was a sad state of affairs that Xanxus was more willing to trust corpses animated by revenge over those that had the rings. The Vindici at least kept their word as keepers of the mafia's laws despite the 'cheating' behavior during the Representative Battles. Xanxus understood revenge.)

Two bottles of whiskey later, Xanxus asks why the shark was seeking him out in the first place. The shark had only managed one bottle of wine, so he remains coherent since he's not quite drunk enough to be philosophical yet.

"Well, bossman," the shark began, "a lot of the under bosses aren't exactly happy with the brat. They've lost profits, resources and some have even lost some reputation. Toss the brat into a fight to defend his shitty friends and he fights well. For himself or the Famiglia though, that doesn't work. Scum hasn't figured out that he's a symbol, shield and sword yet in that way. Making the Vongola look weak."

"So scum approached you for manpower and another coup?"

"I think I'll be stringing them along a bit. They seem to think that you're an idiot. Dangle the possibility of the position and you'll take it. If a coup comes and fails then they can show off their pretty white hands and deny involvement."

Xanxus snorted.

"Fucking idiots. Tell 'em that if they should stop being dickless wonders and do something themselves unless they can't. I'm Varia; I don't approve of weaklings or leeches."

The internal dissent of the Vongola Famiglia is monitored by the Varia and if the brat has any sense, by the Vongola and maybe even the CEDEF too; the Varia paid Mammon to pass on the information to one of the brat's guardians. The Varia's duty to the family about that issue is done. The rest is up to the brat and his policies.

Squalo still kept tabs on the conspiracy, building a file with pain-staking slowness; some wannabe big-shot knows the value of information control and working in cells. Squalo might have the ranking of the loudest member of the entire mafia, but the shark can be silent and quiet when he wants to be. In addition to that, a couple of illusionists are given stalking duties of suspected and later confirmed members of that conspiracy.

The brat and his policies don't change even though it's clearly hurting the Vongola Famiglia in small subtle ways. Most wouldn't even notice it, due to how immensely powerful the Vongola is, but Xanxus has always seen the Vongola as his -not just his right, but his duty and obligation too- and he pays exacting attention to its every need.

He built up another file when it becomes clear that it's not entirely bullshit complaints which quickly builds beyond that; divisions to spur into action, people to bribe, those that need to vanish, who to replace them and why. Plans for how also get included and it builds and builds beyond a few files. It soon gets its own room in the Varia's Headquarters. Xanxus is appalled and more than a little furious.

How the fuck has Reborn let this student fuck up so much? The brat has no backbone unless it involves a comrade, so either the tutor sucks at his job -Dino's continued survival and his famiglia's continued existence says otherwise- or his student doesn't really see the Vongola as a Boss should; that sort of blindness is unsettling in the worst of ways and just pisses Xanxus off. The only reason that Xanxus can think of why that trash doesn't is culture and that's a weak excuse at best.

About the only thing the Varia can do and does is take out enemies and rivals as they try various acts, but preferably before then to prevent damage to any part of the Vongola. The Varia is by far the smallest of the Vongola's 'branches' for all that its power is close to equal that of the others; that's the miracle of Quality. Quality or not, the Varia is made of humans and humans make mistakes and falter. Unless he wants to run himself and his forces ragged and into the ground -which translates to dead- he can't do everything. Too many enemies, too much area and too little resources even with the Varia's famed Quality to met that challenge; he needs more but he's not going to get lax in his recruiting policies.

Thankfully, the brat has two half-decent guardians; not that their fighting power and ability can't be denied but the 'guardian' part could be. Both however could be and were useful in different ways. A person just needed to know how and make it look like you didn't when dealing with Mukuro; impressive illusionist Mukuro might be, but that arrogance of his was useful for all that their combined head games were complicated beyond any attempt at articulation. Hibari could be paid off in a few spars, which was something Xanxus enjoyed if only for the chance to get serious in a spar with someone that wasn't the shark; it was resoundingly simple compared to deals with the male Mist.

Mukuro hated the mafia, but he also detested weakness for anything he associated with; the former prisoner could also lie all he wanted but he also cared. His affection for his followers was obvious, especially if they were useful. Weapons and technology were always useful but they depend on people; to both use and maintain them. Still, people take time to grow and train and the investment may not even pay off, so a way to make sure that it is... well, most of those that Xanxus directs the Mist towards haven't reached the levels of depravity and desperation that the Estraneo did but experimenting on duped immigrants, stupid tourists and more said that they weren't that far from it.

Passing on information about any of the Vongola's more eastern problems to Hibari usually resulted in an efficient and generally final solution to such problems; join and serve loyally or die. Hibari's organization was more logistics and intelligence, but he had competent underlings and was recruiting a number more that specialized in combat as time went by. In short, Xanxus thought the entire organization -that grew from a school committee of all things- as the bastard child of the Varia and the CEDEF; so he tossed those sorts of assignments that way unless they truly couldn't be done by the Foundation, like the more tricky assassinations that would require a Varia touch.

Doing that at least kept the enemies on the outside at bay, but harboring traitors and not doing anything about it could only end in tragedy. What sort of Boss did that? (Because traitors or not, they were still Vongola and the Varia had standing orders to not interfere with the Vongola or the CEDEF. Not directly, even if Xanxus wanted to. Indirectly however he was not going to let trash ruin any part of the Vongola so long as he had breath.)

The brat has three more guardians that Xanxus has learned to tolerate over time. One was Squalo's student, the other was Lussuria's part-time student and the last was the meek little Mist. (The Storm might have a genius IQ but he's so damned stupid in the worst ways...)

The mousy Mist had lots of growing to do if she wanted to be capable of more than supporting and defending anyone in high-level combat. She didn't have the temperament for combat for all that she could eventually be good at it. She shown best with the subtleties, little tricks to nudge perception this way or that; stuff that made the difference between a shot to the gut or a bullet graze to the ribs. Both would hurt but the graze was more survivable.

The boxer was an idiot but he at least worked hard on things that interested him. What was more impressive was the boxer's learning curve when things were laid out in ways that he could understand; the boxer was truly an idiot-savant. He was also the only one of the brat's guardians that could be said to be succeeding in everything in his life; he's doing what he loves, is happily married and has people he enjoys being around. He at least has reasons to remain happy, upbeat and full of sunshine and encouragement. It's proof that the world looks out for fools.

The younger swordsman is probably the one that Xanxus has learned to tolerate the most despite how much he makes Squalo yell. The idiot-savant and Lussuria might have their play-dates in a ring, but the boxer doesn't stick around and invade Xanxus' personal space later while following the shark around like a katana wielding duckling.

Yamamoto Takeshi is therefore the most frequent visitor out of all the shit's Guardians and is far too at home at the Varia due to extensive exposure and his own nature. Therefore outside of the brat's male Mist and Cloud, his Rain is the one that Xanxus knows best. It's why Xanxus knows that the Rain Guardian might be a masterful swordsman, but was no assassin; not like Squalo or the rest. Yamamoto comes to the Varia for challenge, competition and a comrade of the blade.

It doesn't change the fact that the baseball player is one to watch out for; natural born hitman don't happen often and unlike Reborn, the katana-brat knows how to hide that lethal nature under seeming naivety and laughter. It's been trained into him by years spent dedicated to a team sport. It made him sneaky. It also meant that the Rain-brat has a brain, insight and a host of other skills hidden by a truly wicked sense of humor to keep those sort of impulses hidden.

So it was less a surprise to see Yamamoto ghost into his office than it should be. More a surprise that Squalo wasn't around. Even more of a surprise to see that the Rain Guardian is actually frowning. This particular swordsman was generally smiling unlike the shark.

"Issues with the leeches, trash?" Xanxus asked in Japanese.

"Eh, a little bit. I'm just a bit confused about why they started ignoring the team." Yamamoto started off.

One thing Xanxus has learned was that most of the brats have distorted world views and they all have different filters for it. Hibari is the most obvious about it but all of the brats and reality don't quite connect. Hibari is all animal metaphors, pride and discipline. Yamamoto makes sense of the world through baseball and swords but he falls back to baseball for human interactions. It's a team sport, and the Vongola is the biggest, best damn team there is, so the sword brat doesn't understand why people don't want to play and give their all for the team.

As Squalo hadn't managed to make Yamamoto to see sense, then it fell to him to explain in ways that the younger swordsman would understand. Xanxus hated having to explain things -it made a person look weak and it was stupid to give information away- but outside of Hibari, Xanxus liked Yamamoto best despite the understanding he and Mukuro have worked out.

"The Vongola is not a sports team; it's the ownership of many teams of more than just baseball and more than just the major and minor leagues too. The issue is that scum is treating all the teams and clubs like the same sport, with a lot of favoritism to Team Guardians and the tech club."

"So Tsuna's not respecting the rules of the smaller clubs right?" The Rain said aloud. "Which ones are the worst treated?"

"Using yourself as bait?"

"Maa, maa, you make it sound like it's a bad thing."

Xanxus shrugged. "Don't die, scum."

"Oh, you shouldn't worry so much. Chrome's an excellent pinch-hitter." The Rain Guardian replies merrily.

While the specifics of the term fly over Xanxus' head, he knows enough to guess at the context and all it implies. That shitty brat.

Needless to say, Yamamoto was dodging and deflecting bullets out of Varia's Headquarters. Squalo's voice started gaining volume when he notices the commotion and Yamamoto is still laughing like a lunatic and Xanxus found himself in a relatively good mood by the time Yamamoto is run off of the Varia's property.

Sneaky little shit. At least someone was finally taking care of finally taking care of those pesky little upstart leeches.

Three weeks later, some shit-head newbie was tossed into the liger's den -Xanxus' office- to give Xanxus the news that there their surveillance team on the leeches are reporting that conflict is occurring in the main house.

Xanxus looks on, and saw the rookie's mental strength start to crumple. Three bits of information later -the guardians in residence are Yamamoto, Chrome and that stupid bomber, the brat is also on site, conflict is happening- and the man was stuttering so badly that he can't be understood. Xanxus frowns and the hapless messenger passed out -but not before making a mess all over the carpet.

He weighed the decision of if he should shoot the messenger or just call for clean-up. He looked at the newbie and pulls up details of his file and mentally corrects the file. He looks at the carpet. He actually likes that carpet.

He called for a couple of more seasoned Varia members to pick up the trash and clean the carpet or find a replacement for it. The trash is to be killed and his recruiter is going to be punished because that scum disgraced the Varia's reputation for Quality with his shitty pick.

Unsaid is 'This is the Varia. The weak die. Make sure the recruits know it.' The seasoned members picked up on this and salute before dragging both the offending trash and the carpet out of his office.

Just because there was business going on at the Vongola doesn't mean that the Varia doesn't have business of its own to mind. It's enough to keep him busy.

Three days later, Yamamoto dragged in his Boss. Xanxus had been nursing a glass of whiskey, as he calculated who and how he'd kill those who were angling to take advantage of the Vongola's inner turmoil should they catch wind of it; preparation was key to any successful assassination. So the Varia had to identify potential troublemakers, gather intelligence and take them out themselves unless ordered or contracted otherwise.

So Xanxus hadn't been expecting Yamamoto -fresh with a deep nick to the chin that would scar- dropping his Boss with an air of actual exasperation. Honestly, Xanxus could see why, even if they probably saw things differently so were exasperated and a little annoyed for different reasons.

The brat reminded him of a kitten; one that had gotten wet, was dried off roughly and left jittery or panicked at the thought it could get submerged again.

Xanxus knew the terror that was being given off by the brat was not towards the assassin that had fought him in the ring battles so long ago; instead, that terror was entirely self-directed. Somehow, the runt had lost the ability to trust himself and it shattered whatever confidence he might have had.

It made him look even more pathetic usual.

"What is that trash doing in my office?"

"Well, Tsuna's usually all 'waver' then 'whoosh' followed by 'bam' in a fight, but this time he was all 'whoosh' and 'bam' followed by 'waver' and then 'oooooaah.' You know?"

Xanxus translates this as best he can. Sound-effects however, get less information across than metaphors. Metaphors could have layers but his Yamamoto sound-effect vocabulary is lacking.

"In words scum?" He prompted.

"Well, Tsuna could show you..."

Xanxus turned his gaze on the fluffy brat and gets a flinch. The brat however complies, and brings Sky Flames to his hands; something that normally calms the brat instead has him shaking as the younger Sky shook and drew out the most pathetic Wrath Flame that Xanxus has ever seen.

Xanxus in response summoned his own and shapes it as he wishes, allowing the weight of its power to be felt as if the room had shrunk and the air turned suffocating.

He watched the brat's eyes widen and his body tremble as it seems that the fabled hyper intuition is at work. Xanxus let the flame in his hand die out.

"I, I hadn't realized." The fluffy brat stated. It was the last clear thing he says for a while, as the gears turn in that fluffy head of his.

The silence dragged on, oppressive in the way Xanxus likes. By now, even Sawada's Rain Guardian is shifting uneasily.

Eventually after Xanxus has long since finished his whiskey and the ice is half-melted, the brat starts confessing shit to him.

"I never wanted to be a Mafia Boss, much less the Vongola's. I tried to get the Vongola away from all that, yet all I've done is caused more bloodshed for the Vongola while neglecting those in the famiglia until they revolted. I was so sure I could solve the internal issues without bloodshed, and I didn't try to understand them and their points. Not really. Not as I should have."

The fluffy haired brat has his hands on the Vongola Ring. The ring looks a lot different now compared to when it was on the hands of the old liar.

He better not...

"I suppose that I'm not cut out to be a leader at all."

He is.

Nothing else could provoke his wrath like this brat is currently doing.

The brat does take off the ring.

"Trash," Xanxus found himself saying. "What era do you think this is? Primo's time? Retiring to Japan now that it's gotten a bit hard? Like that's going to keep you safe nowadays you fucking idiot. You decided to transform the Vongola and that's your first step. Your second step is a bit more profound; you discover the hidden costs. You chose this path. Now you walk it or die."

The true cost of Wrath is hidden in the nature of betrayal; it has to be deeply felt. Afterwards it scars the soul so deeply it's never forgotten. That little Wrath Flame the brat summoned? Xanxus could create more than that before he had reached double digits.

"But-!" The scum started to protest. Xanxus' glare silenced him, and he remains silent as Xanxus grabs an empty glass and pours for that and drains the rest of the bottle into his previous glass.

He passed the watered-down whiskey to the brat, as Xanxus motions for a lazy sort of toast. The spineless trash followed the motion.

"Welcome to the reality of the mafia, scum."

Xanxus downed his with ease. The spineless wonder dropped his to the carpet, where it shatters and spills all over his carpet.

"And replace my carpet scum. I just got it cleaned."

Notes: Inspired by listening to too much Shinedown and musing thoughts about the nature of souls and the effects it would have on Dying Will Flames which are powered by emotions/resolve; especially events that could be described as 'soul-scarring' and how that would manifest depending on emotions (or me trying to figure out how the Flames of Night came about.)

Originally Mukuro was supposed to have pulled off some shit off and shattered Tsuna emotionally/mentally to the point that Tsuna felt Wrath and was horrified. Muse said no, and didn't clarify, so vague is vague.

No, I'm not sure why Tsuna is failing the Vongola in some aspects; what I'm actually sure of is that he's an indecisive guy right up until the point of no-return. Because in the future arc it's shown that Ryohei of all people is happily married and successful, while future!Haru is still vying for future!Tsuna's attention which means Tsuna hasn't said/done anything about his attraction to Kyoko. Admittedly, future!Tsuna is a different Tsuna but his base character hasn't really changed in the least despite Reborn teaching him for nearly two years by the time the manga ends.

Edits: Fixed the most glaring of tense errors.