Summary: They say the smallest coffins are the heaviest. And twenty-one-year-old Sawada Tsunayoshi has no idea how to deal with the weight of his tutor's death. No pairings.

It was a dreary day.

The sky had grown cancerous with dark, intimidating storm clouds, and it seemed as if the sun had disappeared for good. Rain pelted violently to Earth, and the very sky itself grieved the tragedy that had taken place.

The impressive Vongola Catacombs seemed emptier than usual, after the crowds that had packed it a few short hours before.

Now, there were only eight living souls left behind, huddled under umbrellas in order to keep their suits immaculate.

Heartbroken sobs could be heard accompanying the rumble of thunder overhead, along with whispered consolations falling on deaf ears.

"I'll kill them," declared twenty-one-year-old Sawada Tsunayoshi as tears continued to stream down his face, his hands clenched in his storm guardian's dress shirt, wrinkling it.

In response, Gokudera Hayato hummed in approval, running a hand through his boss's hair as he continued to console him.

The others present watched on in silence, not missing the thread of pure, unadulterated hatred in their sky's voice.

They exchanged meaninful glances with each other, prepared to assist Tsuna in his revenge.

None of them acknowledged the little seed of fear that planted itself in all their hearts.

Fear for their sky.

And fear of him.

"No."

Heads turned, expressions shocked.

"Tsunayoshi," said Kyoya in a warning voice.

Smoldering brown eyes turned on the cloud guardian, those ever-smiling lips turned downwards in a frown that had become commonplace in the months since Tsuna had lost one of the most important people in his life.

"I am NOT going to just sit behind and give orders. I am going to be there to watch the life drain from his eyes. And I am going to be the cause of it."

Eyes widened, and shoulders stiffened.

Chrome couldn't help but thank God that Lambo wasn't present for the meeting.

"The Commander's job is not to fight on the front lines," Kyoya replied, eyes narrowing. "It is to remain safe in order to keep giving out orders."

"Then you become the commander," hissed Tsuna, getting up so that he was on eye level with the older male. "Or Hayato. Or anyone. I don't care. But I will be going on this mission."

There were a few beats of silence as the two stared into each other's eyes, neither of them willing to back down.

In the end, it was Hayato that broke the standstill.

"Kyoya will be the Commander for this mission," he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "And I will be giving the orders on the field. Is that fine, Juudaime?"

Tsuna turned to look at him, a brief smile flitting across his face.

"Perfect," he answered, before turning to Kyoya. "Do you understand, Kyoya?"

The skylark was silent for a few seconds more before harumphing, and turning his eyes away.

"As you wish...carnivore."

The other guardians' head snapped up - this admission, more than anything else, confirmed to them just how much their boss had changed since that day.

Takeshi watched his best friend with wary eyes, feeling his stomach churn with an unexplainable, sick feeling.

It felt like he was losing Tsuna little by little, and he was scared. So scared.

As soon as the meeting was over, Tsuna swept out of the room, not even bidding his guardians a proper farewell.

All was motionless in the room for a few minutes after he had left.

Then, without having to be prompted, Mukuro put up a mist shield around the room so that their boss wouldn't somehow overhear their conversation.

Immediately after the mist flames had settled, Ryohei surged up and out of his seat, grabbing Hayato by the collar.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM, HAYATO!?" he demanded of the storm guardian, who was looking as calm and composed ever. "How could you agree to his demands? You know he's going to regret it for the rest of his life if we let him do this! AND WHAT WILL YOU DO IF HE GETS HURT?"

"I know what I'm doing, turf-top," responded Hayato, not responding to his fellow guardian's rage.

"No you don't," replied the boxer. "You're just following Tsuna's orders, because in the end, that's the only thing you know how to do."

Hayato didn't rise to the jab.

"I. Know. What. I'm. Doing," he repeated, still so sure of himself.

Ryohei sneered, letting go of his collar.

"You better," he warned. "Because if my little brother gets hurt because you didn't do your job as second-in-command properly, I will never forgive you."

With that, he turned and stomped off.

The mist barrier dissolved as Ryohei slammed open the door, and the rest of the guardians followed soon after him.

Before long, Hayato was the only one left in the room, staring off into space.

"I know what I'm doing," he repeated to himself, wiping an angry tear from his face.

He had to stay strong.

For his Juudaime.

Tsuna looked up when a tray of food was set upon his desk.

Hayato frowned disapprovingly down at him.

"Eat," he said. "You've been at it for hours."

Tsuna rubbed a hand over his face, too exhausted to protest.

But instead of eating, he reached out and pulled Hayato close, so that he was standing by his chair.

"I'm so tired, Hayato," he admitted, wrapping his arms around his storm guardian's waist, and resting his head against his hip.

"I know," replied the storm, patting his best friend on the head. "But it will all be over soon."

Tsuna closed his eyes.

"Will I feel better afterwards?" he asked.

"A bit," said Hayato. "The hurt will never really go away, not even fifty years from now, when we're old and wrinkled and are no longer the Vongola's guardians. But you will get better at dealing with it. And next week's mission will help too. It will give you a bit of closure."

Tsuna nodded, trying to ignore the sting of tears at the corners of his eyes.

One week.

After months of planning the down-bringing of the despicable Famiglia that had taken his tutor from him, his revenge was only one week away.

But...

"...I don't know if I can kill him," admitted Tsuna, hugging his storm closer.

"Then don't," replied Hayato simply, his voice completely neutral - from the very beginning, Hayato had been nothing but supportive, and Tsuna appreciated it.

He knew how his guardians felt about him now, had seen the distance in their eyes these past few months.

To be completely honest, he didn't think he would have been able to continue on his path, if it hadn't been for his storm.

"I have to," replied Tsuna.

And still, Hayato didn't protest.

"Then I will be there to help you every step of the way," said Hayato, lifting Tsuna's hand from his waist and kissing his Vongola ring in a gesture reminiscent of the Inheritance Ceremony, when he had pledged his eternal loyalty to Tsuna as his right-hand man.

Tsuna smiled.

Then Hayato let go and pointed to the food.

"Eat," he said. "Then go to sleep. I can finish up the rest of the paperwork."

Tsuna tilted his head to the side in confusion.

And Hayato laughed.

"You think after all this time I haven't learned your signature yet?" he asked.

Tsuna's lips twitched slightly.

And for the first time since his tutor's untimely death, a real, genuine laugh escaped from his lips.

As long as Hayato was with him, things would be alright.

Tsuna could feel his guardians' eyes on him.

The last of the screams had been silenced, Hayato and the others having knocked out and subdued everyone they could, and killed those who just wouldn't cooperate.

They had all trickled into the rival Don's office when they had finished, only to find that Hayato had already tied the man up and had him kneeling on the floor before Tsuna, his head pulled backwards and his neck exposed.

Mukuro watched closely, wondering what his little Tsunayoshi would do.

In the years since they had taken over the Vongola, the guardians had all had to take lives before - usually in self-defence.

All of them except Tsuna that was - the young Decimo had not taken a life since that brutal war they had fought ten years in the future.

And everyone had hoped he would never have to again.

In fact, they had tried their best to make it so.

Now, he was standing before a defenceless man, about to slaughter him in cold blood.

And Mukuro understood why he had to do it.

He really did.

But that didn't mean he had to like it.

It was at times like these that he absolutely abhorred the world they lived in - a world where his sweetest Tsunayoshi had to do something so abominable.

Tsunayoshi stepped forward, brandishing the knife he would use to kill the man - a knife that had belonged to Reborn once upon a time.

The guardians stiffened, readying themselves to rush to their boss's aid once he had completed the deed, so that they could comfort him.

He stood over the Don, the knife poised for attack.

But he didn't move.

"You don't have to do it," Hayato spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence in the office.

"I do!" insisted Tsuna through gritted teeth, gripping the knife so hard his knuckles turned white. "I need to avenge Reborn!"

"You already have," replied Hayato, looking his boss straight in the eyes. "You've made sure this family can never harm anyone else again. You do not need to dirty your hands with his blood, Juudaime."

Tsuna frowned down at the boss, his nose wrinkling at the sudden ammonia smell as the man soiled himself in his fright.

His hands flexed around the knife, loosening his grip then tightening it again.

He looked like he was deep in thought, and the guardians watched him hopefully.

As Tsuna thought, Hayato raised a fist, and smashed the helpless Don in the head, rendering him unconscious.

Tsuna jumped slightly, startled, and stared down at the pathetic man lying at his feet.

Then his face crumpled, as if he were about to start crying, and he stepped over the unconscious man, throwing his arms around his storm, sobbing loudly.

And Hayato sighed in relief as his arms closed around Tsuna.

The young Decimo had finally, finally let go of his anger.

And now, he could begin his healing process.

Right from the beginning, Hayato had had faith that Tsuna would never kill the boss, despite how deeply he had been hurt by the loss of his tutor.

But Tsuna had been so broken up inside at that time - his singular goal of destroying the Pulito Famiglia and avenging Reborn had been the only thing that was keeping him from falling apart at the seams.

That was why Hayato had had to let him carry out this mission.

And now, Tsuna was that much stronger after going through what he had, and that much wiser as well.

And as he watched from the sidelines, Ryohei let out an impressed whistle.

"So octopus head actually did know what he was doing."

SkyGem: The end! I really hope you guys enjoyed! This was actually a lot darker than I am used to, and it was emotionally exhausting, but I'm really proud of how it came out. But I want to know what you guys thought! Please do leave a review and let me know what you thought! And I'll see you all tomorrow! Ciao!