Chapter One

No Flames

"Aw, he is so cute." A voice cooed sweetly as a figure stood over a bed. The sleeping figure had fluffy brown hair that fanned out across the bed and tanned skin and it was obvious that they were hugging a pillow to their chest with a bit of drool falling from the edge of their mouth.

The man standing over them wore a black suit with a yellow dress shirt and a fedora. Black curly side burns that bounced up and down and defied gravity. A green chameleon sat upon his shoulders with its tale curling and uncurling. "It seems like he's sleeping more and more lately." The figure said to himself as he ran a hand down his lizard. "He also hasn't been as energetic as usual either."

The figure furrowed his brow in thought before shrugging as the lizard changed in a mallet that had been used on the sleeping figure several times in the past. Due to the past several times it had been used though the sleeper had gotten to the point where he could avoid it on instinct and wake up at the same time. It was always fun to see how the boy would wake up each morning to a different attack.

So he swung his mallet with great force at the bed, expecting for the sleeping figure to dodge out of the way with a pout.

Only for his mallet to meet home with a head, getting a shout of pain from the brown haired boy. "Why did you do that Reborn?" The figure questioned as he sat up in his bed, rubbing at his head.

Reborn blinked before covering up his worry with a smirk as Leon transformed back and returned to his shoulder. "I'm just making sure that your reflexes are still honed. But apparently you've been slaking so this means more training for you Dame-Tsuna." He stated. "Now get up or you'll be late for school."

Tsuna scowled at the back of his mentor before sighing tiredly. He rubbed at the back of his head before climbing out of bed slowly, as if he was an old man. His body was achy and sore and his energy levels were low, as if he had the flu. It was so bad that his once improving grades were falling again as his exhaustion was pulling him down.

He blinked and shook his head before pushing himself to stand and getting ready for the day. His movements slow and controlled the entire time, trying to waste as little energy as he could so that he could make it through the day without falling asleep in classes.

"Tenth! We're here to escort you to school!" A familiar puppy like voice shouted in the house as two sets of footsteps walked up the stairs just as Tsuna finished getting dressed in his Namimori High School Uniform.

"Hello Gokudera, Yamamoto." Tsuna said as a silverette and raven haired teens busted into his room. "How are you guys doing today?" He questioned as he picked up his book bag, groaning at the weight of it.

"We're doing great Tsuna." Yamamoto said as his warm chocolate eyes shined with excitement and happiness. "You ready to go to school?"

"Don't talk to the Tenth in such a casual manner you moron." Gokudera growled but smiled at Tsuna. "Yes, let's head to school Tenth."

Tsuna smiled as he nodded his head and motioned for the two to proceed him out of the room. "Come on you guys, we have to get going or we'll be late." He stated calmly.

"Have you had breakfast yet Tsuna? You look like you just woke up." Yamamoto said as he looked at Tsuna with concern, Gokudera doing the same thing as he glanced at the kitchen entry way. "Maybe we should get you some food before we go."

Tsuna just shook his head. "Nah, I'm not hungry right now." He said with a small smile. "I'll make sure to get a big lunch later, alright. So let's just go." With that he led them outside and began walking down the street towards their school.

"What do you think is going on with Tsuna?" Yamamoto questioned Gokudera quietly as they walked behind Tsuna. The worry was evident and clear on his face.

"I don't know what you mean." Gokudera stated even as he took out a cigarette and lit it up. "The Tenth is completely fine."

"You know he isn't." Yamamoto snapped suddenly, startling the Storm Guardian as normally the Swordsman was mild mannered and always happy. "He has been sleeping more and he's been eating less as well. He's also pale and he's been moving a lot slower than he normally does. Hibari hasn't even been bugging him for a fight lately because he's been so…"

"Weak." Gokudera stated with a sigh as he took a deep breath on his cigarette, destroying half in one go. "You're right…Don't ever tell anyone I said that." He growled at the smirking baseball freak. "I don't know what's causing it but let's just try and get him to rest and eat as much as possible. Tenth can't keep going like this for much longer." He stated calmly before nodding towards the teen in front of them. "Let's catch up with him."

Yamamoto nodded his head in agreement as the two jogged to catch up and walk beside Tsuna. "How bout we go over to my house later Tsuna, I could get dad to make some Sushi and read manga."

Tsuna yawned before he smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "Sure, sounds fine to me."

Gokudera said nothing and instead continued to suck on his cigarette. He knew that his boss was tired and just looking at him now…he knew that he wouldn't last much longer on the course that he was on. They needed to help him but Gokudera was unsure of what was even causing this in his boss and that was what had him the most worried.

The cause.

"So, I talked to Squalo recently." Yamamoto said as he threw his hands behind his head. "Guess what he told me."

"That they got their Cloud Guardian finally." Gokudera replied with a smirk. "You're not the only one that talks with a Varia member." He explained at Yamamoto's and Tsuna's stunned looks. "I talk with that crazy knife throwing bastard every now and then."

"Ah, well…yeah. They found their Cloud Guardian." Yamamoto agreed with a smile returning back to his face. "Apparently they found him in a bar somewhere in Italy when they went out to celebrate. Some sort of fight broke out and Xanxus and the Cloud ended up touching and harmonizing."

"That's great." Tsuna stated with a happy smile. "I hope we get to meet them soon. After all they have to be Varia Quality if Xanxus accepted them."

"Hm, so should we wait for them to come to us or shall we go to them for once?" Gokudera questioned, lighting up another cigarette. "You know they'll come and show off their newest addition eventually Tenth…what do you want to do about it?"

"We'll wait." Tsuna explained calmly. "Xanxus hardly ever waits to show off his toys, and that includes his Guardians. Remember when Squalo invented that new sword technique? He had to fly them over here to have him show off that technique against Yamamoto. He'll come eventually to show off his newest Cloud."

"Hahaha, I remember that! It was so much fun seeing them all again." The swordsman stated before his head jerked sideways to stare into an alley. "I don't think we're alone you guys." His sword soon came out of his bat carrier.

"Yeah, I know. They've been following us since we've left the Tenth's house." Gokudera explained as he fingered his dynamite, cigarette smoldering as he puffed on it. "You take the left and I'll take the right?" He questioned.

"Yep. Tsuna, you'll be okay with the ones in front and behind, right?" Yamamoto asked as Tsuna pulled out his gloves from his pocket and put them on, then pulled out a little pill bottle that held blue pills inside.

"I'll handle them. Make sure you two get out of this alive without getting hurt. I don't need to explain to your father or to Shamal why I had to drag you in for treatment." He ordered as he swallowed a pill just as they were attacked by men in black suits on all sides.

Yamamoto and Gokudera leapt into action with explosions and swipes of a sword. Both were tearing through their opponents like butter, neither noticing the chaos that was happening right behind them.

Tsuna threw the pill in his mouth and swallowed. He expected to feel the warmth of his flames flare out from his chest to his hands and feet and up into his head where it concentrated at his forehead. He expected to feel the ever calm and clarity of his Hyper Dying Will Mode.

All of which didn't happen as he looked down at his still mitten covered hand in confusion and horror. He looked up with wide eyes at the smirking goons surrounding him and realized just how much trouble he was in. "Gokudera! Yamamoto!" Tsuna called out as he popped another pill into his mouth and tried to summon up his flames. Tried to force them out to help him.

But nothing came.

He had no flames and he couldn't feel anything trying to come to his rescue. Not even a sputter or flare of energy.

Nothing.

That was when he was hit in the back of the head and everything went black for him.

Varia's Cloud

Gokudera and Yamamoto whipped around from where they were fighting and watched with wide eyes as Tsuna failed to summon up any flames, failed to activate his HDWM, and watched as a goon hit him on the back of the head with a baton. Then they watched as their boss was picked up and taken away.

"TSUNA!"

"TENTH!"

The two guardians shouted in horror and moved to try and save their boss but was stopped by their own assailants. "Get the fuck out of my way you son of a bitches!" Gokudera yelled as he ducked underneath several gun shots and threw out a handful of dynamites. He ignored the bullets that tore through his thigh and shoulder as he moved forward, ignoring the heat as his dynamite exploded.

Yamamoto growled as a knife sliced across his face from his left brow down to the left side of his chin. He slashed his sword down and used his flames to send out a shockwave that sent several goons flying away from him. "Goku! Can you get to Tsuna?" He called out as he struggled to get through the crowd.

"Damn it! No I can't Bat Freak!" Gokudera called, ignoring the nickname and the pain that he was feeling. "We need back up!"

"The others are already at the school by now! We're on our own!" Yamamoto shouted as he flared his flames and summoned his Vongola gear from around his neck and brought out his two katana, arm bracers appearing on his forearms, and his clothes changing into the more samurai garb old style swordsman used to battle in. "We have to go all out and catch up now!" Yamamoto stated as he slashed through his opponents, no longer caring about keeping them alive since his Sky was getting taken further and further away from him.

"Right." Gokudera stated as he activated his own Vongola gear into Cambio Forma with straps of bombs wrapping around his chest and his pipe and sunglasses appearing for him to use. He quickly unleashed his Bombs onto the group that quickly blew them away, several of them landing on the ground with a sickening thud and the scent of burnt meat filled the air. "Head for the Tenth Yama! Don't waste any more time and go after him! Don't let them get him!"

"Got it Goku! I'm on it!" With that Yamamoto flew through his opponents and in the direction that Tsuna had been taken in. He ran down the street as Gokudera continued to fight the goons behind but the further he got the more he realized that he couldn't see anyone. The streets were all deserted and Yamamoto could not see anyone in sight.

They had escaped.

They had taken Tsuna with them.

Tsuna was gone.

"Damn it all!"

Varia's Cloud

"What do you mean he was taken?" Reborn questioned with a snarl as he glared at the two boys that were being treated by himself and Ryohei. "You were with him and you let him get taken?"

"We didn't have a choice." Yamamoto said with a frown on his face. "We were surrounded on all sides and we split up like we normally do. It has never back fired on us before."

"What went wrong this time?" Ryohei questioned as he worked on Yamamoto's face. Reborn was healing Gokudera's bullet wounds as those were more serious and Reborn could handle them better than Ryohei could.

"The Tenth…his flames…they didn't activate." Gokudera gasped out in between pain as Reborn removed the bullet from his thigh.

"His flames didn't activate?" Mukuro questioned with narrowed eyes. "Why wouldn't he have activated his flames? He knows the danger when he doesn't."

"That's the thing. We saw him swallow one of the dying will pills and he had his gloves on as well. But for some reason his flames didn't come. It was like he didn't have any." Yamamoto explained with his own confusion as he reached up and touched his face.

"I've managed to heal most of it but you'll have a scar the rest of your life. Some of it should fade over time." Ryohei explained as he handed over a rag. "Wipe your face, you've got blood all over it."

The swordsman nodded and did as told, quickly cleaning up. "I tried to follow them but by the time I was able to get through they were gone. I couldn't find a trace to follow either. You'll probably have better luck than us Reborn."

"Of course I will and it'll have nothing to do with luck." Reborn sneered as he finished up healing Gokudera and stood up. "You lot are going to stay here while I go out and search. Keep an eye out for anything else, they might come back for you lot if Tsuna wasn't their only target. So be on guard." With that Reborn disappeared from the house.

It was quiet for a long time while the guardians all took in what the once Sun Arcobaleno said and how he had said it. None of them appreciated the snarl that wasn't just directed at the Storm and Rain. It had been directed to all of them as they had all failed at some point in their mission to protect their sky.

"Do we just wait now?" Chrome questioned as she looked at the boys in the room. Lambo was still with Nana but all the other guardians had gathered in Tsuna's room to heal and to learn of the situation.

"No." Yamamoto stated, startling just about everyone in the room except for Hibari and Mukuro. "I'm calling Squalo and informing him of the situation."
"Are you crazy?" Gokudera questioned with widened eyes. "Informing the Varia of the Tenth's situation is his death sentence. They could take him out and take the Vongola's boss position that way. You know that's all Xanxus has ever wanted."

"No." Mukuro said as he looked at the silverette. "The swordsman has the right idea. Despite what the hitman thinks…he's only one person no matter his skill. The more people out there the more chance of finding Vongola." He explained calmly. He looked over towards Hibari who was leaning against the door of the room. "I'm sure you can get your disciplinary squad on this as well. At least make sure that he isn't still in Namimori territory."

"Hn." Hibari grunted but whistled lowly. The group watched as Hibird took off from his perch on the cloud's shoulder and out the open window. "Kusakabe will know." He stated calmly.

"Right. Call the shark and explain the situation. We'll wait and see where we can go from there." Mukuro explained with a smirk on his face.

Gokudera growled but nodded his head in agreement. "We'll look around town as well. See if we can't notice any clues from where we were attacked. Maybe we can find a calling card or anything else that'll tell us what Famiglia attacked." He added on as well.

"Let's get going to the extreme then!" Ryohei yelled as he disappeared from the room.

"Better follow him." Mukuro said with a laugh as he and Chrome disappeared in a cloud of mist. Hibari leapt out of the window of the door to do his own thing as well while Gokudera took off after Ryohei.

Yamamoto sighed as he pulled out his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number he only ever dialed when he needed information or advice.

It took on ring before it was picked up. "VOOIII! WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW BRAT?!" the voice screamed forcing Yamamoto pull the phone away from his ear for a moment.

"Squalo, we have a situation that we need your guys' help with."

Varia's Cloud

He felt himself floating as pins and needles buzzed against his skin. His hair floated around his head and his clothes. He stared ahead of him steadily, at a blue surface that had light reflecting on it.

It was a rather peaceful moment and even though his lungs burned and his body was numb from the ice cold water he was being held under, he was enjoying the calm. He would hate it all again when he was pulled up out of the water though. The torture was going to continue and he knew it.

He had to pull through it though and wait for a squad to come to him and get him out of there.

Especially as his flames were not responding to him. There was no warmth and no clarity and no comfort of his flames at all.

Just cold nothing.

His lungs were really starting to burn and the breath he had taken before he had been dunked under escaped his mouth, bubbles floating into the air. He couldn't help but grimace as more air escaped his body as it tried to suck more in. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold what little air he had.

And there were more bubbles with the last of his air.

He was screwed.

That was the time when he was pulled up and he was able to gasp in air before gagging and ended up coughing harshly. He shivered at the cool air of the freezer he had been kept in even as the water that slid down his skin froze there and soon he was covered in frost and ice. His teeth were instantly chattering and his skin turned blue but his eyes stayed focused on the man in front of him.

"Are you ready to tell us every little secret and weakness of the Vongola yet…Juu-dai-me?" The man questioned with an oily slick voice that spoke in an accented Japanese. His golden eyes glowed in smugness, his blonde hair slicked back with a little goatee. His left ear was pierced with his right upper ear pierced twice, all three had small golden hoops in them. He wore a blue suit with a black shirt underneath and a white vest. "Either that or you'll take another dip in the water." Unnaturally long fangs gleamed as he bared them at Tsuna.

Tsuna said nothing and did nothing. He kept his face blank as he took a deep breath and held it just in time for the boss's fingers to snap and for him to go back under the water. He held his breath and kept his eyes focused at the end of the white tub that glowed blue underneath the lights of the freezer. His skin went numb again with the feeling of pins and needles following not too far behind.

He wasn't sure how long he was held under this time, only that they held him under longer than before because his vision had gone black by the time he came back up. "Tell me what I want to know and I might let you live to be my bitch." The man said with a snarl as he grabbed hold of Tsuna's chin.

The brunette smirked at that as he gathered the saliva in his mouth and spat directly in the man's eyes. "Kill me now and just spare us the time you'd waste." Tsuna stated with a calm that he thought might've been his Flame trying to make an appearance.

The man snarled as he slammed his fist into Tsuna's face, breaking his nose. He wiped his face clean before slamming his fist again into the boy's face, this time against his jaw. "Pitiful to hurt such a pretty face. You could make such a good little servant with those looks. The looks of Primo." The man stated calmly as Tsuna looked back at him with a glare.

"Kill me now and stop wasting our time. I'll never give you information on my family." Tsuna stated with a growl. He had been through too much to give it up to a smug bastard like the one standing in front of him. The training he had been through the last three years was holding him out as well. He wasn't about to let this break him, not when the safety of his family was at risk.

"A true Vongola heir. Massimo, Enrico, and Federico were all the same way. None of them gave up the information that I wanted and they all died a slow and painful death…just like you are going to do now…though since you're such a pretty little thing…we might find a better use for you." He stated with a malicious smirk. "After all I killed the three brothers all in different ways. Why not make yours special as well?"

Tsuna frowned at that as a spark of fear welled up in his heart. Reborn had told him about what a lot of mafia would do to get information. Rape had been one of them of course but it was very rarely ever used, even by the mafia. It was such a traumatizing event that some lost control of their flames during the act and would destroy any and all in the area that had helped with their desecration. "Are you sure you want to go there? You could very well be burnt to death after all."

The man laughed heartily at that as he trailed his knuckles down the side of Tsuna's face lightly, even as Tsuna flinched away from the touch. "We've been watching you for some time Juudaime. And we know how weak your flame has become. How you were unable to even light it during our ambush." He leaned in close and licked Tsuna's cheek while the teen struggled to get away. "We know you won't be able to even flicker your flame while we use you to our satisfaction and until you give us what we want. SO I'd prepare yourself Decimo, because we're going to do everything to you and there will be nothing and no one to save you."

Tsuna shivered even more as his shirt was ripped open and exposed his bruised and battered chest. He knew that his pants would go next but he prayed for a miracle to save him from this. He wasn't sure he'd be able to handle what they planned to do.

That was when an explosion rocked the room and a very familiar and for once comforting growl filled the room. "Step away from the mini trash and I might kill you quick." The growling voice snarled as seven figures walked into the room, surrounding the oil slick man and his goons while Tsuna was pulled close against the leader's chest.

"Oh, the Varia is here. How did you manage to find us so quickly? We've only had him for a week." Tsuna blinked at the information in surprise. They had had him for a week! That was how long his expert team of assassins and the world's greatest hitman took to find him?!

"I thought you guys were supposed to be the best." Tsuna grumbled as he looked at Xanxus with a pout. "It took you guys that long to find me? Seriously?"

"Voooiii! We would have found you sooner but apparently you don't have enough flames to track at the moment." Squalo growled as he sent one of his hidden knives flying and into a man's head, killing him and getting him out of the way.

"We had to resort to a different means of finding you to get here dearie." Lussuria added in as he kicked another man's head in before backing away from the group.

"Shishishishishi. It was difficult even for the prince. The peasants proved to be harder to find than usual as well." A knife slashed another's throat and left Bel laughing at the growing puddle of blood.

Levi and Mammon were both silent as they took out their own opponents efficiently and quickly.

Tsuna blinked as a flare of purple flashed off to the side and another henchmen fell to the ground dead. "Ah, so it is true. You found a cloud Guardian." Tsuna said with a smirk before shuddering as a tongue lapped at his cheek and a knife dug into his throat. "Can you seriously stop doing that you creep!?"

"No, I don't think I will." He replied with a smirk. "Like I said before, I killed the three brothers all in different ways so I'll kill you in a special way that'll give me massive amounts of pleasure as well. Not even the Varia will be able to stop me." He said as he slid the one hand that didn't hold the knife down Tsuna's back and into his pants.

Tsuna's eyes widened as that hand slide down between his cheeks and towards that ever private place. He arched his back trying to dislodge that hand from where it had firmly attached itself as tears gathered at the corner of his eyes at the pain. He squirmed and wiggled to try and get away but his form was cold and shivering, starved and dehydrated, weak and defenseless.

"I would suggest releasing him if you wish to survive." Xanxus said as he lowered his guns with a scowl, his anger growing by the second.

"Even if I did release him now, you'd still kill me." The man stated with a smirk. "After all, I've killed more than my fair share of Vongola heirs, what's one more on the list?" He stated. Then without further ado his faced shifted to have a muzzle with long sharp fangs, fur sprouted on the muzzle and his ears shifted towards the top of his head. Varia watched in horror as those fangs dug into the brunette's neck, drawing blood and causing Tsuna to cry out in surprise and pain as those fingers dug even deeper into him.

"Xanxus! Kill him now!" Someone shouted and the raging sky didn't waste a moment as he moved forward, ripping the man away from Tsuna before burning him into a crisp with his bare hands.

Tsuna meanwhile fell backwards as soon as that man was ripped from him, his body quaking tremendously as he hit the edge of the tub and fell into the ice cold water once more. He didn't even feel the cold of the water though as he was ripped out of it and a jacket was settled around his shoulders. "We got the mini boss, we're heading back to headquarters…"

"No, he'll be returning with us back to Varia HQ." Tsuna didn't know that voice but at the moment he didn't care as his body burned with both the cold of the air and his blood seemingly boiling in his veins. He didn't hear anything else as he was lifted into strong arms and his head laid against a warm chest. His world narrowed from there and soon all he felt was the heat coursing through his blood and the pain wrecking through it.

Varia's Cloud

He was warm.

That was the first thing he realized when he woke up.

The second thing he realized was that there was a cool rag on his forehead with water dripping off of it and onto his pillow that was currently soaked.

"Ah, you're awake." A voice said from beside him and Tsuna turned his head enough to look but keep the nice cool rag on his forehead as the once comfortable warmth turned into a raging inferno. "Though I'm not sure how much longer you'll stay awake for. Here, drink this then go back to sleep." The blurry face of the stranger said as Tsuna felt his head lift and a glass of ice cold water lay against his mouth.

He drank greedily before the sweet darkness took him, leaving the stranger to look down at him with a frown.

"He'll be lucky to survive this." He said as he turned to look at the throne like chair in the bedroom the three were residing in. "The type of creature that man was…what he did…it could kill the Decimo with how little energy he has." He explained calmly.

Xanxus growled at that as he glared at the still form of the fever ridden Decimo that would become his boss when he accepted the head of the Vongola spot once and for all. "That trash has surprised me more times than I like to admit." Xanxus growled out as he took a swig of whiskey straight from the bottle. "He'll survive this just like he has everything else."

The figure smirked at that before nodding his head in acceptance. "Ah, if you're sure about this." He stated as he stood with a bowl in hand.

"I am. Now you'll stay and watch him till he's through. You know what's happening best due to your history."

"But of course." Green eyes flashed with mischief and purple flames. "Who better to take care of the situation than a wizard?"

Varia's Cloud

A.N. Chapter one finished! What do you guys think so far? And don't worry, the identity of the dirt bag that took Tsuna will be revealed in due time. Also know that this is a MalexMale story but it shouldn't be heavy but I can't guarantee it. Also I'd like to have some reviews to tell me how I'm doing so let me know everyone!

I would like everyone to think about some of the authors on Fanfiction that died recently or a while ago. Some of them died in tragic accidents or illnesses and have left stories unfinished or had others finish them for them in memory. I would like everyone reading this to lower their heads, clasp their hands together and pray for those who have been lost. Allow there to be a moment of silence for wherever you, the reader, are and remember not just the writers here on this site but those who have been lost in your life or in tragic events.

Please remember that life is short and that you should love those in your life while you can and show your appreciation for water comes into your life.

Again, thanks to those who have lost their lives for spreading inspiration through their works.