Read: Yeah, this an Alternate Universe fic. I always wondered what it would be like to make a Tsuna-was-chained-up-his-whole-life-fic! Also another side note, Mukuro was never locked up in Vindice, and his history with Chrome will be explained so please have patience.

Warning: This has no pairings and you really can't convince me otherwise. Basically this a Tsuna-and-his-guardians type of fic.

Setting: The first part is the deepest and darkest part of Vendice. Later they will be in the Vongola mansion.

Title: 'Chained Away' does not only refer to Tsuna physically being chained away into a prison for no apparent reason. Chains can also refer to mental links or burdens carried by a person, for example 'chained away by your heart' and the like.

Chained Away

Those who do not move, do not notice their chains... Rosa Luxemberg

Chapter I. Chains of Imprisonment

Cold…

A figure in a glass case was subconsciously floating in preservation liquid. Tubes and bandages surrounded his body, holding him in place.

It's so dark...

The figure was pale because his skin had never seen the sun. His hair was spiky, brown, and lifeless in the water.

Can anyone hear me?

His face was covered with a mask, chains and tubes held his hands and feet together. He couldn't move even if he wanted to.

Can anyone save me?

The tubes carried the needed nutrition of his body. He didn't need to eat and he was sleeping most of the time. The nutrition carried by the tubes also came with a heavy anesthetic to keep his body numb.

Will I forever be stuck here?

The eyes of the figure opened halfway. He could see the green light his container emitted but the only things he could see aside from that are dark walls and stone cold floors. Blank brown eyes blankly stared and the figure began to shake.

Will no one come to free me?

The eyes began to close again but this time out of helplessness. He didn't want to see anymore of the outside world he would never get to experience.

I guess this is my fate…

CRASH!

Brown eyes snapped open at the sound.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Intruders! Intruders!"

"Emergency lock down!"

"Guard the prisoners! I think they're after one of them!"

"It's too late! They've penetrated too deeply into the prison!"

"The Vindice? Where are THEY?"

THUD!

People, the first time in a long while since he's seen people, crowded in front of his container. They were the usual guards of the place.

"I think they're after him… Hurry! Guard the perimeter!"

"C-Captain! I-It's useless they-!"

BANG!

One person fell at the gunshot. The brunet could hear sounds of sword slashing, guns, and other weapons at work as the people guarding his tank, one by one fell.

"Is this it?" New voices entered his hearing. He saw shadows of seven people stand in front of his container. He could make out the shock and appalled expressions of some of them.

"This place is so dark… Had they been keeping him here the whole time?"

"Is that him?"

The brunet could merely stare at the people outside. He felt the sedatives in the tubes make him sleepy. Too much sedatives could kill him… Were the guards outside planning to kill him before the people in front of him freed him?

Are you here to save me?

The seven people in front of him jumped.

"W-What was that?"

"Kufufufu, I think our mysterious friend here was the one who said that."

"W-Wha-? He can EXTREMELY do that despite the mask?"

Have you come to free me?

Silence.

"Yes, we've come to free you." One of them spoke gently.

The brunet's eyes softened.

Really? You came to save someone like me who doesn't even know his own name…?

"We know your name!" A girl, this time, said.

The person in the tank felt his lips twitch into a small smile, but the others couldn't see it because of the mask covering his face.

That's a relief. To know I actually have a name…

"Of course you do." One said gruffly. "Everyone has a name…"

Silence.

I wonder if I'll live long enough to know it… The brunet's eyes began to slowly close and he failed to see the seven people's eyes widen.

"W-What did he extremely mean by that?"

"Oi! Get it together!"

"Those herbivores must have injected something deadly into those tubes just in cases…"

"N-No way…"

The brunet was vaguely aware of someone take out a sharp weapon and everyone else standing back.

CRASH!

The sword slashed through the glass and the brunet felt the water drain out of his container. He felt himself hanging loosely on his chains and tubes.

SLASH!

Suddenly those tubes and chains were cut and he found himself falling… falling…

Several pairs of arms caught him before he fell unto the broken glasses. By this time, he could hardly open his eyes.

"It's okay, you're safe now… You don't have to worry, we'll protect you…" Someone murmured to him and he felt himself lose consciousness.

He felt someone lift him gently as the others crowded around him.

"He's extremely short isn't he…?"

"He's pale too."

"Kufufu, I wonder what type of person he is…"

"Probably another herbivore…"

The voices began to distort in the brunet's ears as he fell into a deep unconscious state. But one voice penetrated his thoughts before he completely lost his consciousness.

"Sleep well, Sawada Tsunayoshi…"

He had been in that cold prison for as long as he could remember. His mother… his father… Who were they? He didn't know them… He could never know them… The Vindice probably killed them when they took him. He had no sympathy or sadness for people he didn't remember…

All his life, his only companions were chains, tubes, the cold water, his container… Inanimate objects were the only ones he considered company. People were like a faraway dream for him. Freely walking anywhere they like, freely talking, fighting, making friends, making enemies… living…

He, himself, was like an inanimate object. A non-living thing, a backdrop whose only use was to observe as people lived out their lives and die…

Of course, he knew that he would die one day too. But when death was brought up, the only thoughts he could think of was how nice it was to finally be free from his prison…

Blank brown eyes fluttered open, expecting the usual feeling of coldness enveloping his body, expecting the usual chains digging into his skin, expecting the usual tubes stabbed into him, expecting the usual mask covering half of his face, expecting to see the stone walls and the stone cold floor…

What he didn't expect was to see a canopy on top of him, to feel warmth instead of cold, to feel the softness of a mattress and pillows instead of chains, to feel his sore skin instead of tubes numbing the pain, to feel nothing blocking his mouth from speaking, to see grand walls and curtained windows…

He was so surprised, so overwhelmed by his surroundings that his body froze up for several seconds. Where was he? Why wasn't he chained up like usual?

And then memories of what happened attacked him. Flashes of what he thought were merely dreams brought up by a mentally sick mind overcame his thoughts and he realized that those people really did free him… really did save him…

An unknown feeling (was it gratitude?) welled up inside him and to his astonishment he felt something wet run down his cheeks.

Numb arms moved and barely moving fingers wiped away the warm liquid that seemed to come from his eyes.

What was this strange phenomenon? He was leaking… Was he broken like how his container was when it had a crack?

Suddenly noises caught his attention (his ears were sharper without the water blocking them), footsteps slowly approaching the place where he was at, could be heard.

"I want to see him, Reborn."

"I understand kyuudaime, but he's very frail at the moment. Being the tank for twelve or more years has really gotten to his body…"

"I understand, but I haven't seen him even once… not even when he was a baby. I just want to see my grandson…"

"Kyuudaime…"

Reborn? Kyuudaime? Were those names? How strange. He was actually in the outside world with these people with strange names…

The doors at the end of the room opened and all the brunet could do was stare at where he was lying down. An old man and a tall adult man entered his room together. They neared his bed and stopped when they were only a feet apart. All the while, his eyes (his usually closed eyes) followed their movements curiously.

"Hello Tsunayoshi-kun…" The old man greeted him with a smile.

A smile, he had never seen one before today. The people guarding him always had blank expressions and the only emotions they showed were anger and fear.

Tsunayoshi… The brunet's lips formed those words. Was that his name? Did he really have a name like everybody else?

"What's wrong? Can't you speak?" The tall adult man this time was the one who spoke.

"I-I'm…" The brunet's voice was so quiet, he barely said anything. The old man and the adult had to strain their ears to hear him. "T-Tsunayoshi…" He tried once more, a little louder perhaps. "I-Is t-that m-my name?"

The eyes of the two adults widened at his question. The old man's eyes softened while the other tilted his fedora to hide his shock. The old man placed a hand on the brunet's pale hands. It was so warm…

"Yes, that is your name. Sawada Tsunayoshi…" He said kindly as he held the brunet's hand. "Do you like it? Your parents gave it to you when you were born…"

Tsuna-Tsunayoshi- stared at them for a moment before suddenly his vision began to blur and he felt again the strange sensation of something warm running down his cheeks. His lips twitched and he copied the smile the old man gave him. "I-I actually have a-a name… T-That makes m-me happy…"

The old man's eyes widened once more before they softened and he patted Tsuna's frail hands. "Yes you do. I hope you treasure that name."

Tsuna nodded. It was the only thing he could do. He had exhausted his vocal chords fairly quickly and his body felt sore all over.

"It looks like he needs more rest kyuudaime." Reborn said as he placed a hand on the Ninth's shoulder.

The Ninth nodded as he let go of Tsuna's hands. "Be well Tsunayoshi. I'll see you again later…"

Tsuna's eyes began to close as the ninth and Reborn walked out of the room. The famous hitman gave Tsuna one last look before his eyes shadowed.

"What a sad child."

Reborn waited patiently as he sat by the window in one of his famous leather armchairs. He was waiting for the arrival of the people who were responsible for freeing the ninth's long lost grandson.

The door sounded and Reborn smirked as it opened. One by one, seven teens entered and sat themselves on the chairs available in front of the renowned hitman.

"Well done." Reborn spoke as the door closed and the last teen came to sit in front of him. "The ninth is very pleased with the recovery mission, you should be proud."

There were small murmurs at that and Reborn tilted his fedora up as he stared at the seven people he had trained. "Of course, as a show of appreciation, the ninth has given me the task of presenting to you these…"

The hitman stood up and approached them. He took a box from inside his pocket and placed it in front of the teens. He opened it slowly and someone gasped. Seven rings met their sights.

"The ninth decided to place you in the position of guardians. He wants you to protect his grandson." Reborn said.

"Oya, finally we have reached the long awaited position."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama."

"R-Right-hand man position, here I come!"

"Haha! How interesting!"

"Extreme! A guardian!"

"Yare, yare…"

"Hmph, I do not care for trivial positions."

Reborn looked at the skylark, Hibari Kyoya, who said that and smirked. "As you all know, the Vindice will go after their escaped prisoner. So I hope you guard you new charge well."

The skylark's eyes narrowed at the word Vindice.

"Only guardians can go after them of course." Reborn taunted and the skylark gave in.

Once everyone had their rings, (Rokudo Mukuro and Chrome Dokuro had identical mist rings)Reborn closed the box and placed it back in his pocket. "Tomorrow, you will meet with the ninth and his grandson and will be formally introduced to him. Be on your best behavior."

"Uhm, Reborn-san…" The silver-haired Italian, Gokudera Hayato, in the group raised his hand. "About that kid-"

"Refer to him as boss or jyuudaime…" Reborn reminded the other.

"-Yes, jyuudaime… What's the story about him…?" The Italian asked and everyone murmured as they also voiced their questions.

"He is the long-lost grandson of Timoteo, the Ninth Vongola, what else is there to say?" Reborn said.

"Like, how did he end up in that extreme place called Vendi- Verden- Ven-" The bleach-haired teen, Ryohei Sasagawa, began.

"Vendicare." Hibari finished the sentence.

"Right! That one!" Ryohei said.

Reborn tilted his fedora down, shadowing his eyes. "I'm not sure how he ended up there as well. All I know is that one day, Iemitsu and his family suddenly vanished and the Ninth's been looking for them ever since."

"I heard, they found Iemitsu's body years ago…" A teen in a cow-print shirt, Lambo Bovino, said.

"Yes, along with his wife Sawada Nadeshiko." Reborn said gravely. "Their only son's body however, was missing and the Ninth never gave up looking for his only heir and grandson."

"That's when we got intel from Lal Mirch and the CEDEF that a teenage boy resembling Sawada Nadeshiko was seen in the deepest underground prison in Vendicare." A black-haired teen, Yamamoto Takeshi, stated.

"And while, Vindice was away taking care of some business we snuck in and freed Boss." Chrome said in a small tone.

"And that's the whole story." Reborn stated. "And now, it's your job to protect him in cases Vindice comes to collect him again."

"But why did he have to be sealed in the deepest parts of Vendicare?" Mukuro asked.

"That, I don't know." Reborn said. "They were really careful in hiding him."

The guardians became quiet as they contemplated this information.

"Let's leave that for later." Reborn said after several seconds of silence. "For now, why don't you all go back to training? You still have a long way to go…"

"Yes, Reborn-san."

End of Chapter

Author's note: I hope everyone enjoys this from the bottom of my heart. Thank you very much for readin!