I.

Once upon a time, Lancia had just been another nameless, parentless orphan scraping by an existent in the slums of Northern Italy.

He begged and fought and killed and ran and groveled and hid and did whatever he had to do just to live another day.

Then, one day, a hand was extended and he was saved.

II.

Neri Froio was an average man.

He didn't do particularly well or terrible at school. He was neither the best nor worst at sports. He was friendly and charming enough to garner a close group of friends and associates, but was never considered the life of the party. He had dark-brown hair and eyes of the same color and didn't really stand out from the thousands of other dark-brown haired and eyed people living in Italy as far as he knew. He was the exact middle child in his family – having both an older and younger brother – and didn't really have much ambition in life.

Sure, he wanted to meet a nice woman and settle down with her – perhaps having one or two kids and a couple of pets to keep their home warm and lively. Sure, he wanted to get a job that paid enough to support his would-be wife and family – preferably a job that did not involve him having to fear for his life or his family's lives. Sure, there were innumerable times where he just wanted to up and leave Italy and go somewhere far, far away where no one knew who he was or who he was related to.

But that didn't happen.

It couldn't happen, not when one was involved in the Mafia.

Not when your life was practically planned out from the moment you were born and where your every action, every word could lead to death and death and more death on your hands.

(Neri Froio so very desperately wanted to drift away from it all… but he was weak, and allowed himself to be shackled to this life that he didn't want.)

(And thus the beginning of his downfall was put into motion.)

III.

Neri Froio officially took over the Froio Family on his twenty-seventh birthday – an exact year after the unfortunate death of his older brother.

He would find and take in an orphaned child living in the slums of Northern Italy on his thirty-fifth birthday.

He would later name the child Lancia.

He would later find and adopt three more orphaned children eleven years later.

He would later die with the image of his strongest and most loyal bodyguard, Lancia, crushing his windpipe with a giggling and blood-stained child – one eye a deep blue color, the other glowing an unnatural red – standing not too far behind, forever burned into his memory.

IV.

Lancia was a sinner.

He had the blood of far too many innocent people on his hands and the deaths of far too many innocent people on his mind.

(It didn't matter that he had been controlled and forced to do those heinous acts, in the end, it was his hands that ultimately ended so many lives and his ears that heard so many pleas and begs and prays and cursing and cries.)

(It was their blood on his hands.)

He had tried to fight, tried to break free of the control He had over him… but nothing worked.

Nothing ever worked.

("It would be so much easier to just give in to me… aren't you tired of always fighting and struggling? Don't you think it's time that you had a rest?")

Lancia was tired.

So very, very tired and sick of it all.

(And thus the beginning of his downfall was put into motion.)

V.

Sawada Tsunayoshi peered up at the man standing before him.

The man was tall and muscular with long, black slicked back hair and dark-colored eyes. Two lines ran up the length of his cheek and he held a long chain attached to an enormous metal ball with snakes and other serpents engraved onto its surface.

The man stared back at the brunet for a full minute before tensing suddenly and-

"Fight it," Tsuna commanded – stopping the man who had stiffened in shock and surprise. "You haven't fully given into… whatever it is – or whoever it is – that's controlling you… so fight it."

The man huffed out a disbelieving laugh and said, "… It's impossible to fight against Him."

"No it's not. You are proof that you haven't really given up yet."

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"You're standing here, talking to me instead of blindly attacking like the others did."

"That doesn't mean I'm not your enemy or something."

"True… but if you truly believed in Rokudo Mukuro's goals and if you were truly loyal to him, you would have moved by now; and since you haven't, it's safe to assume that you are not part of his group willingly… so, fight it. Fight Him."

"… It's not as easy as you believe it to be, Vongola…"

Tsuna tilts his head. "Is it not? Whatever control Rokudo Mukuro has over you… in the end, he is not you, he has not truly broken you. If he had, you'd be nothing more than a mindless puppet with no will, just blindly following whatever He tell you to do."

"I am no 'puppet' of His…!"

"Then prove it – fight Him."

VI.

Lancia had been eight when he had been first saved by Neri Froio.

He was twenty-five when he was saved by Sawada Tsunayoshi.

VII.

Rokudo Mukuro sat in the old theatre in the abandoned Kokuyo Land, his head inclined thoughtfully towards the side.

"Mukuro…? Did something happen?" Anna Kowalski sat primly on the edge of the decrepit stage of the theatre, her head turned to gaze curiously at her 'Boss'.

Mukuro hummed noncommittally before he said, "… It appears that Lancia has somehow broken free of my possession… the Vongola Heir must be something else to inspire hope in a man that was drowning in guilt and despair for so long…"

"Well, what did you expect? This is the Vongola we're going up against… they are not the strongest and most powerful Mafia Family in the world for nothing."

"True… well now, how should we proceed from here on out, I wonder?"

"The only ones left are: you, Chikusa, and I… and you know I'm not a fighter, Mukuro."

Mukuro chuckled lowly as he leaned forward. "How could I forget, my dear Anna? Just stay there and use your special ability to let me know when the Vongola enters the building… I still need some time to prepare my… welcoming gift for them."

"He's still not ready yet?"

"Fujikage Ryota is just full of fears and contradictions and regrets… it's a bit of a setback, but I require a bit more time before I'm able to him mine."

Anna fell silent for a moment before she pushed off of the stage and landed lightly on her feet. She dusted the dirt off her skirt and began walking towards the theatre doors. "Then shall Chikusa and I buy more time for you, Mukuro? After all, Ryota is the key to our plan succeeding."

"Oh? Are you not afraid of getting injured, Anna?"

"I can handle a couple of bruises and broken bones after what the Estraneo did to me."

Mukuro chuckled once more. "… Then I wish you and Chikusa all the luck in the world, Anna. Try not to disappoint me."