Whew, glad I made the readers satisfied! :D

To BeArOcKpRiNxEsS-san's question: I meant that I only altered their names a bit. Try and guess, it's pretty easy to figure out.

Thank you, Lying Pierrot-san! I'm really happy it was satisfactory. TT U TT

Also thanks again to everyone who read/reviewed and my beta xXxAnGeLFLoNnExXx. Even though beta-nee can be a bit of a lazy-ass, haha. :D

VERY IMPORTANT: Can someone give me a new summary for this story? Beta-nee said it's a bit misleading.

Haha, Chapter 4 is out!

"Speech."

"Japanese/Device speech."

'Telepathy.'

"Highlights."

"Flashback."

Thoughts.

Black Resolution

Target 4: The side of them that never was

Foreign feelings.

The brunet observed his surroundings with uncaring eyes. Why did they brought him here? What did they want? Many thoughts joggled up his mind and he ended up having a headache to suffer for the rest of the day. Not that this day's been good. He reminded himself grimfully.

He stood up and walked around, trying to find something he can do to pass the time. This place is boring. At that moment, the door swung open and the 'Dino' guy and crying lady from before entered.

The lady ran up to the assassin and hugged him with all her might. She whispered his name to his ear like a mantra and he could not help but push her back a little. "Who are you and why did you touch me?"

She sniffled a bit before regaining her composure. Elena only had one concern in mind: to help the assassin recover. I must stay strong for him and for the others. "I'm sorry, it was my fault for just barging in like that." And for crying and dashing off on a short notice. She wiped the tears on her face. "My name is Annabelle Eliana de la Stella, or Elena for short." The blond guy approached them. "And I'm Daniele Cavallone de la Stella, you can call me Dino. We're your older siblings, Tsuna."

"I don't understand, what do you mean by that?" He asked them with a cold voice. There's no way someone would be blood-related to me. They all died. An image of a couple dying, falling helplessly to the ground entered his mind. He stiffened at that.

Elena took a step forward. "You are our missing younger brother. Our parents were Ieshige Mitsukuni de la Stella and Natalia Nadeshiko Sawada. Do you not remember?" He shook his head. "What are you implying then?" Were? So does that mean they're dead?

"We're your family." Tsuna's form went rigid. "You're lying. I never had a family in the first place." Dino frowned. "What do you mean by that?" The brunet gave him a deadpanned stare. "My family's been long dead. I'm an orphan." Why did I give them my personal information?

"That's not true! Everyone is still alive, except for our parents." Elena's voice almost trembled when she said the last part. The assassin raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? How can you prove your claims? For all I know, you might be just trying to let me lower my guard and strike when that time comes." The other two's happy expression fell. He inwardly smirked. It's ironic that I'm placing the blame of Primofiore's plan to them and they feel guilty about it. The assassin almost snorted at the idea. Typical human nature.

"I got it!" Dino exclaimed, "The Millefiore was actually a merger between the Gesso, Cervello, and the Giglionero Famiglia, right?" Tsuna was puzzled. What's so special about that? "And so? What's your point?" The blond bronco grinned at him. "You ruled over the Grey spell of that Family, which is the Cervello's division. The Cervello Famiglia was named after you: Tsunayoshi Cervello de la Stella."

The brunet's eyes darkened. How did they get their hands on those facts? It seems that there is more than what meets the eye for these two. I better watch out for them from now on. "It could be a coincidence, and you got my surname wrong. Doofus."

"How can I get your surname wron—" Something rang in Dino's pocket. The blond took out a strange device. He sent them a sheepish smile. "Excuse me for a second." The man went to a corner and hushed his caller. "Hello? May I ask who's on the other line?"

"This is Romario, Master Dino. We've detected… uninvited guests from the forest clearing near the safehouse grounds. I ask you for our next course of action." Said boss bit his lip in his nervousness. "I see. Okay then, first you have to—"

As Dino talked over the strange… thing, Tsuna could not help but ask his brown-haired so-called sister. "So… what is he talking to?" Elena rubbed the back of her head unceremoniously. "Um, that's a communication device. Our top inventor, Talbot, created it. Though I have to admit, it's far too advanced for our era." With the discovery of the dying will Flames and the Clear pacifier, I guess anything is possible. She smiled sardonically.

The blond went towards them. "Elena, there's an emergency so we have to leave." Elena looked baffled. "So soon already? We haven't even stayed here for an entire day!" Dino leaned in beside her ear. "You do remember what we came here for. And unfortunately, it's not Tsuna." She sighed and faced her beloved younger brother. The lady ruffled his hair.

"I deeply apologize again, but it seems we're needed back at home. Don't worry, we'll return and bring you to our humble abode next time." The duo walked out of the room, rushing on their way.

All that the adorable assassin could do was stare at the entrance and utter the most logical thing he could think of. "Eh?" What was that all about? Weird. The boy sighed and fingered something on his neck. Tsuna pulled it out and stared at the ring with an orange gem and dragon markings.

He observed the room once more. Wasn't there anything to do here? With that thought, Tsuna went outside; in search of anything at all.

It was merely his pure luck he ran into something worthwhile.

Bored was an understatement.

Giotto had nothing to do. He already finished the paperwork, and his guardians were either too busy to bother with him or went to escort the CEDEF's guardians.

At the mention of those guardians, he grumbled and felt a wave of nausea hitting him. His own guardians were destructive enough, thank you very much. There was no need for them to add to his list of problems. But they aren't exactly cooperative. He can't blame the CEDEF guardians, though. After all, "They're related to my own friends, ugh." And that was the bad side of it. The blond can already see the number of zeroes in the bills. He pinched his temple. Can someone save me from my misery?

His thoughts about his friends and their relatives drifted to the boy he took in, the assassin from the Spada massacre that happened a few days ago. The young boss unconsciously brought a blood red rose to his face; which was placed in a vase as a decoration for his mahogany desk.

To be honest, Giotto himself had no idea why he brought the brunet with him. All he did was obey his previous tutor's first and foremost lesson to him; always trust and follow his intuition. Deep down, taking the poor boy away from that place was the proper thing to do. It simply felt right.

Vongola Primo asked Alaude to get information about the said boy, only to find none. He finally knew the other's name when Dino shouted it. Tsuna, eh? What a nice name. He blinked and mentally smacked himself in the face. Why am I having these thoughts? He shook his head fervently, hoping to get rid of his… rather troubling ideas.

Giotto grimaced. "Maybe the stuffiness of the room's just getting to my head… I need a walk."

When the young boss left his room, he heard shouts coming from the end of the hallway.

What was it this time?

The blond saw Lampo helping a maid stand up. He blinked. He rubbed his eyes. My eyes must be deceiving me. But the more he watched them, the more it seemed that his guardian was angry at the assassin about something. To top it all off, Lampo was angry at the other for the maid. His intuition told him to wait for a while before he enter the scene.

Lampo was a big scaredy-cat; always had, always will be. Yet sometimes, the aristocrat did have his brave, totally out of character moments; such as now.

The teen whom Giotto brought to their mansion, crashed to a maid from atop the staircase without a care in the world. He merely stared at the said woman as if he never did what he had done. And the young Lightning guardian was fond of the maid who was nursing her sprained ankle, her fall from the stairs forgotten. She was one of the few who were actually nice to him.

Meanwhile, said culprit watched the two as the male fussed about the girl. His eyebrows were scrunched up together, as if he found something he didn't understand; which was probably true. He did not know why the green-haired teen was glaring at him while worrying over the female who sent him an uneasy glance. What was wrong with these people? It wasn't his fault that he bumped into her. He didn't do it on purpose… so why? Why was the male seething at him? Why was the lady wary of him? Those thoughts made him even more bothered.

Lampo had enough. His patience was already thin from the start, and the cold look on the brunet did not help ease him. The aristocrat actually expected an apology to the maid, originally thinking that he was just a bit shocked by the turn of events. But no, he was standing there. Doing nothing at all. He yelled at the assassin. "Hey, you!" The brunet gazed directly at his eyes, like he was peering into his soul.

"Yes?" His tone was oddly cool and collected, and it just pissed the guardian even more. He pointed his finger towards the other. "Aren't you going to apologize to her? She fell because you ran into her!"

Tsuna tilted his head to the side, eyes clearly showing he didn't get his point. "I never intented to do so. Besides, it's her fault for not being able to stand up with a minor injury." Who could blame the brunet for thinking such things? In the mafia, children were brought up to believe that their uselessness and incompetence will always be their mistake; like fainting from excessive bleeding, etc. The assassin wasn't any different.

Lampo had a stupefied expression plastered on his face. "W-Wha—?" He trembled. This kid was probably one of the most merciless people he met. Though he was lazy, he still cared about people. Sometimes. And that bastard Reborn, no matter how good he was at hiding it; he was always concerned about his students, Dino and Giotto. Heck, even Daemon and Alaude were kind inside! "Don't you have a heart? Somewhere deep down inside of you?"

"A heart… you mean the organ made up of muscles?" Of course, he has one. If he didn't, he would've been long dead! What was this guy even thinking? The guardian frowned. "I meant a spiritual, emotional heart." Tsuna's mind went blank for a second. For the first time in his life, he was confused and lost. He has no idea what the other was talking about. Spiritual? Emotional? There are no such things. Or so his boss, Primofiore, said.

"Then I'm afraid I don't have one."

Green eyes widened at the fact. "That's not true, not true at all!" Giotto and everyone else told him that it's something that's buried deep down in each person; some openly showed, some hidden and guarded. Yet this man, no— this young boy, told him he doesn't have one. I wonder what he went through to consider he doesn't have one. He looks as old as me! He pouted. All this thinking made me a bit dizzy.

"Having a heart is just like having a soul; each one of us has one and can't live without it." The maid behind him was smiling proudly, despite the pain she was currently experiencing. Tsuna had a scary empty look. "Why do you people say those words so easily? I can't comprehend you." He descended down the flight of stairs, each step matching Lampo's own fast heartbeat.

"You all speak carelessly. How can you believe in things you can't even explain? Can you see it? Will you be able to touch it? If it is really there then you could've at least sensed it." He closed his eyes. The other's fists clenched. "I—"

The assassin shrugged and walked away, but not before whispering to himself; directed to the two. "Look at you now, doubting your own faith. People with weak resolve won't last long in this twisted world." A dark smile made its way to his face. He murmured to himself, "Naive, too similar to Yume-chan."

He was right; human nature is what lead that guy to hesitate.

Even after convincing himself and deeming his defense reasonable, he can't help but feel a churning, tightening feeling from the pit of his stomach. As if what he did felt so, so wrong.

Confusion and ignorance is not an excuse; it only means you have to discover your mistake on your own.

Denial.

Tsuna clenched his fists as he recalled the hateful words he said. He was irritated for saying that, knowing it was a lie. Simply lies. Why do I even force myself to believe that crap anyway?

He closed his eyes in thought. It was a long time since he felt this way. Back when he was still innocent. Back when he was still ignorant of the dark side of the world. So why now? Why not before?

Before he knew it, he bumped into some guy with silver hair. Tsuna was about to walk away and ignore him when said person suddenly grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back harshly. The assassin slightly winced at the contact as he glared at the silveret. What's his problem?

His glare eventually turned into a stare, evaluating the teenager before him. He looks around my age. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before, how odd. The guy sneered at him. "Fucking watch where you're going!"

The boy let his sharp tongue do all the work. "I did watch. You were just in the fucking way." The other gritted his teeth and snarled. "Che, bitch!" He paused and observed the brunet. "I bet you're like those fucking hypocrites, judging me with damn stares."

"Why would I even bother to do so?" He raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about, nor do I care. I just don't like you doing all that." Tsuna still had a blank look on his face yet he narrowed his eyes at him, which turned orange. The silveret gaped at him. "I have pride, too. And I don't appreciate being pushed around." He left said person gawking in the hallway.

The assassin stomped back to his room, a bit irritable and in doubt of his actions and words. The brunet had his arms crossed and a cute pout was evident on his face. That guy was so infuriating! Who does he think he is? The assassin suddenly froze midway through the corridor. Did he just act like some upset teenage girl?

The mere thought of it made him twitch. "What am I supposed to do with these… ugh. This is just frustrating." He blinked. Oh great. Now, he's on the edge. "I hate this crap." He just wouldn't admit it. No, no, no.

There's just no way he would ever have emotions. Not after what he'd been through.

Giotto patted Lampo as he entered the scene, his eyes never leaving the sight of the assassin's back. Something about the boy seemed very off. "That was really nice of you, Lampo. Though I have to ask, how did you even get into a fight without being cowardly?"

His Lightning guardian had a look of disbelief. "Oh, c'mon Primo. I can be brave, you know." His boss raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay. Maybe sometimes." He scratched his head as he reverted back into the haughty noble that he was. "You have to admit, I was pretty awesome there." The blond sighed. No matter what happens, Lampo will still be Lampo.

"I'll go talk to him. You can accompany Miss Aoi here to the infirmary and have Knuckles heal her." The green-haired aristocrat nodded and assisted the maid. When he was sure they were out of earshot, he sighed once more. "I know you're there. The two are gone now."

Vongola Primo suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was met with the sight of Daemon. "Is there something wrong?" The Mist shook his head and had an out-of-character expression on his face. "What do you plan to do?"

"Huh? I don't understand."

"Giotto, that child is already corrupted by Byakuran." He pursed his lips and stared wide-eyed at the guardian. He only calls him by his name when he's really serious. "He is far beyond our help." The blond wholeheartedly disagreed with him. "As long as there is another tomorrow, I believe we can still help him recover."

"Don't say I didn't warn you. You're way too attached to him, for he was exactly like you; years ago." Giotto resisted the urge to chuckle. Him? Attach to someone he barely knew? Sure, he would feel pity for the assassin and would help him rebuild his mental state. Though, it's impossible for him to feel that way immediately like what the other claimed. Unless…

When Daemon walked past him, he grimaced. "Why are you telling me this? Is it because of what you told me, about your sister being on the enemy's side?" He didn't say a thing and continued leaving. He faced his Mist guardian's back.

"That's where you're wrong, Daemon. That boy's soul can still be saved, and so is Nagisa's."

That's right. He'll help the boy because someone like him has so many things he can do in life. He doesn't need to see the dark, ugly side of the world. He'll cure him because it's the right thing to do.

And it's definitely not because I'm becoming fond of him or anything.

"What happened to you?" Exclaimed an orange-haired girl to her injured friend and her upperclassman as she ushered them inside. She sighed as the previous events replayed in her mind. It was only moments before when the butler told her that her friend was outside while supporting a wounded male.

"It's a long story, Kyoko. I'll just tell you later." The black-haired girl staggered slightly. "Seriously, those guards of yours are troublesome. Can't they even recognize me?"

The girl giggled a bit. "Well, you can't blame them for being paranoid. After all, the pacifiers are here and I'm a sibling to two very powerful mafia bosses and a friend to the founder of the strongest Famiglia." The informant rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" And then she had a coughing fit.

For once, Kyoko had a frown on her face. "Hana, are you okay? Should I get Haru-chan to—" Her best friend gave her a deadpanned stare that says 'do-I-look-like-I'm-okay-to-you?'. She shut her mouth in an instant.

Hana sighed. "I'm fine, Kyoko. Just get this bastard some medical treatment." The auburnette brought out a ring from her pocket. It had a shimmering yellow gem on it. "I'll tend to your minor injuries first. Don't worry, I already told Olgert to call in the medics."

Kyoko could not help but notice the glint in her friend's eyes. Oh, she knows that gleam. That was the exact shine in her eyes when her twin went missing ten years ago. She smiled, "Don't tell me… you're actually worried about Mochida-san? And here I thought you hated his guts."

The informant spluttered. "That's not it, Kyoko! Besides, you already know whom I like." The orange-haired female had a knowing smile. Despite the fact that Hana despised their upperclassman so much, she's still grateful towards him. The auburnette vaguely recalled the words of her older twin. He really was right all along.

A boy was running around the garden, searching for his sister. "Kyoko! Kyoko, where are you?" He was about to leave the area when he heard faint sniffles. The boy ran to the source of the sound.

"N-Nii-chan?" She hiccuped a lot as she stared at the letter on her hands. Her brother hugged her, rubbing circles on her back. "It's okay, Kyoko-chan. There's no need to cry." Hearing her brother's gentle voice, she buried her face onto his chest and bawled.

"N-Nii-chan, I… she… I just trusted her so much, and she backstabbed me. I wished I never met her!" He furrowed his eyebrows. "Now why would you say that?" Kyoko rubbed her eyes.

"I really cared for her." Her brother sighed in exasperation, but there was a scary glint in his eyes. "Maa, Kyoko. I know that your best friend betrayed you but I'm sure you can find someone else." He paused. "If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be able to experience going out on walks besides your family."

"I—"

"You wouldn't be able to taste those cakes you're dying to get your hands on." He smiled and ruffled Kyoko's hair. "You wouldn't be able to fend off those aggressive fanboys. You wouldn't be as happy as you were with other people."

"I—"

"Admit it, mia carino sorella; you enjoyed every single moment you shared with that girl. Even though she wronged you, I'm sure you'll be able to find it in your heart to forgive her." The orange-haired girl stared wide-eyed at him. My brother is so kind and forgiving.

"Never regret anything that once made you happy, ne?"

"Nii-chan…" She murmured. Kyoko redirected her stare towards Hana. She really doesn't regret meeting our upperclassman and now she's even repaying him. "Right. You aren't worried, you're restless." Her best friend almost choked on her own spit. "I swear Kyoko, you've been hanging out with those Vongola guys too much."

The auburnette laughed at her friend's antics. "Now, now. Just admit it, Hana-chan. You're very appreciative of his help, correct? Especially when he was discharged from the hospital."

The black-haired informant sighed. "Whatever. At least Hira's out of the hospital now."

A black-haired Asian teenager laughed as he saw the jaw-dropped expression of his silveret companion. "Hahaha, he got you good; ne, Ha-ya-to~?" The silver-haired teen spluttered, face red in anger and embarrassment. "Shut up, you baseball-freak! And don't call me that!"

"I'll only stop if you address me by my name."

"Grr… fuck off, base— Yamamoto." Yamamoto grinned. "See, it wasn't so hard now was it?" The other growled at him. "Don't treat me like a little kid, you idiot!" And the athlete muttered something about his boyfriend giving him a cold shoulder.

"So Gokudera, what was all the commotion about anyway?" The baseball-freak asked. Gokudera muttered some curses to himself. "Oh, him? I just bumped into the guy. The nerve of him!"

Yamamoto's grin slightly faltered. "Maa, maa. It looked like he doesn't have any intention to hurt you." But if the argument continued, I'm pretty sure he would've already beated you. He didn't seem to be someone who'll take insults lightly. "Just let your anger go, m'kay?"

"OI, YAMAMOTO, OCTOPUS-HEAD! THE PRIMO TOLD US TO EXTREMELY GO TO HIM!" A white-haired male yelled as he ran towards them. The bomber's grimace got worse. "Che, fucking lawn-head." This elicited a tick mark on the other's forehead.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, OCTOPUS-HEAD?" Gokudera shouted back at him. "I SAID, FUCKING LAWN-HEAD! IS YOUR BRAIN TOO SMALL TO REGISTER THAT IN YOUR HEAD?" He brought out dynamites from his pockets. "YOU'RE SO ANNOYING!"

Lawn-head gritted his teeth. "TAKE THAT BACK!" He aimed a punch for the other, but Yamamoto went in-between them. "Come on, guys. We should probably head to the meeting room. I bet that's where Asari, Giotto-san, and the others are waiting for us!"

Even after all the shouting, the glare that the brunet sent the silveret was still etched in his mind. His eyes were exactly like the Primo's. And haven't I met him before? "Fuck this. I'll ask about him later." I'm just curious about him, that's all.

He won't accept the fact that the other's blank orange orbs scared the wits out of him.

You can lie to everyone but yourself.

Silent.

"Giotto del Vongola, they are here." Alaude may act indifferently, but it was far from what he's currently feeling. He was pissed off; and if it weren't for his pride, he would have long left them. Those fruit-heads and the annoying carnivore wannabe… the Cloud guardian would rather jump off a cliff and die than show weakness in front of them.

The blond boss sighed as he felt the waves of killer intent and irritation from the French skylark. Alaude sure is angry today. I wonder what happened. "Everyone, please take a seat."

His guardians and guests complied. Seated in the head chair was Primo. On his right was G, and the other side was Asari. From G, it was Yamamoto, Ryohei, Daemon, two chairs, and a black-haired Alaude look-alike. In front of them was Gokudera, Knuckles, Lampo, Lampo's clone who wore a cow-printed shirt, a red-haired guy, then Alaude. At the other end of the table was also an empty chair.

Vongola Primo blinked. "Where's Dino and Elena?" At that moment, the sibling duo barged in the room. The Cavallone boss rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that, Giotto. We kinda had uh… an emergency back at the safehouse, but it was just a false alarm." Dino took the seat beside Alaude's mini and Elena sat between Daemon and Dino.

"That's good to know." Elena nodded in agreement. G crossed his arms. "What's the meeting about?" The blond entered his 'boss mode'. "Wait a minute. I already told a maid to fetch the boy we took in yesterday." His right-hand man grunted.

Moments later, the door opened to reveal a brown-haired maid and Tsuna. Giotto smiled at the servant. "You may take your leave now." She nodded and left. Vongola Primo gestured for the brunet to take the empty seat parallel to his. Said assassin didn't speak a single word. He complied to the other's request, though.

Tsuna felt the heated glare of the silveret from before. He ignored the other. As if I'll be affected. Hell, I've seen puppies glare scarier than that. His mouth twitched, indicating that he wanted to say it out loud. Instead, he prompt to ask the guy who beated him. "What am I supposed to do here?" The entire room temperature dropped to below zero degrees. His voice induced shivers from Lampo and his twin partner.

Giotto cleared his throat. This boy is intimidating. "We are here to talk about you." The assassin rose an eyebrow. "And what of it?" He crossed his arms, his brown eyes staring into orange ones; daring the other to speak.

"Oi, speak to Primo with respect!" G bellowed, slamming his hands on the table. He was quickly reprimanded by his boss. "Storm." The guardian immediately clamped his mouth shut. He turned to face the brunet.

"Since you'll be staying with us, we have to know you." Tsuna simply stared at him. "What do you really want with me?" The blond boss frowned slightly. "We want to help you." The boy gazed at him, his face portraying no emotion. "Help? Why would I need help?"

"We want to help you cure your mental state." Mental state? Is he telling me that I'm sick in the head? "And why?"

"You don't plan on making this any easier for us, do you."

He smirked. "Of course. We're enemies, after all." The rest of them tensed up. Gokudera glowered at him. What did he mean by 'enemies'? Yamamoto had a serious expression on, his eyes roaming around the intruder; evaluating him. He's really straightforward about this.

Dino suddenly stood up. "We're not enemies! You should know that better than anyone else, Tsuna!" Elena frowned. "That's right. You can trust us." Tsuna shook his head. "Not to be rude or anything, but don't make me repeat myself. I don't know you."

"How can you not know us? We're your siblings for fuck's sake! Can't you even recognize our faces?" The brunet held an impassive mask facade on. "This conversation is pointless. So if you'll excuse me…" He quietly left his spot and made a dash for the door. There's no way I would ever tell you anything.

Giotto slumped back in his chair and groaned. He directed his attention to the red-haired man beside Alaude. "This is gonna be harder than I thought, Cozart…" Cozart gave him a pitying look. "Don't worry, I'll look for the little guy and make sure he's alright." The red head followed their target.

"Ah, Mukuro-sama! Please don't force yourself!" Chrome reprimanded the male illusionist. He sighed and rubbed his forehead for the upcoming headache. She furrowed her eyebrows when she saw the troubled face he made. "Just stop moving. Your wounds would open up."

He sighed in exasperation once more. "This is not a measly matter. There's something important I have to do." She crossed her arms. "And you can do it after you've recovered. Tell me, what is the problem?"

Mukuro kept his mouth shut and shook his head gently. You'll only worry more if you knew.

"Please, Mukuro-sama. You can tell me— us, anything. Do you not trust us?"

"It is nothing, my dear Chrome." He still managed to put on that typical smirk but it seemed rather… forced that time. His surrogate sister whacked him and set him down gently on the couch. He rubbed the newly-formed bruise on his head. "K-Kufufufu. T-That was one mean hit, little Chrome."

The purple-haired girl pursed her lips and set her hands on her hips. "Just please. I promise not to tell anyone else." Yet the male did not budge. She closed her eyes solemnly and walked towards the door. "I'll let you have your time to cool off, Mukuro-sama. I'll be waiting for the time you think that I am strong enough to handle things."

Behind the closed door, she hugged herself and cried silent tears. What are you hiding, Mukuro-sama? I have a bad feeling about this. She instantly got up from her fetal position and took out her trident. Until you decide that I'm worthy enough to know, I'll wait patiently. She tapped her weapon on the ground and disappeared in the mist.

He felt a shiver run down his spine at the not-so-empty threat. It's not that I don't trust any of you or deem you unworthy. If I inform you about it, I'm sure you and the others would bust in Vongola grounds without hesitation. He let his drowsiness take over him.

Besides, he wouldn't like it if you would worry about him instead of doing something productive. Mukuro gave a last chuckle before falling asleep.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

The brunet kept on walking, completely ignoring the calls of some random guy. It's not like they'll come after him. He's a monster, and no one would dare give him warmth. I wonder what everything would be if they met me earlier. Maybe things could've been different?

He slowed down unconsciously, another vision resurfacing in his mind. Why do these images keep on popping out? Is it trying to tell me something from my past? If so, why am I regaining them when I've accepted the fact that I lost them for good?

A red-haired girl appeared into his view. She was running towards a boy, her violet orbs blinking prettily. Like him, the girl wore a white, tattered robe and had bandages on her body. She stared at the younger Tsuna with awe and fascination. "It was not painful… much. Yeah, wasn't painful at all. H-Hi, I'm—"

"Name, Marianna Mirella Shimon. Called Mami by family and peers. Half-sister of the Shimon Famiglia Primo. Flames are Earth from father's side and Storm from mother's side. Experiment for studying the vibrations emitted by the Dying Will Flames. Sold to the Estraneo by cruel step-mother." He paused and stared at her. "You shouldn't lie to youself. You know it hurts so it's okay to let it all out."

The girl named Mami had tears welling up her eyes. "I-I… waah!" She clung to the boy's robe and cried. After weeping her entire heart, she wiped the tears on her face with her sleeve and silently watched her companion. From what she heard, the scientists called him experiment '27'. What should she call the boy? It wouldn't hurt to try… "2-27?"

Tsuna's eyes darkened at the name. Mami shivered a bit with fear evident on her being. He sighed and ruffled the girl's name. She sort of reminded him about his little brother. "Tsuna."

"Huh?" Was the only intellectual answer she could say.

"My name. It's Tsuna." She stared at him in curiosity. "What's your full name, Tsu?" The brunet had his full attention to her because of what she said. "O-Oh, I'm so sorry for giving you a pet name…" He cracked a small smile. "It's okay."

"Really?"

"I won't mind… Mami."

Since when did I have a younger brother? He was snapped out from the stupor when the red-haired guy from the conference waved his hand in front of his face. "Hey, kid. You okay? You just spaced out back there." Tsuna blinked. "I'm fine."

The assassin stopped in his tracks when he paid attention to the other. Now that he got a closer look, he seems just like…

"Say, you look a lot like Mami." The same girl from the vision, he mentally added. Cozart had a shocked expression. "How did you know my sister's name?" The brunet shrugged.

"I just met her when I was 7." Before the guy could even open his mouth, Tsuna pivoted his heels and ran at full speed. Cozart yelled, "Wait!" He was about to follow him when he took a left turn in the hallways—

—But the brunet was already gone.

Those who quietly watched in the shadows kept the darkest secrets.

As soon as he got back to his room, he shut the door tightly and made sure it was locked. He brought out a worn cloth which seemed to be wrapped around something. When he took it off, he was greeted by the sight of a flower.

Tsuna stared at the wilted flower on his hand. It was given to him by an old friend, who he knew he would never meet again. For some reason, he couldn't remember the other's face clearly. It's not like it matters. Especially when his smile was as pure as light. There is no need for others to be caught up in the sickening darkness.

He falls into a deep slumber and watches a dream play before him. A dream that may have been a lost memory. Hm? A boy? He squints his eyes and saw that it was himself, albeit younger.

"Tenth, look what I've got!" A young faceless boy beamed widely at a younger Tsuna. The brunet smiled kindly at him and the woman behind him. Even though her face was blurred, the assassin could tell that she was beautiful. "Oh, what is that?"

"It's called a Nightblossom. It represents memories, darkness, and secrets." Younger Tsuna nodded in understanding. He was enraptured by the beauty of the flower; its dark purple and black petals shimmered under the moonlight. He had a wry gleam in his dull eyes. It was the perfect flower for someone who has fallen, someone corrupt; someone like him. How ironic.

"As the name suggest, its beauty can be seen at night; and the petals curl itself in the morning. It's very rare, you know? The flower only blooms once every hundred years." The lady said. The brunet grinned at her. "Oh I see, Aunt…!" Somehow, the female's name was left out. Tsuna could see his kid-self's lips move and form a word, yet he could not recognize what he mouthed.

He closed his eyes as he tried to remember the woman's name. If I can find out what that woman's name was, then maybe I can discover something about my past. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall the faceless lady's name.

"Why are you giving this to me, …-kun?" His younger version asked. Only the mouth of the other boy was visible. Said boy grinned. "Well, me and mom hope that you'd get your memories back!" Younger Tsuna tilted his head. "Huh?"

"There's a myth that when you hold a Nightblossom under the night of a full moon, you can get your wishes granted. But you can only have one wish; because if you ask for more, you'll lose what you wanted for both times or even more." He hugged the younger brunet. "We gave you one so you could wish for your memories back."

Wish? It would be nice if that'll ever come true. Tsuna had a deadpanned expression on his face, watching the trio silently. In this world, there was no such things as wishes. No matter how hard your faith and resolve is, you'll crumble away eventually.

"Thank you, …-kun, Aunt…" His kid-self cried. "With you guys here, I wouldn't dream for anything else in the world." He was hugged by the woman. "We'll always be here for you, Tsuna."

The assassin woke up with a start, he blinked and saw that he was just in his room. What was that dream all about? His eyes shone with a faint light before dulling out. He recited the song that was drilled into his mind a long, long time ago.

"Closing your eyes to disappear,

You pray your dreams will leave you here.

But still you wake and know the truth,

No one's there."

He didn't notice the silent tears that were running down his face. That's right; the world is cruel and corrupt. You can only trust yourself. A dark smile crept up his face as the light in his eyes faded in the shadows.

Everyone is truly and utterly alone in this forsaken place.

The reason why we exist is to overcome the unfair reality; nothing more, nothing less.

Okay, uh… the 'Nightblossom' flower is something I made up. And if a flower like that does exist, well… yay me?

Haha, can anyone guess what song the lyrics came from? My beta actually made me listen to it, and I fell in love with both the song and the artist(s)! The artist(s) also has another song that oddly fits this story.

In the preview, it may seem like I'm an atheist author but no! I'm 100% Catholic! I have nothing against the almighty Father whatsoever and only included that because the others needed to persuade Tsuna to change his view of the world.

Preview:

"Tell me. Where is my sweet, precious Mami?"

"I have no idea. What she's doing in her life is none of my business."

"God handed us challenges in life to test our faith."

"Why does He need to do so? Does He not trust His own creations enough?"

"Y-You saved my life. I'm forever in debt to you."

"I could care less about your life. I just didn't want blood on the carpet."

"Sho-chan, how's Cielo's progress in the mission?"

"He seems to be doing fine— oh, he already sent us info about the target."