Epilogue: Flashes Through The Mist

The Inheritance Ceremony

Mukuro immediately felt the shift in the air after Tsuna consumed the real Vongola Sin in the Inheritance Ceremony.

The empty vial shattered on the ground and Tsuna immediately attacked Xanxus. "I'll show all of you who is the superior Sky!" Tsuna snarled. His eyes were glowing a deadly orange and his entire being was on fire.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Tsunayoshi wasn't going to stop until all the Skies in the room were dead.

Mukuro could see the fear of the death in Xanxus' eyes and Mukuro immediately searched for Chrome, Elena and the kids so he could pull them out of this disaster of a situation.

He caught sight of Elena but Reborn found her first.

The asshole baby pushed her through the scared crowd and threw her against Tsuna before his Sky could throw another blow at Xanxus.

Tsuna turned and his eyes widened only a fraction at the sight of Elena. The fire of bloodlust burned into the fire of carnal desire.

Mukuro pulled out his weapon, ready to attack if his Sky so much as harmed a hair on his sister's head.

He tossed Xanxus away like he was a rag doll and grabbed Elena's hand. "There's my desired prize! I am the strongest Sky there is and nobody can protect you and care for you better than me." He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her bridal style. Elena didn't resist. It was almost like his dangerous aura had set her on a lovestruck trance. "Let's go and enjoy ourselves, shall we?"

His Sky flew out with his sister and Mukuro was ready to follow them, but the baby stopped him.

"The only thing stopping Tsuna from going on a bloodbath is Elena," Reborn said sharply. "The Vongola Sin has brought out his Wrath and it'll take him a few weeks to calm down. He can't be controlled until then but Elena will keep him… distracted."

"What if he forced himself upon her–" Mukuro said darkly.

"He won't. He's turned into a monster but he's a monster deeply in love with your sister," Reborn said. "He won't even touch her hair without her consent. But if you're worried, you can guard the floor they will be in– "

"You fucking bet I will," Mukuro growled as he used his Mist flames to track his Sky.

The Stuffed Cow

Mukuro had called his sister and Lambo to his office, and he was impatient drumming his long fingers against the table as he waited for them.

He didn't know what to do with the information he had gotten last night. Should he keep it a secret? Should he pretend he never knew– no, no. It had been years but Mukuro noticed that slight void in his sister's happiness. She deserved closure.

It was almost hilarious how the universes worked.

"Dame-Elena, you keep eating my candy!" fifteen year old Lambo said.

"Well, too much candy is bad for you!" Elena laughed. "You should be happy that I'm eating it for you and saving you from the misery of stomach ache."

The two entered his office, and Mukuro already missed the quietness.

"Mukuro, what's up?" Elena asked.

"Mukuro-nii if this another lecture about those pranks–" Lambo said.

"Take a seat," Mukuro said nervously.

The two of them went quiet and did as instructed. The two were clueless ninety-eight percent of the time but they were good at reading him.

"I had a dream last night–" Mukuro started.

"God, no!" Lambo groaned. "Tsuna-nii already gave me the Talk, and he did include everything about wet dreams and morning wood–"

"Lambo!" Elena laughed.

"It's not about that, twerp," Mukuro said, irritated. "Ever since the Inheritance Ceremony, my ancestor has been able to communicate with me through dreams. The information I got yesterday is of… interest to you two."

"Ancestor?" Elena asked worriedly. Her voice tightened "Daemon Spade is communicating with you–"

"No, the other ancestor," Mukuro said. "Elena."

"Oh," Elena and Lambo said.

Lambo already knew about Elena hijacking the Vongola Primo Generation's Elena's body when she was reborn, as well as the entire story that came with it. The mafia had not improved his idiot sister's ability to keep secrets.

"What did she say?" Elena almost whispered.

Mukuro tried to gather his thoughts. "It's about your past life."

"I should give you two some privacy," Lambo stood up.

"No, it concerns you as well," Mukuro said nervously.

"How?" Lambo looked incredibly confused.

Mukuro took a deep breath, "Your younger brother from your past life was reborn as Lambo, Elena."

Both Elena and Lambo stilled. Mukuro almost wanted to laugh. He thought he had slaughtered his family years ago and here he was sitting in front of his not-really-ancestor and her brother from her previous life.

A tear rolled down Elena's cheek and Mukuro panicked. He should have consulted Yamamoto or Chrome or, hell, even Gokudera, before dropping the bomb on his sister. Elena was not the most emotionally stable person when it came to her past life–

She pulled Lambo into a tight hug, "I am so fucking lucky that we found our way to each other, Lambo."

Lambo hugged her back before he pulled her away slightly, a hint of guilt in his eyes, "But Elena-nee, I don't remember anything from my past life–"

Elena laughed as she kissed his cheeks, "Neither do I, idiot! I am just glad that my baby brother found my way back to me! We can create new memories so who cares about the dead, old life we left behind?"

"Two brothers!" Elena grabbed Mukuro's hand and pulled him out of his seat, forcing him to a group hug. "I might have fell from the Sky but I always had a family!"

The Flower Ceremony

Mukuro stared at the grand golden doors.

Elena had decided to marry Tsuna just a month after her graduation from Harvard Business. The idiot had been adamant about following her fiance to Cambridge (it was a Vongola tradition for future heirs to go to Harvard Law) despite the fact that she was nowhere near qualified enough to get in.

Mukuro snorted at the memory of Elena demanding Tsuna to order Harvard to accept her. She had absolutely no hesitation or shame in abusing her power ("I am the future Donna of the Vongola. What college in this universe has the courage to reject me?"). But, well, karma did its thing and she performed so poorly that it took her an extra year to finish her degree.

"Why do I feel like you're bad-mouthing me in your thoughts?" Elena demanded pointedly.

Mukuro lifted his hand so Elena could grab his arm. She was dressed in gold and red, colors of the Vongola Storm bride.

"Just thinking about how you barely passed your finals," Mukuro said. "I wish you kept failing your classes so your marriage would be delayed forever."

Elena smacked his arm. "Is that a way to talk to your little sister on her wedding day?"

"You look beautiful," Mukuro whispered, allowing his face to soften as he tucked behind a strand of blonde hair.

"I absolutely agree. If Tsuna doesn't cry when he sees my beautiful face, I will stomp his toes until he does," Elena tried to speak sharply but he could see her face strained from nervousness. "I– I am just a little nervous about the Flower Ceremony."

Vongola Dons had to go through the Inheritance Ceremony while their brides had to go through the Flower Ceremony on the day of their wedding. The brides had to prove their worth to the previous Dons and the strength of their Dying Will. The whole thing was too dramatic for Mukuro's taste but he knew it couldn't be avoided. After all, he had spent a lot of time researching about the ceremony his sister would be forced to go through.

"Do you know yourself?" Mukuro asked.

Elena was a little confused at his question but then she broke into a crooked smile. "You always know what to say, Mukuro-nii. Come on now. Walk me inside. That idiot Tuna-fish probably thinks you kidnapped me away."

"I wish I did," Mukuro said but he only half-meant it. It had taken a few years but his Sky had warmed into his heart. Not that he would ever admit it.

Elena gave him a playful glare.

He nodded at the guards to open the doors and he walked into the circular wedding hall with his sister. Mukuro was nothing like that Cloud bastard but even he felt suffocated at the amount of guests. The altar was at the center and a large fire was burning on it. The fire neither had any source nor any smoke.

Tsuna was standing on the side of the burning altar. Mukuro didn't need to read his mind to know that he was completely transfixed with Elena. In fact, he never wanted to know what was going through his Sky's mind. Nowadays, the very idea of possessing his sister's lover's body made Mukuro puke.

Thankfully, a few drops spilled from his Sky's eyes. Mukuro was pretty sure Elena would murder Tsuna if he didn't cry. He felt his sister's Flames flutter smugly.

He had seen Tsuna turn into a Mafia Don with Primo's influence and Secondo's infamy. It felt incredibly unnatural for him to show tears, even if they were of joy and on his wedding day.

After rubbing away his tears quickly, Tsuna approached them. "Elena, we don't need to do the Flower Ceremony. This is a little too much–"

Elena needed to calm down the altar-fire before they could get married.

"Tsuna," Elena said, studying Tsuna's face with such doting love that it reminded Mukuro about how fucking lucky his Sky was to have her, "I accept my husband's fate as my own. Even if that fire burns me to ashes, I have no regrets."

"If that fire so much as burns a strand of your hair, I will burn down the world," Tsuna said the sentence warningly, directing it at the altar-fire.

Elena gave Tsuna an amused glance before she walked towards the altar. The fire grew larger and Tsuna was about to step in but Mukuro grabbed him.

The fire grew into nine shadows.

They were dark silhouettes of the last nine Vongola Dons and surrounded Elena like a cage.

Moments of extreme violence flashed in front of Elena and painful cries echoed in the hall. Mukuro watched his helplessly as his sister lived through the worst of Vongola's crimes.

"Murder. Betrayal. Revenge. An insatiable power thirst for power…" Their nine voices melted into one. "This is the blood stained history of the Vongola Famiglia. Elena Rokudo, mother of future holders of the Vongola Sky Ring, do you have the resolution to watch your children, grandchildren and on and on inherit these sins?"

Torturous screams once again echoed in the hall. Even Mukuro took a step back but Elena didn't so much as flinch.

"This is the destiny of the successor of the Vongola. This will be the purpose of your bloodline. Your children will inherit this great history."

The words were similar to the ones Tsuna had been asked during the Inheritance Ceremony but they were also more personal. Mukuro had to admit that that it was incredibly misogynistic to equate Elena's worth to children she didn't even have yet–

Elena straightened her back and pointed her pressed palms at them in respect.

"Unmatched in valor and loyalty, with the fierceness and warmth of fire itself, whose own Dying Will never bends, please accept me, Elena Rokudo, as the future daughter-in-law of your Famiglia," Elena spoke with clear confidence. "I am a Tempesta. My arrogance is my self-respect, my selfishness is my ambition, my defiance is my bravery, and my temper is my beauty. I am unparalleled and there is no force other than love in this world that can make me abide by its rule. The sins of Vongola, as grand and terrible as they are, can never bind my destiny. My children will inherit the sins of the Vongola but my children will be raised by my virtues and my values. I have no worries about the destiny they will inherit because I know that they will be as protective of loved ones, as destructive towards enemies and as intolerant of injustice as I am."

Mukuro was pretty sure that his sister's ego was ten time larger than of all the present Mafia Dons combined and he couldn't help but smile.

"We accept your resolution, Elena Rokudo," the Dons said in unison. Mukuro saw a hint of a grin on the Vongola Don standing at the center. The fire grew larger and burned brightly before it burst into flowers.

It rained roses. That's why it's called the Flower Ceremony…

Elena turned to looked at Tsuna and reached out her hand. "Let's get married. I'm ready to be Elena Sawada."

The Oath

The sky was crying that day.

Elena was covered in blood and she was shaking. Mukuro knew that the other Guardians were by his Sky's side so he decided to focus on Elena instead. He ushered his lifeless sister out of the hospital room.

"Let's get you changed," Mukuro said softly but he couldn't hide his worry. Elena was six months pregnant and she would break if something happened to the baby after this.

"Mukuro, my husband…" Elena tried to speak. "How is he going to..."

Mukuro had never seen his sister so vulnerable, and he started worrying about his unborn nephew. Maybe he could brainwash her and make it seem like everything was alright until the boy was born...

He helped his sister into her bedroom and turned on the lights but she quickly shut them down.

"Don't turn on the lights," Elena ordered. "My fate is darkness now."

"Stop being like this, little sister" Mukuro chided weakly. "Tsuna's just lost his eyesight. The doctor said it might be temporary."

"His eyesight?" Elena said sharply as tears rolled down her face. "Just his eyesight? Tsuna can't see anymore, Mukuro. This isn't some small scratch."

"There's nothing you can do about it–"

Tears streamed down her face and Mukuro's heart painfully squeezed in his chest.

"He'll stumble and fall. Hit chairs and furniture," Elena fell to the floor and Mukuro immediately went to hold her. "He won't be able to even turn back and see what made him fall. He won't be able to see my love for him in his eyes– Mukuro! He won't be able to see his firstborn."

Elena's body painfully shook at the last realization.

Mukuro growled internally, cursing himself for not dragging his sister away from the altar when he had the chance. He knew this would happen but he had been swayed by his sister's love for Sawada.

"Elena, it'll get better," Mukuro patted her shivering back gently. "Tsuna's going to wake up tomorrow and we'll discuss a strategy with the doctors."

He tried to soothe her for hours but her pain grew wilder.

As her brother, Mukuro knew exactly how deeply Elena loved. It made him extra-careful in missions because he knew Elena would become lifeless if anything happened to him. Mukuro also knew for a fact that his sister was madly in love with Tsuna. Every scratch the man felt affected his sister ten times worse. He had yet to figure out what his Sky had done in his last life to deserve someone like her.

The sun finally started rising from the horizon and Elena immediately pulled the curtains close, "I don't want to see the sun that my husband can no longer see."

Something about her tone sent warning signals in his head.

"Don't be ridiculous," Mukuro said but he could see wheels of thought spinning in her head. It made his stomach queasy.

"I– I don't want any luxury that my husband doesn't have," Elena started looking for something in the bedroom muttering something about her husband before she found a silk handkerchief.

Mukuro stood up. "What are you planning?"

"I can't bring back Tsuna's eyesight but I can take away mine," Elena declared.

"Elena," Mukuro said sharply, his heart quickening.

"I am begging you, Mukuro-nii," Elena palmed her hands together and fell to her knees, "don't stop me. I am his wife. His suffering is my suffering. I need to share and understand his burdens. I want to hit the same pillars as him, burn my hands over the same candles, stumble over the same carpets, unable to see the same sun–"

"You're pregnant!" Mukuro yelled. "Don't you want to see your son?!"

"Mukuro-nii, Tsuna won't be able to see our son," Elena said. "I need to share that pain with him."

Mukuro shook with anger, "I'm not letting you do this–"

Elena fell to his legs and grabbed them, begging and crying, "Please, Mukuro-nii, my heart will die from trying to imagine my love's pain. I would much rather experience it."

He tried to convince her for hours with everything he had but nothing could talk her out of it. He had to stop when Elena refused to leave the room and eat if he didn't let her do it.

"Elena…" His soul burned with agony as he watched his sister tie the handkerchief around her eyes.

"I swear that until my husband gets back his eyesight, I will not have mine," Elena declared.

For the first time in a long time, blinding rage burned in his heart. If only he had destroyed the Mafia, his sister wouldn't have to take such an oath.

Tsuna and everyone tried to talk her out of it but she refused to listen, refused to not share her husband's pain, refused to take off the handkerchief wrapped around her eyes.

She didn't understand the situation was worse for her– she was pregnant and she didn't have Tsuna's Hyper Intuition. The bastard's Hyper Intuition made it seem like he never lost his eyesight but his sister couldn't even eat without help.

Mukuro had given the entire role of Mist Guardian to Chrome so he could stay by his sister's side and guard her.

She didn't take off the blindfold when she was giving birth and she didn't take it off when the nurse handed his nephew into her arms.

"How does he look?" Elena asked him, her hands tracing over his nephew's little nose.

"An angel," Mukuro choked. "Take it off, Elena. Don't you want to see how your son looks?"

"Mukuro-nii, please describe him," Elena said, too exhausted to argue with him.

"Your blond hair and your blue eyes," Mukuro said. "My nephew goes after you."

"That's good," Elena laughed. "My son takes after the more attractive parent. Let's just hope he doesn't have my brains."

"Or your loyalty," Mukuro said and Elena's smile turned into a frown.

Tsuna and the rest of the Guardians filed into the room, and Mukuro watched with distaste as his blind Sky picked up his son with ease. Mukuro couldn't stand being in the same room as Tsuna on a good day.

"Elena," Tsuna said gently, "take off your blindfold. Don't you want to see our son?"

"If you ever get to see him, then I will," Elena said.

"Donna, just make this one exception," Gokudera pleaded.

The annoying Storm had started showing Elena respect only after she blindfolded herself. None of the Guardians agreed with her decision but it was only after her sacrifice did the others start respecting her. It made Mukuro unbelievably angry that there was a point in time that they doubted Elena's devotion and love for their Sky.

"Open your eyes, Elena," Reborn ordered softly. "You need to see your son."

Elena ignored them, "I want my brother to be my son's godfather, Tsuna. The only person who will love our son more than us is him."

Mukuro instantly covered his face with an aloof expression to hide how choked up he felt over Elena's words.

She wasn't wrong. The moment he laid his eyes on the baby, Mukuro was wrapped around his little finger. He didn't think he could be more protective of anyone other than Chrome or Elena but here he was, burning with overprotectiveness over his infant nephew.

"Of course," Tsuna smiled. Mukuro was aware that Tsuna wanted the teenage Reborn to be the godfather, but the man could never refuse his wife. "Since you gave birth to him, you should also choose his name."

"Damn right I should! I carried him for nine months and popped him out of my wahoo! " Elena laughed. "I want him to have two names like his ancestor Giotto, two names true to his heritage. I want his Japanese name to be Yoshi and his Italian name to be Diego."

"Yoshi and Diego…" Tsuna pondered over it and smiled. "Excellent choices. I was worried you'd name him Bill Gates or something."

"Now that you gave me that idea–"

"Elena!" Tsuna laughed.

The Guardians stuck around for a few hours and Mukuro could feel the joy in their Flames at the sight of their Sky's first born. Everyone went away after a few hours until Mukuro was the last one left.

Elena must've not realized that he was still there and broke into sobs, "I wish we could see you, Yoshi…"

Mukuro gritted his teeth. What the fuck had his sister done that she couldn't see her own son?!

The gods must have been smiling at Mukuro because his Sky went under a surgery and returned with his eyesight a few months after the birth of his son.

When Tsuna got his eyesight back, Mukuro snatched the blindfold out of Elena's eyes and ordered her to open them.

He placed his nephew on her arms and made sure that the first thing she would see would be Diego.

Tears streamed down Elena's eyes when she saw Diego.

"He's beautiful," Elena said, clearly struggling to believe she was able to see her son.

Chrome was sitting next to Elena and gently placed her hand on her shoulder. "Boss will be able to see him once he's discharged."

When Sawada was discharged with his returned eyesight he stuck to his wife and son like glue. Mukuro could sense an extra layer of possessiveness over Elena emitting from Tsuna. It was so intense that even Dino was too nervous to be within a certain radius of Elena.

Sometimes Mukuro would run into Tsuna doing explicit things to his sister and Mukuro would make sure to beat that punk to an inch of his life every time it happened.

A great part of him still resented Tsuna for making his sister go through what she had because of his own incompetence.

The only assurance was that his Sky loved his sister more than she loved him but that provided him little comfort on days he remembered how Elena used to burn her hands on candle.

Elena had cornered him one day in his office to know why he was still pushing their Sky away and hurting himself.

"Would he do the same for you, Elena?" Mukuro demanded. "What if the roles were switched and you were the one who got temporary blindness?"

Elena was stunned by his question before she finally spoke. "Mukuro, I don't know why it's still relevant. It's been over since Tsuna got back his eyesight and I stopped wearing blindfold."

"I asked a question," Mukuro said sharply.

"Of course he wouldn't," Elena said. "Millions of life depend on him. He can't voluntarily handicap himself. I can't spend my time contemplating what-ifs–"

"There's still time," Mukuro said. "There's always time. You can leave. You know he doesn't deserve you. The Vongola doesn't deserve a queen like you or a heir like my nephew. Don't love blind you to a miserable fate."

Elena laughed at that and rested her hand on his cheek. "Mukuro-nii, maybe if I tried really hard I could live without Tsuna, but how am I supposed to live without you? How is Yoshi supposed to live without the uncle who loves him more than anything in the universe? You have sworn to destroy all human experimentation and child trafficking. You have already tied yourself to the Mafia. As your sister, I'm also tied to it."

While Elena preferred to call her son Yoshi ("I don't want him to forget about his Japanese roots"), Mukuro preferred Diego because it reminded him of his nephew's destiny to due his Italian ancestry. It reminded Mukuro to always be on guard.

Mukuro grunted. "Don't talk like a fool."

"I'm really lucky that I have you on my side, always worrying about me and Yoshi," Elena smiled, pulling his cheek. "You need to talk to Tsuna. My Sky cannot live without his beloved Mist."

It took a few years but his resentment towards his Sky faded. It was hard to be mad at a man who so closely resembled his second nephew and first niece.

Children

"I can't believe people think you got your position as Internal Advisor because of me!" Elena huffed as one of the maids braided her hair.

They were sitting in Chrome and Mukuro's chambers. It was quite common for the Vongola Donna and her children to spend time in the Mist Wing. Mukuro always welcomed the presence of his nephews and niece. His temper tantrum throwing sister was an unfortunate bonus.

Diego, Leo and Mira were busy playing on their uncle's game system, and Mukuro couldn't help but watch them with a fond smile. Diego was the only one who looked like Elena. The other two were smaller mirror images of their father.

"I am the Donna's brother," Mukuro said. "I will always be accused of nepotism. And don't act like you don't try to persuade Tsuna to favor me."

"It's almost unheard of for Mists to have Advisor positions," Donna Sabbia said. "Their suspicion is understandable."

Elena was barely able to hide her sneer. The Vongola and the Sabbia were discussing a Peace Treaty so Elena was basically stuck with the company of the older woman for the last few weeks. Donna Sabbia represented everything wrong with her husband and the Mafia– bound to old traditional values.

"No, it's not. That's discrimination against Mists. Don't let the haters normalise it, Uncle Mukuro," ten year old Diego said before returning to his games. Donna Sabbia frowned.

"That's my boy! Always reminding us to ignore the haters!" Elena laughed with pride. "It's such a relief that my children go after their Mom!"

One of the maids quickly walked into the chambers to make an announcement. "Donna, the Cavallone heir is on his way."

"Finally! I haven't seen my oldest in months!" Elena was immediately overjoyed. "Prepare for an immediate celebration and invite anyone who is free. My oldest son is finally back from that dreadful boarding school!"

The maid nodded and bowed out.

Elena's current bodyguard, a junior-level Storm, smiled at her Donna's excitement and said, "I've heard that he's gotten stronger than his own father was his age. The allies' always discuss about Daniel's skills and talents."

"And, why shouldn't they? Daniel is the Bucking Horse Dino's son. The beautiful Poison Scorpion is his mother and the Mafia's smartest strategian, Gokudera Hayato, is his uncle. He is Don Vongola's nephew and the student of Reborn, the strongest hitman in the world. He is the eldest brother of all of my children, and Sky-born Elena Vongola is his aunt," Elena puffed with pride. "Today, only the allies discuss him, but one day the entire Underworld will sing his praises."

Mukuro mostly had a neutral opinion on Cavallone's son but he would be lying if some of his sister's affection for the boy hadn't rubbed off on him.

Diego, Leo and Mira abandoned their games, their excitement mirroring their mother's.

"Dan-nii is here!" the youngest, Mira, was practically jumping in joy.

"I'm going to show him the cool Transformers lego I made!" Leo announced.

"We're gonna play football together!" Diego declared. "Dan-nii is on my team!"

"Yoshi, Ienari and Ayame," Elena said happily, "quickly go with the maids and get ready for the party! You don't want to make your older brother wait, do you?"

They practically ran out in excitement. Mukuro was worried that they would trip on their feet and considered following them–

"Donna Vongola, why do you treat Daniel like your own son?" Donna Sabbia asked.

Mukuro sighed internally, knowing that the question directed towards Elena was inevitable.

I-Pin, Fuuta, Lambo and Fran were referred to as the Vongola Donna's siblings and enjoyed all the additional benefits in the Vongola that Mukuro did. The Guardians' children had learnt to say 'aunt' before they learnt to say 'mom" or 'dad'. But the most popular example was the Cavallone heir. Daniel was referred to as "Vongola Donna's eldest" in the Mafia.

Allies referred to each other as siblings (as in the case of the Bucking Horse and Tsuna), and obviously wives of allies called their allies' children as their own, but the honor Elena had given Daniel was extremely rare. By letting the inferior Cavallone's heir be acknowledged as her oldest son Elena made her own son's position secondary.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, confused.

"He isn't related to you by blood but he has all the luxuries your oldest son has the right to," Donna Sabbia said. "How can you love him as your own? And most importantly, how do you know he loves you? Blood is thicker than water, Donna Vongola."

Mukuro was ready to grab Elena if she decided to throw punches but she was surprisingly calm.

Elena studied the other Donna carefully. "Get ready before Daniel arrives and then follow me."

Donna Sabbia seemed taken aback, "You shouldn't take offense. I am merely pointing out the truth."

"Do as I say," Elena ordered before she left.

The Cavallone were the first to arrive and the rest of the Vongola immediately jumped into craziness with them. Mukuro's sister was on the sidelines, waiting for Daniel to arrive.

He wasn't worried that Elena would do something crazy. Elena was an excellent parent and would never do anything to hurt any of her children, biological or not.

Daniel finally arrived and approached his aunt with a goofy smile in his face before so much as glancing at his own parents. His sister always got the first honor.

Elena immediately raised her hand and Daniel stopped on his tracks. "Before you take a step further, tell me who you are."

The Cavallones and the Vongola present went quiet.

Daniel looked worried. "Aunt Elena, I know it's been a few months but how can you forget who I am?"

Elena gave him a neutral, unimpressed look.

"I am Daniel, Don Cavallone's son," Daniel said. There was a hint of anxiousness in the sixteen year old's tone.

"I didn't ask about your name or your Famiglia. I know that," Elena said sharply. "I asked you who you are."

Tsuna looked like he was about to stop Elena, but Dino interrupted instead. "Son, answer your aunt."

"Your name is not your identity, Daniel," Bianchi said.

Dino and Bianchi were hardened Mafioso, and while they loved their son very much, they weren't able to provide him with the emotional affection Elena had. They had long ago accepted that their importance in their only child's life would be secondary to Elena.

Mukuro saw realization hit Daniel.

"I am my father's weapon, dedicating all of my victories him. I am my mother's poison, destroying all those who wish to harm her and those she love. I am my siblings' armor, in front of them during war and behind them during happiness," Daniel said. His parents smiled with pride. "And, most importantly, I am my aunt's eyeliner, one tear from her eyes can destroy my existence."

Elena glanced at Donna Sabbia for a few seconds and the woman visibly deflated.

She laughed as a few tears fell from her eyes. Daniel immediately walked towards her to wipe off her tears. "Aunt Elena if you cry, you'll kill me right now–"

She smiled as she placed her hands on her nephew's cheeks. "You're very cruel, Bianchi and Dino. What right did you have to give birth to my son?"

Bianchi, who had over seventeen years of dealing with the Vongola Donna, smiled, "Diamonds might arise from caves but they belong in a queen's crown, don't they? I might have given birth to him but he's your son."

"Of course he is my son! You will be as immortal as the Vongola Primo, my pride." Elena declared. She looked down at Daniel the same way she looked at her own children. "Go and greet your parents. They missed you a lot."

Daniel smiled and went to his parents.

"You always know how to make a scene, little sister," Mukuro said after he approached his sister. Elena playfully rolled her eyes at him.

"You know your sister," Tsuna wrapped his arm around Elena's waist. "She has to be the center of attention. It's as important as oxygen to her. It's a good thing the Cavallone are just as used her theatrics as we are."

"Who calling you a drama queen?" Elena fake-glared at her husband. "Do you wanna sleep in the couch?"

Tsuna raised his hands in surrender before playfully grabbing Elena and dragging her to the dance floor like a smitten fool.

He couldn't tolerate a lot of things about his Sky but the fact that the man looked more and more in love with his sister with every passing day… made Tsunayoshi tolerable.

Mukuro thought about all the ridiculous steps Elena always wrote down in her little diary, like she was trying to come up with a formula for a happy life. Funnily enough, she seemed to find the formula the moment she stopped looking for it.

It was simple, really: love yourself and those who love you.

He glanced at Chrome and she smiled at him, her hand resting on her swollen stomach. He smiled back.

It was simple. Really.

'You are made of furious fire, and while others fear the burn, I cherish the warmth.'

A/N: And that's a wrap! I changed the last bit of the previous chapter because I didn't want to drag this story along anymore and I knew it was time for it to end. All that needed to be said was said in the last 53 chapters.

Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for sticking through this story and helping me write this flawed heroine and dark hero. I was going through a pretty dark time in my life when i started writing this story and I was personally trying to find the inner Elena (inner strength, anger and fire) in me while trying to come in terms with my numerous flaws. This story was honestly an indulgent self-love letter to myself and every other insecure girl out there. I hope Elena's story gave you all some form of comfort because I cannot thank each of you enough for the comfort your words, favorites and follows provided me.

This is my last fanfiction and, as one last favor, I would like to know your final view on this story :)

I hope you find your inner Elena, reader.