Beta'd by Pure Red Crane

Chapter 50 - Epilogue 2

It was another day at home, Tsuna noted. He watched as Tabatha, Velaquinn, and Acerola fought amongst each other regarding their current victim, who was chained to a chair in the corner of the room. The poor unfortunate human was alive, eyes wide, as he snapped between all three females fearfully.

Shaking his head, Tsuna continued to observe from the sidelines, unnoticed by anyone within. Those three had become sisters of sorts, bickering about the little things, but it wasn't abnormal considering their positions. One tended to get sick of each other when trapped in the same building for generations. He, too, wasn't immune to that either. Still, when it came down to fighting their enemies, those three teamed up to make a dangerous combination, ruthlessly tearing down their foes till there was nothing left.

Going down the hallway, far from the bickering, Tsuna spotted Athan sprawled out on a couch in one of the corner rooms, napping with the luminous moonlight resting on his frame from the open window. The surrounding curtains fluttered side to side from the breeze flowing through, its noise barely audible within the silence. The Horsemen of War looked so peaceful in his curled up position, a gentle smile resting on his lips. It was delightful to see such an expression and not the hatred the man had experienced for most of his life. Athan had settled into his newfound family, eager to please and belong, despite already doing so.

Shaking his head, Tsuna pondered through a couple more rooms before stumbling across Adam in the main control. The man wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings, focused on upgrading his mostly-mechanical body. Adam had taken off his arm, trying to fix one of the interior wirings that had gotten tangled up with the rest of the compartments. Irritating at best, but not a major issue. Letting the man concentrate, Tsuna vanished once more.

Sephitis, Tsuna could sense, was in his gardens, looking over the products that were growing. Apparently, the Horsemen of Death wanted to do something that wouldn't belong to his deranged capabilities. He wanted to bring life, to nurture and grow. Gardening had been one of the best ways in controlling those impulses.

It helped that Tsuna wouldn't have to do a lot regarding the gardening, use his magic for the multitude of jobs, even though the garden was originally his since long ago.

Teleporting directly into the gardens, he spotted his lover settled on one of the benches that overlooked the oversized area. The usual fedora was off, freeing his spiky black hair underneath, and in his right hand was a still-steaming cup of coffee. The ex-hitman was completely relaxed, just taking in the surroundings and hiding underneath the forage from the sun.

Tsuna silently stepped forward, his eyes momentarily drifting from his lover to the gardens he had originally created. It had taken a long time to get things cultivated regularly with the vast variety he bore in this large plow of land. There were markings on the ground with open plots where he could lay out nutrients for certain plants, greedy naturally. Others didn't rely on such matters, growing in the constant sunshine and rainfall.

"Renato." Tsuna sneaked around his lover as his right hand carefully glided over the shoulders. He didn't want to startle the man, not really, but ended up doing so considering his lover had been so deep in thought. Still, Renato or Sephitis didn't attack, his dark eyes peering over curiously.

"Tsuna." The reply was blunt and Renato took a sip of his coffee, his eyes flickering back to scenery.

"Bored?"

"Obviously. There hadn't been much to do the last hundred years."

Tsuna leaned against his lover, resting his head against the broad shoulder. "That's true. Things have been a little slow these days." And things were. There just wasn't anything entertaining to pull their attention aside anymore. Perhaps it's time to stir some trouble amongst the realms, undertake a new identity to play with the people living within the various worlds. It was sure to pass the time. There was also other options to take into consideration as well, perhaps fighting against another god and his/her army. "Hmm, we can start a war with someone if you'd like."

Renato snorted. "That might put some heavy relation issues between us and them though."

"Not really." Tsuna shrugged his shoulder awkwardly. "We can talk to them first, let them know the plan, then attack. I'm certain there are a few out there that are as bored as you. They won't mind the distraction."

"Sometimes, I forget that things don't work like it did when I was human."

"Things are different, we are different. We think differently, we act differently. That's just how it is."

"And in a way, it works out." Renato replied, his empty cup of coffee vanishing away. He leaned further against the back of the bench, gazing upward towards the artificial ceiling. Tsuna had crafted it to look like a radiant sky with a sun that set and rose routinely with steady weather patterns. Equal amount of rain and light. The technology used to create such a greenhouse was amazing for the first couple centuries, but that enthusiasm died away overtime. "So, who do you think is willing to go for a hundred year fight?"

"Nishi, the God of Wind, has always welcomed fights. He loves it actually."

"I thought you hated him?" Renato rotated his head just enough to gaze at his husband curiously, pulling Tsuna closer against his body as he wrapped an arm around the shoulders.

The brunet sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "No, not really. He's more of an annoyance because of his constant desire to fight. He enjoys pitting himself against me constantly."

"That's because you keep destroying him and his armies with one fell swoop."

"Ah, that's true."

"If you actually let him win now and then, he would stop bothering us."

Tsuna snorted at those very words, knowing they clearly contraindicated Renato's personality. "You're willing to let him beat you?"

The Horsemen of Death paused, taking those very words into consideration and reflecting on his own. "No. He can never beat us. We're smarter and stronger than him. It's just not possible for us to lose."

"That's what I thought."

They went silent, enjoying each other's presence. It wasn't like they didn't already spend plenty of time together in their home, but this peacefulness had both of them crawling in their own skin. They are destructive beings, entities that dwelled in death, and this calmness eventually bothered their instincts.

"You know, this...isn't what how I expected you would be living." Renato admitted, "I thought there would be more destruction and death." The look he received made Renato expand on his words. "Yes, we do a lot of that already, but it's not constant. There's plenty of peaceful, boring, periods like this in-between with nothing to do."

"Now you see how I got bored and jump worlds and dimensions."

The younger male chuckled. "Yes, I guess I do. Boredom kills immortals more so than actual wounds."

Tsuna smirked, amused. "Told you." He suddenly blinked and pulled away from his lover, glancing to the side.

Renato observed curiously from the corner of his eyes, but remained silent, letting the other do whatever he wished. He released his grasp on the brunet, letting Tsuna scoot further away on the bench, to the point where they were no longer touching.

The small prickling sensation nestled at the back of Tsuna's mind, drawing his attention further away as he concentrated on its location. It was a presence he hadn't felt for quite some time. He didn't get visitors often, but Tsuna didn't mind them. It was nice to have someone else to talk to that was more...normal in certain matters. Rotating back to his lover, Tsuna stood up. "I'll come back in a little while. It appears there's a visitor."

The Horsemen of Death gave a small wave with his left, unconcerned, and closed his eyes once more. "I'll be here."

Tsuna briefly leaned over, giving a quick kiss on Renato's forehead before teleporting directly to the sensed area, finding himself in the library, standing before a tall blond demon dressed regal in both appearance and attitude. The individual was dressed exactly the same as always: a button down white shirt and black pants with matching shoes and a light blue scarf wrapped around his neck that came down the front of his chest almost like a tie. The long dark blue cape that flowed below his knees bore no signs of wear or tear over the hundred thousand years that had passed, dragged delicately over his shoulders to hide his arms underneath. The demon didn't have his cane like he usually did, standing perfectly straight like the gentleman he is. His long blond hair fell past his shoulders to his mid-back, purposefully positioned for the best appeal.

Tsuna tilted his head, orange-tinted eyes examining over the other carefully, but didn't discern anything constructive in this meeting. He relaxed. "Ah, Higashi, it's been a while." This demon had never truly been against him, keeping most of his opinions to himself, only speaking up when there was something he was absolutely against. He was one of the more peaceful individuals, thinking before acting, wanting to hold all the facts before deciding. Waving his hand, Tsuna had a table set appear in the very corner of the room, right where the window had light shining within.

Higashi respectively nodded, striding towards the offered seat. "Indeed, it has. It's been a couple hundred years since I've last seen you. Heard rumors that you've been collecting a clan with Chronos." He pulled the chair back, ignoring the way the wood scrapped against the tilted floor, and gracefully flopped into the seat. "I'm impressed. Not many of us are that lucky. Most we can find is one or two, but you currently have up to six." Higashi pushed a loose strand of hair back behind his right ear. "I am aware that most belong to your new title as the God of Apocalypse, but I'm certain there will be jealousy amongst our kind for the wrong reasons."

Tsuna shrugged, "I'm not surprised. There will always be someone upset regarding something. Even demons and immortal beings such as myself have feelings."

"True, true." The blond smirked, obviously enjoying this delightful conversation.

"To be honest, there are a few others I'm looking into." At Higashi's raised eyebrows, the brunet continued. "Four individuals but they have yet to be born just yet, but they must go together as one."

"Four more? Now I'm really impressed. But, that's a lot of work all at once. You'll be out of commission for quite some time afterwards."

"Yes, well, Chronos plans to take half of the burden for me. Since our blood is mixed, it makes things quite simple. Even if he's the one to add someone in, they can still be mine." Tsuna concluded with practiced ease, not even bothered by the absolute fact he had surrendered.

Higashi chuckled, amused, and leaned further back into his seat, folding his arms on top of his crossed legs. "Sometimes, it's hard to see that the two of you are two different people and not related like twins."

"Yes, well, that will always be an issue, but it's fine. Within the confines of our realms, their opinions matter very little." Tsuna waved his hand, magically summoning a teacup set in-between them. "Anyway, changing topics. How are you enjoying your title? It's been about fifty thousand years, right?"

Higashi, now named God of Water instead of Demonic King, smiled. He didn't mind the obvious shift. "It's quite pleasant actually. Helps clear up a lot of the confusion that had been going around. Some of the other demons and Gods weren't pleased, but it worked out in the end."

"That's good. I know Chronos was grateful to finally receive his rightful title. The other Gods don't like him since he's still considered a demon, much like you, but no one is foolish enough to anger him of all people."

"Yes, being one of the most powerful individuals gives him that advantage. No one dares mess with him and the God of Apocalypse, who has his Four Horsemen, and is connected to Veil, the Demonic King of Lust." Higashi stared pointedly at Tsuna, the brunet's expression never changing despite the purposeful title announcement. "Strangely, they never fixed the issue for the seven deadly sins, even though many of them have the same amount of power as anyone else."

"Too much work. Plus, it doesn't appear too pleasant considering Gods are supposed to represent something well-known. Most people view the sins as demonic in nature when it's really in everything we know. It makes up what and who we are."

Higashi smiled once more, taking a sip of the offered tea. "Eventually, they'll fix that little tidbit. Might take a couple more thousand years for it to come up considering us immortals tend to take our time when it comes to important and unimportant matters."

Tsuna nodded. "True." He picked his own teacup gracefully and sipped on the blue shimmering liquid. The pause was pleasant, letting the two immortals enjoy their drinks, savoring the unique flavor it yielded.

"Heard you've been into gardening recently."

"Recently?" Tsuna snorted, folding his arms against his chest out of amusement. "I've been gardening for the last hundred thousand years. Who do you think has been supplying people with these special teas and coffees?"

Chuckling, Higashi took another sip. "I figured. Though, to be honest, I suspected it belonged to Gaia, but she's not cruel enough for some of the kinds you're brought out. What's your secret?"

"Live human bodies."

The God of Water froze, blinking momentarily as he computed that...statement. "I'm sorry?" He shook his head, thinking that perhaps he had misheard. "What?"

Tsuna shrugged, unaffected. "I use diabetic human bodies as fertilizer for my plants. I keep the humans alive, trapped in a medically induced coma, and slowly have the plants consume them. It gives the drinks both a natural sweetness and the tangy bitterness of blood. They're easy to identify since they have a deep crimson color and are apparently popular to the man-eating community like Acerola." Standing up from his position on the couch, Tsuna made his way over towards the windows that peered out into the white desert. "Tabatha and Acerola love them since they enjoy the taste of flesh and blood, Acerola especially since she's a vampire. Tabatha, not wanting to leave her alone, does so to keep her company. Because of them, I've taken to slicing up any live humans for their muscle meat for cooking. Obviously, they enjoy those dishes, even those where it's nice and raw."

"I see." Higashi eventually relaxed, staring down at his current drink, before shrugging his shoulders and took a sip. He's a demon, eating a human has never been a concern of his.

"Obviously, I don't use humans for all of my gardening. A small few grow down below the castle since the plants require unnatural light and innate darkness like the one you're enjoying. Others require a special environmental condition. Magic makes all of that easier to produce."

Higashi let those thoughts shuffle in his mind before nodding his head. It made sense. Natural production could only get so far and it was true that certain plants had to grow in ridiculously special conditions, conditions that weren't possible anywhere else.

He took another sip of his tea, savoring the unique taste, before moving on to other topics.

"Chronos is quite manipulative, even when most don't view him in that light." Veil deliberately snorted as he worked delicately on his current human body.

Tsuna tilted his head slightly, stringing up the newfound bodies he had collected for his friend. Using magic, he had the tools the demon desired hovering mid-air beside him. While taking a moment to process those words, the brunet nodded. "That's true. He gives the appearance of being easy-going to all those around him, but Chronos is extremely cunning. He watches and waits patiently. Time is something he's intimately familiar with and he has no issues with stepping back until it slides into his favor."

"Just like with you."

The brunet didn't pause in his work, obviously stating without words that he already knew the facts. He had known since the beginning and yet hadn't minded at all. "Chronos may have manipulated me, but I don't care. The payout was equal on both sides."

Veil could concede to that point. He made another long diagonal cut down the chest, pulling back the skin like he was pealing a potato. "He wanted you to become a God. That way, not only would he have a close companion that would remain by his side for eons, but he would gain powers and abilities he had never been able to touch before. Despite all his powers, Chronos knew he had limitations. Along with you, he would gain a clan connected to yours. Any that joins you, joins him."

"He manipulated you too, you know." Tsuna brought up. "He knew we would become good friends, partners too, so he set us up together. You would train me to gain knowledge and you would gain a companion that understood you best."

Veil blinked, his focus broken as he processed those words. It was true, all of it, and yet he didn't mind. A friend, someone that would stand by his side, that understood his abilities and mind, someone that accepted his horrid tendencies, was the best thing he had ever received. Chronos was considered just as close as well, the incubus brilliant in his devious nature. He helped Veil gain the largest amount of corpses desired from a single world, sometimes multiple. If anything, he had nothing negative to say against the other.

The immortal sighed briefly, "To be perfectly honest, I didn't land on that world, the world Sephitis used to live on by accident."

Veil paused, his curiosity sparked. Spinning around, he faced the other, his claws hovering over the corpse. He didn't care that blood was pooling around his boots or the fact that his victim was still squirming under the metal restraints. A saliva-soaked cloth was stuffed into the victim's mouth, keeping the human from screaming and interrupting their precious conversation. "What?"

Tsuna sighed, "I...never told Sephitis, or anyone actually." His hands rested on the body before him, just gripping the clothes to keep him occupied. "But I never wandered to that world by accident. Chronos told me to head there and stay for a couple days. I did and that was when I got called by that younger version of another me. Chronos had pushed the plans he had foreseen into motion and I followed without any hesitation."

"Are you upset?"

"No, never." That was the truth. Tsuna was never upset that he had been manipulated, that he had been directed by someone else's strings. He wasn't sure how the others would feel, but after being together for so long, they probably wouldn't care either. "It's funny when I think about it. Never once did Chronos reveal his plans or that he knew what he was doing except for that one time he mentioned bringing back one of the Vongola boys to life, that he had switched a dead one for a living. I knew it had to be him. There couldn't be anyone else that could interfere like that, especially knowing I was in that very world. He wanted to make sure I wouldn't get trapped as the official heir, that I would be pushed to be killed and get returned to my original form. He had whispered my fate into their ears. He had turned Vongola into his puppets to complete his will."

Tsuna sighed once more and stared at Veil's violent eyes.

"He also made sure that I would return on time to take care of a few issues back home at the castle, never needed to say what exactly, but I knew." The brunet decided he was done with his current work for the time being and stepped towards Veil's, taking a seat beside the metal table. It's easier for the both of them. "Chronos is the true boss of the clan. I'm simply the second-in-command, even though he tries to make it the opposite. Apparently, he hates the spotlight or even to be placed in such a high manner."

Veil snorted. Only those that knew the true personality of the God of Time could see the real relationship between the two and yet, Tsuna didn't care. The brunet allowed it, he enjoyed it, and Veil had no intentions of getting weaved into the center of that mess or interfering. However, despite that thought, he too was already involved, Chronos had made sure of that, and yet knowing that, Veil didn't want to leave. It wasn't like he had a family or friends and the God of Time had given him something familiar to that, had given him companions he could talk to.

It was nice, especially for a demon that didn't have anyone but the human dolls to keep him company, had no one but his own thoughts to speak to. Almost everyone avoided him due to his habits, but Tsuna was similar to him in many ways. It was...enjoyable to talk to someone that understood.

Shaking his head, Veil refocused on his current task, making another long cut across the chest. This time he was pulling back the layers of muscles and fat. Tsuna observed from the side, helping to control the bleeding by sectioning off certain gashes to drain into the correct bin.

"By the way, I have a body that might work for your garden, Tsuna."

The brunet blinked, glancing up momentarily. "Diabetic?"

"Yes."

"Ah, thanks. I'll take a look once we're done here."

At this point, it was just another afternoon as they worked.

Chronos smiled as he looked through his cell phone, thumbing through various images and reminders of those he knew best, of those that had joined his clan. His finger hovered over a picture of Tsuna, of Sin, of the Sorcerer King, standing beside him. It was an old photo, but never once had Chronos ever been able to delete it, saving it under the deep recesses of his files.

One person had changed everything regarding his world and for the best reasons. Despite the manipulation it had taken to get here, he was forever grateful.

For Chronos, he has a family and that's all that truly mattered.

Chuckling amusingly, he shut off the phone.

WE ARE DONE! Thanks for reading and waiting all the way to this point! It's been 5 years (posted on fanfiction in 2012) since I started this fic. Amazingly, I managed to reach the end. I think it derived from its original point considering I had future plans for the four Horsemen but, whatever, I made it! Not much R27 in these last few chapters since my fingers didn't want to work that way. Oh well.

Thank you for reading!