Disclaimer: Katekyō Hitman Reborn! is owned by Akira Amano.
Pairing: Reborn and Sawada Tsunayoshi [R27].
Warning: AU, shounen-ai.
Beta: Unbeta'd.
Word Count: 1,948 words.

There was the smell of gunpowder mixed in with the stronger scent of blood. There was also the vague smell of smoke. It was musky and dark, too dark to make out anything in the room. Despite his lack of sight, he knew that the room contained seventeen dead bodies and two live ones.

The two alive were himself and his lover.

The ceremony was starting. The organ started up, letting its beautiful tune resonate throughout the cathedral. A tall, handsome man stood by the pastor, donning a dark tuxedo and his usual fedora. His face wore little emotion, but his dark eyes shone brightly under the rim of his hat, illuminated by the sun light filtering through the stain glass windows.

He was waiting.

"Ne, Reborn?" his lover said quietly. His small body was tucked in between the taller one's legs in an effort to take up the least space possible behind the debris they were hiding in. There was another reason for the close proximately as well.

"Yes, Tsuna?" The man Reborn clutched his gun tighter in his right hand, regretting leaving Leon at home. His right arm was also trying to keep Tsuna's head up right at the moment. His left hand was occupied.

"This turned out to be some honeymoon, huh?"

Reborn could not see anything at all, but he could feel Tsuna smiling, trying to make light of this situation.

The situation where his lover was bleeding out nonstop – the warm blood seeping through his left fingers like water.

Reborn cursed.

When the double doors opened, warm light blossomed into the hall. The effect was instantaneous – his lover was standing on the opposite end of the cathedral, dressed in white with accents of pearly orange. His shy but loving caramel eyes locked with equally emotional obsidian ones across the church. On his arm was his mother, as proud as ever with tears of joy in her eyes and a wide smile on her face.

They walked arm-in-arm down the aisle. At the end, Nana let her son go with a kiss on his cheek, then turned to the other groom to do the same thing, with a whisper quiet as a prayer.

"Please take care of him," she said.

"Be quiet, you idiot." The words held no malice or insult. They sounded frustrated. Frustrated that he could not do anything right now, even though he was supposed to be the Sun –

He was supposed to protect him – his sky.

"It's not your fault, Reborn," Tsuna said gently, as if he had gained minding reading abilities of his own, "I'm glad that… we could be together."

'But we won't be together.'

Tsuna lifted his hand touched his lover's face.

'I couldn't protect you.'

The fingers left a bloody trail on Reborn's cheek.

The organ music stopped. The ceremony began, but Reborn heard none of it, only staring into his love's eyes, as if he were speaking his vows with only his soul.

Tsuna blushed, eyes drooping down slightly in embarrassment, but he did not completely turn away. No, instead, the caramel brown eyes shone even brighter, returning the loving gaze.

They took each other's hands and held on tightly.

The hand dropped suddenly, landing softly against the brunet's chest.

Tsuna didn't have the strength left to even touch his lover.

"Reborn," his voice was getting softer, "get out while you still can."

Reborn snorted in response, "With my legs like this? I am in no state to move, and neither are you."

The Italian sported seven bullets in his left leg, all embedded in his quadriceps and calf muscles, and three or four on his right leg, penetrating through his long leg bone. None of the bullets had cut through any important arteries, but Reborn was guaranteed to not be able to walk for a while.

But Tsuna…

Tsuna was shot in both of his arms, lodging a bullet in his upper right arm and shattering his left wrist, rendering Tsuna useless as a fighter. But the deadly bullet was the one dug itself into the brunet's abdomen, leaving the young brunet to bleed out puddles of blood at a time.

Reborn was barely able to drag them both in to their current position after Tsuna was shot critically. The adrenaline that had rushed through his body after his legs were severely shot had died down after the seventeenth body fell. Tsuna had turned on the SOS Vongola radio signal before the fight. They were merely hiding until help came.

If help came for them on time.

The arm around Tsuna tightened.

"I'm not leaving you."

When the pastor was done with his introduction, welcoming family and friends to the ceremony, the grey bearded man initiated the vows, which Reborn repeated perfectly in Italian, without listening to the man.

I, Reborn, take you, Tsunayoshi, as my husband and promise to be faithful to you always, in joy and in pain, in health and in sickness, and to love you and every day honor you, for the rest of my life.

Tsuna did not argue with his ex-tutor.

"I hope the others find us soon."

Reborn clenched his jaw. Tsuna's body was starting to feel cold, even though both of them were sweaty in the humidity. "They will. Soon."

When Reborn finished, Tsuna was blushing a bright pink. His eyes were incredibly shiny, full of unshed tears. When one tear did slide down, Reborn lifted his hand and brushed his thumb upon it, holding his lover's face gently. Tsuna laid his hand on top of the larger hand, and took a deep breath, beginning his vow.

Tsuna coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips. Reborn was still trying to slow the bleeding with one hand while wielding a weapon in the other. He could not afford to offer any comfort to his pained lover right now.

"Tsuna." His voice was clipped but questioning.

"I-I'm fine, Reborn. It's j-just getting harder to breathe… maybe we're running out of air?"

"Don't be stupid," Reborn admonished, almost gently, "We're in a well-vented hotel building-"

His dark eyes widened in realization, blending well into the surrounding darkness.

I, Tsunayoshi, take you, Reborn, as my husband…

This scent. This suffocating scent was smoke. And this warm, humid air around them.

The bottom floors of this building were on fire and climbing up to the top floor. Fast.

… and promise to be faithful to you always…

"It's coming up too fast," Tsuna almost croaked, "You need to leave."

"I am not leaving you." There was a ring of finality in his words.

… in joy and in pain…

There was a choking sound. Reborn felt warm tears cooling on top of his bloody left hand, smearing the dried blood there.

"Are we going to die?" The voice trembled, no longer clam. "Just when we have found our happiness?"

The fire below them roared, as if it was answering Tsuna's questions.

… in health and in sickness…

Reborn dropped his gun and tangled his pale fingers into Tsuna's matted hair, dried blood mixing with sweat.

His deep voice almost growled out.

"Even death cannot take you away from me, Tsunayoshi."

…to love you and every day honor you…

The temperature of the room was rising rapidly, and the sound of crackling could be heard down the long corridor where all the high class honey moon suites were. They were on the very end of the hall, furthest from the stairs. The fire would get to them last.

Reborn knew that only had minutes left before the fire would reach them and burned them both alive. There was little to no chance of survival. Even with the SOS signal, they may not be found until hours after the fire has died down.

The Italian stopped putting pressure on his lover's abdomen.

He had no other choice.

… for the rest of my life.

"Reborn?" the voice was calm and curious.

Reborn could barely stop the tremor in his voice.

"Forgive me, Tsunayoshi."

"I always will, you know that. I also know that…" Tsuna shifted, only barely, closer to his lover, "That there is no other way."

Reborn felt his lover whisper almost soundlessly against his neck.

"I love you, Reborn."

"I love you, too… Tsunayoshi."

When the vow finished, more of Tsuna's tears fell, only to be wiped away each time by strong, calloused hands that were already touching his face.

The pastor continued onto the next part of the ceremony, prompting the pair to exchange rings.

"I love you, Reborn," came a whisper as Reborn slid the gold band onto his new husband's finger.

"I love you, too, Tsunayoshi," came a firm, but gentle response, as Tsuna reached for Reborn's hand.

It was a few more seconds of thought before Reborn picked up his gun. He then leaned down, placing his chin on his love's shoulder, their cheeks gently pressed together.

The pastor, briefly dazed by the beautiful sight in front of him, resumed his duties again.

"Now you may kiss your husband," he said.

Reborn tilted his face so that he was nose to nose with Tsuna, cradling the brunet's skull with his now free right hand, causing more of Tsuna's blood to flake off into the chocolate colored tresses. Cracked lips met dried, bloody ones in a slow, gentle kiss.

After they parted from their kiss, the pastor smiled and declared them lawfully wedded husbands, congratulating them on their matrimony. Cheers filled the halls as everyone else did the same.

When Reborn pulled away, he noticed that there was a more light in the room. The fire was now right outside the room door, casting an orange haze through the cracks. He could see the orange outline of his lover, covered in blood – old and new, his and others. Clothes were torn up and his hair was matted against his head, but he was still beautiful to Reborn. The flickering red-orange light highlighted the big caramel eyes, making them glow as if Tsuna as in Hyper Dying Will mode right now. More importantly, the eyes held one emotion Reborn craved from Tsuna: love.

Reborn was glad to see him one last time.

With that, he closed his eye and rested his chin against Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna mirrored the motion, snuggly fitting his head next to Reborn's and completely relaxing in Reborn's grip.

The fire broke through the room door.

Reborn led Tsuna by the arm out of the cathedral while their friends and family rained white and cream orange confetti onto the happy couple.

"I've never been happier, Reborn."

"Me, too, Tsunayoshi."

It was then that Tsuna looked up at Reborn with the glowing eyes.

"This means that you'll stay by my side forever, right?"

The fire crept into the room, swallowing the dead bodies in their path as if they were fuel to keep growing. It had covered the whole building now, and it was running out of space to grow.

It crackled and continued its journey to conquer, zooming in toward the far side of the room. This part of the room was almost enclosed by a piled of debris and seemed to act like a fort.

This is where two bodies were hiding, close together in an intimate embrace.

A brunet was slumped against a raven haired man, who had one arm wrapped tightly around his companion. Both men were wearing an expression of utter peace on their faces. They looked like they were only sleeping.

"Of course," Reborn answered without missing a beat.

"And you will always stay by mine, Tsunayoshi."

The flames licked the pools of blood surrounding their bodies, never getting closer.

The End

Written March 12th, 2013.