Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long. I haven't had any time to write since December because I was studying for my exams. And since I'm getting ready for a big move, I'm unsure when I'll be writing again. You see, I'm going to Germany! Dresden in particular. I'll be there for 4 months as I'm doing my internship before graduating in June. I've no clue how I'll be settling in, nor do I have any experience with coming home alone after a full workday. It will be interesting that's for sure.

This chapter marks the end of the second big arc of this story. It's unbeta-ed for now.

I hope you enjoy it and leave comment down below!

Chapter 21: Who lives?

"You've said the words. Now you must uphold the mafia law, Giotto-kun and Cozart-kun."

Reborn shivered at the familiar raspiness of the voice. The Vindice always gave him the creeps, no matter how much he had encountered them over the past few days. Instinctively, he turned to the voice — unwilling to leave his back to a threat. What he saw…he thought his heart would give out. A toddler with a clear pacifier! How on earth was this possible!

"Hey, Vindice! Why do you have a clear pacifier?" The memory is fading fast, but Reborn needs this, desperately. "Answer me!"

However, the memory is gone. Reborn groaned and ignored Tsuna's inquisitive look. He owed the boy some answer, but…he just can't right now. It was all he could do to keep his composure. Giotto uttered a name. Bermuda Von Lichtenstein. As soon as he is able to contact the others, he must share this news. They need to know.

The Vindice in the present were talking, so Reborn automatically tuned in — more by instinct than real awareness. "We have no reason to tell you." Reborn scuffed. Why did he even expected them to give a proper answer?

They were addressing Enma now. "Kozato Enma, as you are the Shimon boss, you shall see this battle between the families to the very end. As such, your imprisonment will be carried out after the outcome of the last Guardians has been decided."

Kyoko grinned darkly, clearly excited about her upcoming battle. Good girl, she had obviously paid attention to Nana. The girl was thirsting for Daemon's blood and Tsuna wasn't going to deny his Mist. God, it would be a bloodbath. Namely, Kyoko slaughtering Daemon.

Kyoko felt Daemon approaching. She urged him on a bit, ignoring the Vindice still there. But when he stepped in the room, she saw red. "Mukuro! You asshole! This was my fight! What makes you think you can intrude?"

Mukuro mouth opened, but Daemon Spade's voice came out. "Nufufu. This fool came running as soon as the barriers around the island fell away. I guess even the strongest Mist of this generation doesn't measure up to my greatness."

Kyoko saw red. This foul, narcistic, egotistical, tyrannical monster dared to mess with her Mukuro! She'd show him the true power of her Flames.

The fight was a blur of shapes and colours bleeding into one another. All that registered was the blood roaring in her ears, her heart beating a war drum, and 'PROTECT' echoing through her mind. She cared not for the subtle manipulations of the mind she had come up with in the past days, she became Mist. She was ungraspable, unreachable. Her body became as fluid as her mind and Flames. This was not a battle between physical bodies, but between their essences.

When Kyoko returned back to consciousness, she had Daemon's true form pinned beneath her parasol. The wyrm looked terrified for the first time since they'd met and she grinned in victory. She bowed down, keeping her parasol firmly in place. She looked Daemon dead in the eyes. "Listen up, asshole. I'm not inferior to anyone. Especially to a misogynistic, chauvinistic, arrogant, traitorous piece of shit like you. I'm proud to be Tsuna's Mist, his guard in the shadows. And I know that he is proud of me."

Kyoko felt Tsuna step up behind her, and she leant into his comforting aura. Enma wasn't far behind, less warm and familiar but sturdy and steadfast. They had clasped hands, Rings touching each other. Tsuna's voice was confident as he announced that the Vongola and the Shimon would be allies and brothers again. As he did, the Rings began to glow until everyone had to avert their eyes. When they could see again the Rings had combined into one, resting where Tsuna's own Vongola Ring had before.

Then the chills began. The seventh key had arrived.

"Uphold the mafia law, you say?" Giotto asked.

"Indeed," the Vindice said. "From this day forth, if Vongola and Shimon ever oppose one another, we will deliver the punishment."

"What are saying? This doesn't involve you in the least!" Giotto cried out. "Even if you are the keeper of the mafia law!"

"We won't allow that, especially for you, Giotto-kun. To keep this promise, the destinies of the Acrobaleno and the Vongola will be intertwined from this day forth," the Vindice rasped solemnly.

"Acrobaleno?" Giotto asked confused.

"It's fine, Giotto. Let' make the promise. Our families will never come into conflict." Cozart decided.

Giotto protested, but Cozart was unmovable in his belief in them and their future children.

"Should this oath be broken, the bosses and guardians will battle to defend their pride. The losers will be incarcerated for the rest of their lives," the Vindice warned.

Giotto and Cozart looked visibly shocked. Nevertheless Giotto's mind was made up and he wouldn't be moved.

"That is fine," he agreed. "However I have one condition: at the end of each dual, I want you to show our descendants some of the true history of our families."

"Giotto…" Cozart whispered. He closed his eyes before adding to Giotto's condition. "After the last one, if their enmity for each other has not been extinguished. You can boil them, burn them…Whatever you whish is fine. But, if our two families make amends and renew their friendship," Cozart paused. "Have our Flames burn as one as evidence of our will to keep this promise."

The memory ended and the combined Ring burst into Flames from the past. It pained Daemon as painful memories were forcefully brought back to the front of his mind. Losing Elena, falling out of harmony with Giotto as he steered the family away from what Daemon considered the Vongola's true destiny and strength.

But Sawada's own Flames shone true. A fool might think her flames the same as Giotto's, but Daemon had tasted both and he knew the difference. Sawada's Flames were that much purer and more determined. Giotto had grown lax, lost his focus when Daemon used his traitorous plan to get Primo back on track. Sawada had shown her determination to protect the family, and her Family, at all costs. She reminded him of his Elena, the way her inner goodness simply shone through.

He used his last strength to raise his head and look Sawada in the eye, making sure he had her attention. "You know what happened now. But you don't know why I did what I did."

"Does that even matter?" Enma asked scornfully. Daemon couldn't fault his for that.

"It does," Sawada answered before looking back at Daemon. "Tell your story."

"And you better make it good," Enma glared.

And so Daemon explained. "I was an aristocrat. Before I met Giotto I was disgusted by the attitude of my peers and revolted against my upbringing every chance I got. And then I met Elena. For me, it was love at first sight. She simply radiated kindness and love and… She was truly beautiful, inside and out. And she loved me back."

Daemon stared wistfully off into the distance, the past painted before his eyes. "When we met Giotto, I finally found a cause I could support. I always believed that the capable should lead society and protect the weak. And that was how Giotto's original group came to be. I gave everything for the Vongola that protected Cozart's little mountain city and gradually expanded to keep crime and outlaws to a minimum. The Vongola my Elena loved."

"And then Giotto threw it all away. He was worried that the Vongola would begin fighting for self-interest instead of protecting the defenceless. So he disbanded our military forces. And none of the others saw or understood what I did. That was when the first notes of disharmony arose between me and Giotto.

That wasn't the worst of it though. Another Family took advantage of our weakness, and invaded what we'd claimed as our territory. It took everything we had to drive them back and many casualties. One…" Daemon's voice broke." One of them was my beloved wife, Elena."

Daemon ignored the gasps in the background, trying to muster the energy needed to finish this. "Giotto refused to acknowledge his responsibility for the death of my wife and our comrades. No matter how much I argued and tried to convince Giotto, he only restored the bare minimum of our military. And so it fell to me to mislead and waylay the enemies that would overthrow us and steal our territory. Despite the disharmony between Giotto and me."

"Why the whole mess that you involved the Shimon in?" Sawada asked. She kept her expression carefully neutral and Daemon was grateful for that. He didn't need anyone's pity. He'd done what he'd done, knowing the consequences.

"To fulfil Elena's last wish, I swore to make Vongola the strongest Famiglia ever, a family that would make others fear to defy it. Giotto hadn't felt very threatened by a rival family invade our territory, so I decided to make it really personal. And it worked. When I finally died, I decided to hang around and manipulate future bosses to carry out my vision…" Daemon trailed off.

"I probably wasn't factored in those plans." Sawada smiled sadly.

"Ottavo had been bad enough, the Family nearly torn itself apart, but a daughter of Iemitsu?" Daemon spat the name, his disgust for the idiot still as strong as ever.

"I get it now." And she did, he saw it in her eyes. "You did what you thought was best for the Family, to fulfil Elena's last wish. But Elena wouldn't have loved the Vongola you created. In your zeal to protect the weak, you never stopped to consider the opinions of those you wanted to protect. It became a cold and ruthless organisation. That's not what she would have wanted."

Daemon was fading fast and his sight was blurring. Elena's image appeared before him, as beautiful and vibrant as she had been in life, and as he tried to focus on her, she overlapped with Sawada. Their eyes were the same, he realized. The same compassion and love shone bright in their eyes. "Forgive me! I couldn't save you!" he begged, tears dripping from his eyes.

She smiled down at him, her radiance a balm to his weary soul. "I already did. You only have to forgive yourself."

He tried to focus on Sawada, narrowing his eyes to separate the two women. "I entrust you with the Vongola. Make it strong again. Strong enough to protect. Make Elena proud. Don't…Don't fail me it this."

"I won't." There was a hidden strength in her eyes, he realized. How odd he had never noticed that before.

Finally he dragged his head to look at his successor. "You…You're worthy as Guardian of the Mist. I acknowledge you. Use the Earring with pride, you deserve it. Even if you're a descendant of that knucklehead."

She, Kyoko he remembered, nodded and distractedly touched the Earring of the Mist.

As he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, he let go of the connection he'd been holding onto feverishly and faded from this plane.

Tsuna couldn't hide the tear that made its way down his cheek. Daemon's story was truly tragic and though he'd caused a lot of pain and hurt, he'd meant well. Compared to Iemitsu the man was still saint. As Tsuna wiped the tear and way and turned his face away from Kyoko and Mukuro's reunion, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. And, lo and behold, there were the imprisoned Shimon Guardians, as well as Julie who looked exhausted and confused but mostly fine.

Seeing Enma console and reunite with his closest friends and family was heart warming. Julie looked like he needed a good talking to, beating himself up for letting Daemon control him, as did Mukuro. But they were alive and everything else would follow on its own.

When the familiar chill washed over them, Tsuna wanted to shout at them to leave them alone. This was their time. Time to celebrate and like their wounds. But he held his tongue and let the Vindice speak, hopefully for the last time in a very long while.

"Vongola. I must inform you of the end."

"The end? We won! What the f*ck are you talking about!" Hana shouted, not exercising the same self-control as Tsuna.

"Calm yourself, Storm Guardian," the Vindice chided. "You must see the Eight Key. The past between Giotto and Cozart after making their Oath."

The last memory transported them to children playing in the river and picnic set up at the side for the adults. A little girl with pigtails asked if she could have more friends. Cozart answered that she would have to wait for a little longer and a man that looked vaguely like Julie leaned in.

"Surely once the situation has cooled down, we can invite Giotto and his Guardians to our island," he remarked.

"I'm afraid that's not possible. Giotto and I will never be able to see each other again and he knows that. But we believe in each other and in our descendants, who surely will meet someday and smile together. And through them we will be reunited at last," Cozart finished, smiling through his tears.

"You gave up to much, boss," the Julie lookalike stated.

Cozart shook his head firmly. "No, I merely lost a brother, my best friend. Giotto… Giotto gave up his one true love."

The other startled. "He sure didn't act like a man in love. Did he say something?"

Cozart huffed. "He didn't need to. Not that he ever would have. He would have pined in silence, happy to simply be at my side. To scared to ever risk our friendship. But I knew, and I knew we'd never be. So I resolved to only ever see him as a friend."

His Guardian put a hand on Cozart's shoulder. "Boss…"

Cozart hushed him. "That's in the past. No need to cry over spilled milk. Let's enjoy this amazing picnic and appreciate this beautiful all right. And with that he got up from his chair and walked out into the sun.