Burning Heart

Faith falls hard on our shoulders

Xanxus didn't remember much of his mother, of his short time with her. She had died when he was still too young to be without one, though considering he had grown up in the slums surrounded by other children who lived on the streets, that wasn't much. What he did remember of her though, that he kept secret because for the first six years, he thinks at least, of his life she had been his world, his northern star. She had been a dark beauty, dark umber skin and dark brown eyes, a quick smile that would show her dimples. Her hair had been just long enough for her to braid into tight curls that she'd then cover with a colorful cloth wrap. She had favored bright earthy colors and patterns, her favorite being a dress in rich red-orange with bright yellow, teal, and leaf-green flowers and birds. Her heavy accented Sicilian, the way she'd sing lullabies to him in her native language, guttural in her throat but more enchanting than anything he'd heard.

Then, she'd been brutally murdered by one of her regulars, a piece of scum who had taken his anger out on her. Xanxus had been the only witness, and that scene was what had caused him to Activate his Flames for the first time.

He'd burned that fucker into ashes, screaming all his hurt, all his hate, all his anger into the piece of shit trash who'd taken the only person he loved in his short life. Then, he had cleaned up his mother's body as well as he had been able to. Put her in her favorite dress and head wrap, put what little jewelry she had owned on her, then he burned her with his Flames. Xanxus had taken her ashes to her favorite beach and had scattered them into the crashing waves, staring out like she had during one of her lucid times.

Xanxus then spent three years on the streets, surviving and making a name for himself amongst the street rats and lower mafioso that made up the slums he lived in. That was when the shitty old man came, claiming him as his son. A lie, Xanxus' mother had never mentioned his father but even at nine, he had known he wasn't the shitty old man's. But being claimed, being called "son", had filled the hollow his mother's death had left him with. So, he had allowed himself to feed into the lie, had not said anything. Then the bullshit with the whole fucking "Cradle Coup", then bring fucking iced for years, everything that came afterwards. Mio dios, he hated lies and shitty old men who were spineless motherfuckers who didn't do shit.

Now to be told that one of the strongest fuckers he knew, one of the few people he fucking respected, had been stripped of his own fucking SG! To be Sealed from birth by some fucker who with delusional beliefs of his own fucking self-worth. It made him burn with his fury, made Xanxus want to burn the whole fucking world to ash.

A hand tightening in his cut his thoughts off, bringing him back into the present. Into a Mateship with the baby trash, Tsunayoshi, and four other fuckers. At least if he had to be bonded with more than one person, it was with trash he kinda liked enough to actually fucking talk to and respected enough he didn't constantly feel the urge to kill them and wipe their Stupidity off the earth. The three ex-Arcobaleno were the Strongest Flame users in the Underworld for a damn good reason and the Cloud brat was one of the few people Xanxus could let loose entirely when sparring and know he wouldn't kill the fucker. Then there was the baby boss, Tsunayoshi. For all he had whined and cried and screamed when they first met, he never backed down and stood strong where others would have crumbled. For all he acted like Primo reborn, he still had the spine to do his own dirty work when he had too.

It had been a day since Trident Shamal had come over to examine them all and inform them what exactly that fucker Sawada had done. Xanxus had noticed that besides Shamal, Reborn had known exactly what had happened to Tsunayoshi. He hadn't said anything yet, but if the Sun fucker didn't say anything before they all had to return, Xanxus was gonna do something about it.

"I can feel your homicidal thoughts, Xanxus." Reborn drawled from where he was resting on Tsunayoshi's lap across from where Xanxus sprawled out. He tilted his damn fedora up, his piercing black eyes boring into his. Xanxus gave a small snarl at the Alpha Paladin.

"You seemed to know what that fucking trash was talking about yesterday. Even when we were racing to the baby trash when he Called, you didn't seem surprised or anything. Why?" he growled at him, sensing the others attentions sharpening.

Reborn lifted up from his spot, keeping a firm arm on Tsunayoshi and sweeping him to lay sideways on his lap. His focus never left Xanxus'.

"Knowledge is power, the one who holds all the knowledge holds all the power. You all know that no one knows where I get my information. That my networks are never infiltrated, that no one can keep anything from me. And I like to keep it that way, keeps everyone in their toes. But just this once, I will let you know my secret, if you swear to never tell anyone." he told them quietly, eyes intense and glowing a faint Sun yellow.

A tense silence washed over all six of them. "I swear on my Flames, Reborn." Tsunayoshi's quiet vow broke the silence and they all swore as well, getting a firm nod from the Alpha.

"My main source comes from the one person who would never betray me, someone I've known my whole life. This person is my own twin brother, a scientist that puts Verde and those two genius mechanics of that marshmallow eating brat to shame."

"YOU HAVE A TWIN BROTHER?!" Tsunayoshi shrieked, falling off Reborn's lap and landing in a heap at his feet, earning a few startled looks at his loud response.

"There's two of you?" was Colonnello's horrified comment.

Reborn's reproachful look quieten them down, Tsuna being hauled over to settle next to the Cloud brat. Fon placed a calming hand on Colonnello's shoulder, his mutterings stopped for now. Xanxus kept his focus completely on Reborn, seeing the well hidden wariness.

"There's more, isn't there," he demanded.

"I am the oldest of six, all my siblings act as my top informants since I know they're loyalty is only to myself and our parents. They're all scattered about, in both legal and illegal businesses and such. They feed me everything they've heard or learned and I make sure anyone who comes anywhere near to them and our parents disappears. If, of course, papá and baba hadn't taken care of it before hand." Reborn informed them, black eyes watchful.

Thoughtful silence washed over them, Xanxus sipping the red wine he had found earlier during Tsunayoshi's Heat. Slowly, the others went back to what they had been doing before he had challenged Reborn's place as Alpha Paladin in their Mateship. Tsunayoshi gave the Cloud brat a cautious nuzzle before he made his way to Xanxus' side, sliding in with a nervous look on his expressive face.

He snorted, "'M not going to bite, baby trash. Not unless you'd like me to," he murmured into his ear, snapping his teeth in the air next to it. He watched as the brat shivered before stilling his movements and carefully leaning into him.

"I know I don't know much about what it means to be an Omega or even in a complicated Mateship like we're in. But, I do know when someone's challenging someone who's in a higher rank, not for power but to make sure that the person in charge will have a core of steel and thus, isn't afraid to put the offender in their place. So, I want to know why you challenged Reborn?" Tsuna asked him softly, mild confusion in his eyes.

He didn't reply straight away, instead focusing on sipping his wine. Tsunayoshi waited patiently, his eyes watching him.

"You chose him to be Alpha Paladin when it came to marking us with your mate bite during your Heat. We all have a rank in this Mateship, in where you believed we'd fit the best. We all have strong personalities, strong Flames. I personally know that I would be a terrible fit as Alpha Paladin, but it still chafes at me. The fucker knew one of us, or more, would challenge his place; if only to settle our instincts down." Xanxus finally explained, taking the last sip of his wine.

Tsunayoshi stayed quiet, nibbling on his bottom lip in thought. "No matter you rank in this Mateship, you know that you'll always be the Varia Boss. One of the most terrifying men I know, and one of a small handful of people I fully trust with my life and the lives of our Famiglia. I know that you will always have my back, that you and your men will protect the Famiglia from any enemies. Just like how Primo trusted Secondo, I trust you to be there for when we return and everything he did to me comes to light." Tsunayoshi told him firmly, his Will a presence over his shoulder like a cloak.

With nod, Tsunayoshi stood up and left to go cuddle with the sly Storm trash. Xanxus watched him go, ignoring the chuckling Sun fucker at his shoulder. His new northern star, the one who would always point him home, like his mother had been once upon a time when she had been alive. But this time, this time, he would be able to protect his northern star. Xanxus closed his eyes, safe in the knowledge that this time, history would not repeat itself.