BYAKURAN! UNI! YOU'RE BACK! AND YOU LOOK... the same. WTF?

Not that I'm complaining, but, Uni... how old are you? If you were Tsuna's age then wouldn't you be like... four now?

AND THE HAIRSTYLES OF THE REAL SIX FUNERAL WREATHES. WHAT IS UP WITH KIKYOU? But Bluebell is very, very cute :3

cael05: LOL, everyone is against the romance. There will be a little (no adventure story is complete with a side helping of love), both het and homo, but it won't be the main focus. At most, it'll be comic relief or heavily implied. And one-sides. Lots of one-sides. Wish I could find a steady update rate. Maybe after I get in college.

Hazzy: Glad you liked the fic I typed up for you. 2700/0027 is not my cup of tea, but I find it extremely adorable anyways. And there will be more history lessons and cliff hangers to come. BWAHAHAHAHA! And get an account! It's so hard to only talk to you during updates!

Sam: READ IT READ IT READ IT READ IT. THEN WATCH THE ANIMEEEEEE! No seriously, do it. And I don't listen to much American music anymore; it's all Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. I'm working on making the imagery... not so wordy. Wish me luck! And same to you, GET AN ACCOUNT.

PinkPeach: This is rare, someone who does want romance! There will be shounen-ai, nothing too heavy. Maybe an accidental kiss here and there if I can wangle it without destroying the original plot line. Hmmmm...

I find it both amazing and surprising that some of my reviewers are those with no accounts. I LOVE YOU ALL WHO PUT IN A REVIEW ANYWAY!


Tsuna whipped his head back and stared at the doorway, still unable to see who his guide was supposed to be. Cozart stood and nodded his head amiably.

"Welcome, Reborn. It's been a long time."

"Ciaossu, Cozart," came back the voice. It was high and nasal, but spoke clean and fluent Italian. There were some shocked mutterings from the crowd, angry that the Cielo barbarian had not addressed their King formally. Cozart waved his hands to calm them and then clapped them together. He placed a hand on Tsuna's shoulder. Said boy was still looking around in vain for his supposed escort. Said boy also gave an enormous jump when the voice spoke from directly below him.

"I'm down here."

"HIII!" Tsuna shrieked, jumping a foot in to the air from his throne. "Wh-Who said that?"

"Me," came the voice again. Tsuna looked down and saw a… toddler?

No, it was a baby. A baby wearing a tiny suit and a fedora and… what was that weird looking animal perched on its head? Tsuna, stunned, said the first thing that came in to his head. Which happened to be:

"Erm… are you lost?"

There was a click and the young prince realized that he was staring in to the thin barrel of a gun. "Don't look down on me, idiot."

"HII!" Tsuna shrieked and flung himself so violently backwards that he almost upset the throne. Immediately the guards within the room surrounded the baby, pointing their spears at him in a threatening manner. The baby ignored them. The gun in his hand suddenly glowed and turned back in to that strange animal that he had had on his hat earlier.

"Hmph," he smirked. "So you're the good for nothing that I'm supposed to guide?"

"What?" Tsuna said indignantly. "I'm not good for nothing!"

"Shut up," the baby glared at him. "If I say that you're good for nothing, then you're good for nothing!"

"I – " Tsuna protested, but then Cozart held up his hand for silence. "Enough! Guards, stand down."

Reluctantly the guards obeyed. Cozart looked down at the baby and sighed. "You never change, Reborn."

"Hmph," Reborn smirked. "Neither do you. But that's to be expected."

Cozart gave a soft, exasperated sigh, and turned to Tsuna. "Tsunayoshi, this will be your guide and mentor during your trip to Cielo. His name is Reborn, a professional hitman."

"Hitman?" Tsuna repeated, confused. "Why do I need a hitman for a guide?"

"Don't argue with him," Reborn cut in, looking murderous. Tsuna gave a small shriek of fear and cowered in to a ball.

Enma gazed down at the baby with a level stare. Reborn returned the gaze upward and smirked. "You've grown. Good to see you again, Enma Kozato."

Enma gave him a nod and moved to pat Tsuna reassuringly on the back. "It'll be fine," he whispered. "I've met Reborn before. He's a strange person, but if you stay on his good side then you won't find a better bodyguard."

Tsuna gulped. "B-but… he's a baby."

"You're also a child," Reborn snorted. "Appearances are deceiving. I'm not as young as I seem."

Cozart watched the exchange before turning to Reborn. "Please take good care of my grandson."

"I'm not taking your grandson," Reborn replied coolly.

Tsuna blinked. "Huh? You're not taking me?"

"I'm taking you," Reborn said pointedly, "but I'm not taking his grandson."

Both Cozart and Enma visibly flinched. The nobles within the room started to mutter. The guards exchanged wary glances. Tsuna, oblivious, just frowned. "I don't get it…"

"It's fine. Now get moving," Reborn suddenly gave Tsuna a very painful kick in the small of his back. "Or I'll shoot you."

There were more shocked mutterings and Tsuna quickly scurried out to the hall. "It's fine," Reborn repeated, following his terrified charge. He glanced back at the red-headed royalties and smirked. Just as he walked out of the room, he called out to Tsuna, loudly and purposefully. "You'll understand soon enough."

Enma balled his hands in to fists. "Grandfather…"

"Shush, Enma," Cozart replied quietly. "There is nothing we can do. Reborn is necessary."

Enma bit his lip then stormed out of the room in terrible temper. Cozart sighed and waved his hand, dismissing all of the people from the Throne Room. There were more muttering and suspicious glances, but Cozart kept a poker face and refused to show his emotions. When he was the only one in the Throne Room, he sighed audibly and slumped back down on to the center throne. He tilted his up towards the ceiling and stared intensely, as if wanting to see in to Cielo above.

"He's my grandson as much as yours," he said to no one in particular. "I raised him, cared for him, and watched his grow," Cozart sighed again, eyes sad. "… And I'll love him, even if he comes to regard me as an enemy."


"OW! Stop pushing me!" Tsuna yelped in Japanese for the twelfth time as Reborn delivered yet another merciless kick to his back. "I-I'm a prince, you know!"

"Doesn't matter, an idiot prince is an idiot either way," Reborn said briskly. "Now hurry up. We're going to Hareta, and then traveling to Oozora from there."

"Hareta?" Tsuna wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Where's Hareta?"

"Don't you know anything?" Reborn said patronizingly. "Hareta is the Oozora name for what you call Sole."

"Oh!" Tsuna blinked. "Come to think of it, Scholar Byakuran taught me that a while ago but we never used it again afterwards…"

"This Byakuran guy must be too lenient on you," Reborn snorted. "How much do you know about Oozora?"

"I-I know the history and customs," Tsuna said cautiously. "And I know that the people of Sol – Hareta are known for their healing abilities."

"Hmm," Reborn gave Tsuna a piercing look. "Hey, tell me about the artificial sunlight that you have in Terra."

"Eh? Oh, well, the artificial sunlight comes from the barrier that protects Terra from Oozora. It apparently absorbs light from Hareta and reflects it to us as the artificial sunlight. During nighttime, the artificial sunlight is dimmed until it is dark enough for people to sleep in comfort… Right?" he questioned, looking at Reborn from the corner of his eye.

"How would I know? I don't live here," Reborn rolled his eyes, or at least it looked like he did. "Use your brain, Dame-Tsuna."

"Don't just decide on a degrading nickname!"

"Whatever. Hurry up, Dame-Tsuna. Before the artificial sunlight goes out."

"The saying is 'before the artificial sunlight dims'… HIII! Okay! I'm sorry!" Tsuna cowered from Reborn's evil glare. "S-So how are we getting to Hareta?"

"I'll be making a path," Reborn answered. "We'll travel by foot, but how long the journey will take will depend on how quick you move. I'll take all my energy to maintain the path, so you'll have to carry me."

"Ehh? Carry you? That's not fair… HII!" Tsuna jumped away as that weird animal on Reborn's hat suddenly turned in to a ten ton hammer which Reborn promptly slammed in to the ground where Tsuna was standing earlier. "Hey!"

"Making a path isn't as easy as it seems! Don't complain, I should be doing the complaining!" Reborn snapped. The animal changed back to normal and looked oddly exhausted. "Because of you, Leon is getting tired!"

"Leon…? Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask… What is that?"

"Don't point," Reborn slapped down Tsuna's hand, earning a squeak of pain. "Leon is a chameleon; a very rare animal. The majority of them lived on Arcobaleno before it was destroyed. Now Leon is the only one left," he gave the animal a fond pat on the head. "They're very intelligent, chameleons are. Once they see a shape, they'll never forget it and they'll be able to imitate it for the rest of their lives."

"Wow," Tsuna examined Leon interestedly. Working up a sliver of courage, he reached out and scratched the chameleon underneath the chin. Leon tilted his head and closed his bulbous yellow eyes in apparent enjoyment. It's… It's kind of cute…

"Hurry up, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn suddenly turned left, in to a smaller hallway that led to the castle's herb garden. "We're running out of time."

Time? Tsuna wondered. Nevertheless, he obligingly picked up the pace and dashed after the baby. As he entered the herb garden, he noticed that the artificial sunlight was unusually bright. That's odd…

Reborn took out a small, clear sphere from somewhere within his suit and held it out. Tsuna peered within the depths and saw a...

"Is that... a pacifier?"

"Of course it's a pacifier. I'm a baby."

... Why do I feel like that makes so much sense ,and yet...

Reborn held up the pacifier with both hands and began to softly chant in a language that Tsuna had never heard before. Ancient Japanese? As the smooth syllables rolled off of his tongue, the pacifier began to glow with a strong, yellow light. The light grew brighter and brighter until the sphere resembled a miniature Sole. Tsuna held a hand to his eyes to sheidl them from going blind. The light grew to be so bright that Tsuna had to completely shut his eyes and cover them with both hands. He stayed like that for a couple minutes before he heard Reborn's voice. "Open your eyes, Dame-Tsuna."

The prince obeyed and uncovered his face. He let out a strangled gasp.

A single, three-feet wide, glowing yellow path started from their feet and arched upwards, towards the distant shield covering Terra and, Tsuna imagined, all the way up to distant Cielo. Reborn hung the sphere around his neck like a necklace and wiped what seemed to be sweat of his brow. "From here on, you'll have to carry me," he said. "Move quickly, Dame-Tsuna. I don't know how long it will last."

Tsuna gulped. "O-okay..." he bent over to pick Reborn up when he suddenly remembered something. "Wait! All my luggage is upstairs in my room!"

"You won't need it," Reborn replied, hopping on to Tsuna's shoulder with disguised great effort. "Wearing clothing from Terra is suicidal anyways. It's too obvious. We'll buy new ones for you up in Oozora."

"In where?"

"Oozora, you fool. Unlike Terra, which names its whole self after the capital continent, 'Cielo' has a different name for the whole Empire. The capital region is called 'Sora'. The entire Empire is called 'Oozora'."

A memory flashed somewhere in the back of Tsuna's mind, back to the day of the Ceres Festival. "Oh, if it isn't the missing Ouji of Oozora. Have you become a traitor, my little runaway?"

Tsuna shivered, remembering Mukuro's voice that had whispered so tenderly and deviously into his ear. Reborn noticed the change in his face and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"No-Nothing," Tsuna fibbed. He shook his head and put the convict out of his mind. Taking a deep breath, he took a tentative step on to the shining path. It held and he took another cautious step. Then another. Then another. Then he finally broke out in to a jog and pattered his way up the footpath, willing himself not to look down at the soon-to-be faraway ground. Sweat ran down his face and he was feeling all the world like Dorothy, setting off on the yellow brick road with Toto on his shoulder.

"Who's Toto?"

"HII!" Tsuna shrieked and surprise and almost lost his balance. "Did you just read my mind?"

"All babies can do that."

"THAT'S A LIE!"

"Tch..."

"You're not denying it?"

Reborn changed the subject. "So who's Toto?"

Tsuna debated whether to answer or not and relented. "Toto is the pet dog of Dorothy, a girl who was kidnapped by Tempesta. She tried to find a way to get back to Terra, her homeland, and met fellow escaped prisoners of Terra. Each of the prisoners had something stolen from him; one was missing his brain, one was missing his heart, and there was a lion who had his courage stolen. Dorothy rescued their missing parts, killed the Arcangelo of Tempesta, and freed the kidnapped Shimon Octavo - "

"Was this supposed to be a true story?"

"No, but Shimon Octavo did get kidnapped a lot."

Reborn frowned; or at least Tsuna thought he did. "But the war has only been going on for fifteen years in Terra. Shimon Octavo has no part in it."

Tsuna shrugged. "It's just the usual war propaganda."

"Hmph," Reborn said and glance upwards. "Speed it up, Dame-Tsuna. The artificial sunlight is dimming."

And then, about an hour and a half later...

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?"

"You never even mentioned it!" Tsuna groaned, running a hand through his spiky brown hair. "Not good. How do we get through?"

What Tsuna was talking about was the shield encasing Terra; the path led straight in to it. Tsuna eyed the near-translucent wall in front of him and gingerly tried to touch it. The instant his finger brushed the shield, he felt as if he was being burned. He hastily jerked his hand away and sucked lightly on his fingertip. "What now, Reborn?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Reborn replied, his tone matter-of-fact. "You'll have to break through."


Down below in the Shimon Castle's herb garden, Enma stared at the remnant of what used to be Reborn's shining yellow path. It had faded slowly away and now was the color of dull gold.

Enma swallowed. His hand tucked nervously on the brown rucksack strap on his shoulder. He had packed with care several days ago with clothing, provisions and other handy tools and had kept it close if a chance should arrive.

Such a chance would probably never grant itself to him again. He resolutely took a step onto the path, smiling with relief when it held.

"I wouldn't if I were you, my Prince," came an amused voice.

Ennma whirled around, guilt plastered on his faec. "W-Who's there?"

"Do not be afraid, my Prince," a guitar strum seemed to sound in the air.* Footsteps echoed from the entryway, coming closer. A pale hand reached out and pushed the door further open so that the redhead could get a better look. "It's only me."

Enma blinked. "Scholar Byakuran!"

The white-haired man grinned, eyes closed lightly with his smile. "I'd suggest desisting from joining Prince Tsunayoshi and the Arcobaleno Reborn. Having an extra Prince going along violates the initial agreement."

Red eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't care. I'll travel in secret if I have to. I'm not letting Tsuna do this on his own."

Byakuran shook his head and clicked his tongue sympathetically. "Even so, you are the future King of Terra, not to mention the official coronation is in a month..."

Enma scowled. "I'm going," he said stubbornly.

"Let me finish," Byakuran's eyes, the soft color of lavender, twinkled. "If you wait out this month and attend the coronation, you will become King of Terra and no one, absolutely no one, will be able to defy your authority. With me so far?" he questioned. Enma nodded. "So even if you do wish to, say, take a vacation up in Cielo, no one will be able to stop you."

Byakuran patiently waited as Enma stared at him before breaking in to a wide grin; an extremely rare sight. "You are a genius," Enma proclaimed. "An absolute genius."

Byakuran attempted to restrain himself from rolling his eyes with great difficulty. "I am the Royal Scholar of Terra, Prince Enma. I'm supposed to be a genius."

Enma either missed or wisely ignored the sarcasm ($10 saying he missed). "I'll wait until after the coronation then," the smile dropped a little. "I just hope that he'll be okay until then."

"The young Prince has good intuition," Byakuran inwardly chuckled at the private joke. "He'll be fine."

"Thank you, Scholar Byakuran," Enma passed by him to unpack his bag. "When I become King, I'll make you my Royal Adviser."

Byakuran bowed. "I am honored, my Prince," he murmured dutifully. Enma waved a dismissive hand before disappearing down the hall.

As soon as Enma's footsteps faded away, Byakuran straightened up and smiled coldly, his eyes now calculating and dangerous. "It seems that everything is going as planned," he murmured in Japanese. "I wonder what you will do now," he turned to face the shining path, which faded faster as he watched. "Tsunayoshi... -kun."

He then glanced towards the west, where he knew the town lay. "And I wonder what you are doing now..." he smirked, "Rokudo Mukuro-kun."


"Atchoo!"

"Bless you, Mukuro-sama," a monotone voice said from the darkness.

"Thank you, Chikusa," Mukuro sniffled. He reclined back on the ruined couch and lazily shifted his feet, broken glass from the shattered window behind him crackling under his knee-high boots. "Such an annoying feeling... It seems like that crafty white fox is talking about me."

"How dare he make Mukuro-san sneeze!" another voice, higher pitched than the first voice but rougher. "I'll kill him!"

"That isn't necessary, Ken," Mukuro said. "Kufufu... it seems our plan will soon spring into action. Our contacts shall inform us soon, right? Lanchia."

There was a grunt of affirmation. From where it came was impossible to discern.

"But you should know best, Mukuro-chan?" a female voice purred from directly in front of him. There was a slight pressure on his leg as the Angelo Caduto felt someone lay her head against his knee. "After all, you are the contacts that we are waiting for."

"Kuhaha! Very true, M.M.," Mukuro laughed. He glanced towards another direction in the darkness. "And while we're at it, what is your input, Birds?"

The voice of a sleazy, middle-aged man answered back. "My cute pets are keeping track of all our objectives but many of them have been disappearing lately," there was a questioning tone. "Perhaps we are being suspected?"

"Where are they disappearing the most?"

"Around Nuvolo."

A look of understanding spread across Mukuro's face. "Ahh, Nuvolo..." he murmured. "Well, exquisite creatures do tend to flock towards other exquisite creatures..."

"What exquisite creature-pyon?"

"Nothing of concern, Ken," Mukuro chuckled fondly. "Just an old childhood friend acquaintance..." he seemed to reminisce about the past for a moment before giving himself a rousing shake. "Now then," a small grin graced his handsome face, "shall I make my move?"


"No way."

"Dame-Tsuna."

"No way in HELL."

"Tsuna."

"There is no way in hell that I'm letting you shoot me with... Leon!"

"Will you just shut up and hold still?"

Tsuna, caught between the shield and Reborn, was wondering if he could survive the 30,000 meter drop if he jumped. Probably not. "Don't you dare shoot me!"

Reborn sighed exasperatedly. "Look, if I shoot you then we can get out of here."

"HOW?"

"Just trust me."

"I just met you!"

Reborn sighed. "You really don't remember anything of Oozora don't you?"

"Huh?" Tsuna replied stupidly. Reborn suppressed his irritation the best he could and cocked the Leon-gun at him again. "Look, you either listen to me or you don't listen to me. If you listen, we'll both be on our merry way to Hareta. If you don't listen to me, we'll be stuck here forever or until I run out of energy and the path disappears. Would you rather die with a single wound on your body or have all the bones in your body broken? You have five seconds."

"H-Huh? Either way I'd die so I don't want to-"

"Four seconds."

"You're counting down? I haven't agreed to anything yet!"

"Three seconds."

"Reborn, stop that! I told you that I don't want to-"

"Two seconds."

"Will you listen to me?"

"One second..."

"Wait, Reborn, stop. Stop. Stop!"

"Time's up," Reborn snapped and pulled the trigger.


It's been almost... what, a month? This chapter was really hard to get off the ground because I didn't think about it as much as I should have. The next chapter will have Ryohei and Kyoko and a mystery guest, so get ready!

I feel that I should explain a couple more things/terms before we go on, so please read on below.

Reborn: The mysterious hitman from Sole/Hareta. Though he appears young, he is the same age as when he first met Enma approximately ten years ago. The secret to his apparent eternal babyhood has yet to be revealed. Reborn seems to be exceptionally fond of Terra, loving their espresso and using the term 'Ciaossu'. His pet Leon is perhaps the last chameleon of Arcobaleno, but it seems that Leon, though male, can give birth...?

Rokudo Mukuro: An Angelo Caduto - a Fallen Angel. Rumored to be ridiculously powerful and would have been the next Mist Guardian, or Kiri no Shugotenshi. The apparent starter of the war between Cielo and Terra. He seems to hate all three worlds: Cielo, Terra, and Mare. Why he hates Mare is unknown.

Byakuran: His full name is Byakuran Gesso. Where he comes from is unknown, however he he shown to be incredibly intelligent; there seems to be nothing that he does not know. He has a fascination with Cielo and a hidden interest in his charge, Prince Tsunayoshi Kozato. Seems to be acquainted with Rokudo Mukuro...

Arcangelo: Otherwise known as Archangels. They are the higher up Angelos and have a high social status; nobility, if you will. The Guardians of Oozora are all Arcangelos. Apparently the only exception is the Rain Guardian, whom was indifferent to the idea of wealth and happy as long as he had music.

Terra Knights: Also known as the Cavalieres di Terra. A group of six who have devoted their lives to protected the Royal Famiglia. The positions are passed down generation to generation, and the recipients are chosen through their skills and wisdom. Adelheid is the youngest recorded Guardian in history. Like the Cielo Guardians, all of the Knights are from noble birth.

Cielo Guardians: Also known as the Oozora no Shugotenshi (Oozora Guardian Angels). Like the Terra Knights, they are a group of six who protect the Emperor Giotto. Unlike the Terra Knights, the Guardians are chosen from how well they fit the role. Relation to the predecessors are unneeded but preferred. There are times when family members of a Guardian raise their child to fit the title of Guardian, but it can more or less backfire. The first generation Guardians were formed about a hundred years after Giotto and Cozart created the Humanos and Tenshi. The oldest is the Arashi no Shugotenshi; the youngest is, surprisingly, the Kumo no Shugotenshi.

Merge of Land: The seven continents that were once together broke apart a long time ago. Now they are joined back together to form Terra. No further information has been recorded.