Disclaimer: I do NOT own KHR

OC/s [previously mentioned]: Kazuki Jirou (Baseball Club Captain/Pitcher), Azakaya Misato (Catcher), Oneida Yura (Female Representative in Tsuna's class), Masuya Eiji, Murabi Setou (Tsuna's classmates)

Note:

Warning: Swearing, violence, gory details, panic attack.

Word Count: 3, 453

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Chapter 3: Torrent

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What the hell just happened?

Kazuki Jirou slowly lifted his head from his position on the ground. He looked up, trying to assess the situation. A few yards to his right, he could see a student – probably Kondo, one of their infielders – lying on his stomach, arms protectively over his head. Kazuki observed him for a moment, making sure he was alive and breathing before turning his gaze around. He could see nothing else from the other direction except thick clouds of smoke and dust.

Kazuki frowned in worry. He hopes Yamamoto and Azakaya were not caught in the blast.

The explosion had been so sudden and very unexpected. He would have doubt it had actually took place. That is, if not for the throb of pain he feels on his knees from where he had banged them against the hard ground when he threw himself down. Wincing, the Captain of the Baseball Club tried to recall exactly what happened in the last few minutes.

Kazuki remembered watching the others as they walked back to the field, their short break over. He had been bouncing a baseball back and forth between his hands, listening to the early birds singing overhead and shaking his head at his teammates' antics. He thought about what a fine morning it was. The weather bright and the mood quiet but energetic – just perfect for their morning practice.

Then he looked up and all these pleasant thoughts dissolved from his head.

Up ahead was their batter, Yamamoto Takeshi, with an uncharacteristically harsh face. The 2nd year was looking around, clearly alert as if he thought something – or someone – would come and attack him.

Kazuki had taken an unconscious step back, feeling uneasy. He would deny it later but at that moment, when their cheerful, happy-go-lucky Yamamoto was looking bloodthirsty and ready to kill, Kazuki was afraid.

And then Yamamoto burst forward, his sharp eyes turned to Azakaya who was standing just a few meters away from Kazuki himself.

Kazuki remembered thinking vaguely that Azakaya's wide-eyed, horrified face looked comical and he almost laughed. But then he saw the figure behind Azakaya and instantly, he threw himself down, not knowing exactly what would happen but knowing instinctively that the safest place would be on the ground with his arms over his head and his nose buried in the dirt. He thought he heard a shout that vaguely sounded like 'get down!' but he couldn't be sure if it came from him or from someone else. Probably from someone else. Kazuki couldn't remember having the ability to shout out a warning and a resounding curse at the same time.

Presently, that curse was quickly reforming on his lips as he watch the dust set in. He could now see the vague outline of three people standing a few yards right in front of him.

The wind blew and he closed his eyes, holding his breath as the dust flew in his direction. He waited for the wind to die down.

When he opened his eyes again, it was with great surprise and relief when he saw and recognized two of the figures: Yamamoto and Azakaya.

Thank God, they're okay.

He slowly got to his feet, the names of his two teammates on his lips, eager to ask if they're okay and 'What the fuck just happened, Yamamoto!?' But then he paused, suddenly doubting the view in front of him.

At first glance, what he saw was Yamamoto standing in front of Azakaya, shaky but alright. But upon closer inspection, Kazuki realized that Yamamoto was actually shielding a thunderstruck Azakaya. The batter had his back to his fellow 2nd year; his posture tensed, his stance wide, feet planted apart on the ground as he leans forward just a little, hands tightly grasping a long, thin metal in front of him. A metal that suspiciously looked like a...was that a katana?

In front of them was a man, roughly 5 to…15 years older than them? Kazuki was never that good at guessing people's age.

The man was tall, very tall – around 195 cm. And he was broad, like a football linebacker. His hair was a color between grey and blue, his eyes a shade darker. His skin was pale and smooth. He was wearing a light green parka, black leather pants, low black boots, and a plain washed-out grey undershirt. He was obviously a foreigner, probably Italian if his straight and angular facial structure was anything to go by.

The man was casually standing, both hands inside the front pockets of his fancy coat, looking for all the world like he's about to fall asleep due to boredom.

And that, right there, is what Kazuki found threatening.

The 3rd year Captain took a step forward. He didn't know what's going on. Hell. He's not even sure if this is actually happening, if he's still in reality and not in some bizarre dream that his strange mind have concocted for him. Maybe he's still asleep on his bed. Either way, he's the Captain and he's a senpai. He's not about to let his two kouhai face off this suspicious character.

He started to open his mouth to question the presence of the man but Yamamoto beat him to it.

"What do you want?" the 2nd year asked, hands not letting up their tight grasp around the handle of his blade – that was now clearly a freaking katana.

Where did that came from? Kazuki wondered vaguely even as he frowned at the oddity of Yamamoto's question. He was expecting something along the line of 'Who are you?' Not 'What do you want?'

The foreigner ignored the question, stifled a yawn and looked around.

Kazuki looked as well.

Around them, the baseball club members, those who were near enough that they had to duck down from the explosion, were slowly getting to their feet one by one. They looked alright, most are bruised and one or two were bleeding but everyone was alive. They're all badly shaken and looking as confused as Kazuki felt.

Some of the others got away though.

Kazuki looked to the side and saw quite a few students - mostly the first years assigned to pick up stray balls - running back towards the school, hopefully to alert the disciplinary committee of the presence of the intruder. Kazuki never thought he'd be happy to anticipate the appearance of Hibari Kyouya.

Releasing a quite sigh of relief, he looked back to the trio in front of him and noticed for the first time that the ground beneath them was disturbed, the dirt dark from the explosion. When Kazuki narrowed his eyes to try to see clearer, he could see that there was a thin dark, curving line on the ground, indicating that the explosion was stopped by . . . some kind of force . . . before it reached Yamamoto and Azakaya. The worst of the explosion was on the man's side but Kazuki couldn't be sure seeing as the man doesn't even have a single soot on his person.

"Not bad, boy." The man drawled in a heavily accented Japanese. He was smirking at Yamamoto now, casually bringing his right hand to his chest, fingers splayed, a variety of Goth-looking rings on display.

Kazuki blinked. Maybe he's more woozy than he realized. He could have sworn that he saw the air moved in front of the man.

"Senpai," Yamamoto called. He was bracing himself more tensely, as if he's holding himself against impact. "Please, leave," he said, eyes not faltering from the man's amused gaze. "Take Azakaya with you."

Kazuki was tempted to take a step back like he did earlier. Although this time, he wanted to keep going, to keep running and to never look back. He would have called himself a coward – and he did in his head. But then he saw the look in Yamamoto's eyes and the cold, hard expression in them was telling him that running away would be the smartest thing to do. Yamamoto's very next words confirmed that.

"It's gonna be dangerous out here."

And then all hell broke loose.

….

"KANGARYUU! MAXIMUM HEALING!"

Ryohei nodded his head in approval as the armored Kangaroo releases a blinding amount of Sun Flame down on Basil. He shouted out an encouragement, looking very proud and supportive while being completely oblivious to everyone else's stupefied expression.

Tsuna was horrified.

He looked around and heaved a resigned sigh. Every one of his classmates – with the exception of Kyoko, Fuuta, and Gokudera – are all bug-eyed, their jaw on the ground. They kept looking back and forth between the Kangaroo and Basil's miraculously healing body, looking speechless, confused and very much bewildered.

Tsuna winced. How is he going to explain this?

He looked back at his Sun Guardian and saw that he was still – quite extremely – cheering on his partner. Tsuna would have been upset except that this is Sasagawa Ryohei. It would worry him if the older boy had actually taken the time to consider his surroundings before jumping right into action.

At least, Basil is going to be fine, Tsuna thought consolingly to himself.

He looked down and took a moment to watch the injured boy; feeling relieved when he saw that his breathing seems to be coming easy and stable. The cuts on the Italian's arms are also starting to heal; the dark, ugly bruises fading leaving behind shed blood and smooth skin.

He turned to Gokudera, the words '*Yokatta' on the tip of his tongue. But then he saw the expression on his Storm Guardian's face and the words – along with his smile – promptly froze on his lips.

"W-what's wrong, Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna asked, feeling dismayed because he just knew that something was wrong again.

Gokudera took his time before answering. He cocked his head to the side, listening. His brows furrowed and he looked at Tsuna. "Just now... did you hear an explosion, Juudaime?"

….

Dino was almost hurtling down the corridor when he heard the explosion. He forced his body to a stop and stood in the middle of the empty corridor. He listened hard, trying to discern where the loud sound have come from and what could possibly have caused it. He waited for a few minutes.

There it was again.

He walked to the window, taking care not to be seen outside as he peered out. He scanned the grounds carefully but he saw nothing. That is, until he looked up and to the side. A group of students wearing baseball uniforms were running and stumbling away from the baseball field. Dino immediately knew that something bad is happening and that Yamamoto was most likely in the thick of it.

Dino cursed and resumed his trek down the corridor. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing that the Vongola's Rain Guardian was there to intercept a possible enemy attack or not. But he did know that he needed to get to Tsuna as soon as possible.

Cursing again, the Cavallone Boss picked up his pace and prayed to Kami that he wouldn't trip on his haste.

….

Kusakabe Tetsuya, Vice-Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, was rarely seen outside during the mornings. Usually, he would be inside the Reception Room, sorting out the documents that the Chairman will have to review and sign once he came in from his morning patrol. But this day proved to be unlike any other day. So he was outside, heading to the school's main gate where he believed Hibari would be.

He was walking just a little faster, his body a bit tense as he tries not to think too hard about the note in his pocket.

He had found it earlier. It was on top of the documents that he was sorting out. He didn't know where it came from. Kusakabe had only looked away for half a second to grab a pen and when he looked back, it was just suddenly there, seeming to have materialized out of thin air.

The note was small, stained, and a bit crumpled. It appeared to have been done hastily, the fold crooked so that a small part of what was written inside could be read.

"- find the Vongola…" it says.

At first, it didn't make sense. Only a vague sense of familiarity was felt as he reread the three words carefully.

…find the Vongola…

Vongola…

He was sure that he have heard that word from somewhere before…

Vongola…

A flash of blonde hair and the whooshing sound of a whip came to mind and suddenly, Kusakabe remembered.

Vongola…Dino-san have mentioned that word before along with other curious words and phrases: family, rings, dying will flames, Cloud Guardian... Kusakabe understood each and every word separately. But put together in the same sentence…it didn't make sense to him. Even so, he knew that it was important.

Vongola…

Kusakabe looked down at the note, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"…I have to get this to Kyou-san," he realized. He quickly picked up the note and shoved it in his pocket. Then, he was hurrying outside.

He made it to the school's main gate before the sound of the explosion reached him. He immediately came to a halt, his head snapping to the side where he thought the sound have come from.

Gokudera-san, was his first thought, along with the image of the Italian wildly throwing dynamites to a grinning Yamamoto; Sawada behind him, flailing and trying to hold him back.

Kyou-san will be livid, was his second. The image changed to one of Hibari Kyouya, dark aura surrounding him as the corners of his lips turned up just that slightly into a very dangerous smirk.

The third, which made Kusakabe's heart falter for a moment – and for the image to freeze, blur and morph into one blank void – were the words find the Vongola…

He turned back to where he's headed, fervently hoping to see the Chairman standing there. He wasn't.

Where is he?

Kusakabe grabbed the nearest person to him, one of the DC members who was craning his head towards the direction of the explosion. "Where's Kyou-san?" he asked hurriedly.

The student blinked at him, surprise and slight irritation written across his face – which quickly vanished when he recognized the Vice Chairman. He bowed his head in respect and opened his mouth to answer. But then his eyes focused somewhere over Kusakabe's shoulder and suddenly, he paled. His eyes went wide and he started inching away, fighting Kusakabe's hold on him. Kusakabe blinked.

"O-oi! What's wrong?"

And then Kusakabe felt it. That ominous, spine-chilling aura that could only mean one thing.

Kusakabe slowly turned around and sure enough, the very person he was looking for, Hibari Kyouya was right there, stalking steadily towards them.

The DC chairman was sporting a cold look on his face. His eyes were hard – promising pain. A tight smirk was on his lips. "There you are," he drawled lowly.

Kusakabe paled. "K-Kyou-san…?"

Hibari casually pulled back his arm.

Kusakabe's eyes widen.

"Wha–!?"

The tonfa sailed through the air.

…

It was hard, Azakaya realized, to run with shaking knees and dizzy, uncomprehending mind whilst trying to avoid force blasts coming at them at random intervals from the battle they're trying to escape from.

His knuckles are white and numb within the grip of his Captain, his senpai's pull on his arm the only reason he's moving forward. When he looked back, he couldn't see a thing. The fight between Yamamoto and the foreigner was vicious and fast. Small, deafening explosions are everywhere, scattering red dust in the wind, making it impossible to see what's really happening.

When the air clears, Azakaya sees Yamamoto use the flat of his sword to shield himself from a fist coming at him before jumping backwards. He landed a good distant from his opponent and he took the time to wipe at the blood gushing from a cut on his temple.

It blinded him for a second. That's all it took.

Azakaya wanted to shout out a warning. Because he can see them. He can see the shift in the air, the light purple color, almost a mirage, a very thin, translucent strips of veil that cuts through the air towards their batter. Towards them. He can see.

And so can Kazuki-senpai.

Azakaya was sure his shoulder got dislocated when the older boy pulled him sharply to the right, his body landing hard on the ground, his breath leaving him in a painful whoosh when the weight of the other was thrown on his back.

Then everything was dark.

….

For a while, Azakaya was only aware of his heartbeat thundering in his ears and drumming against his ribs. He feels a drop of sweat running from his hairline down to the back of his right ear. It's hard to breath. The weight of Kazuki-senpai on his back is heavy and unmoving. He has no idea what's going on. All he knows is that everything hurts.

He thinks he lost a minute or two, just trying to get his bearings back. Then he becomes aware of the warm, sticky feeling soaking the back of his shirt. Suddenly, Azakaya couldn't breath at all. His eyes started burning with panicked tears because he knows that it's blood. He feels his chest seizes, his lungs contracting because there's no air. He needs air. But there's blood.

"Azakaya."

His name was only a stuttered whisper on his ear but it was loud enough to bring him back from his panic attack.

Everything comes rushing back around him. He blinks back tears. He hears Yamamoto's voice, distant but slowly growing louder, urgent.

"-kaya. Azakaya!"

He scrambled to his feet, or at least tried to. It was difficult with Kazuki-senpai still lying on his back. He twisted around, craning his neck to look behind him. His eyes widen and he feels the panic attack threatening to drown him again.

Kazuki-senpai was sprawled on his stomach on Azakaya's back. He looks pale, eyes closed, blood running from his slack mouth and flowing freely from between his shoulder blades; the red spreading across his back, soaking his pristine white shirt so thoroughly that it's bleeding into Azakaya's own clothes.

Yamamoto was standing over them, hunched and without his sword. He looked like a hero from an English action movie. Bloodied and half dead but still refusing to fall.

Azakaya gaped for a while, unable to process. It took Yamamoto shouting his name again before can gasp in much-needed air. The black haze of panic receded from his eyes enough that he can see the weirdness of Yamamoto's stance. He's standing with his back to the foreigner, grasping something between his side and left arm. Something that's causing his hands to bleed profusely, big fat drops of blood falling and mixing with Kazuki-senpai's.

Azakaya knows he's dead tired, barely hanging on to his consciousness because it took him a minute of hard blinking before he can properly see the strange flames again – green and purple and blue. It's shaped like a very long, very thin double-edged blade. And it's coming from the foreigner. The man has his right hand up and open, almost lazily. The flames emanating from the center of his palm and pushing against Yamamoto's hold, the end buried between Kazuki-senpai's back.

Azakaya tried to move, scrambling to get up and help and do something. But that only pushed Kazuki-senpai's body harder against the blade. He froze and tried to take even breathes, trying to keep calm even though it's impossible given the situation. He looked over to Yamamoto and found the other watching him. But it's bad because the boy's eyes are glazed and he's even paler than their captain.

Azakaya has never been so helpless and hopeless in his entire life. It's a crippling feeling. He can feel himself giving up and he hates it. But there's nothing he can do.

It's not that hard to calculate the chances of their survival. Even if he thinks about it over and over again, consider all probable scenarios, even the impossible ones, it's still hopeless.

They're going to die.

….

When he graduated elementary, Azakaya was on top of his class. His mother was very proud and had wanted him to go to Yumei Private Middle School so that he can focus on his studies. He refused because the school was a very long walk from home. His father offered to drive him but Azakaya don't like cars much so he didn't go. He ended up in Namimori simply because it's closer and he's lazy. Looking back, Azakaya wishes he listened to his mother instead.

….

….

Fun fact: Irie goes (went?) to Yumei Private Middle School. :)