Oh Kami. Its 1 in the morning and I'm so tired... I did it because I teased my wonderful cloud guardian, and I felt bad. Here it is, a week before the deadline you set for me.


I was dreaming.

Or was I?

The ballroom was brightly lit, filled with smiling people, dressed in elegant clothing. Men wore suits of varying hues, and the women were bedecked with numerous jewels. A single man, face masked, stood in the center of the crowd, motioning for me to approach him. Hesitantly, I did so; as I moved forward, the crowd parted like the Red Sea, permitting me entrance. As they bowed slightly, golden chandelier light glimmered off a certain pin that everybody present wore proudly. All of the golden pins bore a familiar insignia, only altered slightly. Instead of the Vongola name on the scroll, there was my family name: Tellino.

The man was smiling, even though I couldn't see his face. His voice reverberated with the essence only found in dreams. Slowly, he extended a hand out in an invitation to dance.

"Sorry, but I don't dance," I murmured with a rueful smile.

"Tatsuki, just one dance, please?" He pulled off a glove and used it to tickle my nose. "Tatsuki," he repeated.

"Stoppit , dude. That feels weird."

The scene faded, but the tickling persisted, growing harsher, almost like someone was scratching my nose with a candy wrapper. "Wake up, kora…" An omnipresent voice continued to say… wait, what?

Kora?

I opened a bleary eye to see something that I did NOT want to see so early in the morning. As far as I could tell, the sun wasn't even out yet. My tutor's grinning face hovered mere inches above my own. "Why are you here, Colonello?"

"We're training. Here's your breakfast." The rain Arcobaleno deposited the foil packet onto my face, before leaping towards the window. "See you in 20 minutes, at the gym, kora!" At that, he jumped, rolling as he hit the ground to absorb the shock. He took off running into the night, his eagle screeching loud enough to wake up everyone else in the dorms as it glided behind him.

"Poptarts? Really, Colonello? Geez… couldn't you have actually cooked something warm?" I turned to see my alarm clock, resting on my bedside table. Red LEDS glowed the time: 4:12 in the morning. It was way too early to do this sort of thing this early in the morning. And to think, I had just recovered a mere week ago.

"Wake up, Isabella. We have to train." Sluggishly, I eased out of my bed, wincing as my feet hit the cold floor. I really wanted something cooked in my belly. Oh, how a bowl of ramen would be enjoyed right about now…

My cloud guardian grumbled. "Don't wanna." She pulled the covers of her be over her head, a staunch refusal evident in her actions.

"Wake UP." Angrily, I smacked a pillow down onto my sleepy guardian's head. HARD.

"GOD. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Isabella grabbed the pillow and solidly thwacked it against my face. "I'll wake up in an hour," she said, retreating back to the relative comfort of her blanketed world.

"Your loss," I sighed, pulling a hoodie over my head. "Just so you know, some of the Arcobaleno are helping us out today. They intend to focus on training our flame properties, and how we can use them properly." She remained silent. Whether or not she was truly asleep, I continued to talk to the air. "Since we're training in that particular manner, that means we're training with people who have similar flames, in a separate areas, by ourselves. And since Hibari intends to help us and train with us, then that means-"

"HIBARI AND I ARE GOING TO BE TRAINING TOGETHER?" Isabella shot out of bed, snatched clothes from her closet, and locked herself in the bathroom.

"Kasu… if only I knew that Hibari was the keyword to get her out of bed, I would have said it a long time ago." I snorted, glancing at the packet of Pop Tarts. I almost wanted to eat them. Almost. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Gyoza Gyuudon ramen up again. I just hoped that Ipin was awake at 4 in the morning.

-at the gym-

"Where is Hibari?" Isabella had burst into the gym, scouring every nook and cranny for the elusive Vongola cloud guardian's whereabouts.

"He's not here." I groaned. Brisk morning air bit into my face, but I welcomed it.

"Obviously. Where is he?" She began to fidget, testily shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her water bottle began to twitch, the metal canister beginning to give way under her clenched fists.

"Where else would he be?"

"The roof!" She dashed outside, scaling the ladder that lead to the roof, but he wasn't there. "You said he'd be on the roof. Liar."

"I never said he'd be on the roof, stupid. I said he'd be somewhere where… like in bed, still sleeping…?" I smirked, watching my best friend fume madly about how she ran around for no reason.

"What are you guys doing up here?" Hibari had climbed the ladder to join us, rubbing remnants from a sandman's visit from sleepy eyes. He reclined lazily on the roof, and watched the sun peek over the horizon. "Did someone tell you to come here, too?"

"Yup. Colonello woke me up at 4." Sniffling disdainfully, I glanced towards the courtyard, looking for my home tutor. Shouldn't he be here before anybody else arrived, preparing a training regimen?

"Tatsuki made me," Isabella began, but plopped down next to the Vongola cloud. I glared at her. "But it's okay," she continued. Under her breath, she groaned when she thought I wasn't listening. I snapped around to stare at Isabella, but she was already nuzzling Hibari affectionately.

Hurriedly, I averted my eyes, feeling my face burning crimson. "Colonello, hurry up and get here…," I muttered. Time was passing at a snail's pace, dragging its heels with every passing second.

An hour passed before Colonello arrived onto the rooftop, yawning as he carried a tray of steaming coffee cups. I took a sip, but then immediately gagged and spat out the vile liquid. It was black. Hibari drank his cup undeterred by the overwhelming bitterness, ignoring the boiling heat. Isabella was trying to follow suit, but I guess girls aren't supposed to drink coffee black anyway.

Within the next hour, everyone gathered in the weight room of the on-campus gym. Colonello, Reborn, Fong, Lal Mirch, and the Granchio were gathered at the door, along with the leader of the CEDEF. Iemetsu's face betrayed no feelings of remorse, in spite of his son's current missing status.

"Alright! Flames gather with like flames. Clouds on the roof, mist on the tennis court, rain in the baseball field, thunder and storm in the football field, sun stays here, and the sky goes to the basketball court. Get moving!" Lal barked.


Cloud

On the roof, Andrew, Isabella, and Hibari had gathered, awaiting their instructor. They were reclined lazily on the roof, watching the skies, until a person dropped from the heavens, startling them. The newcomer paid no heed to the welfare of his pupils, grumbling about how this plan was stupid, but the scarf heavily wrapped around his neck muffled his utterances. When the dark purple-haired turned to face the trio, his eyes were ablaze with purple dying will flames. Literally. Another, similar figure appeared from the shadows, without the cloud flames in his eyes. "Cloud guardians?" the two spoke together.

"Um… yes?" Hibari said tentatively.

Wordlessly, the duo both pulled out a pair of pistols, middle fingers resting on the triggers. "Stupid. Answer my question."

"Y-ee-s. We are." Isabella took care to remove any questionable inflections from her voice. "We are cloud guardians." The double tutors stashed their weapons in belt holsters. As one extinguished the cloud flame on his ring, the purple-eyed tutor faded into virtually nothing, the only evidence of his visit lay on the ground as a single strand of hair. The three pupils gaped in shock, as the tutor introduced himself.

"I'm Cyrus." He spoke menacingly, pulling down his black scarf enough so his mouth was visible. "Today, you will be learning how to utilize the propagation factor of your cloud flames. Plucking a strand of his own hair, he dangled it above the dying will flame on his ring. Once the strand caught, he dropped it onto the asphalt roof, and the group watched as the strand bubbled up into an exact copy of the ambiguous figure, down to the last fiber of clothing.

"You can create clones of yourself, and depending on the strength of your flame, your clone can increase in strength." Cyrus pulled out a pistol, and shot his clone point-blank in the back of the head before his clone could react. "Of course, they're always weaker than the original, and will dissolve when they suffer enough damage, according to their strength level." For once, he let out a semblance of a smile, but the expression lasted as long as rain on a bright day. "Now, the challenging part of this exercise is getting you to learn this."

"One question." Andrew spoke up, gnawing at his bottom lip. "Do our clones return their memories to us?"

"To a point, yes, they do. You will remember what they do within 3 hours of disappearing. Why?"

"Well," Andrew explained, "Theoretically, we can make our clones create clones, correct?"

"I suppose so."

"Then, we can learn how to create clones efficiently."

"As long as you create the first one correctly and efficiently, that theory would be correct. If you can do so, I'd applaud you, but I've done some experimenting on it myself." Cyrus' jaw clenched. "This is a risky technique. Too much flame and you put your life at risk. Too long does the same." He snorted. "Why am I doing this again? Ugh. This is so stupid."


Mist

Aj hesitantly stepped onto the tennis court, dropping his tennis bag. He released a racquet from the bag, and, using his powers to create a ball, began to play by himself.

"I'll say. You're actually really good."

Aj flinched. There were no other people on the court, or so he thought. "Is there anyone there?"

"Of course there's always someone here, whether you believe it or not. It's just the matter of being able to see that person with the naked eye." The specter appeared at the other end of the court, swinging a head microgel racquet to return Ajs' serve.

Aj stepped up his game, slicing the ball turn and turn again. "Are you supposed to be the tutor?"

"Maybe, but I was supposed to have a partner. She called herself Mammon, but insisted on being paid royally. I could never pay her. After all, I'm nothing but a lowly street magician." With a smirk, the man caused the illusory ball to disappear. "I'm Diz. Nice to meet you."

"Aj. Nice to meet you, too."

"Say, isn't there another student? Someone by the name of Kellie?"

"I'm right here," a voice spoke up softly from the sidelines, a face peeking out from under a hooded jacket. "Present."

"Well, well. If we're all here, then I guess you're ready to be taught?" Diz flashed a brilliant smile, adjusting his navy satin vest. "Seeing as I have no choice in the matter," he chuckled, "I'll proceed. You DO know the basic principles of the Mist flame, correct?"

Aj and Kellie were silent, eyes not willing to make contact with their teacher's. Diz smiled comfortingly. "Now, now. I'm not going to snap at you for not being able to answer my question. "There are five main types. Distraction," a loud thud sounded behind the two students, and they whirled around to look. Of course, there was nothing there.

"I said Distraction, didn't I? The next is Disguise." When Aj and Kellie turned to face their teacher once again, he was an exact doppelganger of Aj.

"There is Construction," Diz continued, conjuring up another tennis ball.

"Attack," he exploded into a pillar of fire. Though the heat was felt by every nerve on the young pupils' bodies, it still was an illusion.

"Confusion." Three teachers rounded on the two, all speaking simultaneously.

"And, last but not least, Augmentation." The three fused back into one, larger than life Diz, overly muscled and wielding a trident large enough to pierce the heavens. "Aj," his voice boomed. "Your strength seems to lie in Construction. Kellie, the same goes for you." Diz once again flashed his winning smile. "By the time I'm done with the both of you, each of you will be strong enough to fool the Vindici. Let's begin."


Sun

Sam sat on a bench in the boxing room, restlessly clenching and unclenching her fists. "This is so boringgggg," she groaned."Why isn't anybody here yet?"

"Because our teacher lacks incentive. More like he lacks a ride to get here. He lives on a farm." A blonde haired teen entered the room, his face wrinkling as the pungent odor of sweat assailed his nostrils. "We're being tutored by a country hick." He prodded a worn sandbag with a stiff finger, continuing to complain of the sun teacher's credentials.

"I'm not a country hick," a voice drawled. "I just happen to farm because of my flame's properties. You'd do the same, with money flowing in as fast as it does."

The blonde snorted. "I'd never stoop so low as to work the earth for an income."

"Suit yourself. What's your name, by the way?"

"Twilight."

"Wes."

Sam coughed harshly, drawing the attention of the two bickering men. "I'm Sam, and aren't we going to do something already?" She cracked her knuckles, beginning to stretch. "If we're not going to do something now, I'm leaving to train on my own."

"Alright. I assume you know that the Sun's main attribute is accelerated growth, right?" Wes smiled at Sam, casting a scowl Twilight's general direction. "With accelerated growth, you can not only heal wounds rapidly, but can also use it to increase your strength."

Wes approached a worn sandbag, the joints in his fist cracking with tension. His eyes flashed yellow, and with the movement of one finger, he jabbed the sandbag fiercely, bursting it. A bullet-sized hole released grains of sand onto the white tile floor.

"Let's say that you'll be able to master this move within, say, 24 hours. That good enough of a deal for you guys?"

"24 hours?" Twilight scoffed. "You'd be lucky if we could master that in a year."

"Pessimist." Wes spat. "Accelerated growth works on the brain too, numbnuts."

Sam sighed. This was going to be a LONG 24 hours.

Reborn popped stepped out of a portal he had constructed in the center of the boxing ring. Leon leapt down from the brim of his fedora, transforming into a familiar object. "I suggest you do this with your dying will."


Sky

Iemetsu sat in silence near the basketball gym wall, unwilling to speak whatsoever. I had attempted to start a conversation with him, but it was like speaking to a wall. Ryuuji was next to me on the bleachers, twiddling his thumbs.

"Um… Mr. Sawada?"

No response.

"Ryuuji?"

"Hm?"

"We're not going to learn anything, are we?"

"Probably not…. Why?"

"Just wondering." I lay flat against the bleachers, inhaling the lemony-fresh scent of floor wax. You could get high off that stuff. My mind was drifting off to the welcoming folds of sleep until SOMEONE decided it was a good idea to slam the gymnasium doors open to accentuate his entrance. Iemetsu started. I had a heart attack.

"Hey guys! Good morning!" Christopher Strife beamed, a steaming mug of coffee clutched in his gloved hands.

"What the hell, Chris!" I shouted. My hand was placed over my heart, which was beating a frantic tattoo against my chest.

"Sorry, little sis. Didn't mean to scare you." Chris smiled, then downed the last of his coffee.

"Little sis?" Ryuuji inquired.

"Its figurative." I replied, then turned to berate Chris. "Why were you late? We've been sitting here for HOURS."

"Its only 7:00."

"We got here at 5 IN THE MORNING."

"Oops." Chris scratched at the back of his head. "Thought it would be at a relatively better time, not so early in the morning."

"Chris. You're an absolute idiot." Ryuuji growled. "I told you that training started at 5."

"Calm yourself, bro," the Granchio's assassination squad leader shooed the insult away with a wave of his hand. "We're all here, so its cool." Chris removed the gloves from his hands, and popping a hyper dying will pill, he assumed a fighting stance. "So, what we're going to learn today is the Zero-point breakthrough-"

"You can't do that." A voice interrupted. Iemetsu Sawada spoke, standing up. "I won't allow it."

"Why not?"

"Because. That's a Vongola technique, not some move taught by strangers."

"Alright. Then you teach them how to do it."

"Fine by me, wait. What?" the CEDEF leader did a double take. "Why on earth would I do that? It's a secret!"

"The life of your son depends on it."

Conflicting emotions crossed the once-stoic man's face. With a sigh of defeat, he relented. "Alright, then. I suppose I can let you learn that technique, for my son's sake."

Chris grinned, then turned to Ryuuji and I. "So, the basic property of the sky flame is harmony. We're going to utilize that property, by absorbing opponent's offensive flames, and using them for our own devices. Ready?"

I nodded, and a slight movement from my right told me that Ryuuji had agreed as well.

"Other than the Vongola's Zero-point breakthrough, I think that there's another move that I'd like to teach you…"

To be continued.


Hey, Tatsuki here, tired as ever.

I must admit, Wragnaroq R. Maggeddon's story The dragon and the clam has provided quite a bit of -coughHELPcough- for this chapter part thing. I know I forgot to add the storm, rain, and thunder training sessions, but that's for the next chapter or something. I'm tired. poop.

reviews=motivation=updates

Unless you're Isabella, who sets deadlines, or beats the crap out of me mentally. Isn't she a wonderful cloud guardian? See, I DIDNT rip Hibari away from you.

Next chapter: more training, a dream, and something oddly tuna flavored. (or so I think.)