Thanks for all the faves, reviews and follows! Special shout out to my constant reviewers: rima10011, Natsu Yuuki, Frost190, MisanthropicGoddess, AiMila and Yenaya for reviewing constantly! And welcome new reviewers, Kristina M.P, pinkiedoll and SilverWhiteDragon! Love you guys so much and your feedback was immensely helpful!


Please note that I've changed the format slightly (I don't know why I didn't do it this way in the first place):

'words' – thoughts.

Italics – memories/emphasis. Italics also is used for the voices inside Reborn's head, since they're born from his memories.


Chapter 7: Darkness Falls


Gokudera cursed as he dodged another punch. A moment standing still got him a trident in the shoulder. Slick streams of blood flowed freely down his hand, mingling with the beads of sweat that had fallen from his forehead.

'It's not real. It's not real.' The mantra looped in his mind, but the scalding heat constantly tested his faith. The floor was on fire, and it was burning him alive.

Similar words raced through Lambo's mind as he raced through the burning building. He left for five minutes to get the prisoner to safety and things had gone to hell. He winced as a spurt of fire went up just in front of him, burning his curls except that it was not real.

'This man is an amateur,' he thought, 'if you know what true illusionists can do.'

He wondered if the Estraneo were trying to replicate the legendary powers of Mist, but he dismissed the thought as trivial. He had years of training to combat powers such as these, but the others had none. He needed to find his nakama…

A body flew past him, and he skidded to a stop to see a very familiar swordsman stumbling to his feet.

"Take-nii?" he said, unsure if the man was real, but Yamamoto's blinding grin despite the hand grasping his bleeding side told him all he needed to know. People couldn't fake that kind of stupidity.

"Yo, Lambo!" Yamamoto said. "We're in trouble."

"Where are your swords?" Lambo demanded, noticing the other was only wielding a long stick of broken wood.

"No time," Yamamoto replied. "We need to deal with Chrome."

Lambo opened his mouth to ask but his words died as creepy laughter filled the air.

"Kufufu, it's useless to try and fight me." Chrome back flipped gracefully into the corridor, holding a well-bloodied trident. "My fight is not with you. Leave and I might spare your lives."

"What kind of man would leave his nakama behind? Give Chrome her body back!" Ryohei yelled, charging after Chrome.

"She's been possessed," Lambo said incredulously. How could a person who had so far managed only the weakest of mental tricks, suddenly manage to possess someone?

He had little time to contemplate the issue, as a column of fire erupted in front of him. Yamamoto and Ryohei cried out as their clothes began to burn, while Lambo gritted his teeth as he pushed past the crowding fear.

"It's not real!" he yelled. "Look past it!"

"What do you mean? It's EXTREMELY real!" Ryohei yelled back, beating at the flames.

"No, it isn't!" Lambo insisted. "Ignore what you see!"

"It's no use, Bovino. Your family's tricks don't work here," Chrome said, laughing as more flames spiralled around her.

Lambo's eyes narrowed. If he wasn't with the densest members of the crew, he might have worried about the others finding out about his family but as it was, he only saw the words as a challenge.

"Take-nii! Since when are you so scared over fire? Remember the time you flambéed our supper and your shirt caught alight? You laughed while everyone panicked! Why are you so afraid right now?"

Yamamoto stopped his frantic flailing as Lambo's words hit home. 'Why am I panicking? I am a swordsman of the Shigure Soen Ryu!'

Lambo quickly turned his attention to the surgeon. "Ryohei-nii! Didn't you tell me you once wanted to be a fireman? What kind of man is afraid of fire? That's not extreme at all!"

"You're right, little bro!" Ryohei said, blinking as he mentally moved away from the feelings of fear that had drawn him in. "I'M GETTING FIRED UP TO THE EXTREME!"

Lambo smirked as he turned back to his possessed crew mate. "Well? How's that for my tricks, you son of a –!"

His words died on his tongue as pain, real pain, rocked his nervous system. He gasped for breath, black crowding his vision, while in the background voices yelled.

"Little bro! Lambo!"

Someone was screaming his name.

"Get away from him!"

Was there still a trident sticking out of him? Or was the blood he seeing from the wounds caused by a silenced gun?

There was silver hair in his vision. His eyes were sliding shut. There was fire and crashes and stone falling around him.

Was that Gokudera? No, he didn't want the gunman to see him like this… not again. Please…

He didn't want to see his nakama cry again.


"C'mon, Turf-head, do something!"

"I'm trying!" Ryohei snapped without heat, his full attention focused on the small form in Gokudera's arms. Small yellow flames danced through his fingers, but they were slow to heal the gaping wound on Lambo's torso.

The surgeon had nearly exhausted his flame supply. He had already healed himself, Gokudera, Lambo and Tsuna a few hours before. To fix a wound of this scale by himself… he wished he had learnt more from his grandfather before he had left his home. At this rate, he was going to fail his nakama.

Shaking off his pessimistic thoughts, he instructed Yamamoto to rip up his shirt into ersatz bandages. Between Gokudera and the swordsman, they soon had the hole bandaged tightly while Ryohei beat off the worst of the damage.

"Yamamoto," Gokudera whispered softly, "why was Chrome attacking Lambo?"

"You brought the roof down on her without even knowing that?" Yamamoto replied just as quietly.

"Lambo looked like he'd died. She deserved it." Gokudera shrugged slightly, playing with his cigarette pack.

"It wasn't her. Something took over her. Lambo said she was possessed." Yamamoto began wrapping his own wound and Gokudera leaned over to help.

"Is that why the floor was on fire?"

"Yeah, but Lambo said it wasn't real."

"Illusions then?"

"Yeah, that's what he said. I've never experienced anything like that before." He glanced at the silverette. "Do you know about them?"

Gokudera smiled humourlessly. "I left the Grand Line long before I got a chance to learn anything useful like that."

They fell silent, watching as Ryohei's flames spluttered across Lambo's skin.

"It's amazing, that ability," Yamamoto said. "I kinda wish I could do something that useful."

"Turf-top's ability is inherent to his family, remember?" Gokudera rolled his eyes. "You should stick to being a swordsman. Speaking of which, where are your swords?"

It was Yamamoto's turn to shrug. "They were gone when I woke up."

"Well, go find them! You can't fight whatever the hell we're fighting with just a piece of wood!"

"Hey, it's not like I had a choice!"

"You both should go," Ryohei said. Ignoring their incredulous looks, he explained, "Neither of you are going to be much help here, and it's too dangerous for Yamamoto to go alone."

"But what if Chrome or someone else attacks you?"

"You're too vulnerable like this, Turf-top!"

"I'll handle it." Ryohei's eyes glowed with determination, causing the other two to back down and agree. "Good. Now scram, to the extreme!" He smiled at them before returning to his work.

"You better wake up soon," Gokudera whispered in Lambo's ear before placing the unconscious boy on the ground. "C'mon, idiot."

Yamamoto followed without protest.

Three prayers fell from unmoving lips: 'Please keep them safe.'


Gunfire resounded in the corridor, occasionally accompanied by the side of meeting flesh. Two sets of gaits, one barely heard and the other heavy, were the background music for the cacophony of violence interspersed with yells.

"You are out of your mind!"

"You're being unreasonable!"

"I'm being unreasonable?" Tsuna spat back. "Your terms of surrender are rubbish!"

"It's a good deal-!"

"How is being decapitated a good deal, you bastard?"

Tsuna smashed his fist into Reborn's face, relishing in the brief pleasure it brought him even as Reborn caught the offending limb and tossed him over his shoulder. He just managed to scramble onto his feet fast enough to dodge the bullets Reborn sent his way.

"It's completely unfair that you're using ranged weapons against me! I don't have any to return the favour!" Tsuna whined, as he tried to ease the pain in one of his shoulders. Ryohei would not be pleased by all the exertions the last hour had brought.

"It's pathetic that you don't know how to fight against a gunman," Reborn replied, tilting his fedora upwards with the tip of the gun. Tsunayoshi didn't take the opening, so he must be biding his time.

"I've never fought against a gunman as skilled as you," Tsuna grudgingly admitted. "And your hand combat skills are pretty high level."

"That's an understatement," Reborn replied with a cocky smirk. Tsuna responded with a more humble version of it, unable to stay angry at the hitman with all the adrenaline rushing through his veins. Had he ever felt so excited during a fight before? Probably not. He was most certainly going to die if he kept fighting as he had so far against Reborn.

"The reality of dying makes it better, doesn't it?" Reborn said and then fired at point blank range. Tsuna's small breather had given him the boost he needed to avoid it. "Feeling like a trapped animal yet? There's no way you can beat me."

"Funny thing about feeling trapped," Tsuna's said, voice echoing as he dodged between the rubble that had resulted from their fight and the Sky Lion crew's liberal use of explosive. "It lets you do the most reckless things."

The pirate captain barrelled into Reborn, taking him by surprise. They fell hard against a door, causing the ancient wood to splinter than shatter when Tsuna kicked the hitman through it.

Reborn's glare promised murder. He rolled to his feet, deftly avoiding further attacks now that Tsuna had lost the element of surprise. It was only after the third punch that his surroundings registered through his killer intent. The woman trying to bash his skull in with a thick petri dish might also have had something to do with it.

Considering the terrible choice of weapon, Reborn decided not to avoid the attack and shot the woman in the head as it connected. Still, the momentary lapse in concentration should have allowed the Sky Lion an opening, which hadn't been taken. A quick glance showed that Tsunayoshi was fighting off two men wielding scalpels of all things. Another quick glance showed three more assailants approaching, with equally unimpressive murder weapons. He killed them quickly. Without meaning to, he stepped back as he surveyed the twenty odd scientists (because who else would try to attack with a Bunsen burner?) in the room, and his back met Tsunayoshi's.

Surprisingly, the pirate didn't seem to care. Had blood loss gotten to the Sky Lion after all?

"Spies!" snarled one of the scientists. "How did you make it this far?"

"You cannot interrupt the experiment!" said another.

"Get away, now!"

Reborn mentally rolled his eyes. Was that the best these idiots could do? You would think the Estraneo would hire intelligent people.

"I'll take the ones on the left. You take the ones on the right."

Reborn blinked. Had the brat just given him an order?

"We are not nakama, you damn-!"

"Now!" Tsuna cried, and launched himself at the nearest assailant.

"Listen when people are talking to you!" Reborn said. Spurred on by Tsunayoshi's actions, the mob had decided to attack. Reborn ruthlessly gunned down every one that was stupid enough to try and take him on.

There were a lot of bodies at his feet. The world would be a better place with so many less idiots in it.

Turning to the biggest moron of them all, Reborn took careful aim as Tsunayoshi finished the last man off. The pirate wasn't even killing them! Yes, the world would be much better off without the Sky Lion.

A scream pierced the air, causing Tsunayoshi to whirl around and the shot to miss. Dammit!

Tsuna couldn't care less for his almost murder. His face paled as he recognised the voice hidden in the extremities of the yell. "Mukuro!" he said, tearing towards the observation screen set against the wall.

Reborn twitched. To disregard his presence so readily… the Sky Lion had a death wish. Reborn was going to grant it, after he etched the fear of his gun into every molecule of the arrogant pirate's body.

(At the back of his mind, he thought he was acting too highly strung. But the rage came easily forward.

Jealousy makes you nasty.

One day, he was going to kill the real owner of that voice, and then maybe the imaginary one would go away too.)

He stalked to Tsunayoshi's side, but any action he contemplated taking vanished from his mind at what he saw.

It was heinous.

There were so many tubes that the writhing body was almost concealed underneath it all. A strange blue mixture was being pumped into several lacerations that had been made on Mukuro's strapped down body and his left eye…

Tsuna gagged. He turned away from the sight, glancing around for some indication of how to get into the room. He spotted a keypad but it was password protected. Maybe he could just punch through the glass?

"Not with your measly punches," Reborn told him shortly. "And yes, I can read minds."

Tsuna glared at him, not believing him. "Well, what would you suggest?"

"This isn't my problem," Reborn said.

"But you're just as disturbed as me. I mean, you can see his…" Tsuna trailed off, unwilling to put to words what was plain to see. He glanced at the shipwright again, then returned to staring at the ground, mouth twisted with pain.

Reborn said nothing. Three quick shots from customised bullets smashed the glass, as did the kick that brought it down.

Tsuna gaped for a moment, before flashing a smile at Reborn. He jumped into the room and immediately went to Mukuro's side. Almost as if responding to the intruder, Mukuro's convulsions increased and blood began to run from his tube-filled mouth.

Reborn readied his gun at Tsuna. This time he wouldn't miss. He was done with this foolish job.

At that moment, Tsuna turned his head towards Reborn, tears in his eyes. "He's dying." There was a pause. "I can't save him."

Was Reborn supposed to care?

Tsuna swallowed. "If you save his life, I will offer you mine in exchange."

"What's to prevent me from just taking it now?"

"Nothing." Tsuna smiled as a tear tracked its way down his skin. "But I can promise you that Mukuro did nothing to deserve this life he was given."

Once again, was Reborn supposed to care?

"Nobody should suffer like this. I know that it happens all the time, but I can't see such horrors and not try to do something! This world is filled with terrible things, and I know that my actions include me in them. You were right earlier: a pirate is evil no matter their cause." Tsuna smiled bitterly. "I just wanted to see the world I had denied my mother. Instead, I've destroyed things and killed people. Worst of all, a part of me enjoyed it. Thought that it was okay. That it was fun. And that's wrong."

He clenched his fist. "There's nothing I can do to stop you from killing me and leaving Mukuro to die, but…" He bit his lip. "When I first met you, I knew there was something off about you, but I didn't mind. In the end, I thought you to be a good man." He smiled. "Don't prove me wrong now."

Reborn was silent. His mind whirled through different thoughts and emotions that didn't show on his face. Finally, he holstered his gun and entered the room. "Stop the machines from working. At this point they're useless and none of them are helping him medically."

Tsunayoshi beamed like a fucking moron and Reborn wondered if stupidity was contagious. Thankfully, the pirate did not comment further. He faithfully unplugged all of the machinery while Reborn surreptitiously slipped a ring with a pacifier-shaped golden beryl onto his finger. Ignoring his thoughts were easy when his Flames perforated Mukuro's skin, sending him bursts of information that painted a grim picture of Mukuro's health. He ripped the tube out of Mukuro's mouth and ordered Tsunayoshi to get the rest except for the needles sticking out of various body parts, most notably the eye. He would leave that for last.

Tsuna watched as yellow fire surrounded Mukuro's bloody wounds. It looked so similar to Ryohei's abilities… but better. Cleaner. Purer. Hadn't Ryohei said that his power was exclusive to his family?

Reborn began talking rapidly. "You see those those needles? They're fine staying in for now since the machine is off. They have been sucking out his abilities and channelling it through other mediums."

"You mean the clones?"

"Yes." Reborn answered impatiently. "The problem is that they've taken too much. That, coupled with whatever he was going through here, is causing his body to shut down. It can't take the strain." He frowned. "His powers form part of his life force. Without them, even if I heal his body, he won't be able to recover."

He glanced up at the largest machine, recognising it vaguely. "There must be another place where the siphoned energy was stored and transferred. A control centre, in other words. You need to find it and destroy it. Since it's a life force energy, without containment it should return to the original body."

Tsuna bit his lip as he nodded. "Do you know where to find it?"

"No!" Reborn snapped and focused entirely on his patient.

'Well, that's a clear dismissal as any,' Tsuna thought. He spared a look at Mukuro's paling face and spasm-wracked body before rushing off. "Stay safe!" he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Reborn scoffed.

Well, well, well. The Great Reborn, reduced to an underling by a little Sky. Can't fight your instincts, can you?

"Shut up, Verde," Reborn muttered and returned to his task.


Hope you guys liked it, and sorry for the wait! After considering all the help you guys gave me, I've decided to imply some pairings and develop others alongside R27. Would you guys like me to put up a poll for you to vote for your favourite choices?

Also! I have a new R27 story up as well, and another in the works, so if you guys enjoy AUs, please check them out as they come :)