Chapter 9: The Counterattack

They enter the building as Tsuna wears the clothes that Bianchi has brought along, which consists of a black shirt and beige pants.

"I'm glad that Bianchi brought a change of clothes, but…" He thought as he wraps his arms around his shivering body. "I'm starting to get nervous." He looks at Kouga and notices something about his hair. "Huh? The hair around Kouga's right eye… is somewhat yellow?"

"This is it." Bianchi announces as everyone looks what's in front to her, which turns out to be a destroyed stairway. "The stairs has been destroyed."

"Mukuro is probably a floor above us." Reborn predicts. "There must be a stairway still intact somewhere."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Tsuna asks his tutor.

"It's easier to defend against us if they limit the number of paths between us." He explains. "But on the other hand, they cut off their own escape routes. It means they're prepared to fight."

"HIEEE–! I'm getting more nervous!" Tsuna mentally shrieks.

"It's also easier for us too." Kouga says. "That way, we know where they will be defending from."

"Hm? There's a cell phone on the ground." Gokudera says that attracts the brunette's attention as he picks up the black phone. "It's broken."

"Ah! That's Hibari-san's." Tsuna realizes. "he must be here."

"Hibari?"

"Mm. I'm sure."

"Oh yea, his ringtone is our school anthem too." Kouga adds.

"Ah! Lame!"

"We've got more important things to do;" Bianchi reprimands them. "Let's find an intact stairway going up."

"Y-Yeah." Tsuna nods.

They search the place to find most of the stairways to be destroyed. They then enter a room that has an emergency ladder, still in one piece.

"Ah! There it is!" Tsuna points out.

"An emergency ladder." Reborn says.

Then they hear the spinning of a yo-yo. They turn around to find Chikusa playing with his yo-yo behind them.

"There he is!" Tsuna exclaims. "The yo-yo guy!"

Gokudera waste no time and ignites his dynamites that he threw at him. The yo-yo user gets ready but is shock when the dynamites' fuse go off but a huge amount of smoke is release from each tube, creating a smoke screen that prevents him from seeing his target.

"Smoke screen?" The brunette says in confusion.

"Juudaime." He turns to face Gokudera. "Leave him to me and go ahead."

"Gokudera-kun!"

"Hayato!" Bianchi warns him, "The side effects from Shamal's treatment will still cause pain, just like before! Do you still intent to fight?"

"Of course." The bomber answers his sister. "That's why I'm here."

Bianchi stiffens for a moment, but she turns around. "Let's go, Tsuna."

"Eh?! But-"

"Please go." Gokudera tells his boss. "Juudaime, you need to take care of Mukuro."

"That's true, but-"

"Let's all hang out again when this is done." Tsuna stops questioning his friend as he recalls why he is fighting in the first place.

"Y-You're right. We will." He promises the silverrette." Of course! I understand, I'm going!" Tsuna calls out as he follows the other group up the ladder.

"Oi, Gokudera." The bomber turns to Kouga. "Don't die on us."

Gokudera smirks. "No need to tell me that."

Kouga returns the smirk and climbs up the ladder after the brunette.

Gokudera turns around and faces his opponent. "You let them go without much of a fuss." he says to the glasses boy.

The smoke slowly clears and the figure of the yo-yo user is fully shown. "Such was Mukuro-sama's command."

They manage to climb up the ladder and onto the second floor, but they see no signs of their enemy. They run up to the third floor as they enter the movie theater. There is nothing there except for a single Kokuyo middle student who Tsuna and Kouga met back at the forest.

"I'm glad we could meet again." He says.

All of them take their stance until Kouga notices the student. "You're…"

Tsuna also notices this and runs into the room. "Is this where you're being held?" He then turns to the other two. "This is the Kokuyo student we met earlier; he is being held here!"

"Kufufufu, please take your time." The student adds. "We're about to start a long relationship together, Vongola Tenth."

"Eh? How do you know I'm Vongola?" Tsuna asks him.

"Matte, Tsuna." Reborn warns him.

"Eh?"

"That's not it, Tsuna." Bianchi explains as she walks up to him. "He's…"

"Kufufufu… That's right; I'm the real Rokudo Mukuro."

"Eh… Huh?!" Tsuna yells as the doors behind them closes.


Meanwhile with Gokudera, he is desperately avoiding the needles at are being shot out of Chikusa's yo-yo. He runs out to the corridors and continue running away from the yo-yo user.

"You suck!" He shouts as he runs into the corner.

Chikuwas adjusts his glasses as he sprints after him and about to turn the corner but then he notices a dynamite that is glued to the wall and it explodes next to him, forcing him back a bit.

"Two time bomb!" The silverrette throws a huge amount of bombs in which the glasses boy defuse almost immediately. "You must be upset because you were beaten last time." Gokudera taunts him. "You made your move too quickly. Thanks to that, your legs are wide open."

The beanie student looks down in shock to find some lit dynamites under him that explodes at him.

"My weapon is most useful in areas with obstacles." The bomber explains. "You lost the moment you ambushed me here." He then notices a figure in the smoke. "Oh, I forgot. You're tough." Gokudera takes out more dynamites in his hands. "Die with these- urg!" He clutches his chest as the pain from before start coming back.

"Darn it, at a time like this…" The bomber leans onto the wall. "The side-effects…"

Then a shadow is visible behind the window.


Back to Tsuna's group, they turn around to find the door closed with Fuuta in front of them.

"Fuuta!" Tsuna calls out. "Don't startle me."

"He seems safe." Bianchi comments.

"I've been looking for you since back then."

"It's dangerous, so stand back."

"Yeah." Kouga agrees. "You better get out of-" He then hears a voice in his head that causes him to shout, "Bianchi, get away from Fuuta!"

"Huh?" Bianchi looks at him confused as Fuuta slowly inches in, with a tri-spiked dagger in his hand.


Back to Gokudera, he is leaning on the wall in pain of the side-effects from Shamal's treatment that he failed to notice a shadow behind him, in which a clawed hand crashes right through the window and digs into his chest.

"You were wide open!" Ken says smugly.

At the same time, Fuuta stabs Bianchi in the gut with the spiked weapon.

"Bianchi!" Tsuna calls out as the woman collapses onto the ground.

Mukuro has a small smirk on his face as he watches he entire scenario.


Ken sits out on the window sill. "You're alright." Chikusa says.

"I thought I was going to die, though." He replies to his comrades. "Hahahaha, take that you ba~ ka~" Gokudera looks at them with an intense look as he tries to push against his wounds to prevent any more blood flowing out. He slowly steps back and slips on a rug that causes him to fall down a pile of stairs. "Ah~ How uncool…!"

"My body…" Gokudera thought. "It won't move."

One of Birds little yellow birds flies down and lands on the edge of the stairs behind him. "Beaten! Beaten!" It cries.

"Damn it. That pervert's bird is laughing at me, too." He struggles to get up. "How can I call myself Juudaime's right-hand man? I haven't been able to do a thing for him… Damn it!"

"Midori tanabiku namimori no, Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii…" The bird starts to sing. Gokudera sees this and chuckles as he takes out a dynamite from his shirt.

"Ah…! Does he still plan on fighting?" Ken speaks as he walks down the stairs to finish him off. The bomber uses all his remaining strength, flings his dynamite back against the wall, destroying it with the explosion. "Haha, watcha aimin' at?"

Gokudera chuckles. "You're the only one who likes our school song that much." Gokudera says as the wall crumbles, revealing a heavily wounded skylark behind him.

"Huh? This guy's…"

"Namimori Middle Discipline Committee Chairman, Hibari Kyoya." Chikuwa finishes Ken's sentence.

"You look well…" Gokudera mutters.

Ken just laughs. "So this half-dead guy is supposed to be your reinforcement?"

"I could have gotten out myself, but…" Hibari says and stands up. "This works. Leave those two to me."

"Do as you wish."

"Oh?" Ken sees the yellow bird flies down and perches on the discipline chairman. "He tamed Birds' bird."

"Then I'll have them." Hibari ignores Ken's comment.

"What's a half-dead guy like you mumbling about?!" Ken shouts. "I'll take him!"

"I thought you say that." Chikusa sighs.

Ken puts in another sed of fake teeth and his hair turns orange and bushier and his hands turn to paws. "Lion Channel!"

"Wow~ Are you a puppy?" Hibari taunts him.

"Quite, you little duckling!" The lion-human hybrid shouts as he runs on fours towards the perfect, who kicks his fallen tonfas from the ground and strikes him. He strikes again and again until he sends one heavy blow at the blonde student, sending him up the stairs and crashes out the window.

"Ken!" The beanie student shouts as he turns around to face the skylark.

"Suki wa kimi," Hibari speaks as he gets ready to fight. "Kamikorosu."


Back to Tsuna, Bianchi lies on the floor motionlessly due to Fuuta's action from before.

"Bianchi!" Tsuna calls out. "Bianchi, hang on!"

"Fuuta, what are you trying to do?!" Kouga yells at the ranking prince.

The boy immediately tries to stab Tsuna but the brunette manages to doge it in time. He tries to stab Kouga next but the black-haired boy dodges it as well. They step back and notices Fuuta's eyes; they look empty and blank, like someone under hypnotism.

"He could be…" Tsuna thought.

"Seems like he's under mind control." Reborn voices out his thoughts.

"S-Sonna…" Tsuna says. "Wake up, Fuuta!"

Fuuta just goes and stabs Tsuna once more and once again the brunette dodges it and then avoids a slash from him. Mukuro just sits on the stage, chuckling away.

"W-What should I do?" Tsuna speaks as he steps back from the controlled boy but is pulled back by a whip that Reborn is holding as it ties around him.

"I brought the whip Dino gave you." Reborn tells him, leading to a confused look from Kouga.

"Dino gave you a whip?" Kouga asks the brunette.

"Now isn't the time!" Tsuna shouts at him. "And what do I do with this thing?!"

"What do you do and what can you do is up to you, but if you don't do something, you'll be killed."

"But the opponent is Fuuta! I can't hurt him!"

"Kufufufu." Mukuro chuckles. "What will you do, Vongola Tenth.

Tsuna continues to step back as he backs away from Fuuta, then his eyes widen in realization. "I know!" He thought as he runs towards Mukuro.

"Oh…?"

"If I attack Mukuro directly…" He then notices footsteps behind him to find Fuuta running behind him.

"Don't follow me, Fuuta!" Tsuna shouts.

"Yabe!" Kouga runs after them and stands in front of the ranking prince.

"Kouga-san!" Tsuna calls out as he sees Fuuta tries to stab him but then is blocked by a blade from Kouga's sleeve.

"Now, Tsuna!" Kouga tells the brunette who understands and swings the whip at the pineapple man but he hit himself and tangles his legs in the process.

"I failed!"

"Hahahaha! You're always surprising me." Mukuro laughs. "Look behind you, it's dangerous…"

Tsuna looks behind to find Fuuta tangle up with him and Kouga's legs behind. "Ah! Fuuta and Kouga-san got tangle up as well!" He cries. The ranking prince tries to reach for his dropped weapon but the brunette swipes it away from his reach. "Stop it, Fuuta!" He then notices Fuuta's eyes.

"Those are the eyes that Lancia-san has…" He thought as he recalls on how Fuuta tells him that he can't come home. "Is he feeling guilty because Mukuro made him do something terrible?"

The ranking prince finally gets his weapon and gets ready to swing it down on the brunette.

"Ah!"

"Tsuna!" Kouga yells.

"Fuuta…" Tsuna grits his teeth. "You didn't do anything wrong." Fuuta stops at Tsuna's words. "You didn't do anything wrong at all. We're all your allies, Fuuta, so don't worry and come home."

Mukuro's eyes sharpen as he sees this. Fuuta lifts up his dagger but then he clutches his head in pain.

"To break the mind control, he's said the phrase they want to hear the most." Mukuro mutters.

Fuuta stops clutching his head as he breaks out of the pineapple's control. "Tsuna…-nii…" He manages to say before collapsing on the ground.

"Fuuta!" Tsuna grabs him as the boy falls on him. "Oi!"

"Fuuta!" Kouga quickly gets to his feet and runs to beside him.

"It seems like he crashed because of what you said." Mukuro tells him.

"Sonna…" Tsuna shakes the boy. "Fuuta!"

"And he hasn't really slept in the past ten days." The pineapple adds. "He was a troublesome boy from the start. To find the Vongola Tenth, we can to Japan, but we didn't know where to look specifically."

"So you had Fuuta come to you." Kouga concludes.

"Yes… But he followed the Omerta and kept silent."

"The vow of silence, Omerta." Tsuna thought.

"Even under my control," Mukuro continues, "he never said anything about the Vongola. He's quite impressive."

"So, without a choice," Reborn adds, "you used Namimori's combat prowess ranking, which had been created, to draw out Tsuna's family."

"My plan worked perfectly. After all, the Vongola is here right in front of me."

"Teme…" Kouga growls as the yellow part of his hair grows.

"You did this to Fuuta, who was innocent." Tsuna says and stands up, facing Mukuro. "Rokudo Mukuro! What do you think people are?!"

"Toys…" Mukuro replies, leading an outraged Tsuna and Kouga.

"Don't screw around!" They scream and dashes forward with their weapon ready.

"I would never thought that I have to fight directly." Mukuro stands up from his seat and the kanji on his right eye spins till it stops at the kanji of four. He jumps down from the stage with a pole in his hands and they pass each other as they attack. After a few seconds, cuts appear throughout the brunette's and the black-haired boy's body, causing them to scream in pain.

"Is something the matter?" The pineapple turns around to show a flame on his right eye as Tsuna and Kouga collapse knee first to the ground. He then notices a cut on his right arm. "Oh… Looks like you manage to cut me, Vongola Knight.

"W-What happened?" Tsuna pants.

"I-It all happened in an instant!" Kouga pants. "But I managed to land a hit."

"He struck as the three of you cross paths." Reborn says.

"Exactly what I would have expected from an Alcobaleno." Mukuro says as he places the tri-spiked weapon that Fuuta wields onto his pole, forming a trident. "That's exactly right.

Both teens turn around and notice his flaming eye.

"Ah! The Dying Will Flame on his eye…" Tsuna says.

"Oh? So you can see it."

"That's not a Dying Will Flame." Kouga tells the brunette.

"That's right." Mukuro explains. "This aura is the 'Fourth Path', a combat skill I learnt from the Path of Asura."

"Asura? Skill?"

"Are you familiar with the 'Transmigration through the Six Worlds'?" Mukuro asks them.

"When people die," Reborn explains, "they are reborn as demon, as a hungry ghost, a beast, an Asura, a human or a deva."

"The six realms of reincarnation…" Kouga summarizes.

"I have the memory of going to all six realms." The pineapple tells them. "I've attained six combat skills from the six underworlds."

"What are you… talking about?" Tsuna questions.

"If that true, you're a monster." Reborn says to him.

"I don't want to hear that from you, a cursed infant, an Arcobaleno."

"A-Arcobaleno? Does he mean Reborn?" Tsuna and Kouga thought.

"Now let me show you," They turn their attention to Mukuro, "my next skill." His eye spin once more and stops at the kanji of one which froze the two. "Here I come." He taps his trident on the floor, and it starts to crumble underneath their feet.

"S-Sonna…" Tsuna mutters. "The building's…" He then spots his friends falling off to the abyss below. "Ah! Fuuta! Bianchi! Reborn! Kouga-san!" He then starts falling after them. He nearly screams until he feels a huge pain on his cheek which is caused by his tutor punching him and resulting in falling to the floor. "Why did you do that, Reborn?!" But then he notices that his surroundings are back to normal. "H-Huh?"

"What you saw was an illusion." Reborn tells his student.

"E-Eh?! An illusion?!"

"Kufufufu." Mukuro chuckles. "You saw right through it. Well done. Yes, the First Path, the Path of Hell, is a skill that destroys the spirit with an endless nightmare."

"S-Scary!" Tsuna thought.

"But I'm surprised on how you managed to see through it," He looks at Kouga who looks back at him with a third of his hair yellow and his right blue eye is shown, "Vongola Knight."

"Ah! Kouga-san! Y-You're hair!" Tsuna says but then he remembers. "Now that I think about it part of his hair was turning yellow."

"As expected of the one who holds the power of 'Mako'." The pineapple states.

"M-Mako?" Tsuna thought.

"How do you know that?" Kouga questions.

"I have my resources about the subject. But now I've beginning to see your relationship after observing you." Mukuro tells them. "The Arcobaleno is here to monitor the Vongola, while the Knight is here to protect him."

"That's not true." Reborn tells him. "Because I'm Tsuna's home tutor."

"And I'm not protecting him." Kouga replies. "I'm helping him as his friend."

"Kufufufu. I see. That's rather unique." Mukuro says. "But is the teacher not going to attack? I don't mind taking the three of you on at the same time."

"Because that's the law." Reborn states

"So, it's the law?" He asks. "What a very proper, mafia-esque response."

"And I don't need to do a thing." The hitman replies. "My student will defeat you."

"Oi! Reborn!" Tsuna yells at his tutor.

"Oh…? What a beautiful, trusting relationship." Mukuro comments. "How amusing. Very well then." His red eye spins into a kanji of three. Snakes start falling from the ceiling and onto the brunette and his friend.

"Ah! Snakes!" Tsuna shrieks. "Are these illusion too?"

"Those are real poisonous snakes." Mukuro answers.

Tsuna pales. "N-No way…!"

"The Third Path, Path of Beast. The skill to summon animals that will kill my enemy. Your student is in trouble, won't you do anything?"

"Don't be so sure with yourself, Mukuro." Reborn says as the snakes attack the brunette. "I'm the best home tutor."

The snakes then stop in their tracks as Kouga stands in close to his friend as blue aura spills out from his shoulders, intimidating them. They slither away with the fear of getting killed. Mukuro is unfazed until a flying tonfa is thrown at him which he blocks it.

"Juudaime, please get down!" The two teens look up to find many lit dynamites coming at them which explodes and scattering the snakes away. Through the smoke, they see Hibari supporting Gokudera near the entrance. "Sorry we're late."

"Hibari-san! Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna calls out. "You're both…"

"Do you understand now, Mukuro?" Reborn asks him. "I didn't raise only Tsuna."

"I've paid my back now." Hibari says and he flings the silverrette to the side.

"He threw him away!" Both teens mentally shout.

"My, my, there's a lot of spectators today." Mukuro says. "What is Chikusa doing?"

"Heh, the glasses guy and the animal guy below are taking a nap together below." Gokudera says.

"I see."

"Way to do, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna praises his friend.

"It's not as if I beat them…" He mumbles.

Hibari crouches down and picks up his tonfa. "Have you prepare yourself?" He asks the pineapple.

"You're very scary." Mukuro comments. "But please don't get between me and the Vongola. Besides, you can barely stand right now. I've broken many bones, after all."

"Hibari-san…" Tsuna thought. "He's been through so much."

"Have you prepared your last will?" Hibari taunts.

"You say such amusing things." The pineapple says. "I have no choice, I'd better take care of you first." His eye spin till shows the kanji of four again and a fade flame ignites on his eye. "This will end of a moment!" He clashes with the Skylark. Hibari blocks it and strikes back at him and Mukuro dodges it and strikes again. This goes on at a super-fast speed that Tsuna couldn't blink.

"It's so fast, I can't see anything." Tsuna thought.

Their weapons then clashes and hit a standoff. "How long does a moment for you last?" Hibari asks. Mukuro just smirks at his questions and just breaks off and jumps back before clashing with him again.

"Amazing! Expected of Hibari-san!" Tsuna exclaims.

"Don't underestimate them, Mukuro." Reborn tells the illusionist. "They're still growing."

Mukuro and Hibari continue to clash with each other. "It seems so…" Mukuro says. "We may never know how the battle would have gone, if he had not been hurt."

Hibari suddenly stops as the blood drops from his arms to the wooden floor.

"Hibari-san!" Tsuna shouts.

"This is a waste of time. Let's finish this quickly." He says to the panting perfect on the floor. His eye spin yet again to the kanji of one and cherry blossoms start to appear throughout the ceiling of the room.

"S-Sakura?" Tsuna wonders.

"Hibari can't move when he's near sakura." Reborn explains. "He got the Sakura-Kura. Shamal gave him earlier with a Trident Mosquito."

"Eh?!"

"Damn that Shamal!" Kouga mutters.

"Let's have you kneel before me again." Mukuro says as the perfect seems to weaken, slowly stumbles towards him.

"Hibari-san!" Tsuna yells but Reborn just smirks. The skylark who stumbles around, suddenly lash forward and lands a powerful blow on Mukuro, shocking the brunette and the pineapple.

"Oya?" Mukuro is confused when he hears Gokudera laugh.

"You weren't expecting this." Gokudera mocks him as he takes out a paper bag. "I got medicine for Hibari from Shamal."

"T-Then…!" Hibari runs forward and lands a final blow on Mukuro, sending him back and onto the ground. "H-He did it." Tsuna stutters.

"Tch. He got all the good parts." Gokudera grumbles. Tsuna looks down on the fallen Mukuro, still can't believe that it is over.

"You finally did it." Reborn tells the brunette. He looks at his tutor before looking on the floor in front of him.

"It's over…" Tsuna says. "I can go home now!"

"But you were perfectly useless in the battle with Mukuro."

"Leave me alone!"

"Relax. I'm useless here too, you know." Kouga tells him and then they hear a thud and turns their heads to find Hibari collapse on the floor.

"Hibari-san!" Tsuna calls out as they run over to the fallen skylark. "Daijoubu deska?"

"He was fighting unconsciously near the end." Reborn explains. "He must been really upset that he lost once before."

"Hibari-san… Amazing…" Tsuna says. "Ah! We need to take everyone to the hospital, quickly!"

"Don't worry about it." The hitman tells him. "A very skilled Vongola medical team is on its way-"

"That team will be useless." They turn to face Mukuro standing up with a pistol in his hand. "Because there will be no survivors."

"Teme…!" Gokudera immediately stands in front of Tsuna.

"Let's meet again." Mukuro says as he points his gun at his head. "Arrivederci (See you soon)." He then fires at himself, leading to a very shock brunette who witnesses it.

"he killed himself…"

"Why did he do that?" Tsuna wonders.

"Maybe he would rather die than be caught." Reborn replies. "Or…"

Tsuna suddenly feels a chill down his spine. "W-What is this feeling?" He thought.

Kouga feels the same chill. "Something's not right." He thought.