Author's Note: The Ring Conflict is slowly drawing to an end…
Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Tsuna looks shocked. "T-This person…" This man….he's the Ninth. I recognize him from a picture I saw… "The Ninth…"
"Why? Why is he here?" asks Basil.
Reborn jumps over to Tsuna. Tsuna lands on his knees. "What in the world is going on? Why was he inside Mosca?"
"Hey! Get a hold of yourself!" Reborn says to the Ninth. Reborn looks at Mosca. "I've seen Mosca's structure once before. It seems like the Ninth was being used as Gola Mosca's power supply," explains Reborn.
"Huh? Power supply? W-Why?" asks Tsuna.
Xanxus cuts in, "There's no need to be asking 'why'. You attacked the Ninth."
Tsuna's eyes widen. "I did?"
Reborn unties the Ninth. "This isn't good. This wound can't be dealt with using first aid."
"That's…" starts Tsuna.
"Who mercilessly punched that old man?" asks Xanxus. Tsuna gapes at his gloves. "Who scorched Mosca into two, along with the old man?"
"That's…I….the Ninth…I…."
Suddenly, the Ninth says, "No." Everyone's eyes widen. "It was my fault"
"N-Ninth!"
"We're finally able to meet, Tsunayoshi-kun," says the Ninth.
Tsuna asks, "Eh?"
"I'm sorry. All of this happened because of my weakness. My weakness woke Xanxus from his long slumber," says the Ninth.
Reborn and Tsuna gasp. "Slumber? What do you mean?" asks Reborn. "After Xanxus left the 'crib', he left the Family and should have been placed under heavy surveillance by the Vongola."
"'Crib'?" asks Tsuna.
Reborn explains, "The greatest coup d'état attempt in Vongola history occurred eight years ago. The dreadful fact that the Ninths son was responsible was kept secret. Only the tops of the Vongola and the elites who fought in that battle knew of it."
"For Xanxus, time has stood still for eight years. He's been asleep ever since that time, inflating his dreadful amount of hate and tenacity," explains the Ninth.
"Eh? W-What do you…What in the world?" asks Tsuna. The Ninth coughs. "A-Are you okay? Hang in there!" Tsuna exclaims.
"Tsunayoshi-kun," starts the Ninth. "I constantly hear about you from Reborn. About the girl you like, about your school, about your friends… You are a child with a heart to ill-matched to that of a mafia boss." His voice is getting weaker.
"Ninth!"
"I know that you've never once fought happily. You always have a wrinkle on your forehead and you swing your fists as if to pray. That's why I choose you as Vongola the Tenth," says the Ninth. He lights a small flame from his finger. Tsuna starts to cry. "I'm sorry. But I'm glad it's you."
"Wait!" exclaims Tsuna as he takes the Ninth's arm. "No! Please wait! Ninth!" Tsuna continues to cry. "Ninth…"
"How dare you kill the Ninth. I take your cruel treatment of the Ninth as a challenge to his true son, Xanxus, and the honorable spirit of the Vongola. Don't feign ignorance. The burns on the Ninth's chest are more than enough proof. The Ring Conflict is nothing compared to what you've done. This is for the sake of my father, who was the boss, and for the future of the Vongola. I will defeat you and avenge him," says Xanxus with a cruel smile plastered on his face.
"What are you saying?! You captured the Ninth!" shouts Gokudera.
Reborn says to Xanxus, "This is what you were after."
"Huh?" asks Tsuna.
"Even if he won the Ring Conflict and became the boss-in-waiting, the ones who knew about the 'crib' would still object to his appointment and resist him. But if he avenges the Ninth after framing Tsuna, then it would be different. He would gain absolute trust of many in the family. And if he's stronger than Tsuna, who was meant to be the Tenth, he could prove that he is the true successor. If that were to happen, it wouldn't be an issue to deal with those who oppose him," explains Reborn.
Basil summarizes, "Then Xanxus did this to become the boss and create a dictatorship!"
"Yeah. This was a trap. Where Mosca would go out of control and put Tsuna's friends in danger, he predicted that Tsuna would come to rescue them." replies Reborn.
Tsuna starts to shake. "That's…J-Just for that…"
"Everyone, please refrain from conjuncture," says one of the Cervello.
The other one continues, "We are officially recording all statements."
"They're…" Yamamoto starts angrily.
"I knew it. The Cervello has always been on Xanxus' side!" Gokudera exclaims angrily.
Reborn says with force, "Do as you'd like. I've already snapped." The Cervello women gasp. "But I will keep my promise to the Ninth and won't raise a hand. Not in my student's fight." The Cervello let out a sigh of relief. "However," continues Reborn. The Cervello look startled again as Reborn says, "even as I say that, I don't know what my student, who doesn't like fighting, will do."
Tsuna stands up. "Xanxus. I'll be taking that ring back. I won't… I won't let you succeed the Ninth," he declares.
"Well said, Tsuna," says Reborn.
Xanxus replies, "I'll carve you into the history of the Vonogla, shouting that there was a pathetic wimp who revolted against Xanxus."
"He's not alone!" shouts Gokudera. Gokudera holds up his dynamite. "Then Tenth's will is…"
Chrome holds up her trident, Sasagawa looks ready to fight, I pull out my knives, and Yamamoto finishes, "Is our will!"
Hibari takes out his tonfas. "Personally."
"You brats want a fight?" asks Levi.
Prince the Ripper takes out his knives. "Shishi, sounds fun."
"Eradicate the traitors!" Xanxus orders.
"Please wait a moment," the Cervello say at the same time.
"The fight to avenge the Ninth…" says one.
"Will be controlled by us," finishes the other.
Sasagawa exclaims, "What?!"
"We have duty to watch over the Vongola Rings," explains the Cervello.
Gokudera shouts back, "What are you saying, dogs of Xanxus?!"
"Watch your mouth," commands the Cervello. "We have the Ninth's direct orders." She holds up the paper again.
The other one continues," We cannot allow the Rings to change hands without our approval."
"How dare you! You must have forced the Ninth to make the Dying Will Flame Seal!" shouts Basil.
The Cervello replies, "As we said earlier, please refrain from conjuncture."
"This battle, which shall determine the next Vongola boss, shall be called," starts the other.
At the same time, they say, "the Sky Match."
"In other words, it will be the last battle of the Ring Conflict."
"How does that suit you, Xanxus-sama?" asks the Cervello.
Xanxus replies, "It's not bad."
The Cervello announces, "Then, tomorrow night…"
"Would everyone please gather at Nami-Middle," finishes the other.
Prince the Ripper says, "So you've given them a stay of execution."
"What?!" shouts Sasagawa.
Gokudera says angrily, "You…"
"This is good news, Tsuna was exhausted from his training today," says Reborn.
"Tomorrow is going to be this comedy's last act. Struggle with all your might," says Xanxus as he flicks the ring over to Tsuna. Tsuna catches it and Xanxus teleports away with a large burst of light.
"H-He disappeared…Those women too!" exclaims Sasagawa, looking a bit shell-shocked.
Basil exclaims, "N-Ninth!" He runs over to the Ninth. "Please, hold on!"
Suddenly, the Bronco's voice asks, "Were we too late?"
"Bucking Bronco!" exclaims Gokudera.
The Bronco orders, "You, take the Ninth and any injured."
The Ninth gets carried away in a stretcher. Yamamoto shouts, "Are you all right, Hibari?"
"You were surprisingly well behaved," comments Gokudera.
"If these incidents are drawing out that herbivore's power, then I can't intervene yet," replies Hibari. It seems that everyone has turned to Tsuna, so I do too.
Reborn kicks Tsuna to the floor as he says, "Hey we're going home!" He lands on Tsuna's back with a surprising amount of force. "We're going home."
"Huh?" asks Tsuna.
"You need to recharge for tomorrow's match," explains Reborn.
Tsuna asks, "Why do you always kick me?!"
Reborn replies bluntly, "I felt irritated."
"W-What kind of reason is that?!" he exclaims. I start to laugh along with the others. Reborn continues to kick Tsuna.
I walk up to Hibari and say, "I'll see you tomorrow morning for the patrol then, Hibari-san." He nods and I continue to walk. I wave to Ken, Chikusa, and Chrome on my way out. It's strange, I feel oddly at ease… I look up at the sky. I wonder why?
I see Tsuna looking around the school awe struck. "Morning, Tsuna-san," I greet. I stare at him for a bit and ask, "You were worried about the school, aren't you?"
Reborn says, "I just explained it to him."
I nod. "I even specifically came here earlier this morning to see if I had to use some of my illusions to repair the school. I had planned to follow Hibari-san around today, since he doesn't seem to mind much, so that I would only have to cast an illusion on the parts in view. I guess that I don't have to though," I explain. I wave before I start to walk away. "Well, I'll be on my way to class then. I need a nap," I say as I leave.
I go back home to find that Mrs. Sawada is really relieved and happy, which is shown by the incredible amount of food that she's making. "Did something good happen?" I ask as I pour myself a cup of tea.
She smiles. "Kori-chan! Lambo-kun woke up today!" she exclaims happily.
"Lambo…" I mutter. "That's right, he's been in the hospital this entire time," I reply. I cross my arms because I feel a bit uncomfortable. "I'm heading out for a bit," I say quietly before leaving.
I start to walk to the hospital with a bag of grapes and grape candy. I'm pretty sure that he seemed to like grapes the best… I let out a sigh. What's happening to me? When have I ever been one to care so much about others? It's all Tsuna's doing. The first person to seriously care about my well-being… I shake my head before I open the door to the hospital room quietly. I smirk a little as I listen to Gokudera talk about the events to so far to Lambo. "So, you really do care about him don't you?" I ask after Gokudera tucks Lambo back in.
"GWAHH! You!" he exclaims. I smirk at him. Then he looks at my hands, which are holding the shopping bags, and says, "Oh, like you don't either?"
"…When I got home, Mrs. Sawada seemed very busy…but she wanted to bring some food to Lambo. So, since no one else was around, I volunteered," I reply as I put down the shopping bags on the hospital bed and then cross my arms. "I am living there without paying her, after all."
"Yeah, right," he replies.
Suddenly Reborn's voice says, "You two do have a good side after all. Gokudera. Kori." The pot holding a flower turns around to reveal Reborn's face.
"Reborn-san! How long have you been there?" we shout at the same time.
"Since the beginning," replies Reborn.
"F-From the start…" mutters Gokudera. Gokudera slumps and I look at him blankly. Suddenly he stands up again. "I-Is the Tenth here too?"
"Tsuna went to school today," replies Reborn. Gokudera and I let out a sigh. "So, the story thus far has been of the Guardian's battles. The decisive battle to become Vongola the Tenth is a direct fight between Tsuna and Xanxus. It's going to become even fiercer in tonight's Sky Match." Suddenly, Reborn has a glint in his eye. "So…For the moment, I'm going to…"
"A-Are you going to do something?" asks Gokudera. He looks a little scared. Reborn starts to snore.
"He fell asleep?!" we exclaim at the same time. "Quit doing that!" we shout in sync again. "Hey! Stop!" Oh god, why? Are we some sort of entertainment? I stop speaking to avoid any more in sync shouting.
"You're just conserving energy!" shouts Gokudera.
I wait for him to calm down, and then I ask, "We never speak of this, agreed?"
He nods. "Agreed."
I nod seriously. "I'll be on my way then." I start to walk out of the room. "Let's do our best later, for Tsuna-san…Gokudera."