A/N: Mukuro & Chrome vs. Mammon. Hum... you want some fries with that InSanIty¿

Chapter 11: The Illusionist Brawl

His eye twitched. Of all the Varia who could have attacked it had to be him. Of course. His life was just too normal, wasn't it? His friends looked to him in concern. "Sire?" asked Hayato. Tsuna growled, or was it a groan?

"Mammon," he spit, glaring at the herd of deer before him. Hayato sighed. He should have known. Mammon may be a fully grown... it, but he(?) was actually something of a prankster. Illusions and pranks went well together. Too well. Add to that the fact that Mammon was just as sadistic as Reborn(it was practically a requirement to be one of the Strongest Seven. Tsuna swore to never defeat one of them. He didn't want to be seen as a sadist.) and you have a terror beyond most of what you can imagine.

"Well, we can't get away from him. Mukuro, would you be so kind as to play with the Strongest Illusionist? I'm sure he'll be able to teach you lots of neat new tricks if you defeat him," Hayato said. Tsuna groaned. So that was why Mukuro gave him the creeps. He might just be strong enough to beat Mammon. His previous thoughts on sadism being a requirement for the title returned and he let out a keening sound before he fell to his knees.

"So that's why," he muttered, unconsciously. Reborn quirked an eyebrow at that, wondering what his student meant. Hayato sighed, guessing at his friend's train of thought.

"Sire, he is a strong illusionist. And Reborn is an assassin. Madam Luce wasn't sadistic, was she? And what about Skull?" Tsuna gave his childhood friend a dead look.

"You never saw either mad," he said tonelessly. The others all looked at one another in varying emotions and levels of said emotions. Concern might have covered most of it, but there were other emotions as well. They were just a little difficult to decipher. Confusion might well have been one of the more prevalent though.

"I've heard Luce when she..." Hayato said, only to trail off as his friend and King shook his head, his normally warm and lively eyes dull and dead.

"No. I mean mad. As in 'no-one-will-ever-find-your-body' mad," the prince said, shivering slightly as he seemed to remember some childhood terror. Hayato blanched as he thought what that terror must be.

"You've seen Madam Luce that mad?" he asked. Tsuna nodded.

"And Skull." Hayato looked like he might faint.

"Skull got that mad? I mean... Skull gave off that aura? And you saw it?" Tsuna nodded and Hayato really did faint.

"Kufufufu~! I might like to see those memories, little prince," Mukuro said gleefully. Or... as gleeful as he ever got. Tsuna gave him a slasher grin that made even the sadistic Mukuro and bloodthirsty Hibari, who was watching from a tree a discreet distance away, shiver slightly.

"Really now? You want to see the two most harmless looking people in my kingdom suddenly morph into cold blooded killers with mockingly pleasant smiles on their faces while their Flames swirl around them like vengeful spirits? You want to see a Queen with a shining scimitar cloaked in pure Flame the likes of which this world has never known while a near immortal, and well known as such, stuntman cracks his knuckles standing beside her and bearing an identical look of death in his eyes while his purple Flames glint off his exposed teeth and give his already purple eyes a freakish look?" he asked innocently. At least... as innocently as one could when they have a slasher grin on their face. Mukuro backed away. Slowly. Hibari was glad he stayed away from people by default. If he didn't, he'd be slowly retreating right along side the pineapple, as he called Mukuro. Takeshi laughed.

"Don't you think you laid it on a bit thick?" the easy-going swordsman asked and a sheepish grin. Tsuna turned his dead eyes on the raven and slowly shook his head.

"Would just anything cause this reaction in me, Takeshi?" he asked. The swordsman gulped, thinking of just how strong and terrifying the little brunette in front of him could be and what it must take to make the young man so lifeless at the mere thought.

"You have a point," he conceded. Tsuna smirked. It was at that moment that his Pillars vowed to flee and warn the populace if they ever saw that look on their ruler's face again. Such a devious and pain(of one sort or another)-promising look did not fit on Tsuna's face. At all.

"Of course. I'm me," he said, his eyes twinkling. His friends decided that the twinkle could stay, but that smirk was just too wrong. That was when they realized something. The only times Tsuna had made any of them scared he had been a bundle of cool, calculating, and yet burning rage. He had never scared them when he wasn't, as some would say, pissed off. This Tsuna was creepy in ways the Tsuna they knew, and loved if they'd let themselves be honest, could never be. However, it was Lambo who made the first move.

"You aren't Tsuna-nii," he said clearly, with no hint of fear in his voice. Takeshi gave the boy a confused look, Hayato sputtered, Ryohei yelled(EXTREME!), Hibari 'hn'd, Mukuro laughed(kufufufu~), and Chrome tilted her head.

"That is a very good illusion. You had me fooled for a moment," Mukuro said, glaring at a tree a few feet away.

"But I will not be fooled. Give me back Prince," Chrome said, her usually quiet and shy voice full of steel. Both she and her twin spun their tridents and, in perfect synchronicity, slammed the butts into the ground. Indigo mist swirled over the group and out in an oval about ten or so feet from the two illusionists. When the mist cleared, the trees looked different and Tsuna was gone. In the place of the tree Mukuro had glared at was a tall, dark, hooded figure with purple, upside down, triangles on its cheeks.

"Well done on dispelling that illusion. Perhaps the fluff-head does have a brain," the figure said in a silky, genderless voice, amusement underlining the words.

"I take offense at that, Viper," Tsuna said, stepping out from behind Hibari's tree. The skylark started.

'I never noticed he was there!' Hibari thought in shock, though his face was completely emotionless. Tsuna, however, was the more chilling of the two. He was glaring.

"You know, perhaps better than anyone, that I have a brain. I found the illusions nearly an hour ago and have been trying to avoid them. You, however, seem to have written that off as me being lucky," the prince said, his voice icy and the air around him so cold it burned, or was it so hot it froze? Regardless, those who could feel his aura shivered and moved away from him, and out of his direct line of sight. Oh the Prince could still see them, but they were on the edges of his sight. "Ha!" the brunette barked, the hooded illusionist jerking at the sound, before he continued. "That wasn't luck. What was luck was being able to surprise you by moving out from under your illusion. How could you not know I was moving? It was your illusion! You should have been able to sense my movements through your Flame! And you imply I have no brain," the Prince almost ranted, ending his tirade with a small snort.

"I find myself agreeing with the interesting herbivore," Hibari said, surprising himself with his words. Tsuna smirked and though it was slightly creepy, it wasn't downright wrong either. It was just a smug, pleased, yet surprised smirk coupled with a twinkle of... was that pride? Joy? Determination? Resolve? All the above? Whatever it was, it made Chrome blush when she looked at his face. His relaxed yet battle ready posture didn't hurt either, in fact, it helped the image appear more dashing. Mammon, or Viper, shook slightly. Was this really the boy he(?) had taught? Was this really Tsunayoshi? No. It couldn't be. He was too... regal. Too confident. And much too powerful.

"Oh, I assure you, I am Prince Tsunayoshi de la Vongola. Please, acquaint yourself with my dual Mist Pillars. I'm sure they'd love to show you what their creative little minds can do. Plus, those tridents aren't just for show. Enjoy your romp children!" the smirking prince said. His other Pillars, knowing the young man well enough to catch the underlying order, bowed their heads to the illusionists before following their Chosen King. Tsuna let out a slightly shaky breath once they were outside the oval of Chrome and Mukuro's influence. "That... was scary," he huffed. Takeshi laughed.

"I thought you were really cool, Tsuna!" he said in his typical lighthearted manner. The brunette's eyes suddenly glazed over and a soft, almost fond, smile stretched across his face. The others wondered what was going through the prince's head, or in Ryohei's case asked outright, and loudly, what was bothering him. Tsuna said nothing and sank down to the mossy ground with his back against a large tree, that same smile playing across his features, his mind back in that cake shop in Namimori and a pretty little red head smiling at him over cake and coco.

/*/

"Well... you're just so... cool," Engel says before hiding behind her cup, her petite yet strong features turning slightly pink and her flame red hair falling prettily to the left. Despite my shock, I notice how she holds the cup with both hands, her slightly too long sleeves covering her palms as she cups the smooth, warm ceramic mug. I try to shake my shock off, and am met with limited success.

"No one... has ever said that... to me before," I say, stirring my coco. She thinks I'm cool? How? What have I done to warrant that?

"Why not?" she asks, sounding surprised. I can't really tell since I'm busy stirring my coco. I sigh, put down his spoon, and look out the window.

"Why not? It's simple really. I grew up in a place where I was the least among many. I was good at making things, and I listened, but I rarely wanted to do anything but live my bland life so people always called me a failure, a wimp, a loser, a waste of space, and shunned me. It didn't seem to matter if it was a conscious decision or not, people just avoided me. I had many tutors, but even they couldn't get me to do anything extraordinary. And so, I was anything but cool back home," I say sadly, memories of my harsh life playing through my minds eye.

/*/

"Tsuna-nii?" asked Lambo, his childish voice calling Tsuna out of the memory Takeshi's casual comment had plunged him into. He smiled at the boy and gave him a hug.

"I'm fine, thanks. Just... remembering," he said, his voice belaying his words.

"Remembering what?" asked Takeshi, truly curious. Tsuna's smile took on a more wistful look.

"The best birthday ever," he said before standing and moving even further from the dueling illusionists. "You coming? I'd suggest it. Going anywhere near an illusion duel is like asking for a free pass into an insane asylum... run by the inmates." After that, the group fled the scene. Ten minutes later, they turned back toward the area they had since dubbed 'The Illusionist's Playground.' Mammon was no where to be seen and Chrome was laying under a tree, panting. Tsuna raised one eyebrow in a smooth, elegant motion, his head inclined toward Chrome while his eyes remained on Mukuro, his intentions clear. Mukuro sent back a look that said, 'one word and I kill you. Slowly and painfully.' "Have fun?" the prince asked innocently. Mukuro's glare grew even sourer. Hibari's lip twitched up, just a little and only for a millionth of a second, at the way the weak looking brunette was able to get under the undeniable carnivore's skin with just two simple words and a quirked eyebrow. Tsuna sighed and shook his head. "Sun, Lightning, Storm, and Mist. That just leaves the Sky and Rain fights since Xanxus doesn't have a Cloud Pillar. I'll have to get that one off him as well. We're two days away from Pioggia Vale at the pace we've been going. However, unless Xanxus wants to fight me before Takeshi gets his Ring, I think those two days will be as peaceful as any day with me in the wilderness can be, so make the most of it. In the meantime, however, I think Chrome has the right idea. We'll camp here tonight and continue on in the morning. Any objections?" There were none. "Well, okay then. Good night," Tsuna said as he collapsed and promptly fell asleep. The others had what could only be called a 'sweat-drop moment' as they stared at their sleeping monarch.

"I guess Mammon's appearance put more strain on him than I thought. He really is the no-good prince," Reborn said, deciding it was high time he reasserted his influence in the motley gang the 'no-good' prince had assembled. Tsuna let out a strangled gargling sound that had the whole group, even Reborn and Hibari, looking at him with confusion plain on their faces.

"Um... I don't think he appreciated that comment, Reborn," Takeshi said, watching the sleeping royal with a puzzled look on his face. Reborn could only nod in agreement. Since when had Tsuna been able to respond to the outside world in his sleep?

"Well, don't just stand there. Get to work on your training while I try to wake Dame-Tsuna up," the assassin said. Tsuna grabbed the little foot headed for his head and chucked the miniature assassin into Chicksa.

"Shut up and rest, Idiot Assassin," the Prince said, giving his companions a one eyed glare, though it was focused mostly on Reborn. Refusing to admit to himself that the boy was scaring even him, Reborn simply sniffed at the boy.

"Don't think you can order me around, Dame-Tsuna. I'm still the strongest assassin," he said. Tsuna's glare actually managed to intensify.

"I'm tired, I'm sore, I'm experiencing flashbacks, I had to run from the illusionist Battle Royal, and Squalo is waiting to fight a rather inexperienced Takeshi. Take all that, mix in a dash of exceptional Flame control, a sprinkling of stress, and you have a condition that should not be ignored but can be at least temporarily alleviated by a good deal of sleep. I'm sure that everyone else is just as worn out as I am. Really, Ghrian, don't you remember how hard you had to work to get your abilities? How you had to rest in order for your body to function the way you want it to? We are young. Strong, yes, but young. Far too young to have to fight these battles but it is necessary. However, because of our youth, we. Must. Rest. Now shut up and rest you sadistic, idiotic, baby assassin," the prince said, growling as he spit out the last words. Reborn sighed, though he was shaken on the inside by that use of that name.

"Fine. You have a day of rest. Use it well," the assassin said before vanishing into the forest. Tsuna huffed but rolled over and swiftly fell back into the realms of sleep. The others, including the Estrango escapees, decided to follow their prince. Sleep really did sound like a good idea. Who were they to argue with a good idea delivered by a prince that could pull off a death glare with only one eye? Chrome, who had been asleep since the battle, was experiencing mental backlash. One of the many drawbacks of illusions. While Tsuna convinced the others to sleep, her mind was trapped in the past.

/*/

It was cold, dark, and stank of more than just mold. Fear, pain, blood, bodily excrement, and an underlying current of sadistic pleasure mixed with the cloying smells of the many and varied chemicals used by the scientists. The smell alone was often enough to have any 'visitors' lose their lunch. What those visitors saw was what really got them, if the sounds and smells didn't. And if the sight of innocent children under the age of twelve and none younger than two strapped to tables and being cut open by saws, knifes, and lasers, stabbed with so many needles feeding less than savory looking chemicals into them that they looked like porcupines, or having foreign limbs or organs; sometimes both, grafted onto them didn't get them then that visitor was one of the sickest beings on the face of the planet. Nagi was one of the lucky ones. She was being used as a trial illusionist. Her brother wasn't so lucky, being one of the few who was being implanted with a Hell's Eye. Most of the children exposed to that eye ended up dead... or worse. She was locked in her cage, shivering in the corner. She could hear the sounds of the other, unfortunate, children who had been brought to the facility. The screams weren't the worst. No, it was the sobs and whimpers that made her kind heart ache the most. She turned her head to look at one of the quietest children. He was blond and had a rather nasty looking cut across his nose. However, despite his quiet sobs and the injury, he had a look to his eyes that made the shy little girl want to smile. She slid over to the bars closest to him. "Hello," she said softly. The boy spun quickly. Perhaps a little too quickly. His already pale face paled further from the pain and he grabbed at his side. "They punished you, didn't they," she said, still in that soft voice, hoping it would make him relax a little. He smiled painfully at her, she could see that his gums were raw and must pain him greatly, and said,

"Yeah, but it was worth it." Nagi tilted her head, but could say nothing more before she was yanked from the cold cage and her new almost-friend. He watched her go with pitying sadness. He knew the men who had taken the sweet girl. No-one came back even remotely undamaged from those men. Nagi was strapped to a table next to her brother, but could say nothing. Fear kept her mouth shut and her eyes wide.

"Since you are the two most talented illusionists in the Kingdom, you have the honor of seeing if illusions can sustain a body that has lost most of its organs," the scientist said with a malicious grin. Nagi watched in abject terror as the man advanced on her with blunt and bloody instruments of destruction. Then, she heard a snarl and lotus flowers sprung up around the man.

"Touch my sister and die, monster," Mukuro hissed dangerously from where he was tethered, his Hell's Eye glowing, a Japanese number in place of the pupil, though which one, Nagi couldn't tell. The man chuckled.

"So... you are compatible with the Hell's Eye. This is a valuable discovery. Though," here the man laughed outright, "I doubt you could kill me boy, even with your powers." Nagi felt a growl loose itself from her throat, but thought little of it. She was more focused on making the foolish man pay for insulting her brother. Hot mist of indigo hue swirled around the not quite trapped man and tightened, burning him like fire and squeezing like a python. Then, all went black as a voice called out to her.

"...ome? Chrome?! CHROME!" that kind, warm, caring voice called. Warm hands took her shoulders, firmly but gently, and shook her a little.

/*/

Chrome opened her uncovered eye slowly and saw Tsuna looking at her with fear in his orbs of amber fire. With a strangled cry, she launched herself at the young prince. He caught her easily and rubbed her back, doing his best to calm her. He looked over her head at Mukuro, his eyes pleading with the illusionist to tell him what was wrong. Mukuro shook his head, his own mismatched eyes filled with confusion. Tsuna sighed and hugged the sobbing girl. "It is over, Chrome. Whatever you saw was a dream. Vivid, maybe. Cruel, possibly. Real... at one time perhaps but now? No," the prince whispered in her ear as he stroked her soft, dark blue hair. Slowly, her sobs stilled and Tsuna pushed her away slightly so as to look into her eye. "I won't let anything harm you if I can help it, and I can help a lot of things. I promise you, I won't hold you back, but I will watch over you," he said evenly. She nodded, then turned to her twin and latched on, murmuring in his ear what she had seen. Those watching felt a myriad of emotions as Mukuro, the only one besides Hibari that was as sadistic and twisted as Reborn, went pale and began to shake.

"No wonder you began to cry, my precious Chrome. You should not have had to see that again, not after all these years," the male illusionist said, holding his sister tightly. Tsuna quirked an eyebrow and Mukuro said one word, a word that carried all the explanation anyone needed. "Estrango." The prince nodded.

"My promise extends to you and your friends, or pawns as you seem to deem them. You are one half of my Mist Pillar and that makes you family. Your... pawns... shall be like unto cousins to me. I shall watch and intervene only when it is necessary to save a life... or dignity," the prince said, smirking faintly toward the end. Ken chucked a piece of wood at the smirking prince's head while Chicksa vanished. Out of the two of them, Tsuna was more worried about Chicksa's silent retribution than Ken's loudly voiced threats. It was always the quiet one who stuck hardest and no-one knew that better than Tsunayoshi de la Vongola, the quietest of the Heirs. So, it was no surprise when he promptly fell forward, rolled back, used his Flame to push himself up, preformed a perfect handstand, and delivered a spinning kick to the emotionless young man... while still holding himself up on his hands and all under thirty seconds. Okay, it might have been a little surprising, no-one had expected the flashy move, but it was fairly warranted. Chicksa had, in fact, launched one of his signature sneak attacks upon the prince, though it did seem a little halfhearted. Almost like it was a token protest to Tsuna taking him under his wing when the silent youth was actually older than the prince. Said prince smiled jauntily at the stoic before turning to the others and asking, "Who wants lunch?" It was no surprise that most hands went up. Just like it was no surprise that it was Hibari sent to collect wood while Tsuna went to catch their food and Hayato started the fire. It was a familiar pattern, and one that they were all grateful for, even if they didn't admit it.

/*/

Spanner shook his head at the sleeping ginger. With a weary sigh, the blond rolled the red head off the desk and onto the floor. Which the other young man hit. Hard. The bundle of white cloth, red hair, and black boots whimpered before sea green eyes peeked out to glare at the apathetic blond, who simply sucked on his lollipop. "I hate you," Shoichi growled as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Good morning to you too. Here, this came for you," Spanner said tonelessly as he handed over a needlessly formal looking letter.

"He summoned me?" Shoichi asked incredulously. He hadn't thought Byakuran would ever summon him like this. And yet, there was the letter, in all its pompous glory. He sighed and surrendered to the inevitable. He pulled on his White Spell coat and trudged up to Byakuran's office. "You summoned me," he said, managing to sound polite, irritated, and threatening at the same time. In the back of his mind, he was rather impressed with himself. Byakuran nodded.

"I did. Now, stand here and look like you want to decapitate someone," the white haired young man said, shoving Shoichi into a shadowed corner. He glared for all he was worth. He didn't need to look like he wanted to relive someone of their head. He actually did. Byakuran nodded at his glare. "Good, good. Now, look at the door without changing that expression," he said, ignoring the fact that the deadly look was real and already aimed where it should. Groaning, Shoichi turned to the door. His glare lost some of its deadliness, but it more than made up for it in sourness. Honestly, how Byakuran thought he could control how someone looked and acted was beyond Shoichi, and he had been the madman's friend for years. Stupid Milliefore 'Royal' family and their crazy offspring. With his thoughts firmly focused on that line of reasoning, Shoichi managed to hold his death glare. Then the door opened and, due to Byakuran's summons and subsequent request removing any and all chains on his emotions, Shoichi growled. Honest to goodness growled at the Mist Interrogator.

"You called, oh king?" the man said, trying to ignore the burning gaze of the growling red head and meeting with marginal success. Having Byakuran's right hand man and top Captain growling at you while glaring hard enough to set your coat on fire wasn't the easiest thing to brush off. It was moments like these that reaffirmed that Shoichi Irie was a man to be feared, even if he was only sixteen years old.

"Yes. What else have you been able to get from Princess Yuni about Prince Tsunayoshi?" Byakuran asked. Shoichi started a little, then intensified his glare. Byakuran had this madman interrogating Yuni?! Oh, that was it. They were so going down. First he'd set the ball rolling on Interrogator Gordon, then he'd tell Aria about it, as well as why he'd done what he had, and join her for popcorn to a front row seat of the fallout. Oh yes, they were going down and Shoichi was going to enjoy watching them crash and burn. He felt his lips twitch in an uncharacteristic surge of sadistic glee as he envisioned the interrogator writhe under the not-so-gentle hands of Queen Aria, or of Prince Tsunayoshi, or of said prince's Mist Pillar. Word had it the Prince had hooked himself a fairly powerful illusionist for the position. How lovely it would be to see poetic justice served. But he was getting ahead of himself. Byakuran was displeased with how little information Yuni was providing. Shoichi snickered to himself in the privacy of his mind.

'Good girl, little Princess! Keep it up and we might just bring this kingdom down around this upstart's ears,' the ginger smirked. Then the Mist user left and Byakuran turned that smile on Shoichi. A queasy twisting took place in the latter's stomach. This wasn't likely to be good.

"Shoichi, I haven't seen you so bloodthirsty before. Tell me, how is it you did exactly what I wanted when usually you are a proverbial sheep in the wolves' den?" Shoichi, taking hold of a courage he hadn't known he had, replied,

"Because I am a wolf in sheep's clothing. A handy disguise, and one you ripped to shreds when you summoned me. I was asleep darn it all! You of all people should know how much I value my sleep, Byakuran. Just as you should know that I don't take kindly to being told what to do without anything even resembling an explanation. So the next time you want someone intimidated, either do it yourself or get someone else. I might not be so reserved next time." As the ginger breezed out of the room, hiding his discomfort extremely well, Byakuran shivered. It was times like that that reminded Byakuran why having Shoichi as a friend was much preferable to having the genius as an enemy. Not only could he tear you apart with his words and rapier wit, infiltrate your records and mess them over so bad no-one would let you live it down; plus it would be untraceable and so carefully executed the fake records would be believed by most authorities, and make you dance to his tune so you ruined yourself, but he could put the smack down on you harder and faster than his build and stature would suggest. Byakuran himself had once had the misfortune to spar against his top strategist, and he had come out saying that whoever said that strategists were weak little sissies was lying. Shoichi had soundly beaten the then prince and looked like a cat who ate the canary. Byakuran now knew that to face a strategist in battle was to look upon the face of defeat, if you weren't careful. Byakuran now sat down behind his desk and took a deep breath. While Shoichi had scared him, for a moment, he had done the job he was called for perfectly. People showed more of themselves to Byakuran's questing gaze when unnerved. The kinds of things, and how much, it took to unnerve someone told him what a person feared and how hardened he was. How he handled it told even more, to those who knew what to look for. Gordon was a spineless idiot, but he knew how to act brave. Then again, the only people Byakuran had seen stand up straight and seemingly unafraid in the presence of a truly angry Shoichi had been those who knew they were better, by dint of their experience, and those who truly didn't care, such as Spanner. Then again, Shoichi liked having Spanner around to bounce ideas off of and play games with, even if the blond didn't often show emotion. Gordon, however, as a creature of a different ilk. He was cunning; yet an idiot, ruthless; yet sneaky, powerful; yet weak at heart, and a pawn in almost every sense of the word. He had hidden some of his discomfort at being glared at, but had shivered when Shoichi growled and begun sweating barely five minutes into his interview. Then there were his methods. Cutthroat, ruthless, direct, and, in the case of small children, useless. Now if he could fetter out the 'Momma Lion' mentioned in the rebel's intercepted communications Gordon's touch might just be magic. Another sigh and Byakuran penned the order to have Gordon removed from Castle Giglio Nero. If Yuni had any useful information, he'd have to pry it from her himself.

/*/

Roul glowered, through really he couldn't be more gleeful. He resisted the urge to playfully wave the Mist Interrogator good-bye with a taunting smirk. Barely. His partner wasn't far behind him. Interrogator Gordon was a slime-ball by almost any standard and both Roul and his current White Spell partner were happy to see him go. Less pleasing, was the promise in the written order. Byakuran might well come to get information out of her Royal Cuteness himself. That didn't sit well with the middle aged Giglio Nero soldier. He had ridden to war with the girl's father, guarded her mother when the King could not, bounced her on his knee, and was the closest thing to a kindly uncle she had. Reborn didn't count. He was too much of a creepy silent killer type be be considered a 'kindly' uncle. And Tsunayoshi would make a wonderful older brother, but he wasn't there. Not yet. Roul smirked faintly, penned a note, sketched a feather in the margin, and sent it to Pioggia Vale. "What was that?" asked the Whitespell soldier. Roul's smirk turned into something a bit more sinister.

"Just a sketch and a call sign. Nothing major," he said. His partner shivered.

"I doubt that. It was for the Chaos Angels, wasn't it? You're trying to lead them here, aren't you?"

"The Princess wants her big brother. Her big brother wants her. Who am I to keep them apart?" Roul countered. His partner shivered again, though he returned the smirk.

"Well played."

"I try."

"Tsu-nii come soon?" Yuni asked. Roul turned to give her a soft yet mournful look.

"I'm not sure, Princess. I sent a message ahead of him, but while I know it will reach him, I do not think he will be here soon," he said. Yuni smiled back at him.

"That good 'nuff, Roul. Thank you," she said before retreating to her corner. Roul sighed.

'Please do come soon, Prince de la Vongola. I do not know how long she can last.'

/*/

Engel glowered at the map laid out before her. That man was maddening! Almost as much as she was herself. She allowed herself a wolfish grin. Almost, of course, did not mean equal. She had a couple armies worth of pranksters at her beck and call... more or less. Bakauran only had his soldiers, and two-thirds of those were sulky at best. Down right rebellious at worst. Her grin grew even more predatory. Oh yes, she was better at causing madness than he was. And she enjoyed that 'power' immensely. Pulling out an array of inks; green, blue, orange, red, violet, and pink; Engel set to work mapping out the trade routes used by Byakuran, the Giglio Nero, the Vongola, the Angels of Chaos, and the Lion Cubs. From there, she marked stockpiles, checkpoints, and hide-outs in corresponding ink. With the sixth color, she marked sightings of the Prince. When she was done, she took out a box of pins. Each pin had a different color on the end; green, blue, orange, red, violet, and pink. She used these to mark areas of interest that could change at any moment, including where large numbers of 'troops' lay in wait. This was to be her war map and she would keep it with her forever, showing it to her children and grandchildren as a part of their legacy. But that was neither here nor there. Shaking her head slightly, Engel returned to her methodical work. If she wanted to cripple the tyrant without damaging the kingdom, she was going to have to be very creative. And creative was what she did best. Hearing the slightly mad chortling floating out of the Chaos Angel's office, her partners in crime grinned and decided it would be a good idea to check their kits and sharpen their knives. When Chaos laughed all sane men fled and all pranksters felt a thrill of anticipation.

/**/

A/N: Well, there you have it. My latest edit. I hope you enjoyed seeing more of Shoichi, Engel, Yuni, and of course, Chrome's back story. Until next time, Chaos.