Chapter 12: Down the Rabbit Hole

"I have something I need you to do, Avrilina."

The teenager looked down at the baby for a moment with bored interest before returning her gaze to the rowdy group of hungry mafia men and women before her. Her own family was sitting at the table with considerably more polite manners then the Vongola. Even Jean was behaving himself at the table, which surprised her at first, but then she considered the fact that he's from a high class family, and must have learned how to act when eating at a young age. Beside him, Gabriel was more engrossed in the conversation he was having with the younger, brown haired Haru then his food. Sen and Sakaki were talking quietly at the end of the table, and Kim was attempting to converse with the baseball player from the Vongola family, but he was too busy trying to hurry his was back to training by stuffing his mouth and only gave her nods or smiles in response. "Si?"

"My pupil's performance, while it has improved, is still miserably poor. His guardians aren't doing as well as I hoped either. They can't even pass the paintball dodging test," he said with his eternal poker face still on. She scoffed and smirked softly in response to their failed training.

"And what am I to do about it?"

"You are to show them what level I want them to achieve by the end of these short days."

"It took me years of hard labor to get myself to become the leader I am today. They will not learn to do it in merely days. I refuse."

"You don't have a choice in this matter. You will do it."

"You seem to be forgetting what family I hail from, Señor Reborn. An Espinoza do not bend to the demands of men."

"Do as he says, Miss Espinoza." Avrilina's green eyes widened and she glanced over her shoulder to see Bianchi looming behind her. Her tan complexion paled and she skittered back out of her seat and a few fyards back while barely managing to stay on her feet, surprising the group nearby. "It's to help everyone, so don't be stubborn."

"Si! Si Señora! A-Ahora mismo!" She stuttered out as she slid backwards and pressed against the wall, then slithered out as slowly and delicately as she could before bolting once she thought she was out of sight. Her heels were clicking rapidly as she made her way down the hall and towards what room she expected her task to be located in.

The table of kids looked at Bianchi in surprise as she watched the doorway impassively. It was dead silent before Gabriel broke it warily. "What did you do to her…?"

"Does it matter? She's going to help you with your training, so go follow her." Tsuna gulped at Reborn's words, then looked past where she went, and with encouraging smiles from his friends, got up and pursued her. She slipped through a door, her orange vest flashing as she went in, and before anyone else could go in, there was a lock and no one could get in. Reborn led them a different way and into a round glass control room that gave a view into the room where she was. She stood in the middle, her hands drawn up to her chest as if to protect herself and she was fidgeting as she stood there anxiously.

"She's…off…" Kim said as she looked through the window, her finger ghosting across the surface before she sat down.

"She may act like it, but her movements will tell a different story. Avrilina," he spoke into the intercom. When his voice came on, she perked up and stared at the wall of mirrors, waiting for his next words. "On the side, there is a pair of handcuffs. Put them on your wrists and keep them on for the rest of this exercise." Her expression deadpanned and she frowned as she caught sight of the shiny metal cuffs. With a sigh, she grabbed them and bound herself, then looked up for further instructions. "Behind your back." With a low growl, she back flipped with practiced ease and slipped her hands behind her back awkwardly. "You know the drill." When she nodded, Reborn pressed a button and there was a click in the room and a yelp from Sen as the floor opened up beneath him and he fell down to the ground. Avrilina blinked and within moments, her flames shot out from her heels, and she headed towards her Mist guardian and caught his sleeve with her teeth and hung on as she descended to the ground. "I'm changing it. Make sure neither you nor Sen get hit by any paintballs, or you will fail this exercise."

"You-!" she started, but growled and looked at her Mist guardian, who was now firmly planted on the ground and saw him looking away from her and fidgeting meekly. "HEY!" she barked at him, which caught his attention as his blue eyes glanced up to look at her. "This is going to be quick, so hang on to me…I…I can't accept failure." As if to mask her stutter, she changed her tone to a more demanding one, "So you better hold on when I tell you to!"

"I'm not good with physical activity…This isn't going to be easy for me."

"Well don't worry much. I'll protect you," she said softly and looked up at Reborn. "Alright. Hit me." He complied, and not a second later, a high speed projectile came for her face. With twirl, she moved out the way of the paint filled sphere. She flicked her head out of the way and narrowly avoided a second one. There was a louder click when a panel fell down the wall and a large black gun with rounds upon rounds of paintballs loaded into it unfolded from its palce in the side of the room. She blinked and sighed, then kicked Sen out of the way and flicked her ring off of her finger, making it disassemble in mid air before taking it into her mouth. Just as the machine gun began to unload its paint filled bullets onto Sen, Avrilina skidded in front of him and with the ring on her tongue, fully assembled, spat a largestream of orange flames out of her mouth much like a dragon would. All of the paint balls that were touched by the flame were petrified instantly and dropped to the floor and shattered. One was stuck in the barrel of the gun, and when the ammunition began to get too jammed in, the gun malfunctioned, sending a wave of paint towards them. "Hold on to me!"

"T-That's new…" Tsuna said as he watched her zip around the area with Sen hanging onto her for dear life.

"She's learned that technique quickly with the help of Lal Mirch…"

"It's been two days since she got back…And she's already learned how to use it?"

"It's amazing the things you can do when you put your mind to it."

"It's not that…" came a feminine voice from the side. Lal was leaning against the door idly, her tan cape wrapped around her figure. "She is so morbidly terrified of women that she perfected it within the first three times because she was afraid I would strike her…Her fear is stronger then her anger…"

"Scared? She doesn't seem to be the type to be scared of anything," Yamamoto said as he watched Sen wailing as they were plummeted to the ground to avoid a missile that was loaded with paint.

"That explains a lot…" Gokudera muttered lowly as his eyes were locked onto her, studying the movements she made to avoid the paintballs. "How she reacted to Haru and Kyoko the first time…Bianchi…Her own guardians too…Why though?"

"You have to find that out on your own-"

"Reborn, there are no more guns and the walls are covered…Are we done here?" Their gazes traveled back to her, and it was true. The once clean, white walls were no longer white, but were covered in a plethora of colored splatters from the floor to the ceiling and everywhere but the Espinoza boss and the boy hanging onto her for dear life. He looked as if he was going to get sick and his face was pressed into her belly so he wouldn't have to look at the ground and bright colors all over. "And where are the keys to the stupid handcuffs? My arms are starting to ache…"

"Not even a bit?!" Gokudera's yelled angrily from the intercom.

"Not a drop."

"Impossible! Let me see!"

"Well let me out and I will, abuelo! I can't stay flying forever and I don't want to ruin my shoes!" He snorted and there was a click from the door as it opened and she went out and placed Sen on his feet, only to let him fall on his face from weariness. She looked down at him and sighed, then slowly began to ease him up onto her shoulder. "Geeze…Maybe you should think about trying to be active…"

"N-No…I don't like that idea…at all…"

"Well…the next few days will be nothing but physical activity, and I can't carry you the entire time…"

"I-I know boss…I just need to rest-"

"Woman! Give me your clothing!" She gave a sigh and walked up to the hot headed bomber and glared at him in the eyes, their height the exact same.

"If that's what you want." Before he could blink, Gokudera had his jacket violently yanked off of his body, leaving him with his undershirt. When he realized what had happened, clothing was flung at his face and cut off his vision. He pulled it off his face and looked at her, but she was already walking off. "I'll bring it back eventually, but I'm not walking through the hall indecent."

"Just my jacket isn't any better! Give it back!" he yelled at her as she rounded a corner. Just as she disappeared, she tossed him a look with a small, victorious smirk. The jacket was poorly fitted on her; it barely covered up her upper thighs and it dipped off her shoulder slightly with the unfitted size. It was almost cute how small it made her look, and it left little to the imagination.

"No way. You have my clothing, I have yours. Bring them back later and you'll get your jacket. I'm going to go take a bath and relax for a few minutes, so don't bother me…"

Sen stumbled back to his room with his head reeling and his muscles weak from all the tossing and turning and rough movements that he was subject to. Everything hurt on him from his head to his toes and everywhere in between; he even felt like the large, fashionable glasses on his face ached. His hands patted the wall to open the electronic door, and after a minute of fumbling, his fingers finally found the button. The door slid open and he lifted his heavy head up to see someone standing in the doorway, waiting for him. He peered up and was met with the interested black eyes that stood just a bit taller than him.

"No fun doing that, huh?" He started as she straightened up and brushed off his plaid button up shirt and looked at Sen, who was staring up at him with round eyes. He didn't speak to him, and he didn't want to. After the silence settled in and the older boy got the message that he wasn't going to speak, he smiled softly. "If it makes you feel better, I had to do it with her too when we first started out as guardians…It wasn't any more fun with real bullets…I have the scars still, but there are too many to count…" he said softly as he looked away and ran one of his hands through his gelled back red hair. One stubborn strand popped out of place and hung in his face. "You didn't do too bad, kiddo~. You didn't even get hit."

Then boy chuckles lightly, then his friendly expression fell into a more serious one, making Sen flinch and hide behind his neon green scarf. "She's given you that rung because she apparently trusts you, but I know the attributes of those who can use the mist flame. They're deceptive, clever, liars…" The younger boy shrank away from him with every word, his fingers tapping against each other gently to try to steady his rapid heartbeat. "…So how do I know I can trust you with the will of this ring?"

The corridors were silent as Sen searched for an answer; he wasn't well acquainted with the Mafia world yet, so he wasn't sure how to answer his question yet. A shudder crept up his spine when he looked at the person he was supposed to succeed and his cold glare that was locked onto him before ducking down once again and avoiding eye contact. "I know you can think of something, Sen. You can be smart when you try."The blue eyed youngster blinked and relaxed for a moment when he spoke his name, his curiosity overshadowing his fear. The ginger boy smirked softly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I know your name, alright…And I know a bit about you too…You're capable of more then you seem to be. Those traps you set around school for revenge against those bullies…Why you don't like to talk…I thought it was kind of cool what you did and all, but how do I know that you won't do it to her?"

"S-She's kind…I know that she's concerned about us, even if she doesn't want to show it…I…I trust her…"

"Trust doesn't go far…"

"She's told me a little bit about you too, Kry…" It was the past mafia boy's turn to blink and cock his head to the side in surprise. "She said you lived in the city dump with you baby sister…and that she brought you home because she something in her gut that told her to help you, even though she really didn't want to…And that you also tried to trick her with illusions and traps when she made you angry, but it never worked since they were mediocre at best…" Kry blushed softly and turned his head away, pouting obstinately. Sen smiled softly. "But she said you liked butterflies…" He held up his closed fist and he concentrated on his hand for a minute before opening it. A small blue butterfly sat in his palm, its wings perfectly formed and its tiny, curled antennas bobbing slightly. After a moment of hesitation, it flapped its wings and rose into the air with bobbing movements. It rose up and up until it hit the ceiling and phased though soundlessly. "It's not much…but she trusts me too…doesn't that mean something?"

The previous mist guardian's eyes were still locked onto the ceiling, but after a moment, he nodded and looked back at the boy. "I suppose you have a point…She's not a very trusting woman, especially with such intimate information…If you abuse the power I'm going to show you in anyway. I will come and haunt you so hard, your mother will feel it." Sen nodded quickly and averted his gaze again, the silence washing over him once more. "Look up and watch me…I have to show you how to do this, and you have to copy me, or it won't work…"

On the other side of the base, Rossi was having trouble getting sleep. Having her friend in her possible death bed made her uneasy and unwilling to sleep. With only her own weak power supporting her illusion organs, Chrome's life was ticking away and there was nothing that the red head could do about it. Her hands were pressed against her face, and she whined lowly and let her mind wander. Where was Mukuro? He wouldn't just abandon Chrome so quickly and without warning. He must have run into some trouble in his adventures outside of the walls that Rossi was caged in. It was nothing that he couldn't handle…right?

She groaned and tossed her head back in a weak attempt to prevent her mind from wandering too far into a place where she didn't want to be. Her eyes drooped slightly as her red hair settled back on her shoulders. "God damn you, Mukuro…Stop taking so long and fix her up…"

"You shouldn't put our faith in others, dear."

Rossi popped up at the unfamiliar voice, her hands flying to her pistols and pointing it at the person that had suddenly appeared in the chair besides her without her knowing. Her one gold eye focused on him and her lips were drawn into a deep set frown. The dark haired man seemed to be relaxed despite the weapons being pointed at him. "You're going to have to learn to put your faith in only yourself if you don't want to be met with disappointment."

"And who are you to say such words?"

He turned his head to her, his frown mirroring hers, but his eyes portrayed an eerie calmness. He was dressed like some sort of punk with tight red plaid skinny jeans that hugged his thin legs with a chain that dangled loosely off the right side. He had a dark black shirt that was loose on him and had the top four buttons undone that showed off his toned chest that was riddled with scars. His lip had a thick, shiny piercing through the bottom corners, and his black hair covered the left side of his face with a dramatic part.

"The person you're supposed to be sucking up to, the Cloud guardian of the Espinoza family before you. My name is Tadeo. "

She narrowed her glare and her lip twitched in annoyance. "I don't such up to anyone, much less any people from that woman's family."

He raised a dark brow in skepticism, but she stood resolute. It caused him to crack a smirk and let out a soft chuckle of amusement. "At least you have enough guts to keep you values. Sit down already. I'm not going to hurt you. I don't have all day to spend sitting here chatting with you."

"I'd rather stand."

A low growl bubbled in his throat and he pointed to her seat. "Sientate."

It was Rossi's turn to quirk up an eyebrow. "You know Spanish too? You don't look as if you're from there."

"I'm not. I'm Portugese. When I was alive and training, Spanish was a language that everyone in the house needed to know. Now sit." She continued to resist, and with a sigh, the man dug the palm of his hand into his face. "Fine. Be stubborn. You better listen to me though." She nodded and put her weapons away, but remained standing next to Chrome's bed. "I'm not going to ask why you think you should get the secret of this ring…I really don't care to tell you the truth. I'm going to tell you that you're a cloud guardian, and your aloofness might keep the Espinoza family from falling apart. Trust your gut and when you think you should disagree with your boss, do it. The ninth's cloud guardian obviously didn't do the job right, and everything has been shot to hell."

"I don't quite understand."

"Trust your instincts and speak your mind. You've got it down already, but I need you to remember to go with what you think is right. I didn't trust my instincts, and here I am now…dead." He took his puzzle ring off of his finger and looked at her. She copied him by retrieving the identical jewelry out of her pocket. "Alright…watch and copy me."

"I met Lasaro last night…"

Avrilina looked up from her place at the stove to stare at Gabriel in surprise. "You did now? I suppose you've gotten your ring figured out then…" He held up his hand to show her the glimmering yellow stone and lowered his hand when she nodded in approval. "…Is he okay…?"

"Yeah…He told me a bit about you…"

"Such as?"

"You made him a herb garden for his birthday when you were nine." A soft blush flashed across her face for a moment before she nodded and pulled the food out of the oven and plopped them onto plates for her guardians. The puffy, cupcake looking Magdalenas smelled warm and enticing that they couldn't help but dig into the pastries onto their plates.

"I'll assume everyone has their rings then?"

"No…" Sakaki said lowly as he picked at his food. "I have yet to get any word…And the invasion is tomorrow…"

"…His name is Emil." Sakaki looked up, his blue eyes curious. "Emil Villanueva was my rain guardian…He'll come…don't worry…" The boy nodded and continued to pick at his food.

"Avrilina…Who's that jacket belong to?"

She looked at the black jacket that hung loosely around her for a moment, then shrugged and turned to the rest of the food she cooked and finished plopping them on the plates for the rest of the people living there. "The stupid octopus."

"Don't you start calling me that too!" came the voice of the said boy as he entered the room. She heaved a sigh and continued cooking as if he hadn't said anything. His frown deepened, and he went behind her and pulled gently on the jacket. "Give it back."

"No. I don't see my clothing."

"It's getting washed. Give."

"No. It's mine now. Get over it."

"Woman, you're starting to piss me off. Give it back."

"No. Stop touching me."

"Give me my jacket and I will-"

"For the love of god, shut up!"

The two Europeans looked over at Rossi, who was sitting at the end of the table farthest away from everyone. "Your stupidity is beyond belief. Silver head, shut up and let her keep it. Boss, kick him in the face." Avrilina gave a soft chuckle at Rossi's request, and then shoved the shocked bomber away from her. Before he could go back, Tsuna decided to intervene before things got too messy. On the side, Yamamoto was laughing merrily, and for once, everything seemed normal.

"Avrilina!" came a soft feminine voice that caught the girl's attention long enough to stop bickering with the bomber. She yanked her hands away from him and placed them behind her back as if she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Without the support, Gokudera lost his balance and fell on his face with a yell of surprise and pain. Kyoko smiled softly and went up to the taller, blushing girl, not noticing the look of complete and utter terror on her face. "We're having a party tonight! Be sure to come and hang out with us!" She nodded quickly and after the younger girl left the room, she released a sigh and walked out herself.

"Behave while I'm gone…"

Jean gave a goofy grin and waved, "We always behave."

"You expect me to believe that?" Jean's expression turned to that of a kicked puppy, and a tiny smirk crawled its way onto her lips. "Be sure to take your medication, Jean. I don't want another mishap like last time." She left the room before he could comment back, and with a pout, he continued to eat his food.

"Not nice!"

Night had begun to fall over Namimori. It provided ample cover for Avrilina as she snuck around the town, the hood of her black jacket up and the zipper up all the way. She crouched down behind fences as she made her way across town, a certain spot in mind. Quickly, she darted across alleys and streets, making sure no one saw her before she slid to the spot she had in mind: the entrance to a sewer. Her long fingers yanked it open and the smell that wafted up nearly knocked her off her feet. With a groan, she covered her nose and shimmied her way in. "…Down the rabbit hole…" she muttered as she fell into the darkness. Just at the last moment, her flames flared from her heels and saved her from a nasty fall into the sewage. With a snort, she took off down the line.

Off in the distance, she could see a small metallic doorway loomed in front of her tauntingly. Her lips were drawn in a thin line and once she arrived at the doorway, she yanked it open carelessly and darted in, her heels no long ignited as she sprinted across the floor. "I was right-" Her sentence was cut off as a thick piece of metal slammed across the back of her head and she tumbled onto the floor with an audible thump. She yelped and she had only just opened her box weapon before another blade came down upon her and clashed with her halberd. She stared up at the statue that was pinning her down, trying to remember the familiar features as it pressed against her. With a loud roar of indignation, she shoved the statue off, sending it to the floor. Soft footsteps pattered across the floor quickly, and Avrilina turned to meet the source, only to pause, her eyes wide, before an heavy, blunt object to her abdomen sent her sprawling onto her back.

The person above her held a small doll in her dainty, wrinkled fingers, and behind her was a large golem that was poised to strike the girl. Her long brown hair was done up into a tight, neat bun, and was streaked with silver. The eyes were unmistakable to the teenage girl, and with a large, toothy grin, the old woman made her next move. "Buenas noches, mi nieta tonto."

And there's the cliff hanger. Boom.

I've been so busy the past two weeks. Not only that, I had most of this chapter typed up, and I was going to post it on Thanksgiving day, but then, my computer up and deleted it. The whole thing. I couldn't retrieve it, and after that, I lost a bit of muse for this. Fear not though! I have it back!

My updates still won't be consistent though. I have school, and its killing me. I promise that that the next chapter will be full of action though!

Anyway. I love you all~ I thought I'd let you know that again. What's killing me is the lack of reviews though. I want to know what you think I should change, and how you think I should do it. I also know what you want to see happen, who you're rooting for, everything! So please guys? It really helps me write faster.

Alright. Here's the question this time: What's your favorite crack couple? I'll admit it; I think that Gokudera and Mukuro as a couple would be hilarious.

Anyway. I'll see you next time guys! Thank you for all the support and amazing fan art! I love your fan art! If you want to draw any of the characters, throw me a PM and I will be more than happy to let you do it! I think I might cry out of sheer joy if you do.

(This will be revised once I have time.)