AN: Well, it's time to update once again! Are you all excited? This chapter is longer than the previous one. As I was writing the story, I noticed that I upset all of you with Tsuya's torture. Hehehe. Personally, I wouldn't do that to Tsuya. Eh… but you'll find out what happens in this chapter.

Good news! I'm finally going to learn how to drive! After all, having to go to college 40 minutes away from where I live will be a pain if I don't drive. So, I'm going to start getting on the road when the weather gets better.

I'm working on a few one shots right now. Also, I really want to blow my previous story to little pieces! When I was little, I dreamt about romances and such, which is why I liked the Twilight Saga when I was a kid. Now, I don't really like the series, and I look back and find that my story was really lovey-dovey. It, er, made me sick. So, be on the look out for a possible rewrite of my Final Fantasy VII stories.

On another note, today is Valentine's Day! Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! This is my gift to you all!

Chapter XX: Awakening and Ambition

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(Breaking the Fourth Wall) Inside Tsuya's Head

Wait… wait… wait! What the heck happened again? There are… too many gaps and holes. I… can't remember… Er… can we get a recap? You know to fill in the holes?

Narrator: "Bor-ed, bor-ed, bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. I am so darn bored!" I chanted in haiku, laying in my bed and staring up at the ceiling. "Summer vacation is so boring!"

W-w-w-w-whoa! S-stop! How far are you going to go? I meant after I passed out from the pain!

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Before Judgment

I sat up in the hospital bed with the white panther cub in my lap. The room was mostly quiet except for the steady beating of the heart monitor to my left. My body still felt sore from the damage it sustained while in Merone Base. At the current time, it was the morning six days before the Choice Battle. Squalo had left the room to speak with Xanxus and Hibari about when Reborn and the others were going to question me.

Sighing, I glanced down at the little beast on my lap, "Lachance, I'm in deep trouble, aren't I?"

Sharp ice blue orbs lifted to meet my eyes before closing, "I'm sorry, Tsuya. This is my entire fault. I should have closed that portal before Xanxus tricked you into blindly stepping onto that towel."

I smiled gently, "It's not your fault, and I don't really blame Xanxus for sending me to this world. This is all Byakuran's fault at best. I should have known that he would notice that I was an anomaly in this world. And I curse his damn powers to travel between the worlds."

"Tsuya… that Arcobaleno is going to charge you with treason. Are you going to explain what really happened to him? I'm pretty sure that he's still going to be harsh on you." Lachance nuzzled my stomach gently.

"Reborn… is an extremely kind person. I don't think that he wants to harm me, but he's duty bound, too. He's going to put Tsuna's Family's safety above my own. He's going to make an example out of me." I whispered, acknowledging the slightly bitter truth. "Keeping secrets that could hurt the Family is not something that can be passed off lightly, Lachance. You know that. Whatever Reborn chooses to do with me… I'll play along if I can."

"Strong words, Tsuya." A squeaky voice stated from our right.

My eyes widened and my head snapped to look at the Sun Arcobaleno standing at the door. "I…" I swallowed nervously, "Hello, Reborn."

The next thing I knew, I was kicked in the forehead, prompting my hands to fly up and caress my new bruise with teary eyes. "Don't clam up, now that I'm in the room, Dame-Tsuya."

"O-ow…" I mumbled, rubbing my forehead with a wince. "You didn't have to kick me! Jeez."

"You are right about what I'm going to do, Tsuya." Reborn admitted, making Lachance and I stare in shock. Suddenly a gun-formed Leon was at my head, "Drop that surprised face." I did, and so did Lachance. Drawing up a chair, seemingly out of nowhere, Reborn sat and crossed his legs. "You've been quite loyal to Tsuna and his family, Tsuya, so I don't really want to punish you severely."

"But you need to set an example, and show that this isn't all a game. I know." I muttered. "What do you want to know?"

"I need you to tell me what your intentions are, Tsuya." Reborn stated, his beady eyes gazing at me without judgment, but with curiosity at how I was going to defend myself.

I frowned for a moment, trying to get the more solid pieces of information into my mind before speaking. "I… Well… aside from what universe or dimension I'm from, and my age, nothing I've said so far has been a lie." I confessed to the Sun Arcobaleno. "I come from a world where everything in this world is fiction. Originally, I was living a rather normal life… but then… Lachance sent a group of six from this world, to my home. Lachance…" I paused, looking over at said person in the panther's body. "He only intended to keep them in my world for a few days. Then, he would send them back to this world and erase their memories of me and my world."

"Who came to your world, Tsuya?"

"Hibari, Squalo, Xanxus, Tsuna, Takashi, and Gokudera." I replied. "But only Hibari, Squalo, and Xanxus regained their memories of me." I explained, staring into my lap, long black hair hanging over my face.

"Continue, Tsuya."

"I don't regret it. I got attached to everyone, and I didn't really want them to leave me with my mother. Somehow, Xanxus planned a trap for me. When I was walking away from the portal into this world, Xanxus left his towel in front of the TV." A chuckle left my lips and I lifted my head to look at Reborn. "Back then, I was extremely crippled. I slipped on the towel and fell into the portal after them. From there, I remember waking up in Namimori on the day you first shot Tsuna with a Dying Will Bullet. But then… I freaked out when I realized that I was no longer in my relatively normal life. Instead, I was in a world full of mafia, where if I got involved with you guys, I could die if I did not learn how to fight. So, I did the only thing that I could have done. I ran and got hit by a car while crossing the street. From there, it's the same as you've known the entire time, except with a few lies regarding where I came from and how old I was."

"Do you know why you suffered from that attack?" Reborn questioned, much to Lachance's annoyance, to which he growled. "After Byakuran revealed his knowledge of your world, that panther cub appeared."

"I… From the information that I received from Lachance, he was an almighty being that had promised that my identity would not be revealed. He gambled his existence on it, but I was found out. In retaliation, I was forced to age back into the age that I was supposed to be, which is seventeen turning eighteen. Sudden growth applied to my body would no doubt have killed me if it weren't for Lachance sacrificing his immortality for me." I pat Lachance on the head with affection. "He gave me this second chance, and has now been condemned to a life with me in this mortal realm."

For a few moments in the nearly silent medical room, Reborn stared at Lachance, who glared back in slight impatience. "What did you plan to do with the information that you possess, Tsuya?"

"I don't plan to change anything." I answered honestly with a smile. "I liked the way everything turned out in the end. There was no way that I was going to try and change the major events that were in this line of events. However," I frowned, "I hope that Byakuran did not really go to my world. That would be a disaster on an unprecedented scale. He would have had the foreknowledge that I have." My brown eyes shifted to look at the resting white panther cub in my lap. "Lachance. Did your superiors prevent Byakuran from gaining any of the foreknowledge from my world?"

A grumble could be heard from the crippled white cub as he purred and dug he head into my stomach for a moment before opening his mouth. "You mean my former superiors? They hate it when things get fucked over. That's why they hated you. In fact, they wanted to send you back to your world, but since you're not like Byakuran in that you can travel through parallel universes, sending you back would rip your body in two. Since a person is sent back starting from the feet up, your upper body would still be in this world and your lower half would be in your home. The result would have been your death. So, no. Byakuran couldn't understand the things he read in that world. All information relating to this world sounded like gibberish and looked like squiggly lines."

I smiled in relief, "That's good. At least my arrival didn't screw things up."

Reborn smirked from under his hat and got up, leaving the room. "Tsuya. I need you to act and think as if I did not show mercy when we hold the conference later. I don't know what you have read, but this is the mafia. You will be punished, but I am not the one in charge. Your punishment will be cruel and you will suffer to the point of near death, so I hope that you are strong enough to be able to break out of our prison."

I nodded, and folded my hands, trying to show some pride and understanding, "We both have our roles, Reborn… You are the Hitman Home Tutor, and I am a trespasser in this world." Reborn's eyes darkened just as he left the room.

When the Arcobaleno left the room, I leaned backwards and into my pillow before covering my face with both hands and grumbling, "What have I gotten myself into?" I knew that everything was going south for me, but I wasn't expecting it to be so sudden. "I've lost an entire year of my life, I'm being branded as a traitor, AND I'm about to lose my friends. This SUCKS!" I groaned in dejection, "I hope Squalo comes up with a plan."

The door slid open twenty minutes later as Squalo entered with a scowl on his face. "I spoke with the boss."

My eyes lit up with hope, "And? What did he say?"

Grey eyes narrowed as Squalo growled, "When you're being tried, don't resist. Play along with whatever happens. If you're imprisoned, wait a few days before escaping. From there, just run."

I immediately lost my hopeful expression, "I don't know if I'll be able to do that."

"Tsk!" Squalo began to scream at me in a scolding tone, "VOOOOOOOOOOOOOIII! I DON'T NEED THAT MOUPY SHIT FROM YOU! SUCK IT UP AND FACE THEIR DECISION, OR LET THEM CONTROL YOUR FATE!"

Grumbling under his breath, Squalo exited the room as I stared after him in shock, and an hour later, Squalo came back to take me to my trial. This time I heard a whisper from the back of my mind.

… ake up… wake… up…

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I groaned and buried my face into my pillow, clutching the warm blankets to prevent my warmth and comfort from leaving. There were multiple voices calling out to me, telling me to "wake up." In response, I mumbled sleepily, "Five more minutes… just… just five more." The voices were silenced and I immediately began to relax and fall back asleep.

…

"VOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! WAKE THE FUCK UP!"

My brown eyes popped open and dilated in fright before my body jolted into an upright position as a shrill and terrified scream left my parched lips. "AGFKLMNPHLAKHFGKA!" I spluttered nonsense for a few moments as my eyes snapped shut due to the pain that came with overexposure of light to my eyes. "Holy shit!" I groaned, "It's too bright." The lights, actually, weren't really bright at all. Rather, my eyes felt like they hadn't seen the light in a long time. Slowly, I opened my eyes to examine my surroundings, freezing when I saw Gokudera, Takashi, and Tsuna observing me with elation and joy. "Er… why are you guys making those expressions?"

I didn't expect it when I was happily glomped by Takashi. "I'm so glad you're awake, imouto-chan!"

The greeting surprised me, causing me to draw back with wide eyes, "W-wait! I thought you hated me!" I frowned in confusion, remembering the trial and verdict, and also my cruel imprisonment.

However, while taking a gander around the room, I was met with puzzled expressions. "Hate you?" Takashi tilted his head like a confused puppy. "What are you talking about?"

Taking a deep breath, I recited everything that I had seen from the time I passed out in the Merone Base, to when I woke up just now. Suddenly, I felt a rough pat on my head from Gokudera, who had a serious expression on his face. "Look who has trust problems now." He scoffed, "None of that happened, you stupid woman."

I was shocked, baffled even. "W-what?"

"Tsuya," a gentle voice called out to me. My head shifted to the left to see Dino knelt in front of me, "It's been five days since you passed out from your injuries. I admit that what you dreamt about involving my conversation with Squalo was mostly true, but you weren't ever held in captivity. Everything that happened in your mind after passing out in Merone Base was a dream."

"It makes sense though." Squalo spoke up. "When I arrived yesterday, you were hallucinating a fucking storm." Grey eyes narrowed as he muttered, "Damn woman, making me worry about you."

It took me a while to process everything that I was told. "W-wait… So… I'm not kicked out of Vongola?"

A silence filled the room as everyone (Takashi, Dino, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Shouichi) except Squalo, Hibari, and Spanner, turned to look for Reborn's decision. Reborn lifted Leon and pointed a green pistol at me, "Are you loyal to Vongola, Varia, and the Vongola Decimo, Tsuya?"

"If I were standing, I would place my right hand over my heart and kneel." I smiled in embarrassment, before replying with a straight answer, "Yes. I merely wish for Vongola's success, which is why I did not bother with changing anything thus far."

"Then, could you please explain the entire situation with what Byakuran said, and what happened to you immediately after?" Reborn asked, lowered his gun.

"I'll try to explain my situation to the best of my ability." I bit my lip before starting, "What Byakuran said was true. I do have a great amount of knowledge on this world and its near future, but nothing passed a certain point. My world can be considered a messiah-like world because somebody in my world created this universe. Originally, I didn't think that such an occurrence could happen, but nearly a year or so ago, I was contacted by an unknown entity that went by the name Lachance. Lachance was some sort of omnipotent being that sent several of the people in Vongola to my home in the United States. Those people are Squalo, the future Xanxus, Tsuna, future Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Hibari. These people stayed with me for several days before being sent back by Lachance. However, that day, Xanxus had planned something that caused me to fall into this world." I paused to look around the room. "At first, I was happy to have been given the chance to actually meet everyone, but then, I got scared. I realized the dangers that could come to me if I stayed in this world ruled by the mafia. So, I ran in a panic and got hit by a car. From there, everything that happened is as you guys know it. When I came to this world, I was told that nobody would remember me. Lachance had reduced my physical age, betting on the fact that I would not be discovered. However, he had bet his immortality, so when Byakuran revealed his knowledge of my world and existence, Lachance was punished and I had to revert back to my real age in the most painful way possible."

"If Byakuran knows about your world, would he have the same knowledge as you?" Dino inquired, with a troubled expression.

"As far as I know, no. Otherwise, he would have used it to his advantage by now." I replied, equally troubled. "I'm not worried because Lachance's superiors don't take kindly to anything that could alter the fates of this universe. I'm more worried of the fact that I have not heard from Lachance, yet."

"Maybe he just needed to recover." Takeshi supplied, trying to reassure me.

"Maybe." Suddenly, my eyes widened as I remembered something, looking at Squalo and Takashi. Jumping out of the hospital bed, I shoved Squalo and Takashi out of the door, "You guys are supposed to be off training! I'll be fine! Just go train!" I spouted out the last few sentences in a rush as I closed the room door in their faces.

Reborn cocked his gun and pointed it at Tsuna, "Dame-Tsuna, Tsuya's right. Stop slacking and go train."

The doe-eyed middle-schooler immediately bolted upright and raised his hands in a surrendering position. "HIIIIEEE! Okay, Reborn! I got it! I got it!" He turned and bowed to me before running out, "Let's go, Gokudera-kun!" Without even having to beckon to the silver haired boy, Gokudera ran after his boss.

"Oi, Cavallone." Hibari glared at Dino with narrowed eyes, "Hurry up." Then, the Disciplinary Head disappeared through the door, tonfas making an appearance from under his jacket.

Dino sweat-dropped before looking at me with slightly dazed eyes, "Heal fast, Tsuya. We're going to need you soon."

I smiled slightly and nodded my head, "As I said to Squalo and my brother. Don't worry. As soon as I recover some feeling in my limbs, I'm going to train for the Choice Battle."

Dino stared at me for a moment longer than necessary before he nodded and exited my hospital room. Upon glancing around the room, I found that everyone had left. Having to no longer pretend to be wary, I sighed and rotated my shoulders, closing my eyes and groaning lightly as I work my muscles and joints for the first time in five days. I was not a very active person initially, but I still liked to walk around or do some sort of physical activity to at least keep my body from going out of shape.

Running my hand through my now waist length black locks, I also left the room to return to my own room. When I reached my room, I changed into workout capris and a teal blue tank top. Grabbing my Cloud Ring and Cloud Box, I left the room to go to the training room. On the way, I thought about my reasons for participating in the Choice Battle. Besides the obvious fact that I had to help progress the story line, I also wanted to beat down one of the people that annoyed me the most in this universe. One may wonder whom I, the ever patient and accepting, Tsuya, could despise enough to want to participate in this bloodshed?

The answer, my friends, is Bluebell. I. HATE. HER. PUNY. GUTS. And I think that it's high time that someone shows her how insignificant she is. I don't care about her circumstances in other worlds or before she became one of the Six Funeral Wreaths. She's lost people? So have I. She lost the use of her legs? So did I. She was unable to do the things she loved? So did I. Once upon a time, I was as helpless as her. In my world, I didn't have anything to help me. I didn't have a powerful man assist me. I had my own will. In other parallel worlds, she had great advantages over everyone, which were taken away in this world. Big. Whoop. In fact, the entire Funeral Wreath Group should just get over themselves! Ah… Sorry. I went off on a tangent.

Bluebell may have the use of the Mare Ring, and I may be at a disadvantage while equipped with my Varia Cloud Box Weapon and Cloud Ring, but I will prevail. The reason why I will prevail over that flat-chested brat is that I have the willpower to win. And in this world, or any other world, all you really need to achieve your goals, is the willpower to do so.

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The Next day, four days until Choice Battle

I stared at the beauty in front of me with wide eyes and bated breath. Immediately, my brown eyes snapped to look at Reborn, "I… I can have it?" There was no doubt that a strange spark in my eye stood out to everyone. Noting the Sun Arcobaleno's nod, I immediately let out a loud squeal and hopped onto the motorcycle with glee. Running my hands over the obsidian black metal, I practically purred in excitement. Now, I have never touched a motorcycle in my life, so to be gifted with a Honda CBR1100 XX Blackbird was nothing short of heaven for me. "I wanna call you Masamune." I spoke to the vehicle, gently starting the engine by slowly inserting a small amount of Flames into the bike.

The engine roared to life and gently purred under me. Slipping on my Bell Revolver Evo helmet, I erected the bike, kicking up the support stand and standing with one leg on the pedal and another on the floor.

Inside my helmet, I heard my communication unit buzz to life. "Yo, Tsuya. You like our present?"

I blinked and smiled at the Brit on the other side of the line. "Did you and Shouichi customize this baby for me?"

"Giannini made the system to power the bike, but if you're talking about the design of the bike and the helmet, then yes. Do you like it?" Spanner answered with a slight mumble.

"I love it. The black base is perfect with the detailed purple flame and cloud design. The helmet is also very sleek. Masamune is absolutely perfect." I complimented the engineer's work before revving the engine and adding more flames to power the bike. "So, how does Masamune handle?"

Spanner was quiet for a moment, "You named the bike?"

For a moment, I stayed silent before hissing into the communications unit, "You named your Mosca units, no teasing."

"Fine, fine. No need to be so offensive." Spanner mumbled back, probably rolling his eyes at me. "You don't need to put a large amount of flames into the bike to make it go fast. We made the handling extremely smooth knowing that you like precision and speed. So, you don't have to exert yourself to keep the engine running. There's also an autopilot option for you just in case you need to leave your vehicle to fight." Spanner paused for a moment, "Do you know how to drive a motorcycle? Or a car?"

"Nope!" I replied cheerfully.

Somewhere on Spanner's side, I heard Shouichi groan, "I knew we shouldn't have made it so elaborate."

I laughed, "I'm not going to crash it, Shouichi! It's my baby now, so I'm going to give it a spin."

"Make sure you take it easy though, Tsuya." Spanner spoke up, "Or you'll get flung off the bike."

"Don't sweat it, Spanner! I learn things pretty quick." I waved my hand in the air as if he could see me…, which he probably could if Giannini had security cameras hooked up inside the practice course.

Suddenly, I heard Spanner grunt, then a loud crash before Shouichi's voice sounded much clear, "You don't have an ounce of experience with motorized vehicles, Okita-san. I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you. Otherwise, you're going to have to take back every single thing you just said to Spanner and I."

"Shouichi, did you just push Spanner away from the communication unit? And does a go-cart count?" I questioned with a deadpanned expression, purposefully dodging Shouichi's last statement.

"…" For a moment, there was silence on the other side of the communications link. "Oh, him? Nah, he's perfectly fine. And no. Go-carts do not count as driving an actual motorized vehicle."

"Damn… I'm gonna go practice now…" I tried to sound casual, but my voice probably sounded quite weirded out about him pushing Spanner.

"Alright, just don't break it." Was the last thing I heard before closing the link.

Revving the engine, I pressed forward on the gas pedal and to my utter humiliation, shot forward too fast. The bike roared as I sped down the length of the basement driving course within three seconds, giving me only enough time to completely withdraw all of the flames from Masamune's engine. You know what happens when you go really fast and then stop abruptly? You fly off the vehicle if it's a bike, right? So surprise, surprise, I was flung off the seat and into the far wall while completely upside down.

"Argh!" I yelped, with wide eyes, as I slid down the steel wall and landed on my head, eventually falling to my left. Clutching my head and back, I muttered a mixture of colorful phrases in several languages.

The communication unit within my helmet fired to life, "Told you so."

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." I chanted into the microphone of the helmet. "That really stung."

"You should be glad that we installed an auto-brake system into your bike just in case you suddenly withdraw all your flames from the engine." Shouichi piped up, this time sounding like he was sitting next to Spanner.

"And why is that?" I questioned bitterly, pride damaged at having to take back my earlier words.

"Masamune would have sailed right into the wall with you, Tsuya." Spanner replied. "Withdrawing the flames usually won't stop the wheels from turning. Usually, the wheels would keep turning, gradually decelerating until it stops."

"At the speed that you were going, Okita-san, the wheels would not have enough time to decelerate passed 145 Kph!" Shouichi fussed.

The speed peaked my interest as I lifted my right hand to support myself as I stood up from the floor. "How fast was I going?" I inquired, stumbling back to Masamune, which lay a good five meters away.

"165 Kph. So about 103 mph." Spanner responded with some typing and clicking in the background. "We have a live feed from the cameras in the underground training track that capture everything from colored image to the rate of speed increase you went through."

"That's… er… very scientific of you guys." I slurred my speech a little.

"That reminds me, Okita-san. Take it back." Shouichi sounded like he was smiling.

"Take back what?" I asked, trying to seem forgetful.

"You implied that you were going to learn how to drive the motorcycle in one try. So take back every single statement that you said." Came Shouichi's response. "Please don't try to play dumb with me. It's not going to work. And don't try to fake a concussion. You didn't hit your head that hard, plus you're wearing a helmet and a training suit."

I frowned and chewed on the inside of my mouth before sighing and clicking my tongue, "Fine. I take it back." Picking my bike from off the steel floor, I inspected the vehicle for any scratches. Finding none, I stood up and mounted my Blackbird, turning the handles and injecting a miniscule amount of flames into the handlebars to get the bike moving at a steady pace. Unfortunately, I have minimal experience with operating any type of vehicle. So that includes bikes… I can ride a bike, but only at a fast pace. If I try to go slow, I get all wobbly and end up falling onto the sidewalk, often scraping my elbow in the process, which, by the way, stings. A LOT.

So, similar to all my attempts at going at a slow pace while on a two wheeled vehicle, I started to wobble a little on my bike, making it swerve nearly every three seconds. "Uh… Are you okay, Tsuya?" Shouichi asked, "You don't seem to be driving in a very straight line… unless you're practicing how to dodge attacks while driving… but I'm pretty sure that you have to go faster then that."

I didn't speak for a moment, ashamed that I didn't even know how to ride a bike proficiently enough, much less have much control over a motorcycle. "… I… have a small problem with two-wheeled vehicles."

"Eh… what?"

Stopping Masamune, I hung my head in dejection, "I can't ride a bike proficiently."

From the speakers of my helmet, I heard a painful smack, no doubt from Shouichi face palming. "Y-you've got to be kidding me." Came a muffled groan.

"Unfortunately not." I frowned, "The only physical activities that I've done proficiently were fighting, shooting, and ice skating."

"Ugh… great. And you're supposed to be one of our secret weapons."

I teared up and sniffled at disappointing Shouichi. "I-I'm… s-sorry."

"Wah! D-don't cry!"

I was about to burst into tears until Spanner spoke up, "Then act like you're ice-skating."

"Uh… what?" went Shouichi.

"When you ride a bike, you have to lean your body according to how the vehicle moves. In ice-skating, you also have to lean your body according to the direction you want to move in." Spanner replied.

"H-how do you know about ice-skating?" Shouichi questioned his friend and fellow-mechanic.

"I used to skate when I was in Great Britain. I lived in the rural north, so there would always be a sturdy and frozen lake for the kids to play on." The Brit replied.

"I didn't know Britain got that cold." I stated.

"It's only during the middle of the winter. Otherwise, the ice would be too thin." Spanner informed me, "Maybe I'll take you there some time."

"Alright, back to the plan!" Shouichi interrupted my conversation with Spanner. "Try to operate the vehicle like you would move your body while ice-skating, Okita-san."

I nodded and revved the engine, increasing the output of my flames to go at a steady pace of 15 Kph. While moving, I kept my balance on both sides of my body, careful not to lean to either side too much, and so as not to accidently move the handlebars.

"Okay. Now speed up a little more, Okita-san."

I pushed a little more flames into the vehicle below me, glancing at the speed meter on the dashboard. 38 Kph. 56 Kph. 73 Kph. 92Kph. It came time for me to turn the corner a little too quickly then I would have liked.

"Start to turn, Okita-san!"

I leaned forward on the bike, making my body seem to melt into the vehicle. As the turn neared, I leaned to my left and turned to the left at the same time. Rounding the corner, I balanced my body out.

"Okay, Okita-san. Now let's see how well you can handle the bike at higher speeds."

Smirking with elation, I increased the flame output. 124 Kph. 145 Kph. 165 Kph. I'm at my previous speed, so let's push it a little more. 183 Kph. 198 Kph. 200 Kph. I kept the speed as such, which is about 124 mph. Now that I had gotten used to the bike, I smirked in confidence and started to perform laps around the room. "Its actually got really great handling."

"Oh course. Blackbirds are made for precision, Tsuya." Spanner commented offhandedly.

"Just like me." I boasted proudly.

"Time to get back to training, Tsuya. Shouichi left."

"But I want to spend some more time with Masamune!" I purred, slowing the bike down and pet it.

"I made a new weapon for you."

The bike immediately halted. "Go on."

"It's for just in case you don't have your Box Weapon and Ring. Also, I still have to make it up to you for destroying your Rain Box Weapon."

"… It doesn't use Rain Flames, right?" I asked, knowing that I was not able to use Rain Flames anymore due to not having Lachance's influence over my body.

"No. I'll explain when you get to the lab."

Kicking down the support stand, I took off my helmet and began to enter the elevator. "Is it badass?"

"No. It's borderline godlike."

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(*The last chapter… and a little bit of the chapter before was a dream, yes. Don't be mad. If you look at my previous stories, you'll see that I like to mess with people and leave my readers in cliff hangers… although I don't do it that much in this story.)

(*I didn't really have much of an alternate path for this chapter. This is the part where Tsuya reveals her dislike of all the Funeral Wreaths because of their attitude towards their own lives and the world around them. Then again, while I like Kikyo to a certain extent, my view on the Six Funeral Wreaths is nearly identical to Tsuya's. There are tons of people in the same circumstances as them. Although they were aware that their alternate selves had the world in the palm of their hands, they thought it unfair that they were miserable. Actually, I think that they are all jealous, childish, and selfish. Oh! And they felt bad for themselves, so they brooded and did not try to get over themselves! (*huffs and puffs) Okay! Rant over!)

(*Tsuya's Blackbird, by the way, is one of the fastest motorcycles made. Tsuya likes things to go at a quick pace with a lot of control. The Blackbird's maximum speed is 290 Kilometers per hour, and it has impeccable handling. Personally, I would drive a Harley Davidson Sportster Seventy-Two. I'm shorter than Tsuya, so I prefer low seating and great handling.)

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KHRLover1997: Hehe… you seem upset… (*says this nervously)

Neeky-chan: Good thing that it was all a dream, right? Hehehe… Personally, I view Dino as a big brother type. Blonde guys aren't my type at all. I like dark haired men. (*winks) I'm finally starting to learn how to drive! Just in time, too. College starts in September and my road test is in August. Yeah, the teacher doesn't really know how to teach, and he has too many ideas. He wants to start a Mandarin class and asked my little brother if he knew any Chinese students in the school… So, he wants to have a language class on a language that he doesn't know how to speak and has to ask the students for help? (*smacks forehead) Holy fucking crows. You know, the school I go to, mostly has Pilipino, African American, and Latino students… There are… four Chinese students in our school. Me, my little brother, a sophomore, and the student who is ranked number two in the senior class. Seeing as how the ranked two girl and I are leaving the high school this year, no one is going to be helping anyone with the class! Okay… er… sorry about the rant.

That's really nice and considerate of your teachers! It's really nice when teachers care for their students and show interest in the student's activities outside of school! Er… I didn't really get anything this Christmas… but I did give my friend a set of high quality architectural utensils! My friend wants to become a civil engineer, so he has to take some courses in architecture. So, I decided to get him some supplies ahead of time!

I hope you had a great New Year, Neeky-chan!

Natachoco: Hahaha! You'll find out where Lachance really went next chapter! Hehehe… does last chapter make sense now? In Gokudera's words, "Look who has trust issues now." Hahahaha! I think of Dino as a really kind person, so of course he loved Tsuya! However, there's this issue of arranged marriages in the world of politics sometimes, which is a popular theme in KHR stories.

NeitherSaneNorInsane: Yeah. Future Tsuya was channeling her experience with Dino while writing that letter. I think I teared up when I wrote that part. Also, I should probably stop writing those false parts so convincingly.

Gab18 . 27: Byakuran does have a habit of making people's lives miserable in this part of the story after all. Hahahaha! Fandom obsession tends to fade quite often. I used to be really into the Bleach fandom, but I haven't even touched a story from that category in a long time… same thing goes for a bunch of other fandoms.

DEVIlishAngel00: I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this chapter!

BloodyBel: I think this chapter answered your question, but to reiterate. Yes, Byakuran ran his damn mouth and told the members of Vongola about Tsuya's circumstances. In this chapter, after waking up from her nightmare, Tsuya did come clean about the truth though, so they know that she is not a threat to Tsuna, but can be used as a secret weapon of sorts.

Chibianimefan26: If such worlds existed, this world would not be so populated. Thank you very much! You too, and Happy Valentine's Day!

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xKANAN: Thank you for following and favoring my story! Well, aren't dreams creepy to a certain extent? They mess with your mind and exploit your deepest desires and insecurities. We are all victims of them. Tsuya… just happened to have a more vivid and long nightmare.

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Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone! See you guys next time!