Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.

TON TON TON.

It was morning already and I was cutting some fruits for breakfast. Nana was still in the hospital and I decided to make breakfast for everyone. It had been a long time since I cooked and it felt refreshing, holding a knife and cutting ingredients like this. Fuuta and I-pin entered the kitchen a little after 7:15 AM and they were surprised at my appearance.

"Sharon-san, why you here?" I-pin asked as I took out some eggs from the fridge.

"Lambo was stricken by lightning yesterday night and Mama is with him in the hospital." I answered her. It was no use in lying to them about this. They had the right knowing about Lambo's condition.

"Is he okay, Sharon-nee?" Fuuta asked, worry was audible in his soft voice.

"He is stable, but he needs lots of sleep." I replied. "Shall we visit him after breakfast?"

"Un!"

"We're having pancakes for breakfast, so play a little while I cook, okay?"

"Okay!"

As the children left the kitchen I resumed the cooking. Because the doctor bandaged my hands I had to wear latex gloves in order not to dirty them. The doctor told me to come back in the morning for a re-examination, so I couldn't use my new-founded technique to heal my hands more quickly.

Another fifteen minutes later Tsuna and Basil entered the kitchen and Sharon-san!? was the first thing I heard.

"Breakfast is almost ready." I said without looking at the brunette. "I hope you don't mind a Western-style breakfast."

"No… I don't mind, but why are you here?"

"Maman asked her to be here. Didn't you listen to me?" Reborn said as I heard a smack followed by the usual scream. "Smells good, Sharon."

"Thanks, Reborn. Let's hope it also taste good, it's been a while I've cooked."

I put the last pancake on the plate and put it on the center of the table. Taking out the pre-made syrup, the fruit salad and the pre-cut butter from the fridge I put them besides the pancakes.

"Say, Tsuna. Do you have powdered sugar somewhere?" I asked.

"Eh… Ehm… I don't know…?"

"I see, then I guess not."

"Do you want me to buy some, Sharon-dono?"

"Hm? Don't worry about it, Basil-kun. I can make some with this nice blender."

"You can make it?" Tsuna asked in surprise.

I took out the blender I found in one of the cabinets and plugged it in the socket. "Yeah, it's not that difficult. Just put sugar in the blender and start the machine."

Putting in the sugar I started the machine, "Just make sure you don't burn the sugar. You can check the sugar if you see some smoke." I said as I watched the machine grinding the crystals.

"Smoke!?"

"It's not really smoke, it's just the powder going up and that looks like smoke."

"Is that so…?"

"Yeah, just like this."

Tsuna walked over to the machine and peered into it, "It's true! It really looks like smoke!"

Turning the machine off I took the jar from its base and took off the lid. Taking a spoon I scooped through the powder, "This looks nice. Tsuna, could you hand over that bowl, please?"

"Ah, yes… Here you go."

"Thank you. Could you also call Fuuta and I-pin? Breakfast is ready."

"O-Okay…"

Tsuna turned around, but stopped before he left the kitchen. "Sharon-san, about yesterday…"

"Don't." I said, interrupting him. "What's done is done. You did the right thing saving Lambo and in another way you also saved my life."

Putting down the sugar I took out glasses for beverage. "Don't worry about the rings, you'll get them back. Believe in yourself and your friends. I know you can do it."

Without a reply he left the kitchen to get the children, "I'm not allowing you to take over my job." Reborn said as he sat at the table.

"And that's not even my intention. Want coffee?"

"Espresso. You're allowed to use my pot and beans."

"You…"

"What."

"You have to know I've never brewed espresso before. Are you sure you want me to make it?"

"Hmf, then grapefruit juice."

Turning around to take the juice from the fridge I sighed inwardly. That was tooclose, way too close. Almost I'd called the number one hitman a brat, a brat of all of things. I had to keep my mind straight if I wished to live some time longer. I was starting to wonder what happened to my primary goal of keeping a low profile.

"Here you go, Reborn. Basil-kun, what would you like?"

"The same please."

[===]

My cooking wasn't as great as Nana's, but at least I could tell they liked it and it made me happy to see them enjoying the pancakes I made. Afterwards Basil, I-pin and Fuuta helped me to clean up and after that the kids and I went to the hospital to visit Lambo. Basil, Tsuna and Reborn went to the mountains to resume their training.

After knocking I opened the door and in the room I saw Nana, Kyoko and Haru; all sitting around Lambo. The children ran towards the bed to look for their friend.

"Sharon-chan, good morning." Nana said. "Thank you for taking care of everything this morning. How are your hands?"

"Good morning, Mama. It was no problem and my hands are fine. The doctor said they were healing nicely already." I replied. "How are you and how is Lambo?"

"Lambo has been sleeping peacefully and there were no sudden changes. As for me, I'm doing fine too."

"I'm glad to hear that." I said relieved. Facing the two other girls I greeted them, "Good morning, Haru-san, Kyoko-san."

"Hahi? You added –san to my name." Haru exclaimed.

"Good morning, Sharon-san." Kyoko greeted me.

Looking a bit surprised at the dark chocolate haired girl I asked her, "Is something wrong with adding –san?"

"Ah… No… But last time you called me just Haru." She replied.

"Well… I'm not really used in adding suffixes after someone's names." I said a little bit sheepishly. "I'm sorry if I offended you in any way."

"No, no! Haru doesn't feel offended at all!"

"Then I'm glad to hear that." Looking at the other girl I introduced myself once again, "Last time we met, I was in a rush. My name is Lin Sharon, but please call me Sharon. I'm sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances."

The girl shook her head, "It is okay. None of this is your fault, Sharon-san. Lambo-kun was in an accident, you couldn't prevent it."

"That's true! Lambo-chan was in an unfortunate accident! Sharon-san couldn't do anything against lightning."

These girls, they didn't mean any harm, but every single word were like daggers stabbing into my heart. Their innocence was just too much, I started to understand why the boys didn't want them to know about the ugly side of the world.

"Thank you, you two. But it is still my responsibility, let's hope Lambo will wake up soon."

"Yes!"

"Mama, you should rest up. We will watch over Lambo." I said as I looked at her. She looked tired, she probably didn't sleep at all.

"Leave it to us, aunt!"

"Yes, aunt. Please rest up."

"Thank you, girls. I really appreciate it." Nana said with a smile. "Then I will leave Lambo in your hands. I will come back in the evening."

"Sharon-san, Sharon-san. Wake up, Sharon-san."

"Haru-chan, let her sleep. I think she was really worried about Lambo-kun and didn't sleep well."

"Well… she did look tired when she came in. But her phone keeps ringing. What if it's an emergency?"

Slowly I opened my eyes at the sudden commotion. It seemed that I fell asleep at some point.

"Ah, Sharon-san. We're sorry. We didn't want to wake you up." Kyoko said apologetically.

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry for dozing off." I replied. "Haru, you said something about my phone ringing?"

"Yes, your phone rang sixteen times." She answered.

"Sixteen times!?" I exclaimed. Suddenly I was fully awake.

"Yes, you've been sleeping for four hours already."

"Eh!?"

Looking at the clock on the wall I saw it was already after 1 PM. Looking around I saw no sign of the two other children.

"We brought Fuuta-kun and I-pin-chan back home." Kyoko said. "They were hungry and we didn't want to wake you up."

"Thank you and I apologize for leaving them to you. You girls are the best." I said to both of them.

In return I received both their smiles and automatically I smiled with them. It was like some chain reaction, but it didn't feel wrong. While Haru and Kyoko talked to each other I excused myself and went outside the room to check my phone records. After all, radio waves could disturb the hospital equipment. I saw sixteen missed calls and four text messages. The calls were all from uncle Ivan and the texts were from James, Valentino, Shoichi , Rei. Wondering why I had so many messages and calls, I opened the first text.

James

Are you ok? Did it end like the series? I worry for you. [10:03]

Smiling at his concern I pressed on my text field and replied him the results of last night's battle,

Yeah, it ended up like I had anticipated. It was horrible to watch. My emotions were on a rampage, but they've calmed down a little now. Thanks for worrying.

Sending the text I read the next one.

Valentino

You're okay? Probably not, but hang in there. Knowing you, you'll be back on your feet after some good sleep. We'll return to Namimori tonight, hopefully I won't lose sight of Kyoya. Romario's already teasing me about it, quite a right-hand-man… Teasing his boss like this. Anyway, see you tonight. –Dino [10:17]

"Is it a good message, Sharon-san?" Haru asked.

Looking of my phone I saw Haru standing in the doorway. Was she curious or was she on her way to the restroom?

"It's a little funny, why?"

"You were smiling."

"Really? Well, my clumsy friend is being teased again and he was complaining about it."

"Don't tell me it's your boyfriend!?"

"Haru-chan!? That's private, you can't just ask that." I heard from inside the room.

Stepping back in the room I leaned against the wall furthest of the equipment. Haru went inside too, making me believe she was curious about me.

"It's okay, Kyoko." I answered the light brunette. Seeing her a little surprised I was a bit puzzled, but then I remembered how I called her. "Ah, I apologize for calling you without suffix. I didn't offend you, did I?"

She shook her head, "No, you didn't. But you can leave the suffixes, you have trouble with them, right?"

"Yeah, I'm from America and we don't use suffixes there, so most of the time it just slips of my mind."

"You're really from America?"

"But Sharon-san's Japanese is really good!"

Chuckling at their reactions I decided to tell a little about myself as I replied to Valentino's text, "I studied Japanese because in my opinion, the more languages you know, the better you can communicate with the people around the world."

"Well, that's true." Haru commented. "So how many languages does Sharon-san know?"

"Hm… Twelve and a half, I guess? I didn't have the time to complete Korean."

"T-Twelve!?" The girls cried out in unison, only to shush themselves in order not to disturb Lambo's sleep.

"That is amazing." Kyoko said in adoration. "We have English at school, but sometimes it's really hard to understand."

"I know what you mean!" Haru added with a satisfied nod.

"Well, each language has it's difficulties and I have to confess, my Japanese writing skill is not better than an elementary school pupil and my reading skill isn't that good either." I said with a chuckle. "So actually I mastered ten languages, two halves and one quarter."

"Eh…? That's so weird!"

We shared our laughs at my messed up skills before we continued chatting.

"So why are you in Japan?" Kyoko asked.

"I travelled to look for my aunt and uncle to ask them some private matters and after I found my aunt, she put me up with Tsuna and the others." I replied as I resumed reading the texts.

Shoichi

There is an item in the envelop and I don't know what it is! It's not included in the instructions. There is another document, but I don't know the language! Help! [11:24]

"Why did your aunt do that?" Haru asked.

"I honestly have no idea." I replied.

"Then did your aunt know Tsuna-san?" She asked again.

"I don't think so, but she knows Reborn though." I answered as I replied Shoichi with 'When will it be ok?'

"Reborn-chan?"

"Yeah."

Opening the last message I read,

Aunt Rei

What's going on over there!? I overheard Iemitsu's returning to Italy. Ivan is trying to get a hold of you, but no response. What happened?. Reply ASAP. [11:47]

Oops. It seemed my little nap brought some massive worrying to my foster parents. As I wanted to reply my phone rang, it was Uncle Ivan.

"Sorry, girls. I have to take this." I said and with a small wave I exited the room.

[===]

The first thing I heard when I accepted the call was, "Princess!?". Well, I haven't heard that in two years.

"Yo, Uncle. Sorry to have worried you. I was sleeping when you called."

"Don't yo me. Thank goodness you're okay. We started to think something happened to you."

"I apologize, Uncle. But I'm glad to hear you're doing just fine."

"You don't know how much I've missed you! If it wasn't for the security I would have flown to Japan ages ago."

"I've missed you too, Uncle. But are you sure you can call me freely. You sure it isn't tapped or something?"

"…"

"Don't tell me you didn't check."

"I did check, really! But what's going on there? Why is Iemitsu returning to Italy?"

"Iemitsu is returning to Italy because Xanxus said something really disturbing yesterday. He wanted to go back anyway because I told him the same thing I told aunt Rei."

"The same thing you told Rei?"

"I haven't told him, Sharon." I heard in the background. "The phone is on speaker. Please tell us why he's returning."

"You're sure it's safe? And I mean really safe, no wirelesses in the room or anything."

"Yes. How about your side?"

"I'm in the hospital and as far as I can tell there isn't anyone listening in nor my phone has been out of my reach since I got it back."

"Well then."

"Last night's was the battle between the Thunder Guardians. Varia won because Tsuna interfered with the battle."

"Hey, doesn't that mean both the Thunder and Sky Rings are in Varia's possession!?" Ivan asked.

"That's correct, but it was either Lambo's death or the Ring."

"So Xanxus has the Sky Ring?"

"Yes, but that aside. Like I said before, he said something disturbing which made both Iemitsu and Reborn agitated. Reborn even took out his weapon."

"Reborn took out his weapon? Just what in the world did Xanxus say?" Rei asked.

"I quote: "It would be far too boring to simply kill you after that old fool chose you even once. I'll kill you after I make you taste true despair during the Ring Conflict, like I did to that old fool." What do you think of it?"

"Sharon, are you 100% sure he said that!?"

"Yes. That is the reason Iemitsu returned to Italy."

"Cazzo! Rei, this is really bad! What in the world is happening."

"Calm down, Ivan. Sharon, tell me your thoughts about that theory you told me."

After sensing no one within hearing distance, I looked around. Now I knew I couldn't sense Arcobalenos I couldn't help to be extra cautious.

"My theory is that Xanxus managed to replace the Ninth with a double. Either that or he hypnotized him in some way. If Xanxus really put the Ninth into despair, then I doubt he would be still standing and giving orders at HQ."

"Sharon, if the Ninth really was a double, wouldn't it be –"

"No, it's possible. The Ninth has leg problems for some time now. To be a double it requires more than an exact same face, one has to copy the exact movements of the real one. It wouldn't be too weird to have leg problems as an older person and it would be perfect for the double. He doesn't have to copy the exact same movements of the real one."

"Then if that's true, where is the real one?"

"Probably near Xanxus, in other words in Japan."

"Let's not jump into conclusions. We don't have proof, yet."

"Listen, from what I can tell Iemitsu is very devoted towards the Ninth so there is a possibility he's planning to invade HQ or something. Probably with help of CEDEF."

"I see, but we have to go now. This thing will be between the three of us. We'll take care of things in Italy, don't do stupid things and be safe."

The call ended and again I looked around, dealing with this stuff was nerve wrecking. I would think with my secrets I was used to it, but reality showed me otherwise. Hearing a pling I looked at my phone, it was a message from Rei,

Aunt Rei

Forgot to ask earlier, did Xanxus recognize you? [13:21]

I'm not sure. We made eye contact and judging from his actions I believe he knows. That or I'm getting paranoid again.

After I sent my message another pling was heard, looking at the top of my screen I saw it was from Shoichi.

Shoichi

14:00, same restaurant? I'll bring everything with me. [13:22]

Replying him with an OK I went back to girls to make up an excuse to leave for my appointment.

"You know… When you said that you would bring everything with you, I didn't expect to see a box." I said when the redhead arrived at my table at the fast food restaurant.

He put the small crate with the Bovino insignia on an empty chair and sat next to it, "Thank you for agreeing to come. I thought it was better to show you everything and not only the envelope."

"Then I assume that is the cursed box you told me about."

"Yes and this is the item I told you about." He said as he opened the lid of the box, taking out what looked like a chain for your pants and for some reason it looked familiar.

"It's a chain." I said. "One for putting on your pants, that is."

"Well, yes… but the documents didn't mention anything about a chain and take a look at this note."

Glancing at the document he presented I was surprised in many ways, for starters the document was crumbled up like it got wet. There were several pink fingerprints on the edges of the paper. The text was also pink and was written in multiple languages mixed up together. No wonder Shoichi couldn't figure out the language. And the signature, it was a signature I haven't seen in almost eighteen years. It was the signature I used in my previous life. In other words, the future me wrote it. Why would the future me used that signature, again many questions popped up in my head.

"Do you understand it?" Shoichi asked.

"I actually do." I answered him as I read the content. "It's written in nine different languages, all mixed up. Can't blame you for not recognizing them."

"Who would do that!?"

"Me."

"Eh?"

"It seemed the future me wrote this and signed it with an alias I recognize." I explained. "Why didn't you show this to me before?"

"Because it was blank before. I thought it was just an extra paper till I followed an instruction."

"What do you mean by blank paper?"

"Ehm… I'll show you..."

The redhead looked through his documents and took one out, "Here, this the one."

"Before you start make sure the surface is protected by old newspapers." I read out loud. "Make sure you wear gloves when doing this. Also prepare some kitchen paper and an iron. Make sure you don't touch the middle of the blank document with bare hands! To reveal the contents, spray the solution on the blank paper and dry it with the iron, use multiple layers of kitchen paper on top of the document."

Illustrations were included, it was like something of chemistry class.

"What solution did you use?" I asked him, curious about this whole revealing process.

"This one." He said as he put a small spray bottle on the table. The label said 2,2-dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione, in other words ninhydrin.

For a moment I just stared at the bottle with a blank mind. "I don't know whether to call my future-self a chem freak or just plain… sad." I finally said, still in disbelief.

"…"

Shoichi didn't say anything but he was visibly confused by what I said.

"You have chemistry at school, right?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Then did you already study about amines?"

"I know those are usually part of larger molecules…"

"Alright then. This solution is called ninhydrin and it is used to detect amines, which are compounds of sweat and among other things." I explained. "If this chemical comes in contact with sweat, the amino acids will react to it making it colour purple pinkish and thus making it visible. It's also a way to detect fingerprints on porous surfaces like paper."

"Like how they find fingerprints in those police series?"

"Yeah…"

"It's… a unique way to send a message…"

"You don't have to force yourself to say anything, it's just… no, never mind."

Not knowing what to say about myself I started to fiddle with the chain. I liked chemistry all right, but did I really used sweat to write a message only to tell me to switch this chain with Basil's chain? It was just… so roundabout. At least I knew why the chain looked familiar. It stated that the chain contained a timed ammunition of the ten-years-bazooka, thanks to the future technologies. The device was already set in motion so I wouldn't have to do anything but to switch the chains.

"So what did the letter say?" Shoichi asked after some awkward silence.

"It was addressed to me and it had to do with this chain." I answered. "I think it's better if you don't know the details of it."

"Thanks, Sharon-san. Just thinking that I would have another task makes my stomach upset."

Smiling bitterly at his despair I changed the subject, "So, how have you been?" I asked.

It was 10:15 PM and I was in my hotel room doing the last check-ups. It seemed Haru and Kyoko were going to look after Lambo all night instead of going home. They said Nana could relieve them in the morning when they had to go to school. So she stayed home for the night and it wasn't necessary for me to look after Fuuta and I-pin, though I had to come over the next morning. It seemed Bianchi was out of town. It was fine by me, my tutoring sessions started in the afternoon.

After double checking my stuff in my purse I took out my jacket from the closet. Looking down I saw the purple bazooka I confiscated the night before and without any thoughts I closed the closet. I decided to give it to Shoichi after the Conflict. There were still 19 days before Shoichi had to hit his first target.

After a ten-minute-walk I arrived at Namimori Middle and there I saw Ryohei and Yamamoto. I also sensed Varia inside the building.

"Yo, sensei." Yamamoto greeted me. "You're here to watch Gokudera's match?"

"You're the one from yesterday." Ryohei said.

"Yes, I am. My name is Lin Sharon, it's nice to meet you and I apologize for not introducing myself earlier." I said toward the shorter teen.

"Sasagawa Ryohei, captain of the boxing team, nice to meet you too!" He replied enthusiastically.

After chucking at his reaction I faced Yamamoto, "And yes, Takeshi-kun, I'm here for his match."

"Say, Yamamoto. Why do you call her sensei? Is she your sensei or something?" Ryohei asked his friend.

"Sharon-san teaches the extra afternoon classes at school." Yamamoto replied.

"Extra afternoon classes!? Since when do we have those classes!?" The older teen exclaimed in confusion.

"Since last Friday." I said with a small smile. "They're not mandatory, so if you don't want to come, you don't have to."

"But if you're coming, don't be late. Right, sensei?" Yamamoto added.

"I'm impressed you remembered that." I replied jokingly.

"Maa ne."

We chatted some more before Tsuna, Basil and Reborn arrived, "Yamamoto! Onii-san! Sharon-san!" Tsuna called out.

Turning around I saw the three of them. Tsuna had some bandages, probably from his training, and Basil looked really tired. Looking down I saw the same chain I received from Shoichi dangling on his pants. How in the world was I going to switch the chains.

"Ano… Where is Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna asked.

"He's not here yet." Ryohei said.

"We thought he would be coming with you guys." Yamamoto added.

Concern was shown on Tsuna's face, "Wh-What happened…?"

"Maybe he was stopped by Shamal." Reborn said, as he jumped on Yamamoto's shoulder. "Shamal would never let his disciple enter a battle without any chance of winning."

"Shamal? That's the name of the doctor who attended me many years ago… Don't tell me it's the same person as that… pervert." I thought after hearing the name.

"Eh! Then…" Tsuna stammered.

"A chance that his new move isn't complete yet." Reborn said with some concern.

"No way…"

"Believe in him, Tsuna. He will show up." I said. "I'm sure that that foul-mooded guy will show up."

"Sharon-san…"

"Ah! Please don't tell him I called him that." I quickly said after catching myself badmouthing the bomber. Turning around I walked towards the school, "Anyway shall we go? Looking at the lights I can assume the battle will be inside."

[===]

Upon entering the building there was no identity check, unlike the day before. We walked with only Yamamoto and Ryohei chatting and soon we arrived at the place. Varia was standing on the other side of the hallway and the two Cervello members stood in the middle of it, though one of them was different from the day before. Her energy was different, her appearance was exactly the same as the previous one.

It was only a few minutes to eleven and there was still no sign of Gokudera, though I could sense him at a distance of 300 meters. The members on our side were getting restless, except for Yamamoto.

"What is that octopus head doing…?" Ryohei grunted.

"When that clock points to 11 o'clock, Gokudera Hayato will be disqualified and Belphegor will win by default." One of the Cervello spoke up as she pointed to a clock on the wall.

Gokudera had only two minutes left and with every second the boys were getting more and more restless. Also I was starting to get restless, what in the world took him so long for a mere 300 meters. When there were only twenty seconds left, I started to count down.

"… five, four, three, two, one."

And just before it stroke eleven, the clock was blown up. It was the second time he made an appearance with a bang. I was wondering whether he did it on purpose or not. Turning around I saw the bomber covered in bandages. He wore a dark blue blouse and black pants. He also wore multiple belts with each an amount of dynamite, the ring was on his neck and a cigarette was in his mouth.

"Sorry for the long wait, Tenth." He said. "Gokudera Hayato, ready to go."

"Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna called out.

"Octopus head!" Ryohei shouted.

"Gokudera Hayato will be permitted to participate in the match as he has arrived at the designated time." Cervello said.

"All right!" Ryohei said.

"Thank goodness. We avoided a forfeit." Basil said in relief.

"You got us worried." Yamamoto said. "Did you sleep in?"

"Of course not!" Gokudera retorted. Facing Tsuna he resumed in a cheerful manner, "I apologize for being late, Tenth! The preparations took longer than I expected. But I'm all ready now!"

"Is that so…" Tsuna answered.

After hearing his weak response I glanced at the brunette and I saw he was glancing at Varia, probably at Belphegor. It was not difficult to tell he was worried about his friend, if my memory was correct Belphegor was a genius but so was Gokudera.

"Before we explain the battlefield, we have something to report." The 'familiar' Cervello said. "One of us Cervello had to be substituted due to injuries."

"Pleased to meet you." The 'new' one said.

"She looks exactly like the one that was hurt." Ryohei said.

"It looks like the Cervello has an unlimited supply of substitutes." Reborn commented.

"If you say it like that, it will sound like they're androids." I mumbled from my place behind the boys.

"Tonight's battlefield will be the entire third floor of the school building." Cervello announced. "This includes the buildings connected to this one. Not only the corridor, but all the classrooms on this floor are also part of the battlefield. However,"

Suddenly a large gust of wind from inside a classroom broke the windows and tables and chairs flew out of the window to the outside world. It was like there was a hurricane inside the classroom.

"What the hell…" I muttered out.

"At various places we have installed these hurricane turbines." Cervello said as the other one wheeled out a large turbine. "The hurricane turbine has four wind vents. They are storm devices that can generate extremely strong winds at random times in all four directions."

There were some comments from the boys, but the Cervello paid no attention to them, "Additionally, this round has a time limit." She resumed. "If, within fifteen minutes of the battle's start, neither side has managed to obtain the Ring of Storm, the hurricane turbines will explode."

"What!?" Tsuna cried out.

"The turbines contain time bombs and each bomb will go off sequentially, eventually the entire floor will be destroyed." The other Cervello announced.

"Then if there is no winner, both of them will…"

"They will most likely die in the explosion." She said. "It would mean neither of them is worthy of becoming the Guardian of Storm."

"No way…!"

"The worst of it is that they don't care if the Ring of Storm is caught in the explosion." Reborn said. "Being so casual about the fate of the Guardian Rings… only he would think like this. That guy is serious after all."

"Xanxus!" Tsuna called out.

"A death match, eh…" Gokudera said. "Isn't that interesting."

"Oi, oi… wasn't it a death match from the first battle…" I thought as I saw a man walking up.

"Hey, hey? What was that sound of glass just now?" He asked. "Is anyone injured?"

As he said the last part he grabbed both Cervello's breasts with each hand. I looked at the man with horror, the way he groped them was just… too casual. Looking at the man I saw his dark hair, layered and the ends were curling up; it looked like Gokudera's hairstyle. Brownish eyes, facial hair, lazy look; it was the same doctor who aided me back then…

Immediately the two women elbowed the man, resulting him falling backwards and having a nosebleed. I couldn't help to smirk at the sight, served him right. A man groping a woman is the worst thing ever, especially with a casual look like that.

"Iya… very good, very good." The doctor said. "That flexibility is a sign of good health."

"Sha-Shamal!" Tsuna called out in surprise.

"Please tell me he's drunk." I deadpanned. Scratch my previous thought, a man groping a woman and then liking the punishment for it was even worse… It was exactly like those many drunkards I met in Las Vegas. But if he wasn't drunk then it was even more than worse.

"Ah, Sharon-san… You should be careful around him…" Tsuna warned me.

"Thanks…" I replied, still with the deadpan looking at the scene in front of me. Gokudera was shouting about what the doctor was doing.

"Hey, hey… I heard the sound of glass breaking and I thought there might have been someone injured and rushed over." Shamal said. "Thought I might have a look at your match, now that I'm here."

"Keh."

Shamal stood up and waved towards the women and Varia, "In other words, I'm on this side. Nice to meet you folks in the funeral clothes!"

"Funeral clothes…" I thought as I held back a smile. It wasn't that funny, but it was just so random. Besides, I liked Varia's uniform.

"All right!" Ryohei suddenly shouted. "Let's do like we always do before the match!"

"What! Hold on! Wait! I don't want to!" Gokudera shouted. "That thing is too embarrassing! I don't need to be cheered on for my match!"

"Um… Don't say that… N-Ne, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna said a bit timidly. "How… How do I say it… I'm not good with words, but we're all connected in this battle… I don't want any single person being left out. It's probably better if we all have some solidarity."

Looking at the brunette I smiled at his words. He really cared about his friends.

"Tenth… until now, this thing called family… I hadn't understood it at all!" Gokudera shouted with, was it remorse? "Let's do it! Please allow me to do it!"

"Un! Let's do it!" Tsuna said with his new found attitude.

"Let him in too." Reborn said as he tossed something at Tsuna.

"What is this?" He asked as he looked at the piece of tail.

"That's some cloth that fell off the stupid cow's clothing during yesterday's fight." Reborn said. "Just looking at it reminds me when the stupid cow was still here."

"Don't talk like he's dead!" Tsuna shouted at Reborn's remark.

"But I think this is great. Lambo is one of us." Yamamoto said.

"Although he's a stupid cow, he's better than nothing." Gokudera said.

"Even if he's not here right now, our hearts are one!" Ryohei added.

"Everyone… That's right!" Tsuna said with a smile.

Reborn jumped off Yamamoto's shoulder and the four boys formed a circle.

"All right! Let's go!" Yamamoto shouted. "Gokudera, FIGHT!"

"OOH!"

"Oohh~! It must be embarrassing to be young." Shamal shouted.

"I find it fascinating, male bonding I mean." I said.

"Well, hello young lady. I haven't seen you before." Shamal said as he stood in front of me, peering into my face.

"Do something funny and I'll break both your arms, doctor." I said with a polite smile.

"Hm… Playing hard to get, aren't you? I like those types."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm serious."

"Spectators, please go to the audience area on each end of the floor." Cervello announced.

"Don't push yourself too much." I heard Tsuna saying before he left his friend.

Walking around Shamal I walked towards the bomber. The way Tsuna was worrying about Gokudera was somehow different than the night before, something must have happened. Knowing Gokudera's loyalty towards Tsuna, I had to confirm something.

"What's the matter, woman?" He asked briskly.

"I have a name, but that aside." I said. "Gokudera, come back alive. Everyone will be devastated if you don't, especially Tsuna."

Looking at his reaction I saw small movements in his eyes. He was definitely surprised by my words.

"Of course I will." He said as he turned around.

"Then will you hold onto your words for coming back alive as Tsuna's friend and the right-hand man title you keep talking about."

"Of course!"

"Then everything's fine." I said as I turned around to walk to the audience area. "I just wanted to make sure you value your life. It's precious after all."

A/N: Of course everyone will know what will happen next, but I'll type it out anyway ;D I love to rewatch/reread the manga now the exams are over! Though I have retakes in August..., but for now, I'll enjoy watching/reading/writing/building Tombs in Sims 3. Blame the last thing of a friend of mine, creating tombs is really fun, though the testing takes some time lol!

Thank you for reading!