Characters:

Tsuna - White Rabbit

Hibari - King of Hearts

Kusakabe - Knight of Hearts

Gokudera - Tweedle Dee

Yamamoto - Tweedle Dum

Shamal - caterpillar Absolem

Hana, Kyoko - chefs in the Red palace

Haru - gardener

Reborn - Cheshire Cat

Dino - Alice

Mukuro - Mad Hatter

Chrome - Mice Mallymkun

Ken and Chikusa - Hares

Varia - the Royal guards of Hearts

Vindice - the Others

Six Funeral Wreaths - the White Royal guards

Yuni - White queen

Byakuran - White knight

Checker face - Time

Ryohei - Captain of the palace guards

Bianchi, I-pin - chefs in the White palace

Lambo - gardener

〜 〜 〜

For a second it was quiet. It was as if time stopped for that brief moment after Ryohei said those words. Shock froze the whole Dome. No one said a word. Tsuna couldn't think of anything. His mind was blank, he couldn't move his body. He couldn't define how long this moment lasted for him. Was it as if he was sitting there and staring into Ryohei's eyes for a decade or just that tiny second? He didn't know and didn't care. But soon he felt that this moment was just a second before storm came.

"What's the meaning of this?!" "Who's that?" "I wanna see good fight!" "I didn't come here for this!" "Who's that Sawada Tsuna?!" "Why did the queen choose him?" "Who's Sawada?! "Who's Sawada Tsuna!?" Everyone in the Dome came back to life and loud voices mixed together with angered shouting. Storm really did come. No one understood Queen's decision. Why didn't she choose one of her guards? And who's Sawada Tsuna? These two questions were heard the most. People searched with their eyes King's balcony, trying to find him there but by that time Tsuna darted his head down, shaking.

'What's this? Am I having a nightmare? This can't be happening!' he thought and didn't dare to face Varia, Dino and the King. As the despair, shock and disbelief filled his mind, Varia was meanwhile sitting there and arguing. Of course they were angry. Of course they hated him now. They looked forward to this competition but now he ruined it all. What is the King thinking of him now? He can't back down right? That would mean he gives up. 'This is the worst! What should I do?!'

"Are they serious? How could that pebble chose someone other than me?" Bel said, clenching in his fist one of his knifes. He must have been very pissed off but since Tsuna couldn't see his eyes he knew only because of his way of holding knifes.

"Omo, omo! He wants to fight poor rabbit?" Lussuria covered his lips with his palm, surprised.

"Tch! Thrash!" Levi frowned, still copying Xanxus even in this moment.

"WHAT'S THIS!? I WANTED TO FIGHT! HOW COULD THAT IDIOT PICK THIS GOOD-FOR-NOTHING IMBECILE?!" Squalo yelled, swinging around with his arms.

"Hey! Isn't this against the rules? You can't let Tsuna fight!" Dino shouted at them and looked at Tsuna's back with panicked expression.

"It's not against rules. Challenger can choose anyone from our group as long as he serves the White queen." Mammon said calmly.

"But Tsuna isn't fighter! He can't fight!" Dino yelled. "He will just get hurt! He won't last there even a minute!" When Tsuna heard his words he flinched. Up till now he was wondering how to get out of this situation but he wasn't even thinking about the reason why did Ryohei chose him. He remembered his promise when they parted. He said he can get stronger if he fights and that he will help him. But seriously! Why like this?

"We shouldn't let him fight!" Dino stated.

"No fighting means giving up." Xanxus growled suddenly. "And giving up can be done only by thrash like you!" he didn't even look at Dino but the mood around him got already too deadly.

"Then what you're saying is that he should fight even if he can't win? This is bullshit! And for what? For your damn self satisfaction?" Dino gritted his teeth. He was angry. How could these guys only think about themselves?

"Satisfaction? Do you want to die?" Xanxus glanced at him with murderous intent in his eyes, ready to go and slaughter him.

"Shut up, both of you!" Hibari ordered with voice so cold and aura so dangerous that none of them said anything for a while. He was furious. Self control he was holding these past two days was crumbling quite drastically and whose fault was it again?

"Then what do you suggest?" Dino asked after few minutes, watching the people in Dome getting impatient. Hibari sighed and glanced at Tsuna's small back. He saw him shaking. He must have been feeling shocked and terrified. Well who wouldn't be? Fighting in Dei Mei Regis meant that one can even die there.

'I don't want to let him fight but that would mean...' he thought and for a moment shifted his eyes on the white-haired man standing in the middle of arena, thinking about killing that fucktard. In fact right now he wanted to exterminate everyone in the Dome and get out of there with his rabbit. 'Alright is there any way how to get out of this situation without giving up?' the King wondered but knew there wasn't. Tsuna was chosen and there was nothing he could do.

He felt strong irritation flowing through him. This situation had only two solutions - give up or let him fight.

"There are only two possible options - give up or let Sawada fight." he said what he had on his mind and looked at Tsuna again. He hated to admit defeat without even trying but he knew that it was absurd to expect something like this from Tsuna.

Varia looked at their king, shocked. The King they knew would never give up no matter what. Was the rabbit so important? "Are you serious?" Xanxus growled.

"What?! What two options? There are no TWO options! There's only one and that's NOT to let Tsuna fight!" Dino shouted angrily.

"Shut up already!" Mammon yelled suddenly. "You keep spouting off nonsenses but you don't understand anything!"

"I don't understand anything? It's you who don't understand! The only thing you think about is how to win as if Tsuna was some sort of chessman you can manipulate with!"

"You just don't get it! Do you know what this competition is about?! Because rulers can't fight among themselves they came up with this so their servants fight instead of them!"

"And what of it?!"

"It means that when you're chosen you go and fight in the name of your King or Queen! That said if Sawada doesn't fight, it will be as if the King himself gave up! It's his duty as a king's servant to go and fight if he was chosen!"

"His duty? And what's so bad about giving up? Isn't Tsuna's life more important than some stupid competition?!" Dino frowned, leaving Mammon speechless. "Have you even considered how Tsuna must feel?!

"And what about you?"

Everyone's eyes turned to the small rabbit whose back finally straightened. They couldn't see his face cause he was still looking down on his lap but slowly he lifted his head. He stood up and turned around, bowing deeply before Hibari. "I apologize for my behavior, my King! I was very surprised because of what happened but I'm alright now." the brunette said as calmly as he could.

"Oi, what are you saying?" Dino mumbled, watching him with desperate expression.

"Thank you Dino-san. It really made me happy that you said those things." Tsuna smiled at him and continued. "But even though I'm weak and useless and scared I want to fight! Giving up without even trying - I don't know if I could face my King properly later." he laughed bitterly and felt everyone's eyes on him.

In that moment Hibari stood up as well, surprising them. "That doesn't matter now!" he said with his cold voice, piercing the brunette with his steel eyes. "You're not a warrior. Dei Mei Regis is extremely dangerous and right when you enter arena you stake your life on line. You can die there."

Tsuna, looking down again, muttered: "I know, my King."

"With this in mind are you still willing to fight for me? Are you willing to fight for the pride of the kingdom? Are you capable of winning?" he asked but when he saw Tsuna started trembling slightly again, he frowned.

The brunette looked at him and felt how great the responsibility he had now was. He bowed again. "Y-yes, my-..my King!" he stuttered.

"I'm very sorry to disturb you but I would like to guide Sawada Tsuna to the arena." said the man in white who appeared on the balcony. 'It's here!' Tsuna thought and gulped. He looked at Varia and Dino again and one last time at Hibari. "T-then I'll take my leave."

Just when he was about to follow the man strong hand grabbed his arm, stopping him. Tsuna watched the King with shocked face and didn't know how to react. King's eyes were calm but still somewhat wavering. As if he wanted him to stay which he actually wanted. It was too dangerous and what he said before seemed to him too heartless even though normally he was always like that. But now how is it possible that he was so unsure about his decision just because of this rabbit? In the end he knew it all along but didn't want to admit it. The fact that Sawada Tsunayoshi became so important to him. He always was but these days he was aware of it even more. But why? What changed?

"My King?" Tsuna looked at him with confusion. Suddenly the skylark bent down and their faces were just few centimeters apart. The brunette blushed and opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. King's stare was just too intense that for a second he even forgot about the fight.

"I don't care if you win or not. Just come back in one piece." Hibari said while actually wondering if he should not let him fight after all. "This is an order, do you understand? I won't tolerate disobedience!" he stated, watching the brunette closely ready to keep him by his side if he looked too terrified.

Tsuna stared at him and then he laughed, feeling a bit better. It was so like Hibari! "Hai! As you wish, my King!"

〜 〜 〜

"Wait here! I will come for you when the time comes." the man ordered and left him alone in a room without any windows or furniture. Well there was only one bench but that was it. Before the man guided him to a different room where he changed into clothes they offered him but then he left him here. It was quite a while already and Tsuna felt more nervous by a minute.

"DAMN! What was I thinking?! How did it end up like this? How am I supposed to win against Ryohei who's a captain of the guards in White palace?!" he panicked and rubbed his head crazily. "That's it! I can't win this! What should I do now?"

"Seems like you're quite nervous, dame-Tsuna." said suddenly a childish voice.

"HEEE?! Reborn! What are you doing here?" the brunette shouted, watching the infant appear on the bench out of nowhere.

"I came to look at you one last time."

"One last time? Don't be so morbid!"

"I'm not being morbid. I'm realistic." he smirked when he saw brunette's frightened expression.

"WAAAA! You're right! What am I gonna do?" Tsuna cried out desperately.

"What you ask? Just win, dame-Tsuna!"

"Easily said than done! How am I supposed to do that?! Compared to him I'm way too weak... I have no chance against him!"

"Didn't you say you wanted to get stronger?"

"Yeah, I did but seriously this is too much! I can't win..." Tsuna sighed and sat down next to Reborn. "When Dino-san said I wouldn't last in the arena even a minute I was a bit pissed. I wanted to show them I could do it! I wanted to go and win so Hibari-san would be proud of me and I'm sure I could even confess with ease after that cause I would've done everything I could to earn my place next to my King..." the brunette looked at his hands and sighed again. "But now that it's actually happening I realized how naive I was! How can weak good-for-nothing rabbit like me win?"

It was quiet for couple of minutes. Reborn watched the brunette without saying anything but then he took out of his pocket something, smiling slyly. "Do you want to win, Tsuna?"

The Rabbit glanced at him. "Of course I want."

"Good. Then win with your dying will!"

〜 〜 〜

Hey! :)

Sorry I'm so late with this update but now that I think about it this is the first update of a year :D (btw sorry Lou-chan there wasn't as much humor as you probably wanted ^^;)

Anyway it's really awesome I'm here with you for such long time already :) I still remember how I was writing new year's HibaTsuna fanfic ^^

Really thank you for all the support you gave me :) without your fantastic comments it wouldn't be so much fun ^^

Little late but still wish you all the best for the next year. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as possible :))

~ •. Happy New Year .• ~