Kei-Kei Yuki: Hi! I'm back again with a chapter! I beta have done awesome work for this chapter. Also thank-you all who took the time off to check out my Fem! Soma Collection Drabbble. It really brought tears to my eyes. I love you all! And remember if you have an request to make for that drabble, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do!

Tsunami: Reborn, please explain to me this female warrior cosplay I have on. I look like Erza from Fairy Tail!

Reborn: Hmm, but you don't have the fierce edge that she has.

Tsunami: That's still not answering my question!

Reborn: Continued on with the story!

Chapter Twenty-Five

Trigger

The yo-yos sailed towards the bomber, the spikes already launching through the air. Gokudera jumped back and ducked out of the way so that they hit the wall behind him. The silver-haired teen began to escape the spacious room, running down the hallway that Gokudera and the others had come from initially. Chikusa quickly gave chase and threw his yo-yo once again, but Gokudera easily evaded it by rolling to the side. "You suck!" The green-eyed teen yelled as he ran down the hallway, Chikusa following behind him. He didn't notice the bomb stuck to the wall as he turned a corner. A loud explosion was heard.

Chikusa cursed at how he was unable to see through the thick fog once again. "Double Bombs!" Gokudera shouted, throwing more dynamites at Chikusa. However, the raven-haired teen easily defused them with his yo-yos. He was doing it as quickly as possible, the bomber noted.

"I see that you remember what had happened the last time. Quick response, but you should look up." Gokudera smugly said. Chikusa gaped, only catching a glimpse of the small bombs that were raining down on him. They quickly blew up, and he was caught in the middle of the explosion.

"My dynamite works best in enclosed areas. You lost the second you chased after me to this hallway." Gokudera explained confidently. The smoke cleared up and he was able to see that Chikusa had somehow managed to avoid most of the brunt of the explosion. "Oh? Tough guy, huh?" Gokudera pulled out a handful of unlit dynamites. "This will finish you."

"Gokudera, wait!" Uri screamed out in alarm, and at that moment, excruciating pain struck the bomber's body. Gokudera groaned through clenched teeth, clutching his chest in pain. His fingers slackened and the dynamites dropped from his hands, he leaned against the wall for support. Chikusa immediately noticed the bomber's new behavior. 'Damn it, the side effects just had to kick in now…' Gokudera growled, knees weak as he dropped to the ground.

"I don't know what's going on, but you left yourself wide open." Spikes appeared on the yo-yos that were in Chikusa's hands, Gokudera panicked slightly, seeing how he couldn't move his body. "Oi, brat. Listen to me. Let me take over your body." Gokudera heard Uri ask within his mind, earning an outburst from him.

"Shut up! Gokudera, this is the only way. The side effect of that medicine is kicking in and we have to hurry and do something, so please, just listen to me!" Gokudera went quiet when he heard the desperation leaking from Uri's voice. She even said 'please', which was something that would never have come out of her mouth for a million years.

"Do what you got to do." Gokudera grunted, Uri smirked, satisfied to hear his reply. "Alright, this switch will only last a few seconds so I gotta make them count." Through Gokudera's eyes, she watched Chikusa release the spikes in their direction. In less than a second, the teen's eyes went from intense emerald green to brilliant ruby red. Uri forced Gokudera's body to roll over to dodge the spike. With agile, smooth movement, they jumped to their feet and landed with a backflip. At the same time, dexterous fingers pulled out some dynamites and released them mid-air, as they landed on their feet.

"As if that would work." Chikusa released his yo-yos to extinguish the bombs, missing the smirk that appeared on the bomber's face. In a flash, Gokudera appeared right behind Chikusa and landed a blow that sent him sprawling across the hall. Uri was now in complete control of Gokudera's body, and like a cat, she ran towards the raven-haired teen swiftly and grasped his collar. She threw him over her shoulder, as he landed on the ground with a 'thud'.

This time, he was quicker to recover though, his yo-yo was already in his hands. He threw them towards the bomber's direction, only for the silver-haired teen to use a flexibility that he didn't expect him to possess. The teen quickly closed in on Chikusa and delivered powerful kicks which made him stagger back. He was almost overwhelmed in pain, until a roundhouse kick landed right in his face, knocking him off of his feet.

"Now, what shall I do to you? Hmm…" An uncharacteristically wide, sadistic grin was on the bomber's face, Uri still in control. She glared down at the weak form that was Chikusa. "Oi, Uri – Shut it, brat. I'm in the middle of something! I'm not letting him go until he pays back for all the damages he had done. Especially to me! You bastard, do you know how much pain you put me through?! I'll make you see hell for that stunt you pulled!" Uri began to repeatedly stomp on Chikusa, while Gokudera could do nothing but sweat drop at the spirit's actions. "So this was the real reason she wanted to take over." Gokudera sighed.

While Uri was busy tramping on Chikusa, she noticed a canary from the corner of her eyes. It was flying around aimlessly while it chirped out something very familiar to her before it disappeared behind the double doors. Hmm, it kind of sounded like the song of the school that the brat attended along with the other brats. Oh well, no matter, she was busy right now. A creepy grin curled on her lips.

The room comically shook each time Uri released a violent threat from her mouth.

A playful smirk graced the handsome teen's face as he strolled across the mutedly lit floor of the grandiose cathedral-like place, which previously looked like an office. Heterochromatic eyes was on the petite teenager across, who was glaring at him, something that he found adorable and amusing at the same time. He chuckled slightly to himself. "I see it's finally time for the grand climax to begin. I hope that you entertain me a little before reaching your demise." A trident appeared in the indigo-haired teen's hands, slightly gleaming under the blue light streaming from the circular windows atop.

"Master! Run away!" Tsunami heard the frantic voice of Natsu, looking anxiously around the capacious room for the little spirit. "N-Natsu! Where are you?" Tsunami tried to follow the direction where the little spirit's voice was coming from. Suddenly, she saw a spotlight projecting a bright beam of light onto the spot next to Mukuro, showing a golden bird cage that Natsu was trapped inside.

"Natsu!" Tsunami was relieved to see the little spirit again, but was also angered to see her trapped inside the cage like some kind of wild animal.

"Master, run away! He's trying to possess – mmmph!" Natsu's mouth was quickly sealed with a silver tape. "Kufufu, can't have you ruining all of the fun, now can we?" Mukuro teasingly said, as the chibi continued to struggle to remove the tape.

"Let Natsu go, Mukuro!" Tsunami shouted. Suddenly, she was kicked out of the way by a tiny foot, sending her sprawling onto the marbled floor. "What was that for, Reborn?!" Tsunami raised her voice at the infant, pressing a hand against her sore cheek.

"Pay attention, Dame-Tsunami." Reborn sternly said, just as Tsunami took notice of another person, who was holding a knife in his small hands. It could have caused some serious damage, had not Reborn so kindly kicked her out of the way. "F-Fuuta?! What are you doing here?!" Tsunami exclaimed with wide eyes, only to receive a blank stare from Fuuta, as he charged towards her.

"Tsunami, get out of the way!" Once again, Tsunami was harshly kicked away just as she got up, falling clumsily onto the ground. "Will you stop kicking me – wahh! A-a-a w-whip?!" The brunette had a hard time catching the object that Reborn threw at her. She unraveled it, and to her surprise, it was indeed a whip that Reborn had given her.

"It's one of the presents that Dino had sent you. Now is the best to use it." Reborn instructed, as Tsunami stared down at the weapon in pure confusion. Hearing footsteps rushing towards her, her mind was racing as she gripped the handle of the long whip. She snapped it in the air and swung it over at Fuuta, wrapping him in a cocoon, preventing his struggling.

"Fuuta, what's wrong with you?!" Tsunami rushed over to the tied up boy, quickly knocking the knife from his hand and placed her hands on his cheeks as she looked at him in the eyes. "Dame-Tsuna, he's most likely being controlled by the annoying pineapple in the room." Reborn casually said, not missing the slight twitch that came from the teen, smirking to himself when he noticed it.

"Come to your senses, Fuuta!" Tsunami yelled desperately but the younger brunet didn't listen and he started to struggle once again. "Kufufufu… How amusing." Mukuro laughed in delight, enjoying the show before him. 'W-what do I do?!' Tsunami panicked.

"If you don't fight back, you'll die, Dame-Tsuna." The suit-wearing infant simply said. "Like I need to hear that now! Besides, I disarmed him, remember?!" Tsunami yelled fiercely. "You didn't completely. Dodge, Dame-Tsunami." Reborn warned her just in the nick of the time as at the same moment, something rang in distress in her head. She rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the second knife that Fuuta had hidden in his sleeve.

"Just how many knives does he have on him?!" Tsunami narrowed her eyes and pounced on him again, pinning Fuuta to the ground, snatching the knife from his tight grip. "Kufufu, what will you do now, Sawada Tsunami?" Mukuro smiled smugly. "I'll save him, of course!" Tsunami shot Mukuro a look, surprising even herself at her answer, considering how panicky she was a minute ago. He was slightly taken aback from the determined look in her warm honey-brown eyes, before he chuckled once again. 'You always were amusing, Sawada Tsunami.'

Looking into Fuuta's large, glazed eyes, Tsunami could spot one emotion expressed in them. "Look Fuuta, I know you are in pain. I know you deeply regret your actions, but I just want you to know that I'm not mad at you, Fuuta. I'm just really worried and I care deeply about you, so please listen. Come back to your senses, Fuuta. Come back home to us. None of this is your fault. Absolutely none of it, you hear me?" Fuuta began to show emotions one again, and tears filled up his eyes before they dripped down his cheeks.

"Tsuna…-nee… hic… Tsuna-nee!" Fuuta burst into sobs, crying into her chest as she consoled him by tightly hugging him back, her hand gently rubbing circles on his back. "It's okay, Fuuta. Once this is all over, Nee-chan promise to bake you a whole cake once we get home. I am always here for you, remember that." Tsunami said softly, gently rocking and consoling the crying boy in her arms. Soon, his crying ceased and she looked down and saw Fuuta in a deep sleep. He had a peaceful look on his face, despite the trouble he had been through.

Soundlessly, she picked the young boy up, making her way over to Reborn. "He's exhausted. Nice job, Mama-Lioness Tsuna." Reborn teased, only to notice that there was no outburst from the petite brunette as she set the boy down beside him. She shrugged off her uniform jacket and folded it. She placed it under the boy's head. "Reborn, watch over him for me." Once she made sure that Fuuta was comfortable, she went to pick up the whip that was lying on the ground.

"I'm pissed." Tsunami's voice was cold and filled with anger, yet Chrome's request kept repeating in her head. "Oya, is the little Usagi finally baring her teeth at me? How adorable. I didn't expect to have to deal with you personally, but it seems that I have to." Mukuro straightened, the sign in his red eye reverting to the kanji for 'four'. Reborn took notice how the teen had pulled out his trident once more, as the two charged at each other.

Having passed each other, Tsunami cried softly as thin cuts of varying length appeared all over her body and uniform. She dropped to her knee. "…B-blood!" Tsunami trembled lightly as she pressed a hand to her cheek, only to see blood smeared on her hand. "W-what on e-earth h-happened?" Tsunami felt the cuts on her body sting with pain.

"He hit you with an intense attack when you passed each other." Reborn explained to the brunette who struggled to get back on her feet. "Bravo, Arcobaleno. You're exactly right." Mukuro clapped his hands mockingly, as Tsunami looked back at the male only to gasp in shock.

"There's a flame in his eye!" Tsunami exclaimed, looking at the small indigo flame that was in Mukuro's eye. "Oya? You can see it?" Mukuro then set off into an explanation concerning the flame in his eye. "This is the aura of combat skill. I attained it in the fourth realm, known as Asura." Mukuro said. "Asura? Skill?" Tsunami repeated, confusion laced in her voice.

"Have you heard about the six paths of reincarnation?" Mukuro asked. He took the brunette's silence as a 'no'. "When people die, they're reborn into either Naraka, Preta, Animal, Asura, Human or Deva Realm." Reborn explained. The indigo-haired teen took over for him. "I have my past life experiences in all six realms etched into my body. Through them, I've been granted six special skills." Tsunami looked at them in confusion. "What are you talking about…?" Tsunami grunted.

"If that's true, then you're one hell of a crazy monster." It seemed that Reborn understood what the teen was hinting at. "You're in no position to talk, cursed infant Arcobaleno." Mukuro smirked, the title catching Tsunami's attention. 'Arcobaleno… does he mean Reborn?' She wondered.

"Now, let me show you another skill." The kanji for 'one' appeared in Mukuro's eye. Tsunami's eyes widened, alarms ringing in her head once again. "Here goes…" Mukuro tapped the floor with his trident, and instantly the ground began to break apart.

"Eh?! Ahh!" Tsunami yelled, the floor shaking wildly under her feet. "No way!" Tsunami screamed. She looked around and gasped. She watched helplessly as everyone around her fell into the dark abyss. "Fuuta! Reborn!" She yelled, trying to reach out to them, but it was too late. Her eyes gradually closed as she began to fall into the deep pit –

Pain flared from her side as her eyes snapped open. "Itte!" Tsunami yelped, holding her rib that Reborn had just whacked her with a large paper fan. "What on earth was that for, Reborn?!" The brunette angrily hissed, only to pause as she blinked at Reborn. "Th-the floor… i-it was…!" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"You were seeing an illusion, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn stated. "I-illusion?" She asked, as she frantically looked around the room again, and saw that the floor was still intact. She sighed and placed a hand to her heart. 'It was an illusion but it felt so real. So scary.'

"Kufufu, I'm impressed that you saw through it." Mukuro spoke out, both student and tutor looking at his direction. "That was the first realm, Naraka. The state of Hell, which destroys a person's mind with never ending nightmares." Mukuro smiled.

"Time to man up, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn said. "I'm girl!" Tsunami huffed. "…But I understand…" She stood on her feet. "You're basically telling me that it's time for me to stop whining, correct?" The brunette wiped her slightly bloody mouth with the back of her hand. "You're not as Dame as you were before." Reborn replied with a smirk, a hidden satisfied gleam in his eyes, blatantly ignoring the fuming look in his student's eyes.

"Kufufufu~ I do not wish to harm you, Usagi-chan. After all, we have grown so close during our short time together. Hmm, if I remember correctly, our first proper meeting took place at the mall. I believe it was destiny leading us to each other. Fufu, not a day goes by without me remembering those soft, sweet, innocent strawberry-flavored lips of yours. Oya, wasn't it I who took your first kiss, Usagi-chan? I say we have a special bond." With amusement apparent in his eyes, he looked at Tsunami, whose entire face was scarlet.

"Why did you have to bring that up now of all times?!" The brunette shouted. However, she tensed up with a gulped when she felt a dark aura coming from the infant beside her. She looked over and screamed in fright at the pair of onyx eyes that glared at Mukuro with fiery intensity. She tried to tip-toe away from the scary infant. "Oi, Dame-Tsuna." Tsunami flinched at the chillingly cold tone that he was speaking with.

"Make sure that you break a few of that annoying pineapple's bones while you are at it." Reborn demanded, flexing his fingers to get rid of the tingles, wanting to shoot at the annoying fruit that was present in the room.

'S-sadistic and evil. Reborn is definitely both.' Tsunami shivered and took a cautious step away from the silently fuming infant. "Don't forget a sexy hot-blooded Italian hitman, Dame-Tsuna." Reborn added. "Stop reading my mind!" Tsunami's cheeks flushed.

Without warning, Mukuro's eye reverted to the kanji for 'three', causing venomous snakes to rain down on them from above. "Hieee!" Tsunami cried out, backing away, trying her best to keep them away from her. 'W-wait a minute! Is this an illusion too?' She asked herself. Reading her mind, Mukuro answered for her. "Those are real venomous snakes."

"N-no way!" Tsunami paled. "The third realm, the state of Animal… grants the skill to summon deadly creatures. Saa, there's no way to run now, Usagi-chan." Mukuro smiled, watching Tsunami get cornered against a wall, surrounded by slithering, hissing snakes. "T-there's no way out!"

"Oi, pineapple brat. You should watch out, I'm sensing an angry beast heading your way." Reborn smiled haughtily. Mukuro frowned and was about to open his mouth when he was suddenly whacked upside his head with a tonfa.

"Hime, get down!" Gokudera yelled. Tsunami looked up and gasped before she covered her head with her arms. The dynamited blew the snakes away from her. She coughed slightly, waving the smoke away. Opening her eyes, she sighed in relief, glade to see she was alive and unharmed. Once the smoke completely cleared, she looked towards the open doors and gasped.

"Sorry I'm late, Hime." Standing in the room was Gokudera, Yamamoto and Chrome, along with Hibari who stood a few feet away from them. Despite his many wounds, he still looked eager to fight. "Yo Tsuna, we came to give you a hand." Yamamoto grinned in his usual way, calming Tsunami down. The sight of them together, even Hibari, brought relief to her. Tears came to her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away before anyone could notice.

"Kufufufu… it seems that you defeated those three. Even my dear little Chrome-chan is here. Well, I guess it's time to unveil the grand finale finally." Reaching into his pocket, everyone saw him take out a somewhat small round indigo-colored gem. "What is that?" Tsunami asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"Oh, it's nothing but a little surprise that I had borrowed from someone a long time ago. Now is the best time than ever to put it to good use." He tossed it and everyone followed the movement of the gem as it sailed through the air before falling onto the ground. Mukuro instantly pressed down on it with the trident's end, making it shatter into small pieces. Large amounts of dark negative energy burst out from the broken gem, swarming around the door, almost suffocating them. It surged through the doors and windows, which shattered immediately, and escaped to the outside.

In the room, the group managed to gain back their bearings against the energy that was still fleeing to outside. "J-just what on earth is he trying to accomplish with this much dark energy?" Jirou said through gritted teeth. "I ain't got a clue." Uri answered, looking at Mukuro carefully. At that moment, Kojirou's eyes widened. "No way… is he trying to summon an army of Dark Halves?!" Everyone's attention was caught by that statement, before they looked over to the enemy who suddenly started chuckling, the smile on his face conveying that he was up to no good.

"I can say that I too was shocked. Don't worry though, I have prepared for something like this. They should be heading here now." The infant hitman said, all eyes on him now.

"Reborn, what are you talking about? Who's coming here?" Tsunami asked, only to receive a smirk. Meanwhile, two figures were dashing towards Kokuyo Academy. Back in the room, Reborn looked over at the group and specifically focused his attention on the teens who were transformed into Guardians.

"You guys, minus you, Dame-Tsuna. You're needed outside. Go and do your jobs as Guardians, and subdue the incoming hordes of Dark Halves until Dame-Tsuna is finished." Reborn informed them before turning his head towards Tsunami. "You, on the other hand, get ready to defeat Mukuro, and don't forget your promise to Chrome." Just as Tsunami opened her mouth, the infant cut her off.

"Don't start your annoying whining about how you are hopeless right now. As if that wasn't obvious. But…" A smirk appeared on his chubby face. "It looks like Gokudera's earlier attack has helped you more than you think. Brace yourself." Tsunami looked confused before she felt the slight tingle of a familiar presence heading towards her way. She turned around, catching a glimpse of something orange flying towards her like a bullet. It melted into her chest and fused with her heart, she felt the familiar presence of the orange flames consuming her.

Reborn smirked as he watched Tsunami transform. The deep orange flames disappeared with a spark, showing the brunette in her Guardian of the Sky transformation. She stood tall and proud, her eyes calm and half-lidded. She looked down at herself and clenched her fist. "MASTER, I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! NATSU IS SO HAPPY TO BE REUNITED WITH YOU AGAIN!" Natsu's loud crying voice was suddenly heard in her head.

"Ah…" Tsunami managed to regain her footing, as Natsu's amplified voice almost knocked her off from her feet. Her ears rang, as she smiled, returning the same sentiment. "I feel the same way too, Natsu. It feels like as if it's been a long time since we last transformed." Tsunami looked down at her clenched fist before enigmatic bright orange eyes looked at Mukuro, who noticed the look in her eyes.

'She seems much more passionate and fiery than before. How fascinating you are, Usagi-chan.' Mukuro thought. The next thing he knew, he was blocking a punch with his trident, his smile widening at the utterly captivating creature before him. In no time, they were exchanging blows, but this time both of them seemed to be on equal standings. In the background, the other looked at the fight with awe. From the corner of his eye, Gokudera saw Hibari swivel on his heel and walk away.

"I'm surprised to see you walking away so easily without a fight." Reborn voiced out calmly. Hibari halted in his movements, as the others watched in interest, Gokudera and Yamamoto wondering the same thing as the infant. "Trust me, I wish for nothing more than to smash my tonfa in the pineapple herbivore's face but… that carnivore is finally baring her teeth. Something inside me is telling not to interfere. So just this time, I'm backing off, but don't expect this a second time." Hibari coolly said over his shoulder. The answer seemed to shock the others a little, yet in a way, they understood what he was saying, as they also felt the same way.

"Plus, the female mate must prove herself to be strong if she wishes to stay by the alpha's side. This will prove that she, as the spouse, is equal to me, so in the future, she will bear my powerful offspring." The raven-haired prefect continued in a blunt tone. He didn't even wait for others' reactions as he made his way out of the door.

A loud shout came from the room. "W-WHAT?! Like hell I'll allow you to touch my Hime, you damned perverted bastard! She will never, and I repeat, NEVER bear your freakishly strong offspring!" Gokudera burst out the door and followed after the skylark. Jogging right behind him was Yamamoto. "Sorry Hibari-sempai, but Tsuna-chan and I are going to have a boy! I can already imagine the family picnics." Yamamoto called out, his voice not having a hint of apology despite his words.

"Shut up, baseball idiot! You ain't touching my Hime either! None of you bastards are touching her, you hear me!"

"Shut up brat, and get a damn move on already!" Uri snapped.

Despite being quite far away from the room, Gokudera's voice could still be heard crystal clear to everyone in the room. The only one left in the room was now Chrome, who was also about to make her way out, until Reborn stopped her.

"You stay here. Watch with your own eyes as Dame-Tsunami follow through on her promise." Reborn said, not even once looking at her direction. Chrome nodded, turning around to watch the ongoing battle.

Back with Mukuro and Tsunami, the brunette was having a hard time dodging Mukuro, as he jabbed his trident at her, his hands almost blurring. When one of the hits came too close to her face, she was momentarily taken aback and left herself be defenseless. In that quick second, Mukuro gave a powerful kick, sending her flying back, her back painfully slamming on the wall.

"Oya, don't tell me that's all you've got, Usagi-chan. I haven't even got started yet." Mukuro charged towards her slumped form, his trident aimed at her. Just as he was in the proximity, she snapped open her eyes and ducked under the trident before kicking him right in the middle of his face. She quickly leapt away from him to gain some distance.

"Master, how are you holding up? Are you okay?" Natsu's worried voice echoed in her head. "Thanks Natsu, but I'm okay. I might be in pain but… I gotta take him down. I can't forget my promise that I made with Chrome." Tightening her fist, Tsunami ran back into the battle and began to throw punches. Mukuro easily dodged or blocked them, before he caught on her fist in the palm of his hand. He leaned in close to her face, his dual-colored eyes glinting wickedly.

"I see such vicious fire burning in your eyes, but your punches and kicks are so lukewarm. You are weak. I have no need for such people in the new world that I will create once I managed to take complete control of your body." The brunette could only stare in confusion, before a fist planted itself in her face in a second. She crashed into the same wall as earlier.

Once again, the kanji in Mukuro's eyes changed, and a large King Cobra slithered from the mist behind him. Chrome gasped, as it hissed and bared its fangs at the frightened Tsunami. "Your power shall create the dream world that I desire." Tsunami couldn't resist the shiver that ran down her spine as the mad grin on Mukuro's face widened. In a second, the large beast of a snake appeared in front of her, opening its maw to unimaginable sizes. Just before she got swallowed, the last thing she heard was the scream that came from Chrome.

"Bossu!" Chrome cried out.

Despite the worry gnawing at him, Reborn pursed his lips and looked on. He was confident that his student would win. Suddenly, his pocket shined and he looked a the violet gem that flew from his pockets and out the door, almost as if it was in a hurry to go to someone outside. A smirk slowly curled up on his lips, he tugged down the brim of his fedora, looking back at the fight. "So it's finally time for the independent, ever-drifting Cloud to strike."

"What… what has that crazy bastard done…" Gokudera could only stare in shock at the sky, where many Dark Halves had covered the sky like a pitch black blanket. Wings fluttered in the air, crimson red eyes filled with madness dotted the canvas of black. "Oi, Jirou." Uri suddenly called out to one halve of the twin Rain Guardian Spirits. "Yeah?" He answered back. "Wasn't that pineapple the same one we saw during Christmas?"

"Ah, he was! So the pineapple was a bad guy after all!" Jirou exclaimed. "Don't forget that he was the same person who stole Natsu's master, Tsunami's first kiss, the same guy that you two were searching for relentlessly." Kojirou said, knowing fully well that his words just added fuel to the fire. There was a moment of silence shared between Gokudera and Yamamoto, before a strong surge of power flared from them.

"Maa maa, their anger is speaking for them so there's no need for words." The smirk on Uri's disappeared when she felt her senses tingling. "Gokudera, move out of the way!" Uri warned, and Gokudera's body moved on habit and right on time too, as there was a crater at where he had stood a second ago.

"Wow, nice job in dodging, Gokudera. That could have done some damage." Yamamoto acknowledged, missing the tic mark on the bomber's temple. "Idiot, don't sound so amazed! It could've gotten you as well." He growled angrily, as Yamamoto did nothing but grin, standing only a mere centimeter away from where the crater was made.

Another dark ball of energy came towards them, this time though it was ten times bigger than the last one, ready to take out both of them. "Tch, this is totally different than usual. A large group of them must be combining their powers, boosting more strength into their attacks. Run!" Gokudera and Yamamoto turned tail and began to run, only to have a fast black blur to rush past between them. They stopped in their tracks, mouth opening to warn the person, only to have their eyes bulge out from their sockets in shock as they witnessed something unbelievable.

"Ne Gokudera, is my eyes playing tricks on me…?" A stunned Yamamoto asked slowly.

"That guy is a freaking monster." Gokudera said back, his mouth slightly open as he watched the head prefect block the powerful attack steadfastly with nothing but his tonfas. Hibari's heel dug into the ground a little before he deflected it back at the creature in a second.

"Yep, he's definitely a monster." Both teens confirmed, along with their respective spirits. Unexpectedly, the older teen dropped to his knees, due to many wounds his body sported. "Hibari-sempai!" Yamamoto called out worriedly, running over to the dark-haired teen, Gokudera following after him with a scowl on his face. However, they were stopped in their tracks by a huge flying disk, Yamamoto stopped it momentarily with his sword.

Another one came flying at Gokudera, but it had sharp spikes on the edge. The silver-haired teen began tossing bombs at its direction, but it was too fast for any of the bombs to land on it. It maneuvered around in the air agilely, determined to stab Gokudera with its spikes. If that wasn't enough, another large blast of energy was fired towards the defenseless Hibari's direction.

Both Yamamoto and Gokudera had their hands too full to help, when just as the attack looked as it was going to hit the prefect, they were blinded by the glow of two bright light of contrasting color, yellow and violet. This was followed by a loud familiar exclaim, along with a well-known catchphrase.

"Extreme Punch! Yosh, we did it Kan!" Standing in front of Hibari, his fist thrust out, was none other than Ryohei in his transformation for the first time. At the same time, Yamamoto and Gokudera had managed to land an attack on each of their opponent. They were defeated and the creature laid on the ground, unconscious.

"So that's Sasagawa-sempai's transformation form." Yamamoto said, looking awed. The boxer was dressed in a pair of white shorts, which had a thin line of yellow going down the sides. He donned a yellow t-shirt, along with a white sleeveless hoodie on top, which was unzipped. He was wearing white boots, which had gold-yellow on the bottom and lace fasteners. There were also bandages wrapped around his entire arms.

"Forget the Lawn-Head! Look behind him!" Gokudera shouted, talking about the large ball of violet flames that was right behind the boxer, Hibari trapped inside. "Hn, so she finally got awoken, huh?" Uri said, an annoyed look in her eyes.

Inside the sphere of purple flames, Hibari came face to face with a small creature, who was wearing a short kimono with silver-lined clouds decorating the fabric. She stared deeply into his slate-grey eyes, almost as if she was looking at his soul. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally decided to open her mouth. "I can sense my master's soul burning within you. So you are his new reincarnation."

"What are you talking about, tiny herbivore? My soul is my own, I am my own person, no one else." Hibari stated, bringing somewhat of a smile to her small face. She bowed her head graciously. "Excuse me and accept my apologies then, my new master. Starting from this day forth, I will serve you until you no longer wish for my presence. May I ask what your name is?" She asked with grace and civility, which reminded Hibari of his own mother. He felt an odd sense of nostalgia wash over him, as his mouth began to move on its own.

"Hibari Kyoya. And you, little herbivore?" The skylark asked. "My name is Roll. Let us live up to our reputation as Guardian of the Cloud, Kyoya-dono." With one last bow, Hibari watched the same little creature turn into a little ball of violet flames. It melted into his chest and disappeared, as he felt power vibrating within him.

Meanwhile, others watched as the intense flames vanished, showing Hibari in different clothes. He wore a form fitting black military style shirt that distantly resembled a suit jacket and black slacks, along with a white dress shirt and a violet tie underneath the shirt. The six silver buttons on the shirt gleamed faintly. A golden aiguillette was pinned from under the right shoulder mark to the right lapel of the jacket, the tips of it clinking together with each movement.

The jacket and the pockets, one of the left upper part and the other on the right bottom part, were lined in dark purple. He had a white belt around his waist, and the round silver buckle had the insignia of a cloud on it. He donned a pair of white leather gloves on his hands and wore shiny black dress shoes. There was another bigger, similar looking jacket draped on his broad shoulders like a cape. To top it off, a black military hat was placed on his head, which was tilted slightly. The brim of the hat shadowed one of his eye.

"O-oi, it is just me or… does he seem even more stronger than before?" Standing a good distance away from the teen, the group could sense the power seeping from the head prefect. His visible silver-grey eyes had the look of a predator ready to hunt down his prey. His trusted tonfas were in his hands as he shifted into an elegant battle stance. "It's time for me… to bite you all to death."

"Bossu!" Chrome could only watch helplessly as the creature swallowed Tsunami in one gulp. She held her trembling hands to her mouth before she shot a desperate look at her brother. "Nii-sama, please stop this! Bossu has done nothing wrong, she's different!" Chrome cried out. Mukuro simply chuckled as he brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

"My dear Chrome, please sit back, and just relax, and enjoy the show. This must happen. But do not worry, she's not dead, considering how I need her for my grand plans after all." Mukuro spoke pleasantly.

"Please do tell these so called grand plan of yours." Reborn did not ask, rather, he demanded. Mukuro did nothing except shooting an amused look at the infant.

"That's an easy answer. The world. I wish to paint this world with beautiful darkness. But in order to do that, I must need the ultimate power of this world, and she is one of the keys to awaken it, along with you, Arcobaleno." Putting the pieces together, Reborn now understood what Mukuro's goal was.

'The Tri-Ni-Sette.'

"Maa, if this is what you're after, then you're one scary and messed up mad man" Reborn replied. At that moment, his attention was stolen by a ball-shaped Leon, who glowed brightly. 'Hmm, what's this? It's just when Dino was chosen to be a Protector.' He had a feeling it had to do something with Tsunami. Large black eyes looked at the beast, whose tummy held the brunette captive.

'Huh, where am I? Why does it feel like I'm drowning in a pool of darkness?' Question after question popped into her mind, before the recollections of her predicament came to her mind. "That's right, I was fighting Mukuro and got swallowed by a snake. Hmm, why does this remind me of Naruto? Ah, anyways, I have to get out of here. I must. I need to get back to them. I made a promise to Chrome that I must uphold."

Thinking of Chrome made Tsunami have a flashback to the time back at the hospital, where Chrome had told her the background story of the siblings.

"When we were young, my brother and I ran away from home. Mukuro had always disliked our mother and hated our father's guts. It was on a dark and rainy day when they appeared." Tsunami paid attention to how Chrome's fist balled into a fist, as this must have been hard for her to say.

"It was on that night that we were brought into the world of hell. The family who kidnapped up were named the Estraneo Family." The girls failed to see the look of recognition in Reborn's eyes, already knowing where the story was heading. "The Estraneo Family had an obsession with trying to make their own Sky Guardians and Sky Goddess after coming up empty about where the next reincarnation of the Sky would be. They chose children as their guinea pigs, but most of them died from the gruesome experiments. Only few children remained living, and I was the only girl left alive, the last who was about to undergo the experiment of being recreated as a Sky Goddess. Thankfully, I was saved by Onii-sama just before the experiment began. We were later rescued by Daemon-nii-sama, who took us in by the request of Elena-nee-sama. They were the ones who offered us a new chance at living a new life." Chrome looked at the floor sadly.

"Even though we were offered a new start, Nii-sama harbored hatred and darkness in his heart that he can't let go. Nii-sama wishes to take revenge against you, but not for his sake but… for mine. I'm the true reason for all this that's happening right now. I'm the one to blame, not you. Please forgive me." Tsunami felt her heart break as she watched Chrome break down, tears dripping down her cheeks.

'I made a promise and I refuse to go back on my word! So please lend me the strength I need. Not for myself, but to protect all those whom I cherish! I wish to protect my precious friends with my own hands!' Just as Tsunami screamed those words that came from the bottom of her heart, she began to see visions of people who were worrying about her. The first person was a concerned Kyoko, who was with Hana.

"Calm down, Kyoko. They'll be just fine." Hana was comforting a teary-eyed Kyoko. "But Dr. Shamal said they all went there… Onii-chan is not in the best shape, and what about Tsu-chan?!" The auburn-haired girl asked worriedly. "Stop worrying." Hana softly patted her friend's back. "But–!" The teen tried to express her worries once more, only to be cut off by Hana. "Believe and have faith, Kyoko. That's the only thing we can do for now. We must be here to greet them with scolding words and wide smiles when they return. This is our only option. Don't worry, she will return. I know she will." Hana comforted, a rare smile on her face as Kyoko wiped her tears away. "You're right, Hana-chan. Tsuna-chan, come back safe and sound, okay?" She prayed.

The scene shifted to a crying Haru, who was in Tsunami's bedroom with I-Pin. "Hahi! Tsuna-chan went to a criminal hideout to deal justice to them! Haru can sense that this is a crucial point in Tsuna-chan's life as a magical girl. Come back safe, Tsuna-chan! Haru will be here for you!" Haru stood on her feet as she fist pumped the air enthusiastically, I-Pin mimicking her pose as both of them rooted for the brunette. Bianchi had a smirk on her face as she read one of Tsunami's Shounen Jump manga, a tall stack of read mangas beside her. Deeply feeling just as the others, as she awaited for the others return.

The final scene showed her mother, a worried look on her face as she glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Tsu-chan sure is late today. I pray nothing has happened to her but…" Nana fisted her apron. "Why is my heart hurting all of a sudden? I haven't felt this way since Tsu-chan came home with so many bruises on her. Tsu-chan, where are you? Mama feels lost without you here." It was the most painful scene for Tsunami to see. She hated seeing her mother anxious after promising herself to not let her feel like that after her father basically disappeared from their lives.

"I… can't let things end here. I hate being Dame." She whispered to herself. Reborn's words suddenly seemed to echo themselves in her head. "What will you do, Dame Tsunami? Will you run away like a coward for the rest of your life… or will you finally take a stand?"

"I…"

"I…"

"I… will stand. I will be the sky who protects all those who she cherish!" Tsunami shouted. On the outside, Leon began to glow even brighter than before, nearly blinding those who were in the room. "So she finally has reached her answer." Reborn stated seriously, as Leon shifted into a gun in his hands while still glowing so brightly. "Accept this bullet and become a sky like no other, Dame-Tsuna." With that said, he pulled the trigger.

End of Chapter Twenty-Four

That wraps it up today folks! Thank-you for taking the time for reading this, and have a lovely day!