Kei-Kei Yuki: Hello everyone it's been such a long time, but I'm back. . .Even thought I'm about to go right back on break for this story. I'm so sorry, it's just I'm really busy with Realms of the Six Kingdom at the moment.
Tsunami: Okay, but some please explain to me why am I dress as Deku from Boko no Hero!
Reborn: Shut-up Dame-Tsuna. Your dame-ness, is really started to get on my nerve. Show some of that character development.
Hibari: Herbivore how dare you take such a long break.
Gokudera: You lazy author! What do you mean you about to go back on break!? We just came back!
Yamamoto: Haha! Gokudera calm down!
Ryohei: Extreme
Chrome: Bossu looks kawaii in her cosplay.
Kei-Kei Yuki: Enjoy the story~!
Beta by the Pure Red Crane!
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Awakening of a Journey!
Mukuro had to shield his eyes from the bright burst of light that shot itself at the swollen figure trapped inside the beast belly, bright pure orange light engulfing the room as Chrome also shielded her eyes from the bright burst of light. The only one who looked unfazed was Reborn, seeing something orange glowing from inside the beast, before it burst open like a balloon, flames wildly swirling around a certain figure.
"Her presence is different from before." Reborn observed, barely able to get a good look at Tsunami, who had one knee pressed on the ground, picking herself up, taking notice of the long kimono style sleeve that was presented on each arm. The flames stopped swirling around her and Reborn was able to see the new weapon his student was gifted.
Placed on Tsunami's hands was a pair of orange, metal-clad gloves, the letter X on the back of each hand, trapped inside of a circle with Sky written on the bottom. 'There are only two people in this world who were gifted those gloves: The first being, the First Sky Goddess, and the other being him. This just goes to show that Tsuna really is the Sky Reborn.' Reborn told himself, looking over at Tsunami who finally showed her eyes.
Her eyes were no longer wide and innocent. They were now narrow and firm, an intense burning orange in eyes. Her expression was different from before as well. She was more silent, and calculated, making it hard to read her thoughts.
"Kufufu~I don't know what that Arcobaleno hit you with, but it will be useless against me." Trident in hand, the two charged at each other, only to lock at a standstill, trident against Tsunami new glove weapon. They backed off, only to return blows at each other. Their attacks were either countering, or blocking, clashing blow against blow like lightning striking from out the sky.
"Tsunami is different from the way she was before. Her strikes no longer have hesitation. This must be Tsunami's inner quiet fighting spirit. She's finally has found her resolve." A proud smirk was slightly shown on Reborn's face.
Mukuro jumped out of the way of a swift and fast kick the brunette tried to hit him with, only to be surprised when the brunette got in a quick handstand to get in position, feet up in the air, doing a split. She then twirled her upside down body and attacks, her legs spinning like a helicopter blades, knocking Mukuro off his feet. This move looked quite familiar to a certain female street fighter.
Jumping back on her feet, she held a cool look on her face. However, inside her mind, a chibi version of herself was high-fiving a happy Natsu. "Great job! You pulled it off, Master!"
"Thank you, Natsu. And to think I got it from a game! Haha- Ah?" Tsunami suddenly felt a dark presence in the room. Even on the outside her face remained stoic, deep inside, she was panicking, afraid to look in a certain hitman's direction.
"Dame Tsuna, when this is all over, I'm doubling your training for that little stunt you just pulled." The hitman promised. Deep inside, Tsunami cried tears, vowing to never again pull a random attack like that again, even though it worked. Poor Chrome was just standing in the background, confused, while Mukuro used the back of his hand to wipe the thin trail of blood that ran down the side of his mouth. "I can't believe I allowed that attack to work on me." The illusionist felt ashamed, and embarrassed, and then got back on his feet.
"Don't think I'll let you pull off a cheap trick like that again."
"I expect nonetheless from you. I made a promised that I intend to keep. So prepare yourself, Rokudo Mukuro." Tsunami placed herself in a battle stance.
Meanwhile back on the school grounds, the others were busy taking out Dark Halves, a swarm of them attacking relentlessly. Hibari disappeared on them, fighting somewhere in the distance and away from the group. "Oi, Lawn-head, how did you get healed?" Gokudera asked the question that had been on his mind, only to have Uri answer instead.
"Kan must have used her Sun Flames on him. Sun Flames have a healing factor in them." Uri answered the bomber. Just then, a large ball of electric energy was heading their way. A figure stood protectively in front of them, consuming the ball of electric energy before shooting it right back at a group of Dark Halves.
"Ara, do I have to step in every time to be the hero. Too bad Tsuna-nee wasn't able to see my brave heroic deed. She's busy with Pineapple-san." Lambo shrugged his hands in his pockets. After saying this, Gokudera put him in a headlock.
"What was that, you stupid cow? As if I need you saving me! I'm perfectly fine on my own!" yelled the enraged bomber, ignoring the laughing Yamamoto in the background, who was congratulating the teen.
"Maa, I hope Natsu is holding up well…but what was that familiar presence I felt a second ago. It reminded me of…" Uri trailed off. A thoughtful look on her face, as the group continued to defend themselves against the swarm of creatures that was not letting up.
"I must admit, your fighting instincts have improved remarkably since the first beginning of our fight. It will be troublesome for me, if you begin to get carried away. I still have one last trick up my sleeve, that I have yet to use." stated Mukuro, twirling his trident in hand.
"The fifth realm...human." stated Reborn.
"That right." Mukuro confirmed. "The Human realm, the very realm in which we all live, the most ugly, darkest, and cruelest of realms. Not that I expect you to understand. I've stating the very truth when I say I find this realm the most repulsive. Never did I think I would have to use this realm on you." Mukuro began to raise a hand to his left eye. Dark swirls of energy were summoned before being sucked into his hand, as it turned a dark purple. The kanji for five was now presented in his eye.
"Unlike you, I have experience and witnessed how truly ugly the Human realm can be." Mukuro suddenly had a strong dark aura of black energy coming from him. Mukuro was surrounded by an immense power, the dark aura almost pressuring intensely. Tsuna flinched automatically, from the magnitude of it.
"That's one dark aura." Reborn watched intently, feeling the pressure it ensued.
"Can you see this? A warrior who fights while emitting it knows…the size of the aura…" Mukuro charged towards the brunette. Tsuna was ready to defend. "...Matches its strength!" Mukuro swung his staff at Tsuna. Unprepared for the unexpected strength increase, she gritted her teeth as she tried to block. Using this distracting chance, Mukuro punched Tsuna in the gut, knocking the wind out of her as she was sent flying. She grunted in pain.
"The difference in our power…" Mukuro twirled his staff. He jumped towards the flying brunette. "Is far too vast!" He swung it, hitting her chin. The brunette spewed some blood and was sent flying towards the wall, with a loud bang.
Tsuna was thrown harshly against the wall, the structure cracking under the immense power that Mukuro used. "Bossu!" cried Chrome as she watched Tsuna become surrounded in dust, the brunette falling to ground.
"Kufufufu! Try to hang in there, little Usagi-chan. The fun has only just begun." Mukuro had a cruel smirk plastered on his face. When he gasped, Chrome looked just as shocked, catching a glimpse of the bright orange flames that burned through the smoke. This caused Mukuro to flinch as he looked in disbelief.
"What? Her aura…!" Mukuro was wearing a shocked expression. Reborn smirked at his student's immense power.
"If that was all the strength you had, I'd be disappointed." Tsuna punched her fists together, summoning forth a blaze of bright orange flames.
"Looks like she's finally getting the hang of them." Reborn smirked. "You really are starting to grow, Dame Tsuna." Reborn stated, watching the intense and bright flames engulfing her hands. "Those flames are called Dying Will Flames. The same flames she used to purify Dark Halves. They can also be used in battle. It just takes time and practice to get use to them."
"Glare at me all you want, but it still won't help you win this battle. In my eyes, you're still weak." Mukuro smirked, as if knowing he had the upper hand.
"You're wrong." Reborn, and surprisingly Chrome, replied in union.
Looking at the confused expression written on Mukuro's face, Chrome set forth with an explanation. "Bossu is different. Bossu's strength doesn't come from what one would normally think. It comes from the love of all those she cherishes. That's why she's able to shine so brightly in this dark world we all live in. It's because of those she holds so dear in her heart that she cannot lose. That's just the way she is, a sky who shines brightly, to protect those she treasures, to always follow through with her promises, no matter what. That the type of person Bossu is, Onii-sama." came the firm reply of a confident Chrome.
"Oya, is that's so. How interesting for you to say, my dear Chrome." Mukuro walked back towards the brunette. "Strength from those she cherishes? How naive. Let just see how far she can go to uphold her promise, shall we!?" Mukuro charged towards the brunette, swinging the staff down towards her. Tsuna grabbed the staff without even batting an eyelash. It bent from her immense strength.
"Wha-?!" Mukuro gasped. Tsuna tried to strike him, but he evaded, only getting a graze on his cheek. 'It's hot!' He stood back up, glaring at the brunette. 'Her flames give off intense heat.' Mukuro gritted his teeth, still feeling the burn sting on his cheek.
Tsunami ran towards the Kokuyo student. Mukuro swung his staff towards her, only for it to hit air. "She vanished!" Mukuro gasped, Tsuna immediately appeared behind him. "I-Impossible! When did she…!?" Mukuro's eyes widened, seeing the brunet stand behind him. Tsunami swung at the illusionist, only to have Mukuro block the attack with his staff. But it could barely handle the strength. Mukuro flew back and slammed against the wall.
"What was that just now!? What did she do!?" Mukuro yelled, his staff smoking from the flames.
"Are you done warming up yet?" Tsunami said, her deep narrow orange eyes burning with confidence. Mukuro clenched his teeth, but then his frown turned into a smile.
"Kufufufu~!" Mukuro laughed loudly. "Such strength. It makes me want to possess your body even more." Mukuro said in amusement, beginning to stand back up. "There'll be a war in no time." Mukuro smirked. Tsuna narrowed her eyes at this. "Once I take over the bodies of all the world leaders." Mukuro dusted himself off. "I will control them and paint this ugly world with pure and beautiful darkness." A cruel dark smile was showed on Mukuro face.
"With your powers in my possession, I shall shape the world into my perfect dream. No more would my darling Chrome have to suffer for someone else's existence." Mukuro muttered that last sentence in a deadly serious tone. Only Tsunami was able to hear him, taking note of how he did not waver. His words manifested into grave strength. Becoming a truly and terrifying power.
"Enough playing around. I'll use my strongest form to make you mine." Mukuro said, his smug smile still present. 'Your heart, your soul, your body…shall forever be mine, Sawada Tsunami. I will use you to create my perfect world!' Mukuro grinned insanely evil. "Behold!" Mukuro created a replication of himself and sent it towards the brunette.
"It's an illusion." Tsunami simply stated.
The shadow phased right through her, and Tsuna was hit in the face with small sharp rocks, stumbling back on her feet. "That Baka-Tsuna let her guard down…Mukuro hid real rocks in his illusion." Reborn mumbled, shaking his head at his student. Tsuna held her face in pain, not noticing the illusionist coming from above.
'She's mine!' Mukuro came down.
"Dame-Tsuna!" Reborn called out to her.
"I got it!" Tsuna lit her gloves and disappeared from the boy's view. Mukuro gasped, and glanced over his shoulder.
"She's behind me again!" Mukuro gasped, the two still in the air. He tried to swing his staff towards her, but in midair, he was struggling in the movement. Tsuna took this chance and punched him square in the face, sending him flying down.
Mukuro landed on the ground painfully, the impact causing a large crater. Tsuna landed, she looked over as the dust faded from the illusionist's form. Mukuro was face down in the crater, covered in as many wounds as she was sporting.
"Kufufu, as if I'll let myself be taking down so easily." Mukuro struggled to get on his feet. Only his left eye was now open. "No more suffering...No more Pain...AS IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, SAWADA TSUNAMI!" Mukuro charged forward. Tsunami's eyes widened as Mukuro landed his fist in her jaw, her body sent flying across the room, and dust settle around her.
Hands placed palm down on the ground, Tsunami gritted through her teeth as she began to mutter. "I agree with you about this world we live in, of how it will always be the most ugliest, and cruelest... Ha, I once thought the exact same thing." Tsunami thought back to her dark childhood, of how the kids were always teasing her, mocking her, even going as far to beat her up. Whoever said boys were the cruelest of bullies weren't quite right. Girls were just down right evil. She remembered the tons of excuses she had to make up to keep from her mother from worrying.
'Look, it's loser crybaby, Tsunami!' Tears welled up in a young Tsunami's large brown eyes, standing on the kindergarten playground as the other kids made fun of her. She clutched the stuffed toy to her chest tightly as they continued to tease her. 'W-Why won't anyone be my friend? W-Why must they make fun of me every day?' Tsunami remembered asking herself these questions.
. . . . .
"Dame-Tsuna is so stupid!" At 6th grade, Tsunami's teacher called her to do a math problem on the board, only for her to end up nervous and end up getting the problem wrong. The teacher sighed at that, while her class laughed, and made fun of her. Hands clenching her skirt and eyes on the ground, her vision blurred as she stared at her trembling legs.
. . . . .
"Tch, stupid bitch! How dare you scold Yamamoto-kun like that! Know you place, ugly Dame-Tsunami!" This was after the accident with Yamamoto, when she surprised herself, when her lips had begun moving on their own. She seemed to have angered some of Yamamoto's fan girls. Tsunami picked herself up from the ground, ignoring the tingling pain in her cheek that came from the slap that was delivered, body looking beaten from the harsh treatment the others gave her. By now she knew crying would do nothing, tears dried up, and she continued to stare at the ground.
. . . . .
"Tsu-chan, how was school today?!"
"Maa, Tsu-chan, did you make a new friend!"
"No matter what. Kaa-san will always be here for you."
Despite the bad memories, these precious moments helped Tsunami ignore them. The kind bright smile her mother always gave her every time she returned home saved her. Even though Tsunami tried hiding her pain, she knew deep inside, her mother knew of her situation at school, but kept it from showing on her face. Tsunami always hated seeing her mother worried, or stressed. Nana must have known of all this as well, always greeting her daughter with a bright cheerful smile that lit up the kitchen.
There was one secret. Tsunami had seen the weak side of her mother before, and that sight broke her young heart. To some people, her mother might appear as weak, naive, and oblivious, but Tsunami knew. Tsunami knew that that smile she also wore was her only way to be strong and keep going. Tsunami knew how not having her father around broke her mother spirit, yet she still carried such strong faith in him. Tsunami, on the other hand, lost it.
So she always kept her school problems hidden from her mother, and Nana, respecting her daughter's wish, never once brought it up. Despite the aching in her eyes, dainty hands clenching the wash rag tightly, she continued cleaning. Tsunami valued mother's warmth and gentleness above all else. She remembered her younger self would always to cling to mother, a soothing voice comforting her as she cried.
"...but this world also carries light. Darkness and Light, two sides of a coin. I once hated this god forsaken world, but I had someone waiting for me each time I came home cursing my own existence, my light who has always been there for me through the bad." Pictures of a smiling Nana, comforting a small Tsunami, to present time, flashed through the brunette's head.
"There's bad, evil, and wrong doing in this world, but there's good as well, and until we make an effort to look for ourselves, we'll never find them. Sometimes they were right in front of you the whole time, but you just ignored it. So stop acting like a prick, you damn bastard. I understand you must have experienced hell, but surely you must have also experienced love and warmth, Mukuro." Tsunami got back on her feet, ignoring the pain that was screaming in her body, struggling to get back on her feet.
"Master..." Natsu could feel the burning emotions inside Tsunami, catching a glimpse of her past.
"A new mode has been activated. Angry Mama-Lion Tsuna." stated Reborn, catching how Tsunami swore, something she rarely ever did.
Fists clenched tightly, as she charged forward, dodging the attack from Mukuro's trident, knocking it out of his hands, and she clasped their hands together, reaching a stand still. Kneeing him in the gut, she thrusted it forward, yet still kept their hands together. Despite the pained expression, Mukuro was wearing a smirk on his face. "Don't act like you know anything. Don't act like you know how pain and suffering feels like! Chrome and I both had to endure hell because of your existence, Sawada Tsunami. Don't act like you know our pain! You never once stepped a foot in Hell!" Mukuro yelled harshly. This made Tsunami clench her teeth, hands tightening their grip. She threw her head back before slamming it into Mukuro's, glaring fiercely as the two made direct eye contact.
"I'm not acting like I know! But you're also hurting Chrome with your actions, you idiot! Did she ever once ask you to go after revenge for her? Have you considered her own feelings? I'm not trying to sound like a know it all, and I have no place to tell you to smile and be happy despite the pain you went through. I know sorry won't do a damn thing, but please, Mukuro, just listen to me. The sight of the scar that lies in heart, I have no room to say sorry! But look at what you're doing to Chrome, YOU IDIOT!" With one final slam of her hand into his, Tsunami let go his hands. For a second, Mukuro thought she was about to attack, but he was caught off guard. Feeling wet moisture, which did not fall from his eyes, hit his shirt, warmness seething through to him as Tsunami hugged him tightly, more tears falling from her eyes.
"I'm sorry, and for that I will embrace all of your pain, tears, and sadness. Allow me to be the one to cry the tears that you've held in your heart for so long, just so you can keep your pride. So, as a promise to Chrome, let me save you. Allow me to protect, and shield you, so you no longer have to suffer. And as a friend Mukuro, please stop suffering, and finally be happy. You've had a painful childhood, but you were given a new chance to live with your sister. You should be happy about that. But, tell me, Mukuro, look at Chrome and tell me what you see?"
Mismatched eyes took in the tears that were streaming down his poor sister's eyes. He saw pain, grief, and worry that were all revolved around him, tears he had vowed to never let shed after the hell they once endured. Fists clenched tightly, his own arms slowly coming around to hug the small brunette in his arms. "...Sorry." His voice came out as a low whispered, yet it was still heard by Tsunami.
"Don't tell me that, idiot. Tell her that. After all, she was the one who begged me to save you from your own pain." Tsunami answered. A deeper set of guilt entered the young teen. To them, it felt like hours, but it was actually only a few seconds, as they continued to lie in each other embrace. Not a word was spoken, neither of them saying anything as there was nothing else to say. Finally, their battle had reached to a conclusion.
It was also then, Chrome wiping away her tears, that they saw a small bright glowing indigo gem fly out of Reborn's pocket. The two watching the gem fly towards the two who were still locked in an embrace. A swift kick from Reborn ruined the moment, Tsunami flying out of Mukuro's arms. The small glowing gem stopped in front of his face. Mukuro watched in fascination as it began to take form.
"Reborn, why, in the name of the moon, did you just hit me?!" exclaimed an angry Tsunami, only to see that Reborn had his back to her.
"Are you annoying me!?" A swift hit from a paper fan had crocodile tears streaming down the brunette face. "Stop yelling. Your voice is grating on my nerves, Dame-Tsuna." stated the small infant before making his way towards Mukuro.
"So mean. Reborn, you Satan." Tsunami rubbed the aching bump that sat on her head. Darting her eyes at what everyone in the room was looking at, her eyes laid on the glowing figure, who soon took the shape of a Guardian Spirit. His looks were similar to Mukuro's, but with white hair and dressed in some sort of Victorian style suit.
"Nice to meet you. I am Fukuro, the other half of the Guardian of the Mist. I am pleased to make my acquaintance." He bowed like a gentleman, causing both females in the room to blush at the way he carried himself.
"Oya. Oya. What's all of this? Does to this make me one of Usagi-chan's sworn protectors?" In a flash, Mukuro grabbed Tsunami's arm, and brought her over and down into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly to his chest as she blushed bright red all over.
"L-Let me go M-Mukuro!" Tsunami tried to struggle from the teen's tight embraced, wondering just where did this surge of strength came from.
"Don't wanna. It's your fault Usagi-chan. I think I may have fallen for you. So you now must take responsibility." he whispered huskily into her ear, making the blush even worse.
"W-W-What are you talking about? L-Let go of m-me!" Mukuro began to chuckle at Tsunami's attempts of trying to free herself.
Watching the two, Chrome blushed, eyes on Tsunami's red face. "Future Onee-sama?" She tilted her head to side cutely, imagining a wedding scene that involved Mukuro and Tsunami as the groom and bride.
"Oi, Chrome what's with that image!?" Tsunami pointed a finger at the cloud floating above Chrome's head when a cute and determined look appeared on the young girl's face. 'I must make sure Nii-sama ends up with Bossu.' She nodded her head, much to the confusion of Tsunami, who was still struggling in Mukuro embrace.
"So happy to see you have awoken, Nii-sama!" Fukuro heard the voice of Marie inside his head.
"I see you've awoken before me. So how is your new partner?" he asked, earning him a giggle from Marie.
"She's a nice fit. I can feel my old mistress' soul lurking from within her. You should be on your toes. Looks like you have another troublesome mist to work with yet again, my dear Onii-sama." Marie giggled one last time, cutting the mind link.
A second later, the atmosphere in the room was ruined. The group suddenly felt a heavy pressure of dark energy in the air. Tsunami jumped to her feet, her instincts running wild. Reborn hopped onto her head as she charged out the door. Mukuro and Chrome exchanged a look before following after her. Upon reaching the outside world, the pressure in the air felt thicker. Tsunami soon spotted the others and she ran towards them, only to notice how each one of their attention was stolen by the sky.
"Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto! What wrong?" She ran in between the two.
"Dame-Tsuna, I think you should look up." The infant commented. Tsunami gave her friends one last questionable look and did what he told her, only to let out a startling gasp at what she saw.
"W-What on earth is that thing!?" exclaimed Tsunami, finger pointing up in the sky, right at the creature. Hovering in the dark ominous sky, standing in front of the crimson red moon, was a Dark Halve ten times bigger than normal. It had large bat wings flapping behind it with the outer shell having a white bone-like structure and red on the inside. It had these sharp white spike with red markings poking out on top of its body. Red scars were marked on the bottom of each eye. Two long black tails hung from the bottom with white bone-structure's endpoints. Red eyes were looking directly at them, a malicious grin stretched out on its face.
"At first we were dealing with a swarm of Dark Halves, and then they started acting weird, like a swirl of clouds and began to merge together. The next thing we know, this thing appeared before our eyes." Yamamoto replied.
Taking a look back, Gokudera became outraged at who was standing right behind Tsuna. "Oi! What the hell are you doing here, you freaking pineapple freak?!" yelled the outrage bomber. While inside the mind, Uri took notice of the new weapon Tsunami was sporting.
'Hmm, so she finally awakened them. But is it me, or do they look different from before...?' Uri's eyes lingered on the orange colored gloves, before her attention was stolen by an outcry from Gokudera due to something Mukuro had said.
"What was that, you bastard?!" An angry tick mark could be seen right above the bomber's temple, hands itching to reach for some dynamite.
"You heard me, Inu-san. A dog should learn to stay in a dog's place, and stay out of his master's personal affairs. Oya, it isn't my fault Tsunami-chan confessed to me. Is that what we that call destined lovers reunited?" The teasing smile that Mukuro wore ticked Gokudera off even more.
"You fucking bastard!" Gokudera was outraged, and would have without a doubt lashed out if it weren't for Yamamoto being his cheerful self, holding back the angry silverette. Tsunami tried to calm him down as usual. Then, from the side of her eyes, she saw a black blur rush past her. In a second, Mukuro blocked an attack from Hibari with his trident.
"Hibari-san!?" Tsunami called out to the raven haired boy, but her call went unheard as there was a deep, intense moment between the two, lighting crackling around them as a fierce rival aura filled the air.
"Stealing someone's mate is unacceptable, herbivore. I shall bite you to death for saying such ridiculous things." Gray slanted eyes glared at the annoying herbivore, who wore an annoying smile on his face, angering him even more.
"Mate? Poor little birdie-chan, I think you're mistaken. You shouldn't go against fate. Tsunami-chan and I have quite a strong bond, not to mention..." Mukuro wore a proud smirk on his face. "I was the one who stole her first kiss." This brought an eerie silence. Each of the guardians looked like wolves, minus a heart-eyed Chrome, who once again could hear wedding bells ringing in her head. A clueless Ryohei descended upon the chuckling Mukuro like a predator on prey.
"Bite to death." Each member of the group muttered the perfect's favorite line. Finally, getting fed up with the direction things were going, Tsunami stomped her foot on the group, about to raise her voice. Then she felt something telling her to duck, and just in the nick of time, she rushed over to Chrome, and pulled her out of the way of a rain of black bullets. Yamamoto's reflexes seemed to kick in, defending with his sword, a glint in his eyes as he struck the attack effortlessly. "Looks like it got tired of waiting for us." Yamamoto wore a confident smirk on his face.
"T-Thank-you, Bossu!" Chrome blushed as she helped Tsunami off the ground.
"It was nothing." Tsunami accepted her hand. 'Not only was Dame-Tsuna gifted with the Sky X-Gloves, but she also has the famous Hyper Intuition. The more she awakens her past abilities, the more danger that will be out to get her. You have one long road ahead of you, Tsuna.' Reborn sat, his eyes on his student as she began to dust herself off.
"Nice job, Yamamoto!" Tsunami gave him a thumbs up, and a wide smile, which he returned with a grin of his own. This little scene didn't sit right with the others. The brunette felt a pair of arms draped around her shoulders, pulling her close.
"Mou, Nee-chan, it makes me jealous any time you compliment baseball-brains over there. Tch, even in the future he gets the most attention." Lambo muttered that last sentence quietly to himself.
In that moment, the creature began to rain down more black bullets at the group. Yamamoto slashed them with his sword. Gokudera was using his bombs. Hibari used his tonfas to defend. Mukuro stood protectively in front of Chrome, using his trident. Lambo was help shielding Tsunami. It was then that Tsunami saw Ryohei punch one of the black bullets. Her eyes widened when on direct contact, it changed its form to some type of slippery substance. Ryohei's punch went straight through it.
The only ones who seemed to be able to defend themselves against the attack was Yamamoto with his sword. Gokudera's bombs could also land some damage.
"I see." Reborn nodded his head, standing on Tsunami's shoulder. "Everyone. Physical attacks are useless. You got that?"
"Got it/Roger!" replied the others, minus Hibari, who was using his tonfas flawlessly with high speed. All of sudden, his eyes widened once he saw he was trapped alone, surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms.
"Oya, it seems this creature has some form of intelligence." Mukuro chuckled, eyes staring off into the direction Hibari was trapped in. The leaves on the large trees fluttered, dancing in the chiming wind, as they danced around him. Hibari staggered for second, but in a blink of an eye, he slammed his tonfa onto one of the Sakura trees surrounding him.
"That same annoying trick won't work on me twice in one day." muttered the head perfect in a deadly tone, shattering the illusion he was trapped in.
"Bravo, Birdie-chan! Kufufufu~ I must admit, I'm surprised you saw through it." Mukuro clapped his hands mockingly at Hibari's victory over the illusion, his attention bringing forth confusion and annoyance to Hibari, who, at that moment, wanted to do nothing but slam his tonfa into the other's face.
"Remain calm, Kyoya-dono." said Roll in a gentle voice.
"Ryohei, while hovering low, try to attack its main body. You should be able to land a hit." instructed Reborn.
"Extremely on it!" He began to charge forwards, ready to land an extreme straight punch, only to be caught off guard when the creature suddenly took off like jet, and disappeared right before his eyes.
A scream caught the group's attention. Looking behind them, they saw that Chrome had been hit with one of the sharp pointy spikes from the creature's long tail and electricity shot throughout her body. "Chrome!" called out Mukuro and Tsunami. The second tail shot right past the group's defense, aiming for Tsunami, but she was saved by Lambo, who took on the electric shot, a smirk on his face as it retracted its tail. "That won't work on me. So I'll send this right back- Ara, what's this? I can't move my body."
"I can't move mine either." Chrome groan.
"To be honest the attack itself wasn't that powerful, but I guess that wasn't the goal. Its side effect will prove to be quite an annoyance." Chrome tried to move her body again, but to no avail. "Not to mention that thing's got speed on its side. Gokudera, do you think you can try to slow it down?" Reborn asked the bomber, who nodded his head. With a confident smirk, the silverette took out some of his dynamite.
"Time to show off your role as the right hand man, brat." Uri remarked.
"Shut-up, you annoying old hag! Bombs away!" The creature was on high alert as it began to use its speed to maneuver around the sky, its wings shooting off like a jet as Gokudera began to aim bombs at it.
Uri watched the creature through Gokudera's eyes, noticing something about the Dark Halve. 'It's using a pattern.'
"Gokudera, hold on, until I give you my mark." Stopping in his tracks, Gokudera decided to do what Uri wanted. This caused him to come to the same realization as her, green and ruby eyes following around the fast creature, waiting for their chance, when they spotted it.
"Now!" yelled Uri.
"I got it!" Using precise aim, Gokudera released his dynamite, hitting the target and creating a large smoke screen that shortly began to clear. When it did, they saw that not a scratch was made on the creature, despite it now hovering lower in the air than it was before.
"Nice work, Gokudera! Looks like the effect wore off just in time." Reborn smirked. Confusion was written in his green eyes, when suddenly he noticed sparkly purple like dust raining down in the air. Looking up, he saw a swarm of bats , circling from above the creature, immobilizing its movements.
"I'm just returning the favor." Chrome commented. Reborn turned to Ryohei.
"Now's your chance, Ryohei. Take out its wings first to give us an advantage." instructed Reborn, and once again, Ryohei charged forwards.
"Extreme Straight Punch!" Ryohei aimed for the creature's right wing, causing an agonizing howl to come from it, the wing falling apart under Ryohei and Kan's strength.
"Nice job, Ryohei!" Kan congratulated him, pumping her chibi fist into the air. Both of them had proud grins.
"This is our combined strength, Kan! In no time, we'll reach our goal." Ryohei replied to the Sun Spirit. She nodded her head.
"Hai! Burning/Extreme!"
"How annoying." Gokudera and Uri said bluntly.
But it seemed Chrome wasn't able to immobilize the tough creature for long. The creature broke free, with a vibrating howl that scattered the leaves of the trees. A black hole appeared before the creature, setting forth a swarm of smaller sized Dark Halves to attack the group. Hibari stood in front of them like a dangerous predator, both tonfas at of his side. "I'm tired of you all taking all the prey." He faced the swarm head on, sending a quick glare at the group that read: don't you dare try to interfere. Taking off with an elegant rush of speed, Hibari struck effortlessly at the swarm in his way, his tonfa leaking bloodlust and power.
"I think Hibari can handle this on his own. Maa, someone should take a picture of this momentous moment of Hibari giving others a hand." Yamamoto joked. Gokudera's threat fell on deaf ears. Tsunami sweat dropped as their usual one-sided argument began. A flash and the sound of a camera came from behind her. Looking back, she was shocked to see it came from Mukuro, a camera in his hand.
"A moment like this might never happen again. Kufufu~"
'Really?! At a time like this?!' Tsunami sweat dropped at their antics. She suddenly noticed how a thin wall of mist was forming, surrounding the group. It was making it hard for her to see Hibari. Everyone else was trapped with her. This caught the other's attention. Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared beside Tsunami. She looked down to see that five year old Lambo had returned.
"M-Monster!" cried the young child, taking off into the mist.
"Ah! Lambo!" Tsunami called out to him as he disappeared into the mist, only to hear his loud crying once again, but coming from the opposite direction.
"Tsu-nee! The big scary pineapple guy showed Lambo scary images!" cried Lambo, hopping into Tsunami's arms, as he went over the words he just said.
'Lambo just returned from the future. So what scary pineapple guy is he talking...?' Tsunami slowly raised her head up, taking a look at Mukuro, who was glaring at the weeping child in her arms, as she connected the dots. 'Lambo might be crying because of the future version of Mukuro.' Releasing a sigh, Tsunami was now faced with another problem. What to do with Lambo? She didn't want the child to end up in harm's way.
"Leave it for later. Right now, we have figure out how to get out of this mist. You saw what happened to the cow when he ran into the mist. He appeared back here, but from an opposite direction. Looks like we're trapped inside." confirmed Reborn. Just then, the mist began to be filled with replicas of Dark Halves.
"C-Clones…!" exclaimed Gokudera, bombs in hand, but Tsunami's sensed something was off.
"No...These are not clones." Tsunami found herself saying, even though she had no proof, but something was telling her these were definitely not clones.
"Correct, my little Tsunami-chan." Mukuro smiled, purposely ticking off Gokudera. The Mist guardian called out to the small Spirited Guardian that was by his side. "At the moment, my power is low. Fukuro, your name was it. Lend me a hand." stated the heteromatic teen as the cup of tea the chibi spirit was drinking from disappeared from his hands.
'Where did the cup of tea come from?' Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Tsunami questioned.
"As you wish, my master!" He bowed, and transformed into a ball of light indigo flames, disappearing inside Mukuro. A bright burst of flames were brought forward, but quickly disappeared, only to show that Mukuro was now in his transformation.
Mukuro was dressed in a black, long-trench style military jacket. The inside was red. The entire jacket was lined in silver. The collar was dark indigo, matching the black and gray lapel and cuffs of each sleeve. On each shoulder were silver tassel pieces, while on the upper left breast of the jacket was a circular shaped demonic eye lined in silver. Attached to a silver chain that connected to a large gothic silver cross on the jacket was an indigo gem. There was a white collared dress shirt with a loose indigo tie, chains laced on the material, and an indigo diamond shaped gem at the bottom. Black, almost tight pants, with two silver gothic style belts hung down at his waist, a single belt on the right leg, and three belts on the left. Midnight blue boots had silver accenting chains. Lastly, he had black leather gloves on his hands.
"Kufufu, so this is how it feels." Flames burst from his hands as a repaired trident appeared in his hands. "Let get to work, shall we?" The group watched as Mukuro tapped his trident on the ground, the kanji symbol in his eyes changed. Creating replicas of ice mirrors that quickly turned into sharp ice shards that attacked each replica Dark Halve. Mukuro scanned the mist, and he smirked.
"Found it." He tapped his trident on the ground again, eyes looking to the far right. A burst of flames came from the ground, and they heard a screeching howl. The mist that surrounded them cleared up.
"Nice job, Mukuro!" Tsunami congratulated him. Chrome was standing by her side, clapping her hands. An arrogant smirk appeared on his face. Mukuro flipped his hair.
"Oya, Tsunami-chan, how about you reward me with a kiss-" Mukuro barely had time to dodge a bullet, almost getting stuck in the tree behind him.
"Yamamoto cut off those annoying tails of his while it's still distracted." instructed Reborn, gun Leon in his hand, ignoring the fuming piece of fruit that was glaring at him.
"Got it!" Yamamoto smirked, water bursting from his feet. He sped past the creature, cutting off its tail. This angered it more, taking off higher in the Sky with its one wing.
"Ah, Hibari-san. There you go- Ack!" Tsunami was speechless as she noticed the large pile of small defeated Dark Halves that lied on the ground before the head perfect, taking a step back. "W-What a beast." muttered Tsunami.
"And that not even the half of it." Gokudera muttered regretfully, standing by his hime's side.
"Even in the first generation, the Cloud was frighteningly strong. If I remember correctly, he was able to take out an entire army on his own. His reincarnation will be no different. Heck, he just might prove to be even stronger than the first." Uri informed Gokudera and Tsunami, who could do nothing but stand in awe at the skylark's past life reputation. 'How truly frightening.' thought the two, plus Natsu.
"Heads up you two. Seems like it's about to reveal the final trump card." Reborn said. This got the two teens', along with the rest, attention. Looking up in the sky, they saw the vivid angry eyes of the creature. It released a loud howl, making the group cover their ears. The sound echoed throughout the entire school.
"The presence in the air has changed." Both Tsunami and Natsu recited in union, Tsunami eyes narrowed in shaped and form. The othesr noticed the change in brunette, seeing the looking her eyes were different from before, as they were serious, fierce, yet calm and unreadable. As in a blink of an eyes, Tsunami, using her new gloves and flames thrust herself in the air using her flames.
"It's coming." Tsunami could sense the strong dark energy that was building up inside its body. Hand moving into position, she sensed that the dark energy was reaching its peak, and it shot itself at Tsunami, who was blocking the attack with both of her bare hands, but from the look on her face, you could tell it was quite a struggle to keep the powerful large blast at bay.
"Hime/Tsuna/Tsunami/Bossu!" called the Gokudera, Yamamoto, Chrome and Ryohei.
"Damn, I don't think she can keep that powerful hit at bay for long." Uri growled. Gokudera reached for some dynamite.
"I don't think you should do that. Just sit back and watch. She's stronger than she looks." Mukuro spoke up, eyes on Tsunami and wearing a smirk on his face.
"It's Tsunami's job to wrap things up here." Reborn commented. Hibari remained silent. His eyes were on the herbivore, watching the struggle in her eyes soon relax.
"Hang in there, Master!" cheered Natsu. Tsunami began to concentrate. The small orange glow that came from the palm of her hands suddenly began to shine brighter than it was before, creating a huge glow of light that made Tsunami look as if she was the shining sun in the dark sky.
'I made it this far, despite how weak I am. '
'Finally, I have precious people that I wish to protect.'
'I'm a coward, who wished for strength to protect those who I cherish.'
In the darkness, a faint hint of a smile showed on a figure's face, sensing the strong emotion that was coming from her reincarnation's heart. "Take flight, young Sky Goddess. This is the beginning of your journey." murmured a voice. The group stared in awe at the strong figure, who was once so shy, fragile, and weak. Standing so strong in the sky, and holding her own.
"I refuse to allow this darkness to stand in my way! So…MOVE OUT OF MY WAY!" yelled Tsunami, as this made all of the spirited Guardians freeze, their eyes widening."F-First...Sky Goddess?" The glimpse of the glowing figure appeared in their heads for a short second.
"I can't believe it. She's not just countering the attack head on, she's purifying it." The others could detect the awe laced in the Cloud Spirit's voice, as her words were soon proven to be right. Tsunami pushed the purified attack right back at the Dark Halve. A bright light went up in the sky upon the hit and the Dark Halve was encased in this bright light. The sky suddenly became a golden yellow.
The sky was filled with purified Dark Halves, the crimson moon soon replaced with the dawn of the sun, creating this beautiful image as if it came from a painting. White fluttering angel wings filled the sky as white feathers rained down.
"T-Tenshi. . ." Gokudera found himself murmuring, as he stared at the young woman who he vowed to protect for the rest of his life. In that moment, when he caught a glimpse of the fond smile that appeared on her face, she looked as if she was an angel. He felt almost as if he could stretch his hand out, but he was afraid it would turn out to be nothing but a dream.
"Pretty!" Lambo founded himself in awe as various white feathers floating down from the sky.
"She is something else, isn't she…?" Yamamoto smiled, eyes resting on the warm glowing figure. She was certainly unlike anything they ever encountered.
"Oya, that was certainly a surprising change of events." All eyes, minus a blushing half Mist, and a confused looking Sun Guardian, were aimed at the two figures. Well, mainly at one, seeing how a certainly enemy-turned-good had his arms wrapped around a certain clueless brown bunny. They were finally back in their regular clothes, each of their Spirit Guardians floating by their sides.
"Mukuro, please let me go- Huh?" Tsunami suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. The arms that were hugging her close abruptly let go. Tsunami took a glimpse at Mukuro, only to be surprised at the frightened expression he was wearing.
"That presence...It could only belong to her." This definitely made Tsunami feel uneasy. Just then, a chain wrapped itself around Mukuro's ankle, the giggling voice of a woman in the distance.
"I found you, Mukuro-chan~"
"Ah! It's Elena-nee-sama!" Chrome was wearing a smile as the footsteps of a person grew closer. The fear on Mukuro's face grew stronger and he was about to make run for it when another chain wrapped around his other foot, bringing him crashing face first into the ground. Out of the shadows, a familiar blonde appeared.
"It's her!" Tsunami needed no time to remember who the blonde beauty was. Her looks could rival that of a model's, after all. The blond had a smile on her face and she waved at the rest of the teens, using the chains to drag Mukuro over.
"Ciao, everyone! I'm just here to pick up a certain group of misbehaved children that need to be punished. Ain't that right, Mukuro-chan~?" That added affection of suffix sent a cold shiver through the group, the wide lovely smile on her face making it worse.
Adding to that fact, dragged behind her were three other figures. They were the group Tsunami's team were facing earlier. All of them seemed to be unconscious, and Mukuro continued to desperately try and escape the woman's wrath, but to no avail, as the chain was tugged more harshly. "Let me just say sorry for the trouble these precious children have caused. Don't worry. I'll make sure to give them a punishment that they will never forget. Right, Mukuro-chan~?" She giggled, striking fear in the teens who were watching innocently. With one punch, she knocked Mukuro unconscious.
"Let's go, Chrome-dear! Deamon has been worried all day about your sudden disappearance. Let's return home, so he can finally calm down. The castle is in a hot mess at the moment. It was nice meeting you wonderful children again~!" The woman mindlessly dragged the chained children behind her. Chrome made her way in front of Tsunami and bowed. She smiled at the brunette.
"Thank you, Bossu. For everything." The smile on her face made Tsunami flush, thinking about how cute Chrome looked. She was relieved to see that most of the pain and suffering in her heart disappeared. Watching the teen happily follow the blonde, something hit her.
"W-Wait! N-Nee-sama?!" And if that wasn't enough, her entire body was suddenly in pain. She dropped to her knees as she cried out to Reborn, who simply took a seat on her back, as she lay on the ground. "R-Reborn! Why do I hurt all over! Itte! My body hurt!" cried Tsunami.
Gokudera didn't waste a second, and he was by her side, followed by Yamamoto and Ryohei. Suddenly, she was in Hibari's arms. The skylark walked straight past the group, who was caught by surprise at his boldness. Well, two of them.
"Ah, don't forget about, Fuuta. He's still resting." Reborn was now resting in the brunette's arms. Hibari was holding Tsunami bridal style. Natsu, unable to worry about her, was having the life hugged out of her by a certain Cloud Spirit.
"Oh, how I have missed you so, Natsu!" gushed Roll, ignoring the pissed off look that was plastered on Uri's face.
"Oi! Roll, let go of Natsu!" yelled the ticked off Storm Spirited, but was simply ignored as Roll began to fly off, following after her master with a passed out Natsu still in her arms.
"Oi don't leave Lambo-san behind!" shouted the irritated five year old.
"Then hurry up, Young Master, if you wish to not be left behind."
"Oi, get back here!" Uri exclaimed, followed by a loud shout from Gokudera, who was yelling after the group, before following. Both were demanding to have their precious sky back.
"Hahah! Looks like the fun never stops with Tsuna around!" Yamamoto laughed, Ryohei agreeing, and they followed the group, heading back to Namimori. The long day finally came to an end.
One Week Later
A certain head perfect yawned, resting on the roof of the school. A yellow bird flew in beside his head. Sticking a finger out, the small canary rested on the appendage. "Hibari. Hibari." The head perfect directed his glance up towards a sky. A familiar brunette interrupted his thoughts. "Sawada Tsunami. . ."
The baseball field was livelier today. The baseball tournament between Namichuu and their rival was playing. Yamamoto was up to bat, the pitcher pitches, and with one swing, the ball was out of the park! "All right!" Yamamoto cheered. He began to run around the bases. The crowd cheered loudly, especially the large section of Yamamoto's fan girls.
"Great job, Yamamoto!" Tsunami cheered, smiling happily at her friend, dressed in the blue jersey style t-shirt, and black jeans, the number 80 on her shirt.
"You're amazing, Yamamoto-kun!" cheered Kyokyo. Sitting beside her was Haru.
"Totally! An extra-large gorgeous home run!"
"Gyahahaha! It's all thanks to Lambo-san!" Lambo laughed obnoxiously, his Spirit Guardian at his side, watching the match in boredom.
"Go! Go! Go Yamamoto!" cheered Natsu along with Jirou. Kojirou chose to just watch the match, complimenting Yamamoto whenever he made a good play.
"Geez, what is the other team doing against someone like Yamamoto?" Gokudera said blankly, resting his chin in his palm as he stared at the game.
"Huh?" Tsuna tilted her head. Suddenly, Gokudera stood on his feet.
"If you guys don't get your crap together, I'm going to start a riot over here!" Gokudera yelled, holding up a large amount of dynamite.
"Oi you heard the brat! Get your crap together!" yelled Uri, wearing a referee uniform, blowing a whistle.
'Just what type pep talk is that!?' Tsunami exclaimed to herself, shaking her head at the two.
"Hey guys, calm down. There are better things to do when you watch sports." Ryohei tried to be the mediator, Kan resting on his shoulder.
"Onii-san…" Tsuna looked amazed to see her upperclassman jumping in. Ryohei stood up and took a deep breath in; he cupped his hands to megaphone his voice and yelled.
"Stop playing baseball. Join the Boxing Club instead!" Ryohei yelled.
"Your spirit needs more burning passion!" called out Kan.
"I should've seen this coming!" Tsunami face palmed.
"Geez, Onii-chan." Kyoko sighed.
"Hahii, he's always so motivated, and filled with spirit."
"Really annoying if you asked me." Hana said in a dull tone. "Oi, Yamamoto, wrap this up so I go home and watch my drama!"
"Just why are you here?" Tsunami felt a headache coming on.
"Oh no, watch out, Tsuna-nee!" Futa warned. Everyone looked confused, but it didn't take much to realize there was a baseball was heading straight for Tsunami's head.
"Hiee!" Tsuna held her head and ducked down, but the ball was caught in a black baseball mitten.
"Nice catch, Reborn!" complimented Uri. Reborn just smirked.
"Mada Mada Dane."
"This is baseball! Not tennis!" shouted Tsunami, before taking notice of the person sitting beside her tutor. "Oh, Bianchi!"
"Aneki…" Gokudera mumbled.
"I brought lunch." Bianchi took out a lunch box. In that moment, Gokudera toppled over in pain.
"Still the same. Poor Gokudera-kun." Tsunami shook her head sadly at her friend's misfortune.
"Bianchi-san, what do we have today?" Haru asked.
"Special food basted with love." Bianchi took off the lid. Natsu was still traumatized from her last experience with Bianchi cooking, and her face turned blue.
"Hang in there, Natsu!" Jirou held the pale spirit in his arms.
"I made something too…but it's full of love for Tsuna-chan!" A large box sat on Haru's lap. She hugged Tsunami's arm.
"Umm...Haru..." Tsunami was at a loss for words to say.
"Maa, I also made lunch for Tsu-chan. I got a list of all her favorites from Nana-san!" Kyoko smiled, hugging the other side of Tsunami's arm, presenting a piece of fried eggs to Tsunami.
"Quite a harem you have on your hands, Tsuna." muttered Hana. Tsunami was blissful allowing Kyoko to feed her, seeing how the orange haired woman had all of Tsunami's favorites. Sparkly with pure happniess, she turned to Haru, who took out another box filled with all of Tsunami's favorite desserts. Tsunami blissfully allowed herself to be surrounded by the girls, enjoying the delicious food she was being offered and fed.
The brunet looked up like chipmunk with stuffed cheeks. Fuuta giggled, catching Tsunami's attention, swallowing down her food before opening her mouth. "What's wrong, Futa?" Tsunami asked. Fuuta did nothing but smile.
"Nothing. I'm just happy to be back home." The smile lit on Fuuta's face, making all three girls blush, cooing at the younger boy's cuteness.
"Fuuta…" Tsuna was amazed to see the happiness in Fuuta's eyes. The smile was showing his true feelings. "I'm glad to have you back home." Tsuna smiled warmly at the boy, whose face flushed a bright red. A smirk made its way onto Hana's face.
"Hohoho, what a seductress you are, Tsuna. Even little children are involved now."
"Hana! I don't have a clue what you're talking about!" Tsunami exclaimed with puffed cheeks, making the brunette chuckle. The crowd cheered once again as Yamamoto scored another big hit, throwing a thumbs up in Tsunami's direction. Feeling something settle in her lap, Tsunami looked down and saw it was Reborn.
"So, Dame-Tsunami, are you happy?" asked the infant. Brown warm eyes looked up and spotted a yellow canary. Thinking back to all that happened in these recent months, a bright smile overcame her face as the sunlight hit her directly.
"Hai. I'm happy."
.
.
.
.
"Thank-you Kami-sama. For finally answering my prayer."
End of Chapter Twenty-Five
That wraps it up today folks! Thank-you for taking the time for reading this, and have a lovely day!