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Title: Ayakashi
Arc 4: World of Memories
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Chapter 98 Resignation
"…I see," Mukuro said, far too calmly, as Tsuna relayed what the outcome to his meeting with the Vindice.
"What should we do?" Tsuna wondered fretfully.
"Whatever do you mean, Vongola?" Mukuro asked, a hint of bitterness showing through. But more than anything, Tsuna thought he sounded resigned. "The answer should be obvious. I will focus on training Chrome until she is able to sustain herself. There is enough time for that. She will continue as your Mist Guardian in my stead."
"No!" Chrome protested, though only Mukuro could hear her, since he was in control of their shared body. "There has to be something we can do! What if… What if I take your place? We could transfer that ghost from your body into mine, and…"
"The Vindice have no reason to agree to such a risky operation. Why would they? They already have their target, and they will be glad to be rid of me at the same time," Mukuro said.
There was no reason to fight the inevitable, he had realized. Once, he had the hatred to continue on even after death, but now… He had grown too soft. And he had come to trust too much.
"I will leave my affairs in Chrome's hands," Mukuro continued. "She knows what to do. You will keep your word, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Give her the power of Vongola's Guardian."
It was meant to be a threat, but he had truly come to believe the truth of those words. That was the future, without him.
"Chrome will always be part of my family, and I will always support her," Tsuna said firmly, his expression uncharacteristically angry and tense. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to just give up on my Mist Guardian! There must be something more we can do!"
Mukuro raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oya? You want to get something more for this? I'm flattered you value me so highly," he joked without humor. "I suppose it might be possible to use this as leverage against the Vindice. You are losing a Guardian, after all…"
"I don't want a consolation prize! That's not what I'm saying, and you know it," Tsuna ground out. "Stop talking like it's a foregone conclusion! What happened to surviving no matter what the cost? I won't accept it! There has to be some way to get rid of him without sacrificing anyone! He's just a ghost! It's long since time for him to just disappear!"
"How foolish…" Mukuro murmured. "All that resolve… But even all the Flames in the world couldn't burn away a cursed revenant like that."
It was unfair. Mukuro, who had finally been able to let go of his hatred, even just a little, and Daemon, who refused to do so…
"Ah…" Chrome said quietly. "Mukuro-sama, Boss, I think I might have an idea…"
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Chapter 99 All in
"You seem to have fallen under certain misconceptions, Vongola Decimo," the Vindice commented, rather silkily. It was the same three, Tsuna guessed, recognizing the small details of the knots in their neckties and the styles of their hats. "To ask for two meetings in so short a time…"
Under other circumstances, Tsuna would have apologized or thanked them for coming. Now, he was too singlemindedly focused on his goal.
"This is a continuation of the previous matter," he said. "About my Mist Guardian — I can't accept your decision. I'm going to fight for him."
"Oh?" the Vindice drew out. "You plan to fight? What a bold statement, Decimo."
Either not noticing or purposefully not acknowledging the tension in the air, Tsuna continued, "The reason you won't consider my request is because of Daemon Spade's ghost, right? I won't lose to Mukuro to him. I will force him to leave Mukuro's body… and the living world entirely. Once he is gone for good, you will be willing to consider releasing Mukuro into Vongola's custody."
"An exorcism? And how do you plan to do this, Decimo? If you were so capable of dealing with Daemon Spade, he would not have been free to possess your Mist Guardian in the first place," the Vindice noted.
Tsuna ignored the jab. "In the end, a ghost can only cling to this world as long as their grudge is strong enough. That is why most spirits fade away with time — they lose the memories that once bound them to the living world," he explained. This was the fate Mukuro was facing, if nothing was done. "We will force the same thing to happen with Daemon Spade. We will resolve his grudge, and he will vanish once he no longer has the will to hold himself here."
"How? Do you plan to talk him into surrender?" the Vindice inquired, mocking in his dry words.
"No, I plan to enter his memories and influence them directly," Tsuna stated plainly. "Like you said, he has provided a perfect opportunity. With him trapped and powerless, we are free to act."
This was Chrome's idea, based on the way she and Mukuro had been able to meet, in the overlapping space between their minds. Ryohei had confirmed that it was possible, though unbelievably dangerous. Using Chrome's powers as a medium, together with certain rituals, they would be able to travel into the world within Daemon's ghost — the world of his memories.
The Vindice were silent for several long moments, before the lead one spoke up again. "And for this, you will need our cooperation," he said, "access to Rokudo Mukuro's body."
Tsuna nodded. "That would increase our chances of success," he said. "But, we will proceed regardless."
He could see the Vindice considering what he had proposed. They stood to gain little. They would no longer need to concern themselves with sealing Daemon, but the result was almost the same, to them. Mukuro would survive, but his only worth was in what they could bargain for his release with Vongola.
And this was all if Tsuna succeeded. If he failed, there was still the chance that Daemon could escape.
But by claiming that he would proceed regardless, Tsuna made refusing potentially costly as well. With the lower chances of success, what if he really did fail? What would happen to Vongola? To the mafia world?
He wasn't bluffing, of course. It would just be much easier with their assistance.
"We will convey your request to our leader," the Vindice finally announced.
Tsuna nodded. "We will wait one week for your decision," he said.
And in the meantime, they would prepare, as much as they could, for the journey into Daemon's heart and mind.
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Chapter 100 Counting down
There was a lot to do, in the week before they would execute Tsuna and Chrome's insane excuse of a plan.
In part denial, part complete resignation, no one bothered even trying to plan or prepare for the worst case scenario — Tsuna's death. There was, after all, a point at which any attempt at crisis management became a wasted effort.
Instead, the famiglia focused on recovery and returning to its normal state.
Nono's Guardians were handling most of the burden related to Vongola's operations. Reborn knew they planned to ease Tsuna into it, hiding some details until potentially many years down the road. He wasn't sure how well that would work for them. Tsuna had a way of not falling in line with anyone's plans.
Fortunately, Tsuna was too preoccupied to ask too many questions just yet, and Nono's Guardians had found a way to keep him distracted — a duty only only a boss or his successor carry out.
Greeting other bosses.
There was a constant stream of "well-wishers," from allied famiglie, from neutral groups, even from those that were all but enemies. What they really wanted to know was whether Vongola had finally bared a weak point that they could exploit.
Well, most of them were. Some were genuine in their concern, like Dino, arriving to assure Hibari that Namimori Middle was back in perfect order.
Some… had other goals.
"To be honest, I had another reason for coming, Decimo," said the boss of the Giglio Nero famiglia, once the pleasantries were out of the way. "If possible, I would like to speak with your tutor."
Reborn still couldn't believe how much Luce's daughter resembled her. Her hair style and clothing were completely different — more mafia boss to Luce's shaman — but their faces and their smiles were the same.
But seeing her was not a happy occasion, and not just because of the pang of melancholy remembrance her face sent through his chest.
There could only be one reason for her to come.
Hopping onto the table, Reborn regarded her pensively, as Tsuna stepped out, carefully shutting the doors of meeting room behind him. Aria smiled back, the same unreadable expression as Luce. But this time, Reborn thought he could see a faint hint of the sadness she was hiding.
"It's almost time, isn't it?" he said, to spare her from having to.
Aria nodded slowly, her expression growing forlorn. "…Yes," she admitted. "Most likely, there is less than a year left before he moves to reclaim the Pacifiers and create a new set of Arcobaleno."
"A year, huh?" Reborn muttered. He didn't feel any despair or even anger at this point. He had known this was coming for a long time. He had… not made his peace, exactly, but acknowledged that his life would eventually end. He had known that even before becoming an Arcobaleno. Being a hitman wasn't exactly conductive to a long life expectancy.
Strangely, the single thought in his mind was, "Will Tsuna be ready in just a year? Can I teach him everything he needs to know?"
What nonsense. He had accepted the job of training Tsuna to become a fine boss for Vongola. Nothing would stop him, not even death or the fate of the Arcobaleno.
"I see," Reborn said, pulling down the brim of his fedora. "Thank you for letting me know, Aria. I'll be ready." As the woman nodded and moved to depart, he couldn't help but ask, "Will you?"
Her hand drifted down to her stomach, and the shadow in her eyes deepened. "Yes," Aria said quietly. "I will be ready."
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Chapter 101 Line up
"Does everyone understand what they'll be doing?" Tsuna asked looking around at his Guardians.
"Leave the ritual to me! I'll keep that ghost from escaping and set up the conditions for your journey, to the extreme!" Ryohei said energetically.
"We'll make sure nothing happens to your bodies," Yamamoto promised, shooting Hibari a grin that the prefect completely ignored.
"Mukuro-sama and I will guide you, Boss," Chrome said.
With Lambo still at his family's place with Bianchi, Ipin and Fuuta, that left only Gokudera, who scowled and crossed his arms.
"Gokudera, you'll be playing an important part," Tsuna reminded him. "Chrome and Mukuro will be able to use the connection between the Vongola Rings to keep us from being swept away and overwhelmed by Daemon's memories, and since you're the only one who has been able to light his Flames through the ring…"
"I have to stay here," Gokudera finished. "I know that. I understand. But still… As your right hand man, I should always be beside you, especially on a dangerous mission like this!"
"Gokudera…" Tsuna sighed, uncertain how to comfort his friend.
"Don't worry, Gokudera," Reborn spoke up for what was practically the first time since the meeting with Giglio Nero's leader. "I'll make sure nothing happens to your boss."
"Reborn, what're you saying?" Tsuna sputtered.
"I'll be coming with you," Reborn said calmly. "I've decided. You've still got too far to go, Dame-Tsuna, to try taking on a mission like this. It would be a disaster for Vongola to lose you now."
The last part was true, but the one before it was actually the complete opposite. Tsuna had a long way to go, but he had also come very far. Even though he could not explain where that confidence came from, Reborn was certain Tsuna would find his way. With or without his tutor.
So he might as well help while he still could. If anything, Reborn was risking the least out of all of them. It wasn't as if he had much of a life left to lose.
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