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Chapter 36: Corona

Lambo? Lambo? Tsuna tried almost desperately. He swore internally when it became obvious that he would not get any answer because the telepathic link had been severed. He had to send him help and quickly. The fear, panic and anger he perceived were almost tangible. And if what happened was of any indication, the Mist Archmage was also in trouble. He glanced at Hibari who was fighting Byakuran's Cloud Guardian, and then at Xanxus and his opponent who had been giving them a hard time since he showed up. Despite fire being thrown at him, the frail looking boy with long black hair and reptile eyes remained unhurt, a fact that seemed to get on the nerves of the Sky mage and which was aggravated by his lack of protections, as if to mock him. Look, you're so harmless that I don't need any armor to fight you!

Well, he had more urgent matters at the present time.

Propelling himself by directing his energy blasts toward the ground –thank you Gokudera- he reached Reborn, Takeshi, Yuni and her Guardian who were fending off soldiers.

"Azzurra! I need you to go immediately to the Frozen Fangs with the High Advisor. I believe the mountain clans are in great danger."

"Understood, Your Majesty." They climbed on a platform made by the Sun Archmage out of solidified light, and Tsuna went back to Xanxus as they left.

Lord Timoteo's adoptive son appeared to have reached the conclusion that his opponent was impervious to his abilities, as he was now using his swords. He cut one of his arms, and Tsuna watched in awe as the limb grew back.

"He must be Byakuran's Sun Guardian."

"Then, I'm going to cut him until he has nothing left to grow back from," Xanxus growled. And with that he charged, only to be stopped by a hand gripping his wrist with surprising strength. Damn Dying Will Flame.

"No," Tsuna said firmly.

"Seriously? It's not the time for your sparing people bullshit. If we don't bring him down, he will bring us down," he snarled.

"Your friend is right," the latter said. "I am not Byakuran's Sun Guardian but his Funeral Wreath; I live to destroy his enemies. But you, you cannot destroy me."

"Yeah, well, that was before you meet me," Xanxus quipped.

"If fire does nothing to him, ice will," Tsuna replied calmly. Anger and irritation flashed in the eyes of the older Sky mage when he caught up with him.

"Prevent him from moving," he continued. "But not from breathing," he added after a moment of reflection. Xanxus glared at him in response and created bindings before pinning him in place. Tsuna moved his hands into the position he hated so much, and then touched his opponent. Ice erupted from his fingers, quickly enveloping the Sun mage.

Gamma and Gokudera arrived on the battlefield at the same time than Byakuran and a group of soldiers.

"For the last time, give me the Vongola rings and the Tranquility stones," the head of House Gesso said. But he saw hesitation in the eyes of the young girl. At least she had the merit not to give in easily.

"Maybe you need some motivation." At a gesture of his hand, two of his warriors brought forth someone, tied and unconscious. It took a moment for Tsuna to recognize the face covered in cuts and bruises. Shoichi Irie.

"I know that he warned your telepath about what was going on in the Frozen Fangs, and he would have transmitted valuable information about my Funeral Wreaths had I not stopped him," he declared. "So, it's simple; you give me what I want and he lives," he said, putting a knife under his throat.

"Don't do that, Your Majesty," Gamma whispered hurriedly. "He is a traitor. He betrayed us, he betrayed you! He deserves that."

She did not reply and walked toward Fon instead. The latter bowed his head and gave her his necklace. His gesture was then repeated by the High Advisor. Byakuran looked expectantly at Tsuna who glared at him. Yuni gathered everything and gave it to the king.

"Now that you have what you want, remove your troops." The white haired man gave her a smile.

"No." He brusquely closed his fist. Splinters of solidified light fell to the ground. "Do you really think that I was going to fall for such a cheap trick? Don't insult me."

Xanxus was the first to react. Unsheathing his weapons, he aimed two arcs of flames at Byakuran and his men, and as the latter protected themselves, he rushed at the Sky mage. They traded blows, until the blade of Lord Timoteo's adoptive son sank between his ribs. However, Byakuran did not seem affected at all. Xanxus had just the time to turn his body into fire before his opponent could grab him and wound him. But he did just that, taking him off guard, not deterred at all by his ardent form. Xanxus understood too late when he saw his hand transform into a sharp blade made of water. The latter hissed as it pierced his chest. Byakuran pushed him back and turned to face whoever was certainly coming at him, but his lower body did not follow his movement. Looking down, he saw ice freezing his legs. He smiled and suddenly generated fire. Tsuna hastily retreated.

"It looks like Xanxus' powers," Gokudea remarked.

"Normally his abilities allow him to copy movements, not powers," Yuni said.

"It certainly has something to do with the Millefiore ring," the High Advisor deduced.

Tsuna was reflecting about what to do next, when Gokudera, Takeshi and Azzurra abruptly froze, mouths agape and eyes widened. Trapped in illusions, they were unaware of the snakes heading toward them. Along with Hibari and Gamma, he destroyed them while Reborn protected their allies with force fields the time for the abilities of Byakuran's Mist Guardian to wear off. The older Sky mage touched one of the shields. Light blinded Tsuna and his friends. Seizing the opportunity, Byakuran moved toward Yuni, but was shoved back by a light construct. Naturally, the Sun Archmage would not be affected by his own powers. Tsuna watched as gold, shining light and that of a luminous white clashed.

"Don't interfere," the Sun Archmage cried as he noticed him ready to help him. "It would be worse if he touches you and copy your powers."

Tsuna obeyed, knowing that he could get hurt if he distracted him unintentionally. After all, he had proven countless time how formidable a fighter he was. His heart stopped when Byakuran grabbed Reborn and green veins appeared on his arm.

NO!

Byakuran groaned in pain as a thunderbolt hit him, freeing the High Advisor. Tsuna swiftly dragged him away and helped him sit down before pouring Dying Will Flame into him. He sighed with relief as his skin slowly regained color. He would never thank Fon enough.

The Storm Archmage had succeeded to pin their opponent to the ground with violent winds, and was about to make sure that he would not hurt anybody anymore, when the clouds above him suddenly formed a giant hand. He did not have the time to dissolve it. Byakuran quickly got up, blinded them with light and charged at Hibari. The Cloud Guardian lashed at him. His tonfa hit nothing but air. He stopped for a second in astonishment. Impossible, he had always been able to pinpoint someone's position accurately! Unless vibrations were disrupted. Or slowed down. Something caught him in the chest, sending him sprawl on the ground. He turned toward what was left of his opponents, smiling.

"You should have given them to me."

Reborn and Tsuna charged at him. They were brusquely swept away. Tsuna felt himself spinning faster and faster, no longer able to tell where was upward and downward. All that remained were the strong winds circling him, and him moving with them.

Byakuran looked with satisfaction at the tornado and the frozen form of the Sun Archmage. He should not be disturbed for a while now, the time for him to have a discussion with his dear queen and Sky Archmage. He walked toward her and her right hand, but came to a halt, brow furrowed. Why was he fighting? Why so much violence and anger? He was tired of that. He wanted peace, calm, he wanted—

He chuckled and resumed his walk. "Nice try, Your Majesty. But it won't stop me. I know it is you who have them, inside of you. I searched Fon and Reborn and came up empty-handed."

He dodged a blast of plasma and raised his hand. Ice projectiles rained down on Gamma and Yuni, prompting the Guardian to protect the two of them with his plasma. Byakuran grew closer. The surface of the shield moved, soon covered in spikes that were thrown in his direction. A gush of wind dispersed them all. Gamma hardened his force field when he saw the Sky mage running toward them. What was he doing? He was going to crash into—

The force field shattered. Gamma reacted instinctively and covered his body in a thick layer of plasma. A hand touched his chest. His eyes widened when he remarked red energy infiltrating his protection. He clenched his teeth. He was acutely aware of what Gokudera's abilities could do. He took off, going as far away from Yuni as he could. His armor burst. He heard Yuni call his name. He could not block Byakuran's assault. Air left his lungs at the force of the impact, and he plummeted to the ground.

Yuni turned toward Byakuran as he approached her. Tears streaking her cheeks, she unsheathed her sword with trembling hands. The head of House Gesso smiled in sympathy.

"There is no need for me to hurt you, if you give—"

He suddenly found himself on the ground. Getting up, he saw Tsuna standing in front of him, fists engulfed in energy. The white-haired man shot fiery energy at him. Tsuna responded in kind. They collided. Each of them tried to take the upper-hand. Tsuna felt his feet slide. He gritted his teeth. Byakuran's attack increased in power. Tsuna was roughly pushed back. He fell and immediately rolled on his stomach when he sensed the Sky mage approaching. Byakuran smashed the ground with his fist, exposing his ribs. Tsuna seized the opportunity. Byakuran growled and retaliated by throwing energy at Yuni, who was now unprotected. The attack was absorbed by floating shields. Byakuran frowned but did not have the time to dwell on that, as Tsuna was almost already on him. He turned and punched him, only to go through him. A fist connected with his jaw.

"Did you like my illusions?" Tsuna asked.

The abilities of a Mist mage, now a metallic body…His eyes fell on his hands. The Vongola rings. All in their final forms. His Guardians had finally been acknowledged, without exception. As if to prove it, Tsuna delivered a powerful blast of energy from his chest. The Sky mage tried to counter, but his movements were too slow. It crashed into him, and he fell heavily on the ground. He tried to get up, but he had no strength left.

"I must say that I'm impressed you found out so rapidly how to use your Guardians' powers," he said. "Now you truly know what it means to be a Sky mage."

Tsuna stayed silent and unsheathed his weapon.

Byakuran smiled. "Go ahead; do it."

The tip of the sword stayed on his throat. The king was abruptly reminded of what happened with Xanxus, and he did not like it at all. Again, he had to make a difficult choice, upon which depended the safety of thousands of people. He looked at Yuni, crying, Gamma in her arms, his eyes closed. He looked at his friends, the warriors lying on the ground, all the destruction and pain caused by this man.

Byakuran's eyes widened as the blade sank in his chest. His hand roughly grabbed the Sky mage.

"You may have defeated me, but he will come for you, Tsuna. And you won't be able to stop him."

His grip weakened and he let go of him.

After Byakuran was defeated, his surviving Guardians were swiftly taken into custody by the Vendice, and their Mare rings returned to the queen of the Millefiore kingdom. Now, the priority was to reestablish peace, the war having caused fractures between the noble families that either supported or fought the leader of House Gesso, and created dissentions among the people. Thus, Yuni did not lose time to start negotiating with Shoichi Irie, who in his quality of right hand of the king spoke in the name of the northern part of the country. Since giving the latter some independence had not prevented a war as expected, they decided to unify the Millefiore kingdom through a marriage. However, if the young queen forgave her former Sun Guardian for betraying her because he eventually regretted his action and warned them, many of Byakuran's supporters hated him for stabbing in the back the man who was almost a father to him, and her people was wary and distrustful of him. But Yuni knew that considering the situation she could not rule alone anymore. Having him by her side would show Byakuran's people that they still had a say when it came to the business of the kingdom, and that she genuinely care about them. Naturally, it would take a lot of time and would not be easy. Tsuna also insisted that Shoichi Irie vowed not to attack the Sky kingdom for personal gain and not to go after the Vongola rings and the necklaces of the Archmages. The Sun mage had immediately complies and even went as far as giving up his title of Guardian, feeling that his people would see him as dependent of the queen if he did not do so, which would not appease the tensions.

The day following the ceremony given in homage of the fallen warriors and Gmma, Yuni was on the dock with Tsuna and his allies.

"I wish you a safe travel, Your Majesty," she said. "My people and I will never forget what the Sky kingdom did for us. Which is why you can be sure that you will always find a ready and loyal ally in us."

"I am sure of it, Queen Yuni," he smiled. "We will help you whenever you need it."

They were saying goodbye to each other, when Gokudera spoke.

"Your Majesty, unless my help is absolutely necessary and if Queen Yuni agrees, I wish to stay here to help." His friend smiled. The Sky kingdom might be his home but Lumeria would always stay the country where he was born.

"Yes, Hayato, I understand."

"It is very kind of you, Captain," the other Sky mage replied. "We would be glad to have you here."

"I want to stay too!"

They all turned in the direction of Haru, surprised marking their features.

"There are still many injured and wounded who need care," the maid-in-waiting explained, a bit nervous from the sudden attention.

Gokudera stared at her. Takeshi smiled knowingly. The rulers agreed.

Xanxus had just been reunited with his men in Namimori that he was already leaving for a destination unknown to the king, as the fierce Sky mage had refused to share that information with him. Despite what the royal council liked to believe, he was not working for him. Still, Tsuna was present when they finished loading provisions and luggage on the ship.

"Want to make sure I leave that country for god?" Timoteo's adoptive son asked gruffly when he spotted him.

"I arranged everything so you won't be arrested as a criminal."

"Wouldn't that be a pity."

Tsuna sighed internally. He was convinced that had things been different between them, he would have considered him as a brother. A brother with serious anger issues and who was frightening, but a brother nonetheless.

"May your travel be safe, Xanxus." The latter grunted in response and glared at his extended hand before shaking it reluctantly. Then, his eyes fell on the Mist Archmage walking toward them.

"Don't tell me you think you're coming with us?" He sneered when his interlocutor stayed silent. "Did having your boobs back made you stupid? You can barely use your powers; which means you are useless to me. I don't take weaklings."

"I still know things that you don't," she protested. "I still have contacts from the time I was leader of a guild of thieves! You can't just leave me like that!"

He grabbed her by the front of her cloak.

"Xanxus," Tsuna warned, his fists engulfed in energy.

"Nobody tell me what I can or can't do, certainly not you," he growled, his face inches from hers. "And don't embarrass yourself in front of everyone." He abruptly let go of her and walked away without another word.

Tsuna remarked that the hands of the telepath were shaking and the arrival of a Vendice did nothing to stop it. Being a member of Xanxus' crew was her last chance to not be incarcerated.

"I am here to take the prisoner," the guard with dark, wavy hair said.

"She contributed to Byakuran's defeat," Tsuna observed. The man eyes him for a moment.

"I asked nothing from you," the Mist mage hissed before stepping forward.

"It is decided, then," the guard said, producing shackles from the folds of his cloak.

"Wait." They all looked at the man who spoke. What was the Storm Archmage doing here?

"I will take care of her," Fon stated.

"Certainly not!" she exclaimed indignantly. "I don't need your help! I don't want your help!"

"I can keep an eye on her while making sure she is useful," he explained to the guard, ignoring her protestations.

"What do you hope to gain from this?" the telepath huffed.

"Viper…"

"I forbid you to call me that! How dare you!"

"I'm giving you the opportunity to heal and live normally," he continued as if nothing happened. "Would you prefer spending the rest of your life in prison?"

"Still better than spending it with you!"

"Be reasonable, your abilities are not what they used to be and you will need to choose your successor. It would not be possible for you to do so in prison."

Tsuna was watching the exchange with a mixture of curiosity and astonishment. It was quite impressive and baffling how calm the Storm Archmage was when the telepath was so aggressive toward him.

"What is your decision?" The Vendice asked him, growing impatient.

"Fon will take her with him."

Thus, it is with a sulking Mist mage in tow that Fon said his goodbye to the High Advisor and the king as he and I-pin were going back home. The young girl glanced at Lambo and moved to follow her master, when the latter smiled.

"Take care of him and yourself." Her eyes widened, and then she returned his embrace.

"Thank you, master. I'll visit you, I promise."

He straightened and his eyes met those of Lord Bovino's son. The fire he saw in them was all he needed to return to his country with a mind at peace. They exchanged a nod. Lambo and I-pin retreated shortly after that, leaving the High Advisor and the king alone.

"I'm relieving you from your duties of High Advisor," the king declared suddenly. Reborn watched closely his student who eventually turned his eyes away from the ships gliding across the water. Unlike what the Sky mage expected, he was not angry at him or disappointed, but smirking. He smiled internally. After all this time he should have known that he had figured out what he was thinking.

"Such ingratitude," the Sun Archmage teased. "After everything I've done for you."

"I know, I know, you've managed to make a king out of me when there was little to no hope." A yelp escaped him when a hand hit his head unexpectedly.

"What was that for?" he whined, rubbing the sore spot.

"You're still an idiot," the High Advisor replied before taking the most serious expression he had ever seen from him, which was something. "I did not make a king out of you. You made a king out of yourself. I was only there to nudge you in the right direction. And to make sure you stay alive."

Tsuna was deeply moved by his sincerity.

"Yuni needs you more than I do, now. I will never forget what you did for me. Almost everyone doubted my capacity to be King Timoteo's successor, but you encouraged me, you believed in me, you were always there when I needed you. So, thank you. I'm proud to have been your student."

"If you keep talking like that, Your Majesty, and if I were the queen and heard you, I would be jealous. Or worried," he grinned. The Sky mage rolled his eyes, although it was more in fondness than in exasperation.

"I'm proud to have been your tutor."

Corona: circles around the sun or the moon caused by the diffraction of their light.