Ritsu: EDIT; That awkward moment you forget to add the omake you planned on. Welp, this is why editing exists!
Wow.
Is… is it bad I found your reactions amusing? The mystery of what cracked… Is revealed this chapter.
I feel a sense of accomplishment for doing this to everyone. I guess I'm kind of a horrible person… XD Also, guys… girls… ducks and alpacas… 3 questions doesn't get me far, Q&A wise…. D: But alas, leaving you with a cliffhanger was pretty cruel on my part… XD Anyways, onwards!
Review answering time~
FrozenThinMint: Heh… :J Napkin?
All will be revealed soon! :D (Granted, I say that a lot… XD)
berryu: Glad you do! :D After considering I decided it would fit pretty well! Thank you! (I try :P )
Deer-Shifter: I considered it… but I couldn't decide on which one XD She might gain one later, though ;)
Not-Gonna-Update: Thank you! I'm glad you like it :D
natsumo: ! The melon must be beaten!
ChocolateWolfey: D: !
My Name is Alice: … I what indeed. Don't worry! The feels… will be over soon! D: Ooooh, Haru, eh? Your secret is safe with me! ;) (No offense to them but cloud and mist… just… I find it tends to be even more used than sky XD)…
(Ooooh, I see, I see!) I'm rain, after a lot of consideration and self-searching. Not only do I tend to remind myself of Yamamoto in real life (I don't know if I come across that way online?), but I'm pretty hard to anger. Ever the calm one… XD
Viviene001: NOOOOOOOOO! Don't worry! Update's here! :D
lime green lily: 15/10 Hibari wao?! Oh my gosh!
I wanted to… lighten things up a bit. And y'know, try to hint that Tomo feels something for Enma, even if she doesn't realize it herself. Ironically… I think ChromexEnma would be kind of adorable… XD
Ooohhh good good! Yes! Tomo is sick of Daemon's BS! Of course… making him mad is pretty dangerous though… XD
Oooh, glad you do! In the end, I debated between lightning and sun, but I figured it'd be cooler for Tomo to protect Enma than to simply heal him afterwards… Go go Tomo!
Pffft, he can certainly try! The pine knows to protect his apple! And man is that joke gonna get awkward when Fran shows up. … Oh god, I didn't think that through… XD
Serinny: I skimmed over lots of dialogue (because for some reason KHR is filled to the brim with people talking while fighting like what? So much dialogue XD), so it might be a bit vague. Fighting scenes aren't my forte, but I'm gradually trying to add more in. Slowly… And yes! They need a break! D:
I want one too DX
Candra-ThePhatomAuthor: O-oh my… pls don't set the world on fire…
Random Reader: … *cracks an egg*
… Now let's crack the Melon/Eggplant!
BloodyBel: What indeed ;D Glad you do!
TheParadoxicalOxymoron: Coughcough… I… I love Tomo! … And I apparently love putting her in danger too! But it's for a good cause, I swear!
… your review is what created the omake at the end of this chapter. Just thought you should know. Be proud!
Yolo mode indeed, considering how reckless her mouth's being XD
Harem? Well… There's Enma, Mukuro, Byaku-chi... shit… Yamamoto, pls no. Tsuna, you love Kyoko. Ok? Just wait till I unleash Julie. Ohohoho~
khr junkie: Nooo! D: I hope the floor cushioned your fall!
CallMeCrazy4You: Sorry I couldn't answer this sooner. You reviewed just when I did the double update! Anyway, there will be two different TYL arcs. One for this story and one for The Spirit of Kokuyo (which features TomoxMukuro as the main pairing). The arcs won't focus on Byakuran though. But there will be more Byakuran in the future! And thank you! :D
My eyes widened in shock and I slowly turned myself around, the pressure on my neck gone.
I hadn't even seen Enma move.
One second he had been on the ground, barely able to stand.
The next, he was right by me, his fist striking Daemon Spade without hesitation.
Something had cracked.
As my eyes surveyed the events taking place behind me, I realized it had been Daemon's nose.
Another punch.
His ribs.
One, two, three, four of them.
Something shone off of Enma's ring.
The final key.
Tsuna's and Enma's rings had combined. I knew that was supposed to happen, but I also knew Tsuna was the one who had originally defeated Daemon.
Just what… what is going on?
Time seemed to stop, lights appearing on Enma's and Daemon's forehead. A quick look behind me showed the same was happening to everyone else present. Everyone except for me.
Instead, an additional light seemed to shine, originating from the ring around Enma's neck.
And that was when everything went white.
They looked familiar, I realized fairly quickly.
Cozart Shimon… and Giotto Vongola… My memory supplied helpfully.
But why hadn't this happened before? I hadn't experienced any other memories.
And this memory was not the one everyone else was seeing. Or were they? Had I messed up the past, too?
"Are you sure, Cozart?"
I watched in silence, grateful they were speaking Japanese. I wasn't sure why, but considering their hushed voices, it was most likely to make it harder for others to eavesdrop.
I stepped closer, close enough to reach out and touch them. But I refrained from doing so. Something told me I shouldn't. That it would screw things up even more.
"… I think it would… be for the best."
I stared silently as Cozart spoke, his tone a mix of worry but also guilt. What was he feeling so guilty about?
"But that ring…"
"It's called… Mamori. Supposedly… it protects the wearer from misfortune. It lacks the strength and purity of the Shimon rings… but I believe it has more heart. Hah… I suppose that sounds kind of crazy though, doesn't it?"
Mamori.
I froze, my hands trembling. Mamori. I remembered.
Bound to the ring of Mamori.
That's what I was. The ring in Cozart's hand was the very same one Enma was carrying in the present.
"Cozart… you… did this to me..?" I found myself whispering, stepping back in shock when his gaze seemed to meet mine.
And just before everything went white again, I could swear he sent me a bitter smile.
My head hurt. The effects from my Dying Will episode was setting in, my every muscle screaming in protest as I slowly forced myself to stand. But my head.
My head hurt from the chaotic thoughts running through it.
Cozart Shimon was the cause behind my spirit being bound to that ring? Was that it? Or was there more to that memory? What exactly had they been talking about? Binding me (which was impossible, time line wise I still wouldn't have been born at the time that memory was created), or something else?
As I stood there, breathing heavily, I noticed the others were still under the effects of the final key, reliving Cozart and Giotto's memories.
And they would be for a little while longer, a voice seemed to tell me.
I screamed.
And then I ran.
The others began moving again, and I vaguely recognized Tsuna's voice yelling my name in concern. I didn't stop.
I didn't stop until I was too far away to even see them. I could hear explosions going off, Enma no doubt taking on Daemon, but I couldn't find it in my heart to go back.
Instead I collapsed with my back against a tree, pulling my knees up against my chest.
"I finally get something… a hint… but now… now I'm stuck with even more questions than before… and no one to answer them…"
A familiar bird landed on top of my knees, staring at me curiously. A second later, a drop of water hit Hibird's beak, making the bird blink in surprise. I found myself letting out a sad chuckle before the first sob wrecked my body.
"To-mo~ To-mo~"
I merely held the bird close to me, burying my face in my knees.
It hurts… everything hurts…
Everyone was back.
Tsuna's friends, and Enma's own.
Enma was happy, relieved they were alright, but he was worried. He could see it in Tsuna's eyes too. Tomo was nowhere to be seen. And as Tsuna conversed with the Mukuro who once more possessed his own body, Enma couldn't help but wonder-
How does he know Tomo...?
"And just where… is Tomo..?" he mumbled out loud, oblivious to the way two of his guardians seemed to react at the name spoken.
"Enma… You mentioned this Tomo before… in your sleep," Adelheid stated, placing a hand on his shoulder gently. Enma jumped in slight surprise, before he met her gaze.
"… Tomo is… someone very important to me. She was here… when we were fighting Daemon, but she ran away… I don't know where she is right now…" Enma explained quietly, worry lacing his tone. Enma still wasn't sure why Tomo could be seen now, but a part of him was happy. She seemed so lonely sometimes.
"Well… I wouldn't feel right, leaving a cute girl all by herself~ Why don't we go look for her?" Julie suggested, surprising Enma. He was pretty sure Julie had never seen Tomo. But Enma decided he could ask later, and simply nodded, before motioning for Tsuna to come closer.
"Tsuna-kun… we… the ones of us with the least injuries are gonna go look for Tomo…"
Of course, Tsuna was quick to offer to help, and his healthier guardians (or rather, Yamamoto, Gokudera and Chrome) offered their assistance as well, though one more so because his boss was worried. Hibari had already taken off, muttering something about biting a herbivore to death, and Mukuro was nowhere to be seen.
Once everyone had gathered together, Enma gave Julie and Adel a quick explanation of what Tomo looked like, and then they were off.
Why did you run… Tomo? … Did I… scare you?
"I've repaired your physical body. The next time you're reckless, I won't."
I almost wanted to laugh, but instead I merely did my best to nod, head still buried in my knees. I didn't want to look at anyone, Mukuro included. I was a mess, but at least now I didn't have a hole poking through my stomach, even if I could still feel it.
If I lost this illusion body, I'd probably still have it…
Mukuro no doubt looked worse than me, and while I felt a twinge of sympathy for him, I knew he probably wouldn't have acknowledged it anyway. At least I wasn't crying anymore, I comforted myself with. I had exhausted my tears a while ago, around the same time as Hibird had flown away, no doubt to her, or his, master.
I could hear his steps approaching me, and when I was sure he was in front of me, I finally forced myself to look up. He'd crouched down in front of me and the look in his eyes was so intense that I almost wanted to throw myself back, to put space between us. He must have used illusions to make himself look healthier, considering how his nose should have been broken but wasn't.
"Why did you run?"
My lips tugged into a frown and my gaze lowered.
"Because I got scared."
"Of what?"
I took a moment to ponder his question in silence, fidgeting with my hands. Although Daemon had frightened me, in the end what had made me run wasn't him.
"… Of myself," I finally answered, growing frustrated as I couldn't keep the quiver out of my voice. I didn't want to cry again-
"Why? There is nothing fearful about you. Even with all that power, you never once went on the offensive."
"Because my existence might be nothing more than-! … Than…" I trailed off, unable to continue.
"Nothing more than what?"
I clenched my fists, but remained silent. Mukuro let out a sigh, but refrained from asking me anything else. Instead, he merely remained in place, crouched in front of me.
Up until the very moment someone called my name.
Having looked up in surprise, the spot where he had been a moment ago was empty, and I looked around trying to locate the owner of the voice. A feather fluttered downwards in the wind, landing in my outstretched hand.
I looked up.
"Hi there, Momo-chan~"
"… Byakuran…"
Ritsu: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.
Ye. I change things all the time. Gotta love it.
Thought I'd never explain anything about Tomo's spiritness, didja? Well, you all got a hint this time. Chapter is a bit short, and a day late, but regardless… enjoy it~
Tomo's Dying Will
"Hey Enma, remember that first time I fought with my dying will?"
Enma blinked, meeting Tomo's gaze. He nodded slowly, a sudden feeling in his gut telling him something bad was going to happen.
"Remember how... how I called your name before I went all badass?"
Enma nodded again, the feeling in his stomach intensifying.
"I remember..."
"Wanna know why your name was the trigger?"
Enma blinked, not really wanting to know (as he was certain it would be something bad.), but eventually caved after seeing the look on Tomo's face. At this point, Reborn had shuffled closer, listening in on their conversation.
"... Why was my name the trigger...?"
She remained silent for a while, before she suddenly stood up.
"Enma!"
The familiar lightning flame lit up on her forehead.
"It's symbolic, Enma," she spoke in that deep voice of hers that arose every time she went 'badass' as she called it.
"I drop my balls for you, since you skipped puberty!"
He didn't know what was worse. Hearing her say those words in that deep voice of hers, or saying them at all.
His face went red.
Reborn smirked.