Kyandi: Hey, everyone!
Roksana: She's in a good mood today.
Kyandi: I am! I got a new keyboard and a review!
Roksana: She read the review where someone compared Hibari to a hedgehog, and what did you say?
Kyandi: "He's prickly like one"!
Roksana: I can't argue that.
Kyandi: Hehe! I love getting reviews! They make my day and the motivate me. In fact, if I get more reviews, I might update more often.
Roksana: Her way to trying to nudge all of you into reviewing.
Kyandi: Yes, please! With that said, everyone, enjoy and review.
Roksana: Kyandi-sama does not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN.
Chapter 25 Sky Battle
The next morning, and all through the day, Hibari stuck to Roksana like glue. He followed her all over town as she made preparations for the fight that night. For the most part, Roksana ignored him, knowing him well enough by that point to know that he wasn't going to leave even if she told him to. The two, like the rest of their team, went to school that day, though Roksana and Hibari mostly went to see to it that paperwork was done.
Haru and Kyoko found Roksana around lunch time, the two girls giving her a good luck charm they had made for her. Apparently they had made ones for Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto, too, the two being fooled into thinking that the four of them, along with Kyoko's brother, were taking part in a sumo wrestling tournament.
What made them think a girl like Roksana was taking part, was beyond her, but she thanked the two girls for the work they had put into the charm.
After they had left, Hibari and Roksana, both, received a summons from the Cervello, telling them that they had to be at the fight that night. All guardians, on both sides, received the summons during the day.
The first ones to arrive at the school that night were Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Basil. The moment they arrived on campus, they were drawn to the courtyard by a blinding light. There, they found Xanxus ready to go. Tsuna and Reborn arrived after that, Xanxus grinning.
"So you came, scumbag." Xanxus said in greeting.
"We have been expecting you." the Cervello said, the women dropping from the roof above. "Then, the guardians for Sawada's side, Storm, Sun, Rain, and, the Mist guardians are all here. The only ones left are Cloud, Moon and Lightning."
Hibari and Roksana showed up then, Hibari in his school uniform while Roksana was wearing a sleeveless body with the legs cut off right under the curve of her backside with a wispy purple vest pulled over it, and knee high boots. There were still bandages all over her, but at least there didn't seem to be so much as a limp to her step.
"What do you want?" Hibari demanded as the two joined the others.
"Er, what do I want?" Tsuna repeated, a little confused.
"He's together with us, right?" Ryohei asked.
"The Cervello said that the guardians had to come." Chrome explained.
"That's right. All the guardians who are still alive were sent a compulsory summons." Cervello One said.
"Compulsory summons?" Tsuna asked.
"Hibari and I got one too." Roksana confirmed.
"Those guys are here too." Reborn said, looking past Roksana.
It was then that Roksana heard a voice she wished she could have gone the rest of her life without hearing.
"Looking pretty dead on your feet, brat."
Turning, Roksana's eyes landed on none other than a heavily bandaged Luca. He man had bandages on just about every bit of exposed skin, only one eye remaining un-covered.
And he wanted to talk about how she looked?
"Hey, Mr. Kettle, Mr. Pot called. He says you're black." Roksana retorted. "Why couldn't you just die when I dropped you off that ledge? You'd be far less useless as a corpse."
"Why you...!"
Hibari stepped in front of Roksana when Luca took a step towards her, the younger male's expression silently begging Luca to do something so he could kill him. Luca stopped, his eyes going from Hibari to Roksana.
"Got yourself a guard dog, huh?" Luca demanded.
"I'd say less a dog and more along the lines of a porcupine or hedgehog. He's just a prickly as both." Roksana replied.
Hibari looked over his shoulder at her, shooting her a look promising pain if she didn't shut up. Roksana merely shrugged her shoulders. The comparison was too good to take it back. Either way, Luca didn't take another step towards the two. He was still extremely tender in a very painful place and he had no way of knowing if Hibari was the one that had taught Roksana how to rupture a guy's balls.
Roksana leaned around Hibari, raising an eyebrow as Levi and Bel joined them, Mammon locked in a birdcage Levi was carrying. Behind them, strapped to a hospital bed and complaining, came Lussuria, two more members of the Cervello carting him in.
"Wow, you're still alive!" Ryohei exclaimed.
"Looks like the Lightning guardian for Sawada's side has also arrived." one Cervello said.
Turning, they found another Cervello, approaching them with Lambo in her arms, carting an oxygen tank the child was hooked up to.
"Lambo! Wh-why Lambo, too!? He's just started to come out of his coma!" Tsuna protested.
"The compulsory summons do not take anything else into account. Because in the Sky battle, the seven rings as well as the lives of the seven guardians are all at stake." Cervello One told them.
"The rings and the lives of the guardians are at stake!?" Tsuna repeated.
"That's right." the Cervello confirmed.
"So...basically, you're rounding us all up at once to make it easier for him to kill us off." Roksana retorted, one hand going to her hip as the other gestured towards Xanxus. "You really are on his side."
"Wait! What do you mean by that?! Lambo is already injured! Give him back!" Tsuna demanded.
"Stand down, please. The Varia are in the same boat." Cervello One told him.
"Yeah! Quit complaining! Once the summons were received, no matter what condition we're in, we have to assemble. That's the duty of a guardian!" Lussuria told him.
"Exactly. I'm also hoping that Master Xanxus' anger has appeased, and I'd have a chance to help him." Mammon said, obviously sucking up after running away.
"How nicely put. We only caught you, instead of killing you, so don't be smooth-talking here." Bel replied.
"Shut up, Bel!" Mammon retorted.
"What about Squalo? Isn't he here?" Yamamoto asked.
"You know very well what the outcome of the Rain battle was." Cervello One told him.
"We are unable to verify Squalo's current status." Cervello Two added, Yamamoto gritting his teeth. "Well then, let's begin the Sky battle."
"W-wait a minute! We haven't clarified-!"
"If you don't want to start, you'll be disqualified." Cervello One said, cutting Tsuna off. "And Master Xanxus will officially be given possession of the rings and the Moon guardian."
"Come again?" Roksana asked.
They did not just refer to her as a prize.
Xanxus was grinning, even as Luca shot a look of hatred and disgust in Roksana's direction.
"Only if I don't kill her first." he retorted, Roksana turning to look at him with an unconcerned expression.
"You really should have taken my warning the last time. I will castrate you this time." Roksana told him.
The Cervello butted in before Luca could say anything else and start a fight right then and there.
"Alright, firstly, we will collect all the Guardian's rings." Cervello One said.
"After we fought like mad to get this ring, we have to give it back?" Ryohei demanded, Yamamoto and Roksana looking down at their rings.
"If you are the true guardian, there's nothing to worry about." the Cervello woman replied. "In the end, the Vongola rings will return to their true owner anyway. Place them in here."
Two of the Cervello women went around, collecting the rings. In the Tsuna Team box, there was the Sun, Moon, Rain, Mist, and Cloud rings. In the Xanxus Team box, there was the Storm and Lightning rings. Of course, when the woman came up to Tsuna's side to collect the rings, stopping in front of Hibari and Roksana to collect Roksana's ring, Hibari merely told the woman, "I lost it.".
"You didn't lose it. You tossed it aside to the Cervello, claiming you didn't need it." Roksana told him as she handed over her ring.
"All confirmed." Cervello One said, looking between the two holding the rings. "In that case, we will now explain the rules of the Sky battle. The Sky battle will be similar to the other guardians. One of the conditions for victory is to join the two halves of the ring. However, the battlefield will be the entire school."
"I can already picture the mountain of paperwork I'm going to have to do after this." Roksana remarked.
"In order to watch such a wide battlefield, we have installed large-screen displays at the observation box as well as various other locations. Also, the guardians will be using these wristbands installed with a camera-equipped monitor." Cervello One said as the wristbands were passed out. Roksana looked down at the thing, turning it over and examining it. "So then, would all the guardians please put on your wristbands, then make your way to the respective fields of your own battles."
"Huh? Our battlefields? What's the point of that?" Levi asked.
"We are not entertaining any questions. If you do not follow the rules, you will be disqualified." they were told tartly.
"Damn annoying bitches." Gokudera muttered.
"So, we're not just watching the fight, eh? Sounds like fun." Bel added.
"Speak for yourself." Roksana retorted, her eyes going to Luca who looked pleased with the chance to kill her.
"Okay, this is the only time we can do it then." Ryohei said.
"Our circle rally, right?" Yamamoto asked.
"Let's all get fired up!" Gokudera agreed.
"Oh, God, not this again." Roksana said, hanging her head.
They just had to do this before every fight. Ryohei turned towards Hibari, Roksana and Chrome, the only three really against the huddle.
"You guys can just stay where you are, okay? We've revised it with the ten meter rule, so you guys are in too!" Ryohei told them.
"Ten meter rule?" Roksana asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's a limit rule that anyone within a ten meter radius is included in the circle rally." Ryohei replied.
"Oh, the utter stupidity." Roksana muttered, dropping her face into her hand.
Ryohei, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Tsuna huddled up, giving a cheer of "Sawada fight!" before they broke up. All eyes turned to Roksana then, eyes darting between Roksana and Luca as the man, smirk on his bandaged face, started off for the location of the Moon battle.
"Roksana?" Tsuna asked, turning to look at her.
"Don't worry about me. Just focus on what you've got to do. By the time this match is over...he'll be a woman." Roksana told Tsuna, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "Honestly, I'm the last person you need to worry about. Better assassins than Luca have tried, and failed, to put an end to me. Best of luck."
With that, Roksana headed off after Luca, pausing as she came up even with Levi. The man froze, stiffening as her two-toned eyes fixed in on him.
"I don't care how annoying he is, hurt a hair on that child's head, and I'll castrate you too." Roksana told him, looking out, as always, for Lambo.
Her glare promising pain should she find out he tried anything, Roksana continued about her way, the others scattering to head for their battlefields. Arriving at the building where the Moon battle had been held, Roksana and Luca found a tall pillar set up. At the very top, the Moon ring had been placed in the center. Through their wristbands, they could hear the Cervello go on to explain the battle to Tsuna and Xanxus.
"Looks like everyone has arrived at their battlefields. We've set up a pole at each of the battlefields. The top of each pole contains the ring of the same type." the Cervello explained.
"Wha...!? The ring...don't tell me we're scrambling for them again!?" Gokudera exclaimed through the wristband.
"In other words...we'll be fighting too?" Bel asked.
"You are all free to do so." Cervello One confirmed. Roksana glanced over at Luca, who was grinning, his hand already hovering over one of his guns. "That is...if you are able to."
In the next second, Roksana, along with all of the other guardians from both sides, felt something stab into their wrist from the wristband. Roksana gripped the wrist, instantly feeling the sluggish burn that started working its way up her blood stream. On the other side of the pole, Luca fell to one knee with a grunt, guardians all over the school grounds, suffering as the poison that was just injected into them, instantly went to work.
"Just then, all the guardians were injected with a poison administered from their wristbands." Cervello One told them.
"What did you say!?" Tsuna exclaimed, Xanxus smirking.
"This poison is called The Death Hitter. Once administered-"
"It will paralyze the victim's nerves instantly." Tsuna and the others still in the courtyard, turned their eyes to the nearby display as Roksana peered into her wristband, her face reflected on the display. Unlike the others, she didn't seem to be suffering from the poison in the least. "From there, a burning pain will spread throughout the body, increasing until it kills the victim thirty minutes later."
"Wh-what is the meaning of this! It's supposed to be the Sky battle, so why is everyone involved like this?!" Tsuna demanded.
"Because the sky is the mission of the boss. The Sun, Moon, Lightning Storm, Rain, Mist, Cloud, he influences all of them. He understands and accepts all of them. That is the Sky's mission. In this battle, the lives of all the guardians are entrusted in the hands of the boss. That is the Sky battle. That being said...it seems a wristband had malfunctioned." one of the Cervello said, turning to look up at the display where Roksana's face was still being shown.
"No, it worked. I felt the poison. That being said, you people seriously have to come up with new tricks. I've been exposed to every kind of poison, including the Death Hitter, since I was five. I have an immunity to this crap." Roksana retorted, looking put out by the whole thing.
They really should have known better by then, after hearing from Iemitsu about all the assassination attempts on Roksana's life. Of course her handlers would have done something to ensure that poison wouldn't kill her. While glad to hear that Roksana, at least, would be alright, Tsuna was more focused on something the Cervello had said.
"Entrusted, you say...but this is too much!" Tsuna insisted.
"There is only one way to stop the progress of the poison. That is to insert the matching ring into each guardian's wristband. Once the ring is inserted into the indentation, it will activate the mechanism to administer the Death Hitter's antidote stored in the wristband." Cervello Two explained.
"So, this battle is not only for the Sky ring. The guardians' rings have also become a crucial element." Reborn remarked.
"Exactly. Therefore, the condition for victory in the Sky battle is simply this. You must acquire all of the Vongola rings. Use this chain to collect the full set of the Vongola rings." Cervello One said, Tsuna and Xanxus both receiving a chain to hang from their belts.
"Alright, I get it! Let's hurry! Otherwise, everyone will...!"
Tsuna couldn't even finish that sentence. It was clear to Xanxus, though, that Tsuna was more concerned with his friends' lives than the fight.
"Very well, one last thing. Once the battle has started, any outside inference from non-participating personnel is forbidden. That includes any special bullets." The Cervello told them.
"Understood." Reborn replied.
Xanxus attacked in that instant, hitting Tsuna and sending him flying into the side of the building and through the wall.
"M-Master Xanxus! Not yet!" one of the Cervello told him.
"Let's hurry and get started. Wasn't that what he said?" Xanxus replied, smirking.
"That was foul, Xanxus!" Basil snapped.
"My bad...did I get him before he was shot with his special bullet?" Xanxus mocked.
"How foolish. Who do you think you're dealing with?" Reborn asked, a smoking gun in hand.
Xanxus would have to be a lot faster and better than that to keep Reborn from hitting his target. As if to prove it, Tsuna pushed his way free of the rubble, his Dying Will flame shining brightly from his forehead.
"Tsuna, Xanxus is not an opponent you can fight half-heartedly. If you're thinking about saving your seven guardians first, you're going to lose your own life. First-"
"I know." Tsuna said, cutting Reborn off. I'm going to put this guy away first."
"You're going to put me away? With that level of power from last night?" Xanxus mocked.
"Do I look the same as I did last night?" Tsuna replied.
With both ready to go, the Cervello ushered Basil, Shamal, Colonello, and Reborn, along with Ken and Chikusa who had followed Chrome, into the observation box which was, once again, surrounded by infra-red sensors to keep them there.
"Now, the Sky ring battle-Xanxus verses Sawada Tsunayoshi. Battle start!"
Roksana, standing at the base of the Moon ring pole, stared down at her wristband, watching as the fight started between Tsuna and Xanxus, Tsuna going on the offense first. She was so caught up in watching Xanxus dodge and aim an elbow at Tsuna, the boy catching it easily, that it wasn't until she was grabbed by the shoulder that she realized that Luca had managed to make it to his feet.
The man slammed her back against the wall, seizing her by the throat with both hands. Roksana gasped, trying to draw breath into her lungs, but he had completely cut off her air way, making the girl scramble to pry his hands away from her throat.
"If you think you're the only one who built up an immunity to poison, then you're sadly mistaken, you little bitch." Luca snarled.
Roksana had to think quick before he strangled the life out of her. She pushed at his face, shoving it back as she tried to wiggle her feet in between them. It was in this position that she caught sight of Tsuna's fight with Xanxus on her wristband. Xanxus, who now had guns in his hands, had shot down the pole for both the Storm and Lightning rings, giving his men the chance to snatch up the rings and cure themselves. That put both Gokudera and Lambo in danger.
Roksana couldn't afford to be put down by this guy now. Watching Levi cure himself and turn on Lambo, intending to kill the child, every protective instinct in Roksana, kicked into over drive. She had to think, had to remain calm. Getting worked up wouldn't save from slowly suffocating to death.
Luca's grin grew as Roksana's fight got weaker and weaker, until the girl fell limp in his grip. Pulling her away from the wall, he gave her a shake, to see if he had actually killed her. The girl's limps merely flopped around like that of a rag doll's. Letting go her, he watched with content as her body crumpled limply to the ground, not moving. She landed on her back, hair falling over her face to hide it. Knelling next to her, Luca reached out, pressing two fingers to her neck, a smirk curling his lips.
No pulse.
"I would have liked to take my time, torture you slowly, but I have a job to do. Master Xanxus will just have to deal without you to take my place." Luca remarked, getting to his feet and turning to face the pole. One well aimed shot and the ring came flying down from the top of the pole. With the Moon ring in hand, Luca turned back to the lifeless body of Roksana, once again crouching next to her, smirk on his face. Reaching out, he trailed the end of his gun from the hallow at the base of her throat, down between her breasts and to the base of her ribs.
"Such a waste though. You would have been a real knock out as a grown woman. Though you probably would have been wasted on that guard dog of yours. He looks like he was just one good excuse away from screwing your brains out. Not that a man can blame him. If you hadn't been such a bitch, I might have taken you for myself." Luca remarked, reaching up flick the hair out of her face. "Let's get one last look at that fac-"
Luca cut off, a strangled noise of pain leaving him. Upon flicking the hair out of Roksana's face, he found her eyes wide open, a pissed off look on her face before Roksana slammed a knife home between his legs. Bolting up, Roksana grabbed him by the hair, keeping him from crumpling to the ground.
"You know, that makes three times you've called me a bitch since we met. Three strikes, you're done." Roksana said, plucking the ring from his hand before shoving him aside. Getting to her feet, she pressed the ring into the slot in the wristband, feeling another jab as the antidote was administered. Turning, she looked down at Luca, who was glaring back at her. "Don't give me that look. After all the failed assassination plots against me, you should have, at least, suspected that I could slow down my heart beat enough to mimic death. I suppose I should administer the antidote. Tsuna wouldn't be happy if I left you to die."
Roksana crouched next to him, to insert the ring into his wristband, Luca swatting at her to get her away from him, his face twisted in pain. Roksana snatched his wrist, yanking a little harder than she needed to, to pull his wristband close.
"If you want to die, then do it on your own. I won't be responsible for your death." Roksana told him, pressing the ring into the slot. "You might want to apply pressure to your crouch before you bleed out. Oh, and if I do ever see you again, I'll find another place to put that knife."
With that, Roksana got to her feet and hurried away. She didn't have the time to waste on a man who insisted on calling her a bitch.
Though, now...she was iffy on whether or not she could still call him a man.
As she made her way out of the building and into the school grounds, she focused on her task ahead of her. Whatever Luca did after that, was his own choice. To be perfectly honest, after what he had said about her and Hibari...Roksana had wanted to break the man's nose on top of stabbing him in the crouch. Only the fact that her friends needed her, kept her from doing it.
"Screw my brains out?! Hibari?! That man is insane! All that boy wants to do is beat the crap out of me." Roksana muttered to herself, shaking Luca's words out of her head.
She wasn't going to waste anymore brain cells on that thought process.
Or...least she would try not to.
-0-0-0-0-
As the fight between Tsuna and Xanxus progressed many things happened from Hibari taking on Bel to help Gokudera, to Gokudera going on to save Lambo from Levi, to Hibari saving Yamamoto from the poison and passing his ring on to him after Yamamoto insisted he take over. Yamamoto was surprised by how easy it was to get Hibari to agree simply by telling him that Roksana would probably get made and swat him with her shoe again if he got himself any more injured than he already was.
After helping Ryohei, and Lussuria, Gokudera met up with Yamamoto, the two going to check on Chrome together with four of the seven guardian rings. When they arrived, they found Bel and Mammon holding Chrome hostage in order to get the rings.
While Ryohei came charging to Gokudera and Yamamoto's rescue, the boys saving Chrome, but losing the rings, Tsuna and Xanxus' match carried on, Xanxus losing his temper when Tsuna showed that he could use the First Vongola Boss's special technique, the Zero Point Breakthrough, as well as his revised version of it. When Tsuna moved in to use the original version to freeze Xanxus in ice, it was revealed that Squalo was still alive and that Dino and his men, who had saved him, had brought him to the battlefield.
It was through Squalo that Tsuna and the others found out what had happened during the Cradle Affair, about how Xanxus had been froze by the Ninth and had remained that way for the last eight years. Tsuna managed to freeze Xanxus once again, and, thinking that it was over, Tsuna fell to one knee, only for Mammon to show up with all but the Moon ring in tow.
With seven of the eight rings in the same place, they were lit up by flames that Mammon then used to thaw Xanxus out. Bel showed up then, taking Tsuna's half of the Sky ring to put it together and present it to Xanxus.
"Welcome back, Boss!" Bel said, kneeling next to Xanxus.
"It's time. Give me...the rings." Xanxus demanded.
"Of course! That second-rate imposter doesn't deserve this. It's rightfully yours, the true progeny of the Ninth Boss. But we don't have the Moon ring. When we arrived at the Moon battlefield, Luca was dead and the girl's nowhere to be found." Bel said as Tsuna's friends arrived on the scene.
Tsuna's head came up, his eyes wide. He couldn't believe his ears. Was Bel trying to say that...that Roksana had killed Luca?! Seeing the shocked look on not only Tsuna's face but his friends' faces, too, Bel grinned.
"You don't have to worry. From the looks of it, he offed himself. Probably couldn't live with the fact that the girl really did castrate him!" Bel said, snickering. Not that did sound like something that Roksana would do. "We'll find her and get the Moon ring, though. For now, it looks like everyone and their dog is here to witness the birth of the new boss."
Bel took hold of Xanxus' hand, raising it to put the Sky ring on his finger while Mammon clipped the chain now baring six of the seven guardian rings, to his belt. The moment the Sky ring was on him, the rings lit up with a bright light. For a short, sweet moment, Xanxus thought he had the power he had been seeking, before reality came crashing in on him, the Sky ring rejecting Xanxus and causing him to cough up blood as more blood spilled from his nose.
"The ring has...rejected Xanxus' blood." Tsuna remarked as Bel and Mammon rushed to Xanxus' side.
"What do you know? What do you mean the rings have rejected his blood?!" Mammon demanded.
Tsuna didn't reply. It wasn't his place to explain it.
"I...certainly...had it coming, didn't I?" Xanxus remarked. "That's right...that old fart and I...have no blood relation whatsoever!"
"Xanxus..."
"Don't you fucking pity me! You scum!" Xanxus snapped.
"I understood, though..." came Squalo's voice over the speaker system. "The betrayal you suffered and your hatred...I understood it all."
"You're still alive...damn shark...You understand, you say. What...do you understand about me...Don't talk as if...you know anything." Xanxus retorted.
"No, I do understand! I know everything!" Squalo insisted.
"Then say it! Just what do you know about me, huh!?" Xanxus demanded. "You can't say it, can you!"
"You were born in the squatters, but you were gifted with the flame since birth. When your mother saw that flame, she became obsessed with the delusion that you were the lovechild of an affair between the Ninth Boss and herself. Your mother didn't care about anything and brought you to meet the Ninth Boss. You believed the Ninth Boss's words without a doubt. You were adopted, and as the Ninth Boss's son, your impudence grew. You used your dignity and your power as the son of the Ninth Boss, as the successor, and grew to adulthood without anybody daring to challenge you. But the time came when you found out that your mother had no connection at all to the Ninth Boss. That you were taken in as the adopted son of the Ninth Boss, and that you did not possess any blood relation to the Vongola. And worst of all, there was a law which stipulated that without the blood of Vongola, you would never be accepted as the successor!" Squalo said.
Tsuna could see what Xanxus' anger had blown up. The man had seen that fact that Timoteo had kept the secret from him, as an act of betrayal.
"That was when I first met you. I realized it at once, and I decided to follow that fury of yours. Half a year later..."
"That led to the Cradle Affair." Reborn said when Squalo trailed off.
"That's all I know. I dug it up after the Cradle Affair though." Squalo said.
Xanxus claimed the whole thing as crap, his anger still burning fiercely.
"You betrayed the Ninth boss...yet he didn't kill you." Tsuna said, pushing himself to his feet. "Even till the end, hadn't he always treated you with acceptance? The Ninth Boss didn't care about bloodlines or the law. He believed in you more than anyone else. The Ninth Boss had always treated you as his own son-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Xanxus snapped, cutting Tsuna off. "Don't make me sick with that unconditional love crap! What use is that shit!? The only thing I wanted was the seat of the boss! I only wanted those scumbags to worship me! I only wanted them to praise me!"
Another round of coughing cut Xanxus off, the Sky ring falling from his finger. One of the Cervello approached then.
"Master Xanxus! We will need to deliberate further on whether or not you are suitable for the rings." she said.
"Sh-shut up! If I can't have them, nobody can! Kill them! Kill them all!" Xanxus ordered.
Bel and Mammon were more than happy to jump on those orders, but Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Chrome stepped up to the challenge, ready to fight. Even Hibari made an appearance at that moment.
"You're all half-dead already, aren't you? That one too." Bel said, gesturing to Hibari with the last part. "Hehehe. This time, we'll do it one thousand percent right. You're all going to die."
"Are you blind or something? You're two against five! Who do you think the odds are against?" Gokudera asked.
"Two against five? What are you talking about? You are facing an army tens of times greater than this. All fifty members of our inborn Varia squad will be joining us here very soon." Mammon told them.
"What did he say!?" Ryohei demanded.
"They were already on their way because after our Boss' victory, they were supposed to kill the rest of the people here and settle everything. These are our elite, next in battle ability only to us core members." Mammon added.
"Wait...wait a minute! We cannot allow any outsiders to interfere in the middle of the battle-"
The Cervello speaking was cut off when Bel slashed her across the stomach.
"You think we care?" Bel demanded.
With the new threat, Reborn and Colonello demanded to be released from the observation box. The Cervello were going to comply, only to find that the Varia had sabotaged the lasers so that the Cervello no longer controlled them, trapping those inside where they were.
"Fuck! You mean we're on our own?!" Gokudera demanded.
Chrome pressed a hand to her head then, as if someone was talking directly into her head.
"Someone is...coming?" she asked.
It was then that three members of Varia's core members showed up.
"Nice timing. We've been waiting for you guys." Bel said.
"Reporting, sir! We're the only ones left. The Varia squad has been wiped out!" the center guy. "Those two are too strong! The man's like a demon, while the girl is straight from the pits of hell! They'll be here so-"
"I found you."
The three turned, horrified expressions on their faces as a figure rose over head on the roof before launching itself at them. All three went down under the power swing of a staff. Silver blonde hair fluttered about as none other than Roksana, landed on the back of the middle man, planting boot heels between his shoulders and on his head.
"Roksana!" her friends cheered upon seeing her.
The girl was a little worse for wear, blood seeping through her bandages while new, horribly vivid bruises ringed her neck in the shape of fingers. She had even managed to bust her lip. Heaving her sansetsukon up on her shoulder, Roksana flicked a pigtail back over her shoulder, managing, as Ryohei put it, to look completely badass.
"I told you three you shouldn't have ran. Once I've set my sights on you, no matter where you run, you cannot hide from me." Roksana told the three under her feet before turning to look behind her. "I found the last three!"
Wondering who she was talking to, Tsuna and his friends were surprised by who jumped down to join Roksana, revealing himself to be her partner in hunting down and taking out the Varia members before they could reach Tsuna and the others.
"Don't be mistaken, Vongola. I didn't come here to help you. I came here to say thank you." he told Tsuna.
"Lan-Lancia!" Tsuna gasped.
"I ran into as I was rounding the edge of the school grounds, heading this way. He told me about Varia members closing in on the school grounds. I figured the rest of you could handle things here, so I joined him in wiping the pavement with Varia faces." Roksana told her friends. "But seriously...these guys were complete wimps. I swear...you hit a guy in the nuts once and he turns into the world's biggest baby."
Roksana shrugged like she couldn't see how that could be the case.
Bel and Mammon tried to continue the fight, but without the back-up, they were easily overwhelmed and both gave up quickly.
"You're all useless scumbags." Xanxus told them. "Shit! Damn you all! All of you! I curse you all to death!"
The Cervello approached him then, one of them falling to her knees at his head to look down at him.
"Master Xanxus. Since you have been disqualified, you must forfeit the Vongola rings." she told him.
"Cervello...It's...gone according to your wishes. You were...right...Are you...happy now?" Xanxus asked.
"You say words like that, but, we do not have wishes nor do we predict anything." the Cervello woman replied, reaching out to lightly cup the side of his face. "Everything was already decided. Your role in this is over."
"You cunning fox." Xanxus growled.
"Thank you for doing your part. With this, the ring contest battle has ended. We will now announce the overall result. Since Master Xanxus has been disqualified, the winner of the Sky battle is Master Sawada Tsunayoshi. Therefore, the next successor to the Vongola is Master Sawada Tsunayoshi and his seven guardians." the Cervello announced.
Xanxus looked up as a shadow fell over him. His eyes landed on Roksana's beat up face as she crouched at his side, her eyes going to his face before she heaved a sigh. She dug in her pocket, pulling out a handkerchief. Reaching out, she began to wipe blood from his face with a surprisingly gentle touch.
"Honestly, letting your anger get the best of you. Dre would love to get a hold of you." she remarked.
"What the fuck do you know?" Xanxus retorted, the man flinching as she pinched his nose. "What the he-!"
"Believe it or not, I do understand anger. Reborn calls me Star of Wrath for a reason. I might not have experience with the reason behind your anger, but I do what I'm talking about when I say that the anger isn't all it's cracked up to be. Even if you had succeed here today, even if you had managed to do whatever it is you wanted to do to quell that anger...what would have been left, huh?" Roksana asked, cutting Xanxus off, pulling back the handkerchief so he could see her face. "Anger burns hot, and, yes, it can be a good fuel for a fight, but once it's gone, there's nothing left to fill that hole. It just leave you feeling worse than you did before. You'd really be better off finding something else to focus on than just your anger. Take it from someone who knows...that anger...it's not worth it. It'll just give you wrinkles far before you're old."
Xanxus stared at her, confused by her actions as she pushed herself to her feet, groaning as her body pained her.
"Thanks to you and yours, I already feel old and I'm only fifteen. Oh, one more thing," Roksana said, looking down at Xanxus. "You might want to find better people to staff your squad. I've met backwoods, American hillbillies who were better at attempting to kill me than they were."
With that, Roksana turned and walked away, her body aching more and more with every step. Tsuna was already out cold as she walked past her friends and made her way to Hibari. Hibari raised an eyebrow as she neared him.
"I know you're unsteady on your feet, right now, but...I can't stay up anymore." Roksana told him.
Hibari's eyes widened in surprise, the boy dipping to catch her as Roksana passed out cold, falling forward. As she slumped against him, Dino, concerned, came running to their sides.
"Is she alright!?" Gokudera called over as Dino checked on Roksana.
"As far as I can tell, she's just exhausted." Dino replied before smiling at Hibari. "She went straight to you to trust with her unconscious body. So adorable!"
Hibari's reply was a smack Dino's face. Despite his own injuries and being tired himself, Hibari swept Roksana up into his arms to carry her away. Dino rushed after him, insisting that both Hibari and Roksana go to the hospital. Hibari ignored him, his eyes scanning Roksana, lingering on the bruising around her neck where Luca had tried to strangle her. Anger welled up in Hibari's chest.
Had Luca not decided to take things into his own hands, Hibari would have killed him, himself.
Either way, Hibari knew one thing...
He wasn't letting Roksana out of his sight for a while.
END
Kyandi: I know he's an ass and all, but...there are times when I just want to pet Xanxus' hair or face.
Roksana: And then there are times when we both just want to smack the mother loving God out of him.
Kyandi: Amen. I honestly think that man needs a woman to just relentlessly tease and bring him to his knees.
Roksana: Uh...
Kyandi: Hush. No spoilers.
Roksana: My lips are sealed.
Kyandi: Anyway, it's late, I'm tired, so I'm off to bed.
Roksana: Ditto.
Kyandi: So, everyone, enjoy and review.
Roksana: We'll try to be back in the next day or two. Maybe sooner if she gets more reviews.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!