Chapter Thirty-Five: An Acceptable Loss; Lambo Saved

~Third Person POV~

As Levi's weapon came down on Lambo the lightning rods suddenly began collapsing inwards, causing Levi to pause in his attack.

"W-What?" he questioned as he leapt out of the way. The metal spires fell in such a way that Lambo was left unharmed. Arashi had paused, mere feet away from stepping onto the battlefield, and looked at the wreckage before him. He couldn't figure out what had happened, but he wasn't the only one that was confused by this turn of events. That is until an even voice filled with power was suddenly heard.

"If I were to lose a dear friend right in front of my eyes," flames danced on Tsuna's, for it was Tsuna who'd spoken, head and hands, "I'd never be able to die in peace!"

No one save for Reborn, Yuzuki and likely the members of the CEDEF were unfazed; Yuzuki was slightly surprised by the turn events had taken but she could remember seeing Tsuna like this once before when he'd faced Mukuro. If Tsuna's friends were shocked the Varia were easily more so – they had no information about this state that Tsuna was in.

"What's that flame?" Yamamoto asked taking in his friend's current state.

"W-Who is it?" Ryohei asked.

"Could it be? Tsuna?" Yamamoto questioned.

"There's no mistake. That's the Tenth!" Gokudera answered the dark haired boy.

Yuzuki nodded, "Of course it is, there's no way it could be anyone else."

"Yeah! That's Tsuna!" Yamamoto agreed with a grin.

"Sawada is the only one who could have pulled that off!" Ryohei affirmed the observations of the others.

"He saved Lambo," Arashi let out a sigh of relief, "Tsuna really is amazing."

"I see," Mammon commented, "The middle of the Elettrico Circuit is made out of metal and can conduct heat. That heat made its way to the narrow part of the lightning rods and melted them. They could no longer support their own weight and fell."

From his position next to the child Bel spoke up, "But you didn't tell us, Squalo, that there was a guy who could emit such a huge flame," the prince then turned to Ben, "But maybe the peasant can explain why he didn't say anything either."

"Jenna and I were just in their class, we didn't follow them everywhere," Ben huffed, "We were trying not to be suspicious – something a psycho prince like you wouldn't understand."

As a small verbal argument broke out between the two teens as Squalo gazed down at Tsuna. There was no hiding the shock in his eyes as he gazed at the boy. He'd not seen anything like this when they'd clashed before; he'd known the boy was capable of wielding Sky Flames but they'd been wild and uncontrollable during the fight in the Shopping District – moreover the presence the boy exuded was different as well.

"No matter how important you tell me it is…" Tsuna pulled Squalo from his thoughts, "Vongola. To be the next in line for Boss… I can't fight for things like that," his words made everyone start in surprise, "But, my friends… I don't want my friends to be hurt!" those words pulled smiles onto his friends' faces, and Reborn smirked at the true feelings Tsuna had expressed.

The happy moment was abruptly shattered by a voice, "Shut up!" as those words echoed around the rooftop Tsuna was sent flying.

"Tsuna/Jyuudaime!" Yamamoto and Gokudera called out to their friend at the same time. Tsuna winced and slowly pushed himself up looking to a point above where the Varia stood. Through the steam a silhouette could be seen, and as it dissipated the leader of the Varia, Xanxus, was revealed. Tsuna pushed himself to his feet and managed to glare at the man staring down at him.

"What are those eyes?" Xanxus questioned the brunette, "You don't think you can actually defeat me and become the successor, do you?"

With no hesitation Tsuna answered the man, "I don't think that! I don't want to lose even one friend in this fight!"

"I see. You…" a strange look passed over Xanxus's face as he spoke. He lifted his hand and an orange glow surrounded it; looking at it Yuzuki thought it seemed similar to Tsuna's flames but with a raw, uncontainable power.

"Xanxus-sama, you cannot!" one of the Cervello shouted as she leapt up to where the man stood, "If you raise your hand now, the Ring Conflict will be pointless! Please hold back!"

With irritation clear in his voice Xanxus lifted his hand a sent a blast directly at the woman, "Shut up!" the woman flew backwards, hitting the rooftop hard; she didn't get up, "I haven't snapped. In fact, I'm amused," he said a low laugh leaving him as he smirked. Tsuna stared wide-eyed at the Varia Boss with shock.

"This is rare," Belphegor commented somewhat offhandedly as he looked up at his Boss.

"How long has it been since we've seen the Boss smile?" Mammon asked getting a reply from Levi.

"It's been eight years," Lambo's opponent said.

From his place above his subordinates Xanxus continued as though they hadn't spoken, "I finally understand why the old man chose you, even if it was only briefly. That rotten little speech… That weak flame… You and that old fool would get along," Tsuna let out a small noise of surprise pulling a laugh from the man talking down to him, literally, "This is going to be the birth of a tragedy. No, a comedy!" Tsuna just looked at the man with confusion as Xanxus continued speaking, "Hey, woman, continue."

The remaining Cervello inclined her head, "Yes, sir," she turned back towards the battlefield, "I will now announce the results of the match. The victor is Levi A Than due to a disqualification caused by Sawada's interference. The Thunder Ring, as well as the Sky Ring, will become Varia's."

Once she finished speaking Tsuna started, and pulled his ring from under his jacket. Everyone knew it would happen if someone interfered but it didn't stop the irritated looks from appearing on their faces.

"Not only the stupid cow's, but the Tenth's ring too…" Gokudera grumbled.

Basil stepped forward angrily shouting, "That is not right! He should not be disqualified! Sawada-dono never entered the field!" Iemitsu placed a hand on his apprentice's shoulder, "Master!"

The Cervello woman walked over to Tsuna and took the ring into her hand, "Damage to the field will be considered as interference with the match," she said, "It is inevitable that it leads to disqualification."

"T-That's…" Tsuna started to say, but was cut off by the pink haired woman.

"We decide the rules," with that she tugged on the ring and broke the chain that secured it around Tsuna's neck. The brunet gasped as the object was taken from him.

"That's dirty!" Gokudera growled. But the woman ignored him taking the confiscated ring and leaping up to where Xanxus stood. There she knelt before him, offering the ring.

"Here is the Ring, Xanxus-sama," with her words Xanxus claimed Tsuna's half, and joined it to the bit that he already wore.

"It was inevitable that this would be on my hand," he said with such certainty that Yuzuki almost found herself agreeing with him, "Can you imagine anyone else besides me being the Boss of Vongola?"

'I think I'd even prefer Mukuro over this guy; at least I know what Mukuro wants to do,' Yuzuki thought to herself. As she was thinking this Tsuna's mouth snapped shut, and Iemitsu's eyes narrowed.

Gokudera glared towards Xanxus and spoke through gritted teeth, "D*** it!"

"The other rings don't matter. I can dispose of you whenever I wish in the name of Vongola with this ring," there was no sympathy in Xanxus's voice – he was utterly serious with his threat of a promise.

"That's…" Tsuna's eyes widened as he looked at the man who lead the group that was fighting against his friends.

"But it would be far too boring to simply kill you after that old fool chose you even once," Xanxus spoke eyes locked on Tsuna; his eyes closed as he continued, "I'll kill you after I make you taste true despair during the Ring Conflict, like I did to that old fool," when he finished speaking he looked up taking in the reaction his words had pulled from Iemitsu and Reborn – even Tsuna wasn't immune to his revelation.

"Xanxus! What did you do to the Ninth?!" Iemitsu shouted at the Varia's Boss.

Xanxus merely laughed again before answering, "It's your job to find that out, external advisor," the others of the Varia chuckled at the helpless rage Iemitsu displayed.

"You b******, did you…" Tsuna's father began, but was stopped from going any farther as Reborn spoke up.

"Calm down, Iemitsu. You don't have any proof," the child hitman said, though he wasn't really one to talk as Leon had transformed into a gun that he held leveled at the Varia.

"You should put your gun away, too," Iemitsu commented keeping his attention on Xanxus.

"Rejoice, you frauds. I'm giving you a chance," gasps came from Tsuna's side of the field as the scarred man continued, "I'll allow the remaining matches to be conducted. If you do manage to win, I'll give you the Vongola Rings and the position as Boss," Tsuna's look of surprise was mirrored by his father, "But if you lose, everything that is precious to you will disappear," there was a dangerous glint in Xanxus's red eyes as he finished.

Tsuna gazed up at the man with a worried look in his eyes, "E-Everything that's precious to me?"

The look Xanxus sent Tsuna was nothing short of intense, "Show me power with which that old man was so obsessed. Woman, go on."

"Yes, sir," the Cervello replied turning to address those that hadn't fought, "I will now announce the combatants for tomorrow's match. Tomorrow will be the duel between the Guardians of Storm."

Gokudera grit his teeth as Bel merely laughed. From his place between Ryohei and Yamamoto Gokudera stood rigid.

"So Gokudera's next," Yamamoto said looking over at the bomber.

"You'll do all right," Ryohei said encouragingly to the silverette, "We're counting on you!"

"Y-Yeah!" the stutter that left Gokudera's mouth didn't go unnoticed by Yuzuki or her twin. He seemed nervous, uneasy even about having to fight his match the following night.

"So it'll be Bel," Xanxus said offhandedly, "Not bad…"

"What a shame, and here I was hoping that we could pretend to be normal assassins for a little while longer," Ben said dramatically with a pointed look directed at Bel, "But now the mad prince is going to ruin it all."

"Ushishishi~ does the peon want to see what happens when the prince is really mad?" Bel shot back with a wide grin.

"Oh, are you acknowledging your insanity, Your Unstableness?" Ben asked cheekily. Without a move wasted Bel had a knife placed against Ben's throat, but the brunet twin had made his own move – his hand grasped the collar of the blond.

"Hm… still a draw peasant," Belphegor seemed disappointed as he lowered his blade.

"It appears so psycho prince," Ben released Bel's shirt from his grasp. Jenna sighed at her brother's interaction with the prince. The two honestly couldn't go a day without trying to kill each other – even on their missions together they'd start something. Rolling her eyes she took a final glance at the group her Family was up against. No one seemed to have noticed Ben's little spat with Bel; something that the younger of the Black twins was grateful for. Then without wasting anymore time she and the others with her leapt away from the top of the school.

~Yuzuki's POV~

The Varia had vanished, the only evidence they'd even been here was the destroyed battlefield and the two missing rings. Even though the loss of the rings was a huge blow Lambo had been saved. Moreover, there were still several battles to be fought, starting with Gokudera's tomorrow night; meaning we could still come out on top. I was brought out of my thoughts by Reborn's voice.

"Iemitsu, you need to go to Italy," the hitman addressed Tsuna's father, "I'm concerned about the Ninth."

Reborn's words reminded me of what Xanxus had said – he'd implied that he'd done something to the Ninth, his own father. From the way he spoke whatever he'd done was very bad, and Xanxus had done it with no remorse.

"Thank you, Reborn. I'm leaving Tsuna and the rest in your care," Tsuna's father said. Clearly he was also very worried about the Ninth – meaning he must respect the man a good deal. While I didn't care for Xanxus, I didn't know what to feel for the current Vongola Boss. After all it was his fault that Tsuna had been pulled into this situation in the first place, but could I really hate a man I'd never met; if I could learn his reasons maybe I'd be able to understand why he'd brought my friend into this – didn't mean I'd like it of course.

"Leave it to me," Reborn had a smile on his face as he spoke to Tsuna's father, "I know more about them than you," Tsuna's father nodded.

Tsuna caught my attention by rushing to the center of the demolished battlefield, "Lambo!"

"Stupid cow!" Gokudera shouted as he joined the rest of us in following Tsuna.

"Are you okay?!" Yamamoto questioned looking down at the boy.

"Hang in there!" Ryohei added his voice to the mix. I myself could barely stand to look at the boy; he hadn't sustained too bad of wounds thanks to his physiology, but I felt as though I'd failed him. I'd talked about doing whatever it took to keep him from getting hurt, but I'd done nothing. Next to me Arashi shook, hands fisted at his side. He had tried, but he wouldn't have been able to reach Lambo in time. It was only thanks to Reborn and Tsuna that the five year old was still breathing. Tsuna carefully gathered Lambo into his arms, and we all headed down the stairs with the intention to get Lambo to the hospital.

~Across the Street; ?'s POV~

I watched as the brunet and his friends crowded around the child. It was a sight I'd seen before; one that I'd come to associate with Sawada Tsunayoshi despite only having met him once.

"Weak as usual, Sawada Tsunayoshi…" the words escaped my lips as the group left the school's roof. Then once they vanished from my sight I turned to my two companions and the three of us left the area.

~After Dropping Lambo at the Hospital; Yuzuki's POV~

The walk home from the hospital was a somber affair. Arashi and I had decided to walk with Tsuna and the others before heading home, even if it meant we'd have to take a detour.

"So Lambo was still unconscious," Ryohei's voice was quieter than I'd ever heard since meeting him. We'd stayed at the hospital for as long as we could after leaving Lambo under the medical team's care; Tsuna and Reborn had been the only two allowed back with the boy. Lambo hadn't regained consciousness before we left bringing all of us down – more than we already were.

"What do we do?" Tsuna asked, though it seemed he was speaking more to himself than the rest of us, "With my ring gone, we're at a disadvantage."

Gokudera continued on down that train of thought, "One win, two losses. If we lose again, that's it."

"It'll take more than a single loss, but I know what you mean," my brother said quietly.

"And Xanxus seems like he's plotting something," Reborn commented.

"Was it right for me to charge into that match?" Tsuna asked.

"Tsuna/Jyuudaime," Yamamoto and Gokudera spoke at the same time; worry for our friend clear to hear in their voices.

"Don't talk like that Tsuna," I said pulling everyone's attention to me, "If you hadn't done something Arashi would have. I… should have. I wanted to rush in regardless of what that would mean in regards to my ring. You kept Lambo from dying – he's hurt now sure, but because you acted he has the chance to recover."

"Yuzuki is right," Reborn spoke up surprising Tsuna, "Vongola doesn't need a boss who would abandon his subordinates."

"Yuzuki, Reborn…" Tsuna trailed off before a determined look entered his caramel eyes, "Reborn, I want to become stronger!" I started in surprise; Tsuna had never asked Reborn to train him – asked for help in bad situations yes, but never to be trained.

Reborn smirked as he pushed his fedora up, "The third phase of training is going to be even tougher," Tsuna merely nodded in response. Yamamoto and Ryohei sent the brunet encouraging looks, while Gokudera seemed troubled.

~Later; Third Person POV~

After he had separated from Tsuna and the others Gokudera had begun making his way home. Thoughts of what tomorrow's battle would bring swirled through his head. His new technique wasn't ready yet, and now he had no time to waste. With no warning the silverette suddenly kicked a discarded can into the air.

"D*** it! What am I dawdling for?!" Gokudera growled out his frustration turning inward as he continued on his way, 'While the Tenth's in such a plight… When I need to reverse the bad momentum…' his thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of someone in front of him, "A drunk?!" the silverette paused and stiffened.

"Who's a drunk?" a familiar voice asked before greeting Gokudera.

"Shamal!" the bomber called out the man's name. He was as well dressed as ever despite the time.

Shamal took in his student as he spoke, "I heard that tomorrow is your turn to fight."

While the doctor's tone revealed nothing of his feelings Gokudera was immediately on the defensive, "Did you come here to make fun of me?!"

"Idiot," Shamal drawled out, "I don't intend to waste the precious time I've already put into you. We're going to wrap it up."

His words had Gokudera surprised, but only slightly. The silverette started to think that maybe he might have a chance after all.

~The Next Day; Ben's POV~

I was bored, completely and utterly, as I walked through the streets of Namimori. The others had refused to let me anywhere near Belphegor since his battle was tonight; really it was smart of them as I'd likely have started something, but it still wasn't fair. So now I was just aimlessly wandering through the town trying to find something to do.

"So bored…" I couldn't help the whine that left my lips, "Isn't there anything fun to do here?"

Even as the words left my mouth a thought entered my head. A grin split my face as I turned in the direction of the school that had become the stage for all the battles of this conflict. While I had attended class there for a brief while I hadn't really cared enough to get a layout of the place; since I'd have to fight there sooner or later I figured learning about the place a bit more would be beneficial. As I drew closer to my location I could feel my boredom slipping away.

When I reached the Middle School I wandered the grounds for a while taking in the facilities and sport's fields. Nothing really clued me in on where my fight would take place – even so, I took everything in leaving no detail out. After that I turned towards the main building; after all, if the roof had been used as a battlefield what's to say the interior wouldn't be. Once inside I surveyed everything, starting on the first floor before making my way up to the second*. As I was passing by a door I heard muffled voices.

"Hey, do you know what the most important thing is when flirting?" a male's voice asked. Something about the voice struck me as familiar, and not in a good way. The way he talked of flirting made me want to punch him, though the question seemed harmless enough.

A younger male voice answered, "T-That'd be… eroticism," he sounded kind of embarrassed with his answer. I had to stifle a laugh. The younger's voice was also familiar, though unlike the other it only took a moment for me to identify the reason. The male that had answered the question was Bel's opponent tonight – Gokudera Hayato. Now that I knew who at least one of them was I couldn't help but stick around to hear the rest of their conversation.

"You really are a middle-schooler," the older male said seemingly disappointed in the silverette's answer before he continued, "I guess there's no helping you. Up here, up here," I slowly inched closer to the door and pressed my ear to it, "Guys who aren't popular make excuses, but in the end they just lack brains. There's not a woman on the planet you can't get if you use your brain and set a trap."

Again the urge to hit the elder male in the room surfaced. My brain was slowly making a connection between a person and the voice. Something about the way he spoke, and his words just then really helped piece together the puzzle. However, I seemed to be missing something to help create the picture so I continued to listen.

A dull 'thud' preceded Gokudera's irritated words, "Now, it's about time you taught me something without going on in a roundabout way!"

"Even if I knew the answer, I wouldn't tell you," the other returned in an even voice.

"Why not?!" the silverette practically shouted at the other.

"In your world, only those who find their own way to survive can do so," the man's voice was serious as he answered the teen, "Among my friends, the good-natured ones have all died. The ones who survived are all jacka**** with something up their sleeves. Wring it out and use your brain," an almost inaudible buzzing sound pushed through the door as the man continued, "I wasn't flying paper airplanes for days for no reason. And more importantly, if you stay weak, it reflects badly on me."

Gokudera let out a choked noise, "So it was all for your own sake!" even as Gokudera basically shouted at the man I was finally able to recognize the other's voice. Once I did I knew exactly why I'd wanted to punch the man – what brother wouldn't if someone made a pass at their sister, especially when that person was much older than her.

"Listen up," Shamal's voice pulled me from my murderous thoughts, "As long as you can't use that technique, I won't let you go to the match."

"Stop fooling around! What's with that?!" Gokudera growled. He didn't seem to think the doctor was serious, but there was no doubt in my mind that he would stop the teen from coming to his own battle. I wondered if this new technique could actually pose a problem for Bel. However, as much as I didn't want to admit it, it was likely this battle would go in the prince's favor. Perhaps it'd be merciful if Shamal caused his student to lose by default.

'That would be so boring though,' I whined mentally, 'I've been bored the entire morning; I don't want to be bored through the night too. But if Bel wins easily that'll be boring too. Even so, I can't help the enemy, or… can I?' I felt a grin push its way onto my face. I couldn't directly help the teen behind the door, but giving cryptic hints through a normal conversation wouldn't really be helping.

"If you go now, you'll die for no reason. Your opponent, Belphegor, is the smartest of the Varia," I growled under breath at Shamal's words because there wasn't a way to refute them.

"But…" Gokudera tried to speak, but was stopped by the hitman, "I'll say it again. As long as you can't use that technique, I won't let you go to the match."

After hearing those words I decided to make my entrance. I opened the door with a smile.

"Excuse the intrusion," I said mentally laughing at the expression on the others' faces, "But I was wondering if I could have a brief word?"

Both were instantly on guard, Gokudera had even pulled out a few sticks of dynamite glaring at me the whole time, "What are you doing here?"

"I believe I just said I'd like to talk," I answered the silverette, "I'm not even armed, and I'd like to think I have some honor. If I wanted to sabotage you, I'd have already done it. Besides, in case it escaped your notice I'm not the biggest fan of the basket-case that is your opponent."

"You say you want to talk, but that's merely an excuse isn't it?" Shamal questioned me eyes serious, "You're after something, aren't you?"

"Me? After something? Never," I said as though affronted before allowing the laughter bubbling up inside me to escape, "Okay, so it's not out of the goodness of my heart. I'm bored, so I'd like this battle to happen, but I'm not about to stop you from keeping him here – I know better than to fight you Shamal; though if you go near my sister again all bets are off," I saw a spark of fear in the doctor's brown eyes briefly before it disappeared, "But if he manages to make it to his appointment… well, as much as I hate to admit it, Bel is very skilled – the battle likely won't last very long."

"Are you implying I'm weak?!" Gokudera shouted at me.

I kept my expression neutral as I answered the silverette, stressing certain words, "I didn't mean to injure your pride. It won't distract you tonight will it? We wouldn't want you to bleed because you couldn't focus would we?"

Gokudera growled wordlessly at me, and probably would have attacked me if Shamal hadn't intervened, "Stop, if you attack him now there could be repercussions; you might have to forfeit your ring."

"I wouldn't tell anyone," I said offhandedly, "But that's not to say that woman wouldn't do something like that. Anyways, that's all I wanted to say," I turned to leave but glanced back over my shoulder with a close eyed smile, "Oh, but if you do win I'd be willing to treat you to lunch or something; that's how much I despise that guy. Heck, you even just survive and I'll owe you a favor."

With those parting words I left the room and headed downstairs. As I left the school and headed back into town I could feel the excitement for tonight's battle grow.

~That Night; Arashi's POV~

Yuzuki and I had just finished training for the day, and after a quick meal we made our way to the school. We arrived to find Yamamoto and Ryohei already there. Tsuna, Reborn, Basil and tonight's fighter, Gokudera had yet to arrive. Not long after realizing that, footsteps sounded from where Yuzuki and I had just been. I turned along with my twin to seen the former three walking up to us.

"Yo!" Yamamoto called out a greeting to the new arrivals.

"You came!" Ryohei added, though did we really have a choice to show up or not. Even if we could refuse to come I knew Yuzuki and I wouldn't take the opportunity; we'd be too worried about the match's outcome to do anything.

"Where's Gokudera-kun?" Tsuna asked, noting the bomber's absence.

"He hasn't come yet," Ryohei answered the brunet.

"I thought he'd be coming with you," Yamamoto admitted.

A worried look flitted over Tsuna's face, "I wonder what happened."

"He may have been stopped by Shamal," Reborn commented, "Knowing Shamal, he wouldn't send his student into a battle when there's no chance of winning."

"Then…" Tsuna trailed off allowing Reborn to speak again, "His new technique must not be ready."

"That's no good!" Tsuna said with a distressed tone to his voice. Yuzuki place a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Well, we don't know if that's what happened," I said, "Maybe he got here ahead of us and is waiting at the site of the battle," though that wouldn't be like Gokudera, not when he'd waited for Tsuna to show up in the past, "Or he could be running a little late."

Yuzuki picked up on my train of thought and continued, "Arashi's right. Maybe he perfected his technique, but wanted to get in some practice with it. We can't just write him off yet."

"You're right," Tsuna said with a nod to both of us. Before another conversation could be had we were led inside the school to the third floor. There our foes were already waiting for us.

"We're indoors today?" Yamamoto questioned. It was an odd choice of a battlefield, but I figured after that last two nights that there was a reason for this particular stage.

"But Gokudera-dono is…" Basil spoke a worried look on his face. I knew it hadn't been likely that Gokudera had come to his arena before us, but now I was getting worried. If he didn't show up soon things would likely get very bad.

"What is that octopus-head doing?" Ryohei asked; he didn't seem to expect any answer.

Yamamoto's voice had such certainty in it that I found myself agreeing with him, "He'll definitely come."

Tsuna didn't say anything; he merely took in the opposing side. I couldn't tell what the Varia was feeling as they gazed back at us.

"It seems like his opponent hasn't come," the infant on our foes' side observed.

"Did he wuss out?!" Squalo's question was a shout, though that seemed normal for him. I couldn't help but glare at the long-haired man; Gokudera wasn't the type to run when things got tough – quite the opposite actually.

"What's the point in running? When they lose the Ring Conflict, they're all going to die anyway," the blond that was to be Gokudera's opponent said evenly. The two Cervello glanced at each other – hadn't one been badly injured – before one of them spoke.

"When that clock strikes eleven, Gokudera Hayato will be disqualified, and Belphegor will win by default," she said.

"Not good," Ryohei commented. His words rang true as it was only a few seconds, minutes at most, until the fated hour came.

"So boring," Ben whined, "I was looking forward to tonight."

A grin tugged Belphegor's mouth upwards, "Was the peasant hoping to see the prince win?"

"You're delusional, Your Highness," Ben shot back, "but I knew that so I'll let it slide. The fact of the matter is I just don't want to be bored the rest of today; this morning was bad enough, but if you win be default the night will just drag on."

"Ben… you could actually sleep for once," Jenna said sending an unimpressed look at her twin, "That's what the night is for after all. Or if you're so desperate for action, you could always spar with someone. I'm sure Bel would be happy to fight you."

"Ushishishi~ the prince would be more than happy to knock the peon back down where he belongs," the blond said, his grin taking on a predatory look.

Ben hummed, "Careful, your insanity is showing psycho prince. After all if you could do that I wouldn't be standing here right now."

The tension between the two mounted, even as the clock continued to countdown. Everyone – minus the two teenage boys on the Varia's side – had the clock set in their sights. The seconds ticked by making me more nervous, and worried by the moment. The reasons Gokudera wasn't here weren't numerous; he'd either been stopped from coming by Shamal or something had happened to him. Yuzuki's hand found mine as her eyes stayed locked on the clock.

'Please Gokudera… for the sake of our friends, show up. You're not the kind of person who runs, so don't start now,' I sent my silent thoughts to the silverette, hoping that they'd somehow reach him as the time continued to trickle on.


*I've seen a lot of anime that involves school in some way, plus I seem to remember reading about Japanese schools somewhere. The information I have says that there are three years in both Middle and High school. Also – due to playing Persona 5 and from an article I read somewhere – most Japanese Middle and High schools seem to have three floors, with student from a certain year on each floor; in Persona 5 first years are on the third floor, so I'll use that as my basis for the Namimori Middle. If I have any of this wrong feel free to correct me.

Me: Alright so… Chapter Thirty-Five is finished. I think it's rather interesting. So, whatcha all think of Ben's little chat with Gokudera and Shamal? He's a little sneak, isn't he? Ben's the kind of person you should keep an eye on when he gets bored – he's willing to do most anything to alleviate his boredom.

Yuzuki: I'll have to keep that in mind when dealing with him. I really don't want to know how far he'd go to liven things up.

Me: That's a good call. And before you ask: no Ben didn't tell any of his allies about his talk with the enemy – he also didn't betray Bel. He might despise the prince, but directly betraying him would be suicide; and while Ben might have a death wish, or the tendency towards actions that could lead to death, he knows what lines he can and can't cross with his allies.

Arashi: Bet he learned that awful fast being a part of the Varia and all.

Me: Yep. Anyways… I think that's all I need and want to say, though if you're interested in either of the contests I've talked about both are still ongoing so feel free to enter them. Oh, and the poll I've mentioned is still up as well.

Yuzuki: So if you all could spare some time to go and vote Cloud would greatly appreciate it.

Me: *nods* I really would. That said… hm… is there anyone who wants to say the disclaimer? Anyone… anyone at all? No? Then I'll take care of it again. I, CloudSkylark18, do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn – it is a product of Akira Amano. I do, however, own my OCs and the plot when it involves them.

Arashi: And with that we hope you enjoyed Chapter Thirty-Five, and we'll see you all for the next chapter.

Me: Until then, I bid you all a very fond farewell.

Yuzuki: *deadpan* You had to end with a song lyric/quote from Lord of the Rings.

Me: This is the first time I've done something like this so lay off, alright. Anyways see you all next time.

Yuzuki: Bye!