Alex:I'M BACK! Welcome back my lovelies to the much anticipated chapter to Butterfly Effect. So sorry this took long to get it, a month prior I lost power for 6 days(That was so much fun) and after that just life stuff happened. Been busy with work and other things and I realized I needed a break from Mari but I am back now and ready to write once more for her story!

Enjoy the new chapter!

XxxXxx

Chapter 12:This Means War

Something was wrong.

Something soft pressed against Tsuna's mind nudging insistently. Each press of the unknown force caused a shiver to trail down his spine. It was like someone was trailing glacial fingers down his skin. Grim and foreboding he felt the tiny imprint of hands pressing along the forefront of his mind. This encroaching awareness crawled slowly throughout his body, encasing him in a state of alert. From the moment he awoke he felt apprehensive. Of course daily life always brought this on but today felt different. Darker even. Like something was on the verge of calamity.

Perhaps he was just being paranoid? Probably forgot to study for a test.

A quick glance at his calendar debunked that notion.

Reborn then.

The baby hitman had been ruthless in his training as of late. Then again he was always like that Tsuna thinks as he ambles towards the kitchen. For once his unease wasn't coming from the demon invading every possible aspect of his life. Pausing on the staircase landing, a weary sigh escapes him, transfiguring into a deep seated groan. A tidal wave of boisterous yelling reverberated out of the kitchen. It came from one defining source. Why did Lambo have to be so loud so early in the morning? It was bullshit.

With another groan Tsuna slinks into the kitchen.

Taking a seat at the table he mumbles a barely discernible greeting. Tsuna reclines back in his chair picking up his chopsticks as he does so but doesn't quite dig into his meal. He feels bad of course because his mother had made his favorite dish but he couldn't bring himself to eat. The nudging in his mind was steadily growing more insistent as the seconds ticked on.

He barely reacted when Reborn swiped his food from under his nose. Normally he would scream indignantly in protest. This time he merely offered the baby a blank stare that had him frowning. Strumming a steady beat with his chopsticks on the porcelain plate, the soft tinkling could barely be heard over the loud screeching Lambo was making as he fought with I-Pin over stolen food. Food that he of course stole from the latter.

Maybe Mari could help me figure this out or ya know tell me I'm being stupid.

A soft breathy chuckle escapes him at that sudden thought. Already he was envisioning Mari giving him an incredulous 'Are you being dame again?' before reaching out to lightly bonk him on the head. Yes. He'll talk to Mari. Tsuna always enjoyed her company, the two often sharing good conversation and divulging insights whenever one of them had an issue with something. Together they allayed one another's fears.

Yet another reason Reborn was adamant on pushing the two of them to marriage. Tsuna wished he would stop, he didn't want anything to be forced between them. Of course he fantasized about marrying Mariko-which he would deny to anyone who asked- but Tsuna wanted a marriage that was out of love not simply because they meshed well together.

That's neither here nor there at the moment. With his course set Tsuna shoves back out of his chair, the legs scraping harshly against the wood as he stands to leave. It's enough to catch everyone's attention. His mother-who had been wiping Lambo's food-stained mouth- watched him closely with concerned eyes. Bianchi briefly glances at him with an unflinching expression-that causes his insides to squirm like a worm on a hook-before turning her attention back to Reborn. The two shared an unusual expression as the love obsessed woman feeds Reborn a helping of rice.

"Have a good day." Reborn comments with a friendly enough smile. Tsuna knew better to trust that affable security.

"Tsu-Kun are you feeling alright?"

His mother's voice is soft, her touch even softer as a warm hand is placed gently against his cheek. Turning his face, Nana continues to appraise her son with the utmost of worry. Her motherly instincts indicated to her that something was wrong with her child. Why he didn't even eat his breakfast and I made his favorite! And to top it off the older woman had heard rumors of students being attacked lately. What a scary world.

A tender hand falls over his mother's as Tsuna smiles reassuringly. "I'm alright Kaasan but I'm heading off early to meet up with Mari."

At the mention of the young girl's name Nana's eyes take on a starry doe eyed expression as her hand falls away from her son's face. Soft brown eyes light up in adoration. From the moment she met Mariko Himuro Nana Sawada had fallen head over heels for her. Tsuna winces at his mother's reaction as he begins to slowly back away. His mother was convinced they were dating. A notion only made worse by Reborn.

"I won't keep you then! Go and have fun and give Mari-Chan my regards!"

Nodding quickly, Tsuna is quick to head out. Once outside he makes a beeline for the school, if he hurried he could catch Mari and just barely make it to class.

By the time he reached his destination he was a breathless mess. His lungs burned as he sucked in as much oxygen as he could get though he noted he wasn't as dead as he probably would have been a year prior. Small blessings.

Once he was at least a smidge presentable, Tsuna slips into the gymnasium treading softly. The vast room is a flurry of movement and echoing noise. From where he stood at the entrance he could see the opposing team in their dark embellished leotards warming up for the event. A strangled squeak escapes him when they turn to offer him lethal gazes of death. Why did rival teams have to be so scary?

Scurrying away from the stern-faced girls he moves to the other side of the gym. He weaves around mingling students and teachers alike as his eyes search for familiar toffee tresses. He spots none which causes his heart to sink like an anchor as he stands rooted on the sidelines. Several girls from the opposing team as well as Namimori were on the floor doing various practices.

Mariko was nowhere to be found.

Odd. Normally Mari is stretching or practicing a dance for the floor segment of the routine.

Reaching up his hand he places it on his forehead as a frown marred his face. This was wrong. The nagging nudges in his head were ramping up even more, collectively forming together as one to jab him aggressively with a sharp needle.

"Oi Dame-Tsuna!" a scratchy nasal filled voice called to his right.

"HIIEEE!" He couldn't help but release a squeak of fear at the sudden appearance of the girl next to him.

"Y-Yes!" he stutters turning to the girl. He recognized her as one of Mari's teammates though he couldn't quite recall her name.

Rolling her eyes the dark haired girl crosses her arms over her chest, her foot makes an unsteady beat of impatience against the floor. "Your friends with Himuro-San so can you tell me where the hell she is?"

"Yeah! She should have been here earlier and she wasn't. Couch is furious." Another girl pipes up from her crouched position on the nearby mat. "This competition declares who's going to nationals so it's important and she's not even here! Though she is hanging out with you so maybe Himuro-San should be called Dame-Himuro as well?"

"I told you guys she was going to bail on us. Ever since she started hanging out with Dame-Tsuna she's been becoming useless herself. Skipping practices was just the beginning and now she's not on time for a competition that starts in ten minutes." Another nearby girl huffs annoyed.

"So where is Himuro-San, Dame-Tsuna? Or are you so useless you don't even know where your friend is?" The barb flung at his face stung but what stung even more was the simple fact these girls were more worried about the competition then Mariko herself. Calling her useless only added more fuel to the steadily growing fire within him. If one wasn't careful a wildfire was sure to run rampant in a blazing glory.

Clenching his fists tightly, Tsuna's eyes narrow into a glare as his face flushes in anger. "If she's missing you guys should be more worried about your teammate then the competition as a whole. I'm not sure where she is but I'll do more than sit idly by and assume the worst of her." He doesn't give the girls ample opportunity to retort as he swiftly turns around away from them.

Exiting the gym quickly Tsuna's fingernails embed into the flesh of his palms leaving tiny indentations of half crescent moons. A rising wave of emotion threatens to topple him over as his heart picks up a speedy pace within his chest. He catches himself quickly as he takes in a much needed breath of air. Releasing it slowly his hands relax at his sides, his fingers flexing, touching the warm air as if playing a silent piano.

Panic wouldn't help him. He had to be clear headed.

So if she wasn't at the gym there's no way she would be in class. I'll go to her house, maybe she was feeling sick and decided not to go.

Setting forward he quickly hurries off the school grounds. Rounding the corner from the open gate entrance to the school, Tsuna slams into something hard. A startled cry bubbles out of him as he gets knocked to the ground, a sharp pain flares up from beneath his backside transfering all the way up to his shoulders. This sucked.

"Ah Tsunayoshi you should pay attention to where you're going." a deep soothing voice explains before a strong hand helps him up from the asphalt. A tall well dressed man stands before him, messy raven colored locks sway lightly in the breeze as familiar green eyes stare at him from behind a pair of glasses.

Tsuna bows quickly. "I didn't mean to run into you, Himuro-San." God how embarrassing. Way to make a fool of himself in front of Mari's father.

Chuckling Hiro Himuro ruffles spiky brown locks. "It's quite alright but I'm glad I ran into you. Do you mind delivering this to Mari?" A colored bag is handed over to Tsuna who takes it quickly. A quick peek inside reveals Mari's leotard and a few other things for her competition. Tsuna hopes he can keep his distress out of his voice.

Smiling he nods his head. "Yes I can!"

Hiro nods his brow furrowing as his face creases into a stern expression. Tsuna flinches from the reaction, unsure of how to proceed. Did he sense something was amiss?

"When you see my daughter, do let her know to call us next time if she's going to spend the night at your house. It's all well and good she does but her mother and I would like to be aware of where she's at."

A breath he wasn't aware he was holding escapes Tsuna's lips as his shoulders slump. Good they didn't know Mari was missing, he didn't wish for them to worry as well. It was best to play off this lie as best he could.

"I'll let her know."

With another ruffle to his locks, Tsuna watches as Mari's father walks away. Only when he fades away into obscurity does deep seated panic set into him. She's not at home either, he thinks as he begins running down the street. His mind is skipping away with all manner of scenarios of what could have happened. Tsuna runs around randomly for several minutes unsure of where to go before he realizes it would be best to retrace Mari's steps.

She lived several blocks down from him so starting at his home he could work his way back.

As he wound his way along the path he kept his eyes open and peeled for anything that looked out of place. Though from what he had witnessed so far it seemed perfectly normal, nothing seemed wrong as everyone went about their normal day. Chewing on his bottom lip in a worrying fashion, Tsuna comes to an intersection. Turning around in a full circle he tries to gather his rampant thoughts.

As he takes a step backwards, Tsuna's foot lands on something that rolls out under his foot. One more he's collapsed onto the ground. Grumbling curses under his breath, he looks to see what tripped him up as he rubs his sore face.

It was a silver rod.

Mari's weapon.

Grabbing it quickly Tsuna notices congealed blood on one of the end of the rod. Mari only ever used it during Reborn's training but clearly something had gone down for her to use it in defense.

"There was a struggle." Reborn's voice is serious as he drops down onto Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna is unsure as to where he came from but knew better than to ask questions by this point. Small onyx eyes are examining the weapon closely before hopping down to the ground. Mari's school bag is soon found hidden underneath a shrub.

"Who would attack her?"

"Vongola has no shortage of enemies," Reborn explains, setting his sight on Tsuna. This would be the real test now. Playtime was over. "I talked with Dino. There's been a prison break from Vindice prison, a man named Mukuro Rokudo has escaped along with several others. It seems he's targeting you as you are the future 10th. Lately there's been a string of attacks on Namimori students but not just any students, it seems they're going down a ranking of the strongest fighters at the school. Each beat up student was found with missing teeth in order of where they ranked on the list."

Tsuna's mind is swimming in various questions, his brain being tethered and pulled tightly in opposite directions to the point it would rip at the seams. Hunting down the strongest fighters at the school? Where did Mari rank on that list? A startling realization slammed into Tsuna as he regarded Reborn with a fearful face.

"Was Mari at the hospital!?" Please say she wasn't hurt!

"No. No one of her description was brought forth for medical treatment."

The relief that swept through him only temporarily calmed him. "She's still missing though."

"To be expected. Mariko is to be your wife, it's only natural for her to be targeted as well." Reborn says nonchalantly.

Mari was in trouble because of him….this was all his fault. Dammit!

Clambering to his feet, Tsuna regards Reborn with a serious expression. The fire within him was trickling forth setting the forest ablaze. It burned fierce and bright as he held the silver rod in a vice. Soft brown eyes were hardened into a glare as for a split second Reborn swore he saw a spark of orange within them.

"We have to find her." Tsuna had to save Mari, he had to ensure she was alright.

A proud smirk curled Reborn's lips. There would be no need to show Tsuna the letter from the 9th, he already had enough drive to see this test to the very end. He was already raring to fight, a most peculiar outcome considering the brunette disliked all fighting in general, often refusing to comply unless Reborn forced his hand. However, when the one you love is in danger anything is possible.

"Gather your family, Tsuna."

It was time for Vongola to go to war.

XxxXxx

Alex:And were done! Woooooo! Things are ramping up! Also for those who don't know in the manga for the ranking system teeth were merely taken out depending on where you were on the tier listing while in the anime a pocket watch was left on the victim. Personally I liked the manga version so went with that, I love the anime I do but honestly the manga has so much better detail then the anime. It's such a shame a lot of it never got animated *Cough Mukuro's earring Cough cough*

I promise next chapter won't be as long of a wait! As always please leave me a review, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Ciao Ciao