After Reborn and my discussion about Italy ended, he was bewildered to find out I extinguished two families already. That definitely wasn't expected. Reborn told me I'll be sleeping in the spare room with Chen. He wanted me to be close by incase of an attack. When I took a break, I called my grandmother.

"Welcome back to Japan, Shiori."

"How did you know I was here?"

"Ah, that's just my intuition." She responded slyly.

"I have an important question."

"If you're wondering, we approve of Xanxus."

"Please stop joking, grandma. This is very important." I said sternly. I had to make her realize I wasn't here to joke around.

"What's wrong?"

"Why does Tamamo relate to me?" She got quiet. It was like she was refusing to respond. "Please, grandma. I need to know."

"Are you prepared to know the truth?"

"I've been waiting for years."

"That doesn't mean you are ready, dear. Not even your father knew."

"I've been called Tamamo and fox spirit by monks. I'm a lot stronger than you think. It's about time I knew."

"I'm still not sure, Shiori."

"I was tortured because everyone sees me as Tamamo!" I blew up at her despite knowing Reborn was in the next room most definitely listening. I was thankful only Reborn and Chen were here. I heard grandma let out a big sigh.

"I guess if only your father knew, he'd try to protect you more. It's our fault you've been hurt, Shiori. You see, Tamamo-no-mae is not just a myth. She was a woman that was seen as a demon. She used her beauty and intelligence to manipulate everyone. She caused so many wars, so many useless massacres. Her aura always attracted people to her."

"I'm quite knowledgeable with the stories. What does all of that have to do with me?"

"You know how your grandfather's family were all men in the army, right?" I made a noise in agreement. "Before her death and sealing, Tamamo gave birth to a child."

"A demon gave birth to a human?"

"Yes. However, that human and their children had strange abilities. One being their blood and the other would be their aura."

"Then…" Grandma sighed.

"You are a descendant of a Tamamo-no-mae, Shiori. Your grandfather is the same which is why he's always been a target. And it unfortunately passed to you. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? It's not like you could have done anything. It sounds far-fetched, but there is truth to it. From everything I've faced, it's believable. What's one more crazy thing on this planet, right? So, what else does this mean?"

"It means nothing else. You aren't fully human. There's always that small percentage of Tamamo inside of you."

"Thank you, grandma. That explained a lot. I've been… blaming myself for what happened to me. Mom always said I was a stupid girl for trusting people when in truth, they were after me because of my ancestry." I could tell it broke her heart to hear what I really thought. I had to be honest with her. She deserved my own truth after telling me hers.

"I'm so sorry, Shiori. Even telling you wouldn't help. All I can do is pray for your happiness as you'll never be fully safe. It's why we approve of Xanxus. He'll keep you safe. He even promised us."

When Tsuna got home, he smelt coffee. Reborn never drank enough to be able to smell it throughout the house. Did he invite more people from the mafia over? "It's really quiet." Yamamoto commented.

"No one is here, dumbass!" Gokudera shouted.

"We're in here, Tsuna." Reborn called out.

"Who did you bring over?!" The three ran in and saw Shiori sipping on coffee. Their mouths dropped to the ground.

"This is our secret weapon." Reborn announced.

"Welcome home, Tsuna."

"S-S-Shiori?!"

"I wasn't expecting a welcome like that. Though, it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities." She looked entirely different. In school, she seemed very passive. Even her appearance was that of an awkward middle schooler. Now, it was totally different. She looked like a woman on business.

"Stop staring and greet your tutor. Shiori will train everyone in the short time we have. She'll also be going to the future with us."

"What?! Are you alright with that, Shiori?" Tsuna asked, worried his tutor might have forced her.

"I am. I have questions I need answered."

"Wait…"

"She knows about Kanade."

"Will you be able to face her?" Gokudera asked.

"Kanade was my best friend and my first love. I'd love to yell at her one more time. Plus, now that I died, I'm sure the Varia are suffering. I need to do my job to put them all in place."

That night, Tsuna wanted to talk to me alone. Something was bothering him. The poor thing looked nervous. "Calm down, Tsuna. We're family. I won't hurt you."

"Kanade… doesn't want to see you. She begged me to not bring you to the future."

"Why?"

"Her version of you is weak. It was really strange to hear her describe you. It was like hearing a different person. When we told her our version of you, she looked shocked."

"There's a big difference between me now and the one in that future. Kanade didn't die that day. That fall traumatized me. I'm certain if she survived, I would have stayed the same way I was. Without her, I grew numb. I never cared for anyone. Not even my own family could help me. No one could."

"What changed then?" He was genuinely curious.

"Xanxus."

"Really?"

"I'm sure you've heard how flames harmonize, right?" He nodded. "Xanxus and I instantly harmonized the second we met. We both have our own traumas and can understand each other. It's why I can trust him. Our flames are both dangerous on their own but calm when they meld together. It's a lot like us actually."

"The way you describe him is different. It's almost unbelievable."

"That's because I can see everything underneath and accept him."

"Is he really as bad as we think?"

"I believe so. He's only soft around me and Elizabeth." From his expression, I could tell he already knew her. "How is she in the future?"

"She's extremely intelligent. She said you saved her from her uncle. She really loved you. When we told her stories about you, she looked more relaxed than she did when we first met."

"Maybe you'll get to meet Elizabeth in the present. She's a little ball of energy. Xanxus won't act out with her around."

The next day, I trained everyone. Surprisingly enough, Kyoya joined. He held no hostility to me. Instead, he wanted me to show him how I got strong. Even Chen joined in to help. Well, she mostly wanted to push around the kids and scare them. While she took control of the training the next day, I went to school with Gokudera while it was closed. "What are we doing here?" He questioned with a grumble.

"Archery. Reborn said your aim needed help." I strung a bow for him and handed it over.

"How do I even aim?"

"Think about it and try." I strung a bow and hit a bullseye. Gokudera took his bow and lined up the same way I did and pulled the string back. When he let go, the arrow went into the ground.

"How did you get good?"

"Practice. Plus, it's in my blood. It helps when your ancestors were all archers."

"Really?!" I hit another bullseye.

"Watch me closely. I'll only show you once. After that, the rest is up to you."

"What?"

"Pay attention. This could be life or death for Tsuna." He straightened his back. I did the motions slowly. When I let go, the arrow hit another bullseye. "Your turn." After three hours, he was able to hit the bullseye. "Hit it again and we'll get lunch." It took him twenty more minutes to get another one. "That's good for now. I can see you're not thinking about it. You're only guessing where you should be positioned." He couldn't argue.

"How's Gokudera?" Reborn asked while we took a break for lunch. It was just the two of us in our little corner while the kids were moaning and groaning about the training.

"He's not thinking logically. I'll whip him into shape tomorrow. What about the others?"

"Chen has been doing wonders for them. You should spar with Tsuna. Chen mentioned you are ruthless."

"I'll do that once Gokudera is under control. He has a mental block. Do you think it's because of me?" He shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of his food. The next day, I sat Gokudera down.

"What's going through your head?" I questioned before we even started.

"I'm confused about a lot."

"Tell me." He pulled at his hair with frustration.

"I'm confused about you."

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you the way you are?"

"That doesn't help."

"You're an entirely different person."

"I can tell you I don't have a split personality. It's what trauma can do to you. I was tortured as a kid and tried to end my life with Kanade. With her gone and me alive, I became numb. I observed the world. I used whatever I saw to fit in so no one would see me as anything but normal. The version of me you're seeing right now is the real me. It's the person I've always dreamed of becoming while recovering. I am a woman that will give out revenge to all who oppose my family. I'll kill with no mercy and a smile on my face if someone oversteps the line. I will do anything to protect my family."

"Do you love Xanxus?"

"I can't say if what I feel for him is love exactly, but I need him by my side. He needs me the same way I need him. If that means marrying him, I'll do it."

"Why? That guy is terrible."

"He's only terrible to everyone on the outside. He's a different man when we're in private. He's surprisingly good with kids too. Elizabeth loves to get assigned missions by him."

"She's a child!" Gokudera yelled with shock.

"He spilled playing cards and told her to sort them. He might be a cruel man, but he isn't that cruel." Gokudera looked lost in thought. "Plus, he keeps his anger at bay with her around. The select few people he keeps close to him are treated well. We all have our own demons. He has some more than others. The same goes for me. If you pile my demons, I'd be able to kill whatever higher being that refused to save me. I can never go back to being innocent. I'm constantly haunted by my past. I still hurt from it. It's why Xanxus and I keep each other close. We keep each other from losing grip on reality."

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have thought…" Gokudera bowed deeply.

"My past is dark that only a select few understand. Even though the Varia knows what happened to me, only Xanxus is capable of helping me." I strung a bow for him. He got the message and instead of immediately firing an arrow, he stayed in position, thinking about his next move. He fired. The arrow was close to his target. "You're already showing improvement. Keep it going and I'll show you something cool."

At the end of the day, Gokudera was spent. Tsuna and Reborn have been watching since lunchtime. "You've done well, Shiori."

"I did nothing, Reborn."

"Weren't you going to show me something cool?" Gokudera asked.

I grabbed three arrows. This was something I was working on in Italy. I got it down thanks to the book grandpa gave me. When I put all three on the bow, they were confused. I shot and everyone watched how the three arrows hit three different targets. Only one was a bullseye. "I'm still working on the technique, but three is my absolute limit. As long as an enemy is incapacitated in any way, that'll give me enough time to fire more arrows to go for the kill."

"That was amazing!"

"You think so? It's still not perfect yet and it's far from getting my grandpa's approval."

"Did your grandpa train you to be an archer?"

"It's in her blood." Reborn replied for me. I picked two arrows up and shot them to only see them hit two bullseyes.

"It takes more than just blood to be good at a skill. This took me a few days to even get the arrows to hit the targets. With that, I think we're done for the day."

That night, Xanxus had me on the phone for a few hours. We mostly talked about what was going on. Reborn asked that I leave out anything about the future. Elizabeth was starting to have nightmares without me there. She even got on the phone to talk with me. She said sleeping in my pajamas calmed her down. I told Xanxus to just use my perfume on some of her clothes.

"When will you be back?" He asked.

"I'm not sure."

"You're being secretive again. What is Reborn making you hide from me?"

"I can't tell you about it yet."

"Don't you trust me?" The question hurt. Did he think I didn't trust him?

"Of course, I do."

"Why are you hiding things from me?"

"Now isn't the right time. I'll tell you everything the second I see you. Just know this is an important mission." I could feel how frustrated he was. "I'm sorry, Xanxus. I wish I could tell you everything."

"It's… fine. If there isn't a good reason, you will be punished."

"Punished?!" He hung up on me. The audacity his ass has sometimes. Though, I couldn't be too upset with him. He wasn't mad. He just missed me.

The next day, I ate a small breakfast and enjoyed my last coffee for any number of days. "It's time to go, Shiori." Reborn said seriously. I've been mentally preparing for the future. I didn't know what I'd see when I got there. I didn't know if anyone would recognize me. At Namimori shrine, I saw a few of Tsuna's guardians. We were still missing a few people. A monk saw me and approached me. "Yes?"

"Forgive me, miss. You have a very strange aura." I wasn't sure if I should take it as a compliment. "Ah! I'm sorry. That sounded worse than what I meant. Your aura is very spiritual yet demonic. I was wondering if you were cursed. I'd be glad to help."

"Thank you for your offer. However, this is no curse." The young man yelped in pain from an older monk hitting him over the head with a stick.

"Silly boy! You could tell this woman is no mere mortal and yet you still approach her as a normal woman. I'm deeply sorry about my apprentice, madam. It's been years since a fox spirit has been amongst us." He spoke the same way the monks in China did. They always held respect for me.

"Why are you calling her a fox spirit?" Reborn asked.

"If you do not know, you should not learn. Have a wonderful rest of your day, madam. I pray for your safety and happiness. Maybe this time you'll get a happy ending." He was referring to the myth.

"Shiori?"

"It isn't the right time."

When everyone arrived, I clenched my bow tightly. I was anxious. "Chen." I called out.

"Yes?"

"Stay here to protect Nana."

"Got it, boss. Anything else?"

"Get into contact with Nikita. She should have the results back. Also, get in touch with Squalo about Verde and his research paper. I expect answers when I get back." She stepped away from us.

"Be safe. I'll keep everyone safe." Chen said seriously.

"Do not let a single enemy through. Kill all that try to harm the Vongola." That was my final order.

"I'll fulfill your order, boss. Should I kill Verde if he refuses to cooperate?" She was speaking Chinese now.

"No. We kill him if he refuses to help." I said back in Chinese. The kids didn't need to know.

"Take out the useless link. I always loved your style." Chen left the area.

"Shiori…"

"Don't we need to kill Byakuran, Reborn?"

"Is everyone ready?" Reborn questioned. Once everyone okayed it, I felt my body become lighter than usual. I closed my eyes and let my body go with the flow. Opening them, I found we were all in a bunker of sort. A blonde-haired kid was at a desk.

"You all made it back in one piece. I see it worked then." He stared right at me.

"Spanner, this is Shiori."

"I know that. Everyone knows her. Why did you bring her back? She's known to be rather weak. Will she even be able to help?"

"She's our ace." Reborn commented. He jumped into my arms.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but okay. Welcome to the future, Shiori. You really didn't age in ten years."

Bianchi helped me settle in. She brought me up to date with everything going on. It felt empty. I really didn't like the feeling. I touched the feather and felt better. Was I feeling the Xanxus from my world or this? There was a knock on my door.

"Come in." Bianchi came back in with food.

"You didn't have to bring me food. I can eat with everyone."

"Reborn said to hide you from the others."

"Others?"

"Kanade, Squalo, and Elizabeth."

"They're here?" My heart clenched. "It makes sense. If word gets out that I'm here, Byakuran will personally attack or send his men to do the job for him. In the end, it'll make for unnecessary conflict."

"You really are different."

"Huh?"

"The you I knew would just deflate." I couldn't help but chuckle.

"I guess the butterfly effect is a real thing." It also showed I never got over the Tokyo incident. I had Kanade and Xanxus. I had everything I needed. I had to have been strong if Nikita trained me. Did I just not show my strength? "Thank you, Bianchi."

A few hours later, it was night time. I left my room to explore. I couldn't just stay put. Even Reborn knew that. Plus, everyone should be asleep. "I guess your curiosity is the same." I was startled by the voice. I turned and saw a woman with long black hair and gentle green eyes.

"Kanade…?"

"It's been a while, Shiori."

"I thought I'd have a lot to say, but no words are coming out." I admitted. I always thought I'd just start yelling at her or crying, but this feeling was something entirely different. Kanade was resisting something, as if she was hesitating to act.

"Let's talk, Shiori." Just hearing her say my name made me want to cry. I thought I'd never hear her voice again.

We went into the kitchen to talk. She made tea. It was silent between the two of us. We just stared at each other. "Squalo and Elizabeth are sleeping. He's a pretty heavy sleeper, so he won't know you're here. Elizabeth has also been working nonstop. Her brain is tired." She informed me.

"Oh. That's the same for my Squalo too. He sleeps as loud as he speaks." Kanade almost spat her tea out.

"Right?! I swear he has sleep apnea but he won't listen."

"He only listens if I'm being serious or yell at him."

"You yell? I'm glad to see you finally grew a backbone." She joked.

"I always had one. It just took a lot to drag it out of me."

"Still, I can't believe I died. How did you handle it?"

"I didn't. After I was released from the hospital, I ran from Kyoto and went back to Tokyo. I was called a murderer, even threatened to be killed myself. At that point, I didn't care what they did. I stopped living. I had nothing to live for."

"How… did you even handle that? How did I die? How did it put you in the hospital?" I frowned and gripped the hot mug in my hand.

"We tried to take our lives and fell from the roof of the school." Her eyes widened.

"We… actually went through that?"

"We did. Somehow, you were able to protect me enough to keep me alive. I fell on you. It's a vivid memory I hate. I still remember what you looked like, what it felt like to feel your body break against mine. I was still broken myself and the wounds from the Tokyo incident reopened, but it was nothing compared to what happened to you."

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stop us." I shook my head with a smile.

"It's alright. We were both suffering. You kept me alive to save others like us. It's what you wrote in your diary."

"You read it? I threw that thing out years ago. Xanxus convinced me to throw it away. I wasn't that person anymore." It became silent for a couple of minutes. We were soaking up our very presence.

"How did we meet the Varia?" I asked her. Her signature toothy smile shined.

"Well, that's a fun story! We were hanging out in Kyoto and ran into a few of the Varia subordinates. They tried to hurt us but I clearly defeated them. Xanxus and Squalo came by shortly while we were waiting for Nikita to show up. Since then, we've been part of them. They acknowledged our strength. Well, they were more impressed with me. We're a package deal after all. When you were threatened, your flame awakened and killed someone. Since then, you and Xanxus never left each other's side. The only time you did…" She grimaced.

"I died, right?" She nodded. "I can say we lived very different lives. I met them in Kyoto too, but I went there for vacation because I had time off from school. Levi got the kanji wrong. They needed to go to Tokyo instead. I brought them all over and they even invited me to eat with them. After that, a man was after me. So, I left them and ran to try to hide for the night until the trains reopened. The Varia saved me before I was killed and brought me to Tokyo. I didn't have any friends and once Lussuria found that out, he vowed they'd be my friends. He even gave me Xanxus' feather."

"The hell?! That's entirely different! It even sounds more adventurous." Kanade protested.

"I went through a lot after you died. Meeting the Varia was the best thing that has happened to me since Nikita." Kanade went quiet. "Is something wrong?"

"Nikita? The woman that threatened you? Why are you close with her?"

"What do you remember?" It'd make sense this was also different.

"In middle school, Nikita threatened to kill your family and me to take you on as her successor. You refused and in turn, your parents died. I almost didn't make it either." I was stunned into silence. My Nikita would have never done that.

"She never threatened me. In fact, she supported my decision to be in the Vongola. She never knew about flames and thus allowed me to leave with Chen as a bodyguard."

"Then, your folks are still alive? That's good news." I lifelessly laughed.

"Unfortunately, that's the furthest thing from the truth…"