Gokudera had to thank Shiori when he saw her next time. His aim was off a little bit, but it was a lot better if he had never picked up a bow. Hell, he didn't even know he'd use a bow as a weapon. The crush he had on her was replaced with respect. There was no way he could ever have her. He couldn't even compete. He didn't deserve her. When the Varia stepped in, he was looking for Shiori. She should be with them. They are her family after all.

"Where's…Shiori?" He asked, surprised to see she was missing.

"She's dead." Belphegor answered bitterly.

"What?! She can't be dead. She was just here with us." Xanxus twitched. He didn't even dare look back at Gokudera.

"What do you mean here with you?" Levi asked. Gokudera's eyes widened. Reborn told them all that Shiori's presence was forbidden knowledge. Now, he was at the Varia's mercy.

"You have to answer now. There's a lot of scary people that won't hesitate to kill you."

Unfortunately for the Varia, Bluebell and Zakuro both stood up after previously being knocked down. This wasn't good. They couldn't take on two wreaths at the same time. They were all suddenly submerged in a bubble of water. How did they not see it coming? There was a faint sound of a motorcycle in the distance. Kanade wouldn't be able to help at all. She was strong, but she wasn't strong enough to take care of two wreaths.

"W-what am I feeling?" Bluebell questioned with anxiety. She was looking everywhere. Even Zakuro felt the same way. It was as if someone was glaring through their souls. They felt bare and no amount of covering themselves up would help. There was no way to shield their souls from this unknown force.

"Jump, Shiori!"

Bluebell froze. Shiori was dead. They all saw her corpse. Byakuran wouldn't be this sloppy. How? Why even bring her in the first place? It'd be useless to bring the Shiori from ten years ago. Her eyes widened when a dark shadow appeared near her. The eyes of a demon bore through her entire existence.

"Checkmate." The low voice taunted.

Bluebell screamed with agony as she was kicked down from the air. Everyone looked up and saw Shiori. She pulled back a bow and released an arrow. Before it could touch Bluebell, Zakuro took her away. The bubble holding everyone dispersed. Shiori was falling down and released another arrow right to the enemy. Kanade drove out from the trees, into the air, and caught Shiori. The two made a rather smooth landing.

"Shiori! You're alright!" Gokudera said happily. Everyone was worried she was caught up in the explosion.

"I'm not friends with the grim reaper for nothing."

"Is that a nickname for me?" Kanade asked.

"Like I'd ever give you that shitty name." She laughed.

"It's cool!"

"I forgot how much of a headache you really were. Fine. If you want a nickname so bad, how about stalker?"

"You knew?!"

"You made yourself very obvious. Hiding in my closet and watching me sleep? You think I wouldn't notice that?" Kanade pouted.

"You always slept like an angel." I smacked her head. I've wanted to do that for years.

"Shiori?" I looked at the Varia. I didn't think it was possible for them to grow any taller.

"I can explain!" Kanade hugged me from behind. "This is the Shiori from a specific timeline! She's actually really strong."

"And the main difference other than strength?" Belphegor asked.

"I died and the Varia didn't meet her until two years ago in her timeline. Isn't that great? She's our ace."

Xanxus kept staring at me with a weird expression. It looked empty, but there was something else behind it that I couldn't quite place. Was it sadness? He looked a lot better with his hair down. I'll take away his hair product when I get back to my own time. "How do we even know this Shiori can help?" Lussuria asked.

"This should be impossible! This Shiori… she shouldn't exist! Byakuran made sure all of them died!" Bluebell yelled with fury. They recovered from the shot.

"He didn't do a good job considering there was a plan already in place to bring me here. Plus, he might have thought I'd die by myself with everything that happened." Bluebell's and Zakuro's eyes widened. They realized something.

"No way…"

"You were supposed to have died on the operating table! The Tokyo Incident should have killed you as a child! How did you survive countless surgeries?!" They were beyond furious. Their precious boss was careless and left the strongest version of me alive.

"I should have. You can call it a miracle. I'd call it something along the lines of the only good thing about my bloodline."

"What?" Everyone was confused.

"Stop, Bluebell, Zakuro." A man called out.

"Byakuran!" I was thrown behind Kanade. So, this was the man behind this whole mess. Why does it feel like I've seen him before?

"Let us kill her!" Zakuro spat with venom.

"No. She'll kill you two easily. It seems my plan had some fault to it. Shoot me, Shiori. I want to feel your flame of wrath." He held his arms out.

"No thanks."

"Why not?"

"Why would an enemy like you want to feel my flame knowing how dangerous it is? Surely, you wouldn't be up to something that includes taking my flame, right?" Byakuran frowned and then laughed.

"Amazing! You're the only one to figure that out. None of the other Shiori's I fought figured that out." I took the bow and aimed it at Byakuran. "Oh? Changed your mind?"

"Yes. I want to see you explode." I concentrated on my breath.

"Don't do it, Shiori! You know what he's planning on doing. Why are you doing it?"

"Quiet, Kanade." I released the arrow to everyone's dismay. It traveled all the way to Byakuran before splitting off into two arrows that hit Bluebell and Zakuro. They let out another scream of agony.

"Very smart. You decided to weaken my subordinates instead of hitting me face on. It seems like regular taunts won't work." That's when everyone showed up. They were all relatively injured. This was why I aimed for the two instead of Byakuran. Everyone needed a fighting chance against Byakuran and his wreaths were in the way.

"Shiori! You're alright!" Tsuna said with relief.

"What a wonderful time for everyone to be here. I'm in the mood for breaking you, Shiori. I know I can't physically kill you now, but we all know that up here," he tapped his head, "you're weak. You may be smart, but your mind is the weakest part of you!"

"Go ahead." I'd like to see him try. There isn't much I don't know about myself anyway. Byakuran smirked.

"In every world I've been to, you've always married Xanxus."

"How sweet." I commented dryly.

"After I killed you, do you know what happened?"

"Don't!" Kanade yelled.

"Xanxus immediately took Kanade as his wife. He discarded you like the broken toy you've always been for a new one. Isn't that swell?" I feigned pain on my face. I looked at him and then Kanade. They both held their heads down in shame. I looked back at Byakuran. "Well? How does it feel to know your husband and best friend hooked up after you died?"

"I feel fine with it honestly."

"What?!" I shrugged my shoulders.

"If anyone could take care of Xanxus after I died, it would be Kanade." She started to laugh.

"We got him good, Shiori! Our teamwork never fails!"

"You knew?" Xanxus asked me.

"I did. Tsuna brought back a letter from the future only I could open. That letter happened to be my will and it explained everything in great detail. Nothing in this future has really surprised me because of it."

"That just pisses me off. You're the only one that can piss me off like this. Then, shall I let everyone know of your secret?" This confused me.

"What secret?" Kanade questioned.

"Oh? Do you really not know, Shiori? Or shall I call you Tamamo." My body tensed up. If he knew about Tamamo, why was he surprised I survived? Did he not know the details?

"Tamamo?" Kanade looked at me with confusion. I could feel everyone's eyes on me. It was nerve-wracking.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Really? Do you not remember what they called you in Tokyo, Tamamo? All the experiments they did to you? All the torture they put you through? What do you say, Tamamo?" I tilted my head. I finally realized he didn't know about my blood lineage. He just knew the details of the incident.

"They did call me that. I was thinking of something else. It seems like your plan had another fault." His brows furrowed. I took out my box with a smile. "I know you've been wanting to come out for a while. Just wait a little bit more."

"She has the box!" Zakuro panicked.

"She doesn't even know how this world works." He prepared himself to attack.

"She's all talk. Let me end it here." Before anyone could act, I walked past the Varia.

"Shiori!"

"Come on out." I said in a song-like tone. The box in my hand illuminated. A large shriek was heard. When the light died down, a huge white fox with seven purple tails stood by my side.

"You opened it?!"

"Like I said, Byakuran, you had another fault in your plan. You shouldn't be surprised I survived. Those bastards didn't call me Tamamo for nothing. It seems they were on the right path to figuring me out completely." Everyone watched me carefully. I took a deep breath. "I am alive because I am the descendent of Tamamo-no-mae, the fox spirit who destroyed and manipulated countries as she pleased." The fox rubbed its head against my cheek.

"Cut the bullshit! That isn't real! Demons aren't real! Tamamo-no-mae is just a myth!" I glared at him with empty eyes. He backed away slightly. "There's… no logical explanation. Demons aren't real." He muttered.

"Are you sure, Byakuran? Aren't you staring at one right now?" Byakuran tried to attack, but the fox got in the way. The second Byakuran touched it, an explosion was made.

"A fox made of cloud flame? Shouldn't it be just regular cloud flame?" Lussuria questioned.

"I see what's going on. The fox is only made with the flame Shiori gives it. While the other Shiori would have a fox of regular cloud flame, this one has a fox made of her special cloud flame." Reborn said with pride. "That's Vongola's negotiator for you."

"Negotiator?" The Varia questioned quietly as they stared right at me.

"Should we kill her?" Zakuro asked.

"No. Do not touch her. She's not important anymore. We'll just have to attack the others to get her away from us." Others? "Strike down the command center. There's no need for them." Byakuran gave the orders.

"We need to go. That's where Elizabeth is." Kanade said seriously.

"You have ten minutes to get there, Shiori. Let's hope you can save them." He was making me fold my cards. I couldn't help everyone defeat him.

"Go, Shiori." Xanxus said, surprising me.

"Will you be fine?"

"Go." He refused eye contact. My fox got low enough for me to get on its back. Kanade got on her bike.

"She goes alone. If she's determined enough to save her daughter, she'll get there in time." I got on my fox.

"Let's go." I said softly.

"Be careful, Shiori. We'll be right there when this is over." Kanade said.

"Don't worry, Kanade. Our Shiori is a woman that will destroy the world the second it crosses her or her family. She already destroyed an entire family because they poisoned Xanxus." Reborn said with pride.

"And I'll fucking do it again if Elizabeth has a single scratch. That's a promise."

My fox took off running. It was a lot faster than I thought it could go. I could only hope I'd get there in time. If only Elizabeth could connect her mind with me, she could tell me if she was doing alright. There was an explosion in the distance. When we got to the building, it was surrounded by Byakuran's men and burning. My breathing staggered.

"Elizabeth…" The enemy all turned to face me. The bow in my hand was shaking. All that could be heard was silence. Control yourself, Shiori. Don't let your anger take control. I raised the bow. "Get out of the way." I released an arrow to give a group of them a tiny scratch. It was then they blew up. I put the bow down and walked towards the burning building. The others tried to attack, but I threw them right into the fire. I didn't care. I needed to find Elizabeth. Someone came up and tried to stab me. I moved slightly to avoid it. "Do you really know who you're messing with?" The man shrieked. I took his wrist and broke it. "My bad. I didn't notice how fragile your bones were. They felt like twigs."

"Get her!"

"I see what this is now. This is a manhunt only for me. I feel honored." I took the blade from the man's hand and sliced his neck open. "One down." I cracked my neck and sighed. This will be fun. The more men I killed, the more that would come. I didn't use my bow so I could relax all the tension I had. These idiots really liked going from behind to attack. I turned and stabbed one in the stomach and kicked it deeper with my knee.

"Don't you all see I'll kill you all?"

"You'll eventually get tired!" I rolled my eyes before killing a few more. This was actually becoming fun. "I haven't had this much of a workout since dad's funeral." I got a few chuckles out before going to kill a few more. When the numbers were dwindling, I realized just how much I killed. I looked around at the pile of bodies I made.

"Shiori?" I turned back and saw Squalo, Elizabeth, and Bianchi with her group. I ran over and hugged Elizabeth.

"Mama?"

"Thank goodness you're alright."

"Why wouldn't I be fine? Uncle always protects me. Plus, you taught me how to protect myself."

"Byakuran ordered an attack on the command center."

"We know. We managed to escape before they set off the bomb." Squalo answered. He kept staring at me as if something was wrong.

"Byakuran turned this into a manhunt specifically for me. He didn't want to deal with me personally since everyone was there. He needed to focus on Tsuna."

"What should we do?" Elizabeth asked.

"We'll stay nearby. Kanade said they'll meet us soon. I don't think moving from our spot would be best."

"Kyoko and Haru are further in the woods. Futa and I will stay with them. They're still a little shaken up from everything happening." Bianchi and Futa left. I looked at the bodies.

"How long was I fighting for?"

"Twenty minutes straight." Squalo said.

"That long? It didn't feel like it took long."

"You're not tired?" Elizabeth questioned.

"I could fight for a lot longer. I'm still good for another round if any more show up."

"You really are amazing, mama."

Once the battle with Byakuran finished, Tsuna remembered about Shiori. A silent order was made and everyone went in the direction she left. Kanade was first to leave on her bike. "Do you think she'll be alright, Reborn?" Tsuna asked.

"It's Shiori. She's strong."

"Byakuran ordered a manhunt."

"She'll be fine." Reborn reiterated. They saw a burned building and stopped.

"I'm guessing Byakuran is taken care of."

"Shiori!" They all turned to her, Squalo, Elizabeth, and Kanade near a few trees. It looked like they were in hiding. That's when Tsuna realized the number of bodies on the ground. "What…"

"I took care of the threat." She stated. "I got a good workout out of it."

"You call this a workout?!"

"I do."

"Mama is really strong. You should have seen her fight. It was awesome!"

"I wish I could have seen it." Kanade said with a pout.

"Want me to show you, Kanade?"

"Not on me!" Tsuna observed the interaction between Shiori and Kanade. They really acted like two best friends. It's a shame that Kanade isn't alive in their present.

"See? I told you Shiori would be fine." Reborn said from Tsuna's shoulder. Xanxus walked to Squalo.

"What happened?"

"She took them all out. I've never seen anyone fight like that. It looked like she was dancing."

"Did she get hurt?"

"She has a few scratches. That's it."

"She never fought." Xanxus sighed heavily. "We held her back."

"We didn't. The whole thing is complicated. Her life was vastly different. She didn't have Kanade. She didn't have us until two years ago in her present. I was just as confused. This Shiori is what ours wanted to be. It was her decision to not become like this because she was always protected."

That night, I had dinner with the Varia. Fran kept getting stabbed by Bel the entire time. I wonder when Fran became part of the family. Though, Xanxus was ignoring me and I paid more attention to that than anything else. Did he not want me here? Was it too painful? Kanade noticed and bumped my arm playfully. She winked, letting me know not to take it personally. It was strangely quiet. I guess everyone was too injured to argue.

"What will you do when you get back?" Kanade asked me.

"Pray for forgiveness."

"Why?"

"I didn't tell anyone I went to the future. Reborn made me go over to train the kids and brought me here." Everyone stopped moving.

"What'll happen to you?" Squalo asked.

"I'll get a long lecture from everyone. I should take some painkillers before I head back. I'll be better prepared for the migraine."

"Can't you just run?" Levi asked.

"That'll make things worse. Sure, I can go to Nikita and Syoko, but they'll hand me back in a heartbeat."

"Is Nikita really different in your world?" Bel asked.

"She is. She never asked me to take over her family unless the Vongola betrays me. She really couldn't help me with my flame, so she was fine when Nono wanted me to be part of the family."

"Nono?" I nodded.

"He appointed me as the Varia's cloud guardian. It was the Varia's punishment for trying to gain control of the Vongola again."

"Why you?"

"I put you all in place. Plus, no one wanted to tell me about the mafia despite me knowing from our second or third interaction."

"But you knew?" Levi asked.

"I did. It was hard not to when I was practically raised by Nikita and Syoko. With them, I learned how three different mafias control their families."

"Three?"

"Russian, Japanese, and Chinese."

Once we were done with dinner, I went to the room I was staying in. It was rather quiet and it unsettled me. Dinner went better than I thought, but Xanxus ignoring me sort of hurt. I'm sure he was uncomfortable with me there. I shouldn't have even been there. I felt tiny feet on my shoulders. "You're probably right." It was Reborn. "That was the first time I was able to read your mind. You must be out of it."

"You can say that."

"Did you try to talk to him?"

"I did, but others would answer for him."

"How would you feel?"

"I know, Reborn. I'm quite useless when it comes to things like this. The only thing I do well is kill."

"Do you think he'll see you off tomorrow?"

"No."

"Don't get upset. You'll be back home soon." I let out a heavy sigh.

"And I'm also worried about that. My Xanxus won't let me leave headquarters for months."

"I'd do the same to my woman if she suddenly went to the future without telling me."

"May I remind you it was you that brought me here."

"I'll help cover for you. You did help quite a bit even if you didn't fight against Byakuran himself."

"There you are, Reborn." It was Dino. I blinked a few times with awe. He looked really good. "Oh, it's Shiori. Sorry, I didn't recognize you for a second."

"It seems like you two weren't close in this future." Reborn filled me in.

"I see."

"Were we close in your world?" He asked me.

"We're close friends."

"I'm glad. I always wanted to approach you, but you were never alone. When I'd make small talk, everyone would glare at me. So, I stopped trying to be friends with you."

"Alright, Shiori, I'll let you get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for you."

"Don't remind me."

After a well-deserved shower, I stared at myself in the mirror. I haven't noticed how long my hair has gotten. It was past my shoulders now. I always cursed at how fast my hair grew. Maybe this was also part of being Tamamo. If my body regenerates quickly, my hair and nails would too. I braided my hair a few times and wasn't really sure what to do with it. I'll just keep it up like I usually do for now. I got dressed and heard a knock on the door. I opened it and saw Kanade. She looked rough.

"Are you alright?" She hugged me tightly without a word. She was far from alright. I knew that.

"I'm a fool. I shouldn't have gotten close to you. It's only been three days, but it felt like forever. It felt like I got my best friend back."

"I'm sorry, Kanade."

"It's not your fault, Shiori."

"I'm still the reason why everyone is sad." Her grip tightened.

"There's a lot I want to say, a lot I want to do, but I don't have enough time. My mind is screaming. All I want to do is hug you. I feel like If I do, you'll come back."

"I'll never come back, Kanade. It's hard. It really is. Even though you died years ago, it still hurts. I won't be able to hear your voice. Sometimes, all there's left is a numb feeling. I thought I had to keep hurting because I had to be punished." I explained softly.

"You did nothing wrong."

"Living was my punishment. That's what I thought for years until I faced your grave. So, please, Kanade, visit me when I'm gone. Talk to me as if I was there. Okay?"

"I'll try." She started to sob.

"Mama…?" Elizabeth walked over in her pajamas. She looked rough too. Kanade let go of me so Elizabeth could hug me. "I'll do it too. I'll make everyone go and talk to you, even papa." She said seriously.

"Thank you, Elizabeth."

"You know, papa still protects you. He did until the day you died. Even now he still does. When they were attacked in Italy, he wouldn't leave your grave until every single threat died. He didn't want it to break." My heart tightened. I felt a sudden urge to tear up. I cupped her cheeks and gave her a big smile.

"And that is why I fell in love with him."