Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.

Warning: Beware of grammatical errors.


Summary: When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).


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Sawada Tsunayoshi is—it's everywhere redredredblood e V E rY whe R E—dead.

Registering the cold, harsh reality that made his blood turn cold, Ienari's mind went blank. All of the commotion and noises shut out, leaving only a silent ring in his ears and an odd hum in the back of his mind as he kneeled unmovingly in front of a pool of blood oozing—this is not real - oh god why is there so much - make it stop stop STOP!— from under the broken chandelier—The very same blood that had pooled around his big brother's body seven-goddamn-years ago and—and... this was the second time.

The second - damn - time he helplessly watched his brother leave—

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"Nari-kun—"

"Ienari—"

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Why whywhywhywhy Wh Y?!

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"—live."

"—Breathe."

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As if on cue, Ienari gasped sharply, one hand moving to clutch his chest as his lungs struggled for air.

It wasn't working—

Onii-san, is that you?

—More air was exhaled than inhaled, his head pounding in tune with his heartbeat—

You're still here right, Onii-san?

—Black dots invaded his vision as he strained to keep himself steady—

What... was that about... breathing... again... Onii?

—He crumbled to the ground, a numbing pain coursing through his body that only worsen his throbbing head and left him to succumb to darkness.

"Nari!"

"Juuydaime!"

"Nari, hang in there!"

No one seemed to notice the flickering light of the Vongola ring.

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Reborn clicked his tongue in mild annoyance as he tried to bore a hole into his now unconscious student. Reborn had never seen his student experience a full-on panic attack before despite it being on his medical records—the condition was diagnosed with the boy (along with the selective memory lapses) after the kidnap-turned-assassination incident. There were a couple of times Reborn, being the sadist that he was, tried to trigger it as part of the training regime, but to no avail. It was as though Ienari never had it in the first place... or rather, the boy simply forgot he had such a condition in the first place (just like how he forgot he had a twin in the first place).

That was, until a couple of months ago during that little mishap of the mafia invading the Namimori High. It seemed harmless at that time because Tsuna had calmed the blonde down when the symptoms first showed up. (It was then Reborn learned that it stemmed from Tsunayoshi.) Then again, the fact that Tsuna was still alive and breathing at that time might've also had a factor in how easily Ienari had recovered the last time around.

Thinking up to this point, Reborn refrained from the urge of hammering Byakuran because this was not the time and place for it. But mark his words, he will hammer the child when the time comes (and don't go blaming him for child abuse either, because he is physically a child himself). Byakuran just had to flesh out the doppelganger to that extent, didn't he?

Furthermore, judging by how badly Ienari's situation was this time (he has no doubt the poisoning substance the boy undoubtedly inhaled only served to quicken his downward spiraling condition), Reborn could bet his entire secret stash of coffee beans that his student has, once again, ignored his Intuition.

"Shamal."

"It's a good thing you had me prepared the antidote beforehand... though I still don't understand how you predict these things—" Shamal stopped himself from going off tangent at the look the hitman was giving him. He sighed with a shrug, "—Even though Ienari took the antidote in time, I can't be too sure about his mental state."

"..." Reborn's lips thinned into a line.

"It's a good test for them."

He pulled down his fedora to hide his expression as he thought back to the bits and pieces of the previous conversation. Well, they're off to a bad start.


"Dante!" Someone exclaimed when he saw Serpentine Dante walking into view towards their temporary base that they set up earlier in the morning in an obscure location within Vongola grounds.

"Oscar?" The Serpentine Don responded with a calm surprise, albeit if one were to look closely, his hands were balled up tightly and sweating out of nervousness. Honestly, he didn't anticipate what followed after he had been detained by Vongola.

He knew that his famiglia was going to pay a hefty price to bail him out, but not this. Thinking back to the hell that he went through when the boy cornered him into a less than unfavorable position, he couldn't help but shudder again. That boy was made for the mafia. (Enma would've denied the very idea of it if he heard Dante's inner thoughts.)

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"You're oddly energized today?" were the boy's first words when he entered the underground confinement.

"W-what are you talking about?" Dante tried to act normal by leaning against the wall from his seat on the bench.

The foreign teen's amused smile didn't falter as he surveyed the man from head to toe.

"Besides those who have a screw loose, anyone confined within a completely enclosed space for a period of time would have that look in your eyes." He paused for a second before pounding his fist into his other palm in an act of dawning realization. "Ah, except those who knew they're going to escape."

"Nonsense," Dante laughed defensively. "I was just looking at the ceiling for too long."

"Oh," Enma raised a brow. "So you're pals are on the way to rescue you?"

"... What?" How did he even reach this conclusion all of a sudden?

Enma gave him a look as if asking why the sky was blue, to which Dante felt as though his IQ has been disdained upon. "Do you not realize just the fact that you being here at all is in itself suspicious?"

A question mark slowly popped up above Dante's head.

Enma clicked his tongue in mild impatience. "You're too laid-back, too open, and too careless. We wouldn't have kept you in here if it wasn't for the fact that you conceded so quickly to pay back every single cent—with interest I might add— that you guys swallowed from Vongola. That—" He paused for thought. "—was as a slip up on your part."

"Putting myself in your shoes," Enma continued. "The only situation where I can be as laid-back would be when I still have a trump card up my sleeve. So going along that thought, I could obviously get repaid later so I wouldn't worry too much about my current losses."

Dante's pupils shrunk unnoticeably. "Those are mere assumptions!"

"They aren't assumptions if they're proven to be fact," Enma retorted back with a wave of his hand. "And the fact is, the moment you stopped caring is the moment you let your guard down." He looked straight into Dante's eyes with confidence. "Moving on, your trump card is your alliance, otherwise, we would've heard uproars from your men."

There was a moment of silence before Dante spoke again. "Even if you do know—"

"Got it, they're already here," Enma confirmed again without a doubt in his tone.

"Impossible, if they're here—"

"They're hiding right under our noses, a nice strategy."

"—Wait, on what basis—"

"Ha, so they already have a temporary base on Vongola grounds?"

"The hell—"

"Oh, down south? I see. I think I remember a blind spot somewhere over there..."

"... ?" At this point in time, Dante was about to drive himself up the walls. How was the boy making these conclusions just from his attempts of retaliations?! (The fact that the earlier he was getting cut off, the more accurate the guess wasn't making it any better for his mental well-being.)

"Aye? Why did you stop?" Enma blinked innocently, then widen his eyes in feigned surprise. "They're going to mobilize today?"

The f— Dante bit back the curse running through his head. He only now realized that he was being played like an idiot so the wisest option right now was just to keep his mouth shut tight. (Idly, he wondered if he was really that obvious for Enma to be able to deduce so much just by putting himself in his shoes.)

"Tch," Enma clicked his tongue, disappointment evident in his eyes. "And here I thought we were quickly becoming friends..."

"..." He really, really wants to strangle the boy right now.

There was a moment of silence that fell upon the room, but just when Dante thought that he could finally catch a breath—

"I'm right though, aren't I?"

— "You f***ing little brat just can't shut the damn up with your sh***y mouth %$!A#...!"

This time, Enma was really surprised as he watched Dante spitting out colorful profanity, some of which became new additions to his ever-growing vocabulary pool. But after a good long minute, Enma couldn't help but chime in half defensively, "Watch the language mister, I'm still a kid!"

"!" The (poor) man nearly choked on his own saliva.

Enma rubbed his chin thoughtfully at Dante's reactions, then fished out a phone blatantly in front of him. "Hey Lal, I told you I'm right."

Dante was quick to connect the dots, but he wished he didn't. "Did you..."

Enma nodded earnestly like the kind child that he was—

"The entire time."

"..."

—and confirmed that there was more than just one witness to this entire scene where Dante was being toyed around like the fool that he was.

It was a miracle how Dante hasn't suffered from a heart attack yet. (The kid was Satan's spawn and he has proof!)

"Ne ~" —

Every single hair on Dante's person stood on ends and tingled at the neon signs of danger the moment Enma opened his mouth again. (The devil spawn just can't stop seeking for attention can't he?)

"—As a member of the Old Blood Alliance whose being laying low in the ranks of Vongola for so long—"

As Enma approached him, Dante felt more and more like a cornered animal with the sound of each footstep pounding against his ears.

"—I know that you know that they know a way to contact you."

And when Dante saw the grin stretching across the Satan spawn's lips, he knew he was going to get nightmares because he already felt the invisible hand clamping a vice-like grip on him.

He was already exposed even before Enma came in. The boy knew everything and he wasn't going to come out unscathed, but if he can—

"Your last struggle is futile and you know it so give it up already."

Looking at Enma's amicable (read: despotic) attitude, he couldn't help thinking back to the other child who wore the same expression that contrasted his oppressive aura. He really shouldn't have been surprised nor should he have naively hoped that the situation couldn't be as bad as he imagined.

It hadn't even been ten minutes since the boy's visit and Dante was already suffocating under the pressure. Twice. The psychological attacks penetrated his mind's defenses like it was paper and left him in utter defeat with no way of getting back up.

He knew there was no other than to compromise. "... What do you want from me?"

"Now we're talking," Enma applauded and Dante felt the tension ease ever-so-slightly, just enough to give him a breather. Then he took a sudden turn in the topic, "I'm sure you've heard of the Trojan Horse?"

"You mean..." Dante wasn't an idiot, he knew what the story of the Trojan Horse implied here.

"I'm going to release you," Enma started sharing his game plan. "I know you guys have a private channel to stay in contact through and it takes too long to decipher the encrypted messages so that's where you'll come into play!"

"So..."

"Send them a message and convince them to give you their location, then you're going to take us to him," Enma grinned widely with cunning glee in his eyes that made Dante shiver. "We're going to give them a big surprise welcome!"

"..."

It didn't make him feel any better when he was greeted with the presence of a member for the Vindice the moment he came up to the surface.

Dante felt a sense of absolute helplessness when he realized that he couldn't escape the palms of a mere child. Again. (And why couldn't they just have the Vindice show up to begin with? He was more than happy to cooperate without going through the traumatic experience of that abominable spawn of Satan!)

Were kids these days always so... shrewd? ("Insane" was the better adjective but Dante liked to stay reserved.)

"Dante? Dante! Did you hear a single word that I said?"

"Ah," Oscar's voice brought Dante back from his brooding, the former has brought him to the other dons stationed here. "No, sorry, I was just wondering when we're going to make a move."

"I assume very soon," Victor Ricci looked at his right-hand man for confirmation, who returned with a nod. "Giuseppe should be finishing up on his side by now, then we can tell our men to storm in."

"Really now," Dante hummed absentmindedly. "Are most of our fighting forces... closing up to the mansion right now?"

Logan of Greco narrowed his eyes at the Serpentine don, feeling something off about the latter. He couldn't quite put the finger on it but it was more than enough reason for him to suspect something. "There's something different about you, Dante."

Dante looked up in alarm but told himself to keep calm and fall into a more natural posture, looking clearly displeased. To fool one's enemy was to fool oneself first after all. "Well, I did fork over most of the gains I reaped in the past two years so I'd like to get it back as soon as possible."

Oscar bellowed with laughter. "You're still worried about your share of the spoils?"

"Who wouldn't," Dante retorted back, his eyes narrowed venomously towards his companions. "They're mine. Whoever attempts to take monopoly over them will have to go through the Serpentine family, capiche?"

Logan hummed thoughtfully, not expressing his stance in this. He wasn't a person to easily put off his suspicions, else he would've been overthrown from his position as don long ago. However, he didn't find anything wrong with Dante besides the initial abnormality.

(Well, he wasn't wrong.)

The discussion went on for a couple more minutes before a mafioso came stumbling in. "Boss, we got trouble!"

"This better be urgent or you'll be hearing it from me!" The boss of the mafioso barked.

"There's—AH!" The mafioso screamed abruptly in pain when a sudden pressure pushed him down against the ground. However, he wasn't the only one.

"What the—!"

"What's going on?!"

"Not good—"

"I don't know if this is considered urgent enough..." A boy with red hair entered into the dons' line of sight along with three others. "But hi!"

"..."

Lal shot Enma an unamused look. "Seriously?"

The other shrugged back. "It's usually Takeshi who lightens the mood but he's not here so..."

The half-arcobaleno frowned for a split moment before quickly coming to realize who he was referring to. "It's still not your job."

Enma paused with an eye blink and solemnly agreed. "Sorry, I got ahead of myself." He shouldn't have pulled a Takeshi just because he missed those kinds of moments. He was not going to take the job of the nutjob from said nutjob, else he would officially become a nutjob and the nutjob would've had lost his job. (Enma took a pause before continuing his denial as he put back a few of the screws that had gone loose.)

"You guys are from Vongola!" The enemy dons recognized Lal immediately due to the infamous reputation of the arcobalenos. "You dare to attack us?!"

"So what?" Lal snapped back at the don who spoke. "You're on Vongola grounds, idiots."

"Dante," Logan growled with venom as he and several others struggled to stand up with the help of their own flames. "You betrayed us?!"

"..." Said man shrugged helplessly. What can he say? They had the Vindice on their side, but he doubted his former companions would his words. After all, the Vindice heeds to no one but their Head.

However, he didn't need to say anything because chains rattled into existence and wrapped around the dons.

Seconds later, Jack from the Vindice graced them with his holy (read:ghostly) presence.

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Dumbstruck and not believing their very eyes, the dons' voices were caught in their throats the moment Jack appeared. And despite expecting it, Dante still felt the chills running down his spines and unconsciously took a step back.

Jack turned wordless to Enma with chains in hand. The latter raised a brow. "Why are you looking at me? Didn't Bermuda say that we can send them over to Vendicare to have a nice chat over coffee?" He paused, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh wait, I suppose Vendicare haven't ... uh—finished remodeling?"

"You suppose?" Enma was almost positive that Jack gave him an eye-roll despite the bandages mummifying his face.

He shrugged sheepishly. "Say... Lal—"

"Got it," Getting the gist, Lal broke him off with a pointed look. "We have room in our cells so drop them off there. Don't expect coffee though, we ran out."

"..." Seeing the Vongola behaving naturally around the member of the Vindice, the dons finally understood why Dante had blown the gaff. After all, the mafia police still held an enormous influence over the underworld despite the decrease in activities as of late.

They still couldn't wrap it around their heads that the Vindice was on good terms with Vongola. Why wasn't that in the information they had on Vongola?

"Who knew Vongola still had a card to play." It took a while for Logan to get his voice back, but despite the shock at seeing the Vindice, he didn't appear defeated like most of the dons under the confinement of the Vindice's chains. "But do you really think that can win against us?"

Enma narrowed his eyes. He knew some of these bosses were tough cookies so he wasn't surprised that they were able to resist his gravity field previously, else these famiglias wouldn't have the nerves to scheme against Vongola. But he was surprised by the man's arrogance given the current circumstances unless...

He clicked his tough. He seemed to have gotten a little careless. He should've known that they still have something up their sleeves based on past experiences dealing with sly people such as the Logan likes. These types of people didn't understand what a bottom line is. (Then again, Enma idly thought, they wouldn't be mafiosi in the first place.)

"What did you guys do?"

A look of surprise flashed across Logan's face at Enma's quick deduction, but it was quickly replaced with a victorious smile. "Take a guess."

Enma didn't appear taunted by the man, but Lal felt the temperature around them drop a few noticeable degrees.

"Shoichi, Spanner."

"A-aye?"

"Hm?" Irie and Spanner perked at their respective name, no longer acting as the background.

"Do a thorough scan for abnormalities if you will." After making the request, Enma curled his lips disparagingly at Logan, massaging his wrist with his other hand. "Now..."

Everyone noticed the sudden change in the boy's nonchalant demeanor, the chilling glow to his red eyes were intimidating enough to cause their survival instincts to prick up. It was as if someone knocked over Pandora's box.

"Do you know what happened to the last person who attempted to test my patience?"

(When it comes to temper control, Enma was no better than the saint of the mafia himself. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a "best" in friends. )


"You little ones get to safety, we'll handle things here."

Yamamoto vaguely registered those voices as Brow's among the buzzing in his ears, but he was a little... unfocused at the moment.

"But—"

"No but's."

"..."

"Hurry, this way!"

"Dammit, we need to split up!"

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With a pounding head, Yamamoto felt a little muddle-headed as he tried to piece together what was happening. The ceremony—mafiosi questioning Ienari's abilities—arguments—Gunshots and kabooms—running —and... and... and...

The world was obviously not right or maybe it was just him?

What did they say again about claming downor is it calming down? Yamamoto's thoughts bounced from one thing to another, barely able to grasp onto the lessons taught to him. (Internally, he wanted nothing more than to scream and shout and—)

"Argh..."

Stinging pain to his abdomen pulled Yamamoto back to reality somewhat. He forced down the raging emotions bubbling up in his chest, keeping himself as clearheaded as possible. Honestly though, if it hadn't been for the not-voice in the back of his head keeping him relatively stable, Yamamoto doubted he could pull it off.

The man a few feet away from him sneered, his pistol pointing directly at Yamamoto. "Say your last prayers kiddo."

"Where..." Yamamoto winced, supporting himself up against the wall with one hand while the other one holding his head to fight off the concussion he received earlier due to the sudden ambush. He was then jolted back to the realization that he was fighting for his life. To the realization that they were being chased all around and had to split up. To the realization that Vongola was under siege. To the realization that... that...

"It... it shouldn't be like this," Yamamoto mumbled almost nonsensically to himself, a wave of agony slowly washing over him. Why didn't react fast enough? Didn't Reborn tell him that he was a natural-born hitman? Wasn't he supposed to have the instincts of a hitman?

If he had only caught on what was going to happen—if he had acted fast enough to push 'Tsuna' out of the way—if he noticed sooner that Ienari would—and if—if...

If only Tsuna was here, if only... if only

"Do you think I'm a god?"

—No, the blood-red evidence was more than enough to answer the question. But it was impos

"I'm human... I'll die like every other human. It's just a matter of time."

...Human? But... but even if Tsuna is human. Even if Tsuna—

Grow up.

Bang

—Yamamoto acted on reflex in response to his hitman instincts, using his katana to reflect the incoming bullet with a precision that he wasn't even aware of himself. Then, he took advantage of the momentary shock to retaliate with rejuvenated agility and swordsmanship.

"What the—" The surprise cry was followed by several more gunshots, but it was quickly followed up by painful grunts and sounds of falling bodies.

"Last prayers, you say?" It wasn't long until Yamamoto held his blade up against the man who was a threat to his life just moments before, the other party completely swept by a combination of Shibuki Ame and Shinotsuku Ame techniques. "Maa, I think I rather live a little longer. Y'know, so that I can attend your funeral."

Without waiting for a response, Yamamoto struck. Though, he switched to the blunt side of his blade in the last second so he didn't spill blood. He wasn't as if he hadn't bloodied his blade before nor was he a saint after coming into contact with mafia, but he didn't want to spill more than necessary.

His original intent when taking up the blade was never to kill. His blade was to give him the capability to protect those he cared about.

The glimpse that he caught that time when transported ten years in the future flashed across his mind. He did not want a future where his close friends and family disappeared from his side just because he was powerless.

Like what happened today.

The image was still vivid in his mind, but Yamamoto forced himself to get over it for now. Time waits for no one and he shouldn't stop to grieve over every little thing when he—they haven't taken revenge yet and he has to get stronger if he wanted to prevent more people from leaving his side.

"My steps shouldn't stop here," Yamamoto muttered, massaging the ring on his finger. "Is that right?"

There was a moment of silence as if he was waiting for an answer, but he didn't deter when none came. He didn't expect an answer anyway because he already knew what to do.

A spark of resolution alit in his eyes—

—and the Rain was coming.

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There was a rhythm to boxing that Sasagawa Ryohei had found to always assist him in keeping his feet on the ground and focused. (Tip-toeing on his feet, hop hop hop. Left left, right right, jabbing nonstop.)

But no matter how hard he tried, he was not calming down after the events leading up to now.

So for the record, Sasagawa Ryohei was extremely un-sunny, which was why his punches were becoming increasingly untamed, deadlier with each strike as he fought off the third wave of intruders —The culprits — and he wasn't sure if he was boxing anymore.

The thought of both "Tsuna" and Ienari going down and he wasn't able to do anything to prevent things from happening has fueled more to his recklessness.

Why why whywhywhy—his inattention to his surroundings resulted in receiving blows that he should've been able to avoid, but he didn't seem to care nor did he pay any heed to the aching pain washing over his body due to overexertion during the fight.

He heaved an exhausted breath after finishing off the fight, his stance visibly trembling—a sign that he was losing his balance.

He wondered if Ienari was alright now. He wondered if he could find his way back to where everyone else was. He wondered why these mafioso just kept coming nonstop. He wondered why his feet weren't moving in the rhythm that they had before. He wondered... he wondered where he should go now and what he should do next...?

"Extremely..." Sasagawa hissed in pain as he wiped at the cut on his cut and couldn't help but pound against the wall he was leaning against. "Dammit."

Damn it right that he doesn't even know what he should be doing right now. He was one of the oldest in the group, yet he wasn't able to look after his little brothers like he had promised. Why couldn't he do anything right?

.

"Ryo-nii should be as bright as the sun that belongs in the sky."

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The sun? More like the new moon on a gloomy night—

Don't back down.

His thoughts were suddenly put on pause by the invisible tug. When had he ever let his mind wander aimlessly and agonize like this before? Hadn't he always been one to face things head-on with that one-track mindset of his? (Yes, Sasagawa has always been aware of the way he thinks and he was proud of it.)

Sasagawa slowly came out of his distraught with newfound enlightenment. It was wasting time just stalling like this and this wasn't him.

He shouldn't have lost himself for the second time, else Tsuna's efforts would be all for naught. Besides, no one would always be there to keep reminding him to not lose himself. He had to rely on himself to stay in tip-top shape.

"I should extremely fight off these bad guys!" Sasagawa decided out loud. After all, everyone will have peace of mind only if the troubles were chased out of the vicinity like how the Sun chased the darkness away.

Ienari will be alright and "Tsuna" was definitely not dead. Those weren't thoughts of comfort, they were facts because his guts told him so.

A bright grin revived on his lips and Sasagawa regained his rhythm.

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Something was not right.

Gokudera didn't have a good Intuition like Vongola's nor a sharp instinct like that of Reborn's, but he was not a genius for nothing and his deduction skills weren't just for show. (After coming into terms with himself previously with Tsuna's disappearance, he would be damned if he hadn't shown any growth in his mindset for someone of his IQ level.)

The unnatural lapses in response and the occasional discreet glances directed towards Byakuran and Enma for confirmation were more than enough clues. However, he only wrote those little details off in his mind as the nerves right before the ceremony.

... Yeah right.

When he caught glimpse of the barely perceptible wisps of Mist escaping from under the chandelier, Gokudera mentally facepalmed.

Nerves. Tsuna. Ha.

They shouldn't even equate.

Why would someone who took a bullet and told everyone else to calm down be intimidated by a ceremony? One where he wasn't even in the spotlight for? That's absolutely impossible because Tsuna-san takes everything in strides with a grace and charisma that only befits someone as admirable as Tsuna-san—no, Tsuna-sama! (If Tsuna knew what Gokudera's impression of him has distorted into (again), he wouldn't know whether to take it as a compliment or be horrified at how Gokudera never seems to be normal for very long!)

Gokudera didn't get the time to reorganize his thoughts and tell everyone of his revelation when Ienari went into shock. Then everything just went downhill from there.

Now, the group has split up with him, Lambo, and an unconscious Ienari vacating the mansion with the Simons.

"Oi, pipsqueak—"

"I have a name!" Mami hissed back like a bristled cat.

"Whatever," Gokudera carefully handed the unconscious Ienari that he was carrying on his back over to the petite girl. "Keep heading south until you're off into the nearby woods. Lambo should know where to go next—"

"Stop right there." Mami found nothing but absurdity in what the teen was suggesting, the entirety of this all was a whole big nightmare relived. "You can't be serious!"

"Look, it's obvious that they're after us—just the Vongola anyways," Gokudera ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "They just keep coming—and Juudaime needs a proper place to recover."

"..." Mami's figure trembled as she bit back the urge to argue. She was sensible enough to know that this was not the time for debates. But... she couldn't help but feel shaken by how everything came about.

"Mami," Suzuki placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "It won't be the same as last time."

"How would you know..." Mami murmured under her breath, heaving a deep breath. She didn't forget what she told her brother. Time waits for no one, she has to accept and adapt as things come her way. She has to get stronger! Mami, you shouldn't be weighing everyone down!

"Alright," Mami responded as she held Ienari in her arms, her gaze firm on Gokudera. "But you have to be careful. I'm sure Ienari would like to see you and everyone else's faces when he wakes up. Especially after..."

"..." Gokudera didn't like what Mami was implying. "Tsuna-sama is not gone."

"What do you mean?" Mami blinked, surprised by how adamant he sounded.

"He's not." Gokudera reiterated without further clarification. Instead, his unwavering gaze moved towards a miserable Lambo perched on Ooyama's shoulder. "Lambo."

"... he's not?" Lambo has been trying very hard not to cry because it would only make the situation worse. He was, after all, not the average seven-year-old child. He could cry, he could throw a tantrum, but that's only because he knew it was alright to do so and that he has the luxury to do so.

"No," Gokudera answered, gently ruffling the child's hair. "He'll be back so stay strong Lambo, I'll be counting on you to lead the way and take care of Juudaime."

Lambo stared straight into Gokudera's eyes as if searching for any hint of a lie, only to find the rare signs of sincere honesty and comfort instead. Peculiarly, that put Lambo at ease. He slowly but adamantly nodded his head, "... En!"

For once, Lambo wholeheartedly put his trust in Gokudera's words (but just this once). Then hesitantly, his small hands balled into fists as a way to motivate himself. "Be careful... G-Gokudera-nii."

The Storm's lips cracked into a grin.

Just as he was about to leave—

"Wait," Mami called out all of a sudden. "Let Julie and Kaoru go with you."

"Mami?" Suzuki voiced for everyone's puzzlement.

Mami looked from the group towards Gokudera, eyes firmed with a smile on her face. "En-nii told me we're friends as well as allies of Vongola. We can't let Vongola fight their own battles as long as the Simons are still standing."

Gokudera was momentarily surprised at the determination in Mami's voice and was about to scoff when Mami cut him off. "Don't look down at us just because we're small in numbers, we're stronger than we look." She turned toward her family. "Right everyone?"

"..." Kato Julie blinked before letting out a chuckle, then ruffled Mami's head fondly while the remaining Simon members smiled. "We hear you loud and clear, princess."

"Julie!"

"Let's go Kaoru," Ignoring the complaint from the girl, Kato headed towards Gokudera. "You guys better take care of Mami while we're gone, Enma will have our heads otherwise. You know I can't stand that look he gives us."

"I don't need you telling me that!" Suzuki retorted back with a glare.

"I don't remember agreeing—"

"Oh c'mon, don't be such a stick in the mud," Kato swung an arm over Gokuera's shoulder, cutting the latter's refusal off and dragging him away. "I haven't had a chance to stretch my muscles for a while now, so this is good timing!"

"Good timing my—get your hands off of me!"

Mami quietly watched as the trio left her line of sight, the smile on her lips wavered and gradually thinned into a line.

Vongola was their ally, that much Mami knew, but more than that, they were friends. She hasn't known the Vongola for very long, but she liked the pleasant atmosphere of hanging out with everyone. So even if they weren't allies, Mami wasn't willing to leave Vongola to fight for themselves.

Besides, if she can't avoid the fights, then join them. Her brother would most definitely agree with her if he hasn't already gotten his hands dirty.

Still, Mami looked worriedly at the unconscious Ienari, she wasn't sure how much of a help she can be without messing things up.

She ultimately sighed, "Let's go."


There's a reason why Enma accepted that he wasn't smart by nature. Because thinking can get complicated which meant situations can get even more complicated.

He didn't want to think complicatedly, because it usually entailed headaches and frustrating knots in his chest when he couldn't find a solution that he desperately needed. He would rather be that one high school dropout that spends his life behind a cash register at some small liquor store in town, where only food and rent would be the only issues he needed to worry about.

Success was for those with ambitions (and Enma did not have those ambitions).

Unfortunately, Lady Fate decided that his life story would be too boring if it was written too simply like that, which was why he hated lemons. There were too many being thrown at him in life and he wasn't particularly fond of lemonade anymore. Especially after associating himself, unfortunately, with the one living organism known as Sawada Tsunayoshi of all things.

"Lemonades should be obsolete," Enma mumbled to himself.

"What?" Lal tore her attention away from the unnatural phenomenon of an oddly twisted upturned earth that somehow was the aftermath of a downward pull of gravity—and Lal still couldn't quite wrap her head around the 'how' part.

"What do you think of lemon pudding?"

"..." Enma's serious digression earned a strange look from Lal that subtly asked if he was still right in the head.

"I mean," Enma sweatdropped, finally coming about from his ponder about life. "What should we do now?"

"You're asking me?" The infant raised a brow, her shotgun pointing at a couple dozen terrorized mafiosi lying under the Vindice's watch to their right. "Not my—or Vindice's work of art this time."

The corner of Enma's mouth twitched, the obvious message of not-my-damn-problem written on the combatant's infant face was clearer than the sky itself. Albeit admittedly, he maybe-kinda-sorta let his anger get the best of him so he didn't exactly get to finish interrogating what's-his-face before deciding to give a lesson in how to break physics.

"Showoffs these days," Lal tutted just to make another jab.

"... Oi—" Enma very much wanted to defend himself on that point but then paused, relenting with a frustrated sigh. He ran a hand through his hair as if that could alleviate the level of stress he was feeling. "What's your take on moving?"

"... pardon?" Lal raised a brow, the boy was making too many sharp turns in the conversation that she gave up following along.

"Well," Enma gesticulated with his hand. "The best solution is always the simplest."

"Simple?" Lal catching on quickly but didn't quite understand what part of the idea was 'simple'. "But this has been Vongla ground since its founding time." It would definitely put an unerasable scar in everyone's hearts if the very foundation of Vongola were to be completely annihilated...

Enma chuckled all of a sudden. He finally understood why people say 'history is written by the victors'. Then again, who's to say it wasn't all just a game of chess? (And for the record, Enma hates chess.)

"I know of a quaint little place in southern Italy that would be perfect for a new headquarter."

"We're short on time."

"When are we ever not short of that?" Enma retorted with an edge that he didn't mean to add. "What else do you suggest about the few dozen or so deadly explosives buried under and the incoming missiles from above? Stop them? How? They obviously decided to obliterate Vongola's existence completely from the get-go. The entire commotion in there is nothing but a hoax to disguise what they're really trying to do—and they're sacrificing their own to achieve it!"

"..."

"And I thought our screws were loose enough!" Enma glowered in the direction of the tied-up mafioso as if he was going to beat them to a pulp—again—any second now.

Lal raised a brow.

Enma blinked, cooling his head to realize what he had just admitted. He restrained himself from facepalming and continued as if he hadn't admitted a little too truthfully about the number of bats in his belfry. (There were no bats. There weren't. Really.) "I'll go get Bermuda."

"Kozato." Lal called after the teen.

The latter looked over his shoulder, waiting for her to continue.

"You're trying your best, that's all that matters."

Enma mustered a bland smile, despite his chest warming with the comfort. "Thanks." Sometimes though, he wished he could do better.

.

.

.

"So... what do you think?"

Under the bandages, Bermuda von Veckenschtein stared at the lad as if he was off his rocker. Otherwise, why would Enma even bring up the topic of teleporting the entire Vongola estate and everyone in it about 1,400 kilometers down south of Italy? "I believe you have misunderstood something."

"Hm?"

"My warp holes only have enough power for short-distance travel of a relatively small mass in one instance."

"..."

"Large scale transportation instances are impossible."

"But..." Enma tried to argue for his position. Groundlessly. "If you just think about it—y'know, just keep trying, just keep pushing and you'll eventually achieve the impossible."

Bermuda stared.

"Right? Like how if you work fast enough, a day can equate to two days. If you work even faster, it'll turn into four—and if you work fast enough, you'll have unlimited time on your hands!" Enma made it sound like it should be a piece of cake that anything was possible if one were to push hard enough. Because he and Tsuna was the perfect exemplar of that. They thought it was impossible for them to become stronger, to acquire the skills to become mafia bosses in the scant time they were given, but look where they ended up after being pushed to their limits time and time again? (And that was while fighting for their lives several times over.)

There was a long, pin-drop silence wherein the Vindice head attempted to process the credibility of the flawed not-logic and its origin.

"... Reborn taught you that, didn't he?" It came out more as a statement than a guess, but Bermuda hit the nail on the head in one shot.

"Well..." Enma shied away when he realized that he sounded more ludicrous than convincing. "I mean, it technically can work...? That's where Dying Will flames come from, right?"

Bermuda was on the brink of throwing his top hat to the ground. While it may be true that Dying Will Flames may manifest when one is pushed beyond the limits but in hindsight, the very essence of Dying Will derives from one's resolve —not from trying to make the impossible possible. That very resolve, pure and unrestrained to its very core, borne the flames that they need to achieve new heights. How can the lad forget even that basic concept?

His opinion of Enma has just crashed like a landslide from a young, promising mafioso down to a serious nutcase. What was that saying he heard people say? "It's always the quiet ones"? Quite frankly, he agrees. The loons on the extreme end of the spectrum were those who can be subtle about their idiosyncrasies.

(Being from a parallel world was not warrant their frame of mind either.)

The boy was, Bermuda decided, one of those "quiet ones" for even making a connection between magic and natural science when the two shouldn't equate in the first place. It was like saying if you fall off a cliff enough times (and without dying the first time around), you'll eventually learn to fly like how the baby eagles did—which was technically true if Dying Will flames were involved but that was beside the point. (Then again, considering that there were too many individuals in the mafia who can fly—Bermuda himself included—this argument seemed a little weak and hypocritical... and Bermuda was starting to lean more towards the other side while trying to convince himself otherwise.)

"So... that's a no then...?"

Bermuda did not deign to utter another word this time because, evidently, the lad's unorthodox views were rubbing off and he did not want to start questioning his own existence.

"Okay..." Enma pondered slowly, a eureka moment spawning. "Then do you at least know the physics involved in creating a massive wormhole?"

"Pardon?" Bermuda spun around, nearly getting a whiplash. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"I mean," The seriousness of Enma's expression told the Vindice head that he wasn't just about to make some nonsensical wisecrack. "Wormholes are just distorted space right, like a black hole? Black holes are easy - just need to make sure they aren't created with my body as the medium again. If I were able to recreate the right level of condensed distortion with my Earth flames and connect point A to point B—wait, Bermuda, where are you going?"

Enma's line of sight followed as Bermuda makes his disappearance. "I'm being serious here!"

Bermuda was absolutely done the moment the lad mentioned the unsettling detail of blackholes inside his body (and to think, Enma was still alive after using his body to host a celestial body... does he not develop any sort of PTSD after that?) It was one thing to have creativity but an entirely different matter to release the reins on an imagination run wild and astray in the wrong direction.

The teen was entertaining ideas of messing with the spacetime continuum (and sounded a little too ecstatic about it that he would fit in perfectly with the Vindice on their days off—which was why they don't have days off) by changing the very nature of his flames.

Even though Bermuda was not a physicist, he knew that wormholes involved both a space and time component—both of which were equally important variables in the equation. One will never know exactly where and when they'll end up through a wormhole, but at least they'll end up somewhere (no one ever had the opportunity to attempt such a dangerous concept but that was beside the point). Hence, the flaw in Enma's proposition was that his flames lacked the time element to even successfully conjure a wormhole, which meant that the expected outcome could only be black holes—and that doesn't get them anywhere besides a one-stop express ride toward certain death that wouldn't, by any means, be painless.

So he was not going to indulge Enma with his absurdities right now when he has more pressing matters to attend to. Like tracking down the culprit of Enma's dangerous ideas... or getting professional mental help for the lad before they all become victims of a failed experiment of spatial rifts. (The lad was definitely overdue for both a reality and sanity check.)

The fact that the redhead was revealing he was this much of a screwball spoke volumes about that one other lad.

(Idly, Bermuda was reconsidering whether or not it was a good idea to put all their hopes into Enma and Tsuna's hands.)

"Well, that was a waste of time," Enma grumbled to himself. "Maybe I should have just asked Shoichi and Spanner..."

(If Enma's failing test scores hadn't proven himself to have lower than average IQ, he might as well be considered a mad genius.)

.

.

.

Enma did exactly that.

"Hold on," Irie hated to burst people's bubbles but he had to stop Enma from sharing his more than a tad bit complicated hypothesis. There were too many holes that involved crossing into String theory and quantum mechanics territory and Irie wasn't exactly willing to cover them. "Why not have Bermuda-san send the underground explosives away while you crush the missiles with black holes?"

"..."

"..."

Enma and the engineers-slash-scientists had a stare-off.

"There are easier and less complex methods to prevent a nuclear disaster," Spanner finally pitched in his two cents. "And it doesn't involve tempting the spacetime continuum."

"... You don't say." Enma... Enma still kind of want to try the wormhole idea. (Y'know, since Tsuna created all of those cool moves that were now part of his arsenal, Enma thought he should be due for some upgrades as well.

On a side note, Enma was not jealous.)

Lal was not amused.

(Enma learned that it was easier to leave the scientists and engineers to do the problem-solving, apparently.)


"Onii-san..."

He heard the sobbing of a child in the abyss that was trapped in and wondered why it sounded so dreadfully familiar to his ears that made his stomach churn uncomfortable.

"Nari... kun..."

Who's there? He looked around, only to see the scene of a young child crawling in a pool of blood, tendrils of brilliant orange flames spread and roared around him protectively yet helplessly as though it was aware of the child's critical condition yet couldn't do anything about it.

The child appeared to be looking in his direction and it was only then that he noticed the ghastly cut on the child's face as if someone took a crude knife and hacked it across his face. The angle of the cut cost the child his eyes.

The child was blind yet he seemed to be aware of his presence because he was now reaching out a shaky hand toward him, face scrunched in worry under the dripping blood.

His body immediately froze under the concern he was displaying. Why? Why was he worried about someone else when he's about to—

"Nari..." The child's voice was getting weaker by the second.

Nari? Was that... his name? He tried to move, speak, anything that could return the call of the child. He didn't like the panic rising inside his chest at the sight of the child nor the chill running down his spine as his blood turned cold.

Do something! He thought desperately.

"O-onii-san..." His lips moved without his control, startling him, but the response brought a smile upon the child's bloodied face.

His heart clenched painfully. A sense of deja vu washed over him because he knew what was coming next as if he had experienced it before.

"Nari-kun..." The child fell to the ground, hand still reaching in his direction as he spoke his last. "... live."

A dam in him broke and waves of emotions—feardespairgrieveregret—overcame him like an unforgiving tidal wave.

"AHHHH—!" He screamed, clutching his head in pain but it didn't help any when he keeled over when it became too much. What was happening to him? Why... why does it hurt so much? Why was the child so familiar? Why couldn't I save him? whywhyWHY?! W h Y ? !—

"Nari-kun, wake up!"

Said boy gasped, eyes fluttered open at the childish voice. A... dream...?

"Nari-kun? You're not sick are you?" A warm hand was pressed against his forehead. "You're not hot. Or cold. Oh wait, I would need a thermometer to check properly."

"I..." The other feebly turned his head and met with a pair of concerned brown eyes. The child, appearing no older than nine, was a carbon copy of the one from his dream—except he was alive. Alive and breathing.

"O-onii-san..." His mouth involuntarily opened, voice coming out coarse like he was deprived of water for longer than necessary.

"What's wrong, Nari-kun?" The child panicked, his hand lowering from the other's forehead to his cheek. "You're crying..."

"I... am?"

"Un!" The child confirmed with a nod. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"... yeah." He wiped the tears streaming down his cheeks with his hands, then pushed himself up and looked around. They were both on the lower level of a bunk bed. The walls were plastered with posters of robots and hand-drawn pictures. Action figures, books, and toy cars splayed out in several areas of the room, on top of desks, drawers, shelves, as well as the floor. It was as typical of a room that an elementary school kid could have.

He looked down at himself, finding that he has shrunk in size. Is this me?

"Where... am I?"

The child gave him a queer look, a mix between worry and incredulity. "Are nightmares supposed to make you forget your own room?"

"My room?"

"Well, actually," The child corrected sheepishly. "It's our room—Nari-kun, are you sure you're okay?"

"Is that my name?"

"..." The child paused, looking over the other again before speaking tentatively. "Do you know who I am?"

"Onii-san." was the immediate reply (it was on reflex).

"Right," The child continued, again, tentatively. "What... about my name?"

"...Tsuna..." His brows knitted together, putting in more effort for an answer to pop into his head this time. "Sawada... Tsunayoshi..."

"At least you didn't forget everything," Tsunayoshi smiled in relief. "I guess you're still a little fuzzy from that nightmare, huh."

"... Mm." He answered, though embarrassed about this predicament. "I... I still can't remember my name..."

"You are Sawada Ienari," Tsunayoshi looked over him again, eyes beaming with fondness. "My little brother!"

.

.

.

"Nari-kun, aren't you bored?" Tsunayoshi asked as he flopped over on the couch. Both of them were watching a re-run of a Teen Giants cartoon season after sorting out Ienari's memory problem and eating breakfast—for a couple of hours now.

"Not really," Ienari answered, his attention turning from the television to his older twin. "I—" He scratched his cheek sheepishly "—I kind of enjoy the rare moment of peace."

"Peace?" Tsunayoshi sat back up, tilting his head. "You didn't get in trouble at school yesterday—I would know since we're in the same class. What peace are you talking about?"

"The—" Ienari paused, mind going blank when he tried to recall what he was referring to. "Eh? Why can't I remember what it was?"

"..." Tsunayoshi wore a strange look for a brief moment before sighing and casting his brother an exasperated look. "You're so out of it today, Nari-kun."

"I guess..."

"You're not as energetic as usual too."

"Ah?" Ienari blinked, turning tentatively towards his brother. "Am I... usually ...?"

"Like a bouncy soccer ball," Tsunayoshi analogized, his eyes then sparked with an idea. "I know, let's go outside to get some fresh air!"

"What, no!" Ienari, oddly enough, refused vehemently.

"And why not?"

"You'll get sick!"

"... Nari-kun, I rarely get sick," The corner of Tsunayoshi's lips twitched. "What did I do to make you think I'm so weak?"

"But..." The blonde stumbled over his own words, trying to explain himself yet again. He tried to recall the last time his brother had gotten sick, only to realize he couldn't. His brother... doesn't seem to be as fragile as he should—should...? "But you—are you sure?"

"As sure as Kaa-san's delicious baked cookies."

"... o-okay...?" Ienari acquiesced but was still a little wary about going outside. There was this uneasy feeling whenever it was mentioned. It was as if... as if he'll lose Tsunayoshi if they went outside—

Fragments of something started flickering into existence in his head.

—Maybe it wasn't a good idea after all.

"Great! Let's go to the playground!"

"Wait—" Before he could make another protest, Tsunayoshi grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out the door.

.

.

.

Ienari was high strung the entire time Tsunayoshi guided them to the Naminori playground, only relaxing slightly once they arrived.

"It's not like a monster is going to jump out and kidnap us," Tsunayoshi jested, leading them to a slide.

"There are other things scarier than monsters," Ienari grumbled indignantly in defense.

"What can be scarier than monsters?" Tsunayoshi looked back down as he climbed the rope ladder up to reach the spiral slide. "Are you coming up?"

"I'll wait for you at the bottom," Ienari answered with a shake of his head.

"..." Tsunayoshi gave his brother a long, hard stare before pulling another smile on his face. "Wait for me then."

Ienari quietly watched as Tsunayoshi climbed higher and higher—

Strange yet familiar images flashed before his eyes, of an older self, of people he knew-yet-not, of an older... Tsunayoshi...?

No, he's —

"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna."

—"Tsuna...?" He held his head in his hands when his head started to hurt. What was happening to him?

"Nari-kun?"

The pain subsided when Tsunayoshi called his name but the images were still hauntingly vivid in his mind. Were those... his memories...? But that's impossible, he's only nine—

"Nari-kun!"

"What is it Onii—"

OOF!

—Ienari was immediately tackled down by a brown blur that just slid down from a slipper slide at full force. He winced from impact to the ground, temporarily forgetting his crisis, and directed a glare at the culprit. "Onii-san, what are you—"

"I'm the tickle monster!" Tsunayoshi cut him off, hands searching and targeting Ienari's sensitive spots.

"Pfft—" Ienari couldn't keep up the glare under Tsunayoshi's abuse. "—S-stop—Ahaha—I-I can't—AHAHAHA!"

"This is what you get for spacing out!"

"That's unfair!" Ienari found an opening and lunged at his brother, pushing the latter to the ground to get his revenge. "Now it's my turn!"

"Hey—pfft—AHAHAHA!"

The twins descended into wrestling with each other playfully for a couple of minutes before both of them flopped to the ground in tired laughs.

Both of them stared at the clear blue sky, relishing in the tranquil silence for a moment before Tsunayoshi turn his head to the left. "Feel better?"

"..."

"Nari-kun."

"I..."

"Close your eyes, Nari-kun."

Ienari did as he was told, waiting patiently for his brother to continue.

"Feel your surrounding."

And Ienari allowed his senses to interact with the surrounding. There was a soft breeze brushing against his hair while warmth came from the sun, showing every part of his body. The birds tweeted and the squirrels squeaked, the sounds mingling together that wasn't melodic but it didn't grate against the ears. The scent from grass and flowers and trees and everything that was nature wafted into his nose and refreshed his lungs.

It was... calming to say the very least. The exact respite he needed.

"Remember this feeling, Nari-kun."

Ienari opened his eyes back up, finally turning his head in Tsunayoshi's direction. "Onii-san?"

"The next time you're feeling distressed, remember this feeling."

"..." Ienari pursed his lips, eyes shadowed. He felt a weight on his chest as Tsunayoshi's words settled in his ears. It implied a lot of things, all of which he wasn't willing to accept because he liked it here, where he was at peace and free from worry. Couldn't he just—

"Running away doesn't solve anything, Nari-kun," Tsunayoshi said softly as if reading his mind.

"I'm not running away." Ienari made a futile attempt to deny it. He just didn't want to admit that he was.

"You are," Tsunayoshi huffed with a roll of his eyes, bursting his bubble without a second thought. "Why else would you be here?"

"..." Why am I here exactly? Ienari wondered idly. Perhaps he was just too tired from the entire mafia ordeal, never getting a day's rest with all the training and the dangers that accompanied it. Never tried to make a connection with the ones by his side because he was afraid. Never paid them enough attention because of his own self-deception when everyone else might be having the same problem. He should've observed more, he should've cared more, he should've opened up more.

"Nari-kun—"

"I..." Ienari abruptly interjected Tsunayoshi, eyes shut as he took a deep breath. There were so many things he wished were different—his life, his friends, his family, Tsunayoshi—but they weren't. He tried to amends for the things he overlooked, but it wasn't enough. He still wasn't strong enough to change the outcome. "How can I become stronger, Onii-san?"

"Stronger?"

"Because I couldn't protect those I cared about," Ienari closed his eyes, bracing himself for what he was about to say next because it was difficult admitting the truth. (It always is and always will be difficult to speak the truth.) "I couldn't save you or him and- and it's all my fault."

"..."

"There was this person I've met recently, Onii-san," Once he let those words escape, Ienari found it easier to continue. He felt the urge to share his stories with Tsunayoshi, like how he did so many times when they were little. "He's...really strong and mature despite his age. He can talk on equal terms with that sadistic tutor of mine and win against Hibari. He pulled me out of my mental slump and taught me a lot of things—like how to calm down, how to open up to my friends, how it was okay to rely on someone else, how to be a better person. He's... he's just like you, Onii-san. Just like the great brother you would've become if you—" His eyes lowered, tone of voice lulled "—if you... were only given the chance..."

"... I'd have liked to meet him," Tsunayoshi murmured wistfully.

"You two will hit it off at the bat," Ienari chuckled, though it was a stark contrast to his forlorn gaze. "But... I wasn't able to save him, Onii-san. He—he's—" His voice decayed into a quiver as tears started forming in the corner of his eyes. "—I-I couldn't react fast enough. What use was all of those training when I couldn't even put it to use?"

He felt a hand on his cheek and realized that Tsunayoshi was now sitting by his side, rubbing his tears away. "But Nari-kun is strong."

"I'm not."

"You have a strong desire," Tsunayoshi insisted. "Can't you see from the world you created? From me?"

"..."

"This world was created as a safety net," Tsunayoshi lifted his gaze up to the sky, gracing it with a knowing smile. "A rest stop, if you will, because deep down, you didn't want to give up."

"... I don't get it."

"You're here to recover from a mental breakdown," Tsunayoshi summarized in short because he didn't want to go into the technicalities. That would be complicated and they didn't have time for that. "You want to get better, to make a difference, to get back up. That very determination sparked life in this place—in me." He paused, laughing lightly. "You should know by now that I'm just a sentient being your desire manifested from memory, Nari-kun—A Tsunayoshi full of life and free of illnesses."

"Just a sentient being" Ienari reiterated with a forlorn look. "If only..."

"There are no if's," Tsunayoshi chided, knocking Ienari lightly on the forehead to bring him back. "You have to come to terms with it."

"It's hard."

"Whining gets you nowhere," Tsunayoshi rolled his eyes. "Now go and put this desire of yours into good use."

"..." Ienari silently allowed his brother to pull him up, something else on his mind. "What about you?"

"Me?" Tsunayoshi blinked, nonplussed.

"If I - If I were to leave this place—" He hesitated "—where would you go?"

The other pondered for a bit before giving a shrug. "Disappear, I suppose."

"... Onii-san," The blonde hissed, regretting asking the question in the first place. "How can you be so... so laid-back about your own existence?"

"I'm not finished," Tsunayoshi huffed exasperatedly, pressing a hand against Ienari's chest. "But I'll be in here like I've always been."

Ienari stared owlishly at the spot where his brother's hand was pressed against his heart. He couldn't help but laugh and comment, "That's cheesy."

"You asked," The brunet rolled his eyes once more, retracting his arm. "I'm telling you to accept things as they are, not to forget about them. That's just being a heartless jerk." He paused, looking up because Ienari has grown in size without the latter realizing it. "You shouldn't keep them waiting."

The blonde found himself back to his real age after getting the cue for Tsunayoshi, which was an interesting experience because he was now older than his older brother. "Them?"

"Your friends, Nari-kun," Tsunayoshi reminded. "They need their Sky."

"But I need you."

"I'm dead."

"... you just had to ruin the moment, didn't you," Ienari deadpanned, arms folded, but he found himself accepting the truth easier than the previous times.

Tsunayoshi mirrored him. "It's called a reality check."

The blonde wanted to defend his point but Tsunayoshi didn't allow it when he started pushing him.

"Hey—!"

"Like I said before, Nari-kun, I'm right there by your side - forever and always," Tsunayoshi, now a few feet away, encouraged with a reassuring smile. "It's okay to look back, but that shouldn't stop you from moving forward."

"..." Ienari slowly return the gesture with one of his own, tears in his eyes again. His brother was right. He was too hung out over the past, too afraid to take that first real step forward even when he tried. "Okay."

"Find your resolve," Tsunayoshi broke into a grin. "And live, Nari-kun. Don't give up so easily."

"I won't!"

Ienari watched as Namimori slowly faded into darkness, as Tsunayoshi waved his last goodbye. This time, he felt not pain but gratitude because he knows now. His brother will always be remembered in his heart and he'll make him proud with the choices he will make in life.

.

.

.

Ienari woke up to unexpected the sound of desperate pleading. He was expecting chaos since—

Kill him.

What? There was a man suddenly before him, begging for his life."Please give me a chance! If I die... my child and my wife...!"

"Wait—"

"GUAH!" Blood was spilled before Ienari could finish, and the man lay motionlessly in his own blood.

"I—"

Revenge.

He was not given the time to dwell on what was happening when the scene switched all of a sudden, to that of a burning estate filled with screams of despair and cries for help.

"Someone, please save us!"

"HELP!"

"Firemake it stop make it STOP AAHHHHH!"

"Hold on—" What's going on?!

Ambush.

The scenery switched once more without waiting for Iernari to finish again, then he was greeted with a crossfire.

"Mama, where are you?"

"Watch out!" He tried to pull the innocent child away from the rain of bullets, but he wasn't fast enough. The child now lay lifelessly on the group, blood oozing from his forehead with hollow eyes faced in his direction.

Murder.

The scenery switched yet again. This time Ienari saw a family of four getting into a car, seemingly discussing their trip to the amusement park.

"Don't get on" He tried to stop the family, getting the feeling that there was something wrong. But they didn't pay any attention to him. Or rather, they couldn't see him.

The car didn't drive very far before it suddenly exploded into flames, sending its passengers to their doom.

Eradicate.

The scene faded into darkness this time, with nothing but screams of pain and shrieks of terror after the sounds of gunfire going off.

"My eyes! MY EYES!"

"Please, don't kill—"

"GAH!"

"AH!"

"NO—"

"Enough!" Ienari covered his ears, not wanting to hear any more of this. "Make it stop, please, MAKE IT STOP...!"

.

.

.

You shouldn't resist it?

"Who's there?!"

Didn't you want to get stronger?

"Who are you and what is the meaning of this?!"

What you are seeing are the past sins of Vongola. There seemed to be an underlying smile in that omnipresent voice. Murder. Revenge. Betrayal. An insatiable thirst for power... this is the blood-stained history of the Vongola mafia.

"Sins... of Vongola?" Ienari blinked in confusion. Why does that sound so familiar?

Ienari Sawada, as the holder of the Sky Vongola ring, do you really have the resolution... to inherit these past sins?

Ienari's eyes widened, the connection clicking into place in his mind. Right, he was about to officially be titled Vongola Decimo. He and his guardians were about the complete the inheritance ceremony when—"Onii!"

Now that he was in a calmer state, with a healthier mindset, Ienari replayed the events over and over again in his head because he finally found something off about it. That faint thrumming in his head told him so, now that he was able to think more clearly.

The telltale signs of Mist flames brought a wave of relief washing over him. It was an illusion. The dead body was just an illusion created by Mist flames.

...Thank god.

Ienari wanted to laugh out loud if he was acutely aware that he hasn't returned to planet Earth and there were those voices waiting for an answer.

"What do you mean by 'inherit these past sins?'" Ienari now raised the question, frowning in confusion. "Haven't I already done that in the ceremony?"

That's merely a metaphorical symbol. There came a chuckle. Do you really think accepting a vial of blood was enough to succeed the title of Vongola?

"... Makes sense," Ienari hesitated, lips pursed. "Then... do I get stronger if I accept the sins?"

Yes, if it's great power you want, you must also have the resolution to inherit our great history.

"Ah—!" Screams of agony and despair haunted Ienari's ears once more, causing him to lean over from the huge migraine. "No... Stop it! STOP IT!"

... Maybe he was just a little in over his head to think he could accept this kind of bloody history, to think he would be walking on this path in the future after just telling Tsunayoshi that he wanted to protect those he cared about

But if this was what it took get become stronger, then maybe

"... Don't give up so easily."

—Right, this... this wasn't what he wanted. What he wanted was—

Do not turn your eyes away. This is the destiny of the successor to the Vongola. This is the purpose of the life you were given. This is the price we must pay for the power we wish for.

"Is there..." Ienari grimaced, struggling to keep his voice even as the screams mitigated. "Is there... no other way...?"

... There was a moment of silence before another voice spoke, one that sounded slightly warmer and more encouraging to him. Accept if you will, refuse if you want... the path is yours to take.

The answer seemed to have bolstered Ienari enough confidence to make his choice. "Then... then I refuse!"

"If that's what I must do in order to get stronger, then..." Ienari's brown eyes sparkled with a conviction he hadn't had before. "I don't need this kind of power! I refuse to rely on a power obtained through throwing away my own humanity, I'll get stronger in my own way!"

...

"You hear me?" Ienari looked up to where he thought the voices were. What he wanted, what he desired was—"I WILL TAKE DESTINY INTO MY OWN HANDS AND PAVE OUT A NEW PATH FOR VONGOLA!"

...

Ienari frowned when there was no more response. "Hello?" He reached out a hand, only for it to touch something—or someone's hand.

He blinked, confused when the figure that he recognized as his Vongola Nono appeared before him. "G-grandpa...?"

Said elder smiled affectionately, subsequently offering a hand toward Ienari. Despite the questions in his mind, Ienari still complied with his grandfather's wishes.

The moment Ienari placed his hand on top of his, Sky flames splashed into existence. The abyss lit up, revealing the remaining seven individuals that had been hiding in the dark. Theyflanked the left and right sides of the Vongola emblem glowing brightly in the center of the room. Their Sky flames light up one by one, brightening the room even more and allowing Ienari to get a clear view of their faces.

"Grandpa..." Ienari breathed slowly upon recognition. "Aren't they..."

His words were lost as Vongolo Non stepped aside and returned to his position, revealing the golden throne that has been hidden from Ienari's vision. There was someone sitting upon that throne, appearing much younger than the other Vongola heads in this room with untamed fluff of golden blonde hair sticking out defiantly in all directions that were a stark contrast against his neat black attire. A glistening ember of Sky flames alit over his forehead and eyes a deep shade of amber to match.

"You are...?" He reminded Ienari of—

"Your resolution," The man on the throne spoke and Ienari recognized the tranquil voice as the last one that he had heard before speaking his resolve. "Has been heard."

"What... is this...?" Ienari stared blankly.

"..." There was momentary silence where the man contemplated the younger blonde thoughtfully, enough to unnerve Ienari, which was then followed by a soft sigh. One that made Ienari cringed with a strange feeling of guilt because he had somehow disappointed the man like that of a child getting in trouble with his parent—which was odd.

"You're swayed too easily but your heart is in the right place," The man pushed himself up from his seat and approached Ienari in a steady gait that spoke of regal grace and prominence. He stopped just a few feet apart from the younger blonde, gloved hand finally alighting with defiantly bright Sky flames against his chest and revealing that he was indeed the Vongola Primo from Vongola's history books. "Your resolve has been unequivocally accepted."

"Ah..." Ienari blinked, resisting the urge to pinch himself in case he was dreaming. Was he? "I—what—"

"Our hour has been engraved on the Ring, for our blood sings true. Keeper of the Vongola Sky Ring, the path of the next generation..." The Founder directed a barely noticeable smile in Ienari's direction. "Shall be yours to decide."

Sky flames roared and flared, blinding Ienari's sight but he could still hear Vongola Primo's voice echoing into his ears.

"To flourish or to perish, do as you wish... Vongola Decimo."


My vocabulary has deteriorated considerably now that I think about how many times I had to google for the right word or phrase. Lol.

But anyways, character development... I think. Gosh, Ienari's was pretty tough without making it too... complicated (it's already complicated enough).

It gets harder when I tried to transition into the succession because yes, Ienari's panic attack was severe enough to initiate one (I mean, he's passed out from it so that counts right? Right.) And yes, I'm copying the succession from the manga almost word for word. Very unoriginal, so what? Bite me. (Tbh, I was this close to taking one of them off because I couldn't get it right.)

Enma attempting some new—dangerous—techniques while Bermuda is making the final struggle to stand his ground on whatever common sense the mafia has left.

Also, forgive me if I'm misunderstanding that chapter where Enma created a black hole within himself. My impression, for all these years (and stubborn as I am), was that the out-of-control black hole was created in Enma's body. Besides, Wiki said the black hole was "in front" of Enma but the art in the manga hardly proved to be convincing.

Lastly, it's been, what, nearly 2 years? I apologize for my unannounced hiatus but thanks to those who has been putting up with me... and no, I can't promise anything about the wait time for the next update ( ̄  ̄|| ) (- hides under a rock -)

P.S.

I need a new season/arc of Katekyo Hitman Reborn to revitalize me * ^ *