OpalescentGold: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Reprisal

This is how the Sky defends.

Watch

Tsuna doesn't know who this old man really is, what he wants, or how powerful is. (When a baby can stomp all over you, you stop noticing things like age and appearance.) That doesn't stop him from asking, "Why are you here?"

"Hold out your hand."

A golden pocket watch is dropped onto Tsuna's palm. He recognizes the Vongola crest, but there are cracks in the design, stretching out from a single point where the top of the watch was pierced through, splintering the emblem.

"What is this?" he questions, uneasy even before the old man replies.

"That is the reason Lady Cynthia is still breathing," Talbot tells him. "She was wearing that watch when Lord Daemon attacked her. Without it, that scythe would have torn through her heart."

Tsuna flinches back, hand tightening instinctively over the watch. A shiver runs down his spine, and the only reason he doesn't freak out once more is the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

"Who are you?" he asks, sharp and hard.

"I am the Vongola's metal craftsman." Talbot smiles toothily. "Been with them since Primo's time. Why don't you open that watch, Tenth?"

Tsuna hesitates but a nudge from his Intuition prompts him to obey. The bottom half holds the two hands of a time keeper, but the top...the top...is a picture. His ancestor's eyes smile at him.

"It's...the Primo Famiglia," he murmurs, struck by how happy they all seem to be. After he gets past Giotto, Tsuna immediately notices Daemon standing next to a beautiful blonde, and beside her stands an all-too-familiar woman.

She looks different, he thinks blearily. Her hair is long and pink, her eyes are pale silver, and she wears a Greek-styled white gown similar to the Noriko in the future that doesn't exist anymore. But he knows that smile and -

"Cynthia?" The name comes hesitantly to his tongue.

"Lovely, no?" Talbot laughs fondly. "Such a bright light, Cynthia was. And Reiki Noriko still is."

Tsuna shakes his head a little, still trying to wrap his mind around this whole reincarnation business. He looks down at the picture again. "Who's the other woman?" He thinks he knows, but it's a bad conclusion and he hopes he's wrong.

"Lady Elena." Talbot sighs, sadly this time. "Lady Cynthia's adopted sister...and Lord Daemon's lover."

Tsuna's heart drops. "Oh." He recalls the accusations Noriko and Daemon flung at each other, that mysterious 'her' who drove both of their actions. "Something happened to her, didn't it?"

"Yes. And Lord Daemon never fully recovered. I suspect that Lady Cynthia never did either, but she hid it better."

Tsuna contemplates that for a long time. Talbot seems willing to wait, but then, someone of his age probably learned the value of patience a long time ago. The beeping of the machines grate on Tsuna's nerves but are paradoxically soothing, too.

Blood

Finally, Tsuna heaves a deep sigh, tired down to his bones. "What do I do?" he whispers helplessly.

Talbot chuckles, not unkindly. "What would you like to accomplish?"

"Daemon needs to be defeated," Tsuna says, because the pain in Noriko's eyes when she confronted her former friend is unacceptable. "But...I don't think I'm strong enough." He was useless during that last battle.

He doesn't want anyone else to get hurt. He won't let anyone else get hurt.

"Well, let's see what I have." Talbot draws his robe to the side with a flourish, revealing a multitude of strange items strapped to the inside. "Hmm. These are stones from the moon. This is Lævateinn's hilt. Ah, found it."

He plucks out two suspiciously familiar vials, both filled with a nauseating red liquid. "The blood of Vongola Primo, Penalty, and the blood of Simon Primo, Sin."

Tsuna jolts, eyes widening. "What!? Primo's blood? Sin? You've had it all long!?"

Talbot cackles. "Where did you think Lady Cynthia got that fake, Tenth? She asked me to create one for her and then gave me the real one for safe keeping."

Upgrade

"Now, if we succeed in using these, the power of the Vongola Rings and the power of the Simon Rings will increase dramatically," Talbot says. "But if we fail, the Simon Rings will crack, and the Vongola Rings will lose their spirits."

"Their spirits?"

"You wore the ring and yet you don't even know? Within powerful rings dwell spirits. With spirits they are able to feel." Talbot examines the vials critically, humming to himself. "What say you, Tenth?"

Tsuna hesitates. "With these, if we succeed, we'll be able to defeat Daemon?"

"You will have the power to do so, yes."

"Yes...for Penalty. For Sin..." Tsuna takes a deep breath and bites the bullet. "I'll need to talk to Enma-kun."

Vendetta

Reborn closes the door to the conference room behind Tsuna. Enma sits at the table, head lowered and gaze shadowed. Tsuna sits across from him and says, "Tell me. Help me understand."

Enma sighs and begins to talk. He tells them about the version of history the Simon were told. He tells them of Julie's odd behavior, what Daemon has done. He tells them of the Seven Flames of the Earth.

Tsuna listens closely, and when Enma is done, he replies, "I don't believe Primo would ever do anything like that, and I think Daemon was lying, but you'll have to ask Nori-chan when she wakes up. But for now..."

He holds out his hand. "Would you please help me defeat Daemon Spade?"

Enma blinks at him and only pauses for a few seconds. He takes Tsuna's hand. "Okay," he answers quietly.

Tsuna smiles.

In the darkness, Reborn's eyes gleam with proud satisfaction.