Chapter 2 - Gather

The roaring sound of a Harley-Davidson Sportster rumbled across the town of Namimori, earning side glances from the people it passed. The driver, his face covered by a red tinted helmet, couldn't care less about the complaints he would receive for driving so haphazardly.

"Faster, damn it!"

He revved the engine, shooting himself even faster.

'Tenth...'

Only two blocks more and-

Hayato Gokudera skidded to a halt arriving at the unmistakable house of his boss. It was a traditional two storey house.

The young man stepped off his bike and pulled out a small opened box. It had the intricate emblem of the Vongola family, he faced the opened side of the box in front of the motorcycle and the vehicle was stored inside the box weapon.

The motorcycle box were based on the motorcycles they actually had back when they traveled into the future. They were given by the Giglio Nero Family's boss, Uni, after the box technology was finally introduced to the present. It was a gift of gratitude for freeing the Arcobaleno's curse.

Gokudera went inside the gate, but not before noticing a dozen suited men standing across the lot. Unfazed, he walked towards them. One of the men tried to stop him but ceased once he recognized Gokudera without his helmet.

Upon closer observation, one of the men he did recognize.

Coyote Nougat stood guard by the doorstep, his face crunched up as if to clobber anyone that passes by. He turned to look at the approaching guardian.

"The tenth's storm..." His gaze pierced the young man.

It was well known by any of the cosa-nostra who follows the seven flame code that the storm guardian is the right hand man of the boss. It was a given when the boss is put in any danger, the right-hand would be the first to hold the line.

The young man before him knew it well.

Gokudera's face was resolute, that much is evident, but he was one who puts his heart on his sleeves. The young man's teeth were gnashed and his cheeks were flush.

"He's inside, along with the rain guardian." In the end, the old man sighed. Nougat saw too much of himself in the young man.

He stepped aside and let the tenth's storm guardian rush to his boss' aid.

Nana Sawada, or just Mama if you don't want her to chastise you for treating her as if her was older, was in the living room couch hugging the kids. Fuuta and Lambo were leaning their heads beside her while I-Pin was spread across her lap, they were all asleep.

"Mama..." Gokudera managed to croak out. But he couldn't say any more, any idiot could see her damp cheeks. Hell, they all were.

He noticed the stupid Cow was wearing his Vongola gear, he even had the ten-year bazooka laying on the floor.

'He must've thought of bringing his future self to help.' Hayato crouched down to the lightning guardian and wiped some snot off his nose.

"Lambo was the only one who's supposed to play the game, you know." Hayato heard a firm feminine voice from behind him. "He also thinks it was his fault the two got stuck."

He knew who it was, but he didn't try to look. It would've been the end of him if he did. "Bianchi?"

"Mama didn't put someone to blame." She hugged him from behind. "You couldn't have known, Hayato."

He nodded silently. Gokudera shook her off of him gently then went up the stairs. Upon arriving at Tsuna's room, Hayato's legs almost gave out.

"Madonna santa..." He exclaimed in italian.

The Vongola storm guardian was no slouch in combat, far from it in fact. But seeing his boss in such a hopeless state gave a titanic blow to his pride as a the boss' right-hand man. A title which Hayato never forsake for even a second.

Hayato was at his part time job from across the town when an urgent news spread across every station in the country.

"Removing the NerveGear from the user's head in any way would result in their immediate deaths. To any of the flame users that would try a valiant rescue to the players, please realize: I know of you."

The last statement was still ringing on his mind.

Hayato shook his head.

"Gokudera? Good, you're here."

It was Spanner! His blonde hair and green eyes were a dead giveaway, even more so alongside his green mechanic overalls.

He was currently hooking up wires to the Tenth and the baseball idiot's helmets. The wires connected to his laptop where he proceeded to tinker.

"How long have you-"

Riiiiing!

Hayato recognized the ring, it came from the Tenth's X-Headphones right beside spanner. The guardian took the headphones from its custom container.

"I've messaged Reborn earlier, that must be him." Spanner didn't bother to look over his shoulder as he spoke.

Gokudera nodded and answered the call.

Click!

A hologram of the baby in question came into view.

"Reborn-san, I-"

"Spare yourself, Gokudera." Reborn tipped his fedora. "I was the one who gave the copies of the game."

"But-"

"Don't make such a pathetic face." The infant chastised him. "It's not like we're completely hopeless here."

Hayato's eyes sharpened.

"Don't forget," Reborn nodded. "An attack to the boss like this-"

"...means war." The storm guardian upped some of his killing intent.

"Also..."

Hayato could hear a reverberating noise coming from outside getting louder and louder. 'A helicopter?'

"... I sent Shoichi Irie over. He should be able to get some contact on the inside."

Tsuna's room window opened and amazingly enough the man in question came inside as if on cue, holding a steel attaché. The redhead looked at them and gave sheepish smile. "I know, too flashy for an entrance."

"Shoichi should have the parcel." Reborn cut in.

Irie nodded and handed the case to Gokudera. He opened the case to find a CZ-75 pistol, and a dozen silver jacketed bullets. "These are-!"

"Rebuke Bullets," Reborn nodded. "You're holding onto that till I come back."

"Where are you at the moment?"

The baby turned, his face looking from a distance. "I'm with Lemitsu, the ninth mobilized the CEDEF."

Gokudera steeled himself. "I will assume command here, Mr. Reborn."

"Good man." The Arcobaleno actually managed to smile at his words. "Since the list of hostages were already relayed to the public. I'm assuming they'll already be coming to you."

Before Hayato could ask what the baby meant a loud noise clattered from outside. He went to see and found the rest of his boss' guardians. Ryohei Sasagawa and his sister was riding his Honda CBR while Chrome Dokuro was riding her own Ducati Street fighter with Haru Miura in tow.

Gokudera was then pushed aside by another man that entered the Sawada household via window. It was the Vongola tenth's cloud guardian, Kyoya Hibari.

He unceremoniously stepped closer to the Tenth and the Baseball Idiot. "They are still alive."

"Of course they are!" Ryohei barged into the room. "This may be a hard situation to be in, but Sawada and Yamamoto extremely have this in the bag!"

The cloud guardian twitched his eyelids. "You're loud."

"Shut it, lawn-head." Hayato groaned, he then turned to Hibari. "Of course they are, the tenth isn't that weak."

"What did the baby say about the situation?"

"He and the CEDEF mobilized, the Vongola is treating this as an act of war." Hayato supplied.

"I meant about freeing the two—"

Soichi shook his head. "Unless we can determine the lock Kayaba placed into these devices, I will not advice doing anything drastic."

Spanner nodded in agreement. "Besides, with his knowledge of the flame, who knows what other traps he has in his sleeves. He might have already noticed the Vongola's flame signature and paid special attention to them."

Hibari closed his eyes. "Two students of Namimori Middle held hostage, this is unforgivable."

There was a knock on the door, they all looked and found the tenth's mist guardian, Chrome Dokuro, stepping inside. "Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan are bellow, they accompanied Mama."

Hayato nodded. "Where's Mokuro?"

She shook her head. "He might not have heard the news yet."

"Even if he did, I don't think that guy would bother to come." Ryouhei added. "He's not that sentimental to the rest of us unlike you, Chrome."

She pondered his words, and found herself nodding in agreement.

"I'd rather have you as the official guardian, anyhow." Gokudera frowned. "If it wasn't for the Tenth's father, I'd have the freak give you back the Mist Earrings."

She became elated at his words.

"He wouldn't have given it without a fight." Hibari mused.

"I-in any event, h-how is the boss?" Chrome steered the topic.

Soichi waved to them. "Their vitals are well, nothing of note. Their flame levels are also—"

A surge of killing intent flooded the room, then a burst of hard sky flames flooded the area. Without thinking the guardians brought out their Vongola Gear, except Chrome who materialized her trident.

Spanner and Soichi were overwhelmed by the pressure, they almost fainted but was protected by translucent shields from Gokudera's Sistema C.A.I.

The guardians themselves were able to handle the pressure. They lowered their weapons, however, when they realized the flames came from Tsuna himself.

"Boss..." Chrome panted. The only time she saw her boss' unbridled fury was when he fought Daemon Spade, even then it wasn't as intense compared now.

"He's extremely pissed." Ryohei laughed dryly.

"Tenth..."

"Wow." They heard Hibari mutter. "The little degenerate hasn't become boring yet."

"I'm currently looking over the reports here." Soichi scrolled over his laptop. "Apparently Kayaba had just announced the event to the players themselves."

"How come we were told way earlier than them?" Gokudera was puzzled.

"It doesn't matter." Hibari stepped outside the window. "What matters is the degenerates are now notified by the situation."

He turned back to give a last look at the ones laying on the bed. "And by the looks of it, they aren't taking the news well."

Hibari gave a light chuckle and jumped across the street, into the house on the opposite side.

The remaining guardians looked among themselves and nodded in agreement. Kyoya was right, the circumstance wasn't the same. But the threat was all too familiar, the tenth generation vongola family was again unwillingly pulled into another battle.

But this time, their boss already gave them an answer through his flame.

"Tsuna?" Klein followed the pair along the stone streets of the town. "What the hell was that back there?"

Kirito wasn't far behind, but unlike his companion he didn't bother to ask the two. He was too bothered by the current circumstances to ask even more questions he wasn't prepared to be answered.

Klein's futile attempt at questioning the young man continued till they reached the beginner's plains, the place where the four first met. He looked at Tsuna.

He was walking aimlessly, it'd be a wonder if he was listening to Klein at all.

"I know it's not in my place to ask, bro. But—"

Tsuna stopped. He turned towards them.

He was shaking, his body was trembling, his hands were clenched into fists, and he was sweating. But his gaze, locked at them, were anything but scared. Tsuna bit his lips, and started to speak.

"I don't want you guys involved any more than you already have." His voice cracked, the two weren't convinced at all. "Leave this matter to us."

Yamamoto, who was silent the entire time, patted Kirito's shoulder. "Trust us."

Suddenly they were a far cry from the hopeless novices from a few hours ago. Klein was looking at them as if they were insane. And in a way, so was Kirito.

"Leave, what, beating this game? Confronting Kayaba?" Klein began. "What the hell are you guys talking about? A few hours ago you couldn't even beat the area-boss!"

Tsuna was about to say something, but Yamamoto stepped between them. "Klein, I'm sorry. But halfheartedly going through the road Tsuna and I took would cost you your lives."

He was already wearing the item given to them by Kayaba at the Town. If Kirito remembered, it was called an Unidentified E-Class Ring. He wasn't familiar with the item, it wasn't mentioned anywhere in the Beta. Nor it was hinted to be part of the game in any of the promotions before release.

But Yamato, who wasn't even sensible enough to buy a stronger weapon before trying to beat an area-boss, was wearing it in his finger as if it was there his whole life.

He clenched his fist, Kirito and Klein were pushed back by an overwhelming pressure. It was the same earlier with Tsuna, but it wasn't as intense. They forced themselves to push back against the pressure, they found themselves looking at a spectacular sight.

Yamamoto was emitting azure colored flames, but as Kirito focused, he realized it was coming from the ring.

"W-what the hell is this..." Klein couldn't handle the pressure, he was forced to kneel on one knee.

Kirito was close to doing the same, and it looks like Yamamoto wasn't letting it up. He couldn't think straight, but he knew one thing. The ring is the key. He pulled out the item from his inventory and equipped it.

Nothing happened.

He clenched his fist, focused on anything he could make the ring do.

Still nothing.

The flames suddenly died out. Kirito and Klein caught their breath, it was too overwhelming. They didn't have a single clue what it was, and it looked like the two novices they met were completely adept at it.

"Yamamoto, that's enough." They heard Tsuna speak. "We owe them at least an explanation."

Kirito keeled over, but Yamato caught him. He gave them an apologetic face.

"What the heck was that?" Klein coughed, his face was tired.

"It is called the Dying will Flame." Tsuna knelt in front of them. "If you start reading the Guidebook, you will learn a bit about them."

"T-then that guy on the video with the gun, and you earlier—"

He nodded. "It's all true."