Clear to cloudy
Target 56: Grand Finale: Atonement
Kotsu lays on the floor in the middle of a giant slicing mark from Ywan's re del la spada attack. He can barely move. It was quite devastating. He sees Zaccaria standing over him looking down and he's about to try and block whatever the cosmic sky flame will do to him when Zaccaria simply gives him a disgusted look before stepping over him and walking towards Ywan. "I guess it's just you and me then huh old man!?" Zaccaria yells holding out one of his katars. Kotsu grits his teeth attempting to stand, but he's unable to. Suddenly out of nowhere Ywan turns towards one of the entrances seeing Gerald walking through.
"It seems it is not JUST the two of us," He says and Gerald holds out two of the mist rings.
"I took care of Reishiro Ywan. However Pietro is still knocked out cold so I took his ring with me as well," He says tossing them to Ywan who catches them. It's there along with his thunder ring.
"In that case I have two of my seven rings. Go and find the other's," He says and Gerald quickly leaves and right as Ywan turns back he sees Zaccaria right in his face with his katars turned back into a sword and quite a devilish grin on his face. He quickly ducks under the strike and Zaccaria simply uses the momentum to spin striking down at him and Ywan jumps back letting Zaccaria hit the ground creating quite a large impact.
"Turning your back during a fight? Don't they teach the older generation about tactics!?" He yells and Ywan attacks again.
"Don't they teach you to finish off your foes? Leaving the child conscious could result in a disaster,"
"You sound a little scared! Kotsukiba is of no consequence! He doesn't have any of my rings anyway. And he doesn't have any of YOURS either! He doesn't even have one of his own!" He says and Kotsu realizes he's perfectly right. All of his guardians' rings are elsewhere. Ywan has Reishiro's and until he knows for certain all the other's still have theirs. He slowly manages to sit watching the two powerhouses go at it, having to lay back down to avoid one of Ywan's flying swords.
"HOW PATHETIC SECOND! Get the hell up! Where's the resolve you had when you fought ME!" A voice yells from the shadows of another hall and Kotsu gets a slight chill recognizing the voice.
-NII-
Ren grits his teeth. They're still in the parking lot and Riccardo is standing in front of his little group. Boris by his side, however Marco AND Tsugemora have been knocked out by Riccardo along with Cotton. Rinoka is sitting by Marco having taken their rings, knowing they're needed to win.
"Hey Boris… what do we do…?" He asks a little afraid and Boris slams his fists together.
"I've got ONE idea… I don't particularly LIKE that idea since it'll probably knock me out… but it's the only shot I can think of… Riccardo's a little too powerful for me alone at this point… wait for my signal and then hit him with that thing that took out Faust got it?"
"But… why would you go with a strategy that knocks you out…?"
"You won't win anyway… but with Riccardo out of the way Master Zaccaria has a better shot… or so I WOULD say… but there's a whole other reason you don't need to understand… Not right now anyway! Now then! BIRD GIRL! Support me!" He yells slamming his fists together speeding forward towards the armored brute. Rinoka jumps a little hearing him call for her support as the obvious impression she got from him was that he didn't want or NEED any help.
"Y-y-yessir! C-Chido! Support him please!" She declares and Chido flies up next to Boris turning it's wings larger using it's cloud flame to speed up and it closes in rapidly to Riccardo who simply swats it out of the way.
"A bird…? That is your trump card?"
"Not by a long shot!" Boris yells striking at Riccardo who leaps into the air, being able to fly using the wings on his armor causing Boris to hit the ground. "BLESK BOMBIT!" Boris yells causing an explosion beneath him sending him into the air after him managing to grab Riccardo by the arm and he lands two solid right hooks before He's shaken off, however as he falls Chido grabs him trying his hardest to lift him up, but he's too heavy however he CAN manage to make Boris hover in the air. Riccardo comes in from the side.
"Relying on an ally Boris! Now I have seen it all!" He yells attempting to strike at Boris and 'the demolisher' simply smirks.
"There's a lot you don't know about us…" He says allowing Riccardo to hit him, then he grabs his armand Chido let's go of him, the weight being too much for him and the two begin to fall. "NOW!" He yells and Ren on the ground has meanwhile been spinning to charge up his attack and his shoe is glowing immensely. The two other sun guardians come falling down with Riccardo facing away from Ren.
"What is this Boris!? Are you doing what I think you're doing!?" Riccardo yells and Boris just smirks.
"Damn right!" He yells and as they begin to reach the ground Ren sprints towards them and spins. "TAIYOFU!" (Japanese: solar wind) Meanwhile Boris detonates the two bombs he managed to put on Riccardo earlier. "BLESK BOMBIT!" The two attacks connect at the same time, blowing up in both Riccardo's and Boris' face while Ren hits them with his immensely powerful attack sending them flying and Riccardo's armor cracks breaking and Ren hits him dead on sending them flying into the barrier at the end of the arena. Ren puts his foot down panting like crazy. Even he has his limits.
"That… that's it…" He says and Rinoka runs to him after having made sure Marco, Tsugemora and Cotton are safe.
"W-we did it! R-Ren-senpai! We made it!" She says and Ren looks after Boris and Riccardo who's laying right next to each other Boris having a confident smirk on his face and Ren sighs.
"I guess… but I don't really… feel… like we won… Boris did all the work…" Rinoka grabs Ren's hand and gives him all the rings including her own. Chido comes flying with Antonio, Boris' and Riccardo's rings as well
"B-b-b-but h-he wanted to… h-h-h-he was actually SUPER nice… y-you should" She says and Ren looks at Tsugemora and Marco.
"Yeah… but all I ended up doing was be the only one standing at the end… Tsugemora and Marco were both so forward and I stood back and defended…"
The two of them begin making their way back into the mall Ren carrying Marco over his shoulder while Rinoka walks with Cotton. Chido is flying with Tsugemora behind them, holding him by his shirt. As they enter the mall Ren suddenly sees a fist come flying in from out of nowhere. It's Faust! "Guess it's my turn to have a go," He says slamming his fists together and they harden like they did during his previous fight with Ren. Ren quickly sets Marco down getting in front of them.
"F-Faust! I don't want to fight you again!"
Faust cracks his neck a little. "Well too bad… after that little brother of yours knocked me through the wall I've been kind of pissed! That and I've never really gotten hurt as badly as I did against you. So I want some pay-back," He says taking a fighting stance. Ren grits his teeth and grabs the rings from his pocket handing them to Rinoka.
"Rinoka… Have Chido take these to Kotsu… he needs them to win…" he says and Rinoka nods handing them to Chido who flies off into the hallway, Faust not trying to stop it.
-NII-
Elsewhere in the mall Ricci is running around, clearly searching for something specific. "Glad that kid knocked me through the roof. AND that I lost my ring to that cosmic bastard. Then I don't have to pretend to care!" He says jumping off a wall and over a few stalls in front of the giant grocery store in the mall where the rain guardians began the match. He pokes his head inside seeing the place is completely trashed down by the dairy-fridges. It's almost frighteningly destroyed. Clearly a fight or two went down in here. "What… happened in here…?" He says making his way through until suddenly he spots Albert knocked up against a cooling desk, his gauntlet activated on his arm.
The elder man slowly gets up shaking his head a little. "That guy… How on earth does Ywan expect me to defeat a guy like him…?" he thinks aloud to himself before spotting the young boy. "Ricci!?" he says and the two just look at each other for a while. Ricci then lets on a slight smirk, before he bursts off laughing.
"So… finally! We're alone! AND I get to beat the hell out of you," he yells angrily before blasting forward using the bracelets on his legs and throws a hard punch with his short-sleeved arm, the only one he's used so far, not even blocking with his right at any point. "Take this you bastard!" He yells and Albert raises his gauntlet to block.
"We have no reason to fight! I no longer have my rain ring!" Albert says pushing Ricci back.
"Oh yeah!? WHO CARES ABOUT SOME STUPID RING!? This isn't for Zaccaria or the Vongola family! It's for MOM!" He yells bouncing off the air straight back, coming in with a kick, which Albert once more blocks, flings Ricci back and shoots the gauntlet out grabbing Ricci's arm smashing him through a shelf with potato chips.
"This is about your mother!? You insolent brat! There was nothing I could do about that!"
Ricci instantly recovers shooting into the air. "Like hell I'll believe something like that!" However before he gets in close Albert fires the laser function of his gauntlet and Ricci is forced to jump off the air to dodge.
"It's the truth!" Albert yells as the laser powers up due to his anger slicing through the whole store managing to hit Ricci.
-NII-
A few years ago
Ricci, a bit younger comes running in the door to his house. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" he yells and a woman pokes her head out to say hi.
"Hello dear. Welcome home. Your father is still at the headquarters working on some of his crazy inventions," she says and Ricci just laughs.
"I know. I said hi to him before heading home,"
"We were a happy family. Nothing was wrong! I trained for the Varia, being the prodigy I was. You were the head of R&D of the Vongola! Mom was kept safe by everyone! She had nothing to do with the family, but happily helped out anyway! Because she loved you!" Ricci angrily yells in the present as the two of them recall the events of the past.
"But you just couldn't help yourself! You HAD to bring your inventions home!" Ricci is on his way home, one day after getting some more training from Riccardo, happily satisfied with the result. He looks at his bracelet which he's just gotten as a gift from his father to further his strength. "these things are pretty cool…" He says and right as he opens the door to his house there's a huge explosion and he's flung back. He instantly runs in after recovering from the impact using his bracelet to break apart the burning debris that's in his way. "MOM! DAD!" He yells as suddenly Albert comes running out of the burning building.
"Ricci! Get back!" He yells grabbing hold of him as there's another explosion, Albert using a rain shield to block the damage, but they're still sent flying out of a window. After the two of them tumble for a bit Albert lets go and Ricci instantly gets up to run back. "Ricci! Stop! It's no use!"
"But mom's still in there!"
"She… she was in my workshop with me when it happened… there… there was nothing I could do…" Ricci's eyes go blank looking at their burning house and he falls to his knees.
-NII-
"If you hadn't been so obsessed with your stupid inventions mom would still be alive!" Ricci finishes getting in close evading Albert's meager attempt to land a hit with the gauntlet getting a solid hit in. And another. And another. Simply bashing on Albert like there's no tomorrow. He finishes with a punch that sends Albert flying knocking down the shelves like dominos.
"I… I could do nothing to save her… I'm sorry…" He says standing up and Ricci is furious.
"Sorry… isn't… GOOD ENOUGH!" He yells before slowly rolling up his long sleeve and Albert's eyes widen.
"Ricci… what is that on your arm?" He says slowly as Ricci has covered his entire right arm in the same bracelets he has on his other arm and legs.
"This is just one of your inventions dad… you should be proud… shouldn't you?" he says gritting his teeth as all of the bracelets on his right arm burst with storm flames. He runs towards Albert rage clearly filling him to the brim. "TAKE THIS! FOR MOM! FURIOSO TEMPESTA!" (Italian: Raging tempest) He yells striking with his right arm for the first time during the ring conflict and even with Albert putting up his gauntlet, Ricci's punch breaks it to pieces instantly without much trouble hitting Albert straight in the stomach, and both of them fly back opposite directions hitting the opposite walls, Ricci knocking himself out. Right as Albert is about to hit the wall he lets on a slight smile.
"I am proud of you… and your mother would be as well…" He manages to get out a single tear forming in his eye. "I miss you dear…" Before he crashes through the wall getting knocked out. Ricci is bleeding quite severely as his entire right arm is now missing, having blown it off with his attack. However he's smiling to himself.
-NII-
"HOW PATHETIC SECOND! Get the hell up! Where's the resolve you had when you fought ME!" A voice yells and all three boss candidates look to see whom the owner of the voice is. Kotsu is half-relieved and half-afraid to see Geraldino walking into the plaza. "Yo…" He simply says leaning his head back walking straight up to Kotsu raising his sword before jamming it right next to Kotsu's face. "I got ya' something Second," He says and Kotsu holds out his hand before being dumped a ton of rings. Three rain, two cloud, a mist, a storm.
"Who's are these?" Kotsu asks and Geraldino points around at them a little.
"Well it's the guardian rings and the one's with a bronze ring is yours… silver for Zaccaria and golden for Ywan. You do that math," He says standing up. Kotsu notes that if that is the case then he's currently holding the rings for, Kagetora, Albert, Geraldino himself, NM-5, Galileo, Barley and Ricci.
"You thought I'd just been slacking off didn't you…? Get real," He says pulling his sword from the ground. "I numbed the pain for a bit with my flame. So get up. I'm gonna go find someone to cut," He says before leaving and Kotsu puts away all his newly acquired rings and slowly gets up feeling slightly refreshed. The tranquility of Geraldino's cosmic rain flame must've made it feel less painful.
"Thank you…" He says and Geraldino simply stops.
"Don't thank me… this is just me paying you back since I tried to kill you… Now give them hell…" As he leaves the middle he grits his teeth angrily. "Guess I've done my part. I'm gonna go grab something to eat from the store…" He says heading to the grocery store again.
With that… he's gone again. As quickly as he arrived. But that was all Kotsu really needed.
He looks to Ywan and Zaccaria who stopped their fight shortly to see what was happening, for some reason neither daring to attack Geraldino. "We're on even footing now… so let's do this."