"Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you." – John Ruskin

Every night, Tsuna would have the same reoccurring dream. It was the only reprieve he'd get from his life. He'd wade through nameless meadows with the radiant blue sky above him and the sun warm against his back. The vast fields were vibrant with camellias, daffodils, and violets, which let out a pleasant aroma all around him. This would go on until he'd see the back of a woman a few feet away.

He never saw her face or spoke to her, and she never reciprocated the courtesy either. The image was mournful though. Her long white dress billowed behind her with the gentle breeze. If Tsuna could figure out who she was, maybe he could help her. But his dream would always end before he could even reach out to her.

"They came…"

Tsuna tensed. The woman suddenly appeared in front of him. She had a soft face with somber, weary blue eyes that pinned Tsuna to the spot. Her short blue hair swayed with the wind along with her dress.

"They're coming," she whispered.

Tsuna licked his lips nervously. He looked around the meadow to see what she was talking about, but it was only the two of them. "Who…Who are you talking about?" he said. "Who's they?"

"I thought they'd be fine without me," the woman said, gazing far over his shoulder. "It was only for a little while, but I strayed too far from my path." She smiled wistfully. "I miss them."

"I can help you," Tsuna said, bringing her attention back to him. He shivered under her gaze. She seemed lost but present at the same time. "Just tell me who you're looking for."

"No." The woman raised her hands to his throat. Tsuna widened his eyes and tried to step away but she held on firmly, her fingers slowly tightening around his neck. He inhaled sharply, gasping for air. Gritting his teeth, he tried prying off the woman's cold hands but she didn't budge. "They're coming," she said again, this time with spite, "for you."

The sky darkened rapidly and everything turned gray. Tsuna choked and gasped, but no air filled his lungs, just smoke and ashes. Everything started fading in and out of his vision, but he could still see the woman's face, even if she was hazy. Her eyes were clouded with bitterness, and still, Tsuna thought that she still looked beautiful.

Tsuna's eyes snapped open and he heaved in a deep, raspy breath. His blurry gaze met a familiar ceiling. The lights were off, leaving the room in shadows and gray. Tsuna's hands curled, gripping blue bedsheets—his bedsheets. His mind drew blanks as he tried remembering what had happened, but he ended up with a dull headache instead. His body felt numb when he tried to sit up when a hand pushed him back down.

"You're going to disturb your wound," a familiar voice said. "Lie down."

Tsuna widened his eyes when he saw the woman from yesterday by his bedside. Her cloak was draped over a chair she brought in probably long before from the kitchen. The dark circles under her eyes were less prominent but were still there. Tsuna looked down to see himself shirtless with white bandages wrapped firmly around his stomach. He still had his jeans on, which was a huge relief.

"What…What happened?" he croaked.

The woman pulled her chair closer and grabbed something from the nightstand. It was a mortar and pestle with a flame-like symbol carved onto the smooth ceramic. The pestle clinked almost rhythmically against the mortar as the woman grinded something inside. Tsuna reached under his pillow before remembering that his phone wasn't with him.

"If you keep moving like that, your wound could reopen," the woman said. "Stay still."

Tsuna pursed his lips, growing more agitated than terrified at this situation. "Who are you? What happened yesterday? How did you find my house?"

The woman glanced at him at the corner of her eye but didn't stop what she was doing. "I followed your trail and broke down your door."

Tsuna gaped at her. "You—You what?" He scrunched his nose. "My trail…?"

The woman shrugged. "I fixed it. Don't worry. Besides, no one would've came in."

No one can get through me, went unsaid but was chillingly clear. Great, Tsuna was probably stuck with some psycho and he was as good as dead in his current condition. He shuddered, remembering the woman beating the strange creature to the ground and the hot pain that had burned in his side. He frowned. Still, in some ways, the woman had protected him and was most likely the one who tended his wound. Just, there were too many anomalies that didn't make sense. His head hurt just thinking about them.

"Hey." Tsuna flinched when the woman called out to. She stood up, her chair scraping against the floor, and walked closer, the mortar in her hand. Her lips twitched slightly. "You think too much."

Tsuna flushed. "N—No, I don't."

The woman huffed. "I can practically hear them."

Scowling, Tsuna just looked away. "Whatever. I'm not hearing that from some weird woman like you."

"Oh?" Tsuna tensed when the woman loomed over him, her face almost close to his. "Is this how you thank someone who just saved your ass? I thought you were more than just a pretty face, Tsunayoshi."

The brunet's breath hitched. "How do you know my name?" He internally cringed. She must've dug through his stuff while he was out.

The woman smirked knowingly, her eyes glowing as she gripped his jaw. Suddenly, she straddled his waist, her impossibly heavy weight keeping him pinned to the bed, but careful enough not to disturb his wound. Tsuna reached up to pry her hand off but it was frozen in place, unmoving, just like the woman's hands in his dreams.

"Now," the scarred woman said, "it's time to repay me."

She drank the mortar's contents and tossed it aside with a clang. Tsuna barely had time to react when she swooped down to mesh his lips with her own. Widening his eyes, he struggled to push her off but a cool sensation flowed through his body in response, as if he was being doused by water. Against his will, his body relaxed, and his hands loosened around the woman's wrist. His jaw slackened before something bitter seeped inside his mouth. Groaning in weak protest, Tsuna had no choice but to swallow the foreign liquid. The woman's hot tongue followed suit, tangling with his, and he could barely breathe. Her teeth clanked against his as she rolled her hips sensually against him, making him utter a strangled whimper. His stomach tightened when she deepened the kiss, her tongue probing deeper. He shouldn't be feeling this way; hell, this was technically his first kiss, but something deep inside him purred as the woman ravished his mouth like a hungry beast, and that wasn't good.

Finally, she pulled away with a smirk, her red eyes glinting with lust and pleasure. Tsuna panted hard to catch his breath, his mind hazy. Saliva dripped down the side of his mouth and his cheeks were flushed red. The woman hummed in approval, caressing his chin with her thumb. "Not bad," she said, licking her lips. She let go of his jaw but didn't move her gaze from his. "The name's Lal Mirch. Don't forget it."

It took a moment for Tsuna to process what she just said before he weakly shoved her off, his arms feeling like lead. She surprisingly moved away but didn't get up from his waist.

"W—What—What did you do?" Tsuna said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Too out of it, he couldn't even glare at the woman properly.

"It's something to counter the poison in your system," Lal Mirch said as if she was talking about the weather. She trailed a hand over his side, making Tsuna shiver. He could feel her fingers through the bandages, ghosting along his skin. "Your wound will fully heal in an hour."

Tsuna gripped the sheets, balling his hands into weak fists. "You kissed me. Why would you do that? I—I don't even know you!" He tried pushing Lal Mirch off of him again, but his arms dropped to his sides when the same cool sensation from before reduced his body into submission. He bit his lip. "What are you doing to me…?"

Lal Mirch hushed him gently, brushing some hair from his face. "Relax. You'll understand soon."

"No, I don't!" Lal Mirch blinked when Tsuna raised his shaky, heavy hands to grab her arms. It felt like pushing through a thick wall of sludge, but something hummed inside him, helping him push through. "You look human…but you're not." His thick tongue could barely get the words out. "I don't—I don't know why you're doing this to me, what you're…aiming for…but tell me…please."

His arms dropped to his sides, leaving Tsuna panting from the extremely difficult endeavor. Lal Mirch suddenly grinned, but it didn't do anything to quell his nerves. "Oh, you're perfect," she said, cradling his cheek with her hand. "More than perfect."

Tsuna's breath hitched when she raised her other hand. A dark blue flame suddenly ignited on her palm, almost watery in effect. His chest suddenly itched, his fingers twitching to reach out and touch it for himself, but he suppressed the terrifying urge.

"I'm part of the Arcobaleno," Lal Mirch said. "You might've never heard about us since we don't live among humans or featured in their little fairytales." She scowled. "Not since then."

Tsuna frowned. The word sounded foreign. It didn't even sound English with what little he could remember from his school days. He wasn't exactly the best student either, too busy trying to ignore the spirits that bothered him. Wait, she said "us". There were more of them?

At Tsuna's confusion, Lal Mirch continued, "Think of us as deities or kami. Whichever makes it easier. Simply, without us, this world wouldn't be able to sustain itself. We're the ones that keep everything in order."

Tsuna's mind swam with the stranger's information. He couldn't even find the strength to not believe Lal Mirch. The creature from yesterday, him being able to see the dead, the freakish murders recently—they all screamed "not normal". But still, he wanted to think that the world was normal, or at least, as normal as it could've been.

"That thing yesterday…"

Lal Mirch's face darkened immediately. "Yeah, I killed it. If I wasn't there, it could've killed you."

Tsuna swallowed a small lump in his throat. He was half-relieved that that face was directed at the creature and not him, but half-terrified because she could easily kill him, too. "The Butcher," he whispered. "Did that thing…kill all those people?"

Lal Mirch extinguished her flame by closing her hand into a fist. "Is that what you humans called it? Well, I guess it's not technically wrong."

So the Butcher wasn't even a man or a woman. It was some unnamed being that defied science or human understanding. This whole situation was also beyond Tsuna. "Why did you help me?" he said.

Lal Mirch scowled, making him tense. "Because I got lucky and I'm not going to screw my luck over even more than it already is."

"I—I still don't understand." Tsuna furrowed his brows, remembering what the woman had said when they first met. "Sky…you said something about the sky before. Does that have something…to do with you?"

"Can you see things that no one else can?"

Tsuna inhaled sharply. "What do you mean?"

"Things you can't explain, visions of the past and future, dreams of prophecy—any of them sound familiar?" Tsuna stared at her, unable to find the words to respond. "Did they ever terrify you?" Lal Mirch said, her voice soft.

Gulping, Tsuna turned his gaze to the side. "I—I never understood why I could see them. I didn't ask for it…"

Lal Mirch turned his face back to her. Her eyes were gentle as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. "It means you belong to us, and that's more than enough."

A shiver crawled up Tsuna's spine. Lal Mirch's eyes glowed red, her own body slowly engulfed by some light, the same color as her strange flame.

"What are you doing?" Tsuna croaked out, trying to move away.

"This won't hurt," Lal Mirch said, pinning his wrists above his head. "I promise. You might even enjoy it."

She purred her words lowly, causing Tsuna to tense in almost-anticipation. He mentally shook his head. No, why was he feeling that way? He couldn't, shouldn't. He gasped when his own body start to glow orange, reaching out to join Lal Mirch's blue light. A rush of desire, of longing, flowed through him and he blushed when he realized that they were his own. "W—Wait, this isn't—"

"G—Get away from Tsuna-nii!"

Lal Mirch moved her head back when a ball sailed towards her face. Lambo appeared by the bed, his eyes wide and body trembling. Tsuna gasped. "Lambo, no!"

"I thought I told you to stay put, you little brat!" Lal Mirch said, both of their lights fading in an instant.

"Wait, don't hurt him!"

Shrieking, Lambo ran away when Lal Mirch tried to grab him. The boy phased through the walls, disappearing from sight. Tsuna forced himself to get up and latch onto the woman's waist, pulling her back. "Don't hurt him! He's just a kid!"

"He's dead," Lal Mirch said. "He doesn't need to stay here any longer. It's dangerous for you. I should've just sent him up in the beginning."

"Why can't you explain anything properly?" Tsuna said, almost hysterical. "Just leave him alone!"

Before Lal Mirch could respond, someone knocked loudly from the front door outside. They both tensed.

"Sawada-san?"

Tsuna gasped when Lal Mirch easily tugged away from his hold. Before he fell to the ground, she caught him and easily carried him back to bed. Tsuna couldn't help but flush from the utter embarrassment of his situation. He opened his mouth to speak but Lal Mirch raised a finger against his lips. "Stay here," she said.

"No," he said, "he's not an enemy!"

Lal Mirch narrowed her eyes. "You can't believe that. The world's more dangerous now than you think, Tsunayoshi."

"I know him! It's Kusakabe-san!"

Tsuna's senses went haywire when a dark look cast over Lal Mirch's face. "Who is he?" she said. "What's your relationship?"

"He—I—We're not in any relationship!" Tsuna felt seriously mortified at what this situation was turning out to be. What the hell was wrong with him? Did it have to do with Lal Mirch's flame? Her weird suppression power? What other abilities did she even have? What was wrong with him? "He's with the police. I help them sometimes with their cases!"

"The police," Lal Mirch said, still unimpressed. "Why do you help them?"

Another knock came from the door. "Sawada-san, are you there?"

Wincing, Tsuna looked at his bedroom door. "Look, I don't have time to explain or tell you anything. If I don't answer the door, things will get just get worse." He pursed his lips. "I don't get who you really are or why you're here or why you even did the things you did, but I hope you're smart enough to know that we have our own rules here."

Stifling silence hung in the room. Tsuna gripped his sheets tightly, his knuckles turning white. A bead of sweat dripped on his face but he didn't back down from Lal Mirch's calculating stare. Finally, she outstretched her hand towards him. "Fine," she said. "But when he pulls something—"

"He won't," Tsuna said firmly.

"If he pulls something funny, it's not going to be pretty."

Tsuna tensed. A million thoughts raced in his head at once and none of them were good. Ignoring Lal Mirch's hand, he stood up on his feet and swayed a bit before regaining his balance. He pushed past Lal Mirch for the door; he could feel her eyes on his back but didn't spare her a glance. When he came out into the living room, he saw Lambo peeking at him from behind the couch. The boy perked up when he saw him, but immediately recoiled when Lal Mirch followed behind Tsuna. Suppressing a sigh, Tsuna just gave Lambo a reassuring smile and hoped it wasn't weak. He couldn't afford to be weak right now.

Tsuna opened the door when Lal Mirch suddenly pulled him away. "Wait, no!" he said, widening his eyes.

One of Hibari's detectives was in the midst of kicking down the door until Lal Mirch darted past him and grabbed his face. Before she could smash the man's head across the hall, Tsuna screamed, "Lal Mirch, stop!"

Pausing, Lal Mirch looked over her shoulder with an unreadable expression on her face. Kusakabe gaped at her while Hibari seemed to be sizing her up in interest. God, Tsuna wished he was surrounded by normal people and not a bunch of psychos. "Lal Mirch," he said, "let him go."

Without missing a beat, the woman dropped the poor detective to the ground. He whimpered pitifully while clutching his bruised face. Kusakabe looked between Lal Mirch and his colleague, having difficulty speaking. On the other hand, Hibari brandished his signature tonfas but didn't enter a fighting stance, keeping them by his sides.

"Kusakabe-san," Tsuna said, getting the other man's attention, "what are you doing here?"

When Kusakabe finally got a good look at him, his eyes widened. "Sawada-san, are you alright? What happened to you? I tried to get ahold of you several times yesterday but you didn't answer." He took out a plastic bag with Tsuna's broken phone inside. "We found it this morning. Were you at the hospital?" He didn't sound convinced with that assumption though.

Tsuna flushed when he realized that he wasn't wearing any shirt. "Oh, um, well…"

Lal Mirch blocked Kusakabe with her arm before he could even take a step. "Stay where you are," she said, her eyes narrowed.

The man tensed, his eyes flitting back and forth between her and Tsuna. "I—I apologize."

"Who is the carnivore, herbivore?" Hibari said, his eyes never leaving Lal Mirch.

Lal Mirch scowled at him. "What did you call him?"

Tsuna quickly intervened before things turned worse. "Would you like to come inside for tea?" he said, his smile strained.

God bless Kusakabe and his acuity. He patted the other detective's arm and whispered something in his ear. The other man just looked fearfully at Lal Mirch before leaving for the elevator, trying hard not to break out into a run. Tsuna opened the door wider to let Hibari and Kusakabe inside, and scowled at Lal Mirch who just looked at him innocently. He was going to need some good painkillers after this.

"Please make yourself comfortable," Tsuna said, heading to his bedroom. Lambo was nowhere in sight. "I'm sorry if it's too small." Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he had anyone come over to his apartment. Minus Lal Mirch, who broke in. That didn't count.

"Oh, it's fine, Sawada-san," Kusakabe said, looking around. "It's very comfortable."

Tsuna smiled weakly before entering his room. He dug through his drawers to find a clean shirt. Grabbing a random green shirt, he pulled it over his head quickly and headed back outside. Lal Mirch leaned on the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, blocking his path.

"Who is he?" she said.

Tsuna sighed. "You almost killed that detective. What is wrong with you?"

"That's not the answer to my question. And he almost kicked you down."

"He was trying to kick down the door if I hadn't responded in time!" Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He lowered his voice. "Look, I kind of get that what you're doing is out of good intentions, but if you keep doing that, you're going to jail or something worse. I can't predict what Hibari-san will do either."

Lal Mirch didn't even look fazed. "So, he's Hibari."

Tsuna felt like ripping his hair out. "Are you even listening to me?"

"They look awfully similar," Lal Mirch mumbled under her breath. "What the hell did he do?"

"Hello?" Tsuna waved his hand in front of her face. "I'm right here."

Lal Mirch looked up then. "I heard what you said. I'm not deaf. I get it but you don't know what I'm capable of."

"That's the problem," Tsuna said, narrowing his eyes. "You somehow find my house, break in, freakin' assault me, and nearly killed a detective. Yeah, I don't know what else you can do and that terrifies me."

"I also saved your life twice," Lal Mirch said, inspecting her nails. "Oh, right. Make that three with that idiot before."

"He didn't even manage to touch me."

Lal Mirch scowled. "If he did, I would've done worse than bash his pathetic skull in."

Tsuna's stomach nearly dropped. "That's…That's not something you say out loud."

Lal Mirch just raised a brow challengingly. "I'm only staking my claim, Tsunayoshi. No one else can touch you but us."

Tsuna just threw his hands up in the air. "Forget it. We're going to have a talk later."

"Sawada-san?" Kusakabe called from the kitchen. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Kusakabe-san!" Tsuna said. "Just, I forgot I had some laundry to do." He gave Lal Mirch one last warning look before heading to the kitchen where the detectives were. Forcing on a smile, he quickly poured some water in the coffee machine and heated it up. "I'm sorry about your detective." Even if he had worked with them for three years already, he never really knew Hibari's team personally, not since so many were always kicked out for not being "carnivorous" enough.

"We're strong, Sawada-san," Kusakabe said, though he didn't sound too sure himself. Tsuna let it slide out of embarrassment and sparing the man some dignity. "But I'm more concerned about you. When we found your phone, we couldn't find any other trace. No witnesses or footage—it was like you disappeared into thin air. Not to mention, you're wounded."

"I'm fine," Tsuna said. "And thank you for finding my phone, I guess."

"We can buy you a new one. Although, it isn't enough for everything you've done for us."

Tsuna turned around to gather some cups, silently relieved that he had done the dishes the other morning, and a few tea bags. Lal Mirch was close by, leaning on the kitchen counter and keeping a close eye on the other men. Carrying the cups, Tsuna brought them over to the small dining table where the detectives sat and placed them down. Kusakabe gave him a small nod of thanks.

"Thank you," he said as Tsuna sat down across from him.

"No," Tsuna said, "thank you for checking in on me. For a second, I thought I was a disposable tool or something."

He immediately winced. It was a poor attempt at a joke and did nothing to ease the tension. Hibari crossed his legs, his eyes still on Lal Mirch who didn't even bother to return the favor. Kusakabe regarded Tsuna seriously. "You're not disposable, Sawada-san," he said, "and you're not a tool. You're an important member of our team."

Tsuna's lips slightly twitched at that. "Thanks, I guess. Well, more like unofficial." It kind of sucked that he wasn't being paid for it.

"Are you really alright? What happened?"

Tsuna ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. Well, shit. He didn't really think this through. What was he supposed to tell them? He glanced at Lal Mirch at the corner of his eyes, unsure of what to say. Even if she explained to him who she was, it barely counted 'cause Tsuna still didn't understand what Arcobaleno or whatever they were called was. Plus, they barely counted as explanations. They were more like drunken ramblings, and he wasn't in the mood to play around with puzzle pieces.

"Well, um, I'm not sure how t—"

"I saved his ass from the Butcher or whatever you call it," Lal Mirch deadpanned.

Kusakabe choked on the tea he drank. Tsuna widened his eyes and was about to help him when Lal Mirch shoved him back down in his seat. Hibari raised a brow at the odd display but didn't comment on it.

"Get yourself together, Tetsu," he said instead. His sharp gray eyes then shifted to Tsuna. "Explain, herbivore."

The words failed to come out properly. "I—She, um…"

"Hey," Lal Mirch said, slamming her hand on the table and drawing Hibari's attention, "I'm the one talking here. Look at my face when you're asking the questions."

A gleam shone in Hibari's eyes, making Tsuna tense. It was the same look that indicated a fight was just about waiting to happen. Whether it was unconscious or not, Tsuna didn't know, but he glanced fearfully at Lal Mirch who caught it just before he realized his mistake. She immediately narrowed her eyes at Hibari while he seemed to be watching their interaction almost too interestingly.

Everyone, except Hibari, jumped when Lal Mirch gripped the other man by the collar, almost hauling him off his chair. It was terrifying to see, and Tsuna couldn't even bring himself to speak, but what was scarier was that Hibari looked unfazed at the abrupt confrontation. It was like two predators sizing each other up in Tsuna's fucking kitchen and he didn't want to move out again.

"Wait, Lal Mirch, I—"

"Listen here, punk," Lal Mirch said, ignoring him. "I'm don't know what your relationship is with Tsunayoshi but I don't like it and I don't like you. If you try something as to breathe the same air as him, I won't hesitate to beat you to what you humans call hell and that's me being nice." Roughly, she shoved Hibari back in his seat.

Hibari smirked. "Wao."

On the other hand, Kusakabe furrowed his brows, puzzled. "Humans…?"

Tsuna resisted the urge to smack his head against the table. Before he actually did, a loud ringtone rang from Kusakabe's pocket. Mumbling an apology, the man answered his call. "Kusakabe speaking." He immediately frowned, his brows furrowing deeply. That didn't look good. "Alright. We'll be there."

When he hung up, he addressed Hibari, "Kyo-san, a murder was reported near Kokuyo Square. So far, they managed to get an ID on her. Ashida Megumi, a 26-year-old woman."

Hibari just stood up, his cup of tea empty, and headed for the door. "Herbivore, bring the carnivore with you."

Tsuna widened his eyes. "Wait—"

But Hibari had already left before he could say another word.

A large crowd of civilians and reporters hovered around the crime scene, with the police pushing them back from crossing the yellow tapes. It had stopped raining but the sky was still cloudy. Midori was a large city with the highest population count in Namimori Prefecture. It had adapted a more metropolitan look rather than sticking with its suburban feel. Tall, sleek buildings were on either side of the broad streets with the occasional boutiques and stores in-between. Multiple cars and buses drove past behind Tsuna as he ducked under the police tape.

Some people looked at Lal Mirch curiously, their gazes lingering on her scar, but she didn't pay them any mind. Tsuna's breath hitched when the strong scent of blood wafted in his nose.

"You okay?" Lal Mirch murmured in his ear, almost making him jump.

He nodded. "I'm fine. I'm used to this."

He didn't see her face but he had the feeling that she was frowning, which was a little too weird for his taste, the fact that he could sense her mood. Ignoring it to ponder later after some much-needed painkillers, Tsuna followed Kusakabe and Hibari to a part of the sidewalk where white markers indicated the body.

"Thankfully, it's not raining today," Kusakabe said. "We were able to get some evidence but it's not enough to pin down any suspects. Witnesses said that the victim fell from the roof. She works here as an intern."

He pointed at the tall company building in front of them. Tsuna paled when he saw the logo: Rokudo Trading Corporation. It was one of the largest trade companies in Japan that handled a majority of European imports, making it also the wealthiest in the country. That wasn't the issue. It was just that Hibari hated the CEO's guts, Rokudo Mukuro. Whatever bad blood they had was none of Tsuna's business, but he'd witnessed it firsthand before and that only spelled trouble for the investigation.

"It's not suicide?" Hibari said, narrowing his eyes at the building.

Kusakabe shook his head. "No, her head is missing. The coroner told me it was premortem, Kyo-san."

Tsuna watched as two paramedics wheeled the body to the coroner's van. The woman was in a black body bag, preventing him from seeing inside, but he didn't linger. Facing forward, Tsuna headed towards where the body was before. He could sense a part of the victim, like a small buzz in the back of his head, but he didn't see any signs of her spirit.

"Her soul isn't completely gone," Lal Mirch said.

Tsuna tilted his head. "How…? Oh. You and your fancy powers that you never really explained properly. Right."

Lal Mirch huffed. "We were getting there until the brat interrupted us."

Tsuna scrunched his nose. "Getting there? You were about to do something else! Don't deny it. And don't call Lambo that."

Shrugging, Lal Mirch looked anything but guilty. She scrutinized the building with sharp eyes. "This one's different from what you call the Butcher. That one liked eating the spirits whole."

Cold dread coiled in Tsuna's stomach. He was almost terrified to ask. "And this one?"

"This one likes playing with his food. It'll take a while until it strikes again. Well, if his prey isn't fun."

Tsuna followed her gaze to the building's roof, trying to decipher how things turned out the way they did. All he could think about was the poor woman and how her family must be coping right now. He blinked when a faint whistling sound pierced the air. Frowning, he tried to find where it was coming from when some people suddenly screamed. His breath hitched when he saw large steel beam hurling towards him.

"Sawada-san!"

Tsuna grunted when he was flung over a familiar shoulder and sailed a few feet in the air before the beam crushed his previous spot. He covered his face as debris nicked his arms and smoke billowed in the air. Lal Mirch laid him gently on the ground, her eyes wide in concern. "Are you okay?" she said, checking for any wounds.

Coughing, Tsuna waved her off. "I'm fine." With her help, he stood up on shaky legs before looking up to see the damages. An ominous feeling churned in his guts when he got a closer look at the steel beam. "What the hell just happened?"

Kusakabe ran towards him, covering his mouth with his arm. "Sawada-san, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Tsuna said, pursing his lips. "I have a bad feeling about this one, Kusakabe-san."

Lal Mirch clicked her tongue. "This one's a pain in the ass." She sighed in aggravation. "I won't be able to do this alone, not in the state I'm in."

Tsuna gaped at her. "What do you mean? You were fine yesterday and today!" He turned a little red when he remembered what had happened earlier.

Lal Mirch rolled her eyes. "Yeah, until that brat got in the way. I would've been fine if we went through with Harmonizing but this is way out of my hands now."

Harmonizing…?

She pulled out a small device from inside her cloak, which looked similar to a beeper. A flame emblem was etched on the back.

Tsuna eyed her warily. "What are you doing?"

"What else? Calling for backup. I can't guarantee they'll come at the same time, but if I have at least one of them here, we can probably keep your cute ass safe."

Tsuna flushed. "What?"

Kusakabe looked just as lost as he was.

Lal Mirch pressed some buttons on the device before a small beep came through. She smiled slightly. "Oh, look at that. One's on his way already. By the way, do me a favor. Don't tell him I told that Hibari kid what I said before. They're like twins, I thought I was actually talking to him instead."

A/N Erm, well, M-rating for a reason…? I'm not even sure if I can write those kinds of things, ahahaha… OTL

If you cringed at that, I am sorry. :^)

Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites, and follows! Dark!Arcobaleno basically means that…they're dark…and possessive…and dark, haha. Evil's a bit of a stretch; I guess it depends on your interpretation but I don't think they'd torture or kill Tsuna when they need him. :^D

Thank you for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny