DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN AND GUILTY CROWN. I DO NOT EVEN OWN ITS CHARACTERS which is such a shame...

A/N: Hello there! I'm so back~ anyways, let's get on with the story. Also, I want to warn you that this may also contain some OOC-ness.

Chapter 6

Motive

It was dusk, and school was over. Every student from Namimori Middle School made their way home. Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Enma walked home together. They decided to keep quiet about what happened since they didn't have any leads yet, and even Reborn agreed to it. Only the four of them, well, including Reborn, only the five of them knew about Dino's condition and about the new threat, about the new enemy.

Still, though at school they successfully faked their smiles and no one noticed their tension, they were quiet as they walked home. Gokudera, thinking deeply, made unnecessary noises and movements along the way. He seemed to be itching to say something but didn't have the courage to say it. Yamamoto looked calm though, but his usual smile was gone. Tsuna, as usual and as expected, was frantic. And Enma, well since he didn't know Dino, he wasn't really too affected with what happened but seeing Tsuna in such distress, he was also worried. His usual gloomy face surfaced too.

=/=

As they reached the Namimori Shrine, a young woman with cherry hair and red, ruby eyes met them. She wore a black dress with a pink ribbon hanging below her chest. She was just standing there looking at them.

Tsuna and his gang recognized her. They remembered she was the friend of Haru and was also the girl who fought Hibari in order to save them. He was grateful that time but never got the chance to say his thanks, and it was funny that she was the one who thanked them (in her song) instead. Tsuna forced a smile on his face as they passed her by. Suddenly, as they were past her, she spoke. "You, with the red hair." her voice was soft.

They paused.

She approached Enma and leaned her face forward in front of him. Her face was so close it made Enma uncomfortable and back away.

"Crimson eyes with a peculiar symbol... You're called Kozato Enma, right?" she said. Enma, confused, just nodded. Tsuna and the others wondered but kept quiet.

"Are you mafia?" she boldly asked. They were totally shocked, except for Enma who actually expects someone to ask another about the Mafia thing.

Tsuna freaked out. "No way! How can you ask someone 'Are you mafia?' out of the blue?"

Gokudera and Yamamoto softly giggled. "Yuzuriha-san, I didn't know you're interested with that Mafia game." Yamamoto still doesn't get it.

Despite the total wrongness of their (Enma's and Inori's) logic and common sense, Enma obediently responded with a yes.

"What are your motives as part of Mafia?" she again asked, without any slight hint of hesitation. Enma was surprised. So far, he hasn't thought about it. He opened his mouth but no words came out. He zipped his lips and looked away from her. As he let his eyes roll around, he noticed Tsuna looking intently at him. He must be curious to know too, and even Yamamoto and Gokudera were looking on his way. He accidentally took a glance at the young girl and seeing how she gazed at him, he felt more embarrassed. "I...haven't thought about that..." he weakly replied.

Inori remained expressionless. "Mafia is all about power and wealth, right?"

With her cold words, they unexpectedly felt depressed and stabbed in the chest. They were incredibly startled as they never thought it would be the first impression of civilians towards Mafia.

"Aren't earning more riches and gaining more power your expected motives?" she coldly continued as if she didn't realize how surprised they were.

Enma furrowed his brows and weakly spoke. "I... At some point, I did think that way. But it was for...revenge." he took a quick glance at Tsuna. Since he knew he had caused too much stress and so much trouble for Tsuna those times, he knew he can't deny the fact that he did think that way. Tsuna, in turn, just shifted his eyes down. Enma continued, "But I was wrong."

Inori stared at him for a moment. She glanced at Tsuna and his friends. She approached them and spoke. "You're also mafia, then?" she boldly asked once more. Gokudera felt alarmed. Before Tsuna and Yamamoto could even react to her unconceivable questions, Gokudera stepped forward and stretched his arm in front of them. "Who are you really? And why are you asking this? Are you also Mafia?" he asked. His voice was commanding and he spoke in a dangerous tone as if treating her as an enemy.

"Yuzuriha Inori, and I'm not part of mafia, I'm just curious." she plainly replied without a hint of fear. She knew if she acted affected, the boy would just suspect her even more.

"Che! I doubt that." Gokudera scowled at her. "You can fight. That's clear as ice. Just the other day, you fought with that war-freak maniac, and now, you just claimed that Enma is in the Mafia. Gaining that intelligence and skills, they're enough proof to claim that you are a potential threat."

Inori kept quiet and slightly formed a frown. She was amazed with the silver-haired teen's intuition, and at the same time, was bothered. If she were to be discovered, it would spell trouble for her and would make it difficult for her to proceed with the mission. She's not yet sure if they were truly Mafia since they're just a bunch of kids, and if they were, she didn't know if they're the target's members or if not, from what family they belonged. Also, she thought she had to stick with their current mission, which is Enma's investigation, so she had to avoid any unnecessary discussions with irrelevant people.

"From what family are you? And for sure, you're a guardian, right?" he continued. On his hands snapped several dynamites.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb!" he snapped. He was about to throw his weapons at her when Tsuna interfered. "Stop it, Gokudera-kun!" he yelled. The silver-haired teen was startled. He stopped and said, "Don't be fooled, tenth! I'm sure she knows some-"

"That's enough!" his pitch grew higher. Gokudera froze as he heard his angry voice. He quietly lowered his weapons and looked back at Tsuna. "We can't involve any more people! Please, Gokudera-kun, calm down!"

Inori wondered why they looked tense. She figured they might be facing some kind of crisis, and knowing the fact that they were Haru's friends made her feel the more concerned. "But I am involved." Inori boldly broke in. They all turned their heads to look at her with wide eyes of surprise. "You're Haru's friends. That's enough reason." she calmly continued. She wanted to try and help them out while doing her mission. She can keep quiet about it anyway, and since it seemed that Enma is some kind of acquaintance to them, helping them as a 'side mission' would also help her finish her task quickly.

"See? Yuzuriha-san is not an enemy. She's a friend." Yamamoto beamed. He gently patted Gokudera's shoulders but he just brushed his hands off and frowned. He looked away and swiftly hid his weapons. He glared at Inori and said, "I don't trust you." Inori kept quiet and frowned. She was upset that he turned hostile towards her though she knew it was only natural for she was a stranger. She anticipated an inevitable battle with him too. But Yamamoto and Tsuna were different. They warmly welcomed her.

"B-by the way, Yuzuriha-san, we weren't able to thank you for saving us from Hibari-san the other day." Tsuna smiled nervously. "T-thank you..." his voice was low and trembling. He seemed nervous. Inori wondered if he was only shy but kept it to herself. "You're called Tsuna-san, right? I heard Haru-san shout your name." she tried lifting up the heavy atmosphere. "And, Yamamoto-kun, right?" she glanced at Yamamoto. They both nodded. "And that hot-headed guy is Gokudera-kun." Yamamoto jabbed his thumb towards the silver-haired teen. Gokudera just ignored them though, and he turned his back on them. "Let's go home already, it's late." he said in a quiet tone.

When they moved near Gokudera, Tsuna noticed Inori remained behind. He paused and turned to her. "By the way, Yuzuriha-san, why were you curious about Mafia?"

"Because of family." she quickly replied. Tsuna stared at her seemingly indifferent face. He thought she was mysterious and mesmerizing in a way. He figured she was hiding something from them, since it was truly questionable how she managed to figure out Enma's identity as a part of Mafia. Though she didn't claim that Enma was a Mafia Boss, he knew she did know something. Gokudera abruptly called him, and broke his thoughts. He quickly bowed and bade goodbye to Inori. He caught up with his friends and they continued walking away from her.

As their silhouettes slowly vanished from her sight, Gai emerged from the bushes wearing formal attire. "What's up with that, Inori?" he asked. "Is that what you truly feel?" his voice clearly suggested his amusement. He brushed off the leaves stuck on his shirt and pants. He also took off his white fedora and fixed it.

Inori just kept quiet. She didn't even look at him and continued staring at the horizon. Gai sighed and spoke. "Anyway, let's proceed."

Tsuna and his friends didn't go home. They actually went to the hospital to check on Dino. Reborn said Dino didn't have to transfer to another hospital, since the Medical Staff of Vongola declared that the facilities in that place were good enough. He was still anxious though, and to quench that anxiousness, he just had to see Dino as soon as possible.

As they arrived and reached the room where Dino was resting, Romario met them. His face was a little brighter and he's not in a wheelchair anymore, he can stand but he still needed a crutch. "Oh, Vongola Decimo, you're back already." he said. He slowly approached them. "Romario-san, you shouldn't be moving around too much! You might hurt yourself!" Tsuna was such a worrywart. Romario chuckled and said, "I'm fine, don't worry. The doctor said my bones are fine and can heal for a few days." Suddenly, Sasagawa Ryohei appeared behind him. "Garyuu helped too!" he exclaimed, as energetic as ever. Tsuna and the others were relieved to hear the good news but were surprised to see Ryohei. "Ryohei-nii-san, why are you hear?"

"Eh? Well... I was on the club training when the great Pao-pao master appeared before me and told me that my help was needed, so I followed him. He led me here and told me that a bunch of bad people invited Dino-san and his friends in a fight for something, I really didn't get it but anyways, I helped out." he replied.

Tsuna sighed and thought: so like Reborn... But he figured it was a good thing to look for Ryohei's help. With his box weapon, their wounds would definitely heal up.

"Anyway, I was also surprised to know that they were defeated and beaten up. Good thing their wounds weren't too deep and serious." he continued.

"Yeah, thank you so much, big bro." Tsuna replied. His voice implied his relief.

"But anyway, I got to go. Kyoko-chan might be worried. Sawada, take care of Dino-san to the extreme!" he exclaimed. Tsuna nodded in response, and Ryohei left.

Romario then spoke and his voice sounded serious. "Boss Dino is safe too. His vital organs were intact and his bones weren't broken. It seemed the enemy purposely missed them. I don't know their motives but it seemed they wanted to keep us alive..."

Tsuna's body shivered in response to Romario's news. Knowing that the enemy can even purposely miss means they're expert assassins. If they were Undertakers, like Reborn said, they shouldn't be able to do that kind of thing, unless they have some kind of special weapon or something.

"Boss Dino is awake now but please don't force him too much. He needs rest." Romario requested. They nodded and proceeded inside the room.

=/=

Reborn was sitting beside him. Dino's eyes were closed. He seemed to be sleeping already. His body was wrapped in bandages but overall, he seemed to be fine. His face wasn't as pale as earlier. It was a good thing they didn't receive any fatal blows, though they did suffer a number of damages and losses.

They quietly moved near his bed and as Tsuna gently moved the chair, its low screech awakened Dino. "Ah! Dino-san, I'm sorry if we woke you up." Tsuna's voice was low. Seeing his troubled face made Dino giggle. "Tsuna, what's with that face?" he smiled at him. Tsuna quietly sat on the chair and kept quiet. His face gradually darkened. "Why are you laughing, Dino-san...?" his voice was trembling. Dino's smile melted, and he stared at him. "Tsuna..."

"You almost got killed!" Tsuna raged. "This is serious, Dino-san! You... You almost died!" he was clearly frightened.

"I knew you'd feel that way, Tsuna, but it's all right, we can handle ourselves. We're not that weak." he calmly replied in a quiet tone. Tsuna's eyes welled up tears. He bit his lip as he tried to choke them back. "You... Dino-san, you looked like you weren't breathing at all...when I found you here." his voice was still shaking. Dino lifted his hand and upon placing it on his head, he ruffled his hair. "Stop worrying about your big brother, Tsuna. Big brother can handle it." he grinned. Tsuna quietly sobbed. Yamamoto slightly giggled and spoke. "I'm glad you're all right, Dino-san. I was worried too, you know."

"And it's great you're still alive, or else, we don't know how to explain everything to that war-freak maniac." Gokudera seconded. Dino softly chuckled. He then noticed Enma. "Oh, the Shimon brat is here too."

Enma gasped. He remembered Dino. He knew he was there at the Inheritance Ceremony when they attacked Tsuna and his friends. He figured he might hold a grudge against him and his family for causing too much trouble. "I... uh..." he nervously uttered. Dino laughed and said, "Don't worry. You're Tsuna's friend, right? I already heard from Reborn."

"Tsuna, Enma's assistance is recommended. Even Dino agrees with it." Reborn finally spoke. "And, Dino already told me everything."

"Tsuna, the people who attacked us are not our real enemy. I'm pretty sure they're Undertakers." Dino began. "But they're not your typical Undertakers. They are exceptional fighters. They even managed to be in par with my subordinates with rings and flames. But what surprised me was one particular individual." Tsuna started sweating as he quietly listened to Dino. Everyone was dead silent, concentrating with Dino's story. "They didn't have any rings, and their only weapons were guns and their own fists, but this one particular woman used something different." Everyone in the room was tense. "She didn't have any rings on her fingers though, but it seemed as though she used flames." Everyone was astonished. "Her flames... They're neither 'flames of the sky' like all of the Mafia families possess nor 'flames of the earth' like the Shimon Family uses, but was a different flame. It looked like crystals."

"CRYSTALS?" they shouted in chorus. Disbelief echoed through the place. "Didn't they look like ice crystals? There's a possibility her flames might be identical with Aldeheid's." Enma suggested. Dino shook his head. "No. Like I said, it's different with your flames of the earth, Enma-kun."

Silence...

Tsuna was trembling. The word fear can be painted from his eyes. "Another kind of flame... Crystal flames..."

"But how was she able to produce flames without a ring?" Gokudera asked incredulously. "That's just so impossible. We need a medium in order to release the flames flowing inside us and use them. That logic has been taken even in the future." he continued. Dino just shook his head. "We, who witnessed it personally, do not understand it ourselves too. That woman... She definitely defies our sense of logic."

"Do you think she's like the Vindice?" Enma finally voiced out. They turned their heads and looked at him intently. "I mean, I never saw the Vindice wear any ring, or might be it was just hidden under their bandages..."

Silence took over once again. They obviously considered Enma's opinion. He could be right, and of course he could be wrong too, but based from Dino's story, they thought they could accept his theory. It was acceptable, since they themselves haven't noticed any ring from the Vindice people, but what bothered them is the fact that the Vindices weren't humans anymore, and that their flame is considered as the 8th flame. Does that mean there is a 9th flame? That can't be right. But, does that also mean they would be battling against a monster? Just the thought of it made Tsuna quiver violently.

"Anyway, Dino-san, could you describe her? I mean, you did see her face, right?" Yamamoto broke the silence. Dino stared at the ceiling and gently closed his eyes. After a short huff, he spoke, "Uh... I did, but it was dim, but I think her eyes looked like rubies, so yeah, she had red ruby eyes."

"So, our only lead is that the attackers had a woman with them and she had red eyes, huh? That's pretty tough." Yamamoto nervously giggled. "Anyways, she'd outstand too much so I guess we'd be able to find her easily."

"But, wait, Dino-san," Gokudera entered the conversation. "You said that those Undertakers are not our real enemy. Why'd you think so?"

Dino smiled. "That woman, I think I heard her ask me a rather strange question."

"Huh?"

"I'm not sure what she meant but, yeah, I guess that's the main reason aside from her on purposely keeping me alive."

Gai and Inori, upon arriving at Namimori Middle School, met the demonic Hibari Kyoya at the school grounds. He was making his rounds around the school when he spotted them. As they passed each other, a strong serious atmosphere enveloped them for some reason. Gai, who held such arrogant smirk, ignored the man and went on, while Inori glanced at Hibari but continued following Gai. Hibari glared at them as he felt something odd about the man. He paused and called their attention, "Excuse me, but what business do you have with my school?"

Gai grinned. He paused and looked back at him, "Great, I assume you're a student here. We're here to meet the principal. Care to guide us to his office?" he said as he took off his fedora and bowed to show respect and exhibit formality. Hibari narrowed his eyes and stared at him as if scrutinizing him. "If you're thinking of teaching in my school, then I'm already saying this: you're fired and now you may leave." Hibari coldly declared.

Gai smiled wryly at him and put his fedora back on. "Now that's a shame, young man. I do wish to teach here but why do you claim so much? Are you the principal's kid?"

Hibari snapped. At first glance at the man, he knew he was annoyed with him and that he didn't like him. He harbours too much confidence for himself, and that ticked him off. Steel tonfas snapped out on his hands and he raised them threateningly. "For irritating me, I will bite you to death."

Gai chuckled and raised his chin. "What a child." he muttered as he glanced at Inori. She nodded in response and moved in front of Hibari.

"Oh, so you first?" Hibari smirked. He recognized her. He remembered that she was the woman she fought the other day and that she actually put up a nice and exciting fight with him. Thrilled with the fact that she's now in front of him, he couldn't contain himself and made the first move.

As he swung his tonfa to her side, he expected she'd be able to dodge it but surprisingly, she didn't and instead, she caught and took hold of his weapon. He remained composed though, and swung the other. That time, Inori dodged. She ducked and she aimed for his leg. Hibari broke off from her hold and jumped back, making Inori miss. Unexpectedly, from her crouching position, she kicked the floor and suddenly vanished from his sight. In an instant she was already right in front of him leaning towards him and successfully closed their distance, making Hibari unable to dodge if she ever landed a blow. Hibari was pleased. He thought it'll be a tooth-for-a-tooth battle and since he had no escape routes (dodge chances), he decided to just attack first. He swung his weapon once more but he halted halfway when Inori pointed her forefinger towards his forehead. His instincts told him it'd be too risky to continue and it'd be better to get away but he seemed to be paralyzed.

"I do not wish to fight. My uncle wishes to find the Principal's office. Please lead the way." she said. Her voice was soft but her tone was commanding.

He glared at her. He didn't understand why his instincts kept screaming 'it's dangerous' when it's just her forefinger pointing at his forehead.

"Please do as I say." she continued, her tone ever so quiet.

He refused to withdraw and aimed for Inori's stomach. She withdrew and tried to defend herself but it seemed she was too slow. Since she was confident that she had pressured him enough with her killing aura, she let her guard down. Hibari socked her in her waist and she flinched. She winced as the pain inflicted her. She withdrew and put up a defensive stance.

Hibari smirked as he quickly advanced towards her. "We're not done yet." he said as he grinned in delight. He swiftly thrust his weapon towards her face but she managed to dodge, and this time, she advanced towards him and slammed onto him. She then placed her leg behind his and tripped him over. She pushed him down and as his body slumped down on the floor, she quickly grabbed one of his weapons and claimed it. She then sat on his stomach and pointed his own weapon at his neck while pinning down his hand holding the other tonfa. "I'll ask you once more, please do as I say." she demanded, though her face looked nonchalant.

Hibari stared back at her. He also held an indifferent face, though he was feeling excited since she had proven her worth.

Suddenly, Gai approached them and spoke, "We do not wish to fight, young man. I'm just here for a job. Can't you just at least let us see the principal?" he said as he patted Inori's shoulder. With that simple gesture, Inori released him. She put down the weapon and stood up.

He quickly rose and sat upright. He picked up his weapon then stood up. He brushed his clothes as if removing the dusts covering them. He then looked at them straight and glared at them. "Fine, you did entertain me so you're forgiven." he declared as he walked past them. He then continued, "Follow me then, I'll take you to the principal."

To be continued...

A/N: Hello folks, I have to say this now, I can't promise that I could post as often as possible. I also have that writer's block thingy or problem or whatever and since school is near, I'm going to be a bit busy arranging my papers and settling my accounts for the upcoming enrolment. So, that's all, I hope you won't be mad at me, and please be patient too. I'm so glad if you already read this far, and I hope you enjoy how my imagination made things up. x)

Please feel free to suggest or anything, I do need some help too~