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Ten Years Later

"I really don't want to kill you Karen-chan, but unfortunately…" Unfortunate my ass, the silver haired woman thought to herself as she scanned the circle that was slowly closing in on her. Even though she doubted Byakuran would notice her Mist flames building up in her ring but better safe than sorry so she kept them way below radar. Ghost and Daisy she knew shouldn't have trouble with but it's the other ones, primarily Byakuran that worried her.

Byakuran honestly didn't want to kill the beautiful, brilliant young woman that he had come to view as an equal but she saw and now knows more than she should; information she would relay to her boss and who is his enemy. She would never help him, not over her family, friends and lover; all of whom she would give anything to protect.

Karen, Mukuro Rokudo's words floated into her head the same way they have for ten years,

Don't interfere yet, Karen softly whispered

But,

Look, I can't focus if in you're in here nattering. I need to focus! She didn't mean to so tart with him but she just couldn't focus between talking with him and fighting. The real Funeral Wreaths were above her level and if she was going to get out alive and report to Tsuna she had to stay on her toes. A sudden desire to move to her left allowed her to avoid a stream of invisible storm flames, NOW! She thought, and without prompting Mukuro enhanced his student's illusions as she released Aida, a Mist Kingfisher. Three of the Six Funeral Wreaths were out from the sonic boom Karen and Aida created: Zakuro, Bluebell and Torikabuto. Not missing a beat, Karen released her Squalo Piccolo Pioggia, Little Rain Shark, who quickly chewed Daisy to the point he couldn't fight but the shark was annihilated by Kikyou's vines, just like a boa constrictor. Without pause for Kikyou or herself to recover, Karen whipped out her ninjato smothering it with Rain flames concentrated into fine, imperceptible points. Kikyou dodged to the left of the blade but Karen's smile distracted him, "What the!" he felt sharp points stab his chest but there was no pain. Before he realized it, he was down.

"My, my Karen-chan. You're a handful. How on earth does Xanxus deal with you?" Byakuran disguised his distress with his comment. He first met Karen at an American engineering university. Byakuran has only ever admired her from afar, the lithe grace and strength in her movements, her quick mind that was more than photographic memory and her kindness towards him even though she knew she had to stay away from him. Even if they had gotten close, they would never have been more than friends as her one and only best friend was also her boyfriend, the one she's been dating for almost eight years now. If it wasn't for youth, a proposal would have come out six years ago. For all that apparent diplomatic skill and friendliness, Karen was as fierce and dangerous as a jaguar, Giaguaro, Byakuran thought of the young woman's underground name.

Karen didn't answer; she just lunged, using her long limbs to give the illusion of her aiming in one direction but actually going in the opposite direction. Even Lussuria, who has experienced this combat style in almost every sparring match he and Karen did was never able to counter it but Byakuran did. He's had a lot of experience with this, she thought, improvising tactics as she went but neither Byakuran or Karen were able to land blows on each other.

"Knowing all the alternate realities sure helps huh? Byakuran." Karen finally spoke aloud

"Yes it does," Byakuran's cheerful smile hasn't been present ever since he found her in the Millefiore Headquarters where she saw him and his Real Funeral Wreaths, "it also helps to tell me about your Vongola Ring," his statement allowed him gain a brief, split second advantage over Karen but she recovered and evaded the fatal blow. How could he know about my ring? Only the Seven Vongola Rings, Sky, Rain, Storm, Sun, Lightning, Cloud and Mist were known to the public and even in the Vongola, only the Tenth Generation Guardians and the Ninth Vongola Boss knew about the existence of the Misty Rain Ring. But of course, this bastard has access to all the alternate realities, so I must have revealed it in another time. Damn it!

Mukuro was going nuts. Here he was stuck in a water tank in Italy while Karen was in Japan fighting for her life against impossible odds. He loved her as a sister, and Chrome loved Karen as an older sister and role model. The only thing he could do was help Karen power up her illusions and to retain the information she obtained for future use.

Finally, Karen espied an opening in Byakuran's defense and moved in for it using her Sky flame boots. Byakuran, caught off guard by the display of Sky Flames, felt Karen's blade cut deep into his side, clipping a lung. However, he released a white dragon from his Mare Ring. Karen's back was wide open and no amount of Dying Will Flame was going to keep her alive. Just as Karen danced back from Byakuran, the white dragon pierced her through the center of her chest. Surprise danced across her features.

Karen felt pain rip through her chest. The dragon creature had clipped her heart. Without stopping, she released Kaida, her Mist and Rain flame hybrid jaguar, from her third box. Kaida's mouth found the collar of Karen's bloodstained, indigo dress shirt and swung the dying woman onto her back and raced for the Vongola Headquarters in Japan, using both Mist and Rain flames to increase her speed. The speed her master's blood beating out made the box weapon realize her master wasn't going to live even if they got to the Vongola now.

"Kaida," Karen's voice rasped, "take these and get them to Tsuna," Kaida allowed Karen to put her three box weapons, a single ring, a memory stick, and a small camera into the jaguar's mouth.

Karen's role in the Vongola was publicized as Intelligence but only the Varia's commanders, Tsuna and company, and the Ninth knew about her real role. Her real role was the mandate of the Misty Rain Guardian, the hidden support of the Family, the one who could, depending on her flame types, replace any one of the Guardian's and given the right ancestry, even become the Vongola Boss, Undicesimo.

Tsuna felt his hand jerk and the pen he was holding shattered, scattering ink all over the documents he was reading and all over his clothes.

"Tenth?" Gokudera looked up in dismay,

"Its fine Gokudera-kun" Tsuna grabbed a cloth to start whipping up but a sharp chink and crack distracted him. The sharp sound came from the picture of him and his friends on his desk. Precisely across the section that Karen was featured in was hole through the glass, as if someone just stabbed it in her chest. A sharp pain caused the young Vongola Boss to stumble, "She can't be!"

"TENTH!" Gokudera yelled as Tsuna sprinted out of the office. Following Tsuna, Gokudera glanced out a window and said, "oh God". The unmistakable flash of indigo Mist Flames and blue Rain flames streaked towards the building, reflecting off the unmistakable silver hair of the Misty Rain Guardian.

"KAREN!" Yamamoto's voice ripped through the air as he sprinted towards the jaguar. Takeshi saw Karen's grip on Kaida's fur slip and with a gross sense of slow motion, she fell. Kaida stumbled trying to keep her master on her back but failed. Karen was dead before she hit the ground.

Takeshi turned Karen over, and found an almost perfect, bloodstained circle through Karen's chest. Blood still drained out of the fatal wound, staining her beautiful silver hair. "Karen?" he shook her shoulder desperately, "Karen c'mon," everything in his being rejected the thought that beautiful, clever, reliable, strong Karen would be killed, "KAREN!" he screamed as the rain that had followed Karen home drenched the young Japanese man and washed Karen clean of her own blood; the requiem rain.