AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi again, bet you didn't necessarily expect to hear from me this week did you? I hope that it's a pleasant surprise for you ^_^

I had the time to go through and edit the chapter and fix up a couple things and so I decided that I would go ahead and post it this week. Don't worry, there will still be a new chapter on the scheduled update next week. As a note, Haru has not suddenly acquired a sibling-when Akai refers to herself as Haru's "oneesan" it's a vague reference to the geisha culture-the 'oneesan' is the one who teaches their junior all the things she needs to know to advance along the hierarchy (more or less).

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Akira Amano, I've just decided to write and see what the new future of the Vongola Famiglia would be if I let everything play out in my head and put it on paper. The OCs and storyline are products of my overactive imagination.

Thank you for following the story this far, I hope you will enjoy the way it plays out.

Thank you!

~ Yuki

Next update will be around September 4th.

Target 16-02: Rescue Kyoko

Haru's phone vibrated and she pulled it out and read it. "Chrome says that Judaime hasn't shown up yet to try and claim Mukuro's ring. She says they're moving around a lot and we probably have a little bit longer," she announced quietly.

They were using her house as their HQ for this particular operation because the Sawada house was off limits for now. Dirty dishes were stacked in the sink, the remnants of stir fry clinging here and there as the four Vongola and Akai gathered around the table looking over the maps the older girl had put together. They were all dressed in dark clothing and were discussing the last few aspects of the mission.

"Sakura says she'll meet us there, but she won't be accompanying us all the way in as we'd hoped because you couldn't meet the full price," Akai said and pointed at the edge between the two properties. "So from here forward, we're limited to just what we can do together."

"That's as far as you can go as well then?" Yamamoto inquired.

Akai shook her head. "I'm that one's oneesan," she said, inclining her head towards Haru. "I can't let my little sister go into this mess without me. Besides, I've nothing better to do tonight. Study group is canceled until we can get Kyoko-san back."

Haru's eyes ran over the map of her best friend's prison compound and she traced her fingers over the edge of the Trabuchet property. "So this is the area we need to blackout?" she said, circling it with her fingertips.

"I'll be handling that part," Akai said. "I will be waiting until the very last moment to black that area out. We likely have a matter of seconds between the black out and when they'll get to Kyoko-san's room. Yamamoto and Gokudera will be going in through one of the other weak points in the perimeter and stage a distraction to hopefully draw their attention away from Kyoko-san's room. Sasagawa will be the one going up the rope to Kyoko-san's room since he has a better chance of getting that window out of the way and getting her while Haru and I cover him. Any questions?"

The inhabitants of the room shook their heads and Akai nodded in satisfaction. "Then let's get going."

They left the house and made their way through the quiet streets of Namimori. Haru couldn't help being a little glad that her dad wasn't in town; it saved her from having to make up a lie or sneaking out to avoid his questions. They met the woman in the Tengu mask near the house behind the one where Kyoko was being held and she made some obscure hand gestures and Akai nodded.

"She says that once we get in the compound, she'll provide a smoke screen for us to get through, but it's only going to last a couple minutes so we have to move fast. Gokudera, Yamamoto…"

"We're headed out now," Gokudera said and he and the Rain Guardian took off to get into position.

Once they were out of sight, Ryohei boosted Haru followed by Akai onto the wall and then hauled himself up easily, steadied by the girls as he found proper footing.

"Ready?" Sakura's voice barely carried.

All three snapped on goggles and Haru checked things over one more time and nodded, glancing at Akai who also inclined her head.

"Go," Akai said.

A heavy mist rose from the ground and the three scrambled along the wall, barely keeping their foothold until they reached the backside of their target. Pointed black bars rose before them and Haru glanced at Ryohei. The Sun Ring on the boxer's hand flared as he struck out at the bars and they shattered along with the ring, but Ryohei didn't seem to notice. He hopped down from the wall and was making his way across the grounds before Haru and Akai could get into proper position. "Crap, he's going…" Haru began.

"Don't worry, Haru, I've got this," Akai grinned. "I figured he'd break from the plan as soon as the goal was in sight. That is his sister up there."

Alarms went off in the compound as the girls hit the ground and Akai passed Haru some smokebombs. "Your Storm Guardian has some useful ideas."

They threw the bombs as the first men came into sight and Ryohei clambered up the drain pipe to the room where Kyoko was being held.

The alarms going off were Gokudera and Yamamoto's first sign that things with the plan hadn't completely gone as hoped. "Turftop screwed something up," Gokudera growled as they kicked in the side gate and burst through.

"Maybe, but it's better to face them head on, isn't it?" Yamamoto grinned and drew Shigure Kintoki as their first opponents burst into view.

They wound up back to back for a moment as the first guards attacked.

"Go up after him, Haru," Akai ordered. "I'll cover it down here."

Haru nodded and followed the boxer up the drain pipe. Ryohei reached the window first and caught the upper part of the roof, using it to maneuver himself to crash through the window feet first. Haru waited a moment for the glass to clear and then slipped in afterwards, spotting Kyoko on the bed with a bandage wrapped around her head. She was unnaturally pale and Haru raced across the carpet, glass crunching under feet to the bedside.

The door burst open and Ryohei slipped another ring onto his hand. The rings that the Hanatachi had at their disposal that they were willing to let someone outside the clan use were limited and they'd given him a few because they knew he would easily overwhelm the ring with the strength of his flames. "Get her out of here," Ryohei ordered. "I'll take care of the guys that come in."

Haru checked Kyoko over and was relieved to feel a steady pulse under her fingers and the warmth of breath rushing across her skin. "Kyoko-chan?" she whispered.

The girl stirred at the sound of her name and hazy eyes opened. "Haru-chan?" she asked.

"Yes," Haru replied.

"Where am I?" Kyoko asked. "This isn't my room."

"No, but we're going to see about getting you back to your room safely," Haru assured her. "Can you move?"

"I can try," Kyoko said. "I tried to walk earlier and was too dizzy to make it far."

Haru frowned. "We're going to have to take her through the house, Sasagawa-san; we aren't going to be able to get her back out through the window. Akai said we may be able to use the downstairs door as an alternative route…"

Ryohei didn't have a chance to answer as the door burst open and his fists moved into action, slamming into the first person who came through the door's face. Haru flinched at the audible crack and turned her attention to Kyoko. The other girl was forcing herself to sit up and swayed a bit and Haru frowned. "We need to get you to the hospital," she said.

The first wave of attackers through the doorway had been taken down and Haru called for Ryohei twice before the white-haired boxer finally turned his attention to her. "Can you carry Kyoko and I'll clear the way through?" Haru asked quietly.

Ryohei scowled at the idea, but Haru pointed out that he had more strength than she did and they'd be able to move faster if he could carry his sister. Reluctantly, the boxer agreed and Haru took point. She rigged up a trap with some of the smoke bombs that Akai had given her and they began to make their way downstairs on the preplanned route. Akai would be moving towards the back exit as soon as she realized that Haru wasn't coming back out the window.

She tagged the communicator on her ear. "We're using the alternative exit," she announced quietly over the channel.

Gokudera managed to blow the last set of enemies back out of his way and put them out of commission when Haru's announcement came over the communicator. He and Yamamoto's eyes met and they nodded at each other and switched their route. They hurried around the house to the door that they'd noted on the plans, but had dismissed as a possible entrance due to the fact it would still be too far from where they were holding Kyoko to get there before Kyoko was hurt.

They were confronted by a group of men just short of the door and Yamamoto scowled. "Go ahead, I'll take these guys. Haru and senpai may need back up."

He moved to go do as Yamamoto suggested, worry about Haru niggling in the back of his mind, but then realized that he was better suited for cover. Gokudera shook his head. "You go; my weapons cover more ground than yours."

Yamamoto looked surprised, but then nodded and darted away as the first explosives arced through the air and hit the ground in front of the men.

Haru's kanzashi were in her hand as the men closed in. She'd already used up her needles and playing cards. Throwing the kanzashi would be ineffective and completely deprive her of any line of defense. She shifted into a ready position and took a deep breath, they had guns and all she had left was one flash bomb, in one movement she tagged her goggles darkening them. "Sasagawa-san I'm doing it now," she announced and tossed the bomb down in the midst of the men.

She dashed through the temporarily incapacitated mafia members. A glance behind her showed that Ryohei was stumbling and she let out a curse that would make Gokudera proud and darted back. She caught Ryohei's arm, tugging lightly to guide the boxer in the appropriate direction. They reached the stairwell and Haru froze as she came face to face with a drawn gun. "I should've taken you out the night we attacked your house, you're a pain the ass," the man snarled. "The Lady didn't want you hurt, but you're turning into a poisonous thorn."

There was a sharp crack and the man slumped immediately, revealing Yamamoto standing behind him. "He's out for now, let's go," he said.

Haru nodded and they finished making their way downstairs and exited the house, regrouping with Akai and Gokudera at the side gate the demolitionist and baseball player had used for getting into the compound.

"I've got an ambulance on the way," Akai announced. "We'll have to get a few houses over though to keep this on the down low. I'm pretty sure the Vongola cleaners are going to be here soon."

"Are you okay, Haru?" Gokudera asked quietly.

The ambulance carrying Kyoko and Ryohei was long gone and the other Vongola were making their way to the hospital. Haru snapped her phone shut after sending a text message off to Tsuna and glanced at Gokudera and Yamamoto who were accompanying her. Akai had left after the ambulance picked up Kyoko to debrief the Hanatachi Clan on their mission.

"Yes, I'm fine," Haru said. "I'm more worried about Kyoko-chan. I don't know if they were giving her any kind of treatment in the house for her injuries and she seemed a bit disoriented when the ambulance got here."

"If they did anything permanent to Kyoko…" Yamamoto's voice trailed off dangerously.

Haru nodded in grim agreement.

They reached the hospital and consulting at the desk revealed Kyoko's room and they made their way up there as Ryohei exited his sister's room. "Our parents will be here shortly, so we have a few minutes," he said. "They're going to be extremely displeased. I'm not sure if Kyoko is going to be able to sway them this time."

"What are you talking about?" Gokudera frowned at Ryohei.

The boxer shrugged uncomfortably and then smiled. "Kyoko's awake right now; you should go in and see her."

Haru nodded and moved past the boxer and into the room, noting that all three boys stayed behind as she shut the hospital door. Kyoko was sitting up in her hospital bed and gave Haru an immediate smile when she entered. "Haru-chan, are you all right?" she asked worriedly.

Haru nodded. "Haru's fine, Kyoko-chan," she reassured her, forcing her speech patterns back to her old ones. "Did the doctors say anything?"

Kyoko shook her head slowly. "Nothing beyond what we already knew. I have a concussion and they'll probably keep me here for a couple days because there was some swelling in the brain. About all those men did was make sure I had a bed to lie on and they applied ice now and then."

"Oh Kyoko-chan…" Haru's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry I—"

"Haru, you can't catch everything, even if you want to," Kyoko smiled. "I'll be fine. The doctors said there won't be any permanent effects from this."

"Thank goodness," Haru said and moved to the curtains to twitch them aside. "Sasagawa-san was saying…"

Haru didn't get to finish her question when the door opened and admitted the boys who came in to check on Kyoko and Haru.

They chatted for a little while and then Gokudera and Yamamoto rose announcing that they were leaving and exiting soon after leaving just Ryohei, Kyoko, and Haru in the room. The boxer jumped and pulled out his phone. "Mom and Dad are here, I'm going to go greet them," he said.

"All right," Kyoko smiled.

Ryohei exited the room, leaving the two girls in an oddly heavy silence.