Epilogue

It took thirty minutes for them to calm down and go back to the picnic blanket. They pulled Ryushi with them and settled him next to Tsuna who has been patiently waiting for them.

"What happened?" Okuda queried, still sniffing.

"Right now, he's seventy percent human. The other thirty percent was the result of his blood accepting the silicon, which made him retain his other Koro-sensei abilities." Tsuna answered, remembering what Verde told him. "He slept for almost five days. It was originally sixty-five to thirty-five, but we were able to nurse him back to health again." He eyed everyone. "I know that your overwhelmed, confused, and angry at me. I completely understand that. And I want to apologize for doing it. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I don't know how to. Even when I have Karma, Nagisa, and Itona with me all the time, I wasn't able to tell them that Ryushi is still alive. I kept on thinking how can I tell you, until I gave up and left it to when the time comes."

(Sawada fact no. Seventy-Two: He was able to fulfill his promise of keeping Koro-sensei alive.)

"I-It's fine." Kanzaki said, wiping her tears away and smiled. "For me, it's fine. If we didn't think that Koro-sensei has died back then, we won't be as we are now. But instead of just thinking that he'll be proud, we can now personally brag to him what we have achieved so far."

"I'm honestly proud of all of you, Everyone." Ryushi remarked. "You have taken my advices to your hearts and let them help you grow. It feels wonderful to be your teacher. Thank you."

"Welcome back, Koro-sensei." Nagisa greeted with a smile of his own.

Ryushi laughed. "Yes. I'm back."

Then the class proceeded to talk to Ryushi, telling them what have they achieved so far. The man listened attentively too, asking the right questions before turning to the next person who wanted to talk.

"You need to tell us every single thing later, Tsuna." Karna said to the brunet while draping himself on the latter who groaned at the weight. "You owe me that much."

Nagisa, who went to their side, nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Sirs." He saluted before turning to the crowd. "I'm just glad they accepted him easily. It's one of the things I've been worried about."

"Tsuna, how many elements are you harmonized with?" Nagisa asked him.

"Twenty-seven? Plus Gakusho, Reborn, Daemon, Mukuro and Ryushi, that's thirty-two."

"How cannot we accept a fellow element under your sky, Tsuna?" He gave a soft 'ow' when the bluenet flicked his forehead. "If we can accept Gakusho and Mukuro, Koro-sensei is not an exception. We'll even pull everything to make him harmonize with you."

"Like how we have pulled everything for everyone to get harmonized with you." Karma chimed in, causing the three of them to laugh at the memories.

It was that one day when Reborn expressed to them that Class E haven't harmonized with Tsuna. The two realized it too, and tried think of ways for all elements to harmonize with the brunet. It didn't even help that Gakusho beat them up to it because he was able to officially settle after he discovered Tsuna's case. One time, they tried it with Ryouma, and it almost didn't work if the teen didn't ask Tsuna for it. The brunet just knew they were up to something so he was very cautious, until Ryouma gave up the subtlety. Right then, Nagisa and Karma realized that Tsuna's hyper intuition was hard to fool.

So, they pulled things here and there, conspired with other harmonized elements to help them achieve their goal for the class to harmonize with Tsuna. And to the brunet's chagrin, they succeeded after so many attempts and back-ups for their original plans. Heck, they almost pulled Takeshi and Kyouya in it, if Tsuna didn't catch on and stomped his dying will down from harmonizing the two. It's unethical for a sky to take prospect elements from another sky. Reborn would kill him if he harmonized with the two, accidentally or not.

(Even if the two want to be harmonized with him, they still need to consider their (ex)sky's feelings and ask Reborn if it is okay. Tsuna knows the two yearn to be harmonized with him, and he just can't.)

("You could severe your bond." Karma pointed out to Kyouya and Takeshi. Blue eyes and red ones glanced at each other; devious glints shared. "It's your choice."

"Or you could ask Reborn-san for advice." Nagisa also said.

The two looked at each other, contemplative. While the other set of two shared a look, a snicker, and a high-five, already plotting how to pull the two in their sky.)

Harmonizing with his other elements were kinda... Something. The first he harmonized with was Ryushi. It was a rule that until Ryushi hasn't harmonized with him, the others wouldn't make a move. And since all the debacle was solved, there was nothing that could stop them anymore. It was a year later, when Ryushi went out to do a mission near his birthday that sent Tsuna to a panic attack. Tsuna cried his heart out, unable to let go of his trauma back then. Ryushi came home with him like that, and promised to be safe and around when his birthday comes. With that, their flames 'click'-ed, and they fell unconscious due to the flame effect and exhaustion.

Reborn went next. For the past year, he kept on showering Tsuna with gifts and attention. And when he came back from Italy (he attended the meeting about the two heirs who adamantly refused to go home), he pushed their bonds and they fell into places. Tsuna was cooking that time for their dinner, and yelped at the sudden harmonization. It took his will to stay awake because he's just a sky, and Reborn is an ex-Arcobaleno. How can his flames be that compatible to that powerful kind of flames?

(For kept information though, it was Reborn who fell asleep first. Ryushi laughed and poked at his best friend for being 'weak'. Tsuna and Daemon snickered to their stomach when Reborn smacked Ryushi for calling him 'weak', before he continued his sleep.)

When he harmonized with Gakusho, he was the one who pushed that since he wanted the other to see how he has sincerely accepted his apology. It was after he discovered Tsuna's case. If Karma reacted badly who wasn't the instigator in any form and wanted to be of help for the past years, what more to Gakusho who was so devastated? And since Tsuna accepted the strawberry blond as his cloud even before they had deepened their friendship, it was no sweat for the brunet to forgive.

Daemon took his time. He had a list of what he needed to do first before he harmonized with Tsuna. Wait for the others to harmonize with the brunet, accumulate as much flames he needs so he won't get overwhelmed, and find a dying body that was compatible with his soul. The last one was a trial and error that it took almost seven years to do. The moment he did get a body, he ran for their place, never really had the necessity to introduce himself since Tsuna knew his flames signature, and they harmonized. Up until now, Daemon was still trying to familiarize himself with his new body after recovering from the fatal wound it had before the soul in it died and he took over.

Mukuro was a new level of difficulty. He needed to see what's so special about Tsuna. And Tsuna didn't really want to. It wasn't his intention to make the other his mist. He just wanted him to be free. But Mukuro wanted him as a sky, and pulled from Ietsuna completely regardless of his and Chrome's situation. The only time Mukuro was able to see it was when Tsuna fell into 'it' again. There were signs. Burnouts, immediate exhaustion, those sharp objects he notices, and the tingling of those spots he used to mark. At a certain time, while everyone was away, Tsuna caught himself in the bathroom with a sharp shard of a broken bowl pointed on his wrist. Mukuro came on him at that time and observed him. When he saw how the brunet was able to make a small cut, he asked why was he doing that when he has everyone at his side. Tsuna asked the same thing to himself too. Mukuro got convinced that the thing that was special about the brunet was his mental health. That inevitable pain Tsuna suffers every once in a while. Not because he was lonely or having existential crisis. It was the exhaustion of living, and Mukuro liked that.

So far, he has thirty-two elements. And no. He did not want to harmonize with Xanxus because that is another level of headache-inducing flame-drunk state. He did almost harmonize with him. Same with Takeshi and Kyouya. But he didn't want to take the two. Chrome needed to stay though. A responsibility and to be an ear for Mukuro.

"Hey!" They all turned to Sugino who shouted out. "It's nearly midnight."

"Since we're here already and Koro-sensei is finally with us," Isogai smiled. "Shall we sing him a happy birthday?"

The others cheered.

"Happy Birthday to you..." The class slowly started off as Nakamura lit up the candles. "Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday, Koro-sensei... Happy birthday to you."

Ryushi grinned before blowing the candles. "Thank you everyone."

The class clapped and cheered.

After eating the cake and talking more, the class went down the mountain to go home. Before separating, some went to Tsuna and thanked him. Even ruffled his hair. He needed to bow for the girls so they could reach his head. He's near Karma's height; perks of drinking milk back then. Along the way home, Tsuna explained to Nagisa, Karma, and Itona what really happened for the past seven years with Ryushi's own help. The three understood. They always do.

"I'm glad."

Tsuna looked up from slipping on his futon to see Ryushi smiling at him from the bed. "Hm?"

"I'm glad that I was able to work up the courage to see them again, Tsuna-kun. And thank you for giving me this great opportunity."

A slow smile itched on Tsuna's face. Every year, he does this, express his gratitude to the brunet. "Always, Ryushi."

Ryushi smiled back.

The end.