Episode 18: Remembering Memories
"The future I cannot forget, this aching heart ain't broken yet. Oh God, I wish I could make you see… 'Cause I know this flame isn't dying… But nothing can stop me from trying…"
-"Time for Miracles" by Adam Lambert

The next day was rather uneventful for me. Hayato had said something about having to find a man in purple.

I sighed. Another Arcobaleno trial. Which I blatantly ignored, honestly. So basically, I spent the day with Bel and Mammon, making lunches for everyone, including Hibari. I found everyone besides Tsuna, Lambo, I-Pin, and Haru. So I went to give one to Hibari, who I was sure was in the Reception Room, as usual.

Knocking on the door to the Reception Room, I waited. No one answered. I groaned. So I was wrong? Sheesh, where else would he be, especially on a day off? That's when I felt a powerful Flame. This power could only belong to an Arcobaleno! I rushed off towards the source of the power, the Art Room.

When I got there, I sighed at the sight. It was kind of sad how used to the types of things I saw nowadays. An Arcobaleno was sitting in a bruised Tsuna's lap with Haru, I-Pin, Reborn, Lambo, and Lal surrounding them. Smiling, I put the boxed lunches onto the table and walked away. I bumped into Hibari and looked back.

That Arcobaleno looked an awful lot like Hibari. That was probably I-Pin's master and the reason for her infatuation with Hibari. "Good day, Hibari-kun," I greeted him sarcastically.

"Get out of my way, or I'll bite you to death," he warned. I stepped aside and allowed him into the room. Next thing I know, there's a huge explosion.

The Arcobaleno sighed. "Good grief… It seems like she still has a ways to go after all." He spotted me. "Ah. You're Najika Kamiya, right? Thank you for helping I-Pin out of some situations. My name is Fon."

I smiled a little. "Nice to meet you, Fon. Hibari-kun… I made lunch for everyone. Here." I handed the Cloud Guardian the box, and he simply took it with no words and walked away, most likely to the roof. "Fon, would you like to have lunch with us?"

Another day had gone by, which meant another trial had gone. Four trials were done, and four more remained. Three days remained in our week long time period, including today. I sighed. That should be enough, hopefully. We knew Reborn, and we knew Verde.

I sat on Tsuna's bed, listening to Hayato, Tsuna, Takeshi, and Ryohei going back and forth about who the Sky Arcobaleno was. This was going to be a tough one. I stood. "Sorry to run so fast, but I'm going to check on Chrome."

Chrome was surprisingly doing okay. She was eating well, ever since Tsuna brought those riceballs to her. We walked into Namimori together the next day, so I could treat her to lunch, and I was surprised to see Tsuna with Kyoko, Haru, and a woman I quickly identified to be the Sky Arcobaleno. Kyoko and Haru pulled us over to eat, Chrome turning a bright red. I laughed and stood up to get everyone something to eat. "Nice to meet you, Najika Kamiya," the Arcobaleno greeted.

I looked around to see that Tsuna was missing. "You're the Sky Arcobaleno…"

"My name is Aria, and I have a question for you all." She leaned forward. "What do you all think of Tsunayoshi-kun?"

Haru turned a little red and she replied, "Tsuna-san is very kind and cool." Of course.

Kyoko added, "He can really surprise you at times, but it's reassuring to have him with you." Ah, sweet Kyoko.

Chrome's answer was quiet, but it made sense. "The boss is my link to someone important to me… but he's very kind to me."

I shrugged. "Tsuna-kun has done a lot for me. Ever since I met him, he's been nothing but nice to me. He understands me better than a lot of people," I answered honestly.

Aria smiled a little. "I see. Everybody likes him." It was true. Everyone loved Tsuna. He had a way of surprising everyone. Shamal showed up, even if it was only a brief second. Chrome and left and I watched the interaction between Aria and Tsuna. I smirked a little, then stood up. There were several men watching us who took out box weapons of all different Flames.

Before I could even get set up, Hayato, Takeshi, and Ryohei had come out of nowhere. I pulled out my guns and aimed steadily. They were all down before anything could start. I stood up and walked up to Tsuna. No one was hurt, but when we turned around, they all disappeared.

I smiled a little bit and moved to leave. "See you later, Hayato. I'm going to make sure that Bel hasn't killed anyone yet." When I was halfway home, I noticed my Ring glowing orange. The Sky challenge was cleared.

X Tsunayoshi Sawada X

Boy, was Tsuna surprised when Reborn said that he would be the holder of the next Trial. But hey, it was to be expected. After all, Reborn was an Arcobaleno.

The sixth trial was the Sun Arcobaleno's trial. The Sun Arcobaleno, also known as the Hitman Home Tutor Reborn.

X Najika Kamiya X

It was late at night when we were being rowed to Namimori Island. I clutched Hayato's hand tightly. We were going up against Reborn. Against Reborn, it seemed almost like we had no chance.

Reborn, the greatest Hitman in the world, would be fighting against us, a group consisting of seven teenagers and a little boy. Everyone showed up, including Chrome and Hibari. Even so… I wasn't so sure that we would be able to beat them. Even Takeshi seemed worried about getting stuck in a huge fight with Reborn.

By the time we finally got to where Reborn was, it was early morning. I fidgeted a little, opening my Box Weapon and taking out Michi and Ryuu.

An all-out battle was what the trial was going to be. I gritted my teeth and prepared to fight. Tsuna was quickly kicked into the rocks. Any one of us was able to attack him. Hibari was the first to strike, but Reborn parried everything with no problem. Hibari slammed the weapon away from Reborn, but the Arcobaleno jumped, catching Leon as he transformed into a gun. Hibari's eyes widened as Reborn's bullet made contact. Hibari was still standing, but fell as soon as the smoke cleared. I gaped; Hibari, our best, had been easily beaten.

Ryohei was next. Reborn dodged every punch. Takeshi and Hayato brought out their weapons, as did Chrome and I. We were all trying our best, but Reborn's bullet took out Takeshi and Chrome rather quickly. Ryohei blocked Reborn's punch, but one hit to the gut was all it took to knock the boxer out cold.

Only Hayato and I were left standing. Lambo was asleep, Hibari and Ryohei were out, and Chrome and Takeshi were struggling to get up. Hayato took the next move, aiming all of his bullets at Reborn, no mercy shown. Reborn was quick to jump, and Hayato's Flame Thunder was deflected easily, knocking him out.

I guess it was my turn. I jumped up and released both Vento and Frusta. Vento's wing hardened and he flew around Reborn, blocking where I was going to be. But Vento was thrown at Frusta, and I was left with no cover. Reborn dodged all of the bullets, and then I remembered. Those darts… Loading the darts into Michi and Ryuu, I shot. They were like torpedoes, but even so, Reborn dodged every one. He reappeared behind me, and kicked the back of my head. Everything went black.

Reborn… he was just too strong for us.

When my mind allowed my body to move, I found all of us just lying in beds on Namimori Island. We never even had a chance. Not even Tsuna, Reborn's faithful student. Maybe this just wasn't meant to be. Maybe we shouldn't have even attempted it.

I stayed staring at the ceiling for God knows how long, listening to the bickering of my friends. I sighed silently and slipped out of the hospital bed, staggering towards the stairs that led up. This was the lighthouse, and I couldn't help but feel the need to go outside. The sun was still shining, as if the sky was oblivious to the tragic loss that its representative had just suffered.

I sighed and backed up against the wall, sliding down. Tucking my legs in, I rested my head in between them. This didn't turn out the way it was supposed to. If only I was stronger…

No. If only we were stronger. I looked back up to see the sun still shining brightly. I smiled a little. Just like Ryohei, the sun was always shining down, trying to be optimistic about everything. The clouds, like Hibari, were trying to isolate themselves. Then, there was mist that covered some part of the land. It was mysterious, like Chrome and Mukuro. And I knew, somewhere, there was a storm, with rain and thunder. Lambo, Takeshi, and Hayato. They never gave up on something they wanted. And Tsuna, who was the sky. He was the one that allowed all of them to tap into their fullest potential.

What was I? A wave. Just a wave. I stood and walked to the railing. The waves were eating away at the sandy beach, desperately trying to cling to the earth that they touched. I sighed. I had no connection to the sky. "I'm nothing compared to the rest of them…"

"Not true." I turned to see Reborn. "You are a bridge. You connect the sky and the earth, and allow the clouds, the mist, and the rain to be seen. Without the clouds and the rain, the thunder and the storm wouldn't be what they are. The sunshine can be dimmed and brightened depending on the wave's interference. Without the wave, the sky wouldn't have anything."

I smiled weakly. "Then why am I not able to do anything when they need me?" I asked quietly, looking back out to the ocean. "Was I wrongly chosen as a Guardian? I was just a blind girl with a tragic past."

Reborn looked out to the sea, too. "No. You've changed everyone in this family, as much as you don't think you have." I laughed a little. "I'm serious, Najika. You brought out a part of everyone, including the Varia, that no one else knows. They, themselves, didn't even know that part of them."

Resting my head on my hand, I thought about what Reborn had said. Maybe he was right. Maybe I could help people change. "I'll be the wave, and I'll be there for my friends," I vowed. A smirk took over Reborn's face. "I'll do my best."

"Good."

When I walked back down the stairs, I noticed Shamal was walking away from the boys. Smiling a little, I sat on Hayato's bed. He was sitting up, so I knelt on the mattress and hugged him from behind. "There's no need to worry. Everything is going to be okay. We'll try again."

He shook. "The trial is over. Reborn-san won't fight us again. We blew our chance."

I sighed. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to pass. For Tsuna-kun's sake." I got up again. "I'm leaving now, okay?" I ruffled both his and Tsuna's hair. "We'll do this right. We're the Vongola." Walking out, I looked up at the sun again, smiling. I knew that we would be able to do this.

The waves were still grabbing at the sand, and at that, I smiled a little. Taking off my shoes, I rested my feet in the waves, feeling relaxed by just being near the waves. They licked at my ankles and I kicked a little. I felt like I was five, going to the beach for the first time.

As of now, that day, I had great friends, a powerful weapon, and a reason to fight. This is all I could've ever asked for. I won't lose to anyone. I looked down at my Ring, watching it glint.

But… Tsuna was tested with everyone on some level. Everyone had two tests but me. I was only tested against Reborn. What was my next trial going to be?

My thinking was interrupted by a group of large ships in the sky. Box Weapon starfish and a tank rolled up onto the beach. I looked down. Vento and Frusta, my two trusted Box Weapons, Chiarore, my Flame-board, and Michi and Ryuu, my guns. I opened all of the boxes, except for Chiarore. Vento and Frusta went off, defeating several Box Weapons. I transformed Michi and Ryuu and shot down several of the Box Weapons, having them crumble into pieces.

The creepy laughter rang out along the beach and a green sub came out of the water. "Bearers of the Vongola Rings, are you enjoying yourselves?" It was Verde, the holder of the Thunder pacifier.

He was the one doing all this. I glared at him, but continued to destroy the Box Weapon prototypes. This wasn't a trial by any means. Verde was willing to kill the other Arcobaleno to get what he wanted. I growled a little and noticed that even Lal, Colonello, and Reborn had joined in the fight.

Then I remembered. Oh, no… If Verde was going after the Vongola Rings, he was most likely going to be going after Lambo and Hibari, too. Hibari was going to be fine, he could definitely handle himself. As for Lambo, I just hoped that Verde decided to be nice and not attack poor Lambo. I gritted my teeth and called for Frusta and Vento. The hawk landed on my shoulder and the leopard wrapped itself protectively around my legs.

"Let's go, you two. Let's pull this one off! Wind Slicer!" Vento created a tornado around the robots and other box weapons, trapping them in a high power vortex. Frusta leapt up and extended his claws, spinning. I opened the Box and called both of them back, and let them out again. They growled a little as more box weapons appeared.

Everyone was fighting the box weapons now. They seemed stronger than the original ones, or we were just weaker. I was struggling to hold back starfish. That's just sad.

A scream interrupted me. All of us looked back to Chrome. I gasped. She was being strangled by a Box Weapon squid. I grimaced and turned to Frusta. He nodded and we both lunged forward, but it quickly dropped her. I looked to see that red octopus with a hold on the squid. Only Skull would do that.

What I didn't realize was that the starfish were crowding around me. I squeaked pitifully and looked around for help. Everyone seemed to be occupied. Several knives flew towards me and stuck right in the starfish, destroying them. A familiar laugh rang out and a certain blonde Varia member dropped down next to me. "Bel!" I cried happily.

"You'd better be careful, Naji-hime~ This may get ugly~" he crooned darkly. I nodded. Vento and Frusta landed at our sides. I watched in horror as all of the Arcobaleno appeared. Now that all of the Arcobaleno were there and all of the Vongola Ring holders were there, Verde could get all of us.

Green mist was sprayed down from a small, green sphere that Verde shot out. It froze all of the Arcobaleno, even Lal. More chess-like rockets landed and all six of the Arcobaleno were pulled towards them and strapped on. All of them looked like they were asleep.

Tsuna jumped down to help Reborn and revealed the green mist to be a non-7^3 policy. Now he wanted the Vongola Rings, too. I grimaced. "Hurry up!" Verde demanded. Bel pulled me behind him protectively.

He giggled dangerously and warned, "The Prince won't be very happy if you take the Varia's Princess away~" I pulled him towards the others, and we were all glaring at the Thunder Arcobaleno, waiting for Tsuna's decision.

"I can't!" Tsuna replied.

We all jumped into combat mode, but Tsuna was almost immediately stopped with a group of starfish. Bel tossed knives nonstop at the starfish, and even Hibari came to help out. I smiled a little and started firing the Wave Darts at the starfish. We stepped up next to Tsuna, Bel's knives still out threateningly.

If only things were so easy. Verde let out a bunch of vacuums, and my guns were being pulled away from me, but, in fact, he was sucking away the Wave Flames. Takeshi's Rain Flames, Tsuna's Sky Flames, Hayato's Storm Flames, and Hibari's Cloud Flames were also taken away, and all of us fell to our knees. I gasped harshly, trying to breath.

Verde sent five more lobsters at us, and Michi and Ryuu had turned back into lizards. They couldn't fight. If I sent Vento or Frusta out to fight, they'd get their Flames taken, too. Tsuna tried to light up his gloves, but the Flames wouldn't appear. The lobster knocked Tsuna down as he tried to hold it off.

That feeling of complete rage and hatred made itself known in my body again. I hated Verde. I hated what he was doing. I hated him for taking Lal and Reborn and Colonello and Fon. I hated him for using our Flames against us.

I panted harshly as Bel attempted to hold off the lobster using the Wave Flames. My hands lit up with the blood-red Flames once again. I was angry, angrier than I'd ever been. Bel fell to his knees beside me. He was running out of knives and stamina. He looked down and noticed the power that was once again swirling underneath me. "Naji-hime?"

I forced myself to stand and I glared at the lobsters. The Flames around my hand shot out at the Wave lobster and wrapped around it. I pulled and sliced the lobster in half. Everyone was having a hard time. Tsuna's bright orange flames quickly destroyed his lobster, and then Hayato followed. Takeshi sliced his with Shigure Souen, and Hibari rid himself of his, too.

Tsuna flew up and destroyed the green machine. But when he prepared to save the Arcobaleno, one by one, the chess pieces blew up. I gasped in horror and the Flames on my hand grew brighter. I stood and released the Flame-board. "Naji-hime, wait. Don't do anything reckless!" Bel warned.

"Take your own advice," I spat.

"Look!" he exclaimed. All of the Arcobaleno were there, safe and sound. I smirked. They were safe, but I was still pissed off. All of the Arcobaleno helped to finish off those pesky lobsters. I hopped on Chiarore and flew up into the sky.

Tsuna growled, "Let's end this."

Reborn added angrily, "It's futile to drag this out any longer."

"Futile?" Verde appeared from his submarine. "What you're doing is futile. Why don't you understand the importance of my research? I can't live a meaningless life, ignoring my own desires." He raised his arms in a sort of dance-like move. "Electtrico Thunder!"

I cried out in pain along with everyone else as the green lightning hit all of us, stopping every one of us in our tracks. All except Lambo, who, with his Electric Skin, absorbed the attack and fed it into Verde's submarine. The entire thing seemed to blow a little when Lambo threw his grenades, and Verde's attack was stopped.

"Shit!" he cursed, looking at his hands. Then he looked up to see Tsuna preparing his X-BURNER. "I won't allow that to happen!" Several of the chess-rockets were aimed at Tsuna, but one shot from Reborn was all it took to bring them down.

Colonello pulled Lambo out of the way and Tsuna fried Verde with X-BURNER. To all of our surprise, he was a robot. I gaped a little as Tsuna came back to the beach. I glared out at the sea. Where was the real Verde?

Tsuna's feeling was always correct. Verde was in Namimori, and, he was closer than we thought. Bumpy Rock.

We entered the research lab and we heard Verde say, "Welcome to my research lab, I suppose."

Hayato demanded, "Are you Verde? The real one?!"

The Arcobaleno swirled in his chair and replied, "Yes, of course. I am very grateful. I was unable to obtain the Vongola Rings, but I did obtain valuable data. I will be able to make significant advances with my research now."

I smirked a little bit. "Don't you care about the Arcobaleno curse, hey?!" Colonello demanded. Curse? I looked down at the blonde baby.

"I would never consider this phenomenon to be something so unscientific as a curse," replied Verde. "In fact, I find it a fascinating toy that assists in my research for scientific development." At this, both Fon and Mammon sighed.

With that, Verde revealed his trial was of intuition, and, once Tsuna found his hideout in Bumpy Rock, Verde's trial was cleared. Tsuna pointed the Ring at the green pacifier and I watched as they all lit up. I smiled a bit. The only seal left was Reborn's, and there was no way that Reborn would allow us to go to the future without it.

Verde huffed a little. "Well, it's none of my business." He disappeared into the floor, and the entire lab started shaking. It was going to be destroyed!

As soon as we were back on land, I sighed in relief and collapsed. "Geez, that guy is insane!" I complained. "He brings a new meaning to 'mad scientist!' I happen to value my life, you idiot Arcobaleno!" Bel chuckled a little.

Lal said, "We can't ignore him. I'll be investigating what he's up to."

"I'll let you guys handle that," Reborn replied. "I have something else to do." We all turned to Reborn. Was he going to let us take the trial again? "There's two more trials that they need to pass."

Two?

Wait… the Wave Seal. I completely forgot. Was there even a Wave Arcobaleno?

Tsuna seemed to discard this fact and pleaded, "Reborn, please! Let us take your trial again!" Everyone watched as Tsuna begged Reborn to give us one more chance. "I know we failed your trial. But I can't just give up! I have to, for everyone's future!"

We all bowed to Reborn and begged him to allow us. "It's not necessary," quipped Reborn. I looked up in surprise, then smiled. "I asked if you were prepared to do whatever it takes as a boss to protect your family. You showed me your answer in the fight with Verde. That's why you've passed my trial."

The last seal was given as the Rings all glowed yellow. It was over. I smiled a little as the lights erupted from our Rings and collided.

"Reborn." My friends all turned to look at me. "You said there was one more trial. There is no Wave Arcobaleno, is there?"

He shook his head. "No. Your trial will be administered by all of us. Only you, Najika, will take this trial."

I looked at the six Arcobaleno. Mammon, Aria, Fon, Colonello, Skull, and Reborn. They would all be testing me so I could pass the trial. "What is the trial?" I asked quietly. "And what is the goal?"

"Your trial is to remember," Mammon informed me. "Your memories from now until your death are yours to take. Remember; this is a trial. If you refuse, you fail."

If I refused this, then Tsuna would have no chance of beating Byakuran. "You don't have to do this!" Tsuna protested. I looked back to my friends, who all looked worried, even Bel, then I looked back to the Arcobaleno and nodded. "Najika-chan!"

Reborn warned, "I should tell you that you'll feel everything. You'll know everything that happened. Feel free to change the future. Even if you do, those memories will remain, but they will be fantasy."

Colonello added, "You'll feel the pain, both emotionally and physically. Every cut to your heart and every bullet to your skin, hey. All of these feelings will come back to you at once, hey."

"You'll know the rage you feel at people and the sadness of someone's death," Fon said. "Every emotion you feel is going to be exposed."

Aria also added, "Your relationships, too, both good and bad."

Reborn finally said, "The end result of the trial will be the power to create a new future that everyone wants."

I looked back once again. Their worried expressions hadn't changed. I took a deep breath and replied, "I'm ready." A rainbow of color from the Arcobaleno pacifiers hit my face, then everything went black.

It seemed to stay like that for hours. I looked around, then heard a voice. "Najika… wake up." I opened my eyes. That was Hayato's voice… but it was still black. That's when I noticed that the floor underneath me seemed to be a screen. My memories…

-flash-

"Najika, come on! We're going to be late for our first day of high school!" someone whined. A sixteen-year-old brunette girl with purple eyes opened her front door. Standing there was Hayato Gokudera. "Come on. I knew I should've stayed over again. You're always going to be late…"

She laughed. "It's not like Hibari-kun is going to bite me to death if I'm late," she joked, picking up her school bag.

Hayato smirked. "No, but I'm sure someone else is willing to." He bent down to whisper something in her ear, and a look of shock overtook Najika's face.

"You wouldn't…"

-flash-

A nineteen-year-old Najika stepped into the classroom, waving sheepishly. "Sorry I'm late," she apologized. She felt her cheeks heating up at the stares she was getting from her University classmates.

The professor simply waved it off. "No need to worry, Miss Kamiya. Take a seat." The only available seat was next to a handsome white-haired boy. His purple eyes were watching Najika intently. Swallowing her embarrassment and nervousness, she took a seat next to him.

She was listening to her professor speak, and was quickly jotting down notes in English, the language of the country she was in, when she felt a tap on her arm. She looked down to see the white-haired boy writing quickly in Japanese. "Hi there. My name's Byakuran. You're… Kamiya?"

Smiling a little, she scribbled back, "Yes, I'm Najika Kamiya. You speak Japanese?"

"Only a little. After all, I was born in America. Japan has always fascinated me."

"Oh, that's nice! My friends and I just came here for a visit, but my boyfriend and I decided to stay here for a little while.."

Byakuran seemed amused by that. "That's sweet of him. Ah, the professor's looking over here! Better get back to work~ Can I talk to you at lunch, or during free period?"

"Of course! Talk to you later."

That was her first meeting with Byakuran, who would soon be the most dangerous person they'd ever fought.

-flash-

The sun was setting. Two figures were sitting on a blanket, both around twenty, maybe twenty-one. "Hayato?"

The silver-haired bomber looked down at Najika. "Yeah?"

"Do you know what we're going to name him yet?" she asked, looking down at her stomach. "I was thinking Kaito. It fits, you know?"

Hayato chuckled a little and wrapped his arms around Najika. "I like it. Kaito Gokudera, the next right-hand man of the Vongola boss!"

She laughed and replied, "You have high hopes for him."

"You don't?"

"… Of course I do. He's going to be brilliant."

-flash-

"Tsuna, Kyoya," a twenty-four year old Najika stepped into the room. The Vongola Tenth and his Cloud Guardian looked up to the Wave Guardian. "I arranged the meeting with the Millefiore. Byakuran-kun will be happy to speak to you."

Tsuna smiled warmly. "Great, and thanks Najika. Gokudera knows nothing about the plan?"

She shook her head. "No. I made sure of that." The brunette boss nodded in approval and turned to say something to Kyoya. "Tsuna… I'm worried, though. What if there's… unwanted results from this? Don't forget that I'm a mother."

Kyoya scoffed. "He's not going to know this plan existed. Nothing else will happen."

"But-!"

Tsuna cut her off. "Don't. Just don't. I know what I'm doing, Najika. Don't you worry about a thing."

She nodded hesitantly. "I'll try."

-flash-

Bang.

Najika ran into the room to see Tsuna's bloody body. He was still alive, but barely. His breathing was heavy and his eyes were struggling to stay open. She gasped and felt the need to throw up as she got closer to her friend. Blood was leaking out of the shot to his abdomen. Looking around, she saw the Millefiore soldiers and Byakuran, who looked almost… smug.

"No… Tsuna…" she whimpered, falling to her knees. "Tsuna! Don't you dare do this to me! We need you!"

Byakuran's dark chuckle broke her out of her pleading. "Najika-chan, you didn't know this was going to happen? You're the one who did all of this. You gave me everything I needed to know, and you set up this meeting. You betrayed Tsunayoshi Sawada. This is all your fault."

She froze. "I…"

"How could you do that?!" an angry voice demanded. She looked to see Hayato, Takeshi, Ryohei, Lambo, Chrome, and Kyoya. Lambo and Chrome had gone into shock, and Hayato, Takeshi, and Ryohei looked ready to destroy someone. Kyoya was the only one who looked even remotely calm. He still looked a little shocked at the sight. "Najika… why?"

"I…"

She was immediately pulled up, coming face-to-face with Byakuran. "You should've run while you had the chance." She felt something poking into her middle, but didn't dare look down. "I almost wish I didn't have to do this," he sighed.

Bang.

Pain spread across her entire body as she felt a warm liquid running from her stomach. Byakuran dropped her unceremoniously next to Tsuna, who moved his head slightly and smiled weakly at her. "I don't blame you," he rasped, grabbing her hand and letting his eyes boring into hers.

"Thank you," she muttered, squeezing his hand. That was the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes and darkness overtook her.

-flash-

I opened my eyes and saw Tsuna's worried face in front of me. I gasped and pushed him away, sitting up and looking around. I wasn't in that horrible room anymore. No one was mad, only confused and worried. I sighed in relief.

"You're the one who did all of this. You gave me everything I needed to know, and you set up this meeting. You betrayed Tsunayoshi Sawada. This is all your fault."

"NO!" I shrieked, covering my ears, praying that the voices would go away. "Leave me alone! Go away! I didn't mean to do any of it!" My eyes were wide with fright and I remembered that those voices couldn't leave me alone. It wasn't just a voice. It was a memory that would haunt me forever. "I'm sorry…"

Hayato's hand touched my shoulder. "Najika…"

I just pulled away and sobbed more. "I'm so sorry…"

Owari.

Not much to say. I'm tired and I'm cold. Bleh. Uh. It's a lead up to the next chapter. And I love Adam Lambert. No, I don't care about his sexual orientation, he's a sexy person.

So like... review please?