A/N- Sorry for making you guys wait again! This chapter actually proved to be extremely difficult to write, and became so long that I had to move some content into the next chapter. That means there are now 2 more chapters and an epilogue left in this story. This chapter is, I believe, the climax, so I hope you enjoy!

Tsunade felt her heart stop. She suddenly wanted to say so many things at once, yet she also wanted to run far away until she could think of an excuse. However, the only thing Tsunade could say was, "What?"

Reborn no longer was trying to hide his feelings, so Tsunade could feel the anger and sorrow radiating off him. It was so strong that she could feel it sinking into her chest, though she wasn't sure it was his aura or hers. He picked himself off the floor and looked her squarely in the eye.

"After I rescued you, I found myself wondering why you, out of all people, would be kidnapped?" said Reborn, his voice dangerously low, "Of course, I suspected it might be because of your connection to me, but then Leoko called me with some…interesting…information. It turns out that your brother's body was confirmed by the morgue and was further confirmed by x-ray imaging technology. Not only that, but there were some blood samples from both the 'Victim' and my other men that Kureko had collected. He didn't think they were important at the time, but Leoko sent in the samples to get tested, and the results were quite shocking. It turns out that although we thought the 'Victim' was the one hallucinating, after all, he gave a different description of the Black Hunter compared to everyone else, but it was quite the contrary. The blood samples of the men contained hallucinogens that not only altered their vision, but also their memory. Only a specialized bullet from the Black Hunter could've caused that, which meant that the only person that had an accurate description of the Black Hunter was the 'Victim'."

Reborn's face was mere centimeters from Tsunade's now, his overflowing rage nearly palpable in the air. "Honey-golden brown eyes were the only difference between the descriptions, but it told me enough information," he growled, "It doesn't take a genius to find out who the Black Hunter really is."

A sharp sense of betrayal joined the mix of emotions that Reborn was giving off, sending another jolt of pain through Tsunade. She gasped sharply, but Reborn thought she was just shocked. "You used me all along," he snarled, voice rising, "I was nothing just a pawn to you, huh, Special Agent Kudo?"

Tsunade was beyond hurt. She knew that speaking would worsen the situation, but she just couldn't ignore the hypocrisy in his words. "And you were so pure and clean in your intentions?" she retorted angrily, "You just wanted to use me for information too! It's not like you actually cared about what happened to me! As long as your precious little company was safe, you couldn't care less—"

"I QUIT THE COMPANY FOR YOU!" yelled Reborn, effectively shocking Tsunade into silence, "I loved you enough to give up everything for a chance to be with you! But now, I see that you don't feel the same way, that you're not willing to make the same sacrifices I made to be together!"

Reborn's words puzzled her a bit, but then the implied meaning in his words hit her. He doesn't know I resigned from the Interpol, she realized, He thinks that I'm still continuing the mission. A surge of hope rose up in her chest as she saw a way out, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. I can't tell him I quit, she thought sadly, Though I'm not supposed to know, I'm very aware of the fact that there are hidden cameras and speakers in here, monitoring my words and actions to see if I dare talk about my mission. If I do, he'll be in danger. The secrecy contract will force the Interpol to kill him if I admitted my involvement in any way, even if I was just simply stating my resignation.

Reborn took her silence as a confession, and his already inflamed aura increased immensely. "I truly loved you," he said softly, "You became my world in the little time that you became involved in my life. 'Our fates are entwined', isn't that what you said? I guess I was a fool to actually believe that was true."

"No!" shouted Tsunade, the denial bursting from her lips before she could stop it, "It wasn't all fake, I really did love you!"

However, Reborn wasn't listening. He pushed her out of the way and laid a hand on the doorknob. "I'm going to the tradeoff that's taking place today, it's my last after all." He looked back at her and sneered. "Or did you already know that?"

Suddenly, the words from Tsunade's mystery kidnapper came back to her, and she grabbed Reborn's arm in desperation. "You can't go!" she blurted out, "The kidnapper told me that he'll defeat you in the end! Something horrible will happen to you if you go!"

Reborn only stared at her coldly. "The worst thing that could happen to me," he said, voice trembling with both anger and sorrow, "is if you show up." With that he opened the door and walked away, slamming the door behind him.

Tsunade fell to her knees. Though Reborn's aura was fading as he walked farther away, Tsunade's own hurt was rising up to fill the empty gap he left behind. Tears flowed from her eyes and ragged sobs shook her body. She should've known that she wouldn't be able to shake off her past, and now, she hurt the one she loved and herself. Her mind was whirling, filled with regrets and unsaid words that she wished she could've voiced aloud. Tsunade's crying rose in volume, and she became nothing more than a being of raw emotion, with nothing in her heart and soul but pain. All she wanted to do was to stop feeling and causing so much pain, to be free of the cruel hand fate dealt her. Her hands rose up to her neck, meant to press upon a certain pressure point that was sure to cause immediate death if enough force was applied to it, but they stopped when they brushed against a gold chain. Her crying ceased abruptly and she wiped away her tears, mentally glaring at herself furiously.

Why are you crying when Reborn is in danger? she scolded herself angrily, Now's not the time to pity yourself! Your love is in danger because of a mess you created, so you better get the hell up and fix it!

Tsunade stood up shakily and moved herself to the couch, revisiting the events of the afternoon with a critical eye.

'The lion will defeat the resurrectionist in the end', what could that mean? I already know the resurrectionist most likely represents Reborn, so the lion must be someone that has a personal vendetta against him. That doesn't help much, since there are many people that would like to see him dead. However, this person must also have access to his personal life to know about me, which decreases the number of suspects immensely. I'm so close, but I'm missing one crucial fact…

Suddenly, a magazine on the table caught her attention. It was flipped open to the horoscope section. She smiled despite the situation and picked it up, amused at how ordinary people thought a constellation could predict their future. Her eyes roamed on the page until they froze on a certain horoscope that was shaped like a feline. Then, everything made sense.

Leo…Leo the Lion…

'His father was Japanese and his mother was Italian. That's why his name is so unusual, it's like a Japanese twist on Leonardo or Leo.'

Swearing, Tsunade hastily jumped up and ran into her room, grabbing the suit and red fedora she had been planning to put away.

It was Leoko! she thought, astonished, It all makes sense now, his abnormal behavior, that evil aura I felt, he's been planning this for a long time, and when I got into the picture, he had to get rid of me.

Tsunade, her mind no longer clouded by emotion, could clearly sense the presence of several corrupted auras around the apartment building.

Leoko's men are here, probably sent to dispose of the broken-hearted girl that he expected who wouldn't be able to do a thing.

She snatched her bow and arrows from the closet before checking that her guns were safely secured in her holsters. After a moment's thought, she quickly unclasped the necklace around her neck and put it on the table with a scribbled note next to it. Tsunade put her foot on the windowsill next to the open window and flipped open her phone, calling one last person. The call went to voicemail, so she left a message with an apology and specific instructions. She looked back into her apartment sadly before swinging herself outside into the cool evening.

She knew what was going to happen.

She knew what she had to do.

The Black Rose Huntress had to reappear one last time.

Reborn swung himself off his motorcycle and walked over to the place where the tradeoff was supposed to take place, his heart feeling heavier with each step.

Who would've thought that I, the infamous Reborn, would be completely tricked by a female Interpol agent? he thought, utterly angry at Tsunade and himself. She was a real temptress, slowly luring me into a trap until she had my heart. I was an idiot to think that she actually cared about me, and if the pain that I'm feeling is anything to go by, I would say that I'm now paying the price.

His thoughts were interrupted when Leoko came into view with a huge grin on his face. If Reborn had been in a better mindset, he would've noticed that the warehouse was oddly empty. However, he was too preoccupied with his inner turmoil to be observant right now.

"Reborn-kun!" exclaimed Leoko cheerfully. "So nice of you to drop in!" He then noticed Reborn's downcast expression and slung an arm over his shoulder with a knowing smile.

"Gosh, I'm sorry that Tsunade turned out to be an Interpol agent," he said sympathetically. "But at least knowing now will save you lots of regret and heartbreak later. I mean, you were going to resign as the leader of such a successful organization for a liar like her! Doesn't that seem ridiculous now that—"

Leoko was abruptly cut off when Reborn extracted himself from Leoko's embrace and shoved a file folder at him.

"What's this?" asked Leoko, taking the file tentatively.

Reborn took a deep breath. He had decided on the way here what to do, and his decision hasn't changed. "Those are my resignation and company ownership forms."

Leoko could only blink at him stupidly for a few seconds before he finally realized the full meaning of Reborn's words.

"WHAT?!" he shouted in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?! That bitch twisted and played around with your feelings, and you're still leaving for her?!" Leoko's eyes narrowed and his voice lowered to a dangerous hiss. "Don't you get it? Tsunade, never, ever, loved you."

Reborn visibly flinched at Leoko's words, but his voice held steady. "Just because she never loved me," he said softly, "doesn't mean I never loved her. Tsunade became my world, and she still is. Even if I have to spend the rest of my life chasing her, I will always love her and hope that one day, she'll love me back."

Leoko stayed silent for a second before bursting out into hysterical laughter, surprising Reborn.

"You're even more of a fool than I thought you were!" he said between fits of laughter.

As his laughter continued, armed men began to slink out of the shadows. Looking around in shock, Reborn realized he was surrounded.

"What is the meaning of this, Leoko?" demanded Reborn.

Leoko finally stopped laughing and looked at Reborn with a smug look.

"Since you're resigning, I'll be taking over now," he said with a smirk, "Only thing is, you won't be getting out alive."

Reborn stared at Leoko in disbelief, eliciting another laugh from him.

"Oh, I see you are terribly confused, aren't you, dear Reborn-kun?" said Leoko mockingly. "You see, ever since we created this company, I've been making private contracts with several of the recruits, contracts that stated that they'll be ready to turn against you at my command. Of course, money was a problem, since Kureko would surely notice if the account books were unbalanced. However, thanks to the appearance of the Black Hunter, we started making a steady sum of 100,000 yen after each 'Victim'. You honestly didn't think I was actually going to let them go, did you?"

Finally shaken out of his stupor, Reborn could only ask only one question: "Why, Leoko? Why would you do this?"

Leoko began to laugh again, only this time, his laughter sounded maniacal.

"Why?" he said incredulously, "You're seriously asking me why? You're the little brat that stole the life I was supposed to have all those years ago! If it weren't for your family, I would be filthy rich by now with girls falling head over heels for me!"

"It wasn't my—"

"Don't you dare!" snarled Leoko, suddenly furious, "Don't you dare say it wasn't your fault! I've been plotting this ever since the start, planning to use you as a puppet to regain the wealth I lost because of you! Then, all of a sudden, some Interpol dog comes into the picture, willing to sacrifice her position and her life goal, and I'm about to lose what I worked so hard for."

Reborn, who was pretty astonished with everything Leoko said, was even more shocked when he understood what Tsunade really did. "You mean, she resigned from the Interpol?" he whispered.

"Damn right she did," sneered Leoko. "She gave up her position because she was also head-over-heels in love with you, and just because I decided to leave out that one tiny detail, you naturally assumed it was all a lie. I've got to admit though; you two make a lovely pair of fools. At this moment, she has probably already been captured by my men. There wouldn't be much of a struggle, with her having her heart crushed into a pulp by you. Of course, she could've always killed herself. Even though that would've saved me a lot of time, I would regret not being able to see her reaction to you being dead, not being able to play around with her a bit, not being able to see her innocent reactions to my not-so-innocent touches, not being able to explore the parts of her you haven't."

If Reborn wasn't surrounded by over 100 heavily armed men, he would've launched himself forward and strangled Leoko right there and then. "Don't you dare touch her!" he growled.

"Oh, but you've left her wide open," said Leoko, backing away and letting his men swarm in front of him, "And once you're dead, she'll follow soon after."

Seeing the hopeless situation, Reborn felt himself slowly resigning to the fact that he was going to die.

This is it, he thought, This is where it all ends. I'm outnumbered and unarmed. I just wish I could've seen Tsunade one last time, to tell her that I love her even more now, to tell her I'm sorry.

Suddenly, gunshots were heard all around the warehouse, and nearly half the men around Reborn fell to the ground. Murmurs of confusion were heard all around the giant mob before Leoko's voice rang out clearly above the rest.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he roared furiously, "Show yourself!"

As soon as the words came out of Leoko's mouth, a figure fell from the beams on the ceiling, landing safely on her feet in front of Reborn. There she was, holding her guns in her nimble fingers as she stood up straight in the familiar suit that seemed so foreign at the same time. Her long, light brown hair flowed from her red fedora in a simple ponytail. Her fedora was shading her eyes, but when she looked up, the honey-golden orbs contained a dangerous glint.

"Why hello there, Leoko-kun," said Tsunade mockingly, "I don't believe we've talked since our surprise meeting this afternoon."

There was a moment of shocked silence before Leoko spoke up again, this time in disbelief.

"Impossible," he said in shock. "There's no way you could be here, my men should've been able to capture you without a fight."

"They don't call me the best Interpol agent for nothing you know," said Tsunade nonchalantly, "Those said men of yours are all currently lying in my apartment, tied up and unconscious with an arrow in their backs. They're not dead, don't worry. But when they wake up, they'll have a huge headache and absolutely no recollection of the deal they made with you. It's the same with those people over there too." She nodded towards the unconscious men. "And about capturing me without a fight? Do you really think I would give up knowing the person I loved was in danger?"

With that, she took the two extra guns and a couple of extra stocks out of her holsters and tossed them back to Reborn.

"128 to 1 doesn't seem quite fair," she said, slowly backing up to Reborn's position, "Let's see how you fare 71 to 2."

Reborn's shocked expression was replaced by a small smile as he cocked and readied the guns. Leoko, also recovering from his initial shock, glared at his men before barking at them, "What are you waiting for?! It's only two people!"

The henchmen that surrounded the pair seemed to remember their distinct advantage and began firing at them. However, Reborn and Tsunade had been in a similar situation before, and without even talking, they both agreed on the strategy they used before. As soon as the shots came, both of them jumped up, kicking off the beams until they arrived in the top right corner of the warehouse. Then, taking advantage of the momentary confusion, they pushed off, Tsunade leading the charge and Reborn picking off the ones she didn't get. Reborn noticed with a twinge of worry that she was leaving more than she usually would, but he dismissed it as a result of fighting actual humans rather than machines.

In a few minutes, the battle was over. All of Leoko's men had fallen to the ground, unconscious, and Leoko himself was nowhere in sight. Tsunade and Reborn dropped to the floor, breathing heavily. As soon as Tsunade could speak again, she spun towards Reborn and began pouring out apologies and explanations.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out. "I didn't want to lie to you—I mean, at first, I wanted to since it was my mission—but I realized what my brother really wanted me to do, and I fell in love with you! I couldn't say anything or else you would be in danger, since my apartment is filled with hidden speakers and—"

Reborn, chuckling at her flushed features, pulled Tsunade into a tight embrace, effectively silencing her. He felt her small frame heave up and down, struggling to bring in enough oxygen.

Her blood, Reborn realized, it must not only be hindering her healing ability, but also her rate of respiration.

It saddened him to think that she probably wouldn't be able to fight and overexert herself in the future, but it also hardened his determination. Tsunade came and saved him, even after he brutally hurt her, and now, it was his turn to protect her. He would spend the rest of his life with her, protecting from any danger that would dare threaten her. When she couldn't defend herself anymore, he would be there to do it for her.

He loved her.

Reborn cupped Tsunade's face gently, pulling it up for a deep kiss. He closed his eyes in happiness.

Leoko stood up on wobbly knees, steading himself against a pole with one hand while clutching his blood-stained shoulder with another. He narrowed his eyes and hissed in hatred when he caught sight of the couple several feet in front of him.

All my planning, all those years biding my time, all gone to waste, he thought angrily. I'll make you pay, Renato, even without my men.

Moving slowly, he picked up a pistol from the hand of some fallen man near him. He checked the stock and saw that it had one bullet left. Leoko smirked. One was all he needed.

He knew from Tsunade's file that her amazing reflexes and senses were nearly supernatural.

He knew from Tsunade herself that she would sacrifice anything to protect Reborn.

Your only mistake was not making sure if I was dead or not, thought Leoko, aiming as carefully as he could, if I can't destroy you now, Renato, I'll destroy your world first.

Leoko fired the last bullet.

Reborn heard a gunshot and felt a rush of air. He waited for the pain, but it even as he felt blood seeping into his clothes, it never came. Opening his eyes, he saw that he had been turned 180 degrees, now facing the opposite wall. It was now that Reborn noticed that Tsunade was clutching him tighter now, and that the blood wasn't his. Tsunade looked up at him with a small sad smile on her face. Then, she pushed him away, stumbling slightly, revealing the bullet wound that had entered through her back and slightly broke the skin on the other side. Black blood stained her shirt, forming small blossoms that looked like the black rose she was named to be.

Tsunade collapsed to the floor.

A/N- Yayy! She got shot! (Dodges rotten vegetables) Ok, so you may not be as happy as I am with how events played out. Don't worry, Tsunade's not dead (maybe she'll live, maybe she won't), she still has some major explaining to do. This story was not marked AU because it outlines the events that led up to Reborn tutoring Tsuna, and trust me, everything will make sense in the end.

Thank you SO MUCH to Saaniser and smileysparklea for reviewing!

R&R PLEASE XD!