Heh, this will be today's update! Next update is special for Mukuro [but no, it's not an omake. :D]!

Thanks to MEKI for reviewing, and as well as everyone who read! xD

Happy Reading, and please review~! ^^

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But at the last second, at the right timing, the knives appeared in Hibari's hands, held up before his face.

He had caught them. He lowered his hands and examined them.

"Hmm. I see how it is… these threads are tied to the knives. This is just like the kind of wits used by weak animals in order to survive."

Bel frowned at the comparison.

"In that case," sighed Hibari. He picked up his tonfas and gave them a jerk. Pendulums came down, attached to his weapons by a chain. They began to swing, then to fly in a circle – it was a ring of destruction to the knives and the network of wires. "I just have to knock every single one of them down."

"Uh-oh…" mumbled the Prince. He grinned sheepishly.

"Are you ready?" Hibari lunged for Bel again, endeavoring to injure him a little more.

"Wait- I pass~" the Varia member leaped safely out of the President's range. "I pass again… I don't mind bleeding my own blood to get to my serious mode, but… this isn't the time or place for reminiscence. This is a group battle, you know? I'm going off to get the other rings. Anyway, just dealing that much damage is enough to consider it my victory. Bai-biii~!"

And Prince the Ripper took leave of Hibari, but never forgetting to send him a farewell-present – another surge of knives.

The President easily deflected these with his flying pendulums. Bel was out of sight, and Hibari stopped swinging them around; it would be a waste of energy otherwise.

"All that talk for nothing…" he growled. Hibari was already doing a great job at hiding his pain – as soon as that stupid camera isn't there looking at him anymore, he would rest for a bit, fix himself back up. He leaned on the school building's wall, looking up into the skies.

Tsuna was still in the air, battling Xanxus. In a way, it looked like a dance or something, a waltz. The dance of fire, probably.

He looked away. That herbivore wouldn't be even worth his time unless he at least defeated that King of Monkeys of Monkeyland, aka Xanxus. Right now, he had to focus on whatever that thing was that fell from the third floor. But he shook his head.

No, it probably wasn't anything interesting. He set off in the other direction, intent of having Yamamoto dying someplace else.

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"Give me a break…" groaned Yamamoto, though he still had his smile. "The wound is bleeding again- Who's there?!" He abruptly looked up, sensing the approach of someone. "Gokudera!"

"Yamamoto!" called Gokudera. "You alright, too?"

"Yeah…Hibari didn't want people dying on the school grounds, so he came to save me."

"What, you too?! That guy wants us to owe him… I wonder what he's up to? It just doesn't feel right…" Gokudera scowled but Yamamoto switched the subject.

"Well, he looks like he'd been beaten up pretty bad, from the way he was moving…"

"Hibari…?!" gaped Gokudera. He couldn't believe that such a strong person could be even beaten up like that

"He let me hold on to the ring," Yamamoto presented the Cloud Ring. "So, who else hasn't been saved yet?"

"Lawn-head and stupid cow are both safe," said Gokudera, holding up both Thunder and Sun Rings.

"So that means that the only one is…"

"The mist, yeah."

"Oh- that girl!"

"In the gym!"

Both looked towards the gymnasium and rushed at full speed to the door, flung it open, and entered.

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Pant…

Pant…

What…is…this-this…

Heat…?

Pant…

It's hot…burning…

"Ushi-shi-shi-shi…what's this~?"

There's someone coming…what-

A shadow flitted across the girl's face. She squinted.

"You look familiar," grinned the Cheshire smile. "Can you guess who I am~?" The figure kneeled beside the bush, behind which she laid.

Pant…pant…

Who…

"Bel…" the girl barely whispered. She burst into a fit of coughs, and paled a bit. The grin faltered a bit.

"I swear I've never told you my name…" but the grin returned. "I'm just famous, am I now…? Ushi-shi-shi, the Prince is famous~!"

"S-Shu-ut…up…" the girl said through clenched teeth, her cheeks furiously blushing from the poison. She shut her eyes and tried to blot out the annoying prince kneeling by her side. Bel's expression darkened.

"Lookie, lookie here, does Kaia-chan want to be a cactus of needles?" he beamed at her as he pulled out a handful of knives.

"Who…said…I…was…Kaia?!" growled the girl, flinching. A shimmer flashed in the darkness, and out of nowhere, a curved needle hit Bel in the knee.

"Ow…" flinched Belphegor. "What was that, principessa…?" he looked back down to where Kaia was, but saw nothing.

"For times like these, Prince the Ripper, I'd rather use thinner knives, you think so too?"

The girl was already standing on the pathway a number of meters away fingering a few oddly-shaped things. Bel looked up curiously.

"I'd rather not kill you, anyway, and these are for training," grinned she, as she sent the four crescents in Belphegor's direction, before disappearing. The prince leaped a little bit backwards, to avoid getting hit by them.

They all struck the ground in one place, even though she had scattered them in random directions.

"We should be getting to the Boss," pressed Marmon as he just arrived.

"Tche, Marmon, I was just waiting for you~!"

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The part in the middle is for marking the time. So we know how far the battle had advanced so far. The first part was the conclusion of the battle between Belphegor and Hibari, the second when Gokudera and Yamamoto set off to find Chrome, and the third after Bel and Mammon leave the gym to find the Boss and get the rings onto that weird chain thingy-ma-bobber. And all that good stuff after comes later. After this update. The next one, yeah.

Well, thanks for reading, and please tune in for the next one!

Have an awesome life, everyone!