BATTLE OF THE SUCCESSORS – WITH THIS SWORD
The Storm Battlefield
An awkward silence had continued between Gokudera and Haru, the two vocal combatants have always had strong feelings for each other. Their loud, over the top attitudes a result of the suffering and the joy throughout their lives, a common ground that increased their ability to understand one another.
Sorata and Tokata arrive and free Haru from her cage, the twosome now having collected the rain, thunder, cloud and storm rings. Haru calmly walks from her cage without so much as a thank you to her team-mates.
Haru emotionlessly looks into the distance. "Who is free now?" she asks.
"Everyone but Kyoko" replies Tokata, keeping conversation to a minimum after feeling the tense atmosphere surrounding this cage.
"You two go free her, I want to end him by myself" declares Haru.
"Whatever you are comfortable with" says Sorata, knowing that despite Haru's expression this will be an emotional moment for her. Despite often seeming like they lack ethics in this tournament, the team that Bana has assembled do truly care for one another.
Sorata tosses the storm ring to Haru who catches it easily. Following this Tokata cups his hand onto Sorata's shoulder and nods his head towards the sun battlefield, gesturing for his friend to follow him away. Sorata returns the gesture and leaves with the knife enthusiast, allowing Haru time alone with her former lover.
As Haru opens the cage Gokudera speaks for the first time, "I can't fight back against you, my heart just wouldn't be in it" he declares.
Haru seemingly unmoved by the storm guardian's words raises her hand into the air, summoning her domineering heavy sword.
"But I have to know something" begins Gokudera. "Do you still have any feelings left for me" he asks only for Haru to answer with silence. "Because I still love you Haru".
Haru speaks to the engineer for the first time, "any feelings that I may have or have had for you will all disappear… with this sword" she claims as she moves her hand to prepare an attack.
The Sky Battlefield
The spectators watch on a screen the Cervello set up as the exchange between the storm attributes unfolds. Their curiosity quickly turns to horror when Haru slams her sword down towards the floor, a huge explosive noise the result.
"HAYATO" screams Bianci as she watches the assault on her brother.
The fight serves as another distraction for Tsuna, the family boss casting his head towards the nearest screen. 'Gokudera' he thinks to himself, worried about the fate of his right hand man.
The Storm Battlefield
Haru starts as she moves her eyes towards Gokudera only for her vision to be blocked by an entirely different being. Yamamoto Takeshi had blocked her attack.
"Made it" Yamamoto notes as he sighs.
"Yamamoto" Gokudera stammers with surprise.
Yamamoto turns his head and smiles to his old friend. "You can't fight properly here, you go and free the others" he suggests as he throws the thunder, rain, storm and cloud rings to Gokudera.
"These are…" begins Gokudera.
"The other rings… when did you get them" yells Haru.
"Did you forget, I have telekinesis. I took them from your allies while I hid nearby" explains Yamamoto.
After a few moments silence Gokudera refocuses, "Good work baseball brain, right, free the others, leave it to me" he declares as he begins to run towards the other cages.
"And thank you" he says under his breath.
"What are you talking about, we're all friends here" Yamamoto reminds Gokudera. Giving the white haired man a sense of nostalgia as he thinks back to when they all used to argue. None of them got along on the surface but deep down they were the Vongola family, it was a family worth fighting to regain.
"Yeah" smiles Gokudera as he runs into the distance.
"Now then Haru… it's time I taught you a thing or two about the sword" smiles Yamamoto.
Despite her attitude towards Gokudera, Haru is far from arrogant, she knows her own abilities are inferior to Yamamoto's so she plays to her strengths. Raising her sword high into the air again, she slams it down with as much power as she can.
Before the heavy sword has even reached him Yamamoto has used his trick to grow blue coloured wings. He quickly uses his remaining sword to block Haru's. His elbow is displaced from the centre of his body, his one handed sword style making it seem impossible for him to have blocked the attack in such a way, yet somehow he did.
The rain guardian wasn't finished; with a slight groan he forces his sword forward with enough strength that Haru's heavy sword split directly in two. This act of strength alone shows that Yamamoto completely outclasses his opponent.
Haru remains calm and raises her other hand into the air, procuring another heavy sword from the ether and summoning it to her hand. She swings this one at Yamamoto in full knowledge that his sword couldn't possibly reach it in time.
Unbothered by the attack, Yamamoto throws his own sword into the air before he slaps his hands together either side of the blade, stopping it in its tracks, 'white applause'. Haru tried to attack with the same sword once more but was blocked as her opponent caught his airborne sword parried her blow once again.
Not only was Haru's sword blocked, this one broke as well causing her to discard both of her blades. As if trying to infuriate her, Yamamoto flashed a cheerful smile causing her to attack with all her fury. Summoning sword after sword, Haru attacked Yamamoto again and again.
Each sword Haru summoned was destroyed by a nonchalant rain guardian who seemed to dedicate more energy towards enjoying himself than actually winning. Subconsciously perhaps, this was like the good old days when he and Haru used to mess around together, the dancing had just become more violent, a difference he was happy to overlook.
After having her stamina severely depleted Haru lept backwards to create space between herself and her opponent. Out of options Haru opts for her final attack, seemingly laboured she raises her arm into the air once more to summon a sword. Sword light dances along the edge of the blade as she charges up an attack to fire at Yamamoto.
Yamamoto takes a deep breath and the smile he previously displayed disappears from his face, thin blue wisps of dying will flame sprout from his legs and take root in the ground, anchoring him as he prepares for a counter attack.
The baseball hopeful raises his sword into the air in an action that mimics Haru's with sword light dancing along his blade even more excitedly than on his opponents. Byakuran appears alongside his host for the first time since the fight began. He symbolically raises places his own hand on the hilt of his partner's sword, as if they were going to swing it together.
"Let's do it" says Byakuran.
Yamamoto replied with a simple nod as he, his teacher and his opponent all swung their arms at the exact same moment, causing a significant collision of sword light to gather in the centre of the battlefield. The collision lasted merely a second before the blue flames overcome the red, flying towards Haru with an alarming amount of power still remaining.
Looking over to his former friend Yamamoto was shocked to discover that she had vanished. "She's gone…" he says aloud, presumably speaking to Byakuran or himself.
"She is a slippery one that Haru" agrees Byakuran.
"Could she have gone after Gokudera" asks the worried rain guardian.
"Don't worry, he should be safe right about now" laughs Byakuran, his calculations predicting that Gokudera is far into the safe zone.
The Cloud Battlefield
Gokudera uses the first of the rings he has assembled to free the cloud guardian, Hibari Kyoya. He didn't have the best relationship with Hibari, who frequently annoyed the former with his lack of respect to Tsuna in the days of their youth.
"Lowering myself to being saved by you… what a lack of dignity" complains the policeman.
"What sort of way is that to thank someone" yells Gokudera, as irritated as ever with the blasé attitude Hibari flaunts.
"Let's stop wasting time shall we" begins Hibari with a frown on his face. "We have a lot of cleaning up to do" he explains.
"Yeah… let's finish this" agrees Gokudera.
The two of them began walking towards their next destination, determination fixed on their faces as if drawn on with ink. The tide had turned, not only had Yamamoto won his fight but now the two of them were free and they had yet to fight in this match. Perhaps this is the start of their counter attack.