THE RAINBOW FLAME WAR – KARA
Kara vs Yamamoto and Byakuran
Kara was formerly looking at the battlefield, scanning for opportunities to attack the weaker members of the mafia. In the previous battle this would have still been possible but it is not anymore, something about Yamamoto Takeshi has changed, something greater than just his sword. That is not to say that the sword has not changed, since Byakuran possessed the dead body of Excalibur the power of the weapon has increased dramatically. Nevertheless, the Millefiore boss' attitude has changed, he has a cutting edge about him that he has never had before.
She feels a sense of nervousness; god will not be pleased about the state of the battle below. Slowly but surely the million strong force headed by the mafia are overcoming the indoctrinated force gathered up over years of Yakuza hard work. That alone is not enough to cause her to feel such unease however, if the Yakuza were to win the battle above it would be easy to kill all of those down below. Yet she doesn't have full confidence in winning this battle in the sky.
Coldly her gaze meets that of Yamamoto's, searching to see if his eyes telegraph the same doubt she is certain her own do. They do not, the Vongola's rain guardian, the Millefiore boss, the baseball player, there are so many ways to describe Yamamoto Takeshi but unconfident is not one of them. He doesn't though look certain of victory or boastful, he instead looks determined.
'No matter what, his will to win this battle cannot be greater than mine' Kara decides as she raises her sabre vertically into the sky above her.
"Nobody has ever survived this attack from Clarent" she declares as dark energy begins gathering on her sabre. "I won't hold anything back".
"I don't intend to move" Yamamoto claims in return. He knows that the greatest priority in this battle is to win but he still has his pride as a swordsman. More than anything else, what he wants is to defeat Kara, totally and utterly. The Shigure Shoen Ryu must be perfect.
The dark energy finishes gathering on the sabre known as Clarent, the nemesis of Excalibur. Kara grunts loudly as she swings the blade down hard. A flying sabre attack the result, light hurtles towards Yamamoto, light that has never failed to kill any opponent Kara has deemed necessary.
From below various members of the Varia and Vongola guardians are keeping one eye on the battle, one of them is more keenly focused on it than the rest, the rain officer of the Varia, Squalo. Squalo is Yamamoto's former mentor and counts himself amongst the baseball star's friends. It is also a matter of personal pride to him that the one swordsman who defeated him should prove to be the greatest in history.
"Oi, Squalo" Ryohei shouts while delivering his extreme punch to an enforcement officer. "Do you think Yamamoto can withstand that attack".
Squalo looks intently at Kara's sabre, he looks at the way energy gathers on it and reflects of what little he has seen of the technique. "Her technique seems to have no weaknesses and that attack is stronger than any I have ever seen performed with a blade. So no, I don't".
Squalo then smiles as he looks towards Yamamoto. "However, your technique is perfect, right Yamamoto?".
The flying sabre attack reaches Yamamoto who blocks it using Excalibur. Despite the full might of Yamamoto and Byakuran combined together they cannot push back the attack.
"If we continue to put out full might into defending this and don't overcome it all our energy will be drained" Byakuran informs his partner, "What are you going to do".
Kara shares the assumptions of Byakuran, "You will use up all your energy Yamamoto Takeshi, how are you going to survive?".
Finally, the result of the attack happens, something that causes the hearts of everyone to tremble. As if he just stopped trying, Yamamoto's sword flew into the air and the attack hits him head on. In this exchange for power the winner is Kara.
Yamamoto begins to slowly fall backwards down to the ground.
"That can't be" Squalo points his shaking hand towards his falling comrade.
Elsewhere on the battlefield Haru has her eyes on this battle, she watches as the Millefiore boss falls from the sky. 'Are you kidding… Hayato would never have admitted it but he put his faith in you to look after the 10th when you became Millefiore boss'.
"Don't tell me you've come so far to let Juu's father down, don't you dare baseball brain" she says aloud this time.
Kara watches as the sword knocked from Yamamoto's hand travels down slightly above him. Something is different though, the sword is falling faster than the man himself. 'Is it because of his telekinesis' she asks herself, 'Is it because that man is controlling it? That man who became the sword'.
Suddenly Excalibur twists unnaturally in the air, landing perfectly in the open hand of Yamamoto.
Yamamoto's Subconscious
Yamamoto can only perceive the world within his own head, it's like he is walking in a desert. The driest spot in the world, he can't feel anything, it all feels wrong. He walks around lost, not sure how to return to the outside world. Unsure of how to save his friends.
Then Yamamoto sees someone within the desert world of his own head. That man is his mentor, his partner, Byakuran. "Did me technique work" Yamamoto asks his teacher, eager to know whether he still has the chance to save his friends.
"Everything went as you planned it" the former Millefiore boss replies, "But the ball is in your court now, my hilt is in your hands, you have to let your power return to you".
"Why has my power not returned already" Yamamoto asks. His plan should have ensured that he would survive the blow, that no matter what condition he was in that he would be able to keep on going. Despite all that he is stuck here, in his own subconscious world.
"It's because of who is stood in front of you" Byakuran answers, "Do you understand what I mean".
The rain guardian shakes his head, "No".
"The one you see standing before you now is the last remnant of the Millefiore family you swore to protect, the only one who survived back then" the white haired mafioso begins. "You see me as your greatest failure that is why your power won't come back, understand?".
Yamamoto frowns as he keeps his thoughts private. 'Is that really how I feel deep down inside, is this the sort of insight into my soul that only Byakuran can see'.
Byakuran smiles and turns his back on his partner. "It's too bad really, I would have quite liked to have seen you defeat Kara, to save what is left of the Mafia but you don't have an answer within you. See you, partner".
As Byakuran begins to walk away Yamamoto calls after him. "Wait".
"I have something I've always wanted to hear you say, at least spare me that before you go".
"What's that" Byakuran says dispassionately.
"Will you at least once call me Takeshi".
Byakuran turns around with an expression of surprise. Why ask such a thing now of all times, on death's door, so close to the end when he has failed and his closest ally is turning his back on him. After all the time they have spent together not once has Byakuran seen anyone refer to the new Millefiore boss as Takeshi and now he wants him to do it.
"I think the true problem is that you don't understand what I see" Yamamoto begins, "After all these years you still don't get it".
"When I look at you I don't see the death of the Millefiore, I don't see the last member of the Millefiore family".
"I see the man called Byakuran".
"I see the man that I fell in love with".
"Yamamoto…" Byakuran whispers, a solitary tear falling from his eye.
"I understand what is wrong, I am still someone with a rain dying will flame and as I look around this place I see not a drop of water. The water in this world is linked with the thing I want most that's why it is truly dry right now, begins I am so far away from your heart".
"The water in this world is the power I so desperately seek, so please don't speak to me as the last Millefiore, speak to me as Byakuran".
Byakuran turns to his partner with a smile on his face. "You've got it… Takeshi".
Rain begins to fall in the Yamamoto's inner world as the duo stare lovingly at one another. A smile is fixed on both their faces as the swordsman makes a suggestion. "Let's go beat the Yakuza, not as a baseball player. Not as a mafia boss. Not as a swordsman. Not as a sword. Not as a Millefiore".
"Let's go and win as Yamamoto and Byakuran".
"Yeah".
Kara vs Yamamoto and Byakuran
Kara watches as power begins to flow from the blade of Excalibur into the body of the falling Yamamoto Takeshi. 'What the hell is going on, how is the power flowing from the sword'.
Without warning Yamamoto's muscles begin to move once more, his hand grips hold of Excalibur tightly and dying will flames burn intensely around him as he returns to an upright position.
"He's getting up" Haru yells. 'Do you see this Hayato'.
"Yamamoto is taking it to the extreme" Ryohei shouts.
"VOI, that's the way Yamamoto" adds Squalo.
"How the hell… how the hell are you back" Kara asks. "I felt your energy leave your body, you were dead not a second ago". This is the truth, not two seconds ago Yamamoto was falling through the air his body lifeless as not once trace of dying will flame could be found on him.
"This is my newest technique" Yamamoto declares, "I give all of my energy, my life force to the one I trust most in this world".
"I give all of my energy to Byakuran and then he gives it all back to me".
"That isn't possible" Kara shouts at the top her voice. "A blade can only take energy from its master, it can never return it back".
"That's the difference between you and I. I trust my blade, I love my blade, there is nothing that can come between me and this individual in my hands. No matter whether the sky turns dark or oceans turn to blood he will always be my first allegiance".
"Then I will shatter even that allegiance" Kara proclaims as she readies her sword for combat. She places it out to her sword and bends her knees slightly, the optimum fighting position for her technique.
Yamamoto looks at Kara's position; he throws Excalibur into the air as he runs towards his Yakuza opponent. He is bearing down on her at a great speed but she is not impatient she waits for the optimum moment to attack.
As energy begins to gather on her blade she is distracted by something above, it is not the blade of Excalibur, it is the winged mafioso Byakuran. Byakuran falls towards Kara and punches her hard when he arrives above her, driving her down towards the ground.
Yamamoto dissipates his wings causing himself to tumble after Kara. They are positioned ten metres apart as they fall through the sky, Kara closer to the ground than Yamamoto. The Yakuza sabre user fires a flying sabre attack towards her opponent, determined to catch him while he is unarmed.
In the meantime, Byakuran has turned back into Excalibur and plummets at an even greater rate, conveniently falling into Yamamoto's hand once more. The rain guardian uses his returning sword to counter the flying sabre attack, this time perfectly cancelling it out.
Kara seeing this hasn't affected Yamamoto resigns herself to putting her entire power into one attack. Once more dark energy gathers on her sabre before she sends it flying towards Yamamoto, she won't give him the chance to use his revival technique twice, he can't deflect this even with Excalibur.
Byakuran once more returns to his human form and he and Yamamoto momentarily take hold of one another's hands. They then use their respective arm strengths to push away from each other. The flying sabre attack travels perfectly between them.
One more metamorphosis, the sword of Excalibur is here again. Yamamoto catches the sword using his power of telekinesis. Since Kara has just launched an all-out attack and missed the both of them she is wide open.
Yamamoto gives all the power he can spare to Byakuran and together they launch the strongest attack they can must. A flying sword attack of their own, driving Kara down into the ground with enough force to kill a dinosaur.
Squalo stares on in awe, "VOI, he won, despite having less power he won. He actually won". The rain officer stares proudly at the scene before him as he comes to realise why his former student was able to attain victory. "No, perhaps it would be right to say they won… always value your blade right Yamamoto".
The rain guardian lands squarely before Kara, Byakuran returning to his human form next to him. The last of the Millefiore have succeeded, they have played their part in this war. They turn to each other and share a quick hug.
"Do you believe our message reached her" Byakuran asks, "Do you believe she may have been freed of her undying loyalty to the Yakuza. Even if only at the last moment".
"There's only one way to find out" Yamamoto decides as he picks up Clarent by the blade. "This blade holds the dying wishes of Kara within it, perhaps at the last moment her dying will was preserved within this thing".
Yamamoto holds the blade between him and Byakuran. The white haired mafioso nods and takes hold of the blade slightly further along than his partner. Together, they place the hilt of the sabre gently into Kara's hands.
Kara coughs deeply as breath returns to her lungs, she firmly grips the hilt, "You bastards, I will kill you".
Yamamoto laughs irking the Yakuza sabre user. "Damn, you what do you think is so funny".
"You've already admitted defeat" Byakuran suggests, "If only for a moment you put your faith in that blade, you loved that blade more than anything else in the world". Such a technique of preserving your life by giving it to your blade has only been done twice in history, both times in the last few minutes by Kara and Yamamoto.
"You valued Clarent more than your god" Yamamoto explains, "You will have freed yourself".
Kara looks at Byakuran and Yamamoto, the duo before her. They are linked together by the shoulders, 'Dammit do you really care for one another that much'.
She remains defiant despite the claims of the Millefiore couple, "There is nobody I care about more than my god".
"Then prove it" Yamamoto requests as he lifts his foot up above the blade that is Clarent. "I'll smash it".
Kara tries to lift the blade to get it away from Yamamoto but realises she has no strength left in her arm. "Please… don't… don't break the sabre".
"You've just admitted it yourself" Byakuran smiles.
'Can you really care for a blade so deeply. Do I care for a blade more than I do god'? Once more Kara looks at the faces of Yamamoto and Byakuran before she makes her final decision.
"You win; I won't fight for the Yakuza anymore".
"To be able to hold such a close bond with Excalibur, I can't help but feel you truly are the successor to King Arthur Yamamoto Takeshi".
"But you have to remain vigilant, this battle is far from over yet. He is still fighting your saviour".
"And there is one thing I have to tell god before he dies… something that might change everything".
Tsuna vs Honda
Honda is having no luck in this fight. This man he is fighting is not the Sawada Tsunayoshi of several years prior. It could be felt that even while using ultimate mode he was stronger than last time. This rainbow ultimate mode however, it is entirely different, it is powerful on a new level.
Honda decides to activate his power boosting technique.
Overdrive.
Following the activation of overdrive things change dramatically. The two are wielding the same level of power but Honda clearly has a slight advantage, an advantage brought on by years of experience. An advantage that Tsuna can't hope to overcome. It is not for lack of trying, the Vongola boss attempts punches, kicks, blasts of flame, uppercuts, backhands, sweeps but nothing works. No matter what he tries Honda seems to have some perfect counter stored away for it.
The Yakuza boss laughs hysterically, "All these people, the millions, they have depended on you, fought for you and believed in you all this time".
"It's quite funny that despite all of this you still aren't strong enough to beat me".
"GOD" a shouting voice comes from the nearby ground. It is from Kara. Clearly she no longer has the power to fly, it looks like she has been pushing herself greatly just to limp over here but she has forced herself regardless.
"Our forces are retreating" she shouts.
"Why are you telling that to me" Honda furiously rebukes, "Go and kill them, STOP BEING USELESS".
"Useless..." Kara speaks the word again under her breath, as if it is the most painful thing in the world.
"Look around you, if you had done your job properly and killed them when I told you this wouldn't have happened" Honda practically screams at his subordinate.
"Enma is still here, Yamamoto is still here, Sawada is still here… this is all your fault".
Honda once again begins to tangle with Tsuna, despite his frustration his superior technique does not give the latter any advantage. Still attempt after attempt is made by the Vongola boss with no success.
Kara yells once more. "GOD… I'm not able to…".
"Why are you still bugging me" Honda screams even more vocally towards the blonde Yakuza, "GO AND KILL THEM".
"I AM YOUR DAUGHTER".
A pause comes in the combat as this news is broken. Not only is Honda surprised but so is Tsuna. After so long of it being a mystery they finally understand why Kara demonstrates such undying loyalty towards her the self-proclaimed god. It is because he is her father.
"You're my daughter?" he asks with a much quieter voice.
"Yes" Kara answers.
"My daughter huh… DO YOU THINK I CARE".
Kara starts as her father continues to yell hysterically down to her. "I'm god himself, do you really think I can remember every woman I've enjoyed in my life".
"The amount of children I have in this world, I don't know and I don't care. I've probably killed half of them myself".
"As far as I'm concerned you're just another slave who isn't doing their job".
As Kara's face becomes sadder and sadder she cannot think of words to express her misery. For so many years now she has loyally served her father, fed him, tortured others for him, even killed for him yet he does not care in the least. Not only could she not get him to love her but she couldn't even get him to like her.
Before Kara has a chance to speak her father appear before her with a speed she cannot hope to match.
He flattens his palm and drives it straight through his daughter's stomach.
Tears fill Kara's eyes. "Why…".
Honda pulls his hand from Kara and she falls limply to the floor. Once more he laughs as if an insider on the funniest joke in the world. He turns to his opponent, turns to Sawada Tsunayoshi. "Now you see what makes me better than you, there is not a person in this world who I have to put in my eyes. This is the strength I have that you could never obtain".
Tsuna struggles to see through what he believes is an hallucination, or perhaps Dokuro is deliberately projecting an illusion to him, or maybe it is Mukuro from beyond the grave.
All he can see is an image of his daughter, Shiro.
For years he has had to run around without even knowing he had a daughter, the greatest privilege he feels he has ever had. Even now he has been allowed less than three hours to spend with her before he is putting his life on the line. Yet the man before him has spent years next to his daughter, his truly filial daughter who looked at him in awe and he actually cared so little he killed her.
Tsuna can only feel one emotion.
Rage.
Rage flames surround Tsuna's body in such a thick layer that it would be difficult for even Bana to see through them. He has never been this angry, so angry that the rage flames have filled his entire aura and expanded even beyond his rainbow ultimate flame.
He grunts what seems to be a painful grunt, a reflection of his hampered breathing. "YOU… YOU MAKE ME WANT TO BE SICK".
"I'm surprised these rage flames haven't already made me explode… how dare you… HOW DARE YOU SAY THOSE WORDS".
"How dare you speak to a human being in that way".
In that instant Tsuna makes the correct pose with his hands an activates his strongest technique. The zero-point breakthrough, rage edition.
"Honda, for all you've done… I'M GOING TO KILL YOU HERE AND NOW".
Tsuna punches the air repeatedly, sending flame projectiles the shape of his fist towards Honda. They fill the entire sky as if rain, rain made of fire. It is the single most impressive display of power any of the mafia or Yakuza have ever seen.
Honda flies towards Tsuna, dodging all of the fists before arriving at the man himself.
"I said how dare you" Tsuna repeats as he punches Honda in the gut.
The Yakuza boss spits blood as he is sent flying into the ground. A huge crater is presumably formed but is covered by the dusty impact.
The Vongola boss however, does not let up. He once more begins to fire the flame based projectiles at his opponent. This time they have a much narrower path, all heading down to the centre of the dusty patch. Tens become hundreds, hundreds become thousands and thousands become millions of little attacks as Tsuna unleashes his greatest barrage upon his opponent.
The source of his power is rage.
Rage for his daughter.
Tsuna eventually stops only upon complete and utter exhaustion, he no longer has enough power left to fire again.
"Kyoya… is it… is it over".
"Maybe… maybe it's over" the cloud guardian answers, "Sawada… is it over".
Dokuro looks firmly towards the dusty cloud, doing her best to inspect it using the powers of hell she inherited from Mukuro. "I can't sense anything so I think so".
"Yes… I think so".
"It's over".