Chapter 11: The Storm

"The sun is simple. A sword is simple. A storm is simple. Behind everything simple is a huge tail of complicated."

-Terry Pratchett (Toad: I shall Wear Midnight)

"I don't remember saying that I was allowing you to leave early. You have been a valuable test subject up to this point, after all."

"Sorry, Verde, but it's really important." He gave me a bored stare, then huffed in annoyance.

"Fine. Take these with you." He handed me a pair of regular looking black gloves.

"And these are...?" I asked, taking them and inspecting them carefully, looking closer to see a strange texture on them.

"These gloves are the prototype sun gloves used for healing. Now, before you go crazy with them and do anything stupid, remember that these are prototypes and not to overuse your flames. These haven't been tested yet, so be careful when you use them." I nodded and folded the gloves to put in my back pack.

"Anything else, Mr. Scientist?"

"Contact me immediately after you use the gloves."

"Got it," I said, turning my back on him and beginning to walk out the door.

"And remember to try not to let anybody else see them; I don't want my invention being misused."

"Okay, Dad. Thanks for everything."

"Just don't break my inventions I gave you, brat."

I briskly walked into the hospital Dino had rented out, already annoyed that I had missed Squalo's big entrance. I suppose it was for the best, considering that I was still dealing with pre-emotional turmoil that is soon to come because of the fact that the people I'm allying myself with are going up against a group of people I'm close to (close probably isn't the best word to describe it, but it's one of the more accurate words that can be used to describe my relationship with the Varia).

So yeah. My plan I've come up with thus far is to mostly stay out of the whole thing and just help Dino train Kyoya. That's as far as I think I should go into this, but with the amount of luck I have, I'll get dragged deeper into it sooner or later.

As I was walking down the hallways, absorbed in my own thoughts, I failed to notice Tsuna walking in the opposite direction. Between the two of us, we managed to run right into each other. Our foreheads collided and Tsuna went back, sprawling out on the floor. I managed to steady my position and not fall on the floor like my clumsy 'brother'.

"Nice going there, graceful," I dryly commented, then moved to help him up.

"Cloud! What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked as I pulled him to a standing position, "Don't tell me you're in on this ring thing too?!"

"Well, not at the moment," I answered truthfully, crossing my arms, "but I probably will be sooner or later." Tsuna groaned and clutched his head.

"I don't know what I'm going to do! I don't want anything to do with this!" I sighed and patted his head sympathetically.

"Okay, then Tuna-fish," I started, leaning down to look him in the eye in his hunched pose. "What if your family ends up being threatened?" The answer was immediate.

"I'll protect them, of course!"

"Then there's your answer," I concluded, giving him an assured pat on the head as I continued down the hallway. "Just remember that and you'll be fine. Ciao."

I left him with a thoughtful expression on his face and proceeded to my destination.

"Hello?" I opened the door and stuck my head in to see Reborn, Romario and Dino at the end of a conversation and a very cute boy laying on the hospital bed recovering. "Hello," I restated and made for the bed. Dino, seeing my intent, managed to grab me before I reached my goal.

"Hey there 'sis," He said forcefully, swinging his arm around me and pulling me back. "Long time no see! How was Mafia Land?" I quickly recovered so he wouldn't see the confusion on my face.

"Right. Mafia Land. It was great. Lots of fun and sun and… stuff." Romario seemed to notice my bluff and gave me an amused, yet hard look. I stuck my tongue out at him (without Dino seeing of course. I didn't care if Reborn knew because he always knows), and decided to change the subject so I didn't dig a deeper hole for myself. "So, care to give your darling sister a run down?"

"Gladly," Dino answered, releasing me. "Basil here tried to deliver decoy rings to Tsuna, but he was pursued by Squalo, who I know you're already familiar with."

"Too familiar with actually," I noted with a small smile, thinking of my extremely loud older brother figure of sorts. "Continue."

"Squalo got the fake rings, giving us time before the rest of the Varia arrive."

"Now, as soon as Iemitsu gives the guardians their rings, training will start to prepare for the battle against the Varia," Reborn finished.

"Ah, I see," I inputted absent mindlessly with my eyes sneaking over to Basil. Looking past his cuteness, I began visually examining his injuries. "When will he recover?"

"He should wake up today or tomorrow. He's been through a lot, and needs rest," Reborn informed me. "And when he's well enough, I plan for him to help Tsuna with his training. In the meantime, I'm heading back. Ciao." And with that, the small hitman walked out the room.

"Bono and Ivan are headed to the hotel with the rest of my things," I informed my brother.

"Right, and we should probably head back too since we're done here," He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I'll get someone to stay here in case Basil wakes up."

"I can stay here," I suggested, a plan forming in my head. Dino raised an eyebrow and gave me an accusing look. I kept myself calm, wondering if I said that a little too quickly.

"You can't just flirt with a boy who just got beaten to pulp, Cloud," he scolded me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not staying for that reason. Mostly," I said the last part quietly so Dino wouldn't hear, "And besides, I have medical knowledge, remember? So I'll be able to take care of him when he wakes up." Dino scratched his chin, thinking. I pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down, pulling out a book from my backpack. "And I've got things to keep me occupied while I'm waiting. Plus, we both know you have more important stuff to do."

"Fine," Dino sighed. "But I'm still sending someone by later to check up on you." He began walking out then noticed my book. "Is that Grey's Anatomy?"

"Yes. I'm reading it again, adding notes Gabriela sent me from her classes."

"...Okay then. See you later. And no funny business. Don't make me regret leaving you alone."

"Will do, Bro," I waved them off as the made their way out the door. I waited for a full 4 minutes before I dug into my backpack and pulled out my sun gloves. I slipped them on and approached Basil, pulling off the bandage on his cheek and gently placing my fingers on the cut. I took a deep breath and began concentrating, putting all my effort into producing flames. My determination didn't waver as yellow flames sparked to life on my fingertips. Using what Verde calls my 'excellent flame control' I managed to heal all the injuries on his face.

By the time I was moving onto his arm, my breathing began to get heavier and sweat beaded down my face. I collapsed into the chair after managing to heal both his arms, deciding to try to heal his chest when he was actually awake for two reasons. One, it would be a bit awkward to take his shirt off since he was unconscious and all (I highly doubt I would be able to talk my way out of it if Dino walked in on that). Two, I was just too worn out from healing just his face and arms to do anything else, let alone even stand.

Therefore, with that statement, I curled up in my chair beside the hospital bed and slipped into blissful sleep.

Seeing as tired as I was, I did not appreciate losing sleep over Mukuro's visit.

"What?" I said irritably as I flopped into the grassy ground, not even bothering to give Mukuro or Hannah a proper greeting.

"I received a ring from Sawada Iemitsu," Mukuro said, getting straight to the point. "Or rather, Chrome did."

"So when's the wedding," I snidely commented. I was ignored by both of them, naturally.

"So the ring battles are starting up?" Hannah asked, her interest piqued.

"Yep," I answered, haven gotten used to the fact that a lot of my brilliant comments were ignored. "But really, I don't think I need to tell you anything, Mukuro," I informed the illusionist. "Other than basic information about the Ring Battle. You win your fight pretty easily after Chrome is down."

"Kufufufu, I see. So the opponent is weak?"

"I wouldn't call him weak or underestimate him. It's just that you're his opponent." I thought over my words, then sent a wary look his way, "Don't get cocky just because I said that."

"Of course not, Little Cavallone. Care to elaborate on the ring battles?"

"Times the One Ring by seven and this whole ring battle is basically Lord of the Rings on steroids."

"Noted."

I woke up and almost fell out of the chair I had fallen asleep in. Once I had somewhat scrambled into a better position, I pushed myself up and began to stretch out my poorly mistreated, sore back. I froze when I noticed Basil was awake, and staring directly at me. I blinked and gave him an awkward smile.

"Hi," I greeted. He gave me a small smile back. "How long was I out?" I asked him.

"I do not know, miss," He responded.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot to tell you who I am," I sat on the end of the bed and held out my hand to him. "I'm Cloud Cavallone. Well, Nikita," I corrected, "Cloud is a nickname, Nikita's my real name. It would be weird if it were the other way around."

"Would you be Lord Dino's younger sister?" Basil asked, taking my hand and shaking it, albeit awkwardly. I nodded in confirmation, deciding to both ignore and not question his clearly out of date Japanese.

"I am Basil," He introduced himself, dipping his head a little. "It is an honor meet you, Miss Cavallone." I waved my hand, dismissing his sophisticated tone.

"Just call me Cloud. Or Nikita if you really insist on being formal."

"Yes, Lady Nikita."

"...Close enough. By the way, how are you feeling? Are you're injuries better?" I asked slyly, wondering if Verde's invention worked.

"I am quite surprised, actually," Basil informed me. "They healed at a remarkable rate. Although, the wound on my chest still has yet to heal."

"Mmhm," I hummed. "Has anyone else been in here recently?"

"Lord Dino came in to check up on you earlier and to see if I was awake. He said he would be back later." I hummed in conformation again.

"And you said that the wound on your chest was giving you problems, yeah?"

"Yes, Lady Nikita. It is the most troublesome wound."

"Would you mind showing it to me?"

"Not at all, Lady Nikita!" I scooted closer to him as he opened his shirt, revealing the bandages underneath.

"Okay, Basil, what I'm about to do you cannot tell anyone else about," I told him, putting my gloves back on. "And that is because the inventor of these gloves doesn't want this to get out yet since it's still is the testing phases. I healed your other wounds with these earlier and now I'd like to try again on your chest wound. You willing to give it a go?"

"If it means that I will be able to help Lord Sawada sooner, then I agree, Lady Nikita."

"Alright, then help me take off these bandages so I can get started before Dino comes back. I don't think I want him to know about this yet."

"But what will he say when he notices my healed wounds?"

"... we'll just deal with that when we there, 'kay?"

"Yes, Lady Nikita."

After ten straight minutes of healing, I managed to almost completely heal the gash on Basil's chest (courtesy of Squalo's sword, a fact which I swallowed uneasily), leaving only a soft pink, still healing scar behind. One thing I found out during the process is that is actually hurts when healing the wound, and hurt badly at that. Basil clung onto the bed sheets throughout the process and let out hisses of pain, but besides that, did not complain.

"That is truly amazing, Lady Nikita!" Basil complemented afterwards, breathing a little raggedly himself

"Thanks," I breathed out, wiping sweat off my brow. "You sure you're okay? It seemed to hurt you a bit." He shook his head, but clearly was lying.

"I am all right. Thank you for your concern. I can deal with a little pain if that means I will be able to aid Lord Sawada and my master sooner." I forced a smile and plopped back into my chair again.

"Good to know," I muttered. "By the way, what time is it?"

"According to that clock on the wall, it is 5:32 in the morning." I groaned.

"Too early," I muttered, curling up in my chair again. "I'm going back to sleep."

"We're back, Basil!" Dino burst through the door, flanked by Romario and Bono. "Ah, Cloud, you're awake."

"Goddammit, Dino," I growled under my breath. "Let me sleep some more," I whined.

"I guess you don't want food then," Dino teased, holding up a takeout bag.

"Correction; let me eat, then let me sleep." Dino laughed as Romario handed a one of the bags to Basil. My brother then approached me, handing me the bag of food, which I happily took.

"Yeah, you better save your energy now, Cloud. We have a full day of work ahead of us."

I woke up about 2 and a half hours later with Basil sound asleep and the room empty. Feeling rather revitalized, I made my way to the entrance of the hospital only to find Takeshi and Gokudera.

"Yo, Cloud! Long time no see, right?" Takeshi immediately came over and slung his arm around me as a greeting. I grinned back up at him. Gokudera merely nodded in acknowledgement at me and went back to looking at the ring in his hand. I noticed Takeshi held one in his hand as well.

"Pretty weird, right?" He said when he noticed my gaze, "I found it in my mailbox." Before we could dive further into the subject, Tsuna peeked into the hospital doors. Gokudera immediately brightened up like the puppy dog he is and Takeshi moved closer to greet Tsuna. I stepped back and let them have their little conversation. When Dino and Reborn entered I moved to go stand by them.

"Why do Gokudera and Yamamoto both have...!?"

"Since they were chosen," Dino answered, revealing his presence to the trio.

"Dino and Cloud! Reborn too! Since when?" I ignored the fact the Tsuna was too oblivious to notice me at first, then continued listening to Reborn's explanation.

"There's a total of 7 Vongola Rings and they serve a purpose when 7 people of the family have it. The 6 rings other than yours were delivered to 6 other people who are worthy of protecting the next boss of the Vongola, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"That would be you, Tuna-fish," I generously informed him, giving him a slightly cheeky grin. He sent me a horrified expression in return.

"That's the tradition of the Vongola. The Vongola Rings belong to the 7 core members of the family and are passed on as a proof of one belonging to the Vongola Family," Reborn continued explaining. "In every generation, the 7 core members of the family will have to take the 7 rings. That's the rule."

"And that makes it the proof of one being the successor!?" Tsuna whined pathetically. Gokudera, however, didn't seem phased by this in the least.

"TENTH! I FEEL EXTREMELY HONORED!" He bowed to Tsuna and sprung back up. "I can feel the tension now!" Tsuna seemed horrified by his friend's enthusiasm.

"Gokudera's is the 'Ring of Storm' and Yamamoto's is the 'Ring of Rain'," Reborn pointed out.

"What? Storm and rain... weather forecast?" Tsuna asked as the other two compared their rings.

"The members of the first Vongola were very unique and their characteristics are carved in the ring as well..." by this point in the conversation, I had gotten extremely bored. Therefore I motioned to Dino that I was heading back to Basil's room and with his nod of approval, I headed off.

"You feeling better?" I asked as I entered the room. He nodded enthusiastically from his position sitting on the side of the bed.

"Thank's to you, I believe I am well enough to get up now, Lady Nikita." He pushed himself up to prove his point and walked over to me. "It seems I have recovered from my exhaustion as well."

"If that's the case, do you want to go down and greet Tsuna? I'm sure he's worried about you."

"Lord Sawada is here?" Basil's face brightened up immediately. I smiled, seeig how excited he was and finding it endearing. I waved him forward and allowed him to walk ahead, making our way back to front of the hospital.

"MASTER PAOPAO!"

Ah, I see we've entered on Ryohei's entrance.

"IS IT TRUE THAT YOU'RE GOING TO TRAIN ME!?" Basil and I rounded the corner as Tsuna was freaking out. We stood back as Tsuna had his conversation with the extreme boxer. I tensed when I heard a familiar voice and Reborn's pacifier began to glow.

"Hey, it's been a while!"

"COLONNELLO!" I almost went over to great him, but then I remembered Dino was here. I froze when Colonnello saw me after kicking Tsuna's face in. I made a 'don't-say-anything' motion with my hand and gestured to Dino with my head, but the military baby didn't seem to get the hint.

"Basil!" Tsuna managed to notice Basil's presence in the room as Colonnello approached me.

"Brat! Have you been keeping up with my training? I see you're at least keeping up with the weights!" Dino stepped forward, confused by his familiarity with me while I was still vigorously shaking my head.

"I didn't know you two knew each other," Dino said, suspicion in his voice.

"I trained this brat recently. How long has it been, a couple weeks?" I face palmed.

"Mafia Island, huh..?" Dino gave me an accusing glare out of the corner of his eye as I shrank back. "We're going to have a talk later, sis."

"Anyway," Colonnello turned back to Reborn and Ryohei. "Reborn came crying to me to tutor someone else."

"I didn't come crying," Reborn corrected. "We're short on time, so I can't train everybody, so instead they'll have personal home tutors." Tsuna was snapped out of his conversation with Basil with these words.

"Home tutors?!"

"So is this that boxer kid you were telling me about?" Colonnello looked up at Ryohei with a neutral expression.

"THAT'S ME!" Colonnello made a humming sound and began evaluating him with the snout of his gun in the same manner he evaluated me.

"Hey! Is he really that weak?"

"Yeah," Reborn answered. "Out of the 7 chosen members of the family, he's currently the weakest one." Shivers went down my spine as Colonello began to laugh.

"Hey, looks like you've found me an interesting one. If he can keep up with my training for the next 10 days, he can beat the six others. It's hellish training though. She can tell you that," he gestured to me. "Hey, you want to do it?" He offered a head band to the boxer.

"Of course I do! I won't lose!"

"Then come along!"

"All, right!" We watched them in all their extreme glory burst out the doors and off to train. I pouted a little.

"I didn't get a head band when we trained," I noted.

"You also didn't get permission." I paled at Dino's comment.

"Shouldn't you be going off to train yours?" I reminded him in a lame attempt to change the subject.

"Eh? Dino, you're tutoring someone too?" Tsuna turned to Dino, surprised.

"Yeah, since this case is a problem with alliance, me and Cloud can't fight along. This is the most we can do for you right now."

"We?" I asked as Tsuna freaked out.

"Yes, we," Dino forcefully swung his arm around me and pulled me closer. "You're helping since this kid is problematic. Plus, you're familiar with him as well."

"Gokudera and Yamamoto will find their own suitable home tutor," Reborn reassured Tsuna. "Dino and Cloud have Hibari handled, and as for you, Tsuna, I'll be training you with Basil's help."

"Are you sure you're well enough to help, Basil?" Tsuna asked, concern lighting up his eyes. Basil nodded happily.

"Yes, Lord Sawada, because of-" I quickly gave him my best 'remember-to-keep-it-a-secret' look, and unlike Colonnello, he seemed to get the hint, so he corrected himself-" the amount of rest I had, I am ready to help anyway I can."

"Then we should get going," Dino began steering me towards the door, "To Namimori Middle!"

"Wait, you're training Hibari!? Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"We'll be fine," Dino assured the frantic boy. "Besides, Cloud's dealt with the kid before."

"She has?"

"Numerous times," I elaborated.

"Good Luck, Tsuna!" Dino waved as we exited the door, Romario following behind faithfully. "Now, onto my little sister going off to train with one the most dangerous people in the world without telling me again," Dino began, squeezing my shoulder with a little too much affection. I laughed nervously in response.

"You love me, right?" I confirmed. He let out a long sigh.

"You've got to stop doing things like this, Cloud," He scolded me in a serious tone. I matched it with my own.

"I know, I know, but I also know that if I told you, you wouldn't let me go," I explained my reasoning.

"How do you know that? You couldn't be sure whether I would give you permission or not," He argued back.

"Would you have of let me go, then?"

"..." He huffed and shook his head. "I don't know, Cloud. Look, I just want you to be safe."

"And I just want to be stronger so I protect people I love, and I can't do that if you keep holding me back." We stopped at the school's entrance. Dino let me slide out from under his arm so that I was facing him.

"If you keep doing stuff like this, then how can I trust you?"

"Let's make a deal," I proposed, "I'll be truthful about most of what I do from now on and in return you'll actually let me do stuff. Within reason of course."

"...most?"

"Deal or no deal?" I asked, getting to the point. Dino ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"Fine," he extended his hand. "Deal." We shook on it, me with a proud smirk and him with a tired smile.

"Now let's go meet the monster of Namimori."

"Hey, Kyoya," I peeped my head in through the door of the reception room. Kyoya looked up at me from his book, sitting casually on the couch and fiddling with his ring. His eyes widened slightly at my appearance.

"Kumo," He acknowledged, putting down his book as he got up. "Have you come back to fight me?"

"Actually," I corrected him. "I brought somebody else for you to fight. Remember when I said I'd get someone strong to fight you?" His eyes narrowed as I stepped aside to let Dino walk in, with Romario trailing him as always.

"You must be Hibari Kyoya," my brother greeted. "I'm Cloud's big brother and also an acquaintance of Reborn. I want to talk to you about the ring with the cloud symbol on it."

"Kumo told me that you were strong," Kyoya said, a smirk forming on his face. "and that you would fight me. I don't care about the ring, as long as I can bite you dead."

"Told you he actually says that," I whispered to Dino.

"He's a problematic kid all right. That's fine," Dino reached done to retrieve his whip as Hibari bared his tonfas. "Things will go faster this way." I looked in between the two battle ready guys.

"Um," I stepped out in between them (which could be viewed as a very stupid move on my part), "as great as it is that you guys are ready to go at it and all, wouldn't it be better if we do this somewhere else? You know, so you guys don't damage the room," I gave Hibari a pointed look at the end of my explanation. We made eye contact and he snorted, straightening his posture and walking out of the room, pushing his way past Dino. Dino smirked and began to follow.

"Anything else I should know about him?" Dino asked me as we followed the prefect.

"Don't take a direct hit," I informed him.

"And...?" I shrugged.

"I don't know. Find out for yourself, Mr. Tutor." Dino rolled his eyes as we reached the roof door that Kyoya left open.

"Some help you are." I stuck my tongue out at him playfully and went over to the side, jumping up so I was sitting on the fence; a good place to watch the fight. Kyoya turned sharply and faced Dino once more, prepped for battle.

"On the top of the school roof, how memorable. I like this place, you know?" Dino commented as they faced off.

"Then I'll let you stay here forever, after I make you grovel." And with that statement, Kyoya lunged at Dino, signaling the beginning of the fight.

I was actually interested in watching it, until Iemitsu distracted me. I noticed him by the time Dino had caught Kyoya's tonfa with his whip (His orange construction outfit was quite noticeable after all). Then he started motioning me to come over. Not knowing it was me at first, I looked around in confusion, then pointed to myself. He nodded in confirmation and I approached him with a confused expression.

"…yes?"

"Come take a walk with me, Ms. Cavallone," he said. "It looks like things are going just fine over there." I reluctantly walked with him as we made our way off the roof and back through the school.

"I was told not to take walks with strange men," I informed him. He laughed in response.

"Oh, come on! You know who I am. And besides, I need to ask you about a serious matter." His voice took a darker tone. "Now, I'm aware of your relationship with the Varia, and before you start worrying, I have no doubt that you're on Tsuna's side, which is why I'm approaching you with this. Out of all the Varia, the one most suitable to be the storm guardian is Prince the Ripper, Belphegor. I understand you know him very well."

"You could say that," I admitted with a small smirk, unable to hide it. "Where are you going with this?"

"Not only do I know he's suitable, but my sources also say that he was chosen to be the Varia's storm representative. Now, with you knowing him so well, and with Shamal's refusal to participate, I need to ask you something extremely important."

My mind went completely blank, his words throwing me for a loop.

"You understand that it's even more important for you to accept."

For a moment, I was actually in complete disbelief that this was happening.

"In a way, since you know his enemy the best, you're the perfect candidate for this."

It made perfect logical, sense and yet, that disbelief was still there.

"Cloud Cavallone, I need you to tutor Tsuna's storm guardian, Gokudera Hayato in order to him to beat Belphegor."

"Huh?"

"I said I needed you to tutor Gokudera," Iemitsu repeated.

"Well, yeah, I know that, I'm just still... processing it." He laughed and gave me a few pats on the head before walking away.

"Find him in the forest when you're ready to start. Just head for the sounds of bombs," He informed me as he left. I stared after him as he disappeared.

"That bastarddidn't even give me a choice," I uttered in complete disbelief. I sighed and rubbed my temples. " Fuck. Fuck! What the fuck am I going to do? I guess it wouldn't really be a complete betrayal of friendship... yeah. I'll just keep telling myself that."

And with that shaky confirmation, I set off to get ready to train my newly acquired pupil.

"Holy fuck, this guy is on a different level of crazy," I noted as I drew closer to the explosions in the middle of the forest. I successfully managed not to face palm when I got where I could see Gokudera, already beat up from attempting to 'train' himself. My eyes narrowed as I saw him begin to sway. "Shit," I cursed in my native language (for once) and quickly moved my rifle off my shoulder, really hoping that rain flames could pacify bombs. For once in my life, luck seemed to be on my side and it turned out that my rain flames could nullify bombs. I let out a relieved sigh and began making my way over to my new student, re-positioning the heavy duffel bag on my shoulder. I knelt down and poked him in the face as he lay on the ground, not responding.

"Yo, Gokudera?" I asked him. "You dead or what?"

"What the hell do you want, woman?"

"Ah, I see you're still among the living. Joy."

"Gokudera, you're okay!"

"Tenth!" Gokudera immediately tried to push himself up as his future boss came running towards us, along with another uninvited guest.

"Long time no see my de-" I quickly flipped out my gun and pressed against Shamal's forehead as he pranced towards me. He froze in is tracks as soon as the tip touched his skin.

"Take one step closer and you're dead," I politely informed him. He put his arms up and wisely stepped back.

"Of course, it would be rather stupid to attack a pretty lady who has so many dangerous weapons within her reach," Shamal said with a nervous laugh, gesturing to my duffel bag on my shoulder. With a satisfied smirk, I turned back to Tsuna and Gokudera.

"Cloud! What are you doing here? I thought you were helping Dino train Hibari," Tsuna said.

"Well things don't always go according to plan," I said heavily, still trying not to think about my situation. "And as for you," I turned on Gokudera, who met me with a glare. "You really have to look after yourself. How can you expect to get strong if you die trying? How can you protect your beloved tenth if you can't even protect yourself?" I scolded him. He clicked his tongue at me, but I caught the thoughtful, guilty look in his eyes.

"Why the hell are you telling me this, woman?"

"Because," I crouched down to look him in the eyes. "I'm your tutor, genius." And with that statement, I flicked him in the forehead and stood up.

"What?" Naturally, Tsuna freaked out. "Why are you tutoring Gokudera? I thought you were helping Dino?"

"I told you, Tuna-fish, things change, your dad kind of forced me into it, and I know Gokudera's opponent."

"My dad..?"

"You know who I'm fighting?"

"Yep," I said, popping the 'p'. "And let me start off by saying that the way you are now, you will defiantly lose and most likely be killed by him," I said in all seriousness. "But, you're lucky because you have me." I pointed to myself.

"And what can you do to help me?" Gokudera asked with suspicious lingering in his voice.

"I know how he thinks," I explained, pointing to my head. "His moves, his battle tactics, his thought process and all that jazz. When we're done, you should at least be able to hold your own against him, but still don't expect to win," I warned him.

"T-that sounds kind of scary, Cloud," Tsuna commented. "He must be a terrifying guy. And you said you know him?"

"Friends with him actually," I corrected. "I believe we even consider ourselves 'best friends' although, he's set on me being his fiancée." They all stared at me in disbelief.

"You're not normal, Cloud," Tsuna informed me.

"Aware," I noted. Shamal nodded in approval.

"Since you know the guy, then I guess there's nothing more I can do here," he said and began walking away. "You seem to have things covered, Cavallone."

"Thanks, pervy doc," I saluted him.

"Wait!" Gokudera yelled after him "What about that technique?" Shamal waved him off without even looking back.

"You're a smart kid," he admitted. "You can figure it out. Besides, you have a tutor to help you know." And with that, he was gone.

"Listen, Smoking Bomb," I said, calling their attention to me. "Go home and rest; take care of your wounds and come back first thing tomorrow to this same spot. Oh, and make sure you're prepared," I added, as I began walking off too.

"Prepared for what?" He asked.

"For Hell," I answered with a sly smirk and a playful wink.

"Ah, good. You came," I jumped down from the tree I was reading my book in as Gokudera entered the clearing. "Good thing you took the same path to get here," I noted with a smile. "Otherwise you would have experienced my method of training early."

"What exactly did you mean by 'be prepared for Hell'?" He asked, still a little miffed.

"Well, considering I've been personally trained by two Acrobaleno, possible three or four if you're technical, and have witnessed Reborn's methods growing up, it's only natural that my own training methods would be brutal as well." Gokudera's eyes widened in surprise.

"You've been trained by Acrobeleno?"

"Kind of Lal Mirch and Reborn, and definitely Colonello and Fon, who despite seeming nice and laid back has surprising hellish training methods," I replied, almost shuddering at the memories. "Colonello is just spartan by default," I added as an afterthought.

"Now, onto training," I clapped my hands together. "So first, let's get our objectives out of the way," I started, sitting down on the ground and gesturing for him to do the same. He gave me a weird look, but still complied.

"Let me start off by saying that your opponent is a master tactician. So, throughout this training, you're going to be working on observing; picking out things that aren't right and finding solutions to problem. If you simplify every problem to one single thing, and fix that thing, then everything else will collapse with it- what are you doing?" I gave him an incredulous look as he frantically scribbled down notes in a notebook he had pulled out of nowhere.

"I'm making notes, you stupid woman!" He growled at me. "I need to learn more about this in order to help Tenth."

"Not that way you're not," I chided, leaning back on one of my arms. "What I'm going to teach you is instinctual. By the time we're done, you're going to be looking for these things without even thinking about it. And this is all because your life is going to be on the line, and in that situation, petty notes aren't going to help you in a life-and-death battle." I sighed in defeat and pushed myself up when I got only a blank stare in response.

"Okay then, maybe we should move onto the physical part of training." I dug in my pocket and held up a small bell. Gokudera eyed it, unimpressed. "Taking a Naruto approach to things, your task is to take the bell away from me." He scoffed.

"That's it?" He got up and dusted himself off with a smug look on his face. "Then this will be simple."

"I wouldn't underestimate me if I were you," I warned him. "And remember not to hold back. If you're not careful, you could die during this. Remember what I said about valuing your own life." A confused look crossed his face.

"What do you mean I co-"

"Start." And with that, I quickly headed into the forest. I vaguely heard Gokudera let out a curse before clumsily following after me. I climbed nearby tree and hid in the branches, waiting for him to come by. Soon enough, he came lumbering through the trees in a head-on sprint. I actually winced when he tripped the first wire, sending a barrage of needles down on him. His eyes widened and he moved to dodge, but despite his attempts, some of the needles got his arm.

As he rolled over, I reached into my pocket, bringing out two knives. Jumping down from the tree, I landed in a crouch, then threw the weapons at Gokudera, who was still recovering from the needle barrage. He still moved, but one knife sliced his shoulder and the other his cheek. I shook my head and sighed.

"The hell was that, woman?!"

"I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed," I admitted. "I half expected you to handle the needles better since you recently faced an opponent who used those kind of weapons. And you completely fell for the trap, even though I made sure the wire was visible. You weren't in it at all, were you?"

"We just started, just give me another chance." I ignored his complaint and brought out another knife, twirling it in my hands.

"Your opponent uses knives as his main weapon. Compared to him, I'm an amateur, so this time, I'm going to get you used to dodging knives, among other things. Also keep in mind to look for traps and wires. Especially wires. They're going to become less and less visible as we go."

"How do you even know I'm going to face this guy?" Gokudera pointed out. "They haven't even come yet!"

"Well, it's logical, isn't it? Either way, Iemitsu is certain that this guy is the Storm Guardian for the Varia, so it's natural that you guys would face off for the ring, right?" There was also the fact that I had knowledge of the future, but I left that part out.

"I guess..."

"Then I'll prep you for the battle. Now, that you know what you're doing, you should adapt better, so I won't go easy on you," I held up the bell again. "So, let's start again, shall we?" A determined look washed over his face.

"Then I won't hold back either, woman!" he said, throwing his dynamite at me. I jumped back, avoiding the blow, smirking.

"I was hoping you would say that."

"God, this is so painful," Tsuna complained as Basil, Reborn, and he walked back from training.

"Tsuna, watch out for that wire," Reborn warned his student.

"What are you talking about, Reborn? There's n- GAH!" Tsuna tripped and almost landed face first on the ground. Basil managed to catch the future don just in time and pull him out of the way before the knives came flying at them. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!"

"Oh, sorry Tuna-fish!" There was the small jingling of a bell and the group looked over to see Cloud jumping down from a tree. "It's part of Gokudera's training."

"What type of training are you putting him through?" Tsuna asked, trying to imagine what type of training would involve death traps.

"It's kind of a survival training really," she explained, crossing her arms. "We're working on his observing abilities and looking for traps."

"Has Lord Gokudera been successful so far?" Basil asked. There was a yelp off in the distance.

"It doesn't look like it," Reborn noted dryly. "Did Colonello teach you how to set traps?" Cloud nodded in response.

"It was part of his 'I'll-make-a-soldier-out-of-you' training," She elaborated. "But right now, I made them pretty obvious. As we go I'll make them less and less noticeable until he's good enough to pick out wires easily."

"Why such focus on traps and wires?"

"Because we know who his opponent's going to be," She said with a sly smile.

"Oh? How interesting," Reborn allowed a smirk in return. "I approve your sly way of tutoring, Cloud."

"Thanks. I grew up watching one of the best, so it's natural that it would reflect on me." Tsuna looked in between the two tutors and shivered out of fear.

"I'm pretty sure they just shared a secret message or something. Come on Basil, let's get out of here before we get caught up in whatever she's up to," He whispered to his new friend and started heading back to his house.

"Of course, Lord Sawada." Reborn nodded a goodbye and followed his student. Cloud waved at them as they left, then side stepped Gokudera, who had tried to pounce at her.

"I would say nice try, but that would be lying," she chided to her fallen student. He grumbled and pushed himself up.

"How do you expect me to have enough energy to get the bell while dealing with all these traps?"

"That's the point, genius. This training is basically a survival test. It forces you to save your energy and move while injured. It's efficient because it forces you to cope within a small amount of time, since we don't have much of that to begin with. Start acting serious about this," she said with a rather cold look in her eyes. "You can dodge half of those traps you triggered if you were really trying. You should be able to go into that 'life-or-death' mode anytime. If I can do it, then I have no doubt that you can."

"You can do that?"

"How the fuck did you think I survived training from Acrobalenos? So far, I've pretty much left you alone, just dealing with the traps. But now I'm going to be after you with knives. If you're serious enough, you should be fine. You ready?" Gokudera looked up at his tutor with a thoughtful face. Then, determination lit up in his eyes.

"I'll do this! I'll do this for the Tenth!"

"Ushishis, you're doing it wrong, princess." I huffed and turned around to face Bel.

"Oh, I'm sorry if it's my first time throwing knives Mr. Knife thrower. Why don't you show me how to do it since you keep telling me I'm doing it wrong?" He snickered once more then pushed himself up from the wall he was leaning on.

"First of all, you're holding it wrong," he pointed out. He grabbed my hand and placed my fingers in the correct position. "Now you have a better grip and can put more into the throw." He then looked down and nudged my feet with his own until they were standing in a sturdier position. He then walked behind me and guided my arm back "You were throwing wrong too," he explained. "You can't force it, you have to let it flow." He moved his arm with mine as we threw the knife together. He stepped back and let me try one on my own. "Ushishi, better princess," he allowed. "Just keep practicing." He yawned and retreated back to leaning against the wall.

"Is that how you throw your knives?" I asked after a few more throws.

"No. The prince uses his own unique way, since my knives are unique. This is just the standard way of throwing knives," he explained.

"Ah, I see," I said idly, twirling the knife and turning to him. "Anything you want to learn from me? You know, since you're teaching me how to throw knives and all?" He hummed thoughtfully, placing a hand on his chin. He then let loose his signature Cheshire cat grin.

"Teach me one of those cool looking moves you learned in China," he commanded. I frowned.

"Bel, you have to be trained properly before you can do any of the advanced moves. You have to have the right muscles and stuff." He snorted.

"Does the princess doubt the prince's skills?" I sighed in defeat, knowing that he was going to make me teach him no matter what. I began wondering if I could get away with teaching him one of the simple moves... probably not, with how smart he is.

"Whatever you say, your highness."

Gokudera's eyes widened in surprise as a cut appeared on his arm after he dodged the knife. He immediately retreated back, dodging three more knives I had thrown at him, only to receive more cuts after the knives had passed.

"Have you ever heard the three acts of a magic trick?" I asked him from my position opposite of him. He stood still, eyes evaluating the situation carefully.

"The first two acts can be applied to this, you know. First," I began, holding a knife up, "You show the audience something ordinary, something normal. Looks normal enough, right? It probably isn't though," I hinted and threw the knife at my student. He dodged easily enough, but remained still after his move, having learned from his past experiences.

"Then, you take that ordinary thing and turn it into something extraordinary." I threw a knife, forcing Gokudera to dodge right, causing another cut on his arm. "And now, you're trying to figure the trick out," I concluded. "Should be easy enough for you, yeah?"

I threw three more knives, and with each knife a new ghost cut appeared on Gokudera. His eyes narrowed as he froze, waiting for the next throw. I smirked and threw it straight at his face. He brought one of his bombs up, and the knife embedded itself into it.

"Razor wires," He said, pulling on the bomb, tugging the wire that was attached to it. "The knives are connected to wires that cut me after they were thrown. You threw other knives to drive me towards the wires."

"Congrats, you've figured it out. But, that doesn't mean anything if you can't defend against it. And," I reminded him, leaning forward and holding out the bell, "you haven't even come close to getting the bell yet." He frowned and crouched down, preparing his bombs to attack me. I sighed and scratched my head.

"Maybe I shouldn't goad the kid who's armed with highly dangerous explosives," I murmured.

I covered my mouth, trying to hold back my laughter. Bel turned his head toward me, and I could feel the intensity of his glare. He made a little 'kaching' sound as I burst out laughing, unable to keep it in.

"Stop laughing," he growled, pushing himself up.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I panted. "I've just never seen you full out fall on your ass like that! I told you, you have to be trained to do that kind of stuff," I reminded him. He huffed. For a while, nobody moved. Then he lunged at me, an attempt to tackle. I bridged back, dodging him. He whipped around and grabbed my leg. I responded and twisted around so that I could push him away from me. I managed to break his hold, but he tripped me with his foot, sending me down. I scrambled to get up, but he sat down on my stomach and grinned down at me.

"You may be more flexible, but I have weight and height on my side," He teased.

"Let," I hissed, "me up." He hummed thoughtfully.

"Apologize for laughing at royalty and I might," He considered with a snicker.

"Fine. I'm sorry I laughed at you because you fell on your ass ever so ungracefully. Happy now?"

"Quite. But I'm not letting you up, princess." I huffed.

"You're just mad that the all mighty Prince the Ripper can't do one little thing," I pointed out. He snorted and looked away. I huffed and wiggled around, but he was right; his weight stopped me from moving much. "Asshole," I muttered.

"Bitch," He replied causally. I decided to switch tactics.

"Let me up, hubby dear?"

"Nope."

"Hate you."

"Aware~"

"So, have you worked on Shamal's technique any?" I asked Gokudera as he avoided one of the more advanced traps.

"I have theoretical notes on it..." He stopped and looked at me warily. I paused in the midst of my knife throwing.

"What?"

"Well, I thought you disapproved of my 'scientific' way to approach things," He stated, dropping his weapons and walking closer to me.

"Well, for this way of learning, yeah," I explained, pocketing my weapons as well, "but for that kind of thing, it takes more of an engineering mind to figure it out. You should start experimenting with those theories so that they're ready in time." I flipped back as he lunged for the bell tied to my belt.

"Nice try at using the conversation to distract me so you can get close, but I'm pretty sure you won't be able to get a hold of me," I informed him with a cheeky smile. He huffed in annoyance and threw a couple bombs at me. I cursed and jumped back.

One good thing that came from tutoring Gokudera was that it gave me more chances to use my flames in different ways. One prime example I have been working on it using my sun flames for speed and enhancing. I seriously think that without them, I wouldn't be able to get away from half the bombs he was throwing my way. Another thing I'm getting better at is healing small injuries on me as we go. I've pretty much taken to wearing the gloves 24/7 now.

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard," I warned him after I noticed how hard he was breathing and how many scratches and bruises he had because of how much had been running around chasing me today.

"I have to do this for the Tenth," he panted, "even if it kills me. I would die for the Tenth!" I frowned and shook my head with a heavy sigh.

"If you really think that, then you really don't know Tsuna, do you?" He looked up at me with a confused look.

"What the hell are you talking about, woman?"

"Maybe some bosses are willing to have their subordinates die for them, and that might the typical boss, but not Tsuna. He wouldn't want anybody dying for his sake, especially his friends," I scolded Gokudera. "If you think Tsuna wants you to die for him, then you're an idiot," I bluntly informed him. His face grew red and he turned away. I huffed in exasperation and turned away as well. I rubbed the back of my head and sighed.

"What a troublesome student..."

"Dammit!" Gokudera's hand brushed the bell as he flew past me. I delivered a swift kick to the back of his neck and he hit the ground with a loud thump.

"That's five times now," I informed him, crouching down and leaning my folded arms on my knees. "You're getting better. You're beginning to read my movements now." He roughly pushed himself up, but faltered only to fall back down again. His hands curled into fist and he rolled himself over to where he was glaring up at the sky. I sighed and got up, moving to where I was standing over him.

"Hey, Smoking Bomb," I addressed him. "I'm putting the bell away so I can patch you up. We're done for today. You've definitely improved and we've been going for about a week, every day. After I get done, go home and get some rest." He shot me a halfhearted glare, but still let me tend to his wounds.

"Don't be such a brat," I scolded when I was done, after the long, tense silence had passed.

"I'm not a brat!" he shot at me. I sighed and pushed myself up.

"You're pouting," I pointed an accusing finger at him. "Like a brat. You're only 'losing' because I'm good at avoiding. If this were a real fight then I'm pretty sure this would end differently. Don't be too hard on yourself, and maybe you won't act so much like a brat." I held out a hand to him. He stared at it for a bit, then took it. I pulled him up and we began walking back.

"Why'd you agree to train me anyway?" Gokudera asked as he numbly lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "We never really interacted much before this. You're closer to the Tenth and that baseball freak than you are with me. Hell, you spent more time around that demon prefect than with me." I shrugged and crossed my arms.

"Tsuna's family, so you're family. Can't it be that simple?" He snorted at my response. "Besides," I continued. "I know the lesson you need to be taught, so why not?" I decided to not mention the fact that I was kind of sort of forced into this position.

"And what lesson it that, woman?"

"To protect the family."

"I already know that!" He snapped at me. "I'll protect the Tenth with my life."

"When I say family, that includes you," I elaborated, ignoring his outburst. "Protect the family, protect yourself." He eyed me warily, then looked away with a thoughtful look.

"You keep telling me that," He mumbled after a while. "Like you know something's going to happen."

"Something's always going to happen," I said with a sad sigh. "That's just our life." He turned back to me and met me with a thoughtful almost nostalgic look.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." he took another drag of his cigarette. "But," A small smile slipped onto his face. "sometimes that something is a good something." I looked at him and blinked. He noticed my gaze.

"What the hell is that look for, woman?!" He snapped at me, a small blush creeping on his face. I gave him a cheeky smile.

"I just didn't expect to get something so deep from you, Mr. Scientific," I chirped, making his face turn even redder.

"S-shut up!"

I let out an impressed whistle when I stepped out of the door and onto the roof after I had parted ways with Gokudera.

"They're really going at it, aren't they?" I asked Romario as I neared him and Tetsu standing off to the side, avoiding the insane fighting.

"Ah, Kuma," Tetsu greeted me. "Apparently they made a deal."

"If boss wins then the kid has to actually listen to him," Romario explained.

"As opposed to simply attacking out of blood lust and irritation," I noted, getting the gist. "I just came by to check up on them. You know, to make sure they haven't killed each other yet."

"That's right," Romario recalled scratching his chin. "You haven' been around. What have you been up to, princess?"

"Tutoring a student of my own," I answered, leaning on the fence. "Smoking Bomb." Romario's eyes widened slightly, then he smiled.

"And how's that going?"

"He's a bit hot-headed," I admitted, "but, he's making progress. Although, I've been putting him through hellish training."

"From the kind of training you've been through, I wouldn't doubt it," Romario admitted. I rolled my eyes at his amusement.

"Yo, Cloud!" Dino seemed to notice me at this point. "Where've you been?" He dodged another one of Kyoya's attacks. "Hey, Kyoya, let's take a break for a bit, yeah?" He gave the prefect a hopeful look. Kyoya's glare simply intensified.

"I refuse," He stated, and lunged at Dino again.

"Oh, come on, Kyoya!" Dino whined. "Just let me talk to my little sister!" Kyoya snorted in irritation.

"It'll just be for a little bit, Kyoya," I said, trying to help Dino's case. "Five minutes max, then you can get back to beating each other up." Kyoya gave me a pointed look, then huffed and put his tonfas down.

"Fine." He turned to glare at Dino. "You have five minutes." Dino sighed in relief and placed his hands on his knees, breathing ragged breaths. As I drew closer, I noticed Kyoya was breathing heavily as well.

"You call this training?" I teased my brother.

"It's the only thing he responds to," Dino admitted. "And where have you been? I thought you were going to help me with this!"

"Well, stuff happens," I explained. "And by stuff, I mean that I became of tutor as well."

"You're tutoring someone? Who is it?"

"Gokudera," I replied. "And it's surprisingly going well."

"That's good for you," he admitted in a tired voice. "I'm not getting far with this one. What's the training like?"

"Hellish," I admitted with a sly grin. "What do expect? I've been trained by a martial arts genius and the most Spartan baby that can be labeled Spartan."

"That's true," my brother admitted. "But I'm still disappointed that you can't help me," his mood instantly dropped. "This kid is a monster. I was going to rely on you to calm him down because you know him." I sympathetically patted his shoulder.

"I'll help after I get done teaching Gokudera, Bro," I assured him. He sent me a questioning stare.

"You sure? I mean, I don't want t- Gah!" He ducked as a tonfa soared over his head and clanged into the fence behind us. We looked over to see Kyoya stalking towards us, his other tonfa in hand.

"Time's up," He stated simply. Dino threw his hands up as the prefect neared.

"Come on, Kyoya," Dino said, backing up and reaching back to grab his whip on his belt. "We're still talking!"

"He's right, Dino," I said as Kyoya stalked past me, "We had a deal." I shrugged as Dino gave me a look filled with betrayal.

"Not you too, Cloud!"

"I'll bite you to death!" Kyoya said as he lunged at my brother. Dino sighed and rolled out of the way.

"You're not helping, Cloud!"

"Wasn't my intention, Dino."

I quickly dove behind a bush on my way back to the hotel, out of sight, watching as a figure in a familiar uniform jumped over me and onto another roof. I waited a bit until I was sure the Varia underling was gone, silently thanking Fon and Colonello for their training. I seriously did not want to become even more involved at this point.

"So it's already starting," I quietly mumbled to myself as I started walking again. "I didn't think it would be so soon," I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. "Whatever." I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.

"Something's going to happen anyway. Might as well go with it, for now."

I'm usually not surprised by stuff. It might have something to do with the fact that I know a somewhat outline of the future, but just in everyday life I'm pretty chill about most everything. I was, however, surprised by a knock on the window of my hotel room.

I blinked and put my book down, glancing around the room. Then they knocked again. Grabbing my gun off the nightstand, I walked over to the window and pulled the curtain back carefully. The grinning face of Bel was staring back at me through the glass. My eye twitched as he knocked again. I sighed and opened the window.

"Yo, princess~" He greeted as he jumped into the room. "Long time no see, right?" He ruffled my hair, then retracted his hand, gently letting my curls slip through his fingers.

"What," I crossed my arms and glared at him, not reacting to his friendly gestures, "are you doing here?"

"Visiting you, or course," He replied as he plopped down on the bed, "Am I not allowed to visit my fiancée?"

"Not when we're on opposing sides," I snapped at him half-heartedly, as I sat down beside him. "I have enough teenage angst as it is." He snickered.

"I see~ You feel guilty for going against us. It's fine, we're going to win either way," he commented confidently. "It's not like you'll be affected negatively anyway. Boss doesn't hate you or anything. Really, I think he likes you."

"It's still confusing," I admitted. I blinked, and glanced down at the ring on his finger. "That the Storm Ring?"

"Half of it," he said, holding it up for me to see. "I'll get the other half soon enough, ushishi!"

"I don't know. I wouldn't underestimate them," I noted, not being able to hold back to defend my student. Bel stared at me for a bit, then leaned close to my face with a wide grin. I leaned back as he neared.

"You're hiding something, princess~" He sang. "And the prince wants to know what it is." I squirmed underneath his gaze, the tips of our noses almost touching.

"I may or may not kind of be tutoring your opponent," I admitted after a while. He froze, then burst out laughing, falling back on the bed.

"Ushishisi! That's great! This makes things even more interesting!" He laughed, holding his stomach. After a while, he seemed to gain control over himself. "I can't wait now." I raised an eyebrow.

"You're not mad?" He snorted.

"Why would I be? It's not like you're the one I'm fighting," He admitted, putting his hands behind his head. Feeling relieved somewhat, I plopped down onto the bed, lying beside him.

"Well that's a relief," I sighed. "I've been worrying about that ever since I started." He snickered.

"That's a stupid thing to be worrying about, princess." I huffed and grabbed a pillow, bringing it down of his face. He caught it, and threw it back at me with a wide grin. I gave him an irritated look back as I caught it, now sitting back up. He pointed at the weights on my wrists and ankles.

"You've been training," he pointed out, "and you have weights. You have some around your waist too, right?"

"You would be the one to notice," I said with grin.

"Ushishi, of course. I know you the best after all."

"And I know you the best. What was that earlier about not wanting to fight me?" I teased him. He huffed and moved to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"If I kill you, then who would I drag around and wreak havoc with?" He asked with a grin.

"Mammon?" I supplied.

"Nah," He waved the suggestion off. "The only thing fun about them are their puffy cheeks." I laughed at his statement, then remembered the current situation. I puffed out my own cheeks.

"Stop making me laugh. You're the enemy of my student," I accused him. He chuckled and moved towards the window again, opening it and stepping out on the ledge. I followed him and leaned on the ledge, looking up at him. The cool wind of the night moved my hair and his jacket, and he leaned down, gently tucking my hair behind my ear.

"I guess I better get back before the commander gets pissed. You coming to the fight tomorrow?" He asked as he leaned back up. I shrugged, looking out to the buildings and light around us.

"I might," I allowed. He snorted in amusement.

"See ya around princess~" He waved before he left. I leaned further out the window and watched him go, letting out a long sigh and leaning my head on my crossed arms.

"Why do I have such a weird and dangerous best friend?"

"What do you mean we're not going to train anymore?!" Gokudera asked me as we walked towards Namichuu.

"I've done all that I can. The battles are starting tonight, so you should heal as much as possible. It would be hindering for you to already be hurt before your battle. Heal as much as you can before you fight so that you're fully charged," I explained. "You've already improved so much, and you can pick out traps and strategies easily now. But, don't think that means you can win with ease. Remember what I told you about valuing your own life and be sure to perfect your new technique before your battle. You're almost there anyway, from what you've used on me."

"But I never got the bell!"

"So?" I shrugged. "Does that really matter now?"

"Of course it matters! It means I didn't pass your training," he argued back.

"It doesn't matter if you pass or not. You still grew because of it. And if you think about it, the bell is a whole other lesson," I hinted with a sly smile. Gokudera grumbled, crossed his arms and looked away pointedly.

"Cloud, Gokudera!" We looked up to see Tsuna and Takeshi. As we approached, I noticed Tsuna take in Gokudera's bandages and sour mood before it changed. I waved to the two before I stepped past them.

"I'll let you guys have you're little family chat," I explained as I began walking past them. "I'm going on to check on Kyoya and Dino." I paused as I noticed the look on Tsuna's face. I smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "You'll be fine, Tsuna. You and your family."

"How do you know that, Cloud?" he asked me quietly, so his two friends could hear. I shrugged and turned away.

"Because I believe in you, Bro. And I know these things."

"Holy fuck," I breathed as I saw the condition Dino and Kyoya were in. "They went all out, didn't they?" I addressed a grimacing Romario. He nodded

"They need to stop soon," he admitted. "But that kid hasn't let up yet. I'm surprised he's lasted this long."

"Well, he's about to go now," I pointed out as Kyoya wavered. "You take care of Dino, I'll get him." I ran off to catch Kyoya before Romario could argue. I managed to get the prefect before he hit the ground. Wordlessly, I slung his arm over my shoulder and walked (more like dragged, but whatever) him to the other side of the roof, away from where Romario would be patching up Dino. I decided it would be wise to keep them apart while I was treating Kyoya, so that I could keep him somewhat calmed without the distraction of his tutor. I noticed Dino walking towards Romario on his own as I set Kyoya down.

"I don't need your help, Kumo." I looked back, meeting the prefect's intense glare. I sighed and tried to grab his arm. He pulled it away.

"Look," I stated calmly, "I'm just patching you up. You've been going at it for about, what? About a week now?" He didn't answer. "If you let me patch you up, then you can go back to fighting Dino faster. Right now, as much as you hate to hear it, you can barely stand." I rolled my eyes when he remained silent.

"Really," I tried. "You've got the better end of the deal. I'm much better at tending to wounds like these than Romario. Therefore, you have the better medic than Dino." I gave him a halfhearted smile. My eyes narrowed as I noticed him roll his eyes.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" He huffed and thrust out his arm, almost startling me.

"If I let you tend to my wounds, then you have to fight me," he demanded. I hummed thoughtfully.

"Fine. But this goes for every time you need tended to. I'm not going to fight you every time I need to heal you," I bargained. I took his lack of response as a yes, and began surveying his wounds. Luckily, there wasn't any major ones, but the amount of them was the thing that ended up getting him. While I worked, I kept the fact that I had to fight this maniac suppressed so I wouldn't have to think about it. Once I had covered his arm and the few leg wounds I looked at his chest. I gave him an awkward smile. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"What?"

"...I'm going to have to ask you a slightly awkward question." He raised an eyebrow in question. "Can you," I started, "unbutton your shirt so I can get that one bad wound on your chest?" A moment passed. Then he snorted and began unbuttoning his shirt. I blinked, not thinking he would be so complying.

"Who usually takes care of your wounds?" I asked once he was done and I could start again.

"I do," was his short reply. I figured as much, knowing his pride and all. I pushed myself up, and began walking to the other side. I looked back at the prefect, who was still leaning against the wall I had propped him up against.

"I would suggest staying put for a while," I told him, careful not to boss him around. "I'm going to talk to Dino." He nodded his head in acknowledgement, then leaned back, looking up at the clouds. I found Dino on the other side in better shape than the prefect.

"Yo," he greeted me as Romario put a band aid on his cheek. "Should I be worried about you two?" He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. I rolled my eyes and slid down beside him.

"So, since the battles are going to be here, and we both know that won't bide well with that one," I pointed at Kyoya, "Where are you guys going to train?"

"I was thinking up north," Dino explained. "Really, just anywhere away from here will be good. If he discovers the battles..." Dino trailed off with a pale look on his face.

"Well, luckily for you," I pointed to myself. "I can now help you with this daunting task of distracting Kyoya. I've done it before, after all."

"What about your student?"

"I've done all I can do for him. Besides, he needs to rest and heal before his battle. Not everybody is as insane as your dear student."

"I guess I could use the help," Dino admitted, scratching the back of his head.

"I'm done resting now." We both blinked and looked up to see Kyoya standing before us. "We can start fighting again." Dino let out a nervous chuckle as I looked up at the prefect in amazement. This guy was a monster.

"Now, now, Kyoya, don't be in such a hurry," Dino tried. "Besides, we're moving settings." Kyoya's eyes narrowed. "You know," Dino continued, obviously thinking off the top of his head. "So you can get used to fighting in different surroundings. Yeah! We'll be travelling up north soon, while we're breaking now, you should go get ready." The glare didn't lesson and Dino gulped.

"I'm done resting now," Kyoya repeated, raising his tonfas. "So I'm ready to fight again." There was a pause before Dino pushed himself up and began running down the stairs. Kyoya followed him, naturally.

"Romario, get things ready for the journey!" Dino yelled before he disappeared from sight. Romario sighed and turned away to make the calls he needed to make. I began walking down the stairs, wincing when I heard a yelp from Dino and a series of crashing.

"He's such an idiot," I muttered as I picked up my pace, hoping that Kyoya wouldn't murder my brother in his weakened, clumsy, subordinate-less state. I rounded the corner of the hallway to find Kyoya glaring down at a badly beaten, unconscious but thankfully not dead, Dino. I let out a heavy sigh and slowed my pace as I approached them. Kyoya looked towards me with an irritated, almost pouty, and confused look on his face.

"He's weak now," He noted, giving Dino another kick, getting a wince out of me. "Explain."

"When his men aren't around he gets really clumsy and weak," I said, deciding it wouldn't hurt if he knew. Kyoya frowned and looked back down at Dino.

"He's no fun like this," the prefect admitted.

"While he's like this, you could go get ready for the trip," I suggested. "He'll be more fun when he's healed and around Romario." For a moment, Kyoya seemed to consider this.

"Or, I could just fight you."

"Or you could not?" I tried. He smirked and stepped towards me, tonfas bared. I held up my arms in defense. "Look, I'll fight you when we get to where ever we're going to train. I'll be sure to go all out. Deal?" He huffed but lowered his weapons.

"Fine. But when we get there," He warned with a blood thirsty glare, "I'll bite you to death." And with that, he majestically exited. I sighed in relief and moved towards my brother.

"Better later than now," I admitted as I slung Dino's arm over my shoulder. "Looks like we're going on an adventure, Bro."

"You sure he's going to keep following us?" I asked Dino as I looked back at Kyoya, who was following our car on his motorcycle.

"Yeah," Dino nodded, looking back at me from the front passenger seat, "since there are two people in this car that he's set on fighting, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Two?" I asked, confused.

"Me and you," He elaborated. I blinked, then remembered that I had promised him a fight.

"Shit. I forgot about that." I sighed and leaned my head against the car window.

"I'm just happy knowing I'm not his only target anymore," Dino noted, relief in his voice.

"Don't you care about your little sister? You don't want her to get mauled by a violent skylark, do you?" I asked hopefully.

"You were supposed to help me train him anyway," he pointed out. I ended the conversation by flicking him off and going back to making sure the prefect didn't venture off.

"Rock, paper, scissors to see who goes first," I suggested as Dino and I stood across from Kyoya, who was tapping his foot in irritation. Dino sighed and held out his hands.

"Fine, but remember, this was your idea, Cloud," he warned me.

"Two out of three?" I offered when his scissors beat my paper. He patted me on the back with a smile.

"Have fun!" He said and pushed me towards Kyoya. I managed to balance myself, and faced the prefect, who was wearing a blood thirsty smirk.

I glanced around the area, taking in all the details I could before the battle began. The bamboo forest reminded me of China, so I was happy to know that I would have the geographical advantage, having trained in a place similar to this. I patted my back pocket, noting that there were knives from training Gokudera still there. Since Dino wouldn't let me use my guns, I felt better knowing I had at least some weapons on me. I had just enough time to take all of this in before Kyoya charged at me.

I ducked as his tonfa lashed out, then circled around, not wanting to attack just yet. I was testing him now, seeing how much he's improved and reading his movements. And I do admit, he has improved. He's more aware of his own openings and covers them better. I continued dodging as I read his movements, then, by the time he was getting irritated, I began my counter attack.

As he swung at me again, I ducked under his arm and jabbed his arm pit, making him falter for a second. Using that, I leaned back on one arm and swung the rest of my body around, kicking him in the back, sending him into the bamboo trees. I flipped back into a crouch, facing him. He recovered quickly and was charging at me once more. I huffed at his brashness, and reached into my back pocket, bringing out one of the knives and twirling it.

Lunging forward to meet him, I side stepped as if he were a bull, placing a small cut on his cheek, making him aware that I had the weapon. For a while after that, it was similar to a bull fight; he would lunge at me, and I would side step him, leaving small cuts anywhere I could. In the end, it was my fault that I got hit in the shoulder, since I was letting go a bit since I started to have fun.

I cringed as the tonfa collided with my shoulder, but managed to lean back, and not get the full force of it. It was then that he did something that surprised me. He let go of one of his tonfas and grabbed my arm, easily swinging me around and flipping me over. I hit the ground with a hard thud, and he kneeled over me, holding my arm back and smirking. I let him have his moment before I pointed out the obvious to him.

"You would be dead right now," I breathed out, gesturing my head towards the knife that was right next to his neck. He frowned, realizing his mistake; he had let me get too close to him. In a real battle, I could have easily slit his throat at this point, tricking him into thinking he had the upper hand, when really I was just making sure I was in a position where I would be able to get to a vital point with my knife.

He grunted and fully stood up, releasing me. I pushed myself up and tenderly rubbed my shoulder, making a note never to get hit by Kyoya ever again. I looked up to find him glaring at me.

"What?" I asked carefully. He grabbed my wrist and held it up.

"You're wearing weights," he pointed out.

"Yeah," I stated, not really knowing what to say. "I've had them for a while now." His glare intensified, which led me to question him again. "What?"

"Why didn't you take the weights off to fight me?" I blinked and my mouth formed a small 'o'. That's what had him pissed. He thought that I thought he wasn't good enough to take my weights off. I shrugged.

"I guess I just forgot about them," I admitted. "I've gotten so used to them now." Which reminded me, after this I would have to add more weight on. Kyoya seemed to except my answer and began walking away. "Is that it?" I asked him.

"My goal was to get you back for the first time we fought," Kyoya explained, regained pride shining in his eyes. "Now that I've done that, I don't need to fight you anymore, or at least until I've noticed that you have grown strong enough for me to acknowledge you." He walked over to retrieve his other tonfa.

"Besides," He continued, "I don't like fighting you." For a moment I was confused as to why this blood thirsty demon didn't like fighting me. "Your fighting style irritates me."

Ah, I get it now. He doesn't like that he can't hit me. I shrugged and got up, careful not to put weight on my shoulder

"Fine by me if you don't want to fight anymore," I admitted, rolling my shoulder and wincing. "I don't exactly like being hit by you." He snorted and turned towards Dino.

"I suppose I'll take my irritation out on you." Dino let out a heavy sigh, and prepared his whip.

"And here, I was thinking that your fight would last longer," Dino complained. I quickly moved to the side, away from the fight that was about to occur. I walked around the perimeter of the clearing and headed towards my tent, already thinking of healing my poorly mistreated shoulder. I ducked inside and began the painful process, deciding to focus on the fight to distract from the intense pain.

It was strange, how much my and Kyoya's style differ. They're completely polar opposites, so it's natural that in a fight, we don't get far. His straightforwardness is what my fluid moves are designed to evade, leading to his frustration. I suppose it's a good thing, seeing that because of that, he won't be hounding me for a fight.

Although, at the same time, he probably needs to learn to cope against tactics like mine in order to make him a better fighter. After all, the way we think in battles is completely different too. With that conclusion, I sighed loudly and fell back on the ground, exhausted from healing and thinking about all this tutoring business. I'll just wait until later to bring this up with Dino.

And with that thought, I fell into a somewhat peaceful sleep.

"Ah, there you are Cavallone," Mukruo greeted me as I opened my eyes, finding myself in my dream garden. I pushed myself up and looked to see Hannah sitting beside me and Mukuro in front of us. "I was wondering when you would show up."

"Can't you guys ever let me sleep?" I said with a yawn.

"Not our fault that you wake up in here," Hannah muttered coldly. "But you've been busy, right? I thought you weren't going to get involved?"

"Not my fault I'm training Gokudera," I snapped at her. "I was kind of forced into it anyway."

"You're training the Smoking Bomb?" Mukuro chuckled. "Kufufu, how amusing. And how is that working out for you, little Cavallone?"

"It actually went pretty well," I admitted. "But, he's still no match for Bel. Although, with the time limit, I really don't know how it will work out. But, without any limit, Bel would win easily."

"You seem to have a lot of confidence in this Bel person," Mukuro idly noted.

"He's a monster," I admitted. "And a true genius. Anyone facing him in battle is unlucky and will most likely end up in pieces.." Mukuro hummed thoughtfully.

"That reminds me, Cavallone," He said, taking on a more serious tone, "I need you to promise me something." I raised an eyebrow and Hannah leaned in, interested in our conversation for once.

"Promise?" I asked, keying in on his wording, "You want me to do something for you?"

"I need you to look after Chrome whenever you can," Mukuro said. "She's quite shy and I believe that a little female companionship might be good for her. She seems to only fully trust me, which can be a dangerous thing."

"It seems like you really care for her," Hannah stated. Mukuro sent her a withering look.

"She is my strongest connection to the outside world," Mukuro defended. "It's only natural that I would have to look after her. So, Cavallone, will you do it? Will you swear to it?" Hannah and I shared a look at his reaction to the accusation she made. I nodded, leaning back on my arms.

"Sure, I promise to look out for her," I agreed. Mukuro grew less tense, as if that was something that he had been worrying about.

"Good," he stated, returning to his normal attitude. "Now, tell me more about these ring battles."

"The sun battle should be going on tonight," I started, "then thunder, storm, rain, mist, cloud and lastly sky. Something happens where they make the sky battle an all-out battle with all the guardians, but I forgot what exactly..." I trailed off, scratching my head.

"You could look back at your memories." I blinked then looked over at Hannah. Mukuro gave her a strange look as well.

"What?" She blushed and turned away.

"I said that you can look back at your memories of reading the manga," she stubbornly muttered. "I... I can show you if you want."

"You would do that?" I asked her. She scoffed and gave me a hard look.

"It's not like I have anything better to do," she defended. Mukuro chuckled at her behavior and I gave her a warm smile.

"Thanks, Hannah."

"According to Reborn, they're on their way to the sun battle right now," Romario reported, walking back from the phone call. Dino and I looked up at him from the small fire we had made. Kyoya, who was leaning against a bamboo tree a little ways off, didn't even react.

"That should be Lussaria and Ryohei, right?" I muttered quietly. I frowned and stared into the fire, trying not to think of the flamboyant, martial artist I had become attached to. In fact, now that I think about it, I was attached to everyone in the Varia. I even had somewhat of a relationship with Levi, despite it being a hateful one. I leaned on my knees as I hugged them. Dino seemed to notice my mood. He slung his arm over my shoulder, and pulled me closer to him.

"You're pretty close to them, aren't you?" He asked, not having to clarify who he was referring to. I nodded numbly in response. "It's okay, Cloud," he said, trying to comfort me. "Everything will turn out fine in the end." I sighed and leaned in him for support.

"I hope you're right, Dino."

"What are you doing, Kumo?" I looked up from my work and down at Kyoya.

"Getting ready for your training session today," I simply replied. He raised a slender eyebrow. We had moved locations again, and while Dino and Romario were setting up the tent, I was busy setting up traps for Kyoya. We were currently in a foresty, mountainous location. It was peaceful... for now. I was just hoping that none of the wildlife would trip the traps I had laid for Kyoya.

"You didn't answer my question clearly," Kyoya stated as I jumped down from the tree, landing beside him.

"I may not look like it," I started, "But I'm a somewhat expert at traps. I've been trained by one of the best, after all. Dino decided that he would use that expertise and training in your training." Kyoya frowned at my explanation. His frown deepened when I jumped up onto another tree branch, swinging myself up so that I was perched on it. His eyes narrowed.

"Your shoulder," he pointed out. "You were injured there yesterday." I paled slightly.

"Yes," I agreed slowly, trying not to fidget under his stern gaze.

"It's completely healed today," he further elaborated. I swallowed and looked away.

"I'm a fast healer?" I tried. He scoffed and stepped forward, only to trip a wire I had just finished setting. I smirked as a log came hurtling towards him, forcing him to dodge. This gave me time to escape from his interrogation. It wasn't long before he was chasing after me again. I was careful to avoid the traps I had been setting up all morning, but Kyoya wasn't so lucky. Sure, they slowed him down, but they didn't stop that monster.

Deciding to use this as a teaching opportunity for him to pick out strategies and traps, I threw some knives and embedded them into trees, making sure there was some wire attached to them. I turned, skidded to a stop and waited for the prefect. I didn't have to wait long before he came barging into the area, completely and totally furious. That fury turned into surprise however, when he was cut on the arm without me doing anything. He wisely stopped in his tracks, trusting his instinct.

"Kumo," he addressed me, "what did you do?" I held up my arms in mock innocence.

"I didn't do anything," I said innocently, batting my eyelashes. To prove my point, I threw two knives, making sure to use one of them to drive him into the wire that was attached to the other one. I hummed happily. Not completely up to Bel's level, but good enough to confuse Kyoya for now. His eyes narrowed.

"Although you have strength Kyoya, you need to understand tactics to become a better fighter," I informed him.

"I see," he stated, straightening up. "You're using herbivorous tactics in order to survive." I frowned at his explanation.

"There's nothing herbivorous about it," I explained. "Some of the best predators use their wits to survive. In fact, those that know how to use their wits and don't just rely on pure strength are often the most dangerous. You have to be able to cope and know how to deal with these dangerous predators, and not always rely on your strength. I admit it's quite impressive, yet it won't get you out of everything. Violence isn't always the answer," I concluded, quite proud of my speech. For a moment, it seemed as if I had actually reached him.

"Or," he suggested, "I can just fight my way through it." He then began swinging his tonfas wildly, with all his strength, forcing the strings down. I blinked, completely shocked.

"That whole speech just went right over your head, didn't it?" I asked him once he was down, standing in the middle covered in scratches with a confident look on his face.

"Words are meaningless against true strength," he concluded with a conclusive nod. "However, I will admit that some predators can have some herbivorous tactics that are formidable." I scratched the back of my head, not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.

"Thanks... I guess?" I shrugged. "I guess violence is always the answer for you."

I groaned loudly as my phone went off, waking me up from my peaceful, much needed sleep. I blindly fumbled for it, snapping it open and hissing into it.

"What?"

"Where are you? My match it tomorrow night and I need more training!"

"Gokudera, honey," I said, my voice practically dripping in sweetness. "It is goddamn fucking midnight and I need my sleep. Do you really think this is a good time to talk to me?"

"But, my match is to-" I ended the call, turned the phone off and threw it outside the tent. And with that I easily fell back into blissful sleep.

"This is yours, right?" I glanced up at Kyoya, who was holding a familiar looking phone out to me.

"Oh, yeah," I answered, taking my phone from his hand. "Thanks, Kyoya."

"Why was your phone just lying around out here?" Dino asked, watching Kyoya from the corner of his eye. Currently, they were breaking for now (in Kyoya's case, it was a forced break), and Dino seemed to want it to continue that way. I have to admit, it was rather nice watching him try to beat someone other than me into a bloody pulp.

"I might have kind of thrown it outside when Gokudera called me in the middle of the night." Dino sighed at my explanation.

"I can't say that I'm not surprised," he admitted. I rolled my eyes and turned my phone on, finding 24 missed calls from Gokudera and surprisingly, one missed call and a text message from Bel.

"I guess I better call the poor guy back." And with that, I walked a little ways off, away from Dino and Kyoya, the latter looking like he was more than ready to fight again.

"What the hell woman! Why didn't you pick up when I called!?" I almost winced at the loudness and anger radiating off his voice.

"One, because I was sleeping, and two, you pissed me off by calling last night," I bluntly informed him, casually leaning on a tree. "Now that I'm not sleeping, what do you want?"

"I need more training! My battle is tonight and I still haven't passed your training."

"I told you, you don't need to pass," I chided. "Just believe in yourself a little bit, will you? I know Tsuna believes in you, if that makes you feel any better."

"Don't bring Tenth into this, woman! What if I'm not ready? What if I'm not strong enough to beat that guy tonight?"

"Then you lose," I answered simply. "You lose the battle, but you are not going to lose your life, understand Smoking Bomb? I didn't waste my time training a dead man." He was silent for a while, taking in my words. After a sharp intake of breath, he spoke again.

"Tell me about the guy I'm facing," he quietly demanded, my words having calmed him down from his earlier panic.

"His name is Belphegor," I answered, finding it weird to say my friend's whole name, "but he's known as Prince the Ripper. Just so you can get the gist of his personality, he joined the Varia when he was eight, after having stabbed his twin brother to death. Basically, he joined them out of boredom." Gokudera remained silent on the other end, so I continued.

"Bel's a genius and a great fighter, physically and mentally. No matter what you do, do not underestimate him. Also, as much as possible, try not to make him bleed." This seemed to get his attention.

"Why is that important?"

"Whenever he sees his own blood, it basically sends him into a frenzy. Trust me, I've seen it happen before and it's not pretty."

(and I winced, thinking of that time. That wasn't my Bel)

"...and you're good friends with this guy?" I sighed.

"Yeah, I guess I do have to claim him, don't I?"

"... you really need some better friends, Cloud."

"Yeah...just, do us all a favor and don't die, okay? That's the only thing I'm asking from you, as your tutor, and, more importantly, as your friend. If you really can't win, then don't. Even if you do lose, I'm sure the others will cover for you." He sighed again, a sad, heavy sound.

"I hope you're right." I scoffed, returning to my usual, playful attitude.

"I'm always right."

"I wonder how the fights at Namimori are going," Dino said offhandedly to me as he dodged. I stared at Dino. He stared back, blinked, then realized what he said. He slapped his hand over his mouth and we both looked over at Kyoya.

At first, it seemed like he didn't have a reaction. Then, in a sudden burst, rage filled his eyes and he stormed past Dino, who was roughly pushed out of the way by the infuriated prefect. Instead of trying to stop him physically, I decided to take the more practical approach.

"Kyoya!" I called after him as I ran up beside him, passing Dino who was yelling useless words at his student. "Where are you going?"

"To punish those who disturbed the peace at Namimori," he answered. "Don't try to stop me, Kumo."

"I'm not trying to stop you," I pointed out as we approached his motorcycle. "I'm coming with you." He gave me a blank look.

"What makes you think I'll let you crowd, Kumo?" He asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll show you how I healed my shoulder so fast," I bartered. He seemed to consider it for a bit, then say Dino approaching. He frowned and looked back at me.

"Fine. Get on," he commanded, getting on the motorcycle himself. Since I was a little pressed for time, I didn't praise myself for my negotiation skills, but instead turned to yell at Dino once I was secure on the back of the bike.

"I'll make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble," I ignored the prefect's snort at this. "You guys can follow later. I'll try to keep him from destroying everything but no promises!" The bike roared to life, and jerked forward. I opted to hold onto the back of the seat rather than Kyoya, seeing that I don't think he would appreciate the physical contact.

Not looking back at Dino, knowing he would be irritated and distressed that both of his charges were running off, I looked forward, trying to push back the dread of thinking about the battle that was about to start.

"Of course you're coming to see the prince's battle tonight, right princess?"

"I don't know Bel," I answered truthfully, as I waited for Kyoya to finish paying (intimidating) the cashier at the small gas station we had stopped at.

"I probably won't get here in time... you're pouting," I accused him. "I can practically hear it through the phone." I re-positioned the phone and pivoted away from Kyoya and the small man that was now quaking in fear as the prefect glared at him. Bel clicked his tongue from the other end of the line.

"You know me so well."

"Maybe it's better that I don't see it though," I thought aloud. "Less stress and inner turmoil for me, after all."

"Ushishi, you just don't want to see your precious student turn in a cactus."

"Well, that too. At least I'm smart enough to know that there's no point in asking you to hold back, right?"

"Bing-go." I sighed and leaned against Kyoya's bike. Looking inside the station again, I noticed that Kyoya was growing even more irritated. I then realized that he probably didn't bring any money with him or he didn't have enough.

"Hey, Bel, I got to go. See you later, okay?" I hesitated, thinking for the brief moment, that if something went, wrong, one little thing I changed, that maybe, there was the slight chance that I wouldn't see him later.

"Promise me that, Bel. Promise that we will see each other again."

Bel grew silent, immediately picking out the strain, stress and the small bit of fear in my voice.

"I promise, Cloud." I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding.

"Thanks," I said before I hung up. I gathered myself a bit before walking into the station.

That's one of the things that I loved about Bel, one of the many things that made our relationship work. We didn't ask questions, we didn't judge, we simply understood each other. We understood when we needed to be there for each other, and we understood what we needed to say when. It was simply the beautiful art of understanding each other. And I didn't want to lose someone that understood me the way he did. Not again.

"I'm s-sorry, sir, but without money you can't-"

"I am the head of the Disciplinary Committee of Nammimori," Kyoya threatened, "and if you refuse to give me gas that I was kindly willing to pay back in due time, then I will bite you to death." I quickened my pace at those words.

"Hey, Kyoya, although I know you would keep your word, let me pay for this right now," I assured him, bringing my fat wallet out form my back pocket (one of my number rules is to always pay in cash, so it wouldn't be traced, unless I wanted someone (namely Dino) to know where I was). Looking over to see how much it was, I quickly handed the money over to the man who seemed more than happy to be dealing with a more, well, reasonable person. Kyoya blinked, then glared down at me. I glanced up at him after telling the poor, shaken man to keep the change.

"What?"

"You didn't have to do that."

"It made things easier, so why not?" He snorted and turned away. I assumed that was the end of the conversation, but was surprised when he threw a helmet at me. I managed to catch it with ease and gave him a confused look.

"It's illegal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet," he half-explained. I blinked, looked down at the helmet, then back to him.

"What about you?" I asked him. I almost cowered back from how intense the look he gave me was. I quickly shut up and eventually we were on our way again. After getting over my own stupidity for asking that question, I began pondering Kyoya's actions, but quickly dismissed it, focusing instead on the scenery as we sped off to Namimori.

Kyoya's such a weird guy. I thought back to Bel, then to Takeshi's willful obliviousness about everything around him. I scrunched my nose and shook my head. The guys I know are just weird in general.

Oh well. At least they were pretty.

"Gokudera is going up against such a fearsome person..." Tsuna muttered, paling at the thought of losing his friend. "Wait! Is this the guy Cloud knows? She knows such a scary guy?" He turned to his tutor, who was hopping down off the wall to stand in front of his student.

"Cloud is a unique individual with connections in strange places," Reborn explained. "And one of those places is the Varia. However, her relationship with Belphegor is beneficial to us." Tsuna cocked his head, confused.

"How does her being friends with him help us...?"

"If you shut up and listen, then maybe you'll know," Reborn scolded his student for interrupting. "Cloud knows how he thinks, his battle habits, and how he fights; all important facts that are beneficial to Gokudera. Along with Cloud's strategic mind and the information she has, she's the perfect tutor for Gokudera. It helps that they think in similar ways as well."

"I just can't believe she has such dangerous friends!" Tsuna mumbled, scratching his head, thinking of his 'sister'.

"What can I say, she's a people person," Reborn chirped. Before Tsuna could question his tutor further, his guardians greeted him at the school gates.

"Yo," the rain guardian candidate chirped, raising a hand.

"Yamamoto! Big Brother! Huh? Where's Gokudera?" Tsuna glanced around, not seeing the bomber.

"I thought he was with y-"

"Tenth!" The group turned to see Gokudera running toward them, completely prepped for battle. He bowed deeply when he reached his beloved boss. "Sorry I couldn't walk with you here, Tenth, I was preparing for the battle." Yamamoto laughed and slung a friendly arm around Gokudera as they began to walk in.

"So you passed Cloud's training, huh? I'm sure that was a lot of fun!" Gokudera's face fell at his words. He clenched his fist and looked away, almost embarrassed, mostly ashamed.

"...no. I didn't pass her training." There was a beat of silence, which Tsuna broke.

"It's fine Gokudera!" He reassured his friend. "I'm sure you'll still do great. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Gokudera's face immediately lit up at his boss's words.

"You really think so, Tenth?!" He asked, his eyes practically sparkling. Tsuna laughed nervously and leaned back slightly.

"O-of course, Gokudera! You are my friend after all."

Bel frowned as he scanned the opposing group walking in, and voiced his disappointment to the small figure beside him.

"Looks like the princess didn't come." Mammon clicked his tongue in response.

"So? Why should she come to watch your fight anyway? This is a dispute between the Vongola." Bel shrugged, a smile slipping back onto his face.

"I just thought she might enjoy seeing me fight~"

"It's not like she hasn't seen you fight before. Stop being such a cheeky brat." Bel snorted, turned and grabbed Mammon's cheek.

"Who are you calling cheeky, cheeky?" Luckily for the illusionist, Bel had to let go once the Cervello began explaining the battle ground, rules and the consequences, then the two storm guardians were called to meet in the center of the hallway.

Prince the Ripper stepped forward to meet his opponent wearing a grin, confident that he was going to win.

"What's the role of the storm guardian?" Gokudera looked up at his tutor after dodging a knife with a confused expression. She sighed, but explained. "The center of battle, the raging storm that can fight its way through, the vanguard, the support. The Storm Guardian must always be prepared," she elaborated, looking down at her student from her perch.

"You have to learn how to adapt and fight in different situations, and how to always be on your toes. This training will help you be more observant, to notice little things, changes. At least," she concluded, sending a smirk his way. "That's the effect we're going for." He took on a thoughtful, almost doubtful look.

"You really think I can do all that?" he asked. She snorted and crossed her arms.

"I don't know. Do you think you can?"

It was all too similar, almost easy in fact. Cloud's training had prepared him for this, almost to the point that it seemed like she knew exactly what his fight would be like. That was a thought he had quickly dismissed, seeing that it would be impossible for her to know something like this. Although, as he barely dodged another set of knives that were thrown at him, that hit too close for comfort, he couldn't help but to notice that something wasn't right with this.

That guys knives were too accurate. It didn't matter how much skill you had, nobody could perfectly navigate weapons in these random blasts of wind. There was that, and the trick Belphegor had pulled at the very beginning. It didn't take Gokudera long to realize that wires were the answer to this problem. As a plan formed in his head, Gokudera smirked in anticipation, feeling confident in this fight.

He was going to win for his tutor, his boss, and his family.

"T-that's amazing," Tsuna muttered in disbelief. "He's dodging everything like it's nothing!"

"This is the result of training with Cloud," Reborn chirped. "She used the fastest way to train him for taking on these kinds of attacks and being able to counter them. I suppose it's pure luck that the battle field turned out to be similar to Gokudera's training grounds. Either way, she did a good job of preparing him in such little time. He actually has a chance of winning now."

"I didn't even know Cloud was capable of something like this. I've never even seen her fight before..." Tsuna muttered, trailing off when he became distracted by the fight. Reborn, on the other hand, was still on the subject of Cloud.

It wasn't luck that she prepared Gokudera for exactly what the battle would be like, and he knew that. Then again, she always knew something, always. And that had always bothered the hitman. Reborn fully intended to find out what Cloud knew... someday, eventually. He was content as long as whatever she was keeping to herself wasn't something too important.

Still, Reborn would figure it out someday. He was the world's best hitman, after all.

It was nice, not having to take down the people attacking you yourself. I just simply followed Kyoya as he easily fought his way into his school, completely pissed off. On that note, it was also nice not having him being pissed off at me. I almost winced as Kyoya sent one unfortunate person flying out a window. I glanced ahead, hearing very familiar voices. Kyoya kicked another opponent away as he entered the hallway. I hung back for a bit, letting Kyoya have his grand entrance, and listened in on the conversation, only stepping forward after Kyoya had tripped Levi when he had tried to attack the prefect.

"Kyoya," I warned as he turned to face Squalo, but Takeshi luckily stepped in before me.

"Calm down, Hibari," he tried, stepping between him and Squalo. "I know you're angry bu-"

"You're in the way," Kyoya interrupted him. "Don't stand in front of me." My eyes widened in mild surprise as I saw Takeshi's smooth movements to apprehend Kyoya. Although not completely obvious, I could tell that Kyoya was surprised as well.

"That long-hair guy is my opponent. Please be patient a little while longer."

I couldn't help but feel a little bit proud as Takeshi said those words, seeing how much he's grown and how calm he's become. I quickly glanced over at Squalo, who also had a thoughtful look on his face. He seemed to feel my gaze and looked up. I saw mild surprise in his eyes, then he looked away. I looked back to find Kyoya threatening to bite Takeshi to death. I decided that this would be a good time to step in.

"Hey, Kyoya, wait! Remember our deal we made earlier?" He stopped, seemingly considering my words. He frowned.

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Well," I said, stepping between him and Yamamoto even more, having gained some confidence by getting him to at least pause. "If you don't let loose now, I'll add another promise." He raised an eyebrow at me.

"I understand you're interested in fighting Rokudou Mukuro?" His eyes narrowed, having become fully focused on my words. I tried not to fidget as I felt Reborn and Tsuna's gazes on me as well. "If you go with the ring battles and hold back until your fight then you'll be able to fight him again."

"Oh? Really." He put his tonfas down. I managed to catch the bloodthirsty look in his eyes before he turned the Cervello. "All the damages to the school building must be repaired."

"Yes. We the Cervello will be responsible for that."

"Is that so... I've changed my mind." He began heading towards a flight of stairs nearby. "Don't lose to the one over there before my turn comes around," he addressed Takeshi without looking back. "See you." I was debating whether to follow him or not, but decided against it, knowing that he would keep his word.

"Hibari, he... stopped fighting," Tsuna muttered in disbelief.

"From this alone, you can see the depth of the humiliation Hibari suffered at Mukuro's hands. But, I'm surprised that you could calm him down, Cloud." I stiffened as Reborn turned his gaze to me. "And that you have the means of setting up a fight between Mukuro and Hibari. I wasn't aware that you knew that much about Mukuro. What's your connection to him, Cloud?"

I laughed nervously as the whole group turned their attention to me. Surprisingly enough, Squalo saved me.

"Voi! Katana brat! Where did you learn to move like that?! I like it! And this way your chances of winning have gone from zero percent, to still being zero percent."

I managed to hold back an eye roll at Squalo's words. I grew somber however, ebing reminded that Takeshi would have to fight him. Although Takeshi had obviously grown stronger, it was simply a shame that his oppoenet was Squalo, who would no doubt slaughter him. As was his way, as was their way. I scanned the Varia in wake of these thoughts, but became rigid when I realized something.

Bel wasn't with them.

Completely ignoring everything else, my mind raced, trying to remember what happened in the original plot. If I was right, then Bel's unconscious, but breathing, body should be carried by Gola Mosca. But as I watched the Varia jump out the window, I realized that Bel wasn't with them. And out of all the possibilities that I could think of the most obvious one is...

I quickly turned to Gokudera and noticed that he was holding a ring. He noticed me looking at him and held it up, confirming my thoughts.

"I did it!" He happily told me. "I managed to get the ring from him and get away before the explosions!" I couldn't even manage to put on a happy face for my student. My fists clenched, knowing, just knowing, that they wouldn't help him. It wasn't their policy, it wasn't their way. They would, no, they did just leave him to die.

I sprinted down the hallway, not even caring about anything else at this point. My mind was racing, trying to remember the last room they would have battled in. I went on autopilot. Throughout my panic, something in my head stayed calm and continued to give me commands, directions. Something continued to drive me.

I barely reacted when I almost ran into Kyoya, probably surveying the damage done to the school. Of course, I didn't even think of that as I passed him, solely focused on finding Bel.

I wasn't relieved when I found him, found his body. In fact, I didn't feel much of anything. I simply checked for his pulse. Even then, when I had managed to find the bare sliver of a pulse, I didn't allow myself to be relieved. I put on my gloves, and examined his wounds, knowing I had a lot of work to do, and knowing that I might not be able to do it.

(and I didn't even notice warm tears streaking down my face)

"What are you doing, Kumo?" I was snapped out of my state by Kyoya, who had apparently followed me.

"You wanted to see how I healed my shoulder, right?" I said, trying not to think about how bad Bel's injuries were and just how much blood he's lost by this point.

(It was my fault that he lost)

"Then start paying attention," I snapped, lifting a bloodied hand to wipe the tears from my eyes in order to see clearly. With more vigor and drive than I had ever used before, yellow flames sprang to life across my palms. I immediately set to work, targeting the major areas first, blocking out everything around me as I worked. After a while, my vision blurred and blackened, my breath came out ragged.

I was about to pass my limit, and I was well aware of that.

(all my fault)

I kept going, despite Verde's warning of overusing my flames still a vivid memory in my head. Bel needed me, and as long as somebody needed me, I was going to my best to help them.

I steadied myself as I swayed, determined to see this through. Even though I had already gotten him out of the danger zone, I was determined to finish this.

My body didn't seem to agree with me. I began coughing up bits of blood and my body was shaking from exhaustion. I swayed again, not able to steady myself. As I fell, I watched as the world faded around me,

but I didn't feel myself hitting the ground.

"I just don't believe violence is ever the answer. It is a question. The real answer is far more terrifying."

-Joseph Fink & Jeremy Cranor (Cecil; Welcome to Night Vale: The Sandstorm)

AN:

Since I'm excited about getting to the Varia Arc, and since I'm still on break, I decided to power through and get this chapter out too. Yay! God, I love writing Bel, and I love making parallels between him and Gokudera.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always, thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!

-Evenly