Life as Cloud

by Evenly-Baked-Avatar

You know, I had a pretty normal life. That is until I skipped dying, was reborn, and am now a clumsy bucking bronco's sister. At least I know the plot of the story, but somehow I might screw that up too. Did I mention a crazy baby hitman tutor? Cover Art done by Titania.queen.of.fairys

17. Chapter 17: The Last Goodbye

Chapter 17: The Last Goodbye

---

"Why should you worry about the future? You don't even know the present properly. Take care of the present, and the future will take care of itself."

-Ramana Maharshi

---

"Light purple," M.M. asked, turning towards me, the two dresses she was holding up to herself swaying with her, "or dark?" I blinked up at her, in the middle of toweling my hair.

"Light purple?" I tried, a little thrown off by the question. She pursed her lips and turned her attentions towards the light purple dress, then smiled confidently.

"This is fitting of Mukuro..." she murmured, admiring the dress against her in the mirror. She laughed and twirled, moving to return the darker dress to her rack of clothes.

I ran my hand through my damp hair as she undressed, looking towards the door. It had been several hours since Fran, Ken and Chikusa left to retrieve Mukuro, disguised as Iris and two Millefiore men. I had confidence that they would succeed, but that confidence wavered when I thought of the other group in Japan, whose qualifications for Choice depended on my presence there or not.

And that was entirely up to Dayita at this point, which is something I was slightly unsure of. Although she acted confident, I had yet to see any of her abilities and, even though she acted like it, I didn't know her well enough to truly believe in her. Blind trust was all I could hope for at this moment, and that thought was slightly terrifying.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" I looked over, snapped out of my thoughts, to see M.M., now dawned in light purple, glancing over at my quizzically.

"Well?" she asked again, "You have anything to wear?"

"Not really," I said shrugging. I pulled my legs up with me on the bed, fingering the material of the slightly oversized sweat pants of Fran's that I was wearing. "I've pretty much been borrowing clothes the whole time I've been here," I admitted, moving my towel to my shoulders. "I didn't exactly get a chance to pack my bags before I came here, yeah?"

M.M. scrunched her nose.

"That sucks," she said bluntly, as she moved over to the rack. "It'll be big in the chest area, but I'm sure I can find something for you," she commented idly, moving through the clothes. I blinked, processing her words, my eye twitching when I picked out her comment.

"You don't have to do that," I started, barely blushing.

"Please, as if I'd let Mukuro see you like that," she stated, rolling her eyes. "Of course Fran would pick out the ugliest of his clothes to wear."

"This is my shirt," I pointed out, a bit offended.

"Here," she called, completely ignoring my words. I caught the clothes she threw at me, my eyes scanning over them.

"You can wear these if you want," she drawled, moving on to accessorize herself once more.

"…thanks," I said, not knowing how else to respond, and a little touched that she actually cared enough.

"They are the cheapest things I own, after all." My eye twitch, once more.

"Thanks."

---

"You don't know how to braid your own hair?" The disbelief in her voice was impressive.

"I tried," I admitted, watching in the mirror as she finished. "Or, they tried to teach me," I corrected myself. "It just went over my head," I sighed, leaving out the part that Bel picked up on it easily (although he picks up on everything easily). "I can do a regular braid," I added hopefully, then frowned. "But it's not very good." M.M. stared at me in the mirror with a disappointed look.

"You're pathetic," she stated. "Really."

"But, it was kind of nice doing your hair," she admitted callously, crossing her ankles in the chair she had brought up to the mirror. I shifted myself, facing her. "Kind of like having a little sister, minus the annoying brat part," she added dismissively. She then sighed loudly, looking towards the door. "I just want Mukuro to get here already…" Fingering with my new braid, I look towards the door as well, not knowing what else to do.

For the past hour or so, M.M. engaged me in what I could only guess was 'girl time', which was an unfamiliar concept to me. However, M.M.'s blunt attitude boded surprisingly well with me, bypassing my usually hesitation when it came to these things. After letting me borrow some of her clothes (borrow was the key word, as I got a lecture that I was supposed to give the clothes back no matter how 'cheap' they were), she engaged in almost a full blown make over, hair and make-up included. And even though I felt more like a doll she was playing with to pass time, I couldn't help but wonder about my future-self's relationship with her, if there was one at all. And so I asked her.

"Our relationship?" She raised an eyebrow at my blunt question, then shrugged indifferently. "You were fine. Way better than Chrome," she said the name with distaste, a fact which I ignored. "It was obvious that you weren't after Mukuro, and you were always pretty nice to me, I guess," she shrugged again, her eyes moving to the side in thought. "This is actually the most I've talked to you," she admitted, leaning forward to continue working on my eyes.

"And?" I prompted curiously.

"You're a good way to pass time," she answered bluntly. I tried to keep my expression from falling.

"….thanks."

But, then again, thinking back, I noted as I stared at the door absently, I didn't expect that much of an answer. I blinked, and looked at M.M. who was looking at me as well. We sat, listening intently for the sound again. She smiled widely as be both confirmed, yes, we did hear a vehicle approaching. She shot up out of the chair, moving to the mirror swiftly, checking her appearance once more.

"Perfect," she stated, winking at herself, then moving towards the door, her dress swishing in her wake. She shot back as the door was thrown open and Fran entered. She gave him an irritated look as he entered, to which he replied with a blank expression, per usual.

"We're back, Little Sis," he announced to me. He raised an eyebrow at my appearance, but with one simple head gesture to M.M. it was explained.

"Ah," he said softly, moving aside to let Ken and Chikusa in. I stepped aside as well, making sure they had a clear path to the bed, which had its curtains drawn back, prepped for Mukuro's arrival. He almost looked like a bundle, being carried between them, Mukuro's face barely showing. M.M. frowned, and let out an angry huff.

"He's not even awake," she tutted, glaring at Fran as if it was his fault. He held up his hands, innocently blinking.

"It's not my fault that master's tired," he stated, looking back over at Mukuro as they placed him on the bed. Yawning himself, he continued, "You'd think with all the sleep he's been getting he'd be wide awake."

I moved forward as soon as they had him situated, and they promptly moved back, letting me through. I had the medical experience, after all, and they were well aware of that. With gloves already situated, I began making an evaluation of his body, making sure there were no injuries to be found.

"Well," M.M. said after ten minutes, tapping her foot impatiently.

"He's injury free," I stated, crossing my arms behind my back and turning to them, "but he has to regain his motor senses and muscle control, of course. Floating in a tankard of water for a decade hurts those a bit after all," I added offhandedly.

"Whoo-hoo!" Ken jumped up from where he had been sitting against the wall anxiously waiting. "He'll be back in no time, then right?!" He asked, turning to me excitedly.

"Knowing him," I said, scratching the back of my head, "probably. He'll still need rest, though," I added before Ken became too excited.

"He's no ordinary man after all," Chikusa added with a light smile. "I'm getting a drink," he said, moving to the cooler. "You want anything, Ken, Fran? Hm?"

"The brat's asleep," M.M. muttered, sighing. I looked up from studying Mukuro again, to see, that yes, Fran was asleep, sitting on a small stool and leaning against the wall.

"He used a lot of power tricking the Vindice," Chikusa noted as he threw Ken a drink.

"One of the three, right?" I recalled. He nodded.

"It's impressive, really," he continued, cocking his head slightly. "Knowing all three illusionists that are capable of tricking the Vindice."

"Hm?" I looked over at him, confused. "Mukuro and Fran I know," I started, counting off with my fingers. "And Mammon's dead in this future. Who's the third?" Ken scoffed, becoming immediately annoyed.

"That Indian chick," he spat, almost growling. "She's annoying as hell." M.M. scoffed.

"You're one to talk."

"The hell did you just say?" Chikusa and I sighed in union, and I looked back over at Fran's peaceful face, impressed that he could sleep through this. Deciding it wise to ignore the growing argument behind me, I focused on Mukuro once more, sitting on the side of the bed.

It was extremely strange, seeing him in the flesh. Of course, it was a different feeling than seeing him in my head, but it also differed from the one time I met him in real life before, when he was possessing Chrome in the ring battles. Seeing him in person, I felt almost a tug towards him, our connection almost feeling like a hum, softly playing in the background and yet still obviously there, securely connecting us, anchoring us. It was hard to think back to when there was no connection at all, the time where I had first entered the future, which seemed so long ago.

"It's nice," I admitted quietly, barely glancing over to see Chikusa now standing between M.M. and Ken, in an attempt to sedate them, and Fran, still snoozing away on his stool. "It's pretty cool to see you in person, Mukuro," I admitted again, smiling softly. I blinked, thinking about what I just said.

"But pretend I never said that."

---

"Can I call you Mom?"

"Hm?" The young women looked over at the boy, whose eyes remained fixated on the sky above them. Her green eyes scanned over his placid face, and she placed the book she had been reading in the grass beside her.

"Why do you want to call me that?" she asked with amusement in her tone. The boy made a slight shrugging motion and turned his head slightly towards her.

"You basically raised me, right?" he recalled. "That makes you my mom, or something like that." She snorted at his logic. "So, can I call you Mon?" He repeated bluntly.

"No way. That's weird," she whined in a childish manner.

"You're weird," he shot back blankly. She puffed her cheeks and reached out to poke his forehead.

"You're weirder," she chided back, then moved her hand to pinch his cheek. He scrunched his nose and rolled over, facing away from the young woman. She let out a light laugh in response, and ended with a sigh, looking back at the serene landscape.

"If anything," she continued after a moment, "call me your sister." He blinked, thinking it through, then nodded slightly in confirmation.

"Okay… Big Sis."

---

My eyes flickered over as Fran groggily opened his.

"Ah, you're awake," I said, putting my notebook down and looking fully over at him. He blinked, looking confused as he glanced over at me. He yawned widely, and rubbed his eyes muttering.

"Right… this is the younger Big Sis," he stated quietly before pushing himself up to stretch. "Hm?" He looked around the room.

"Ken and Chikusa went out to get more supplies," I explained without him having to ask, "since Ken already drank everything. M.M. is in the other room," I said gesturing to one of the three doors in the room, "she said she was tired of waiting, and now I'm pretty sure she's taking a nap."

"Ah," Fran said, nodding slightly. He looked over at the bed I was leaning against, squinting his eyes as if he was trying to look past the curtains.

"He hasn't woken up yet," I informed him. "He contact you?" He shook his head.

"No, it was just a regular dream…. Well, memory," he corrected himself, giving me side-glance I did not understand. "He's saving up for the big battle."

"Yeah…." I muttered, lifting myself up to sit on the side of the bed, moving the curtains back revealing Mukuro's peaceful features. I frowned, my thoughts moving to Japan once more.

"They'll be fine."

"Hm?" I looked over as Fran sat down beside me.

"Dayita knows what she's doing," he continued. "And besides, out of anyone to trick Byakuran, she's one of our best bets." I sighed again, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"I suppose," I said softly, his words giving me slight comfort, "that I'll just have to take your word, huh?"

---

"Hm?" Tsuna looked over, noticing someone approach as the others gushed over their base. "Cloud…" Tsuna muttered, narrowing his eyes as she neared. "Cloud!" He restated, beginning to happily run to her.

However, he almost stopped completely in his tracks, the moment he saw her face clearly, alarms rang in his head. Something was wrong, he told himself, as the others soon noticed the girl as well. The noise of the girl greeting the others was dull to him as the future don stood there, transfixed almost, his eyes wide and staring as he repeated to himself over and over that something wasn't right.

"Tsuna!" he was torn out of his shock as Cloud threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and burying her face into his shoulder. "You're okay, right?" she asked, her green eyes gazing into his intensely, knowingly, but it was different, a lie, he told himself. Her bottom lip quivered and she hugged him once more.

"I know you know, Vongola."

He stiffened, as she whispered in his ear. Not her voice, he told himself, this isn't her. "Say nothing," she hissed, "for everyone's sake. Nobody can know." He blinked again, wrapping his arms around her, this stranger, and giving her his best smile, trying to convince himself to react like he would if this were actually Cloud.

"You're okay too," he asked, continuing the act, making his stomach twist. "Right?" She nodded, releasing him.

"I'm surprised they let you come." She turned, smiling brilliantly, using her smile, to look at Reborn who hopped onto her shoulder.

"Reborn!"

"Hug me and die."

"Right, right," she said, holding her hands up in mock innocence, pegging her laugh, her smile, her manners, everything down to a point. It was terrifying, watching this person with her body. But, Tsuna thought, reminded himself,

this wasn't a threat. Disturbing maybe, but this person, whoever they were, they were here to help. And so, Tsuna could play along, he decided, watching as 'Cloud' explained that she had to come, how they were all against it, but she knew she had to, using words that, yes, he admitted the real Cloud would use. Even as she introduced herself to Shoichi and Spanner, and they questioned her, everything, every movement, every word, it was all like it was really her.

But it wasn't, Tsuna knew, it was basically yelling at him, but he didn't know how he knew. He just knew it was all an act; a game.

He could play this game, he thought as Spanner warned them of a large amount of flames approaching. He had to, he reminded himself, he steadied himself, as she slipped an arm into his, looking up into the sky as Byakuran's face appeared, unnerving the whole group, and yet Tsuna felt he was slightly more unnerved by her touch, this stranger's, but he had to keep quiet.

Play the game, he told himself.

Because he was about to play an even more dangerous one.

---

I blinked, holding back a sigh as I watched Ken basically prance around the room, popping multiple party poppers and drinking excessively. He threw his arms around Chikusa and Fran, pulling them closer.

"Yahoo! This is great!" He called out as Chikusa gave him an annoyed look and Fran sighed. "We should be celebrating!" I eyed the numerous discarded poppers and bottles on the floor.

"Ken," Chikusa said placidly, removing Ken's arm from his shoulder. "You're drunk."

"Am not!"

"It doesn't make a difference either way, right?" Fran state blankly, looking up at the ceiling. "He's always like this; alcohol involved or not."

"Why, you!" I turned away as Ken growled angrily at Fran, deciding to focus again on helping Mukuro.

I moved the curtain aside and pulled myself fully on the bed, closing it behind me (after a while, it got really annoying with Ken watching me, questioning everything I do. So, now I work behind the curtain, away from prying, irritating eyes). I set to work on Mukuro's arm once more, helping to restore the muscles that had been inactive for years.

I stopped, the arm beneath me barely twitching. My eyes shot up to his face as his eyes slowly blinked open, if barely.

"Hey," I said softly, smiling. His eyes shifted over to me.

"Nikita…" he muttered, clearly confused. "Ah, that's right. Little Nikita." I looked over at the small opening in the curtain, seeing that all four were still distracted, even having dragged M.M. in their argument.

"Don't," Mukuro called softly, barely moving his hand to brush mine. I looked back at him, and sat myself down once more from where I had moved to alert the others of his awakening. "Just for now… let me rest."

"They are quite," I struggled for the word, glancing back at the group, "animated, aren't they."

"Quite," Mukuro said weakly, amused. He sighed, and closed his eyes in concentration.

"Are you hurting?" I asked, concerned.

"Not exactly," he started. "Just… heavy."

"That's what happened when you don't use your body for a decade," I chided. "You really should get out more." He let out a breath of laughter.

"I try…" He drifted off, and I assumed that he fell asleep again. Then, he spoke.

"This you..." he murmured softly, "it's nice. To see you bright again."

"Bright?" I repeated.

"Happier," he restated weakly. "More you than before. You lost that," he frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, remembering something unpleasant, "and it was her fault."

I narrowed my eyes, not understanding who he was talking about.

"I'll make sure," he started again, his head tilting, this time, truly drifting back. "I'll make sure that doesn't happen again….."

"Just rest for now," I told him, gently putting my hand over his, squeezing it lightly. "Just rest."

---

"Kyoya, Squalo!" Dayita mentally scowled, continuing her façade as Nikita. She was however, quite pleased with herself, as Byakuran had no suspicions whatsoever concerning her true identity. She played her part well, looking uncomfortable whenever the feared leader would glance at her, then looking him straight in the eyes defiantly, strongly, just as her own dear Nike would do.

Yes, she played her part well, and why wouldn't she? She knew the girl so well, and the others were so simple and easy to read. But now, she held back a frown, watching as Squalo and Hibari stepped forward, and as Byakuran tried (and failed naturally; it was obvious this girl, Uni, had her mind made) to convince the young girl to return to his side. Dayita wanted nothing more than to throw this façade and step in herself, eager to show off, per usual. But for now, she would continue this game.

She bit back a smile when the girl completely invalidated the choice game, but let that smile go as Tsunayoshi grabbed her hand and pulled her into the group.

"Everybody! Let's protect her!"

Dayita narrowed her eyes, now dropping her act entirely and stepped forward as the group was attacked.

"As long as we're in defiance," she said, completely dispelling her illusion of Cloud and revealing herself, in all of her glory. "I might as well come clean."

"Y-you're that illusionist from before!" She glanced over at Tsuna, amused. Tsuna frowned, still sensing something off about the woman.

"Ah, Vongola. I was quite annoyed at first," she admitted. "But you kept our little secret, so it turned out fine in the end."

"You knew, Tsuna?"

"Y-yeah, b-"

"That's not something you need to worry about at the moment," Dayita interrupted, frowning slightly as her illusion she was casting over Zakura was strained, her concentration wavering because of the conversation. "We need to withdraw." Dino shook his head, coming out of his shock.

"She's right, Tsuna," he noted, turning towards him. "They're trying to make this battle last long."

"They?" Tsuna asked, only seeing Squalo fighting.

"Dayita's already fighting," Reborn said, "What you were talking to was an illusion."

"Huh?!" Tsuna looked over to see the form of the woman evaporating, turning to mist.

"Tsuna," Dino called, "I suggest you withdraw so we can reorganize ourselves!"

"Eh..!?" Tsuna looked around, only seeing buildings. "Even if you say so… Isn't this place full of buildings no matter how far we?"

"Then, the super flame ring transportation system that brought you guys her should be nearby," Uni explained.

"Warped from Namimori?!"

"True…" Spanner noted as he and Yamamoto approached, the rain guardian supporting him. "There's a metal reaction in the sky above the vongola base."

"It seems like we can get back to Namimori town," Reborn said, "by using the transportation system."

Dayita glanced over from distracting Zakuro, noting that they were hurrying to the transportation system.

"Enough!" Zakuro called out, dispelling her illusion by force with a burst of storm flames. He scowled, now seeing that the group was attempting to run away. "I'll just use this one!"

"That one is too strong, Zakuro," Kikyou held up a hand, moving in front of the other. "Byakuran-sama doesn't wish to hurt Uni."

"We need to move," Dayita said, appearing beside Tsuna, scaring him. "Even we can't stall them forever," she admitted, watching as Squalo came back, standing on his shark box weapon. He scowled at the Indian as he neared.

"You're not even trying," he called her out. She shrugged.

"What can I say," she callously admitted. "My heart's not into it. I did my part."

"Hyee! That guy!" The two looked over to Byakuran himself, coming at them at full speed.

"You guys go on ahead," Dino said, preparing himself. "This time I'll buy you ti-."

"Oh, no," Dayita stepped forward, pulling Dino back. "I'd never hear the end of it if something happened to you." She frowned, looking at Byakuran as she brought out one of her hell rings, ignoring the Don's argument behind her.

"Didn't think I'd use this so soon," she muttered mostly to herself.

"And you won't have to…"

"Hm?" Dayita perked up as mist surrounded her, and a shape appeared in front of her.

"You shouldn't things that aren't yours in the first place," Mukuro Rokudo said, now standing in front of Dayita as Byakuran approached.

"I won this fair and square," she chided, backing away quickly, completely fine with not facing Byakuran, "But are you sure that you can face him without it?"

"I'll stop him," he told her, turning his full attention to Byakuran.

"Mu-Mukuro!?"

---

Chikusa and I turned our heads quickly, seeing Mukuro's eyes snap open. He breathed out, and tried to push himself up. I moved to help him, guiding him as he strained his arms just to sit up.

"Mukuro!" Ken almost bounced up to him, much in the manner of a dog. "You're awake!" M.M. smiled brightly and put her hand on her hip, obviously showing herself off to him. Chikusa narrowed his eyes, picking up on Mukuro's expression.

"You meet him again?" Fran asked bluntly.

"We have to get to Japan," Mukuro stated, addressing the whole room, "to aid them in protecting Uni."

"Is everyone okay?" I asked, concerned. "Did Dayita pull it off?" An annoyed look crossed his eyes.

"She did," he admitted, almost hesitantly, "and luckily, she backed off before she took my prey. It seems her only interest lies with you, Cavallone."

I breathed out a sigh of relief, happy that me not being there didn't mess anything up. I blinked and looked over, watching as Mukuro swung his legs over the side of the bed, and attempted to stand up. I moved forward, catching his shoulder as he almost fell.

"Don't be too eager," I reprimanded, almost teasing. "Even you can't recover that fast." He looked away from me, irritated.

"Prepare our trip to Japan," he told the others. "We have to arrive there before the final battle." They nodded and immediately set to work. "In the meantime, Cavallone," he said, turning to me, "you must help me in my recuperation." I pursed my lips, not enjoying him telling me what to do.

"I can, and will drop you," I warned him. "Despite how little time we have, you have to take it slow." He scoffed as we began stepping forward, his legs shaking.

"I don't want to hear that from you, of all people."

"Doctors make the worst patients," I reminded him, letting go of him slightly, and being surprised when he didn't immediately drop. He rolled his eyes, and clasped my shoulder again.

"Obviously," he stated, rolling his eyes. I held back a smirk, almost missing these iterations. I also noted that he didn't seem to remember the first time her woke up, if that time even counted. I glanced over, noticing him staring at my face. I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you wearing make-up?" he prompted, clearly amused. My expression dead-panned.

"…. Just keep walking."

---

"Master, I'm going to take you down that ramp."

"Do not push me down that ramp."

"Oh? But it would be fun."

"Okay," I said, pushing Fran aside and putting myself behind Mukuro in his wheelchair (a fact that he was not happy about, but I assured him that it would be faster traveling with one), "I think it's safe to say that you," I looked at Fran, "are banned from wheelchair pushing. Medic's orders." Fran pouted. Ken grinned.

"Ha!"

"This doesn't mean that you're back on," I pointed out to him. "We can't have a repeat of what happened when you got too excited." The man huffed, turning away from me once more, and pouting along with Fran. M.M. sighed and rolled her eyes from my side as we waited for Chikusa with our tickets.

"Why are we taking public transport anyway?" she asked, irritated.

"We can't raise suspicion," Mukuro explained, "and we have to get to Japan as fast as possible."

"Don't worry," Fran called, waving his hand lightly in the air. "I've got a super cool illusion around us."

"I've noticed," I said, looking at my own, unfamiliar image in a reflective surface nearby. Mukuro sighed irritably. "Although it is amusing that you made Mukuro into an old man." Said old man's eye twitched.

"I had to make it believable," Fran explained. "Master is the old, ugly, grandfather; Little Sis is the supportive daughter and mother that brought her old, ailing father along with them on their family vacation; Chikusa is the stoic, unresponsive husband; M.M. is the spoiled, bratty teenager; Ken is the rebellious, idiotic son, and I'm the cute, innocent little brother."

"There's nothing innocent about you, Fran," Chikusa said tiredly as he returned to us. "Your illusions made it difficult to discern you guys," he stated as he handed each of us our tickets. I nodded thanks. Mukuro sighed, shaking his head.

"You are truly, idiotic," he said, not even having to look at Fran. "Now," He started, motioning me to push him forward, "we've wasted enough time already. Let's head off to Japan, shall we?"

---

"What the fuck was that?" Squalo asked as he stormed into the Vongola base's communication room, as Dayita practically floated in behind him.

"What was what, Squ-Squ?" the woman asked innocently.

"Voooi!" He snarled, turning on her, "you know exactly what the fuck I mean! Why didn't you go all the way out when stalling?" He asked, jabbing a finger at her. "I know you're better than that measly act I saw you pulling."

"If you must know, Squalo," she sneered, her cheerful deposition gone as she swatted his hand away, "if did, indeed, go all the way out, as you say, then that would have affected the others as well. Although powerful, my illusions at full strength don't know friend from foe. It affects everyone. I doubt those children would have handled going mad, now would they?" He scoffed, turning away from her to contact the Varia.

"And why did you just have an illusion up for Nikita?" He continued, turning to glare at her. "That didn't seem prepared to me!"

"I assure you, I had it handled, didn't I?" she asked, irritated, and moved her sari to reveal to him a small, mechanical box attached to her side. "I had samples of her flames, and her DNA on my fingertips," she explained, holding her hand off and taking off a small patch on one of her fingers. "If I needed to prove I was her, which I didn't," she pointed out, "I would have had it covered. Varick knows what he's doing and so do I. I would appreciate it if you didn't doubt me," she sighed, returning to her childlike behavior. "I'm offended, actually."

"You can't be trusted," Squalo spat, waiting for someone on the other end to pick up.

"You haven't tried," she reminded him, sitting down and turning in one of the chairs of the room. He turned to rebut, but was cut off by Lussuria, picking up the line from the Varia's end.

"Ah, Squ! You're okay!" Lussuria exclaimed from the screen. "What happened in Japan?"

"Listen up!" Squalo barked, dicing right into the situation. "The shitty brats lost the Choice game, but that doesn't matter. The second in command defected and we're protecting her now. Our number one priority is her protection and defeating Byakuran. That's it! Send some guys to Japan immediately!"

"You can't ask me something like this all of a sudden," Lussuria said, throwing a pinky up.

"The enemy's main force is in Namimori, you know!

"That doesn't concern me," Lussuria rebuked. "The Varia is busy."

"With what?!" Squalo yelled back, becoming angry. Lussuria suddenly grew nervous, a single bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. "Do whatever the fuck you're busy with later! What happened to Fran? We need illusions! And send the brat too!" Squalo decided, making Dayita perk up behind him. "Byakuran's focus has completely shifted, so she should be safe now. We're going to need her skills and healing!" Lussuria paled, causing Squalo to narrow his eyes.

"Ah, about that…" Lussaria started laughing nervously. "Fran, well, he took her with him."

"… WHAT!? WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?!"

"We don't exactly know?"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!"

"Well, he said that he was visiting a girl, but now that he took Nikita with him," Lussuria said thoughtfully, "we don't know how true that is. Oh," he said, his hand on cheek, "it took us forever to calm Bel down, and we're still pretty sure that he'll kill Fran on sight next time they see each other…"

"I don't care about that!" Squalo shouted, riled up as Dayita laughed at the situation. "That damned kid! Just find them and bring them here!" Dayita stopped laughing when the screen went black. "VVVOOOI!" She sighed, plugging her ears as Squalo yelled. "Luss, what happened?" Dayita clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"He found us," she muttered. Squalo turned to her, but then blinked, finding her to be completely gone. His eye switched and he slammed his fist on the table before exiting the room.

"That damn bitch," he muttered, making his way towards the group that had gathered. "Running off like the fucking coward she is."

---

"Admit it," Mukruo said, turning to me, standing at his full height. "You're impressed." I scrunched my nose, looking up at him.

"I'm more annoyed by your height than anything." He hummed turning towards the forest where the sounds of battle rang.

"That's just because you're so small," he chided, smirking.

"You're still shaking," I noted, looking at his legs.

"Fortunately, I'm an illusionist," he reminded me, "so my body does not need to be in peak physical shape. This will do," he assured me, stepping into the forest. "You remember what we discussed?"

"What kind of question is that?" I asked, giving him a side glance.

"Master must have really poor trust in your memory skills, Little Sis," Fran said from my other side. Mukuro sighed, already annoyed with his pupil.

"You know what I meant," he said.

"Yeah, I know what to do," I gave in, looking away a bit nervous.

"You'll be fine," he assured me, rolling his eyes. "You're the best suited to face them, and you'll need the flames you absorb to heal the others."

"Don't worry, Little Sis," Fran said, giving me a thumbs up and a small smile. "You'll do great."

"Let's get started," Mukuro said, stepping forward. "We've got a battle to win."

---

"Where the fuck have you been?"

"Hm?" I peaked out from behind Fran, looking away from the illusions they were creating.

I had just wondered back over from healing a few big injuries of the other group, promising that I would return once I had more flames and ignoring their questions that my statement had prompted. I was mulling over Kyoya's constant glaring, knowing he was extremely pissed at me about something, but not knowing what that something was, when Bel spoke to me, reminding me that the Varia were there.

"Ah, Bel-senpai," Fran greeted, holding up a hand. "Long time n-"

"Say one more word and you're dead, frog," Bel seethed, bringing out his knives. "It's taking all my willpower not to skewer you on the spot." I blinked, trying to think of why he would be pissed. Then it hit me, as I caught an amused glance from Xanxus.

I had disobeyed orders. Again.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no," I muttered, cupping my cheeks and shaking my head. "I'm dead," I stated quietly, confusing both Bel and Fran, not even bothering to watch as Illusions of the Varia were killed. "I am so fucking dead when he finds out."

Bel tilted his head, confused about who I was referring to, since he was not aware that Squalo was alive. I turned to Fran.

"You think I could just say you kidnapped me?" Fran blinked, but I cut him off before he could speak. "Yeah," I said nodding, "I'm just going to say that and hope for the best."

"Works for me," Bel sang, flashing a malicious grin and knives.

"I feel betrayed, Little Sis," Fran muttered, taking a step back from Bel.

"Ah," Mukuro interrupted, "Looks like it's time. Come along, little one," Mukuro chided as he stepped forward. I stepped back as the area in front of us was attacked, holding up one arm to shield my eyes.

"Hey," I heard Fran's monotone voice drawl. "You just took a step forward, master. You always want to stand in the middle."

"Kufufufu… what are you saying, little one? It's because your head is in the way," Mukuro excused himself, fully revealed by the smoke at this point.

"You always get the spotlight," Fran complained. My eyes narrowed, ignoring the others as they complained, focusing on my target that I was expected to defeat.

"Kufufufu, warm up is over!"

"Hey, Bel," I tugged at his sleeve, as the others continued talking. He looked over in question, ready to fight. "First of all, I need you to trust me." He tilted his head slightly, then grinned.

"Ushishi, of course, I trust you. Completely."

"Do you trust me fighting one of them on my own?" His grin wavered.

"… slightly less."

"Well, I'm going to need you to," I said, looking over at my target.

"I need you to drive her away from the others," I said, pointing at Bluebell who was already fighting, the fight having begun as we were talking. Bel looked over and we watched as Levi's attacks proved futile and Bluebell laughing, swishing around in her bubble of rain flames.

"Can I ask why," Bel said seriously, "you want to fight one of them?"

"Because," I said, bringing out my box weapons, and opening them, "apparently, I'm the best suited for the job."

---

"It doesn't matter how many flames you put into those," Bluebell chanted, sticking her tongue out as Bel continued to throw knives. "Even if they can reach me, I can just dodge them stupid!"

I tensed in anticipation as she drew closer to where Kashi's doubles were set up. Jian, smaller than me for the time being, mewled softly beside me as we hid in wait. This needed to be quick, unexpected. And it needed to be now, I realized, seeing that she was exactly in place. Putting my hand to my mouth, I whistled loudly, signaling Kashi.

Bluebell tensed, hearing the whistle and seeing her opponent jump back, retreating away from her. I watched as Bluebell's eyes widened, seeing walls of bamboo spring up around her, and sighing in relief when they closed before she could escape.

"What the hell is this?!" I heard her yell as I ran forward, Jian with me, setting his paws on one of the walls of the bamboo box in front of us. I glanced over to see Bel return to the battle, his part of the job done.

"I'm really glad we were right about this," I breathed out, laughing slightly as I heard Bluebell banging on the walls of the box. I knocked on the box. "Yo. Having fun in there?"

"Who are you?!" She yelled. "Byakuran never told us about a weapon like this!"

"Not really a weapon," I corrected her. "Not really a defense either, but close enough to call it one. If anything, it's a container," I recalled, thinking back to the notebook I had been pouring myself over for the past few days, making sure to know every detail of my box weapons. "You should be feeling tired, yeah? Jian sure is getting big out here, after all" I noted, looking up at him beside me.

"What's happening?" she yelled, now panicking.

"Mukuro was right," I said. "You have the worst ability to go up against me. This is my bamboo box," I explained to her through the wall, stepping forward as the box became smaller as Jian was absorbing it. "This isn't the way it's supposed to be used, but for this situation, it works. The bamboo shoots have a strong Cloud attribute of propagation and absorption, and usually can only do this if touching my opponent in some way."

"However," I said leaning against the box, "you project your rain flames into a bubble around you, which means that my shoots don't even have to touch you to absorb the flames. Apparently, this box is usually used for the opposite, where I trap an opponent and submerge them in dense rain flames, like your ability, but," I continued, smiling, "I like this way better, don't you? Because of your ability, it gives me an abundance of flames with me barely doing a thing. You are," I said, stepping back now that the box was human sized and Jian now towering over me, "truly unlucky."

Using my box, I called Kashi back in, along with the bamboo that surrounded Bluebell. I made sure to leave Jian out, knowing my body couldn't handle that many flames. I stared down sadly at the girl, a child, as she lay on the ground, panting and weak. He eyes shifted up to me, glaring.

"You… you're that bitch Byakuran wanted to capture a while ago," she said, gritting her teeth as she tried to push herself up.

"Don't strain yourself," I said, almost holding a hand out to her. "I didn't absorb all your flames; just enough to weaken you."

"Why?" She spat at me. I shrugged, looking back towards the battle, knowing I should get back soon, so I could begin healing.

"I'm trying not to kill, no matter if I'm fine with it," I said simply. Her expression hardened, my answer angering her. We both tensed, looking over to see a bright light from the main battle field. My earlier confidence from sedating Bluebell dissolved, as I was reminded of Ghost.

"…. It's too early," Bluebell muttered, her eyes filled with fear as well. "Byakuran, it's too early!" She panicked, trying to push herself and run, only to fall once more.

"Hey!" I called out, going after her and grabbing her shoulder. She growled at me, and pushed off of me.

"Get off me you bitch!" she cried, pushing away and trying to run again. I reached out for her once more, only for Jian to grab me, hauling me back as beams of light tore through the forest. My eyes widened as one hit Bluebell, draining the little flames she had left, morphing her body into a corpse, and then nothing.

I blinked, my body shaking slightly, having thought for one moment that since I was here, since I had subdued her, then she wouldn't have died that way. I looked up at Jian, realizing that if he hadn't pulled me back, that I would have been hit as well.

"Jian," I said to him after he had given me a refill on my flames, "Stay here." He nodded and plopped down, knowing if he got too close, his flames would be drained. I sprinted forward, renewed and brimming with energy, but knowing that would slowly edge away as I got closer to Ghost. I glanced over and almost dove for Chrome, seeing a beam heading straight for her, but stopped myself as I saw Mukuro, who quickly pulled her down. He looked over at me, and barely nodding, the look on my face making it clear what happened.

"Tsuna needs to get over here now," I said, running up to Ryohei and Gokudera. "He's the only one who can take that thing down." They looked over at me surprised.

"We don't even know what that thing is!" Gokudera told me, scowling.

"It's a mass of dying will flames," I explained, causing more eyes to look at me. "It was mutated when Byakuran brought himself over from another world."

"Ah," Fran said, "that's why is looks like him."

"How'd the hell did you find this out?" Gokudera asked.

"I just got the information out of Bluebell before… before she was hit by one of those beams."

"It destroyed its own comrade?!"

"I don't think it knows the difference," I said with a twinge of sadness. "Tsuna needs to get here; his zero-point break through is the only thing that can stop it- ah!" I caught Gokudera as he wavered, then glanced over to see Fran and Bel supporting each other as well. I frowned, realizing that I was the most fit out of all them, having just gotten flames from Jian and not being as closely exposed to Ghost as long as they were. I caught Ryohei with my other arm, letting both of them lean on my shoulders.

"It's turning!" I tensed, ready to move out of the way, hoping that the beam heading for us wouldn't follow, only to have someone familiar step in front of me.

"Yamamoto!"

"Yo! Nice you see the real you, Cloud," he greeted, turning his head slightly to smile at as he brandished his sword, sacrificing his own flames so we wouldn't be hit. "Looks like hell's broken loose here. I'd heard about it, but this flame absorption… it's a lot worse than I expected. I'm getting weaker by the second."

"Never less, we need to stop that giant!" I looked over as I moved Gokudera and Ryohei out of harm's way, smiling brightly to see Dino, Squalo and Dayita, followed closely by Kusakabe. I noted Squalo was not as injured as I remembered, and then glanced at Dayita who winked.

"Had to save our dear Squ-Squ from a nasty death," she said. Squalo nearly growled in response.

"You're late, scum!" Xanxus glared at Squalo, who gruffly and almost sarcastically apologized. Dino quickly came over to me, putting Ryohei's arm over his shoulder and helping me set the two panting guardians down.

"Are you okay, Nikita?" he said, turning to me. I nodded.

"I have a reserve of flames a little ways from here, were they won't be absorbed as easily," I explained to him. "So I'm definitely better off than these guys." He nodded, letting out a sigh of relief, then turned to look at Ghost once more, grimacing.

"Ghost's electric shock is getting stronger!"

"He appeared here out of thin air," Mukuro noted, "he might use the absorbed flames to teleport again."

"He could get to Uni in seconds," Gokudera realized. I grimaced, my breathing becoming a bit more labored as more of my flames went to Ghost.

"I won't let that happen!" We looked over to see Tsuna, flying towards us at full speed. I sighed in relief.

"Took him long enough," I complained lightly, then noticed Lal Mirch, who was still injured. I scowled, wanting so badly to heal them again, fully, but knowing I couldn't at this moment. Looking up again, I smiled, realizing that Tsuna was going straight to his Zero Point stance.

"That stance!" Dino exclaimed, "it's the stance that steals the opponent's flames!"

"The dying will Zero Point Break Through," Squalo named.

"Lord Sawada plans to absorb the flames too!" Basil shouted.

There was a surge as the two collided, causing us all to look away. A pained, inhuman scream erupted from the collision, followed by Tsuna's yell. Dino grabbed me as we felt a great force pull us forward.

"Shit!" I managed to hear Kikyo curse, "We'll all be sucked in!" I squinted my eyes, attempting to see past the almost blinding light the two were emitting. I blinked, seeing one shape being sucked into another, and then stillness. Peace. Dino's grip lightened, but his arms remained around me as we all watched Tsuna land.

"Woot," Fran cheered, breaking the silence. I looked over at him and shook my head, the other's cheer and happiness eventually dying down as well.

"Something's not right," Squalo said, narrowing his eyes.

"Zero Level break through is a tactic that absorbs the opponents flames and turns them into your own," Dino explained, still in a protective position in front of me, "but Tsuna's flames didn't grow, even after having absorbed Ghost's Flames."

"There's no mistake that Ghost had a great amount of flame power," Lussuria pointed out. "After all, it devoured not only our flames, but the flames of the real sixth funeral wreaths. We're all woozy now."

"Impressive indeed." We all tensed, looking up towards the voice. "You defeated Ghost easily."

"He's here," Dino said, scowling. He moved me back, putting himself between me and Byakuran.

"I'm honored to be in the presence of so many notable faces," Byakuran said, smiling. "The boss of the Cavallone and their princess," I stiffened his eyes sliding over me, "Vongola's Independent Assassination Group, Varia, Mukuro and his followers, the Guardians of Vongola, and lastly, Vongola's Tenth." He looked around the group once more, and breathed in deeply, smiling.

"The entire main force of the Italian Mafia Family, the Vongola, is assembled before me. You know, Tsunayoshi. You really are a curious person. To be able to coerce Mukuro and Xanxus to submit to you, when they too once tried to kill you…" his eyes narrowed, his smile turning menacing. "That couldn't have been an easy feat." I frowned, knowing exactly what he was trying to do.

"Hey, Scum bag," Xanxus started, glaring up at Byakuran, "whoever said," he held a gun up, shooting a large blast of flames at Byakuran, "I was submitting to him?" Mukuro chuckled in agreement.

"He's got that right. I'd thought that the only ones who would take my word and actions at face value," Mukuro said, activating his ring, "would be an ignorant little girl, or foolish young boy, but I see you've put me with the mafia too. How insulting," Mukuro tutted, as a horrifying sight of weapons erupted from his ring.

"I see, so sorry," Byakuran apologized, breaking their attacks as if it were nothing. "Anyway, it looks like you're all quite worn out. What was that feeble attack just now?" He taunted. "Well, I guess it can't be helped, since you had most of your flames sucked dry by Ghost. You're all running on empty right now."

"Everyone stay back," Tsuna put an arm up, and stepped forward heroically. "I'll be his match." There was a moment, then Byakuran laughed.

"Do you have any clue why I came here, Tsunayoshi?" he asked, looking down upon him. "It's because I'm ready now. Both my heart and my body."

"I've been ready," Tsuna responded coolly, his body then blurring, "for ages."

It was a flash and Tsuna was behind Byakuran, and then delivered a strong kick. In another second he was in front once more, clutching Byakuran's head. We watched the fight in amazement, my appreciation and admiration for Tsuna simply swelling. That is until a cold shock ran through the group, realizing that Byakuran stopped Tsuna's fist with one finger.

"Oh, what's wrong? Is this all you've got?" he asked lightly. "Now it's my turn." I resisted the urge to run to Tsuna's side as he was thrown into the ground, causing a massive collision.

"You don't mean to say this is as much as you can handle, do you?" Byakuran continued, laughing. "I still haven't even used a tenth of the flames absorbed by ghost!"

"The flames absorbed by ghost?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"Mm?" Byakuran hummed, arching his back as wings began sporting out of it. "You don't get it, do you? Ghost stole your flames, right? Well, those flames are all… Inside my body!" He cried, lights arching from the magnificent, white wings he had just grown. Tsuna pushed himself up from the crater had had made, scowling. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking down at Tsuna.

"Byakuran…that flame!? He received all the flames that Ghost absorbed!?" Basil shouted.

"Absorbing others' flames without directly touching them…" Dino started, "I've never heard of that before!" Byakuran chuckled again.

"Ghost was 'someone'… he was me, present in another parallel world," Byakuran explained.

"Just like Cloud said," Gokudera exclaimed, causing Byakuran's eyes to shift over to me.

"Other than the ability to absorb flames…" he continued, letting the comment slide, "he also had the ability to share them with me. Though in the end, it was my ability after all."

"What is he talking about…?" Ryohei questioned.

"I don't know," Takeshi said, shaking his head.

"If you say that," Mukuro began, explaining, "If the dying will flames of every one of us, with the exception of Sawada Tsunayoshi, now have been obtained by Byakuran… the total amount of that flame, is unmeasurable!"

"What are those wings?" Tsuna asked. "The intense flames are taking the forms of wings?"

"Oh… these wings aren't any ordinary flames. It's a symbol. It's a symbol that I'm a being above humans," he explained, sickening me, "proof that I am something more."

"What are you talking about!?" Dino yelled.

"Are you saying you're a god?" Squalo input hotly.

"Hahan, god?" Kikyo said, reminding me of his presence. "Byakuran would be better described as a demon worthy of worship." Byakuran giggled at the notion.

"That's not important," Tsuna concluded, causing Byakuran to look down at him. "It doesn't matter what you are… or what means you use…I'll defeat you here!"

"I admire your spirit, Tsunayoshi," Byakuran admitted, holding his hand up, "I've been waiting for this fight for a long time…" They lit their weapons, both radiating power.

"Wow," Bel allowed. "So you can do it."

"The atmosphere is electrifying," Fran commented. Tsuna charged at Byakuran once more, showering him with attacks.

"It's useless, Tsunayoshi," Byakuran chided, still smiling. "Come play with my pet," he said, a white dragon bursting out of his ring. Tsuna retaliated by releasing his own box weapon. Their movements became blurs as the fight continued. If you weren't watching for one second, you would become lost, which I did often, my eyes continuing to wander over to Lal. I scowled and slipped out from under Dino's arm, rushing over to her. He opened his mouth, but closed it, realizing what I was doing.

"What are you doing?" Lal hissed, looking away from the fight after Tsuna froze Byakuran's dragon with his zero point break through first edition.

"Healing you completely while I have the chance," I told her, already examining her arm. She grimaced, but one look from me told her I wasn't budging and she resigned to continue watching the fight, occasionally having to close her eyes in pain or let out small gasps of discomfort.

Honestly, it made me sick to watch Tsuna fight, knowing that I could have possibly done more to help him. I recalled my conversation with Mukuro before we came, him reminding me that I couldn't help with everything, less I give myself away. I breathed out, pushing myself back from Lal, breathing a bit heavier now that she was completely healed. She barely nodded thanks towards me, too engrossed in the fight. I looked back up in time to see Byakuran's white applause.

"Vongola box beaten," Byakuran sang.

"He destroyed it…" Dino breathed out in disbelief.

"With the pressure…of that strike," Squalo added.

"The white applause is the ultimate defense-technique that will destroy any kind of attack," Byakuran explained happily. "How was that, Tsunayoshi? I bet you have never fought a fight where you'd feel the difference in powers so big. Very scary, ain't it?" I scowled, and looked away as they engaged in combat once more, this time moving to Gokudera, Ryohei and Basil to heal again.

"You need to heal the Tenth," Gokudera insisted, grabbing my hand.

"Are you kidding?" I hissed, looking over to see Tsuna being tossed around in battle. "He's playing with him right now," I spat out with venom, looking away once more as Byakuran put him in a hold.

"Like fuck he'll let me go out there and heal him. We've been reduced to a peanut gallery, and a shitty one at that," I told him, "and all we can do right now is trust Tsuna and be there for him. Because," I said, my eyes lighting up as Tsuna's ring glowed brightly, the flame on his head stronger, "that's what families are for, right? Or, at least one of the things they do."

We watched, enamored, as the two emitted a bright intense light.

"This is unbelievable!" Kikyo shouted, holding up his arm to shield his eyes. "An exchange of Flames!"

"Not bad for Vongola," Bel noted, "he's not yielding!"

"This core power," Mukuro said, "is the real Sawada Tsunayoshi." I winced, my arm going up to cover my eyes as the light grew brighter.

"It's coming from Sawada and Byakuran's rings! The flames are layering!"

"What the hell's going on?"

"Resonance…?" Dino muttered.

"Ah!" I gasped, realizing that the barriers where enlarging. I threw Basil and Ryohei's arms over my shoulders and managed to jump away with them, having healed Gokudera enough for him to move on his own.

"Look!" Ryohei called, glancing over at an object approaching as I put him and Basil down, "Another one's heading this way!

"Someone's inside," Takeshi pointed out.

"Uni!?"

"What is that child thinking?!" Levi said, "She's heading straight for Byakuran!"

"She's probably thinking 'why the fuck am I moving towards him?'" I snapped at Levi, looking up at him from his perch. "I highly doubt that she had a choice in this matter!"

"Vongola rings, Mare Rings, and the Arcobaleno pacifiers…" Mukuro counted off, his eyes narrowing. "The Trinisette is about to come together. Are they gravitating towards one another because of the weight of the powerful flames?"

"That's not going to work!" I called as the others began attempting to stop the boundaries form working.

"Dammit!" Gokudera yelled, "we can't even get in! Even with so many of us here and Cloud's healing!"

"I've been waiting for you, Uni," Byakuran greeted as she entered their field. "This is what happens when the powerful sky flames of the Trinisette come together. We finally have the stage all to ourselves. It's a special stage where only the sky's Trinisette can exist. Though, since I have no use for you anymore, Tsunayoshi," he said, looking down at Tsuna in his hold, "I'll get rid of you now so that I can have the stage for Uni and myself."

"Stop!" Uni called out before Byakuran could move further.

"Don't you think it's a little late to ask me to stop?" he asked carefully. "You were the one that forced the Vongola to risk their lives to protect you, Uni. I'm sure you knew that their opponent would be me, whom they're be powerless against. You merely ran around blind like it was some tragic act, while increasing the number of victims. You're too selfish for your own good."

My stomach churned, and I became angry, hating that he would use such a low method to pull her down, and knowing that method would have worked all too easily on me.

"Perhaps you wanted to see great numbers of people fighting for your sake. Weren't you running out of curiosity, princess of the Arcobalenos?" Something under her caped shimmered. "What was that just now?"

"Ah-"

"You're hiding something inside your cape, aren't you?"

"No..." she said, "you mustn't yet…"

"Yet…?" Byakuran. Uni pulled her cape tighter, only for the pacifiers she had been hiding to fall out.

"Those…" Gokudera started, his eyes widening when he recognized them. "They're the pacifiers of the Arcobaleno!"

"Ah!" I looked over to see Reborn approaching on Fuuta's shoulder, with Ipin right behind him. I then looked back again as someone exclaimed.

"Things are appearing from the pacifiers!"

"The reconstruction of the Acrobaleno's bodies is about to begin," Reborn explained.

"Reconstruction?"

"In other words," the hitman continued. "They're reborn."

"Reborn?!"

"Do you mean to say the strongest infants of the world are reviving!?" Dino shouted. My heart jumped and I looked forward, Ipin running to me, throwing her arms around me as she came to a stop.

"Does that mean!?" she asked, breathless, looking at the small figures forming in front of Uni.

"Master Fon!" I finished for her, happily, tearing up even, hugging her arms around me as well.

"That means Mammon is coming back too?" Bel asked.

"…Colonello," Lal Mirch breathed out.

"Is that so?" Byakuran asked dangerously, earning a fearful look from Uni.

"Does this mean…" Kikyo wondered out loud, "that Uni had this in mind when she escaped…?"

"Yes," Mukuro answered, "In order to give the Arcobaleno time to revive after being killed by the Millefiore, she pleaded with Sawada Tsunayoshi to help her protect her comrade's pacifiers."

"B-But, I don't get it," Ryohei said, pushing himself up. "When Colonello and the other infants revive, what'll happen?!"

"If they return," Lal Mirch replied, "Then the order of the Trinisette in this generation, in other words, the order of your world, will be regained again, and above all," she added, "they're powerful! If Sawada and the fully revived Arcobaleno combine powers, they may be able to defeat Byakuran!

"That's true," he admitted, "there is no non-trinisette here to kill the Arcobaleno, and if they all revive now, it'll be troublesome. But from the looks of things, I'm guessing that it'll take at least another hour for them to revive." His eyes narrowed at Uni's reaction. "I've hit the mark," he said, hurting Tsuna further and then dropping him.

"Tenth!"

"Tsuna!"

"Sawada!" Uni called.

"No matter who should revive, I wouldn't lose, but it wouldn't be a waste of time, no? No one else can enter these boundaries. You're mine. Crying won't get you anywhere either," he added, noting her fearful expression. "The Arcobaleno won't defeat me for you."

"That's right," Reborn agreed. "The ones who'll defeat you aren't the Arcobaleno. It'll be my student, Tsuna."

"Did you say that Tsunayoshi will defeat me?"

"That's right," Reborn reaffirmed.

"Haven't you been watching, Reborn," Byakuran smiled, "Tsunayoshi was just taken down by me."

"Don't underestimate the strength of Tsuna's dying will," Reborn warned. "Besides, I'm not talking about whether you can win. Tsuna, you've got no other choice than to defeat Byakuran." Byakuran's laughter broke the silence that followed Reborn's statement.

"Heh…. Hahahaha! What a surprise! Your last resort at a time like this is to try and slap some fighting spirit into him?"

"This is my method," Reborn stated simply. "Listen, Tsuna. You're not the only one who's fighting a battle of dying will. Uni's sacrificing her life in order to return you all to a peaceful past!"

"Uncle Reborn…" Uni said softly, cradling the pacifiers.

"The revival of the Arcobalenos does more than bring back order to the world. It's the key to returning you to a peaceful past. And Uni intends to sacrifice her life to achieve that."

"Is that so?" Byakuran repeated.

"Uncle…" Uni said, obviously surprised, "Why do you know?"

"I guessed as much," he admitted. "You and your grandmother are two peas in a pod."

"Hmm," Byakuran hummed, seemingly not affected much by this news, "Then I must stop you from doing such a foolish thing. After all, Uni's life exists for my sake? Come." Tsuna coughed and slowly pushed himself up.

"Haha," Byakuran laughed, "I can't believe Tsunayoshi really woke up from your reproachful encouragement, Reborn. You two really make an astounding team," he congratulated them.

"I won't," Tsuna choked out, "hand Uni… over to you…" This earned another laugh from Byakuran.

"You're quivering! The body is so honest, don't you think? Yours remembers the fear of being beaten hollow. Haha, your quivering is almost contagious."

"This is bad," Dino pointed out, "Tsuna's dying will is waning… he can't fight like this!"

"How unlucky of you to wake up in a situation like this. Ah! But then again, I suppose your middle school years have been unlucky from the start, Tsunayoshi. I know quite a lot about you," Byakuran admitted. "Not too long ago, you were merely a failure of a student who skipped school, and then an assassinator came along and told you, you were a candidate to become boss of a huge mafia group, which threw you into this scary world. Since then, despite hating conflicts, you've been forced to fight for the title of boss and such. Your biggest misfortune, however, is that you came to this generation. If you hadn't been brought here, you wouldn't have had to go through all of this. Don't you curse your own fate? Right?" Tsuna looked down, his face hidden. He looked up suddenly, resolved.

"No," he stated, "that's not exactly true…Well, the future is scary…and painful…and full of uncertainties. There's been very few times where I've felt happy since coming here… but, I feel as though I understand all that now... It's not about what's good or bad… everything that happens here… is a precious part of my life," he finished, shaking once more.

"You sure have an odd way of perceiving things," Byakuran inputted bluntly. "But I want you to think very carefully. If you die, that'll only be a way to comfort yourself". Byakuran moved for a large scale attack, then stopped.

"Mm, you're right," he said, acknowledging the outbursts from our group. "A mini white dragon through his heart should be enough."

"Ahh! W-wait!" Tsuna shouted, but Byakuran was suddenly behind him.

"Don't wanna," he said, smiling, striking Tsuna in the back, causing a spirt of blood from his chest.

"Tsuna!" Ipin yelled, clutching my arm tighter. The other's yells were dull as I watched his body fall to the ground, having to remind myself that he wasn't dead (he couldn't be dead).

"Now, Uni!" Byakuran called happily, turning to her. "Your knight in shining armor is gone."

"Ow…." Byakuran stiffened. "Owww!" Tsuna sat up, coughing violently. He pulled out a necklace from under his shirt.

"Th-this ring!" Tsun exclaimed. "It's Lancia's!"

"The ring blocked the attack?!"

"It's all true after all..." Tsuna realized, "everything has helped me in some way… nothing that has happened since I came to the future has been pointless. The bitter thing… the painful things… the fun things….it's because of everyone- that I'm here right now. All the things that I've found since coming here- the skills, and the weapons. None of it would have done any good if I'd been alone…it's because everyone was here, that I was able to achieve them. Would you call that unlucky?" he asked, a soft look in his eyes. "I wouldn't. The time I've spent with everyone… is a treasure to me. My flames... were born because of this world you've taken over. These are everyone's flames! The fact that you've hurt all those innocent people…. I'll make you regret it!" Tsuna finished, his flames shining brilliantly once more.

"The flames have been rekindled!" Basil shouted.

"However," Mukuro noted, referring to Byakuran, who was laughing once again.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you've solved nothing at all! The difference in our strengths hasn't changed since you collapsed."

"I wonder about that," a new voice sounded. I glanced around, noticing other voices coming out of the guardian's rings as well. "Decimo," the voice continued, Tsuna's ring lighting up, "I agree with your thoughts."

"Where are you?!" Byakuran looked around wildly. "Whose voice is that?!"

"I wish I could lend power to my true successor," the voice continued as the Vongola crest shown out of the ring. "But unfortunately, I can't."

"The crest!"

"Instead," Vongola Primo said, appearing in front of Tsuna, behind the crest, "I'll free you from those shackles."

"What kind of joke is this?" Byakuran asked, calmly smiling. "Who is that? That man next to you, Tsunayoshi?"

"It's the Vongola's first generation boss," Uni said, "Vongola Primo!"

"Primo?" He repeated, then laughed. "Now is not the time for games. That's foul to program such an ancient ancestor to project at a time like this."

"He's not a projection," Uni argue, "I'm sure you can tell. This is something that could never happen inside the Trinisette, your Mare ring or my pacifier. The Vongola ring's 'Miracle of the Shield Dimension'. There is a song that has been etched in my memory since the day I was born: the sea knows no limit to it's vastness, shellfish live through the ages, inheriting their shapes, and the rainbow appears every now and then, only to fade away again. Mare means sea, Vongola means Shellfish and Arcobaleno means rainbow. Yes… this portrays the different skies of the Trinisette."

"The endless Mare is the horizontal dimensional axis. In other words, it lives across parallel worlds. The Vongola, which lives through generations, is a vertical dimensional axis, which means it lives from past to present, preserving tradition. And lastly, the Arcobaleno, which never stays in one place, it exists not as a line, but as points within the two dimensions. Just like Byakuran has the ability to share knowledge across parallel worlds, Sawada has inherited Vongola's own 'time'."

"Time…" Tsuna muttered, then exclaimed, "That's right, I remember!"

"Sorry, but I don't see any credibility to that story," Byakuran refused. "I didn't even have my Mare ring yet when I first became aware of parallel worlds."

"That's because," Uni explained, "You were chosen as the rightful heir of the ring, just like Vongola Primo."

"Now Decimo," Primo began again, "I shall remove those shackles."

"Shackles?!"

"Is that what he said?"

"The current form to the Vongola ring," Primo explained as the crest glowed brighter, "is only temporary. In order to preserve strict succession of the Vongola ring, it was divided into two between the boss and the outside adviser for protection."

"That's what happened during the battle with the Varia," Ryohei recalled.

"It split right down the middle," Gokudera said. "This is about, the half Vongola rings!"

"However, in order to sustain the division," Primo moved on, "There was a need to restrain the highest output of the flames, unlike the Mare rings and the Pacifiers of the Arcobaleno in the same Trinisette… There is no need for that anymore," Primo declared, the light now coming from Tsuna's ring, "for now I know that you'll understand the true meaning of the ring and my will."

"This is the original Vongola Ring?!" Tsuna asked, gazing at his reformed ring in amazement.

"Decimo," Primo acknowledged, putting a hand around Tsuna's shoulder, "give that Mare boy what he deserves." And with that, he disappeared.

"Haha! What a fool of ancestor you have!" Byakuran commented before he was blown forward suddenly. I blinked, narrowing my eyes to see that Tsuna had moved behind him.

"Woah?"

"What just happened!?"

"Hmm…" Byakuran looked down as Tsuna from where he had been thrown to the top of the barrier, "It looks like it's become a bit more proficient," he said, pushing himself towards Tsuna. Tsuna called Nuts to him, using his cape as a shield against Byakuran's dragon. Tsuna attacked again, using his burning axel. Byakuran brought his hands together once more, using his white applause.

"I've only shown eighty percent of my power so far," he said smugly.

"I've only used half," Tsuna responded, then appeared behind Byakuran, hitting him with the same attack before he could counter. Tsuna struck him in the back, then spun him, before striking him harshly in the head, and tearing off his wings. Byakuran was sent hurtling to ground as Tsuna set fire to the once glorious wings.

"Byakuran's wings!"

"What incredible…" Mukuro started.

"Strength," I completed for him, smiling. "That's our Tsuna."

"What's wrong, Byakuran?" Tsuna asked, "Are you nothing without your wings?" The dust cleared, showing Byakuran standing.

"You're amazing, Tsunayoshi," he applauded, looking up at Tsuna. "You're the only one of all the parallel worlds that had managed to make me spit out blood! I'm so happy!" He cried again, giving me a sinking feeling as I'm reminded of what happens next.

"I never thought this day would come! What am I happy about, you ask…? For the first time in my life," he cried, wings of what seemed to be black blood spirting from his back. "I'm able to fight with all my body's power!" I grimaced, and shifted Ipin, her head buried in my shoulder so she couldn't see.

"You won't be able to win against me, just because your appearance has changed," Tsuna warned him.

"Haha, who said it was just my appearance? It's time you stopped," Byakuran said, shooting forward, "playing games!" Tsuna blocked him, then delivered a punch to his face. This sent Byakuran reeling back, until the wings themselves morphed in dragons. Tsuna dodged them easily, reaching Byakuran once more.

"Is that all you've got?" Tsuna asked. "I've only just gotten started."

"Ha! Then this is only the start of the start for me!" His wings jerked again, this time, breaking off into weapons. Tsuna looked over, startled, realizing something.

"Crap! It'll fall on Uni!" However, they bounced, ineffectively off of a large orb that appeared around Uni, shielding her from harm.

"She blocked it with flames!" Basil shouted.

"The dispensing of flames into the pacifier," Byakuran started, "has really begun… you're really going to do this, aren't you, Uni…? You're going to sacrifice your life for these pacifiers!"

"Uni?!" Tsuna called. Her head remained bowed, eyes closed in concentration. "Wait, Uni!" Tsuna called over the outbursts of the others in our group. "There's no reason for you to sacrifice yourself for the Arcobaleno!"

"I must," she told him softly, "their revival is crucial in order to return you all to a peaceful past. And in turn, it will save many lives as well… the time has finally come for me to be able to make good of my powers… this is the only chance I can take.. and my destiny, which I cannot escape from."

"Uni!" Tsuna yelled again, as Byakuran shot forward.

"Do you think you're allowed to die, without my permission?!" Tsuna instantly moved to meet him, intercepting him.

"I won't hand Uni over to you!" He said defiantly.

"You've interfered with my plan one too many times," Byakuran snarled, "if you intend to stand between us, then I'll have to kill you first!" He kicked Tsuna away, but the don came back almost immediately, sending the two crashing to the ground right next to Uni.

"We have to destroy the barrier," Dino said, "regardless of what Uni intends to so, it's dangerous for her to stay there!" Ipin bit her bottom lip and shifted beside me. I glanced over at Mukuro, sharing a knowing look as they tried to damage the barrier.

"But," Gokudera called, using his box weapon to attack it, "That barrier won't even budge!"

"It seems like you were serious, when you said it was only the start," Tsuna commented as the two continued their clash.

"I could say the same for you, Tsunayoshi," Byakuran shot back, "I never expected you to last this long."

"But the one who'll take Uni will be…" he trailed off, noticing Uni, below them.

"What's going on?" Dino asked. "Her flames are growing smaller."

"Maybe," Byakuran guess, "she's fearing death?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, even if she were," Reborn admitted. "Though she's the princess of the Arcobaleno's, she's only a kid."

"It's alright, Uni!" Tsuna called to comfort her, "Let's think of another way around this!"

"I'm sorry," she replied, "I'll be fine… there is no other way." Her flames strengthened, enveloping her once more. "Thank you… everyone."

"Okay," Basil called, moving my attention towards him. "Now!"

"The flames of all the box weapons have merged within the rain dolphin! It's the combination system of box weapons!" Futa yelled.

"That might be powerful enough to break the barrier," Reborn noted.

"Now, Alphin!" Basil cried, as he ran forward as well. "Dammit, it's not working! It's only making small holes!"

"That's good enough for me!" A figure yelled, entering the barrier quickly, and falling to his knees before Uni.

"Hey, princess," Gamma greeted, pushing himself to stand.

"Gamma!"

"I finally get to see you, only to have you slip away again. That's not fair, is it? Won't you use my flames too?" He stepped forward, until he was embracing her. Her eyes were wide from shock and she cried into his chest. "Do you remember what you whispered in my ear long ago? I still haven't given you an answer. Come on," he said, gently chiding her crying. "That's not the face to show at a time like this. That's now what your mother taught you."

For that moment, seeing her smile, I felt touched myself, a warm feeling moving through me. And then, just as quick, they were gone; their clothes, and the pacifiers falling to the ground where they once stood.

"Gamma! Uni!" Tsuna screamed, shattering the shocked silence. He moved quickly to their belongings, picking up the pacifiers gently.

"The Arcobaleno aren't reviving!" Fuuta shouted, only to be hushed by Reborn.

"No," he stated, calming him, "the flames should have been properly absorbed. It'll take a little more time."

"Hey, you!" Byakuran addressed Tsuna, clearly losing his mental state of mind. The black wings trembled, splattering on the ground beneath him.

"What have you done? You killed the final piece of the puzzle that I'd been searching so long for… you put all my efforts to waste. My dream to awaken the Trinisette and make this world far greater than any dimension… is ruined all because of your little friendship games… do you know…" he trailed off, then screamed suddenly. "What this means?!" Suddenly, a strong force emitted from Tsuna, sending Byakuran back.

"Who do you think it was that killed Uni?" Tsuna asked. "Because you made this world the way it is… Uni… died! I won't forgive you," Tsuna yelled, turning towards Byakuran, his flame burning brighter than ever, "Byakuran!"

"You won't forgive me?" He repeatedly blankly, then laughed maniacally. "What nonsense! You're a joke of a human being! I'd understand if you saw value in her as a powerful device! After all, Uni was an item that I need in order to become an invincible god! But to see her as a woman of all things! I can only be a momentary intoxication of hormones that you'd think could oppose me with humanism! It's that's your answer to live obediently trapped inside the human society," he cried, the black ink of his wings coming off of his hands and legs, securing him to the ground. "Hypocrisy could never win against the ugly desires of human! That's how this world is made!"

"Roots are growing out of Byakuran's legs!" Basil called.

"He's stabilizing his body?" Kikyo noted, "He means to put an end to this!" Tsuna shifted, placing himself in a familiar stance.

"Tsuna's gonna counter with his X burner!"

"You really ruined everything for me!" Byakuran continued, preparing his attack. "That doll with the pacifiers was my ultimate toy!"

"Don't you dare insult Uni anymore than you already have!" Tsuna cried. "You don't even deserve to say her name!"

"Agh!"

"The barrier is breaking!"

"Die!" Byakuran screamed.

"Byakuran!" I grabbed Ipin, and moved back with her, along with the others. I swung us around a tree, holding Ipin to me as a strong blast shook the ground, and a gust of wind blew against us. I blinked, looking at Ipin, who blinked back. She pensively peeked around the tree.

"Byakuran!" I let Ipin go and we ran towards the clearing.

"We… won!"

"Yeah! We've done it, we won!" I bypassed the others, running towards Tsuna. He barely caught me as I barreled into him, the first to give him a hug.

"Cloud!" He said, falling into me almost instantly, breathing heavily, the flame on his head sizzling out. "Are you guys okay?" He asked weakly, looking around at the others who gathered.

"You're definitely not okay," I shot back at him, trying to put on a stern face, but ended up smiling anyway, happy he was okay.

"You did well, Tsuna," Reborn said, as I lowered him down, deeming him too injured to move.

"But," he said softly, regret in his voice, "Gamma, and Uni…" My smile dropped as I was reminded of the losses. I glanced over, seeing Gamma's brothers loudly mourning their death, and Haru and Kyoko crying softly into Bianchi.

"It's not just Gamma and Uni," Tsuna went on, gripping my shoulders tightly, "this battle has hurt so many people!" Tsuna choked out, not even being able to look me in the eye.

"Augh!" We looked over, startled, as Levi roughly threw Kikyo on the ground. Bel snickered as the Varia looked down on him.

"Your boss went and kicked the bucket," he chided, grinning snidely and brandishing his knives.

"It's your turn next," Levi told him.

"If you have any particular method you wanna die," Fran inputted blankly, "we're all ears."

"Wait, what are you doing?!" I grabbed Tsuna as he shot forward, almost falling in the process. "We don't need any more damage!"

"Why do you care about this scum?" Levi asked, glaring down at Kikyo. "This is a creature who only knows how to kill!"

"You're wrong," Irie stated, hobbling over to us on crutches. "They were all once normal humans…"

"Eh?!"

"What?"

"Irie Shouichi…" Kikyo spat, glaring at the man.

"At the time when Millefiore was gathering up strong forces, I was there to check every country's mafia, military, and assassin, but I never saw them," Irie continued. "Which mean that they were normal people that weren't listed in the register…" Kikyo laughed hollowly, drawing attention t himself once more.

"Noraml people…" he muttered darkly. "In parallel worlds, we were all humans that reigned over our worlds! But in this world, things were different due to misfortune. Byakuran was the one who changed our weaknesses into strengths!"

"Shut up." I didn't look away as Xanxus shot him in the head.

"Xanxus!"

"Shut up!" He snapped again.

"It'll be alright," Lussuria reassured us. "I'll keep him alive." Tsuna wavered in my arms once more.

"Whoah, there," I said lightly, propping him against me.

"Cloud…" He said, then frowned, "you… you were hurt too, and Dino… so many people were hurt in this battle. People from other parallel worlds have died…." Tsuna glanced at me, then looked away, not even having to say it. "We've won, but everything is so messed up… was there any meaning behind this victory?

"Of course there was, dammit!" I perked up, recognizing the voice immediately. "You all did well, dammit!"

"That voice!" Lal cried out, looking towards the pacifiers.

"Found you Mammon," Bel chided, his face lighting happily.

"Master!" Ryohei yelled.

"Colonello…"

"The Arcobaleno… have finally revived!"

"Master!" Ipin cried, tears welling up in her eyes as she fell to her knees beside me. I breathed out shakily as well, smiling. Fon looked over at us softly, only making my emotional state worse.

"To see both my students both grown and beautiful," he commented, smiling and bowing his head slightly, "it only makes me happier to know that you're still growing and strengthen yourselves with every day that passes."

"You're all late," Reborn said bluntly.

"What did you say Reborn!" Skull yelled, only to add a small, "senpai," when Reborn gave him a sharp look.

"Chill, Skull," Colonello reprimanded.

"Everyone is really an infant," Tsuna noted shakily, staring at them with disbelief.

"We all know the situation," Colonello continued, holding Uni's glowing pacifier, "Uni communicated with us through the flames that went through our pacifiers."

"Uni?" Tsuna asked, as I helped him to stand.

"Yes," Fon answered, smiling as I helped Tsuna, "Uni also informed us of what influence Byakuran's defeat would have on the world. By Byakuran being defeated and the Mare rings losing their power, all the damage in the parallel worlds caused by the Mare rings would be erased from the past."

"In other words," Colonello stepped in," All the deeds done by Byakuran would disappear without a trace, dammit!"

"Does that mean that Cloud and the people killed by the Millefiore will come back?!"

"Their deaths will be erased too, I bet," Colonello confirmed. I began to smile as well, overjoyed with the thought of the people I love in this future not having to return to what I came to, along with the others, like Zhanna and her family, receiving the loved ones they had lost.

But then, Fon gave me a look, and a cold feeling settled in my stomach.

"But what'll we do if someone like Byakuran appears again…" Tsuna asked, snapping me back into the conversation. "…and they try to use the mare rings?

"Uni sacrificed her life," Fon answered, looking away from me, "in order to prevent that from happening."

"Huh?"

"With the aid of the Arcobaleno's revival, Uni wanted her 'Flame of Life' to be undying," Fon continued, "this way, she should be able to seal away the mare rings in the past, or in other words, your time, forever."

"Is it possible… to seal the mare rings in the past…?"

"Uni entrusted that task to us," Colonello said.

"She sacrificed her life in order to create eternal peace," Fon finished.

"Uni did say you would be able to return to 'a peaceful past'," Reborn reminded them. Tsuna shifted beside me, looking at the sky gratefully.

"Now it's your turn to make your wish come true," Irie said, coming up to us.

"Ah- That's right! Let's go home to the past!" Tsuna yelled out. I laughed alongside the group, acting happy and whole, but all the while, the look my master gave me still haunting me. After making sure Tsuna had someone to lean on (or just passing him off to an already healed Gokudera, who was more than happy to take him) and sending Kashi off to find Jian, I jogged over to Fon, who was talking softly to a sniffling Ipin.

The other Arcobaleno's had dispersed, Colonello talking to Lal Mirch, Verde discussing something with Irie, and Skull running behind the group that had gathered a ways ahead of us, obviously celebrating.

"I'm just so happy," Ipin cried, hiccupping again, "that you'll both be back." I narrowed my eyes, Fon's eyes looking away slightly, and Mammon turning away from me. Bel frowned as he walked up, the Varia behind him as they came to greet Mammon. Fon caught my eyes, and I sighed, scratching the back of my head, and turning slightly, not wanting to say this in front of Ipin, but knowing that it had to be done. Mukuro stood nearby with Dayita, ceasing their discussion to glance over at me.

"My future self isn't coming back, is she?" I asked quietly. Mammon stiffened, not knowing how to deal with this. Fon sighed sadly, and shook his head.

"No," he replied. "She's not." Ipin looked between us, her eyes wide, a wave of emotions running through them.

"What?" she breathed out, her lip quivering. "But why? You said that all the deaths-"

"Uni couldn't reach her," Mammon cut her off bluntly. "I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact she's unable to see illusions as well."

"So everyone else gets to return from the fucking dead," Squalo growled, glaring around the group, not being able to find someone to blame for this," but she doesn't?"

Bel frowned, barely glancing over at me. Mukuro stepped forward, putting a hand on my shoulder. Fran just stared at me blankly, not knowing how to respond.

"Unfortunately," Fon said, sighing sadly and moving to put a reassuring hand on Ipin's leg, who was looking down, tears streaming down her face as she cried silently. "That's the case." I sighed, almost angrily and crossed my arms.

"I can't say I didn't expect this," I said quietly, where only Mukuro could hear.

"Nobody tell Dino," I said, louder, so everyone could hear. I looked over at him, laughing happily and clapping Tsuna on the back, causing the young boy to wince. "I have to tell him myself," I said, looking away from him, happy, knowing that wouldn't last.

"But, for now," I said, turning back to smile at the group, "let's just act, happy, yeah? At least, while I'm still around…" Dayita laughed, and wrapped her arms around my neck as she pounced on me. I swayed, then steadied myself, sighing in defeat.

"I'm going to miss that cheery disposition of yours, Nike," she cooed, then kissed my cheek. Mukuro stepped away, annoyed.

"Okay, watch the bubble," I said, wriggling away from Dayita's touchy hold on me, stepping towards the Varia. Squalo glared down at me, fronting irritation instead of other, unpleasant feelings. Xanxus clicked his tongue, then stepped towards me.

"You're a lot of trouble, you know that, brat?" He sneered, staring down at me. I laughed lightly, and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm aware," I admitted, as he huffed and turned away, reaching a hand out to ruffle my hair before leaving.

"Let's go," he said, acknowledging the Varia, "I've had enough of these pieces of shit," he said, glancing over at the other group in irritation. Levi, not even looking back at me, followed his boss. Lussuria frowned, looking up from where he had been healing Kikyo. He walked over to me, and kissed me on the forehead, sighing sadly as he leaned away.

"Take care of yourself, darling," he told me, then picked up Kikyo once more, following the others. I turned to Bel, Mammon floating next to him.

"You gonna be okay?" I asked him. He snickered and ruffled my hair.

"Ushishishi, of course, princess," he said, "I'm a prince after all."

"Don't screw up and kill yourself again," Mammon said bluntly. "It's annoying." Bel reached, taking my hand and kissing it.

"This is goodbye, princess," he said, softer. I almost said, 'See you', but realized that would be a lie.

He would never see me again; any version of me. Not this Bel, or this Xanxus, or Lussaria. This was their final goodbye.

"It was nice," I admitted, blinking, looking away, "to see how happy she made you guys," I said, once again looking over at Dino.

"Yeah," Bel said, following my gaze. "It was nice. I'm glad," he stated, folding his arms behind his head, "you came though. My last conversation with her isn't an argument, with you here," he said. "It's a lot happier."

"I'm glad I came here to," I said slowly, thinking back, to Tsuna's words during the battle, to my uncertainty and anger when coming here, everything that I've lived through in the future coming back to me, and I realized that it was true; I was glad that I came here.

"I'm glad too."

---

"You beat that mermaid bitch?"

"Bluebell," I corrected him, trying not to think about her death. "And it was circumstantial," I explained to him, ignoring him wincing as I healed his arm.

"Master explained it on the way here," Fran inputted from where he had been sitting, leaning against a tree. "Her box weapon was best suited to go against her, and it would give us a lot of flames to heal everyone, which, it did. Yay us." I rolled my eyes at his explanation, completely bypassing the depth of the conversation.

Jian had returned shortly after the Varia left, with the exception of Squalo and Fran. I immediately set to work on healing everyone in the group completely, having an abundance of flames to work with. Now, as I was healing Squalo, (who insisted on being last, saying he was fine) Jian was once again the size of a small child. Fran poked him in the forehead with a stick again, and the panda went after it with his paws, catching it, only to have it gently torn from his grip once more, starting the process over.

"Hey, guys!" I looked down, finished healing Squalo's arm as Dino ran over to us. "We're all about ready to head back," Dino said happily, his mood drastically lighter. I managed to look over at him, but almost flinched when he smiled warmly at me. Squalo gave me a look, glancing in between us.

He scowled and shot up, grabbing Fran's hat on his way, dragging him up. Slightly startled, Fran managed to grab Jian as well, holding the small panda in his arms as he was dragged away.

"I've got to punish you, Fran!" Squalo yelled, creating a rather bad excuse, "Over there, alone!" Dino blinked, watching them go.

"What was that about?" He said, scratching the back of his head, and turning to me again. "I guess they can find their way back on their own. Anyways, the others are already leaving, and I came back to let you guys know…." He trailed off, seeing my expression. "Cloud?" he asked, becoming worried, "Nikita, what's wrong?"

"We need to talk," I started, looking at the ground, rubbing my shoulders.

"About what?" He asked carefully, picking up on my mood easily. I took a deep breath, and looked up, deciding, knowing that I needed to look him in the eyes telling him this. He deserved that much.

"She's not coming back, Dino," I told him bluntly. His eyes widened, instantly understanding what I meant. His face fell and he looked down, his entire persona from earlier gone. "Uni couldn't reach me- her," I corrected quickly. "Uni couldn't reach her, and we don't know why." I walked to him, and paused, before I wrapped my arms around him in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, Dino," I said into his jacket. "I really am." He hesitated, then returned the hug.

"It's fine, Nikita," he said sadly. I closed my eyes tightly, and shook my head, without saying a word.

No, I thought. It wasn't.

---

"You're fucking with me?" I shook my head, frowning. She scowled on the screen. "Damn, when she dies, she commits." I blinked, barely registering her joke. "What?" she asked, crossing her arms, "can't stand a little morbid humor?"

"That's little more than morbid, Zhanna," I told her, almost offended.

"It's not like you're the one who died," she shot at me. "You're haven't kicked the bucket yet, right? Fuck no, you haven't!" she answered before I could even open my mouth.

"Listen, little horse," she said seriously, leaning back on the couch she was sitting on, placing her arms casually on the back of it, "don't even fucking worry about us in the future. If you're going to worry about anything, worry about your present. It's not like you can fix her not coming back, so mind your own fucking business. Yeah, it fucking sucks that she died, but it would've been even worse if you got creamed too. Appreciate your own fucking life," Zhanna finished, "and don't worry about hers, especially since it ended."

I blinked, registering her words, almost needing to be bluntly told this.

"We'll be fine," she told me, seeing my look. "You've already died once; it's not like she's dying again. She's already gone," Zhanna said, reaching into her pocket to receive a pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and sticking it in her mouth before securing a lighter from her other pocket. "And there's not one fucking thing you can do to change that."

I sighed in defeat, seeing the dense truth to her words. I scrunched my nose as she lit the cigarette in her mouth.

"I see you found a lighter," I noted dryly.

"Not mine," she admitted. "It's your shitty prince's actually."

"Bel?" I pegged, sitting up a bit. I was aware that he smoked, even in my time line, but knew it to be a rare action for him, especially after the first time he tried smoking in front of me.

"He gave it to me," Zhanna recalled, "right before we left. Maybe I won't break this one like the last one…Anyways," she said, moving on, "what are you planning to do when you get back?"

"I was actually going to get you to help me with something," I admitted, "the past you, that is."

"Ah?" Zhanna said, blowing a stream of smoke.

"I'm going to look for Dayita when I get back," I began. "I want to go ahead a-"

"No," she said interrupting. "I can already tell you, my answer will be no. Fuck no, actually, if I know myself well enough," she elaborated. "Look, do us all a huge favor, and don't meet that bitch, okay?"

"But, I need her!" I said, almost too quickly. Zhanna raised an eyebrow.

"Why the fuck do you need her?" I blinked, then shook my head.

"Not important," I said, "can't say." Zhanna huffed, and rolled her eyes at my response. "But, besides Dayita, I want to meet her brother as well."

"Do yourself a favor, and definitely don't meet him," Zhanna said.

"He's a genius weapons maker, right?" I repeated the information I was told earlier. "I want to go ahead and meet them, so I can start working with them."

"Working with them?" Zhanna repeated. "Why are you so eager?"

"I want to be prepared," I said truthfully.

"What the fuck for?"

"The future."

"Did you not get it through your thick head?" She snapped at me, "I fucking told you to stop worrying ab-"

"Not this future," I quickly corrected, "you were right; there's nothing I can do about my future-self not coming back, so there's no point worrying about it," I summarized sadly. "I'm preparing for my new future," I told her, "and for that, Dayita and her brother could really help me."

"You're really set on finding them, aren't you?" Zhanna asked coolly. I nodded, determined. She sighed roughly, looking rather annoyed.

"Whatever," she concluded. "It's not like you can be stopped once you have your mind set. One of the annoying things about you." I smiled, letting out a small laugh.

"Thanks, Zhanna."

"Hm? For what?" her eyes narrowed. I shrugged, the thanks meant to be general.

"For being you," I concluded. "For being Zhanna." She barked out laughter, amused.

"You're not so bad yourself, you little shit."

---

"Ah," Dayita breathed out, leaning in the doorway of the room I had spent the night in the Vongola base. "It's so sad to see you go, especially since she's not coming back," she admitted, walking over to me.

"Yeah," I breathed out, nodding my head.

"However," she said slyly, crossing her arms in a sultry manner "I understand that you are going to seek me out when you get back." I blinked, then narrowed me eyes at her.

"At this point, should I even ask?"

"Probably not," she said with a small laugh, bringing one hand up to the side of her face. "If I'm not mistaken, I did not meet you until I was about 20 or so," she guessed, looking up thoughtful. "That would have made you 18? Yes?" She nodded. "Yes. And you're hoping to meet before then? May I," her eyes narrowed, "ask why?"

"I'd prefer," I admitted, "to tell you when I get back. And, I want to meet Varick." She clapped her hands together, laughing.

"And Varick will be so happy to meet you sooner," she cooed, smiling widely. "He absolutely adores you, dear!"

"Okay?" I said, not knowing how to respond. "Should I be worried about that?"

"Only a little," she admitted, offhandedly. "Well," she put a hand on her hip, breathing in, "I should get going."

"Ah, Dayita-" She shushed me, her vibrant clothes swaying with her as she turned back to me.

"You don't need to say goodbye," she told me, winking. "After all, we'll see each other again, even if this is the last time I'll set my eyes on you, Nikita Cavallone."

With a blow of a kiss, and another wink, she was gone.

---

"Hm?" I walked around the corner, seeing Chrome and M.M., the older woman glaring at the younger. Chrome, however, seemed oblivious to this, as she was looking up almost lovingly at Mukuro, who was the first to notice me enter.

"Ah, Little Cavallone," he greeted, striding down the steps to reach our level, motioning for Ken and Chikusa to move on as he did.

"Here are your clothes," I said, moving to M.M. as he made his way down. She took the bag angrily, and with one last glare at Chrome, she walked away. Chrome blinked was we watched her leave without saying another word.

"Are you ready to return to the past?" Mukuro chuckled.

"I haven't exactly said all my goodbyes yet," I admitted, thinking of Dino.

"No, I suppose you haven't," he hummed, narrowing his eyes. "Before you leave, however," he stated, glancing at Chrome, who looked between us, not knowing what to do. "I want to remind you of a promise you made to me, almost ten years ago, I believe." I blinked, not knowing at first, what he meant. With one more glance at Chrome, however, I got the hint.

"I keep my promises, Mukuro," I reminded him, holding back a little blush, recalling how Chrome had somewhat turned me down before.

"Not always," he shot back, smirking. "You're known for not following orders well after all." I puffed my cheeks, and looked away, being reminded of that once more. "Which reminds me," he noted, "there's someone who's waiting for their goodbye as well."

"Hm?" I hummed, tilting my head.

"I'm offended, Little Sis," Fran drawled, walking into the area, "you've forgotten about me already."

"Ah, Fran!" I smiled, turning towards him.

"I'll leave you to your goodbyes," Mukuro said, turning to leave.

"You're not going to say goodbye?" I questioned.

"Of course not," he called back, without even turning. "I have no need for such frivolous things." I huffed, almost sadly.

"You don't always have to act like an asshole, you know," I taunted, smiling as he left.

"Kufufufu…" he said, chuckling once more, "but isn't it fun to?"

---

"Where are we going, Fran?"

"To see someone," he answered helpfully, as we walked through the woods. I sighed and shook my head, used to his blunt attitude.

"Can the past me still call you Big Sis?" He asked suddenly.

"Sure," I said shrugging. "It'll be more fitting, actually," I figured, "since you'll actually be younger than me."

"Ah," he said, as if just realizing it himself, "you're right." I held back a frown, not having the heart to tell him that he won't remember the memories he received.

"Maybe I'll remember you," he said, starling me, "when you meet me in your time." I looked over at him. "I know you, Little Sis," he sighed. "You've got to get better at controlling your expressions. You suck at it."

"And besides," he continued, "I guess it doesn't matter if the present me remembers this or not. Because I will," he said, shrugging. "And that's what matters, right?" I smiled softly, moving to link arms with him as we walked.

"You make a good little brother, Fran," I told him.

"I guess you're a pretty good big sister, too."

"…you guess?"

"Brats these days! When I was your age, I was a hell of an assassin!"

"Ah!" I rushed forward, dragging Fran with me, who groaned in protest. "Squalo!"

"Hm?" He looked over at me, leaning over from Takeshi as he finished telling him something.

"Voooi, brat!" He yelled, glaring over at me. I suddenly regretted rushing to meet him as he stalked over. "You better not being a fucking idiot again and get yourself killed! I'll butcher you myself if you do!"

"Haha! Squalo that doesn't make any sense!"

"Shut it, brat!" he snapped at Takeshi, causing me to laugh. Letting go of Fran's arm, I hugged Squalo, quickly pecking him on the cheek.

"Thanks for everything, Squalo," I said happily. He became flustered, not knowing how to deal with this.

"IT WAS NOTHING!" He yelled, looking away from me as I released him.

"Don't I get a kiss as well, Little Sis?" Fran complained. Takeshi laughed, coming over to stand beside me.

"Like hell you do, you piece of scum," Squalo thrashed, grabbing Fran's arm and dragging him to the edge of the cliff we were standing before. "Voi! Stay out of trouble you shitty brats!" He yelled back at us, looking at us one more time before jumping over with the illusionist. "Bye!"

"Yeah!" Takeshi ran up to the edge. "Thanks for everything!" He smiled, turning back to me. He poked me in the cheek, laughing. "Clooooud?" he said, drawing out the name. "Is it really you? Not an illusion?" He teased as I latched onto his arm, per usual.

"Promise," I told him, as we began to stroll back.

"We haven't been able to talk, have we?" Takeshi noted, "With the battle and everything. You were even too busy to talk when you were healing everyone."

"I guess they all know now," I laughed lightly, thinking back to when only a few people were aware of my unnatural sun flames.

"It's nice, isn't it?" he asked, "for it to be over. We can be happy again."

"Yeah…" I muttered, then thought back to Dino.

"Hm?" He stopped walking, looking down at me. "Is something wrong?"

"…. My future self isn't coming back," I told him. He blinked confused.

"That's… awful," he admitted, not even asking why (which I appreciated greatly, not having to be reminded again that it was my fault).

"I told Dino yesterday," I confided, "but I haven't seen him since. I've been going around, tying loose ends."

"That's nice of you," Yamamoto complimented with a kind smile, "to do that for her."

"…. I haven't really thought about it like that," I said, thinking. "I had really been doing it for me-" Takeshi shook his head.

"Nah, Cloud," he corrected me. "That, you going around to them, wasn't for you. You were thinking of them," he said, nodding in confirmation. "You're too kind to do it for yourself, Cloud. You're just like that."

"She is, isn't she?" We glanced over, about to reach one of the base's entrances, only to see Dino approach us, a bag in his hand.

"Dino," I breathed out. Takeshi looked in between us, then bowed slightly.

"I'll give you guys some space," he said as he moved away, back into the base.

"You're really too nice for your own good, Nikita," Dino said, walking over to me.

"It's funny; the more people say that the less I believe it," I said, titling my head as I looked up at him.

"You should believe it," he said, giving me a slight smile.

"You've changed," I noted, "your eyes. You don't look at me the same."

"No," he admitted, "I don't. You're not my sister," he said, causing me to frown, "at least, not the one I knew. She was you at one point, but she changed, grew sadder. Although she was helping people, I think," he said, almost hesitating to continue, "she knew she was going to die. She accepted it. I realized this, when I saw Uni…." He trailed off, not having to finish his sentence.

"I didn't understand then, and I still don't know," he disclosed, "why she did what she did. But, I do know that she believed that she had to do it, and," he voiced, looking at me, "you believe the same thing." I wanted to look away, ashamed, but I simply couldn't break eye contact.

"Maybe my sister died long ago," he went on, "when she accepted her death, even before I did. But now, with her gone, and coming to terms with that, I just need you to promise me one thing, Nikita."

"Please," he said, pleading, "don't change like she did. For his sake." His hand went to my cheek, and I closed my eyes. "Stay bright, and beautiful, and keep healing. Although, it can cause problems," he said, laughing a bit, "it makes you happy. And I want nothing more than for you to be happy."

"Dino…" I muttered, then moved forward suddenly, overcome with emotion. I hugged him tightly, knowing that this was our last goodbye, my last time seeing this Dino. "I promise. I won't break this one," I vowed, closing my eyes tighter. "I won't."

"He's lucky, your brother. He still has a bright, happy, beautiful sister to look after, no matter how much of a pain she can be." I choked out laughter, looking up at him.

"I have some things to give you," he said, releasing me to reach into the bag he had brought. "Some of her things," he explained, causing my eyes to widen in surprise.

"Pictures, mostly," he admitted, "she got really into them when she was 17, for some reason," he said smiling at the memory, "But, some other things as well." He handed me the bag, and I looked inside, surprised to see a worn looking coat, along with a couple books, rings for battle, and photographs. "Keep her box weapons and notebook as well," he told me. "You're the only one who can put them to good use after all."

"Dino, you shouldn't h-"

"I wanted to," he said seriously, then corrected himself, "needed to. These are yours. They rightfully belong to you. And besides," he said, his hand closing over mine, pushing the bag towards me, "I want you to look back on your time in the future, happy." I blinked up at him, and wiped my eyes, reminding myself that this is the last time I would see this Dino, and this was the last time he would see his sister, ever again.

"Believe me, Dino. I am happy."

---

I fingered the fur hood of the coat, warmly smiling down at it, only to look up at the sound of Irie's voice.

"Alright! Everyone here?" He called, looking over the group, and nodding. "I want everyone to leave their Vongola boxes here. Please remove them!" I frowned, hesitant to give up my box weapons.

"Don't worry," Verde said, causing me to look over at him. He walked over to me as the others were saying goodbye to their box weapons, and the other people gathered. "We're tweaking them to make sure they can be in the past, even making them compact."

"Although," he said with a hint of irritation, "yours were more difficult to work with, thanks to the complexity of your boxes, having to even contact him," he looked away, a venomous look on his face. He huffed, then turned back to me. "I will admit, I am slightly inconvenienced to see such an interesting test subject go, despite your idleness before my death. But, I do hope my past self continues working with you," he narrowed his eyes, sending a chill down my spine, "wouldn't you agree, Cavallone?"

"Of course," I said coolly. "I wouldn't have been able to heal and come so far without you."

He smiled confidently, my words pleasing him. I narrowed my eyes as he walked away, worried almost, uncomfortable with the scientist. I was reminded of my last encounter, back in the past, that ended on an ominous note, the scientist almost threatening to hold us there. Truthfully, I thought, thinking back, I didn't know what I would have done without Zhanna there. He surely would have tried something without the Russian's towering presence.

"Okay, we're starting the time warp!" Iria yelled over us, snapping me out of my thoughts. "The Arcobaleno will return once they're finished sealing the Mare rings of the past!" I looked down, smiling at Colonello and Mammon in front of me. "Now then… thank you… for everything!"

I closed my eyes, a grand light surrounding us, and suddenly feeling almost weightless. I felt an odd sensation, then weight on my hand. I wiggled it, smiling widely, knowing that it was Kashi and Jian in their new ring forms. Suddenly, I hit solid ground, and caught myself in a crouch. I blinked, getting used to the light and then looked around, my surroundings familiar.

"I'm home," I realized with surprise, looking up at the doors of the Cavallone mansion, the steps merely a few feet away, right in front of me. I laughed once more, over joyed, pushing myself up, and running up the steps, shouting once more.

"I'm home!"

---

"Miss?!" The elderly woman walked into the large room in a hurry, alarmed by the earthquake that rippled through the estate. "Miss?! Yita!" she snapped, seeing the teenager, kneeling on the floor, clutching her head. The elderly woman rushed to her side, kneeling as well to check on her.

Dayita Koenig's eyes were wide, images, memories flashing through her head. She blinked, then glanced over at her Ayah, who was holding her shoulder in concern. Her eyes narrowed, and she pushed herself up, the old woman looking up at her in concern.

"I'm fine, Madhi," she assured her, smiling gorgeously, "more than that, actually," she corrected, growing more excited. "I'm elated! Enamored!" she said, spinning, and laughing, her clothes that were draped around her spinning beautifully with her body. She stopped suddenly, clapping her hands together.

"Nikita Cavallone," she whispered, narrowing her eyes. "How exciting! How wondrous! Madhi," she snapped suddenly as the old woman pushed herself up, "prepare a gift; my usual," she said winking.

"I want to give my dear Nike a proper welcome back from the future."

---

AN:

Aaaaaaaaaaaannnndd future arc s knocked out. Whoo! Onto the Shimon! Friends, I am so pumped that we're almost to the end of this read-through/rewrite, like I have one more day of break, and so I might get it knocked out. Whoo!

As always, tell me what you think, and thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows!