Chapter 26: Ten Year into the Future

A few days have passed since the homecoming of Kouga and Ruki's cousin, Viola and Tsuna, Kouga and the Guardians are back at school enjoying the continuation of their daily lives when Reborn suggests a Mid-Winder Courage Test since they didn't get the chance back during summer. At that time, both Tsuna and Kouga arrive at the graveyard when Reborn scared Tsuna as he told the two teens that everyone is already started and Tsuna's pair was Lambo who is trembling everywhere. The first people who scared both Tsuna and Lambo were Gokudera and I-Pin and the bomber informs the two that at first they were supposed to pair up and walk through the cemetery, but the girls started saying that they wanted to act like ghosts and scare people. However, with everyone being on the scaring side leaves Tsuna, Kouga, and Lambo being the scared side.

Later, the second group who were trying to scare them was Kyoko as Kasa-obake, Haru as namahage, and Yuuri as bakeneko which they are cute, but then Bianchi appears which is the scariest, causing Tsuna to drop Lambo and runs away as Kouga runs after him and the two go past the arrow sign that points to the right. Once the brunette calms down, he notices that he isn't carrying Lambo in his hands and Kouga suggests to go back where they came from, but Tsuna is hesitant to do that but complies. As they walk down the pathway, they notice that they keep seeing the same name on the grave marker. Then they hear a familiar voice calling out to them and turns to see the TYL Lambo leaning on the tree, but the adult Lambo speaks and acts weird causing Kouga to tell his friend that they should be careful with him.

The adult Lambo leads them to a wooden gate when he tells them that everyone is on the other side. Just then, another adult Lambo appears behind them which causes Kouga stands in front of Tsuna with his arm around and pushes him back. The Lambo who was acting weird was actually Bianchi's ex-boyfriend, Romeo who has a grudge against her for the way she treated him and about to grab the brunette to drag him into the world of the dead. Tsuna cries out to Lambo for help but declines since he can't stand ghosts. However, hearing his constant pleas, Lambo decides to help Tsuna and sends his signature attack at the ghost, but the electricity from his attack actually helps the ghost Romeo to fully materialize. Just as the ghost about to drag the three into the gate to the dead, Bianchi appears running towards them with her poison cake before smashing them into Romeo's and Lambo's face, which causes them to fall backwards. Then both Romeo and the gate disappears.

Days later when Kouga and Ruki hear the Nana was pick-pocketed and almost all the free-loaders nearly went to professional killer mode and the same happened to Haruka, causing both of them to angry. With everyone's help, they were able to lure the pickpockets into a trap and then all of them were being hauled to the police station, half-dead.

And then, a teacher threatens Tsuna and a few of the lower grades students to expel them but the principal tells them that he would not expel them if they find the time capsule under the school. Kouga was part of the group, but he was able to get the time capsule when Reborn forced Tsuna in Dying Will mode and blew up the field, only to find it holds the failing test papers that were from the teacher, who was later fired for faking his diploma.

Kouga then hears that there have been several attacks on dojo's around town, even to the extent of tearing off their signboards. He was asked by Haru to help to defeat the dojo wreckers. Kouga originally declines when the same dojo wreckers appear at his house and mocks that he is a weakling for using an armed weapon and useless they are when out-numbered. Hearing this pisses Kouga off and challenges them to meet by the river bank at sunset.

They came and laugh at how a weakling like him could beat them, but that was a bad mistake. Kouga brings out his wakizashi from his sleeve, which surprises them seeing that the black-haired teen actually carried a weapon on him. They try to apologize the teen when it is too late as Kouga already go pass through them, knocking them out with the blunt of the blade.

During Mother's Day, Kouga and Ruki send their Mother's Day presents to their mother who is in America as Viola sends her present to her mother who is in Australia for a project that she and Viola's father are doing. Then Joan calls to thank her children for the gifts as Viola's mother sends a message to thank her as well.

A few weeks later, Kouga is doing his practice routine in the dojo. He heard that Tsuna went missing but doesn't go to find him as he knew that it was probably because of Reborn again. He then hears the birds singing on the opened window and looks at it before narrowing his eyes in worry.

"Tsuna, where in the world are you?" He thought.

However, he never thought that there is something going on in ten years in the future.

During that era, Tsuna and Gokudera are sent by the Ten-Year Bazooka as they found out that the TYL Tsuna is dead and meets Lal Mirch and TYL Yamamoto and brought into their hideout to find that Reborn is there wearing a strange costume as always. They then found out that they were still in Namimori and the time is off by 9 years and 10 months. Having no contact with the other Guardians, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto went outside to find the yellow bird that hangs around Hibari, Hibird, so they first try to go to Namimori Middle by arriving at abandoned factories.

"This is…" Tsuna trails off.

"The factories on the fifth block." The adult Yamamoto answers. "Now it's just a ruin, though."

"So, they were destroyed."

"One of the six entrances leads here. Anyway, let's head to Nami-Chuu." Yamamoto leads the two as Gokudera speaks to him.

"Hey, Yamamoto. What do you mean by 'Vongola Rings are our hope'?" He questions. "You said you lost them! Why aren't there any Vongola Rings in. This era?!"

"Oh, that. A while back, we shattered the Rings and threw them away." The Rain Guardian nonchalantly replies.

"Eh?"

"Throw them away?!" The bomber repeats.

"After going through so much to get them…" Tsuna pales.

"Who in the world did that?!"

Yamamoto stops and turns his head back to the two. "Our boss."

"C-Could that be…"

"J-Juudaime did?!"

"There were some Guardians who disagreed, but Tsuna wouldn't budge and Kouga agreed with it." The former baseball ace wryly smiles.

"Why did I do that?" Tsuna asks.

"Hahaha, so, even you don't know." He says and continues walking. "Tsuna started talking about destroying the Vongola Rings around the time the Mafia world began taking rings from each other."

"Taking…"

"Rings?" Tsuna and Gokudera repeat.

"He probably thought it would be better to get rid of them rather than have them as a source of conflict." Yamamoto turns to the brunette and face front again. "That's the kind of man you were. You were concerned with the existence of Vongola itself… A lot of us still depend heavily on rings, though." He then notices something and stops as an explosion occurs in front of the three.

"Ah!" Tsuna gasps.

"!" Gokudera alerts as Yamamoto gets off his sword from his shoulder.

"This way!"

"Hurry! Now!"

"T-That's Lambo and I-Pin!"

In front of the smoke, is the adult I-Pin and Lambo as they look at two shadows.

"Hurry! This way!" I-Pin tells them.

"They're with someone." Yamamoto points out.

"Eh? Could it be… Are the people there…"

I-Pin notices something is coming and turns to the two shadows. "Kyoko-san, Haru-san, run. We'll handle this!"

"It was!" Tsuna says.

"AH!" The three turn to the side to see white hair with kimono collapsing to the ground.

"Ruki!" Yamamoto shouts.

"That's Ruki-chan from ten years in the future!" The brunette exclaims.

The TYL Ruki slowly stands up and shouts, "Lambo, I-Pin, hurry and take those two away!"

"But there's no way for you to handle two at once!" Lambo shouts.

Before she can reply, a red flame shoots at the smoke causing the three to be pushed by the force of it.

"Ah!"

"They're above us!" Gokudera exclaims as he, Tsuna, and Yamamoto looked up to see two people floating with red flames at the soles of their shoes.

One of them is a burly man with dark skin and wears a black uniform with white shoulder guards and a black beret hat, holding a scythe that is burning with red flames on the blade. Compared to him, the other is a young man with long pink hair wearing the same uniform as he has his hands in his pockets.

"Go finish them off." The burly man says.

"Leave it to me, Aniki." The young man replies.

"It's the Millefiore's Black Spell!" Yamamoto exclaims.

Tsuna and Gokudera look at him when he said that.

"Black… Spell…?" Tsuna repeats but then remembers who is in danger. "Kyoko-chan and Haru are…!"

"Here we go! Take the Mammon Chaim's off your Vongola Rings!" He tells them as he takes off the chains that wrap around his two rings in his fingers.

In the air, the duo sees Lambo crying on the ground in pain. "Heheh, one prey, two prey." The young man says.

Ruki and I-Pin get up and look up at the two before the Chinese looks at the crying Lambo.

"We'll take them! Lambo, take care of Kyoko-san and Haru-san!" She tells him.

"With those injuries, you can't, I-Pin! Ruki-san!"

"Just hurry!" The white-haired woman tells him.

"I'll take these then!" The young man says. "Don't interfere, Tazaru-aniki."

"Do it well then, Nozaru." The burly man, Tazaru says.

The young man, Nosaru smirks and lights a red flame on his ring before putting it into a holed small box and out comes a scythe as red flames cover the blade. 'Now, here I come, my prey!" He swings his scythe, throwing the same flame at the three causing them to fly from it. "I'll come and cut you down while you're weakened!" He shouts and flies down to the smoke when a shadow appears in it. "Shadow there! Your neck is mine!"

However, a katana is blocked by Nosaru's scythe which surprises the young man as the owner of the katana is Yamamoto who is holding it with one hand. This surprises Tazaru, Lambo, and I-Pin.

"Takeshi-san!" Ruki cries out.

"Aniki, who is this?" Nosaru asks.

"He may have been on the target list, but I don't have time to memorize guys who are about to be killed." Tazaru replies.

"You're right!" The young man agrees and attacks the Rain Guardian, but Yamamoto parries his swings. "What's with him? He's blocking my attacks!"

"My turn." Yamamoto says and a blue flame appears on the blue gem of one of his rings as the said flame travels down to the blade of his katana. "Shigure Souen Ryu, eight form."

"Move away, Nosaru!" Tazaru shouts.

But it's already too late as Yamamoto swings his sword as four pillars of blue flame rise.

"Shinotsuku Ame." Yamamoto says and notices. "Too shallow."

"Ow… That was close!" Nosaru exclaims as he manages to dodge Yamamoto's attack as his jacket is ripped from it.

"I heard that Vongola had five master swordsman. He and that white-haired woman must be one."

"Everyone! Are you all right?" Tsuna asks as he and Gokudera run to their fallen friends.

"Hang in there!" Gokudera tells them.

"V-Vongola! And Gokudera!" Lambo exclaims.

"I told you." Haru's voice says as the smoke disappears, revealing her hair now shorter and more like an adult. "Tsuna-San would definitely come and save us."

"Haru from ten years in the future?!" Tsuna and Gokudera scream in their head as they look at the TYL Haru as she looks at the two.

"She seems more lady-like." The brunette thought.

"Hahi. It seems Haru have grown taller all of a sudden!" She says.

Both teens sweat-drops at her speech with blue lines going down. "She hasn't changed on the inside, though."

"Urgh!" Ruki groans in pain as she holds her arm from the last attack.

"Ruki!" Yamamoto calls out as he holds her.

"I-I'm fine." She says but grimaces the pain.

"Don't push yourself from that injury."

"But-"

"How dare you tear my suit that matches Aniki's!" Nosaru shouts, cutting Ruki's sentence and sends a fire blast at them.

Yamamoto sees this and flicks a box up and catches it before putting his flame into it and out comes the water that acts like a barrier from the blast.

"What?!"

"A barrier of water." Tazaru says.

"Ruki, can you at least bring out your flame?" The former baseball ace asks.

"Yes." She nods and brings up her ring before a white flame appears and puts her hand out, freezing both the water and the blast.

"Wow." Tsuna says.

"You guys should remember this." Yamamoto tells the two from the past. "Rings have the power to open these boxes."

Gokudera remembers something and digs into his jacket pocket. "Sokka!" He takes out a pale box with moss covering some parts. "That's what this hole is used for."

"Where did you get that?" He asks.

"My future self had this in his bag."

"Oh yeah, he was telling me that he found an amazing one." Yamamoto mutters.

"I won't let you be the only one who looks good!" The bomber exclaims and puts his ring into the hole but it didn't do anything. "Nothing's happening?"

"Hahaha!"

"What's so funny?!"

"There is something else besides blood running through the human body. Life energy, unseen to the eye, runs through the form of waves."

"Life energy?" Tsuna repeats.

"There are seven kids of waves." Yamamoto explains as he shows his rings. "A ring will react of the wave which matches that of the ring." He fists his hand as blue flam rises from a ring. "It transforms and refines it into high-density energy."

"T-That's…"

"That's right, Dying Will Flames!" The Rain Guardian places his flaming ring into another box, which comes out a bird flying fast in the air.

"What's that?" Gokudera asks.

"Sugoi!" Tsuna exclaims.

"What's this little thing?" Nosaru questions as the bird circles around him when it erases the red flames from the scythe. "My flames!" He shouts as the bird erases the flames from his sole. "It's putting out my flames!"

"As I thought, he is the Vongola Guardian of Rain and the other is the Guardian of Snow."

"Ah! Are?!" I-Pin looks around as she notices someone is missing.

"What's the matter?" Tsuna asks.

"Oh no! Kyoko-san isn't here!"

"Eh/Nani?!" They all ask.

"N-Now that you mention it…" Lambo says.

"Kyoko-chan's…" Tsuna trails off.

"They make have gotten her in that explosion!" The Chinese hitman exclaims.

"T-That's terrible…"

"That's not to be for certain!" Ruki tells the brunette,

"Go and look for her, Tsuna! I'll take care of the enemy!"

"U-Un. Got it!" Tsuna replies as he turns around and runs so that he can find her before their enemy does.

"Damn it! It's quick!" Nosaru curses.

"I retract my previous comment, Nosaru." Tazaru tells his little brother. "I wasn't going to interfere, but this is a big fish that wandered into our boring little mission. I can't just let them go."

"That's not fair, Aniki! He's mine! I'll give you the rest!"

"All right, I'll wait for you." The flames on Tazaru's scythe rises. "Until I take care of the rest!" He swings down his scythe, sending a blast of fire at Tsuna. The brunette turns around just as the blast hits the ground behind causing him to be sent flying into the warehouse next to him.

"Tsuna!"

"Tsuna-san!"

"Juudaime!" Yamamoto, Ruki, and Gokudera call out when the Rain warrior spots a blast coming for him, he jumps back.

"I'm your opponent!" Nosaru shouts but easily distracted by the bird that Yamamoto released as it speedily flies around him. "Stop moving around!" he tries to hit it but the swallow keeps flying around.

Meanwhile, Gokudera keeps trying to open the box with his Ring. "I need to hurry, or Juudaime'll be… Damn it. Why won't you activate? Is it broken?"

"Image a flame, Gokudera." Yamamoto tells him. "Image changing your Dying Will into flame. Imagine changing your resolve into flame."

"Changing my resolve into flame?"

The Rain swordsman brings out his opened box. " You can do it." The swallow immediately flies back into it, closing the box. "But leave this one up to me. I'm more worried about Tsuna too. Stay back, Gokudera."

"Teme!? Damn. Showing off like that, just I have a ten-year handicap." Gokudera growls. "I'll hand this one over just this once. Now, show me!"

"Yeah. I'll finish him off with this." Yamamoto says and throws his two boxes up when a pink smoke covers him. Once the smoke is cleared, out comes the past Yamamoto who has his baseball bat in position and blinks in confusion.

"W-W-W-What?!" The silverrette exclaims when four more pink smoke covers Haru, I-Pin, Lambo, and Ruki and the four turns into the one's Gokudera knows.

Finally noticing him, the normal Yamamoto turns to him. "Hey, Gokudera! What are you doing here?"

"Ah! Gokudera-san!" Haru calls out. "We've been looking for you!"

"But where are we?" Ruki asks.

"Y-You've got to be kidding." The bomber mutters. "At a dangerous time like this, of all times…" He then turns to Nosaru who is looking at Yamamoto.

"Huh? The katana-guy's appearance changed?" He questions. "Doesn't matter. I'm going to wrap this up before Aniki gets back!"

"Listen up, you guys! Just run!"

They all look at him with confused looks as Haru asks, "Hahi?"

"Don't you 'hahi' me, you stupid girl!"

"What do you mean 'stupid'?!"

"That's the only choice we have!"

"Gokudera-san! What do you mean by 'stupid'?!

"Where is this place?" Yamamoto asks.

"We'll deal with that later!" Gokudera shouts at him. "Just run! If you don't…!"

"I won't let you run." Nozaru raises his scythe causing the people who arrived gasps.

"Damn!" The flame blast hits them causing their things to fly off from the smoke. Once the smoke died down, Gokudera covered I-Pin and Ruki from it and gets up. "I could only save I-Pin and Ruki. Damn it." He then hears voices behind him and turns to find Yamamoto covered both Haru and Lambo. "Lambo! Haru! That Yakuu-Baka… He covered for them without really knowing what was going on. Not bad."

"Yeah! I got the katana-dude too!" Nozaru cheers.

"Yaro!?" Gokudera shouts as he takes out his dynamites.

"What's with you? Dynamite? You won't be able to beat me with that!"

Hearing him saying that, causes the bomber to lower his arm. "He's right. He's not an opponent I could beat with dynamite. What do I do?" He thought and remembers that the future Yamamoto told him.

"Image a flame, Gokudera. Image changing your Dying Will into flame. Imagine changing your resolve into flame."

The bomber smirks. "I don't want to hear it from you." He says. "I'm always resolved!" "All that's left is the flame. My resolve into flame…" Gokudera fists his hand that has his Ring tightly. "Into flame!"

"Now it's over!" Nosaru shouts.

"My resolve into flame!" Just his Dying Will Flame appears on his ring as it is the same color as Nosaru's. "T-This is the Dying Will Flame?"

"That flame. It's storm, just like mine." The young man notes.

"Now I should be able to open this box.." Gokudera says as he looks at his box. "What could it be inside? It better be an amazing weapon." "Heh. It's just like Pandora's Box! But I'll have to do it, no matter what may come of it!" He puts the flame into the box causing it to shine for a bit and opens as red hurricane surrounds his left arm. Once it disappears a metallic cannon is strapped to his arm with skulls on both ends and red flames burn on either side of the skull. Due to the heaviness of the cannon, Gokudera's arm is immediately dropped. "It's heavy! What is this?" he lifts his arm and sees the skull. "A-A skull? I-It's so cool."

"So, you had a box! Can't let do you anything weird! Charge in!"

"Here he comes!" Gokudera says and runs away as Nozaru chase after him. "How do I use this thing? Like this?" Then from the flame red words appears in Italian that says 'imbocca proiettili'. "'Feed me bullets'? B-Bullets? I don't use guns! I don't have any bullets!"

"It's over!"

"Ei! Won't this do?!" Gokudera slides in one of his dynamite into the arm cannon and fires it at Nozaru who was about to swing his scythe. "T-There it went!" However, after the blast hits him, Nosaru is unscathed.

"What was that? It didn't hurt at all." He says.

"I-It didn't work?!" Gokudera questions.

"Heheh! You startled-" He then falls as his flames disappear from his shoes with blunt spots replacing it. "My flame! I'm falling! I'm falling!" Because his flame disappeared, Nosaru crash lands on the ground as the silverrette just looks at him. "Impudence! You blew my flames away? Don't mess with me!" Nosaru stands back up as his flames reappear on his scythe.

"It only worked for a second!" The bomber shouts and runs away as Nosaru flies after him once again. "As fancy you look, and that's all you got?! Say something!" Words appear again and this time it said 'Bomba a diffusione'. "'Diffused bomb'? I get it, that one didn't have much energy in it. Meaning, if I were to tighten the mouth tightly…"

"It's over!"

Gokudera stops and turns as he slides another dynamite into the cannon before pointing the cannon to Nosaru. "Blow away!" He shouts and this time, the blast hits him and fully blows him away. The silverrette stares at the spot where Nosaru was and cheers, "Oh yeah! All right! I shall name this 'Flame Arrow'." The cannon turns into flames and goes back into the box and he runs back to where Yamamoto and the others are. There, he sees Tazaru coming out of the building with ice covering his shoes and into another. "You did it, Juudaime! Way to go!" He then sees the five coming to their senses back as they sit up.

"Hahi…" Haru groans.

"I-Pin covered in dust."

"Lambo-san's hungry."

"Oi! Are you all right? Hang in there!" Gokudera shouts and runs over to them. "Haru! I-Pin! Stupid cow!"

Yamamoto looks up, seeing his friend there. "Gokudera?"

"What in the world is happening?" Ruki questions.

"Why are you guys in this era too? Say something! Oi, Yaku-Baka, Chibi Mitsurugi!" Gokudera then notices their Vongola Ring hanging on their necks. "Heh. But you did bring your Vongola Ring. Ring?" He realizes and takes out papers that his future self left. "'Guardians gather'. 'Vongola Rings'." The five look at him as Gokudera widens his eyes in realization. "So that's what's going on!"