"What are you doing?"
Iemitsu turned around from where he was grabbing his things to see Ran leaning against the doorway to the master bedroom. For any other guest, it would have been rude to step into the owner's own room, but he knew as well as she did that she'd timed it for when Nana would be busy.
"I'm leaving for Italy." He replied, not pausing as he strapped the gun inside its holster. He scanned the room, looking for anything he'd missed and any indications he'd left of his presence. It wouldn't do to leave any traces for enemies to find. Especially not around his family.
"Because of Vongola Nono's choice?"
He turned around to face her, face grim. "There's something wrong in Italy. I can sense it."
"What do you mean?"
"Xanxus would never be Nono's choice for the heir." There was absolute certainty in his words.
He took a breath. She realized that he didn't know exactly what was happening either, but something had tipped him off. The situation was even worse than she'd realized.
"You think someone's manipulating Vongola Nono and meddling with the Inheritance Ceremony." She realized.
"Either Xanxus did it himself or he's cooperating with someone to interfere with the succession." He affirmed.
She frowned. "You think it was forged?"
If the Outside Advisor was so sure that Nono would avoid making such a choice then there was definitely something going on in the background. Either Nono had been forced to make that decision or someone had interfered with the message.
Only a handful of people would be able to manipulate the King of the Underworld. In addition, they'd somehow managed to form an alliance with Xanxus.
There were precious few who would be able to fake a flame seal, and even the best Mists would struggle with such a strong flame, let alone the distinctive Vongola seal.
Iemitsu's jaw clenched. Whatever he did know, he wasn't willing to share with her. It wasn't surprising, given she was only a temporary guardian, but it made her wonder at the identity of someone who even the Vongola were wary of.
"But how do you know Nono didn't simply change his mind?" She asked, refusing to discount that possibility.
Iemitsu may have been sure that Nono wouldn't support Xanxus, but she failed to see why he wouldn't prefer his own son inherit the throne rather than a foreign civilian.
"Nono would never support Xanxus as the heir." There was something final to those words, something she was missing. Some reason that made Iemitsu sure Xanxus would never be able to inherit.
But all she could do was create conjectures without any further information. It annoyed her to be missing so many cards, but there was little she could do. She doubted the Vongola would simply leave their secrets so unguarded even a mid-level information broker would find it - and even if she did, well, the consequences might well outweigh whatever she did find out.
She nodded at him as he grabbed his suitcase and exited the room. "I won't see you off."
He gave her a wry smile, "It wouldn't be your style. Just take care of those kids."
She watched him leave, suddenly realizing that he'd forgotten one particular detail. Luckily, Nana had taken Bianchi and the kids so no one else had heard their conversation, but now it fell to her to make a convincing excuse for his sudden departure.
Despite his relatively short tutelage, it had given her a good grasp of his personality. Somehow the man managed to both be extremely competent and a complete fool.
But with his sudden departure, and his new order, it now fell to her to make sure those stupid kids weren't completely annihilated by Xanxus and his goons. She clicked her tongue in distaste.
He might as well have told her to move a mountain.
She knew the moment she saw the Varia boss she was right to suspect illicit maneuvering. Despite now being behind in the battle for the rings, he seemed unfazed. It wasn't mere composure. He was too smug, too anticipatory. Almost like he was waiting for something.
He lounged on his chair like it was throne. And even in face of his subordinates' various losses, his expression had hardly changed. Oh, he didn't forgive them their losses, but he hardly seemed concerned as he should. It was his last chance, or rather, he would need both the Sky and Cloud rings in order to conclude in a draw.
What was his plan? He hardly seemed like someone who would be content with such a state of affairs. But she couldn't figure out what he was thinking. It made her even more wary, because whatever he was planning, it didn't seem to matter whether the battles ended in losses.
And that was the most baffling part. It was the battles for the rings that determined the rightful successor. Whatever plan he had, no one would recognize him as the rightful heir if he didn't claim possession of the rings. It was no mere tradition, but the foundation of the Vongola Famiglia was that who so ever had possession of the rings was the true heir.
And yet, Xanxus acted like he expected them to fall into his lap. She pursed her lips. As someone used to carrying all the cards, being so lost was beyond frustrating. She wished she could read his mind.
"Whatever he's planning, it's best to focus on the Cloud Battle for now." Reborn's voice came from next to her.
She sighed. "You're right, but I can't help it. What kind of information broker doesn't have any information?"
"The dead kind," he responded bluntly. She rolled her eyes, gaze turning to the figure who stood by his lonesome on the lethal battleground.
"Where's Sawada?" She asked. "Shouldn't you be with him?"
"He's just finished training." Reborn responded. "There's no need for him to be here." Which implied there was a reason for Reborn to be here. Did he have the same bad feeling she did?
"Do you think he'll survive?"
Reborn didn't even blink at the sudden non sequitur. "We'll see."
She wasn't one to get her hopes up, especially if the situation was against them. And Hibari Kyoya was facing an armored monstrosity in a minefield. A minefield with an array of automatic weapons.
Was there a human who could survive that?
She twitched. Her nerves hadn't been right since she'd encountered Mukuro. And right now all she was getting were warning feelings, but she couldn't divine the reason why.
"If you're scared you can just run away," Levi said to Hibari. "Just like your boss did."
"The boss didn't run away, asshole." Gokudera responded immediately.
"Yeah, there's just no need for Tsuna to be here." Yamamoto smiled. "Hibari is our ace."
She was really starting to wonder where their delusional confidence in a teenager was coming from. It was one thing if their opponent hadn't been a member of the Varia, but the giant robot was Varia quality. And from their earlier remarks, he ranked towards the top in combat ability.
"I'll never understand their confidence in that kid." She muttered.
Reborn smiled, tilting his fedora down ever so slightly. "Who knows. Perhaps they have good reason to be so confident."
She stared at him. "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"
She'd done her research. Even if she doubted he would survive this, the boy was strong. His strength was undisputed in his hometown. Every single local she'd spoken to had agreed, Hibari was the strongest person in the city.
It was impressive. Not a small feat even in a tiny little city in the middle of nowhere like Namimori, but that was the problem. He was a big fish in a small pond about to be thrown into the ocean.
She eyed him. He hardly looked anything special. Handsome, but not especially dangerous looking. Or at least not the creep-in-the-street way that Mukuro had perfected.
"Let the guardian battle for the Cloud Ring begin." The Cervello announced. "Hibari Kyoya vs Gola Mosca."
In an instant, the giant armored robot began flying towards him. She was mildly impressed at the strength of its thrusters if it managed to get something so bulky off the ground. But that didn't bode well for Hibari.
Hibari remained unmoved even as it closed the distance. Her hands tightened, full of tension over what would clearly be a brutal fight.
But the moment before it could attack, Hibari leapt upwards. His brought his tonfa, a tonfa of all things, upwards, and struck the robot.
Well, that was stupid. She was prepared for his tonfas to break, and perhaps his arm… and yet it was the opposite. The armored arm of the Gola Mosca came flying off and dropped to the ground. He'd hacked it off like it was made of sheer force of Hibari's attack was so strong, the robot was malfunctioning - electricity running over it's body. A moment later a giant explosion wracked it's form.
She spluttered. "You-He. What? How?" What had she just witnessed?
That robot was the latest in secret mafia technology. A robot which rivaled the best weapons in the entire world. And Hibari had taken it down in a mere instant. Just how many freaks of nature were in this town?
Glancing around, it seemed even Yamamoto and Gokudera, Hibari's fiercest defenders, were struck speechless. It seemed even they were surprised by how quickly the battle had ended. If that could even be called a battle.
"I don't need this thing." Hibari tossed his ring towards the Cervello. And he turned towards the leader of the Varia.
"Hey, you. Come down here." He smiled. "I can't go home until I bite you to death, Monkey Boss."
The members of the Varia muttered to themselves, unsure of what to do now that they had lost. Except they hadn't merely lost the battle, but the entire war. Sawada's side now had the majority of the rings. Even if Xanxus did win the battle of the sky, it wouldn't matter.
Xanxus, however, didn't look so concerned. Instead he smirked at his challenger.
A moment later, he leapt into the ring. "Whoops, my foot slipped." He said.
Hibari smirked in turn.
"No really, I only came to retrieve that piece of junk." He insisted.
One moment they were still, staring each other down. The next moment, they were a blur in motion. It was a true testament of their skill. Their movements were so fast Ran knew she was missing at least a few. But even though he was nothing more than a blur, she could see that Xanxus hadn't raised his fists to attack.
Rather, he was continuously dodging. Or at least he was, until the last move, when he'd raised a hand to block Hibari's tonfa.
"Oi Cervello," He called out to the pink haired women. "Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't attacking at all."
His last words were punctuated by an attack… only not from him. The Mosca on the ground twitched, before once again launching explosives. They landed all over the grass, immediately detonating.
"What the hell is going on?" Gokudera demanded.
Xanxus, surprisingly, answered him. "What's going on is that I just came to retrieve my stuff, but I was obstructed by the cloud guardian. Now the Mosca's system is broken and it's going on a rampage."
More explosives rang out from the Mosca, landing all over school grounds. The already crumbling building collapsed under the attack.
"If this continues we're all going to die." Sasagawa worried. For once she agreed with him.
All of a sudden, the Mosca, which was intent on firing at everything, suddenly focused on a target. It was the girl, Rokudo's counterpart. Her eyes widened as she stared at the missile heading straight for her.
At the last moment, though, her two companions pulled her down.
A round of bullets were sent their way But it was too late and they were too close to the Mosca… only for them to be burned by a wall of fire.
"Get back, you three." She shouted at them. The best way for them to escape was to use what had caught the Mosca's attention to move back.
Unfortunately, her words caught the Mosca's attention. It's head swiveled to her. Her eyes widened as she realized she had become it's new target.
Another gun moved up, and it centered on her. She recognized it, a motion sensor missile. In other words, the missile would follow her movements. There would be no escaping it.
The gun lit up and she threw her arms in front of her. She heard the missile power up, and heard it being fired. She felt the heat of it's approach.
But it never made contact. Confused, she lowered her hands, only to start at who was standing in front of her. With a flaming fist and blazing forehead, Sawada Tsunayoshi eyed the Mosca in contempt.
"Move back, Ran." Stunned, it took her a moment to comprehend what he was saying. And then she took a few halting steps back, nearly tripping over herself as she gave him space.
He looked different. Unlike his usual cowering, this Sawada stood firm, flaming fist gripped in front of him in a battle stance. Eyes lit with resolve, he looked nothing like the stuttering boy she'd grown used to.
This was the Sawada Tsunayoshi she had been sent to become Guardian for. The one who had defeated Rokudo Mukuro.
"Mosca, eliminate them." Xanxus commanded.
The next second the air was lit with more explosives, all hurtling towards them. There were at least a dozen, all the size of small missiles. And it was aimed straight for them.
She shuddered to think of how much damage would occur if just one of them hit, let alone all of them. Forget a body to bury, they would have a hard time distinguishing between it from rubble.
The next second she yelped as she felt arms encircle her. One moment she was on the ground, and the next she was in the air. Wide eyed, she stared at her boss - who was carrying her in his arms. Below them, the missiles exploded harmlessly on the ground.
Now that the attack had passed he slowly lowered himself to the ground beside Yamamoto and Gokudera, and gently put her back on the ground before turning to face the Mosca. "Stay back, guys. I'll handle this."
His voice was different, too. Smoother, more assured. His eyes showed no more doubt. What on earth had Reborn done?
And with that he flew for the Mosca. He dug his fist into it's arm, and a second later, he was holding it's other arm. The metal in his arms began to melt under the strength of his flames. A moment later he was holding a hunk of misshaped metal, which he tossed to the side.
Without it's arms to fire explosions, it's combat ability was crippled.
"Hey blockhead," Tsuna stood in front of them all. For once not behind, but protecting them from the front. "I'm your opponent now."
Her instincts rang sirens. Something about his words made her nervous. Like he'd done something he wasn't supposed to.
But why?
Even if Tsuna did get in trouble for interfering, the Mosca had already fallen rogue. It was attacking everyone and everything. It had long since stepped outside the bounds of the arena, so it wasn't as though the Cervello could hold it against them.
Taking a breath, she forced her mind into focus. There was something she was missing here. Something that would put everything into focus.
As an information broker, it was key that she noticed everything no one else did. It was how one stayed ahead of the game. And unlike the lower levels, the higher echelon demanded either near divine instincts or intelligence able to equal it. And anyone became an information broker realized that early.
She'd survived this long by using her head. She refused to let it fail her now.
So she went over what she knew. Xanxus was scheming something. Something that would allow him to become Decimo despite losing the battle for the rings. Somehow, he'd managed to convince Vongola Nono to come to his side. Nono, who had initially supported Sawada, now pushed for his son to take the throne of the Underworld.
Meaning, whatever he was planning he'd either managed to coerce Nono into agreeing to his terms, or outplayed him.
That was why Iemitsu had left in such a hurry to Italy. He'd noticed something was wrong. Either Nono was coerced or there was some reason he'd changed his mind.
But Iemitsu was sure Nono would never support Xanxus. There was something she was missing here.
Shots fired around her, and she wanted nothing more than to slip into her mind to look over everything more carefully, to evaluate every little piece and ruminate. But she couldn't in the midst of a battlefield.
Again, she went over the clues she had. Nono was acting strangely - something both Reborn and Iemitsu, both of whom knew the man well, had noted. Xanxus was enacting some plan that would ensure he would be able to succeed.
She stared down the Gola Mosca. What was it about this machine that held the key to all these pieces? She was certain it did.
Something about it made her think it was important. She suddenly remembered how Xanxus had attempted to 'retrieve' it. She didn't know whether it was merely for show, but in what little she had seen of his character, he hardly seemed the type to reclaim his subordinates, even after they'd lost.
And yet, he'd made a show of retrieving the Gola Mosca. He hadn't seemed mad when it had lost. If anything, for a brief moment, he'd seemed pleased.
Did that mean he'd intended for the machine to lose?
And that's when it clicked. The Ninth's sudden erratic decisions, Xanxus' smug smile. The entire ring battle had been nothing but a joke, a precursor for this. This was the plan he'd had all along.
She'd, or rather the Vongola, CEDEF, Reborn, had all played directly into his hands. She'd been so focused on Xanxus that she hadn't been paying much attention to the Mosca, something she mentally cursed herself for. No wonder her instinct had all been saying something was off. She should have known better.
Even a civilian knew the importance of keeping track of the big picture. She'd focused so much, had fixated on Xanxus and his actions she'd forgotten to ask the basic questions.
In the first place, how was a robot a competitor? How was it worthy of being a guardian?
A mere robot couldn't have been. An android, however, was another matter entirely. And whoever was in the machine was the key to Xanxus' victory.
"Tsuna, stop!" She called. She didn't know his entire plan, so she didn't know if what he was planning was what she'd caught on to, but they needed to check first.
It they accidentally killed one of the higher ups of the Vongola, it would be political hell for them.
But it was too late. He punched the Mosca straight at it's center. It flew back almost a hundred feet, landing in a cloud of smoke.
"Alright!" Gokudera cheered. "That's our boss."
"Good job, Tsuna." Yamamoto cheered beside her.
"No." She said, suddenly certain she had guessed right when she saw Xanxus' sinister look. "This is the absolute worst case scenario."
With that, she ran towards him. She ignored their calls behind her. Reborn hopped on her shoulder.
"What did you notice?" He asked.
"If I'm right," she said, "Then there's about to be some serious trouble."
Tsuna stood by the Mosca, staring down at it but not attacking. Then his gaze turned towards the culprit. It was clear he'd noticed something off, too.
His attention was caught the next moment when the Mosca tried to attack again. "Sawada, you need to dodge." She called. "Don't fight it!"
It wasn't clear whether he heard her or it was the famed Hyper Intuition at play, but he listened to her. What should have been a opening became a missed opportunity. She sighed in relief, only to falter when the Mosca fell forward.
"Sawada," She called, and his head turned towards her. "Whatever you do, don't attack."
She finally reached his side, only for the Mosca to crumble open at that instant. And it revealed the very thing she'd been dreading. Only for it to be even worse than what she'd feared.
Vongola Nono tumbled out.
She knelt beside him immediately and checked his pulse. "He's still alive."
He was breathing, faintly, it apparent enough for her to distinguish. From what she could see none of Tsuna's attacks had mutilated him. But he was still old, and the punches definitely added up, especially considering the hunk of metal he'd been encased in.
She turned towards the others. "Stop standing around and defend the Ninth," she ordered. As if broken out of a trance, they hurried to her side.
She heard them speaking, but ignored their words as she closed her eyes and held her hands in front of the boss.
It had been a long time since she'd done this. It didn't come as naturally as it should have, as it once had, but it was enough. Opening her eyes, she sighed in relief when she saw them light up in a soft glow. She placed her hands over the Ninth, first to inspect.
The extent of his injuries was severe. Sawada certainly hadn't held back against the armored robot. His entire body was damaged, to the point she doubted that even her abilities would be enough. Still, it was hardly like she could leave the Vongola Don to die in front of her.
She felt Nono move, heard him talk, but didn't focus on what. Instead she focused on the light she felt in him every time she closed her eyes. She was stupid not to have noticed it earlier. Not to have noticed such pure dying will flames.
Pushing aside her mental castigation for the moment, she reached for that energy. And yanked it. Usually, this would have been a much more delicate process, but for now she needed to keep that spark moving. To ensure it didn't fade.
That was the first step. Reaching into herself again, she divided her attention, half focused on keeping the spark alive. If his flames faded, it meant the Vongola Boss was dead. And with the other half, she pulled her magic over his body. Scanning for the most life threatening injuries to treat.
"Nono!" Tsuna's voice brought her back to reality. "Please don't die." He cried.
She let out a hiss, irritated at the sudden interruption. "If you idiots are done talking, hurry up and call an ambulance."
She felt someone move the Ninth, "And whatever you do, don't let them touch me."
Reborn's voice floated to her. "Can you heal Nono?"
"Stop talking to me," She gritted out. "I can't chat with you and keep him alive at the same time."
She didn't even know if she'd answered his question, but her attention was already split three ways. She didn't have the time or energy to recount conversations.
The flame started to weaken and she scowled, shoving more energy into his body. But it wasn't enough.
"Tsuna, give me your hand." She called out, not even sure where he was.
A hand laid in front of her, and she grabbed it, unsure if it was even his. Whatever, so long as he had flames it didn't matter. She placed the hand over the Ninth and pulled.
Flames began to shoot all around them, and the world turned into an orange haze. Good. She gathered the flames. Rather than nudge or collect, it was more correct to say she grabbed at it. And then she began shoving it into the Ninth.
There was no time for skill here. What he needed was flames. She focused them on the gaping wound she saw in her mind, where the flames constantly leaked out of. Her own magic was insufficient to plug it up, but the sea of orange was more than enough.
It was like blocking a bullet wound with pressure - except in this case the pressure was metaphysical. When she had determined that no more flames were escaping, she set about stabilizing his flame. It flickered weakly, and she tugged at the ends of Tsuna's flames, dragging pieces off and shaping them around Nono.
This was the tricky part. The human body didn't naturally accept other flames as it's own. It was easier because they were both of the same affinity and lineage, distant though it may be. In her case, it helped that Tsuna's flame was so pure. But she still needed to trick Nono's body into accepting it.
And that was where her magic came in. Blazing to life within her, she set about weaving. Weaving the two flames together, and forming a new strand from the combination. That combination she ran her hands over mentally, smoothing out the rough edges and sent them into Nono.
They went in without issue. She had to hold back a sigh of relief. It had been a gamble to take a piece of his flame when it was already so weak, but she wouldn't have been able to convert it otherwise.
The flames ran through his body, and the more flames went in, the stronger his own became. Eventually, it stabilized, and this time she did breathe a sigh of relief.
Now onto part two. Healing him.
She'd split her mind to run both concurrently. And she pulled up the information she'd found. It would be safer to heal him with her full attention, but she needed to keep applying flames to hold the pressure. Even though his flame itself had stabilized, anything could set him off.
She forced the other half of her mind to the forefront. She reached inward and tugged at her magic again. It resisted, having already been stretched thin, but she tugged insistently. Finally relenting, her magic began to uncoil around itself and through her.
She didn't have the magic power to completely heal him. But she could at least stabilize his worst injuries so he'd survive the operating room. She fed her magic in the biggest holes she could find. It was difficult because he was in such overall bad shape. It was like trying to find the edges of a scar on someone with severe burns.
And she didn't have enough magical power to simply run over it all. So instead she focused on his brain, lungs, and heart. She wrapped her magic around the organs, being as careful as she could. Slowly, she began to supplement it.
She stopped when she began to feel his breathing even and the severity of his injuries start to decrease. There. That was the right amount. Any more and she risked poisoning him, especially since he was non-magical.
She was vaguely aware of other hands and other bodies. They avoided her own hands, and for that she was grateful. It wouldn't do to break her concentration, especially in the midst of powerful magic.
Eventually, she felt the urgency begin to decrease, and a pair of warm hands gently covered her own, drawing them back from the Ninth. She stumbled back a step, but someone caught her, though she was too tired to turn to see who.
Closing her eyes, she cut off the mental connection with the mystical, and opened her eyes again. This time, a new scene greeted her. She was in a hospital room, and the faces of the other guardians greeted her.
She yawned, and then felt her consciousness begin to fade. Just a little nap. She needed it after using so much power.
"You've sure got some interesting guardians, Tsuna." Dino grinned at him, eyes on the girl in his arms. The one who had just fainted.
"Indeed." Reborn said. "It was lucky Ran was here to heal the Ninth. The situation would have gotten far out of control if she hadn't."
Tsuna gulped, not wanting to consider such a scenario. "Is Ran going to be okay?"
Reborn eyed her sleeping form. "From what I can tell, it looked like she just exhausted herself."
He breathed out a sigh of relief. "And the Ninth?"
Dino smiled, "Ran did a pretty thorough job. Nono isn't in any immediate danger, and his worst injuries should heal with time."
He shook his head. "I'm amazed. If she hadn't been here, he might not have made it."
Yamamoto and Gokudera stood to his side. "But how was she able to do that?" Gokudera pressed. He eyed her as well, not so much in suspicion so much as consternation. Like he'd finally reached the last piece of the puzzle, but couldn't quite make it fit.
"Magic." Reborn said. Their heads shot up.
"Magic exists?" Tsuna asked incredulously.
"Of course it does, Dame-Tsuna. How do you explain the unexplainable?"
"That makes no sense, Reborn!"
"So she's really a witch?" Gokudera's eyes lit up. Remembering his fascination with the occult and other such subjects, Tsuna guessed Gokudera must be having the time of his life.
"Maa, who would have guessed Ran was really a witch?" Takeshi grinned. He, too, seemed excited. Tsuna just hoped she didn't curse him.
"Her magic powers are one of the reasons Ran was initially recruited by Iemitsu," Reborn explained. "It would be a major advantage." Ran shivered at that moment, and then curled up closer into him. He flushed.
"Should we have the staff check up on her?" Tsuna asked, feeling unsure. She had only gotten out of the hospital a few days ago after all. And now she had overexerted herself again.
"No need. I'm just tired." Ran opened her eyes. He noticed they were still slightly unfocused. She yawned again. She hadn't moved from where she was leaning on him, and her head was still on his shoulder. He felt the blush worsening when he realized she wasn't moving.
"Then it's settled," Reborn said. "Let's go back for the night. We have a difficult day tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" She asked. "What's tomorrow?"
Tsuna blinked, then remembered that she'd been focused on healing the Ninth at that point. It was Reborn who answered. "Tsuna and Xanxus will battle tomorrow. For the sky ring."
She stared for a moment, then stretched out. Instantly, he messed her warmth.
"Alright." And closed her eyes again. He was only half sure she'd even understood what was said.
He woke up that morning feeling much better. Sleep had definitely improved the exhaustion that had been curling through his bones yesterday. He'd been tired from training, and then the Mosca, but whatever Ran had done had him snoring as he crawled into bed.
It had been the oddest experience, he mused. But whatever she had done had saved Nono's life. He pressed a hand to his chest, a phantom of that strange feeling fluttering. It felt like she'd reached straight within him and yanked.
Whatever she had done had made his flames burst out, coating everything around them. He could still feel the phantom sensation of her moving his flames. He'd never even thought that was possible.
Was that what it meant to be a magic user?
When she'd worked her spells, she'd changed, too. The image of her glowing form was seared into his mind. He doubted he'd ever forget the experience for the rest of his life.
"Well, you're up early." Ran leaned on the doorframe. "For once."
He started. She was looking at him with an amused expression. He realized he was only wearing his boxers, too tired to completely change out of his uniform and into pajamas.
"HIIEEE!" He squealed, diving under the covers.
Instead of leaving, she walked in and sat down on the bed. As polished as always, the difference in their clothing states made him feel even more embarrassed.
"So, what did I miss?" She demanded, arms crossed.
He blinked from beneath the covers, looking up at her in confusion. "What?"
"How did we end up going from winning to having to fight a sky battle?" She pressed.
"Um, that's because of me." He said, lowering his head. "I couldn't allow someone like that to become the next boss."
"I heard Xanxus speak some nonsense about vengeance. Vaguely." She titled her head. "What was he talking about?"
"Oh," He swallowed. "He said… he said he would take vengeance against me for killing the Ninth." He couldn't get the words out of his head. Killing. He had killed Nono.
"Excuse me?" Her tone was flatter than his grades.
He peeked at her from below his lashes, fingers rubbing the edge of his blanket nervously. "Um, since I was the one who technically hurt him, he-"
"What kind of nonsense is that?" She cut in. The anger in her tone made him eye her in confusion. Was she angry with him or with what Xanxus had said?
"Why is your head lowered, Sawada?" She demanded. "Don't tell me you believe that trash."
He stared at her helplessly, unsure of what to say or what she was angry about. "Um, sorry?"
"Look at me, Sawada Tsunayoshi." She said. He found himself reflexively obeying. Her eyes were large and dark, and more intense than his flames. She leaned in and he fought the urge to shuffle back, cheeks flushing. "You are not responsible for hurting the Ninth."
"But I was the one who-"
She scoffed. "Were you the one who planned this circus?" From the way she was looking at him it was clear she would only accept one answer. He shook his head no.
"Did you know Nono was in there?" Another shake of his head.
"Would you have fought the Mosca if you had?" A final shake.
She leaned in again, bracing herself on either side of him. "Then stop blaming yourself. You weren't the one at fault."
She gave him a serious look. "Xanxus is the one who tried to hurt his own father." She poked a finger into his chest. "You helped save his life."
"Huh?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Did you think I asked for your flames for the pretty fire show? I used your flames to help stabilize the Ninth's. That's what allowed him to survive long enough to get treatment."
Her tone gentled, "If you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have been able to save him."
Tsuna stared at her for a moment, then his eyes lowered to the comforter. He blinked back tears. He'd been worried. Had been so guilty. Because he was the one who had hurt Nono. It may have been Xanxus' plan, but he was the one who had carried out the blow.
It felt a relief to hear someone say the words. Like he'd been craving words he didn't know he needed to hear. She drew closer, and then she wrapped her arms around him.
He stiffened for a moment, but she didn't let go. She didn't pull back, and he couldn't bring himself to either. Her warmth was comforting, as was the surety of her actions. He found himself laying his forehead on her shoulder.
"I don't know if I can do this," he whispered. He didn't know why he was telling her this. He knew she already didn't like him. There was no reason to give her more ammunition.
Ran didn't say anything for a moment, and he worried she would pull back. "Can you walk away from this?" She asked instead. "If I gave you the opportunity, would you be able to turn away?"
Tsuna thought of the battles for the rings. Onii-san getting injured. Yamamoto and Squalo. Gokudera, who nearly hadn't survived his. Ran, who had just barely managed to win hers. Of Xanxus and the way he treated his subordinates. How he treated his own father. The destruction that had occurred.
"No." He said. "I don't want the Vongola to go to someone like him."
"Then go out there and kick his ass." It sounded so simple when she said it. But, it also felt more a possible reality as well.
"I won't lose," he promised her. A promise both to her and to himself. That was his resolve.
She pulled back then, and he instantly missed the warmth.
"Good." She said. And then she held up her ring. "Just remember you're not fighting alone."
Reborn was already seated at the table when she sat down. "Is Tsuna awake?" He asked.
"He just woke up." She said in turn.
Reborn eyed her seriously, and she raised an eyebrow. "If you want to ask, just ask."
"How did you know Nono was inside the Gola Mosca?"
She scowled. "I should have realized it earlier."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't tell me you didn't notice something was off with Xanxus."
"Yes, but it wasn't the priority, so I didn't pursue it." He said in turn.
She huffed. "It was all I could think about. I got so focused on what he was planning, I didn't even notice the obvious."
"Nono's presence."
"Yeah, or at least that someone was inside the suit. And they had sky flames." How many people in the world had such pure sky flames?
"Don't be too hard on yourself." He said, tilting down his fedora. "I didn't notice either."
She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "But at least it didn't end as bad as it could have."
She looked at him, sudden thought rising, "But what I can't understand is why he bothered to do it in the first place. If he had won the rings battle, he would have been heir anyway. Why go about it in such a circuitous way?"
"It probably has to do with the Cradle Affair," Reborn set down his coffee mug.
"The what?"
"I'm not surprised you don't know. Only certain parts of Vongola's highest circle know about it." He said. "Eight years ago, Xanxus tried to launch a coup and failed."
That… explained a lot actually.
"So now he's trying to play hero to make up for bad press," she guessed.
"Exactly."
"That's a horrible plan. Why would Nono be participating in his own heir's succession battle?" She rolled her eyes. "And then just so happened to be killed by Tsuna?"
"They wouldn't have access to that part of the information."
"Secrets have a habit of getting out, Reborn." He smirked at her in that Reborn way.
"By the way," he asked suddenly. "How did you know how to heal the Ninth?"
"What do you mean?"
"I've never heard of funneling Dying Will Flames into another person." Of course he hadn't missed that.
"I didn't. I improvised." She thought for a moment about how to explain it. "Nono's flame signature was weakening. I just needed to add more, a flame transfusion if you will. The hard part was changing Tsuna's flames so Nono's body would accept it."
He stared at her for a moment and then picked up his coffee mug. "That was incredibly reckless."
"I didn't really have a choice, did I? The most powerful man in the underworld would have died in front of me if I hadn't. And I don't need that on my plate."
"How incredibly selfless."
"Yes, Reborn, I'm the saint of the mafia."
Tsuna gazed down at the school grounds from the rooftop. After Ran had left, he'd realized he was running late and rushed to arrive to school on time.
But he couldn't bring himself to go into the classroom yet. He would never forget the sight of Nono's body falling from the suit and onto the ground. How it had crumpled. He would live with that for the rest of his life.
Ran had helped alleviate the guilt that had been plaguing him since he'd realized someone was in the suit. He would never believe it wasn't his fault, but the fact that his flames had helped save the Ninth alleviated some of his guilt.
Still he flushed at the memory of how he'd clung to Ran. He'd been worse than Lambo. But he felt better now. Even if the guilt remained, it felt far less crushing.
"Tsuna-kun," A voice behind him called. Turning, he was started to find Kyoko there.
"Kyoko-chan?" A part of him wondered if it was another illusion. Why would the school's idol be looking for him?
"I have something for you, Tsuna-kun." She said, digging into her pocket.
"This is for you," she said, handing over a small charm.
"An omamori? For me?"
Kyoko nodded. "Lately, a lot of people have been getting injured in the sumo tournament," he sweatdropped at that. "So this is for protection. And for victory, too."
"Thank you," he smiled back. His hand tightened around the charm. "There's no way I'm losing this next fight." He promised. Just as he'd sworn to Ran.
"Oh," she said, reaching into the bag, "I have some for Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto-kun as well." She smiled. "They were made by all of us."
"Us?" He asked, slightly disappointed he hadn't been the only recipient of Kyoko's gift.
"All of us," Haru said to his right.
"Haru?" He asked, taken a back. "How are you even here? You go to a different school."
"It's my day off so I decided to sneak in to distribute charms," she smiled back at him. Behind her, Bianchi and Fuuta also approached, both of them wearing the same Nami Middle uniform Haru was wearing.
"What's going to happen if you're found out?" He worried.
"We'll deal with that when it happens," Bianchi brushed off. Her blase attitude made him sweat.
The girls began chattering and Fuuta chimed in, all three giggling happily as Bianchi watched on with a smile on her face. Looking at them, Tsuna felt a smile tugging at his own lips.
Behind the wall next to them, Reborn watched on. 'Remember Tsuna, this is what you're fighting for. And what you must come back for.'