A/N: I'm so sorry about the issues with the chapter being uploaded as coding! Don't know what happened there... Thank you to everyone who notified me, both in the reviews and private messages :)

To be honest, the tour of Septer 4 Headquarters wasn't all that exciting.

The blond woman who'd be leading him around the large central building could hardly be described as 'welcoming', much less 'enthralling'. With her constant indifference, in not only her expression, but even in the way she detailed the day-to-day work of the Blue Clan, it was hard to actually absorb any information.

Takeshi sighed and tried his best to shake off an unavoidable yawn, or at least attempt to conceal it before it drew the attention of his tour guide and offended her.

He wouldn't want her to realise that her talk really was boringafter all.

That was too harsh, he amended, flicking his eyes over to a small gathering of young men chatting in the corner and wearing the trademark uniform of their clan. The female member of Septer 4 was taking the time to show him around after all, and whether it was the result orders or voluntary on Awashima Seri's part, he should still be grateful of her help.

"...moto-san? Yamamoto-san?"

Her stern blue eyes bore into his own, causing him to blink several times before realising that his guide had been trying to attract his attention for a while now, and that another had joined their small group. He laughed shortly and ruffled his hair slightly in embarrassment.

"Were you calling me? Sorry, I wasn't listening." he laughed louder this time, in an attempt to ease the half-glare the woman had fixed him with.

"Yamamoto-san. This is Fushimi Saruhiko." She gestured curtly to the man who had wandered over and currently had one hand casually placed in his pocket with the other slung over the hilt of his sabre, "He will be your guide from here on out."

She turned to face Fushimi directly, "Fushimi-kun. Make sure our guest gets to his room safely later on."

"Sure, I understand."

"Don't go into town, however you are permitted to walk around the entire perimeter of Headquarters if Yamamoto-san wishes to leave the building itself."

"Yes."

She fixed him with a chilling glare, to which he responded with a dull, bored gaze.

"Fushimi-kun?"

"Yes?"

"There doesn't need to be another warning, correct?"

He faltered for a moment before casting his eyes downwards, the light temporarily reflecting in the lenses of his glasses, blocking his eyes from his superior.

"No. Of course not."

She nodded, satisfied, and turned on her heel, not stopping to look back even once.

It was unlucky that Awashima Seri didn't catch the slowly widening grin that had begun to form on her sub-ordinate's face.

A grin that promised trouble.

As soon as she was safely out of sight, the newly appointed tour guide sighed and began walking forward at a steady, almost lethargic, pace.

"On your right, you'll see the canteen," he droned, gazing at the watch on his right-hand wrist, "On your left-"

"Did you want to go somewhere?"

Fushimi stopped and placed his right hand back into his pocket, before reclining his head backwards over his shoulder and staring with bored eyes at Takeshi.

"Did you say something, honoured guest?"

Takeshi grinned and chuckled good-naturedly, "It's just you were checking your watch as if you were going to be late. I don't want to hold you up if you're meeting someone!"

And the moment that the mention of meeting someone found its way into the conversation, Fushimi's eyes held an unsettling... something. It was small, granted, but it was there. It was something that reminded Takeshi of the look the Vongola Mist Guardian gave whenever a fight was brewing.

Perhaps it was the promise of violence? Was it anticipation of the violence this person he was meeting brought? Or maybe he was expecting Takeshi to engage in a duel?

No. This member of Septer 4, Fushimi Saruhiko was a lot more similar to Rokudo Mukuro than Takeshi had previously believed.

That light, that glint that had formed in his eyes wasn't anticipation.

It was excitement.

But just as quickly as it came, it vanished, leaving no trace of having ever been there. The eyes relaxed and dulled, and to anyone else he would seem bored, probably making them question whether they had ever seen that unsettling excitement to begin with or whether it had been a figment of their over-active imagination.

But when you had been swept up into the very heart of the Mafia, you began to notice those small details. Especially when you had been around Mukuro and Hibari.

Takeshi guessed that Awashima's 'another warning' to Fushimi was something along the lines of controlling his obvious violent tendencies.

"Tsk. I've been ordered to not let you leave the building, Mr Representative." Fushimi stated, showing the first signs of annoyance since Takeshi had become acquainted with him.

Takeshi studied the Blue Clan member for a moment. Maybe he had been looking too deeply into this. Maybe Fushimi did just want to meet up with someone.

No. Of course that wasn't the case, Takeshi would have to be beyond naïve to believe that.

But that didn't mean that he couldn't pretend that he was that naïve. After all, your enemies tended to underestimate you then.

It would also allow him to assess HOMRA better if he could convince this man to take him outside of the headquarters. All he had to do after that was get directions to the Red Clan and lose Fushimi.

The Vongola Rain Guardian tilted his head in false confusion and gazed at his guide, "You say I'm not allowed to leave, but then how am I meant to do my job?"

Fushimi seemed to mull over the question for a few moments, before he sighed heavily, "I see. The Captain might be mad later, but I guess if I say you overpowered me and made for the nearest exit..."

Takeshi laughed heartily and slung an arm over Fushimi's shoulder, starting to guide them both back the way Awashima had led him.

"Right! You're such a joker, Saruhiko-kun!"

"It's Fushimi. And that wasn't a joke."

"But Saruhiko's fine, right?"

Another sigh, "Say whatever you want, I don't care."

Another warm laugh.

Now just to find the Red Clan.

It didn't take long for the two companions to become separated in the crowd of Shizume City, and for Takeshi to become lost once again. And, while it was his intention to lose Fushimi, he had to make sure that he wasn't just going to barrel straight into him again.

"Sorry for bothering you!" The Guardian happily apologised, "But have you seen a guy with dark hair, glasses and wearing a blue coat around?"

The man who had been called over for questioning furrowed his eyebrows in thought and shook his head decisively, "No, I've not seen anyone like that around."

Takeshi smiled and thanked the man. No sign of Fushimi meant that he was in the clear for now, but he should find the Red Clan as soon as possible before anyone other than Fushimi realised where he had gone.

He turned to the man once again, "Do you, by any chance, know where I can find HOMRA?"

The man nodded politely, shifting his long silver hair over his shoulder, pointing across the street to a corner bar.

"Yeah, that's the usual hangout of those kids, but despite what you've heard," he began sternly, "they're not all that bad. Sure, they can get destructive sometimes, but I've seen them in there when I go to get a drink after work," he smiled softly, "and they all treat each other like they were flesh and blood."

Treating each other like family? Maybe HOMRA weren't as bad as the Intel said they were.

Takeshi grinned in response and hitched the strap of his bag up higher on his shoulder, "Thanks for the help!" he said, bowing slightly, "And I'll remember what you said about HOMRA."

"That's all I ask." the man agreed smiling.

With a final cheerful wave, the Rain Guardian manoeuvred through the dense crowds toward the building that the man had indicated towards.

Perhaps, if Takeshi had turned around before reaching the bar, he would have noticed the wide, unsettling grin creeping onto the man's face.

Perhaps he would have noticed his eyes dilating significantly and the laughter, filled to the brim with insanity, leaving his lips.

How stupid could the Vongola get? They were playing right into his hands and they didn't even realise it! The man shook his long strands of hair over his shoulders to cascade down his back, morphing his laughter into a maniacal cackle that sent racked his body uncontrollably.

Insanity was a funny thing.

It bubbled below the surface, sometimes so well concealed that no one noticed it. But no one faced with the overwhelming compulsions that insanity forces upon them can contain it for long.

And the Silver King was no different.

"You're going to be caught out if you keep laughing like that in public. And why did you venture in to the public eye at all? You know that if anyone recognises Wisemann you won't be able to use his body anymore."

The man abruptly stopped laughing as he faced the figure who had approached him from the shadows. How could this... scientist be so serious? Did he not understand what was about to unfold? Either way, Verde was a necessary alliance; they both benefited each other, no matter how different they were.

"Did you get what you wanted? Did you get what Suoh Mikoto needs?" He let out another mad giggle and focused his attention on the disk clutched in Verde's hand.

The scientist snorted and gave the Silver King a look of mild annoyance,.

"Of course I did. It'll help advance my research more than I first perceived."

The King's grin widened, "All you're bothered about is your research," he mocked, throwing his arms out dramatically, "You just don't understand the beauty of my chaos!"

Verde rubbed his temples to soothe the oncoming headache, as the man opposite him began laughing hysterically, "The sooner you create your chaos, the sooner I can discover more about those flames you possess."

"But you're not interested in my aura, are you?"

Verde smirked and raised an eyebrow; it seemed, while undoubtedly insane, the Silver King was more observant than he let on, "Not in the slightest," he snorted, "Possessing bodies? Far too similar to the Vongola Mist Guardian. And he does it much more effectively too."

The Colourless King paid no attention to the remark and grinned excitedly at the mention of possession, latching onto that part of the conversation with delirious excitement, "You know that Wisemann took that boy's body? You should have seen his face as he fell! He didn't even fight back!"

Verde frowned and cast a quick glance at the maniacal King, "Not fighting back? How bizarre..." He shook his head when the King didn't respond and sighed heavily, "Either way, I have a more interesting puzzle to pursue at the moment. I have no time to deal with anyone else's problems, especially yours. Just make sure you don't get too close to Yamamoto Takeshi. Let him focus on the Red Clan for the time being."

"Yamamoto Takeshi... What an interesting host you'd make..."

Verde scowled, "We don't need any more Vongola here. Don't give them a reason to descend on Shizume. You know we need the object of my interest to fall before they can stop it."

The Silver King merely giggled in response, his eyes alight with madness.

"Are you Kusanagi Izumo, by any chance?"

The man started and halted the intense cleaning of a wine glass. Yamamoto smiled hopefully at the blonde, sunglasses-clad bartender who'd featured in the files he'd been handed at the start of this assignment.

"What can I do for you?"

Takeshi took a seat at the bar, rested his arms on the counter-top and grinned widely at Kusanagi, quickly digging for a reason to talk to the bar tender, "Well, I was told that you know a lot of people in the area, and I'm kind of looking for someone."

"Oh? Well, I can't make any promises about having seen the person you're looking for. As you can see, I've been here all day running my bar."

Takeshi ruffled his hair and chuckled, "Sorry. It's just, the guy I spoke to said you were the person to go to."

The bartender smiled in amusement and reached for a set of glasses and a cleaning cloth, "Well, I'm glad someone thinks I'm sociable."

Takeshi laughed and rested his head in the palm of his hand, "He had a pretty high opinion of your bar too, you know? Said that he came in here every-"

"It's strong."

Takeshi started at the small voice and whirled around on his seat to face the small girl who had crept onto the barstool on his left side.

"Anna," Kusanagi chided, "Don't creep up on the customers like that!"

"Mā, mā! It's alright!" Takeshi smiled warmly, "She didn't knock me off my seat or anything, so no harm done!"

And that smile brought on more than Takeshi bargained for. A swirl of emotions flowed through the young girls eyes; sadness, happiness, shock, wonder...

...Hope.

There was a sharp intake of breath and the girl's ruby eyes widened. She reached up slowly and placed a small hand on Takeshi's cheek, within an inch of the corner of his mouth.

As soon as her small hand made contact with his skin, tears brimmed and fell down her face, leaving prominent tear-stain tracks that marked the path of small crystal-like droplets of salty water that dripped languidly over her pale cheeks.

"Tatara..."

Tatara? As in Totsuka Tatara?

Kusanagi stilled and Anna's eyes brimmed with further tears, causing Takeshi to look at the bartender inquisitvely, "What's wrong? Did I say something weird again?" He chuckled nervously and turned to gaze at the girl, smiling in an effort to cheer her up.

"Hey, don't cry... Everyone's always telling me that I say stupid things all the time... Sorry if I offended you."

Kusanagi shook his head and began cleaning several glasses again, "No, no, you didn't say anything offensive, it's just..." He sighed heavily before smiled sadly at Takeshi, "Nevermind."

Anna wiped her eyes quickly and shuffled over to a table close to the bar on which lay a map, presumably of Shizume, and she dug three small red marbles out of her pocket, lay them on the table in front of her and slowly closed her eyes.

Takeshi watched the concentration that played out over her features; the tensing of her shoulders, the slight furrowing of her eyebrows, her left hand curling into a fist, her right unconsciously wiping stray tear tracks and stubborn tears...

He was about to ask what she could possibly be doing, and then-

The marbles spun.

It started as a hypnotising sway of each marble, a slight sway that gathered momentum in a surprisingly short amount of time, evolving into a twirl. Each marble danced in its place in a constant twirl, the sound of glass rubbing against wood echoing in the bar.

And then they spun.

It started off with them forming a large circle over the majority of the map, before it slowly shrunk to cover a particular area, and then, after a few seconds, widened once again, repeating the same process over and over, spinning endlessly.

"Sorry about that," Kusanagi apologised sheepishly, causing Takeshi's stare to break from the marbles and face the bartender, "Things have been rough around here lately, everyone's on edge."

Was he talking about the death of Totsuka Tatara? Perhaps this would be a chance to begin the assessment of HOMRA; by discussing the murder, perhaps he could gain more insight into the bonds of the Red Clansman and their recent, more aggressive, actions.

Takeshi knew that he had to step cautiously, treating the topic with delicate hands, or run the risk of a fight taking place.

He'd already gauged the flames of that waiter, who had been a member of HOMRA, and whose aura had burned with anger more than anything; easily pacified with the rain flame.

But Kusanagi Izumo was very different.

His flames burned low and steady, nowhere near to the instability and unpredictability of the younger member Takeshi had met before. The flames of Kusangi didn't leap spontaneously when not in use, as if vying to escape, unlike the waiter's. They just... burned. The intensity was there, but so was the calm calculation that promised a deadly attack could be dealt.

It screamed danger.

This Clansman would no doubt be difficult to pacify, which meant the longer Takeshi could delay a fight, the better.

"Everyone's on edge?" He began with faux confusion, tilted his head to one side in a well-perfected display of puzzlement, "Why-"

"Oi! Kusanagi-san! You heard about any job openings?" The door slammed open and the small bell above the door jingled wildly, "I got fired and then ran into that damn Monkey on the way here. Its been a shitty day-"

The guy who had just entered the bar paused, his eyes widening when he caught sight of Takeshi, before strong unshakeable anger swamped his expression.

"It's you!" He yelled, pointing a shaking finger at the Rain Guardian, "What the hell are you doing in here?!"

Takeshi blinked in confusion and stared at the newcomer to the bar, carefully scanning his features for anything recognisable.

"Sorry, do I know you?"

The newcomer's face began to rapidly flush with anger, building up during the next few seconds of silence and the stares of, not only Takeshi, but also Anna and Kusanagi, before suddenly-

"YOU GOT ME FIRED, YOU BAST-"

"Yata-chan! Watch it!" Kusanagi gave a pointed look towards Anna, who blinked silently as if trying to grasp the situation, before apparently giving up and going back to her spinning marbles, "What's gotten into you anyway? Haven't I told you before? Don't shout at the customers!"

"It's this... idiot you should be shouting at!"

Yata pointed a finger angrily at Takeshi, shaking violently, "You were at the ramen place! You got me fired!"

So that's why he was so angry. Takeshi gazed intently at the newcomer whose finger was now only a few threatening inches from his nose, realisation and familiarity suddenly pouring down on him.

"Ah! Waiter-san, it's you!"

"Don't give me 'It's you'!" Yata shouted back, shaking his fist at the Rain Guardian, "YOU GOT ME FIRED!"

Takeshi laughed heartily and placed a hand on top of Yata's fist, pushing it down slightly so it was no longer brushing his nose, "Well, technically, you were the one who started a fight."

The furious expression only grew in intensity.

"Y-YOU... YOU BASTARD!"

His body became engulfed in bright red flames that licked and spluttered around Yata, casting an eerie red glow that spread through the bar, raising the temperature higher with every second that passed.

Storm flames and...

Something.

But... what?

Takeshi's eyebrows furrowed in thought as he quickly ran through a list of all the flames that he knew of. It was familiar, definitely, but it wasn't any flame of the sky or earth. So, what did that leave him with?

His eyes widened.

No. It couldn't be. Verde couldn't have traded that flame...

But it had to be; a flame that Takeshi had encountered before, one that he should have recognised as soon as he had encountered the flame.

One that he should report to Tsuna.

The flame that had only ever been identified as having belonged to Vongola Secundo and the Varia Leader, Xanxus.

The flame of wrath.

No wonder the Red Clan were the most destructive; with Storm and Wrath under their control, it was a wonder they hadn't already destroyed Shizume.

Takeshi reached to draw his sword at the same time he ignited his flames, convinced that it would take all he had to pacify both Yata's flames and Kusanagi's, who had suddenly acquired a dangerous look in his eye which warned the Rain Guardian that the man was going to burst into flames too, if the situation didn't calm down.

The door bell jingled lightly, cutting through the tension almost mockingly, as if were laughing at the situation Takeshi had voluntarily waltzed in to.

"Yamamoto-san? I thought you weren't going to leave headquarters."

Awashima Seri fixed a stern gaze on Takeshi, before moving her eyes to settle on Kusanagi, "I'll be taking our guest back to headquarters now. I'm sorry if he's caused any trouble."

"Ah, Seri-chan! So good to see you!" the bartender drawled, the dangerous glint still present in his eyes, "So, my customer is your guest is he? Then why does he have the blue flame? Are you sure he's not a member of the Blue Clan?"

"Yamamoto-san is a guest of Septer 4," she said, narrowing her eyes, "And as to the question of his flame, that is confidential information that even I am not privy to. Nor am I entitled to reveal the nature of Yamamoto-san's stay."

Kusanagi hummed in thought as Yata began to look as though he were at boiling point, his aura only increasing in strength.

"You're on our territory, Blue! You'll answer any questions that Kusanagi-san has!"

The said bartender lifted a hand casually to halt the oncoming argument as Awashima directed a distastful look straight towards Yata.

"Now, now, Yata-chan."

"B-but you can't seriously-?!"

"You should probably take your guest before Mikoto comes back. I'll have no fights in my bar."

Awashima nodded and turned on her heel, signalling that Takeshi should follow, leaving a thoroughly confused and agitated Yata behind.

"Next time," Awashima began when they were far enough away, "Please don't wander around Shizume without an escort."

Takeshi opened his mouth to remind the Blue Clan member that he did in fact have an escort, it was just that he had lost said escort. That he had to go and see HOMRA to discover what they're flames were made of and that he had to speak to the Gold King immediately.

Awashima was not impressed.

She did go on to arrange the visit to the Gold King and even allowed Takeshi time alone so that he could speak privately to Tsuna.

But she was not in the slightest bit impressed.

A/N: Thank you so much to all the reviews and everyone who favourited and followed! I know that I haven't exactly been cranking out chapters, and I left you all waiting for too long, but I didn't realise how hectic it would get after exams. I'm so sorry that this took so long, I did have this chapter fully mainly written out well before results day, but after I looked it over, I wasn't happy with it at all, and slowly re-wrote the whole chapter.

I don't know when I will be able to update again, it all depends on how I juggle Uni, a job and family and friends. I just wanted to let everyone know, that I am still working on this story. I won't give up on this and it will not be scrapped. It may take a while, but I would rather put a chapter out that I am pleased with, rather than one that I think I could have written miles better.

Also on another note, why can't I post love hearts? All I see is threes...

3 3 3 3

Unlocked Potential: Thank you so much! The little things in series are what interests me, like a certain physical aspect of TYL!Yamamoto that may suddenly appear at some point during this story ;) Oh God yes, Yamamoto and Yata will have their spats :P

Akira Yuni: Thank you! Exams were hell, but I guess it all paid off in the end :)

sereneskydragonslayer: Who looks forward to exams? :') How did your ones go? Poor Yata, having to deal with Takeshi XD the poor thing's without a job now! Thank the heavens that Tsuna sent Yamamoto, could you imagine Yata dealing with Gokudera or Hibari? ;) I think Tsuna could have handled this too, but he's the boss and he has lots of paperwork to finish under the watchful eyes of Reborn ;)

Guest: Poor Yata XD Thank you so much though! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it did take forever ;)

telysiv: Thank you for the review! Don't worry that the review was long, 'cause so is my answer XP (sorry about that!) That was really the first thing I noticed about Takeshi to be honest; after watching KHR right after K-Project ('cause a friend recommended it), I immediately thought that Takeshi and Totsuka were pretty similar, keeping everyone calm and lightening the mood in their respective groups. Also, doesn't Totsuka reminds you, in looks, of TYL!Fuuta, or is that just me? I have a soft spot for Fuuta :P The auras were an interesting thing too, it took a while to sort it all based on abilities, but they really do fit into the abilities that the flames in KHR have, even if I've had to incorporate some from the manga series. Sometimes the perspective will shift to another character, like with the CK and Verde in this chapter, and occasionally Tsuna and Reborn. At the moment the focus is mainly on Takeshi :) No pairings are really planned except maybe hints of Awashima and Kusanagi if you squint, but aside from that, not really :)

.cake: Thank you! Nope ;) I ship everything and anything so I really can't judge XD You should see how I get in the Hetalia and OUAT fandoms :')

JackFrost14: Thank you so much! :) I'm ploughing on!

yumeniai: Thank you! :P At the moment Reisi and Yamamoto haven't had the pleasure of meeting, but it will definitely happen... Muhahaha... The darker part of the red flames, revealed in this chapter, really aren't the focus ;) as Verde said, something much bigger is drawing his attention, and (hint) that disk that Verde acquired from the Green King will lead to setting off a chain of familiar events later on...

Guest: Thank you so much for reviewing! Exams went okay, thanks :) I'm working on the next chapter, but it may take a while yet :(

Donotneedtoknow: Thank you! :) The next chapter will probably take a while, but it is coming! I'm sorry we're in September now... :'( Thanks for kicking me into gear though :)

Mas2009: Sorry :P Hopefully the pace will quicken from here on out :)

Mabel-chan: Seriously, thank you so much! I'm back with another chapter now, but the next one may be a while :'( Thank you thank you thank you thank you! :'D

Suzuko-chii: Umm, thank you? XD