"Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will." – Jawaharlal Nehru

As the bright light died down, Reborn instantly aimed his gun at the grinning Checker Face. The rage he harbored against the man only grew within his small, cursed body, but he restrained himself admirably from raining bullets on the other. He glanced at Tsunayoshi and nearly sighed in relief when he saw that the brunet was still standing in his normal form, although a bit dazed. A small glow caught his attention—the Sky pacifier was still in Checker Face's hand.

The man was just messing with them, Reborn realized angrily.

Tsunayoshi was the first one to break the heavy silence. He opened his eyes and gaped at Checker Face. "What the hell was that? Are you crazy?"

Checker Face chuckled. "That was quite the fun ride, wasn't it, Tsunayoshi-kun? Your reaction was very amusing."

"What are you trying to pull, Checker Face?" Reborn said tightly. "Stop fooling around and wasting our time."

The other man's face scrunched into what seemed to be a pout. It was still disgusting nonetheless. "You're no fun, Reborn. Let a man enjoy the simple pleasures in life."

Tsunayoshi snapped his fingers in front of Checker Face. "Excuse me, I'm right here. Threatening my life like that shouldn't be—"

Checker Face grabbed his wrist with a sharp grin. "Ah, Tsunayoshi-kun, remember the position you're in. Did you honestly believe that I'd just give the pacifier to you? I'm not that cruel. But, if you don't accept your role, you will die right here. Your own flames are reaching maximum capacity already."

The brunet widened his eyes. "What?"

"I've already wasted some time standing on the sidelines," Checker Face said lightly. "So now it's up to you, Tsunayoshi-kun. Do you want to live longer or waste away? It's a rather simple choice. I'm more in favor of the first one."

"What about Aria?" Reborn said. "What did you do to her?"

Checker Face smiled. "Oh, don't worry about her, Reborn. She's fine. I haven't harmed her in any way; although, she is currently incapacitated." He directed his gaze to the struggling brunet. "Well?"

"I don't even understand what is going on," Tsunayoshi said tiredly. "Flames, wills dying, or whatever. Couldn't you all just come back when I'm at least functioning right?"

"If you want to continue functioning at all, Tsunayoshi-kun, then I suggest taking this." Checker Face held the orange pacifier close to Tsunayoshi's face. "You're exhausted, aren't you, Tsunayoshi-kun? You've been pulling through quite admirably so far, but you won't be able to push forward any longer when morning comes."

Ignoring the desperate cry of the other's Sky Flames, Reborn suppressed his own, which were already reaching out to the young man. He tipped his fedora to cover the ugly scowl on his face. His mind reeled as he went through their options, which only came down to taking that damn cursed pacifier. Tsunayoshi was a civilian with no connections to the mafia, to the underworld. He shouldn't have been involved in the first place, but fate had other plans and it was starting to piss Reborn off. (Then again, Skull was technically also a civilian but Reborn didn't spare the lackey much thought.)

The hitman glanced around the spacious room. It wasn't like they could escape either. Tsunayoshi would resist or probably faint from the sudden adrenaline, and that was something Reborn didn't want either. Even if he didn't know the extent of Checker Face's powers, his Mist flames were powerful and he'd probably find them somehow very quickly.

This wasn't what Reborn expected and he did not like it—at all.

"Why—Why me?" Tsunayoshi said almost breathlessly, his body slowly slumping from struggling.

Checker Face smiled pleasantly. "Whatever the Tri-ni-set commands, I just follow. Of course, it was quite the unexpected turn of events but I'm not complaining. Although, you shouldn't be putting up such a fuss, Tsunayoshi-kun. I'm granting you the one thing that will save your life at this moment."

"You planned this, didn't you?" the brunet said, glaring weakly. "That's why, in Italy… You knew what was wrong with me."

Reborn filed that information away in his head to ponder later. He gave a warning shot when Checker Face grabbed Tsunayoshi by the waist, who flinched at the loud bang. A trickle of blood dripped from the man's cheek.

"Let him go."

Checker Face merely grinned. "Oh, look at that, Tsunayoshi-kun. You're already becoming a perfect fit. So, what is your decision?"

The brunet looked back at Reborn with pleading eyes. "Reborn…"

The baby hitman clenched his jaw. "There…are no other options, unless you want to die, Tsunayoshi."

The silence in the room was deafening. Tsunayoshi glared at the floor, his thoughts jumbled and a mess in his lethargic mind. Reborn resisted the urge to kick Checker Face away and comfort the panicking young surgeon. This wasn't the goddamn time.

Our Sky is suffering, a faint whisper said in the back of his head.

Reborn ignored it.

Finally, Tsunayoshi let out a shuddering sigh. "I'll…take it."

The man just smiled. "I knew you'd see things my way, Tsunayoshi-kun—or rather the Tri-ni-set's way."

Tsunayoshi scowled. "I'm going to find a way to break the curse."

"Selfish, are we? And you were just about to be anointed, too."

"No." The doctor's voice was softer now. "No one…deserves this."

Checker Face hummed to himself. "Whatever you say, Tsunayoshi-kun."

He placed the orange pacifier in the young man's hand, which shone brighter, blinding Reborn and Tsunayoshi. A warm sensation rippled through Reborn's body as an influx of Sky Flames wrapped around his own. His Sun Flames purred while they harmonized, much to his horror. However, he was powerless to stop it. As the light died down, Reborn quickly moved to check on Tsunayoshi. Checker Face was already long gone.

The brunet was still in his normal form, just like how Aria was, but that didn't comfort Reborn in the slightest. Tsunayoshi was now entering a different battle.

"I wished you shot him in the chest," the brunet muttered, picking himself up from the floor with trembling arms. "Preferably in the heart. Greatest hitman my ass."

Reborn used every amount of willpower he had not to bash the brunet's head in. Other than that, his face was completely blank. "How do you feel?"

Tsunayoshi rolled his stiff shoulders a couple of times and cracked his neck. "I'm still tired but…I can think clearer, I guess. It's like, everything is contained. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe a getting over a bad hangover or something? This is still new to me." The orange pacifier around his neck was still glowing like Reborn's. Tsunayoshi frowned at that. "That might get annoying."

"It means that there are other Arcobaleno around."

"Ah."

Tsunayoshi glanced at the clock and raised a brow. "Is the clock broken? It still says it's 2:46 AM."

"Checker Face must've kept us in a contained space where time didn't move."

Tsunayoshi rolled his eyes. "How considerate."

He walked towards the door, and it slightly irked Reborn that he was brushing off this whole situation like it never happened. However, a part of him understood that this was the brunet's way of coping and Reborn didn't want to make anything worse if he pushed him.

That would come later.

"Did you mean it?" he found himself saying.

Tsunayoshi paused in his step. "Mean what?"

"You know what I mean, Tsunayoshi. Don't test my patience."

The brunet tucked his pacifier under his shirt and pulled his long white doctor's coat closer around his thin body. "Yeah, I meant it."

"Why?"

Tsunayoshi blinked. "Do you really want to be stuck in that body forever, Reborn? Also, I'm not a fan of dying before twenty-five."

The hitman silently watched him leave the room before following after, his feet silent against the floor.

They'd talk more later. He just had to make sure the young doctor didn't work himself to death before they did.

After being briefed by Kusakabe and Nobu of the men's conditions, Kyoya quickly left to his aunt's room to avoid the ridiculously large crowding in the ER. His thoughts were still reeling from his pathetic defeat earlier. He clicked his tongue as he walked up the stairs to the ICU. His uncle had to see him in such a weak state and he even saved him, too.

That was unacceptable.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder where his uncle ran off to. Thinking back, Kyoya realized that he hadn't seen the brunet carnivore in the ER either. He pursed his lips and pinched he bridge of his nose, a small motion of weakness again on his part. Quickly composing himself, he merely walked past the receptionist desk and ignored the nurse sputtering after him.

When he found his aunt's room, he opened the door. He stared when he saw Fon and his aunt talking in low, hushed tones.

"Kyo-chan," Sachiko said, giving him a small smile. "We were just talking about you. Are you alright?"

Kyoya closed the door behind him and pulled out a chair to sit on, putting some distance between them. Fon just smiled pleasantly, which only made the prefect more irritated.

"I heard what happened from Fon," Sachiko continued, undeterred by her nephew's temper. "It is a little disappointing that an outside rogue is possibly messing with us, but I think it's nothing we can't handle."

That got Kyoya's attention. A rogue? Could someone outside of the yakuza be messing with them then? But the Hitsuji Clan were too smart to get manipulated. Then again, he hadn't really concerned himself about them since they hadn't been a threat to Namimori and his aunt never really told him about what happened in Tokyo.

He scowled as he sank deeper in his thoughts. His mind went back to the herbivore he fought before and his bizarre fighting style. Fon also mentioned how there was something off about him. Kyoya just didn't know what he was referring to.

"Kyo-chan, you're going to get wrinkles."

Sachiko's teasing voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Kyoya just gave her a small grunt of acknowledgement, not even bothering to talk.

Fon sighed lightly. "I told you that you shouldn't underestimate our enemy, jiě jie."

"You worry too much, Fon."

"Rightfully so."

Sachiko merely patted her little brother on the head. "Yes, yes. Now, you wanted to speak to Kyo-chan, as I recall."

Kyoya glared at Fon. He better not have told his aunt something he shouldn't have.

"Yes." His uncle turned to him, his brown eyes uncharacteristically serious. "I wanted to ask you some questions regarding Satou Tsunayoshi, Kyoya."

The prefect narrowed his eyes. He didn't like where this was going. Was the carnivore in trouble?

"Why?"

"It's to confirm a theory."

"What theory?"

Fon smiled slightly. "I'm not all that sure myself. I'm sure you are aware that Reborn is in town, yes?"

Kyoya bristled at the name, his blood instantly thrumming in his veins at the thought of the strong hitman. His fingers twitched for his tonfas, but he suppressed the powerful urge to run off and find the baby.

"He had wanted to ask you about the incident at Tsunayoshi's house last night. I think you know what I'm talking about."

Even Sachiko, pale and weak on her hospital bed, looked curious as to what his uncle meant. Kyoya just scowled.

"Why? Is there something wrong with the carnivore?"

"Well, yes. Tsunayoshi is deteriorating on the inside—rapidly as well."

Silence gripped the room in a tight grip. Kyoya didn't realize his body was rigid until Fon reached out to pat his arm comfortingly. He instantly leaned away from the touch.

"Oh, my," Sachiko said quietly. "Is he sick?"

"No. It is not an illness that can be cured through conventional means." At this, Fon looked troubled and Kyoya had to harshly ignore the dread curling in his stomach. "It is more spiritual in a sense. I am sure you are aware of Dying Will Flames, jiě jie."

Kyoya furrowed his brows when his aunt nodded. Dying…Will Flames?

"They are more regarded as a symbol of the Mafia, Kyoya. They're like a high-density form of energy that is an extension of one's life-force. Think of it as a natural part of someone's spiritual and emotional core. The more powerful someone's resolve is, the more powerful the flames are. Of course, not everyone can easily access their flames." Fon slipped his hand from his long sleeve. Kyoya stared, amazed, when a pure red flame suddenly flickered on his palm. "This is mine, which is known as the Storm Flame. There are seven in total, each possessing its own properties. Mine is Disintegration. With it, I was able to help you out of the illusion when you fought that man."

That flame—Suddenly, Kyoya remembered the carnivore's body burning bright with pure orange flames. The sheer power and intensity at that moment made him still shiver.

"The carnivore," he said slowly, "he had them, too. They were orange."

Fon nodded. "Those are Sky Flames. They are the leader of the Seven Flames. Their special property is Harmony—it allows them to synchronize and merge with other flame-users. They're exceptionally rare and are only seen in a handful of mafia dons." He frowned. "Kyoya, you must tell me how you know about this. It must've been a very stressful situation for Tsunayoshi to tap into his flames like that."

Kyoya crossed his arms across his chest, his gaze directed at the edge of his aunt's bed. He refused to look at Fon or Sachiko. He showed enough weakness today, which was too much for someone like him.

"I met the carnivore after the funeral," he said, his voice terse.

"When you ran away," Sachiko said softly, slowly piecing it together.

"He…saved me from the Sakamoto herbivores." Just saying that stupid word made Kyoya internally cringe. "We were outnumbered, but then he suddenly erupted into flames and burned the herbivores." He shifted slightly in his seat. "You know the rest, carnivore."

Resting her body against her pillow, Sachiko had her pale lips curled in a wry smile. "It seems like we owe Satou-sensei a greater debt than I realized."

"Why do you need to know, carnivore?" Kyoya said, looking at Fon with sharp eyes.

"Reborn believes that something must have triggered them to come out again. When they first met, he had tried to see if Tsunayoshi had any flames; however, there was something preventing him from doing so. Something last night must have triggered him to unlock them again."

Sachiko furrowed her brows. "Unlock them?" She slightly widened her eyes. "They were sealed?"

Fon nodded solemnly. "Yes. Who or why, I don't know, but it is upsetting. Tsunayoshi's body is too weak from being disconnected from his flames for so long—I am not sure how long he was denied access to them, but it must've been a while—and he cannot handle them in his current state, I'm afraid. Whatever sealed his flames is now broken, and all that suppressed energy has built up over the years and is now spilling over. It might be inhibiting his mental and reasoning capacities. I'm surprised that he's even remotely functioning at this point." He slightly grimaced. "I even felt it on my flight here. Even now, it is still overwhelming."

"Whoever did that will pay dearly," Sachiko said with surprising venom. "How barbaric."

Kyoya was still trying to piece the information in his mind, but he was smart enough to realize how terrible sealing one's flames was. It was simply keeping a carnivore from reaching its full potential and ferocity.

Fon was quick to appease his sister's anger. "Of course, it is only a theory, jiě jie. Kyoya has confirmed some of it for me. There are some anomalies that must be considered as well; however, that is the best I can come up with. I'm sure Reborn has more information regarding—"

Suddenly, Fon tensed. A strange look overcame his eyes, putting Kyoya and Sachiko on edge.

"Fon, are you alright?" Sachiko said, reaching out for her brother.

The small baby immediately stood up from the bed and hopped down onto the floor. He bowed quickly. "I apologize, jiě jie, but an unexpected incident has occurred and I must check to confirm it."

"What is it?"

Fon didn't look any better. In fact, he looked even more morose and that didn't sit well with Kyoya. "I believe that Tsunayoshi was just condemned to an even worse fate."

The rush and urgency in the ER were enough to reel Tsuna back to reality, even if it was for a short while. He had people to save now. He'd worry about his fucked-up life later. The pacifier resting on his chest was still warm.

At least his mind was less of a mess now than it was before. Less drowning and muddled thoughts. Although, his body still felt sluggish but that was most likely from running on only coffee all day. It was normal (and maybe a bit more exciting) for him. He wasn't sure where Reborn went—he was pretty sure that the baby hitman followed him out—but assumed he was in the shadows again doing Kami knows what. As long as he didn't interfere with his work, Tsuna was fine with it.

When the brunet reached for one of the patient clipboards on the reception desk, a nurse stood up and said, "Satou-sensei, Sasagawa-san's family is waiting to see you."

Tsuna sighed softly as he shifted through the papers quickly to get a quick assessment of the ER's situation so far. "Okay, how are her vitals?"

"There is nothing abnormal in her condition so far, Satou-sensei."

Tsuna smiled faintly. "Good. Have a nurse check on her every half hour or so. Keep an eye on any change in blood pressure or heart rate, the usual. I don't want to take any chances. How's the other critical patient? Kano Hiroki, I believe."

"Kurokawa-sensei is currently operating on him in OR Three."

Tsuna pursed his lips. "Alright. Let me know how that goes. How are you holding up, Chiba-san?"

The short woman blushed. "Ah, I'm fine, Satou-sensei. There's no need to worry about me. We're more worried about you! You look exhausted."

Tsuna smiled reassuringly. "I'm okay, Chiba-san, really. Where's the family again?"

"In the waiting room with Mochida-san."

"Okay. Thank you, Chiba-san. Page me if anything goes wrong. I'll be back in a moment."

"Of course, Satou-sensei!"

Tsuna grabbed Sasagawa Makoto's clipboard and walked quickly to the waiting room. There were some people in there, mostly some of Hibari's men talking on their phones in hushed tones, when he noticed the patient's family near the windows.

He recognized one of them to be the girl who alerted him and Nezu-sensei about her teacher back in Namimori Middle. Detective Mochida was comforting a clearly distraught man who Tsuna assumed was the husband. A tall teenage boy with white hair stood by them solemnly, keeping a brave face for them all.

"Sasagawa-san?" he said, approaching them.

The husband immediately looked up, his eyes wide. "Yes, that's me! I—How is my wife? She's okay, right? Please tell me she's alright."

Tsuna nodded. "Your wife is currently in stable condition, and very lucky. She was still somewhat conscious when she came in and the bullet didn't damage anything too critical than it should have."

The other man rubbed his face with his hands and sagged in his seat. "Kami, thank Kami…"

"Ano, Satou-sensei," the girl said, her eyes teary. "What do you mean by not damaging anything too critical? Is there something…wrong?"

"Her left parietal lobe was damaged, I'm afraid. We were able to salvage what we could, but she will have Gerstmann Syndrome when she wakes up. She'll have trouble writing, calculating mathematics, distinguishing left and right, and identifying fingers, so I strongly advise that she does not return back to the field. There is no cure for it, but she'll be able to pull through with the right occupational and speech therapies. In most cases, many of the symptoms will diminish over time since she's an adult. However, I assure you that she's in good hands."

Tsuna hated this part of the job, but he was in no position to complain. He remained stoic as his words finally settled in their minds.

He jumped in surprise when the husband grabbed his coat. Falling onto his knees, the man bowed his head low, startling everyone around them.

"Thank you…Thank you, Satou-sensei," he said. "Thank you…"

"Otou-san," the girl said, her voice cracking. She looked at Tsuna and bowed low, too. "Thank you, Satou-sensei. Really, thank you."

Tsuna gestured towards the door. "If you'd like, you can see her now; but I'd advise not to bother her. She's still unconscious. I'm sure she'd love it if you were there when she wakes up."

The son nodded. "Extreme thanks, Satou-sensei."

After calling a nurse to lead them to Makoto's room, Tsuna went back to the receptionist desk to gather more of the patients' information.

"Chiba-san, I need to get any available OR rooms prepped for surgery," he said. "Can you assemble a small team before I get back?"

"Of course, Satou-sensei."

"Thank you. And if Kurokawa-sensei is finished, let him know that he'll have to operate on some more patients. Just a quick heads-up, you know?"

The nurse smiled. "Don't worry, Satou-sensei. I got it covered."

"You're a saint, Chiba-san."

Tsuna quickly walked towards the ER to check on the other patients. Groans and shouts filled the air, including the smell of blood. Most of them seemed stabilized but some really needed to get to surgery soon. Fuck, if they had more surgeons on hand, this would be a much smoother process.

"Satou-sensei!"

Tsuna turned around to see Kon-san dash towards him with wide eyes.

"One of the patients is going into shock!"

The brunet cursed as he followed the nurse to one of the beds he passed by. He immediately pushed a stuttering resident to the side and checked the patient's vitals. The man was breathing shallowly, his skin was pale and clammy, and a large amount of blood was leaking from his poorly-bandaged abdomen.

"Who the fuck bandaged this?" Tsuna snapped, checking the man's pulse.

It was weak and rapid. Shit.

"I—I did," the resident said, his eyes wide.

Tsuna pressed a clean towel against the man's wound. It wouldn't stop bleeding. "Sir, can you hear me? Stay with me. Everything will be fine. Nod if you can hear me."

The man just groaned in pain, his eyes fluttering. His heartbeat was not getting any better. Tsuna clenched his teeth and glanced behind him. Horie-sensei stood there, gaping at the scene.

"Do you not have fucking eyes?" Tsuna said, glaring at the physician. "Why weren't you watching this idiot bandage the patient?"

The man had the balls to look indignant. "Now look here, Sat—"

"Move out of the way!" Tsuna gestured to the patient's bed. "Kon-san, help me to the OR. He needs surgery now!"

The nurse nodded and quickly followed his orders. At least there was one sensible person in this place. Tsuna kept the towel pressed firmly on the patient's wound. A familiar blonde hair caught his eye and he nearly sagged in relief.

"Ema!"

She immediately turned around at the call of her name. Two cups of coffee were in her hands. Bless her soul. Her eyes zeroed in on the patient when she saw Tsuna and Kon-san wheel him out.

"What's wrong?" she said, placing the cups on the receptionist desk.

"He's going into hemorrhagic shock," Tsuna said. "I need a quick MRI and CT scan. I don't know how many bullets he has in his abdomen, but it's not pretty. Chiba-san, are the OR rooms prepped?"

"Yes, Satou-sensei! I'll send a team for you in OR 2!"

"Good, let Kurokawa-sensei know when he gets out. Ema."

The woman nodded and immediately followed him. A small blur of red and black caught his eye, but Tsuna didn't acknowledge them.

The evening was just beginning.

A small chuckle escaped past his lips. Interesting. Namimori was very interesting. More so than he thought.

"Mukuro-sama," M.M said, tilting her head questioningly, "what's so funny?"

The other teen just leaned his chin on his fist. A smile etched his devious face while he filtered the newly-acquired information in his mind. He was already thinking five steps ahead of everyone else. He hummed softly to himself while his subordinates eyed him curiously.

"I think there might be a slight change of plans," he said. "Where is the boy?"

"He's still unconscious-byon, Mukuro-sama," Ken said happily.

"Wake him up."

Ken blinked. "But he can't give us any rankings-byon, Mukuro-sama. What do you want us to do-byon?"

Mukuro's brow twitched slightly. "Oya, oya. Are you questioning me, Ken?"

Ken paled and quickly shook his head. "No, Mukuro-sama! Never-byon!"

Chikusa sighed. "You really are an idiot, Ken."

"Shut the hell up, you bastard!"

Mukuro vaguely wondered how he got saddled with these idiots in the first place. He beckoned Lancia to the couch.

"Lancia, we're going to have use those yakuza men to our advantage. Let them know that it was the police who killed those men in Kokuyo Land and let them wreak havoc in Namimori. You can be as messy however you want."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," the man said.

Mukuro smirked. "You three will have to get creative in drawing out the Decimo heirs. They haven't established their guardians yet, but they're mostly here. I'm sure you can do that easily, yes?"

"Yes, Mukuro-sama!" the three other teens responded eagerly.

Well, more like Ken and M.M.

"What are you going to do with the boy, Mukuro-sama?" Chikusa said.

"You don't have to worry, Chikusa. Birds will give you the intel when you leave."

Ah, yes. That boy will be used as bait for the new shift in his plans. This was much better than Mukuro had thought.

He didn't forget the impressive flood of Sky Flames that wrapped around Namimori since he arrived. They were powerful, and much to his surprise and delight, not from the Decimo heirs. When they suddenly receded, Mukuro had already pinpointed where they came from.

Satou Tsunayoshi, he thought. Your body will be mine.

A/N Ahhhhh. I'm so sorry this took forever to update. I hope you can forgive me, peeps (And just in time for Christmas, ahaha)! Thank you for the reviews and favorites and follows! Makes me relieved you peeps are still sticking with this story!

So now, we'll be heading into the Kokuyo Arc, which is…almost radically different from canon but not really since Mukuro still wants Tsuna's body in this, ahaha. Kind of sounds wrong, but hey, that's what the guy said in canon.

Checker Face is just a big-ass troll. Enough said. Poor Tsuna. Trying to push everything away won't help with what you're dealing with. He won't be stuck in an infant form since Aria and Yuni weren't in infant forms and being cursed with a short life is already overkill, so…yeah. Unless you'd like to see a baby operating on bodies in the OR. That's a pretty hilarious image, honestly.

Just a heads-up: more action later, yay! I really am sorry that it's been pretty slow so far, but hey, think of it as the Daily Life Arc so far, ahaha.

I hope that some of the information here answers some of the questions you peeps had. If you need any clarifications, leave a question or two and I'll respond as soon as I can!

Thank you for reading! I really do appreciate it, peeps!

I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day and a Merry Christmas~

Little Miss Bunny