Chapter 22: Awakening!

"The breakfast today was good as usual."

A pleased expression washed over Haru's face, "I'm glad to hear that~"

"Today, Haru and I-pin are in charge of washing up," Bianchi declared. "We'll leave everything to you."

"Hai! I-pin, do her best!" the little girl promised.

"Then, I'll got to the infirmary and pick up Takeshi-kun and Hayato-kun's trays," Kyoko volunteered.

"Arigato!"

"Fuuta~ let's play!"

"Hai, but your hair is getting very messy. Shall I cut it for you?"

"Do that," his older sister cut in, "even if he doesn't want to. If you can cut off his afro entirely, even better."

"Gupya!"

Fuuta laughed softly. "Maa, maa..."

Tsuki stood and stretched her arms above her. "I'm going back to training."

"Have a good day, Tsuki-san~" Haru, with her fingers intertwined, stared at her with sparkles in her eyes. "Should I prepare a beloved wife's bento for you?"

The young Sky stared at her, deadpanned, "I thought you were over that."

"Iie, Iie, Haru will never get over her love for Tsuki-san!" the black-haired girl declared, "With the other guy gone, this is Haru's chance to change Tsuki-san's heart!"

She nodded slowly and backed out of the room, "Uh-huh... you do that..."

When Tsuki arrived at the training room, she was surprised to see her bedridden Guardians waiting for her.

"Yo!"

"Ohayo, Juudaime!"

"You two..."

"Starting today, we're going back to training again," Takeshi explained before pointing at the lollipop she was holding. "What's with that?"

Tsuki's eyes narrowed, "Have your injuries healed already?" she asked instead of answering.

"Totally!" her Storm assured, "It's been 13 days! I'm starting to worry about getting out of touch!"

"I'm glad. As for this," she held up the treat in her hand, "I'm going through withdrawals."

"Withdrawals? From what?" Hayato asked, brows furrowed.

Her reply was an innocent smile, which made Takeshi's eyes narrow.

"All three are present, then."

They turned to the voice's direction and saw Lal and Reborn.

"As I've mentioned, you'll be starting a new training course today," Lal started, "it's called the 'Individual Assault Training Program'."

"Just like Tsuki's been receiving a one-on-one training with Lal Mirch these past thirteen days, you'll each get your own home tutor, just like during the Ring Conflict," Reborn explained.

Takeshi blinked, "Eh?" he turned to his Sky, "I thought you were training with Kyoya?"

She stared at him, "Are you kidding me? If I trained with Kyoya with how I was thirteen days ago, I wouldn't have lived long enough to return home."

His fist came down to his palm, "Oh, I see."

"The one I'm training is..." Reborn said, getting back on the topic, "Yamamoto."

Said teen pointed at himself, confused.

"You're training him?" Tsuki asked in disbelief before shaking her head, "The world is doomed."

"I will be in charge of Hayato," a familiar voice joined in.

"A-Aniki!"

"Since we're siblings, it's unsurprising that we share the same attribute. Secondly, if you manage to complete your training successfully, I'll give you a reward. Something from Tou-san."

Hayato's eyes widened. Tou-san!?

Tsuki bit down on the lollipop, shattering the treat into tiny pieces, she let it melt on her tongue before closing her eyes and entering her HDWM.

"Let's start... Kyoya."

Hayato and Takeshi stared at her in awe, feeling chills running up their spine with the intensity of her Flames.

"That's incredible, Juudaime! The intensity has increased even more!" Hayato praised, a wide grin on his face.

"You're like a totally different person," a smirk tugged on Takeshi's lips, "you've gotten even more ahead of us. I won't lose."

Tsuki fired her Flames in front of her, barely managing to avoid the swirling Cloud Flame. She flew up and braced herself against the wall, arms in front of her to block her Guardian's Flame.

"I wanted to continue training her myself," there was a hint of bitterness in the woman's tone, "but she improved way too fast, even more that what I initially expected."

"After Hibari arrived, something changed. When I asked her what they talked about, she said it's still too early to tell. But whatever it was," Reborn stared at his student, "it seemed to have triggered something in her."

"You better be prepared, Small Animal," Hibari said, stepping into the room, eyes focused on the two Flames clashing, "I'm going to pry open all of your abilities."

Tsuki gritted her teeth, putting more effort in trying to stop her Cloud's Box Weapon, barely noticing Fuuta and Lambo's appearance.

"This level of power," Kyoya stared up impassively, "is still a far cry from your future-self."

Her brows furrowed in concentration, eyes glowing brighter as the Flames slowly turned to ice.

Takeshi grinned, "It's that move!"

"Way to go, Juudaime!"

"Iie," Lal disagreed, "it's not over yet!"

Tsuki's eyes narrowed when the Cloud Flames started surrounding her.

"They're... multiplying..." Hayato muttered, eyes wide in disbelief.

Takeshi's fists clenched, "It's too fast! She can't catch up!"

They could only watch in shock as the Cloud Flames surrounded her completely, trapping her inside.

The Cloud Ring on Kyoya's finger shattered just as the sphere-like object fell to ground.

"T-Tsuki!"

"Juudaime!"

"What is that...?"

"Needle Sphere Form," the Cloud Guardian answered, having heard Fuuta's question. "It's an airtight sphere molded with the Cloud Flames, making it completely impervious. It's impossible for her to break through the sphere with either her physical strength or her Flames."

Tsuki breathed heavily inside the sphere. Kyoya... you bastard...

"It's airtight, the oxygen within the sphere is limited."

She could hear his voice right next to the sphere.

"If you don't get out quickly, you'll—"

A loud bang came from inside, cutting off the Cloud Guardian.

"Die. No shit, Sherlock!"

Kyoya smirked.

"Oi Kyoya!"

The older looked at the seething teen from the corner of his eyes.

"Are you insane!?"

"Iie."

Hayato gritted his teeth, "You—"

"Maa, Hayato..." Takeshi cut off, staring at the older Guardian's back, "Kyoya's serious. He's not going to let her out, even if it meant she'd die inside."

"Then—"

"All we can do... is believe in her... right? Kyoya."

"Hn."

Hayato clicked his tongue.

"Every generation," Reborn started, gaining the two teens' attention, "the boss must overcome the Vongola Trial. The Trial cannot be compromised, so a genuine threat is necessary."

Both teens stared at him, confused. Vongola Trial?

"We should begin our training too. Yamamoto, I'm going to change first. Meet me in Basement 10."

"Aa."

"We should start too, Hayato."

Takeshi stepped off the lift and looked around.

"This should be Basement 10..." he said out loud, "it's completely dark. Where's the switch?"

He stopped in his tracks, eyes narrowed as he readied his stance to attack the threat he sensed.

"You were able to sense that? It looks like you're right next to Tsuki when it comes to sensing bloodlust, Yamamoto Takeshi."

The teen didn't say anything, his stance still poised to attack.

"But, despite your complete mastery of Shigure Kintoki, you have yet to reach your full potential. If you can use the Ring to draw out Shigure Kintoki's full power, you'll be stronger than even the Sword Emperor of this era. Well, that's what your future-self said."

"Kid..." he muttered when the hitman revealed himself.

"When you're able to combine Shigure Kintoki with the power of the Vongola Ring, you'll be a unique presence among the Vongola. In order to achieve that, I thought it would be fine to show you my true self."

He stared blankly at his sister. "Sistema C.A.I.?"

"That's right. Your goal is to complete this Sistema C.A.I. designed by the future Hayato."

"What is it?"

Bianchi shook her head, "Find out for yourself. If you don't like it, just run away like you ran away from the mansion back then."

"Nani!?"

"The only thing is..." the pink-haired woman lit her Flame and opened a box, "you'll have to get through me first."

Hayato's brows furrowed.

Kyoya closed his eyes and let out a yawn.

The oxygen is fast running out... Tetsuya thought, staring at the sphere with barely concealed worry.

Tsuki fell to her knees, panting heavily.

Shit... I can't take any more of this... the next strike... if it doesn't work... it's over for me...

"No fucking way!"

She rose to her feet, hands glowing brightly with her Flames.

From outside the sphere, Fuuta's arms tightened around the sleeping cow-child in his arms. "Tsuki-nee, don't give up."

The scarred man ignored the commotion around him, red eyes focused intently on the small orange gem on the black band on his left hand.

It's almost time...

"Vooooii! Where are you going, Xanxus?"

He ignored him, and the indignant shout that followed.

No good...

Tsuki panted.

Even with the Vongola Ring... it's still not enough... only a small part of the armored wall has melted. A Flame of higher purity... how am I supposed to create a huge high-purity Flame.

She gritted her teeth before letting out a deep breath, she leaned back on the wall and slid down, legs bent with both her arms resting on her knees.

Losing my temper and wasting my energy won't do me any good, but... kuso... I can't think straight with the lack of oxygen...

She lifted her hand and stared at her Vongola Ring.

What more do you want from me? What more should I do? How can I draw out your full power? That's the only way, right? To draw out the purest form of Sky Flame, I need to draw out your full power...

She could feel her remaining strength slipping away, her HDWM dying out.

"Shit..."

Her eyes widened when the Ring began to glow, casting a beam onto her forehead.

"Kill him."

"Please give me a chance! If I die... my child and my wife...!"

A blank look settled on the young Sky's face when she heard the gunshot and the screams that followed.

"Revenge."

"Ambush."

"Eradicate."

The blank look never left her face even as the images became more and more violent; a burning mansion, a car exploding, bullets raining down.

She could feel presence surrounding her, but she kept her head down, her expression hidden.

"The Vongola's... past sins."

"Murder. Revenge. Betrayal. An insatiable thirst for power... this is the bloodstained history of the Vongola Mafia."

"You, holder of the Sky Vongola Ring. Do you have the resolution... the resolution to inherit these past sins."

"Please, help us!"

"Gyaaaahhhh!"

"So brutal..."

"Give me back my son!"

"My eye! My eyeeeeeee!"

"It's too quiet..." Lal said, eyes narrowing when she caught the Cloud Guardian smirk.

"The oxygen is nearly out. Both her mental and physical states are reaching critical levels..." his second-in-command said.

"This will not achieve anything!" Lal exclaimed, "She's just going to die in vain! Cease this training at once!"

"Whether or not she can become the Vongola Sky that you hope for..." Kyoya said, not even looking at her, "she has to be tested under extreme situations. There hasn't been one so young to face the trial in Vongola history, though."

"She can't do this right now!"

The sound of footsteps echoed around the training room.

"Reborn!"

Lal didn't say anything else when she saw the look on the hitman's face. What do you hope to achieve by doing something like this? Do you people intend to alter Tsukiyomi's personality?

"This is the destiny of the successor to the Vongola. This is the purpose of the life you were given."

"That is the price we must pay for the power we wish for. If it's great power you want, you must also have the resolution to inherit our great history."

"Urusai."

A heavy silence descended.

"I don't recall..." she looked up, eyes blazing as she stared back at the past Vongola bosses, "ever asking for Vongola's power. "

"'Purpose of the life I was given'? Don't fuck with me. I wasn't born to inherit Vongola's shit, nor was I born to inherit the mistakes you people made."

Her eyes burned brighter as she gave each boss a look.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not going to be anyone's puppet. If the only way to inherit Vongola is to inherit the 'great history' you spoke of... then I guess I'll go to plan B... I'm going to burn Vongola to ash. And I'll make sure all its history will burn along with it."

She breathed heavily, feeling her consciousness threatening to slip away. Her body slowly started to fall.

Gomen... I failed... minna...

Instead of hitting the floor like she expected, she landed on something more familiar. Even without looking, she knew whose arms were wrapped around her.

"You're..."

She felt his lips brush against her crown, his arms tightening around her before he slowly slipped away, when she looked up, all she saw was her very first tutor sitting on a throne across from her with the past bosses standing in two lines facing each other, the Vongola crest between them.

Giotto...

"Your resolution has been unequivocally accepted. E'la nostra ora incisa sull'anello."

"Engrave...?" Tsuki muttered, sunset-amber eyes not breaking away from his orange ones.

"To flourish or to perish. It's up to you now. Vongola Decima. I have been waiting for you. Now, it's time for you to inherit... the proof of the Vongola."

Outside, cracks began appearing on the sphere.

"What happened!?" Lal demanded, eyes wide, "What going on!?"

Reborn and Kyoya remained staring impassively at the sphere.

"Kyo-san, what is this?" Tetsuya asked.

"The Needle Sphere Form... is breaking," the Cloud Guardian answered.

The sphere burst. The room held its breath as they waited for the smoke to clear.

Tsuki raised a hand, showing everyone the new gloves.

Kyoya's eyes narrowed. "Hn."

"She passed," Reborn announced.

This is it... this is what I had been waiting for. The Sawada of this era wore the Ring on her finger, but she stored it on the back of her hand to draw out its power... Lal thought. "I had no idea it was gained after the trial."

"I was only half-confident myself," Reborn admitted, "though in all honesty. I couldn't think of any way to let Tsuki power-up rapidly, other than the traditional trial. Her progress these past thirteen days were impressive, but I feared it wasn't enough."

Tsuki's brows furrowed, she clenched her fist, eyes narrowing when an unfamiliar Flame burst from her hand, instead of the usual yellow-orange glow of Sky Flame, this Flame has a reddish glow and seemed to dance wilder around her hand.

Kyoya smirked, gray eyes glinting with anticipation. "Wao."

Lal and Fuuta stared at the Sky, awe written on their face.

"Look, Lambo. Look at Tsuki-nee's beautiful Flame!" A smile spread across the teen's face, "A high-purity Flame with very little contamination will have that crystal-clear color. If it's the Sky, it's orange. The Sun is yellow. The Rain is blue. The Lightning is green. The Storm is red. The Cloud is violet. And Mist is indigo." His eyes softened, "Furthermore, it's said that the higher the purity of a Flame, the more power it can draw out from the characteristics of its attribute."

This Flame... it feels as though its brimming over from deep in my heart... Tsuki thought.

"You're finally starting to resemble the you I know," Kyoya said, he pulled out a box and opened it. "From here on, I can do whatever I want, right? Akambo."

Reborn's fedora hid his eyes when he answered, "Aa... that is what I promised."

"Then..." his tonfas appeared on his hands, "let's begin."

Tsuki barely reacted when Cloud Flames covered his tonfas, revealing his bloodlust along with it. Fuuta winced slightly.

Lal gritted her teeth. The Flames.. iie, his bloodlust! He's kept it under control until now! So, this is Hibari Kyoya.

"Same as before, there are no rules in this fight. The only choice you have is to defeat me... or to die."

Tsuki smirked. "And same as before. I'll defeat you."

He smirked back. "Come and get it."

She readied her stance and called for her Flames, shooting towards him in an instant.

"She disappeared!?" Fuuta exclaimed.

Kyoya stared blankly at the blur heading towards him before jumping off, using his Sky's head to propel himself to a flip.

She clicked her tongue, flipping herself to avoid crashing head-first on the wall. Gritting her teeth, she summoned her Flames and propelled herself towards her impassive Guardian.

"What is that Flame!?" Lal exclaimed, staring at the damage the Sky left when she made contact with the wall.

Tsuki's eyes widened when Kyoya appeared in front of her and struck her on the stomach before she could move a muscle, appearing behind her while she was still afloat.

"You're still moving."

Shit... at this rate, I'm going to die. With her arms in front of her, she called for her Flames. "Wha—!?"

"Eh!?" Fuuta stared wide eyed at the smoke surrounding his older sister after she crashed into the ground.

It... self-destructed? Lal thought in disbelief.

Tsuki pulled herself up, wiping the blood off her chin before staring at her hand.

"What are you trying to pull?" Kyoya asked, unimpressed.

Lal's brows furrowed. Why? It's said that the purity of the Sky Flame increases the most among the seven attributes, so its propulsion force rises just as rapidly. What are you doing, Tsukiyomi...

"It seems that the Version Vongola Ring has a special peak-type characteristic," Reborn observed.

"Peak-type?"

"Aa. From the look on Tsuki's face, I don't think the Flame that came out was what she expected."

"True... she was moving awkwardly... but couldn't that be because she was overwhelmed by the Flame's power?"

Tsuki ignored the two's conversation, her attention focused intently on her gloves. Gio... what the hell is up with these gloves? They're consuming my stamina more intensely that I thought... and with Kyoya as an opponent...

She let out a deep breath and stood, her Flames dissipating along the way.

"What are you doing?"

The annoyance in his tone made her lips twitch. "This new Flame is a pain in the ass, it's like I'm back to square one."

"Hn?"

Tsuki flexed her gloved-hand. "Right... you guys weren't there when I first started training with my Flames..."

Lal blinked at that, "What?"

"We'll stop for now, there's no point continuing when I'm like this."

An eyebrow twitched, "Small Animal..."

The young Sky rolled her eyes and crossed her arms to her chest, "I have no intentions of dying. Let's continue tomorrow, by then, I'd have this new Flame under control."

"Oi Tsukiyomi! You can't just say something like that! Mastering control over Flames doesn't happen overnight!"

She raised an eyebrow, "Lal, did you hit your head or something? Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"

Kyoya's lips quirked at the stupefied look on the CEDEF agent's face. He gave his Sky a nod when she turned her attention back to him, "You better give me a good fight tomorrow, Small Animal."

"Hai, hai."

Tsuki ducked down before Takeshi could shout his warning.

"Warui!" he called out as he ran past her, "I can't control it yet!"

She gave him and the sparrow a blank look.

"Why's he running in the corridor... is he a kid?"

"Just some light running," Reborn explained, "while the box swallow is flying, he has to carry 5kg weights and run 42km."

She ignored his outfit, refusing to look anywhere but his eyes. "Is that so?"

She caught the piece of paper that she was positive the hitman left on purpose. An eyebrow twitching as she read what was written on said paper.

"What part of this is light?"

The paper disappeared from her hand, she didn't even need to look to know who was standing behind her.

"We can't lose to them. Apart from your training sessions with Hibari, you and I are going to work on strengthening your Ver. V.R."

"Well, shit."

"Don't 'well, shit' me! Show me your Dying Will too! You need to learn a new killer technique with the Ver. V.R.! Or learn proper tactics for using it!

Tsuki could literally see the flames—which she was sure wasn't even the Dying Will Flames—burning around the older woman.

I think I like it better when she was wary of me.

Kyoko and Haru blinked. Kyoya continued eating, ignoring the three sleeping members of his family.

"They fell asleep before finishing their meal again," Kyoko said with a hint of fondness in her tone.

"It's been three days since the new training started," Haru mused out loud.

"They're probably really tired..."

Bianchi let out a loud sigh, "If only Hayato's progressing... at least then his exhaustion would be valid."

The Cloud Guardian raised an eyebrow.

"It didn't go well?" Reborn inquired.

"Aa... he's only managed to take down two scorpions in a minute. His biggest factor is his lack of will to do it."

Tsuki sat up straight, startling those who didn't know that she was awake. "It's not because he's weak, if that's what you're thinking," she said before standing and stretching her arms above her, "pairing the two of you... it's an impossible combination for training, but... you're the best person who can draw out his full strength." She ignored the disbelief on the woman's face and made her way to the door, "I'm gonna take a bath."

Bianchi shook her head and stood, "I'll be taking a bath as well."

Kyoya waited for the room to clear before nodding at his second-in-command. Tetsuya gave a small bow and left.

"How long are you herbivores going to play possum?"

The two slowly sat straight, one wearing a sheepish expression, the other a blank one.

"Haha."

"Che."

"What exactly is your problem? Gokudera Hayato."

Hayato's eyes widened at the blunt question, "Wha—"

"It's been three days since your training with Bianchi started and yet, from what she said, you haven't made any progress."

"Oi!"

Takeshi and Reborn watched the two quietly.

"The Small Animal has completely mastered her new Flame and it only took her overnight to do so. The herbivore beside you is progressing rapidly as well. You, on the other hand, can't even take down twenty scorpions," the older Guardian calmly pointed out.

His fists clenched, eyes unable to meet piercing gray ones.

"If you're not going to take your training seriously, just say so. I'm sure Kyoko, Haru, and Fuuta can use the extra hand in taking care of the Smaller Herbivores."

"Tha—"

"Lambo-san appears!"

"Yo, Lambo!" Takeshi greeted, grateful for the kid's impeccable timing, "Just finished your bath?"

"Hai, and y'know... Bianchi and Kyoko and Haru and Tsuki and I-pin were there too! Right now, y'know... in the middle of the bath, right...? There's a bunch of boobies!"

Hayato started spluttering, his face bright red, Kyoya, Reborn, and Takeshi watched him in amusement.

"So... it seems like Gokudera's the only kid left in the family..." Reborn commented offhandedly, taking a sip of his tea to hide the smile threatening to tug his lips at the look on the Storm Guardian's face.

The next day, Tsuki and her Guardians, along with Reborn, Lal, Giannini, and Tetsuya, gathered around the Conference Room, where the Cloud Guardian and his second-in-command informed the group of a recent development regarding the male Mist Guardian.

"Mukuro's in Vindicare!?"

Takeshi's brows furrowed, "Why are we only finding out about this now?"

"Because I told them not to tell you guys."

The two Guardians turned to her.

"Why, Tsuki?"

"The Small Animal went berserk when she found out, I'm actually surprise none of you heard it," Kyoya answered, "she wanted to drop everything here and fly to Vindicare to bust him out, I'm sure you two would have no problem with that plan, and that is the last thing she needs."

Tsuki sighed, "Precisely..."

Takeshi, Kyoya, and Hayato's eyes narrowed when the air around their Sky changed.

"Chrome."

Just as she finished saying that, a ringing noise resounded around the room.

"What is it, Giannini?" Lal asked.

"It was only a moment, but we picked up an unknown, but very powerful Ring... in the outskirts of Kokuyo Land. But, this area is flooded with—"

"Iie," the Sky cut off, eyes focused on the huge screen on the wall, "it's not a false alarm. Chrome's here..."

Lal, by now, knew better than to disagree. "What should we do?"

She shrugged and turned to her Cloud, "What should we do, Kyoya?"

"You're the boss," he returned.

"Chrome's your wife."

"What!?"

Tsuki gave the two shocked Guardians an exasperated look, "Really? Kyoya's wearing a wedding ring!"

"I... I thought that was..."

"A special Ring..." Takeshi finished for the Storm.

"He's wearing it on his left ring finger... and shouldn't you two know where he wears his special Ring. We wear it on the exact same place!"

"W-Well..." Hayato's lips pulled into a pout, "I didn't think there'd be someone crazy enough to marry him..."

An eyebrow twitched, "And I suppose you didn't see the wedding ring on Takeshi's..." Tsuki sighed at the look on his face, "Hayato..."

"Why are we having this conversation now!?" Lal demanded in disbelief, "We can talk about who's married to who later! Right now—"

Another loud ringing resounded, cutting her off.

Takeshi looked at the screen, "What is it this time?"

"It's an encoded message," Giannini said.

"The code consists of rows of commas," Reborn observed, "that means..."

"In our slang, the comma represents a head that's been cut off... in other words, it's a code for killing," Giannini explained. "It's an Assassin Squad's Code!"

"Decode it."

"Hai, Bosu!"

"Oi..."

Tsuki turned to the older woman, "Hm?"

"Why are you so calm?"

"I can sense him somewhere near her. Chrome'll be fine."

"Giannini, how is it?" Reborn asked, having an idea who his student was talking about.

"Give me another moment to decode it."

"But, you know..." Hayato started, an uneasy look on his face, "if it's an Assassin Squad..."

"It must be them, huh," Takeshi mused, glancing at his bored-looking boss from the corner of his eyes.

"Well, there are many such groups in this era," Tetsuya pointed out.

"Aha!" Giannini exclaimed, "I think I've got it. Just as I thought, the code belongs to Vongola. The digital signature matches as well."

"That means it's really them," Hayato said.

"The Vongola Special Assassination Squad..." Tsuki drawled, staring at the screen.

"It's playing now."

"VOOOOOOOOOI!"

It doesn't matter where they were in the base, everyone heard the loud voice of the Varia's second-in-command.

"Are your necks still attached!? Fucking lousy brats!"

Hayato's eyebrow twitched, "It's him!"

"Squalo!" Takeshi exclaimed, a huge grin on his face.

"Turn it down!" Lal ordered, glaring murderously at the screen showing the Varia Rain in all his glory.

"Hai!" Giannini scrambled to follow. I've turned it down a lot already though...

"Get this! Fucking lousy brats! Stay where you are! Even if you pick up the signal of a new Ring outside!"

"He's talking about the one at Kokuyo Land," Reborn said.

The Varia Storm appeared behind Squalo, a huge grin on his face, "If you wait patiently, a very simple instruction will be there soon. Until then, be good and stay put, little kids~"

"The knife-bastard!"

Lal's eyes narrowed. Instruction...?

"Vooi! What are you doing here!"

"The prince is bored~ I came to bug you."

"If you interrupt me again. I'm going to kill you."

"I dare you."

"Vooi..."

The occupants in the room watched the Varia Rain disappear behind the couch, the sound of beating resonating around the room. Takeshi laughed like he was watching a comedy instead of someone being beaten.

"I hope we can meet again in this lifetime! Until then, make sure you don't die!"

And with that, the screen turned black.

Tsuki blinked, "That's it?"

"Those two haven't changed a bit!" Takeshi said.

"Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing..." She suddenly turned to look at the entrance, "Okaeri, Onii-san."

"Sasagawa Ryohei... has arrived!"

"Shibafu-atama!"

"Yo, Senpai."

"Hn. You're back."

Kyoya stood and strode towards him, Ryohei grinned and transferred the girl he was carrying to his arms.

"I'm taking her to the medical care."

"I've heal her already. She just needs rest."

"Hn." His eyes narrowed when he saw the bird she was clutching. "Pineapple-herbivore..."

"Aa..." Tsuki's eyes softened, "it's him..."

"The bird's fine too, just exhausted," Ryohei assured.

"I'm taking her to Bianchi," Kyoya said, already walking out of the room.

"Come back when she's settled," Tsuki called after him. "Now, Onii-san..."

"Onii-san!"

Ryohei turned and smiled, "Oh, Kyoko... you've become so short..."

"I'm so glad you're all right!" Kyoko exclaimed, throwing her arms around his waist.

"A-Aa... don't cry, Kyoko! As you can see, I'm alive and kicking! Ok?"

"Hai..."

"Not that I want to spoil your reunion..." Hayato cut in, "but why does the Varia know about you coming here!?"

"That's because I was with them, of course! I've also returned with a message!"

"It's the instruction Belphegor mentioned, right?" Reborn inquired from his perch on Takeshi's shoulder.

"What is it?" Takeshi asked.

"I'VE FORGOTTEN IT, TO THE EXTREME!"

Tsuki rubbed her temples at the loud proclamation. "Onii-san..."

"But, not to worry! I wrote it down! It'll only make sense to me!"

Hayato scoffed, "Good to know that you learned something these last 10 years."

Tsuki waited for her Guardian to finish reading his memo, amusement flickering in her eyes when he realized that Kyoko and Haru were still in the room.

"There was a Sumo Wrestling Tournament in Italy! That's why I had to go there! It was really great, you know! Kyoko! Haru! Hahahahahaha!"

Hayato's eyebrow twitched, "His ability to cover up things is still messed up!"

"It's almost time for dinner," Kyoya said as he entered the room.

Kyoko and Haru's eyes widened.

"Oh!"

"We completely forgot! Let's go, Haru-chan."

Tsuki waited until they were out of earshot before looking at her Guardians. "Let's move this conversation somewhere else."

With everyone gathered in the room, Tsuki turned to her older Sun and nodded.

"I was sent to the Varia acting on the Tenth's orders with regards to a certain matter," he started, "in the middle of that, the Vongola Hunt started. The Varia received an information about you guys coming over from the past. That's how I knew about it too."

"It was you, wasn't it?"

The room turned to the Cloud Guardian, who gave a small nod.

The older Sun crossed his arms to his chest, "Aa... that makes sense. Only Kyoya and the base has a direct connection to the Varia. Anyway, apart from them, only some of the top-level survivors from the Vongola and our close allies know about it... there are also those who don't believe it."

"Close allies... that means the Cavallone and Sinclair are..."

He smiled at his Sky and nodded, "Hai, they're well too."

She breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Then," he continued, "working on the assumption that you guys are here, the Family planned for a large-scale attack. The instruction to those of us here, Vongola Decima's Family, is this. In five days' time, we will raid the Millefiore's branch in Japan."