Seashells of the Sky

Summary:"Wait, what Family became the Black Spell of Millefiore?" Tsuna asked. Lambo sighed, eyes shadowed, "The Vongola Family." AU

Chapter Nine: Of the Sky's Reflections

Afterwards, Adult Lambo poofed away and Stupid Lambo dropped into his arms, sleeping soundly with a mound of candies stuck to his afro.

Dumb Lambo managed to keep a cool face after the pink smoke cleared, but the others could obviously sense his disquiet, so they didn't say anything.

"We should go back to base." Reborn finally announced into the awkward silence.

On the way back, everyone was quiet, with only the sound of Stupid Lambo snoring. Everyone seemed lost in thought as they recounted the all-too recent events of the day.

Hatred…, Dumb Lambo was thinking, is it as dangerous as it sounds? Maybe I can use this to my advantage. Besides, I've already got so much of it. His eyes darkened as he thought of Byakuran.

"Do you think Basil will be alright?" Tsuna suddenly asked in a small voice, worry creasing his eyebrows.

There was a pause before Yamamoto answered gravely, "there's still a chance he could be… but we don't exactly have a proper doctor at the moment." He said quietly.

Dumb Lambo seethed inwardly. It was all Byakuran's fault that Basil was acting all weird and now his life was threatened! He decided, rather easily, that Byakuran wasn't going to die quickly.

His features contorted into one of pure fury as he glared holes into the ground. However, as soon as it appeared, it melted back into a thoughtful expression. Nobody noticed this, except one particular person.

Obsidian black eyes narrowed warily on the Lightning Guardian. The Arcobaleno decided to keep a permanent watch on him, because there'd be a high risk that the dumb cow, because of his emotions, would hurt others – or even himself.

Gokudera was sulking.

He lay on his bed within the infirmary, well aware of the laboured breaths coming from the fevered adult beside him. He didn't turn to look. He didn't need to. In fact, he didn't even want to. He leered inwardly at the thought of talking to the person beside him.

Yes, he won. Yes, he beat the crap out of his future self. However, it wasn't a fair fight. It wasn't even a fair fight from the very beginning!

He has the gall to go easy on me, Gokudera thought sourly, I was fighting for the Tenth! How dare he not take it seriously!

"You know, I quit that habit just two years ago."

Gokudera refused to acknowledge the owner of that voice. Instead, he continued thinking furiously to himself. Fucking bastard, when we're both fully healed, I'll challenge him and he'd better fucking take me seriously!

"Yeah, that talking aloud thing right there."

"Shut up." Gokudera growled moodily.

"You shut up." Hayato grumbled back.

"I'm going to kill you." His younger counterpart replied vehemently, and the older one started choking on his laughter.

Gokudera turned away, but only just to hide the twitch of a smile creeping up on his face.

However, it was five minutes later that they both spoke, in unison, on the matter that they were both brooding about.

"We failed him."

Yamamoto was not a genius, but he knew a problem when he saw one, no matter how obscure.

Everyone was despairing at the situation. The atmosphere was so thick with tension that he could almost taste it. Tsuna, the generally panicky and optimistic one, had subtly changed, becoming quieter and sombre as time went by.

It was like a ripple effect – the rest of the younger counterparts were like a shadow of their former personalities. Even Gokudera had mouthed off at him less, even though he'd tried to do and say so many annoying and ridiculously happy things to try and keep the group morale up.

However, the problem of the older counterparts were on a whole different level. Kyouya was definitely reliable, but the other Guardian were a different matter. If the rest of them came over to their side from the Black Spell, then it would be great. But that still ran the risk of some of them – most likely Hayato, Takeshi, and older Ryouhei – would turncoat at the slightest hint of threat to Tsunayoshi by Byakuran. Chrome and Mukuro he wasn't entirely sure of, but Dumb Lambo could be a definite obstacle in the near future. Yamamoto was sure that, with the hatred festering in the older Lightning Guardian's heart, he'd go out of control.

If Yamamoto could help, he could, but what could he do? Lambo hated Byakuran more than ever, and Yamamoto couldn't even begin to understand that. All he could do was try and stop Lambo when the time came.

Yamamoto sighed inwardly as he walked with Tsuna, Dumb Lambo, and Reborn, who sat on his right shoulder. He knew Gokudera would have deduced the same problems, far sooner than Yamamoto, who had just figured them out now, but the younger Storm Guardian was too blindsided by the fact that he'd failed Tsunayoshi in the future.

Yamamoto felt tempted to just slam his head into a nearby tree. He couldn't do nothing about it, yet what action could he take?

It was time to consult Reborn, and by just thinking that, the kid on his right shoulder cast him a conniving grin.

It was a rather interesting situation he'd landed himself in.

However, next time he'd be careful not to be so reckless. If there was even going to be a next time.

Nevertheless, he was lucky. He'd been transported to a place – never mind the fact that it was the future – that held strong opponents. Strong opponents that he was just itching to face.

A bloodthirsty smirk curled Hibari's lips.

Despite being only five-years-old, he already knew how to properly deceive people if he wanted to.

He did so now, snuggling into Dumb Lambo's arms and snoring loudly. However, he could sense the tension in the air, and the silence that had fallen like a blanket.

He knew, also, of the dire situation, but he wasn't exactly sure of how bad it was. He'd heard the name Basil and the worry that followed about him, and was worried about Basil himself. He saw the wary and concerned looks also through his squinted eyelids. He saw them directed at the person who was him yet was not. The person he may or may not grow up into in the future.

Now, as Dumb Lambo handed his 'sleeping' form to Dame-Tsuna, saying that he was going to go to sleep, he felt only one thing.

He saw the zombie-like expression on the person he will or maybe not become one day. He saw the inner malice and turmoil in his emotionless, now dull, emerald green eyes.

And five-year-old Lambo was scared.

"I wonder... if anyone else can hear it?" Dokuro muttered to herself. She sat alone on her bed, having retreated back there after fighting the 'Prince' guy with Sasagawa-san.

Now, she stared blankly at her hands as she strained her ears. The younger female Mist Guardian was trying to listen to something. Something that was tinkling so very vaguely and far away...

The noise sounded familiar.

"Where are you, Mukuro-sama?"

All Tsuna could do these days was worry about his Guardians. Worry about the future. Worry about how he would get everyone home. Worry about... the older Guardians. Tsuna couldn't help but mentally berate his older self. How could he... worry his Guardian's like this? How could he allow any of this to happen?

He felt guilty that he didn't exactly want to help their older counterparts in their Millefiore problem, but his first priority was to his present friends.

However, he did get something valuable from this whole adventure, and when everyone got back to the past again, he'd make sure of several things. I have to try, Tsuna thought determinedly, and get Reborn's original form restored... I owe him that much. It was an issue he'd recently learned of, and the infant couldn't keep it quiet. There'd coincidentally been a picture of the ten year older Guardians and an adult Reborn n the living room of the Vongola base.

And I have to definitely protect everyone, to keep them safe from any enemy, and make sure Gokudera-kun takes care of himself as well, Tsuna said earnestly to himself, Hibari-san seems to be the same as always, and Mukuro, Chrome, older Nii-san and older Yamamoto have yet to appear...

He sincerely hoped that his older self had not let them down as well.

But the two I'm really concerned about...

Tsuna glanced down at his arms, where five-year-old Lambo was sleeping soundly in them. He would never let hatred taint his younger Lightning Guardian.

Adult Lambo's expression..., Tsuna thought apprehensively, thinking of the barely contained malice on the older Guardian's face when faced with Byakuran's promise.

And Basil... Tsuna bit his lip. He wouldn't respond to Byakuran's taunt and hate his enemy. No, instead, he'd focus on helping his own friends and protecting them until he was defeated.

Tsuna's arms tightened instinctively around Stupid Lambo.

I won't let anything happen to my friends.

Sasagawa was no stranger to violence. He was no rookie in becoming violent himself when it came to protecting others.

Even if it were an enemy he was facing, even if it were a potentially dangerous one, he'd never land the finishing blow. Boxing wasn't about killing, after all. He spared the Rasiel guy's life, blatantly ignoring his jibes as he rushed him back to base. However, he was too late for the guy's 'butler'.

It seemed that everything was for naught, though. He rushed into the whole 'team' meeting, panting from the effort of running so fast to deliver the dire news. He'd gone to see how the Rasiel guy had been doing, but...

Everyone looked up when he burst in.

"Stupid Lawn-Head," Gokudera scoffed, "You're ten minutes late to the meeting; how dare you keep the Tenth waiting -?" He looked ready to throw dynamite at the boxer.

"He's dead!" Sasagawa finally gasped out, and everyone had varying reactions, "Rasiel – that prince dude we captured - is dead!"

"Y-you're kidding, right?" Tsuna asked incredulously.

Kyouya drawled, "I wonder... if one of Byakuran's men came in and assassinated him just to keep him quiet?"

"It's possible." Hayato put in, lounging on the couch behind them, "Rasiel is one of the wielders of the seven Mare rings. He could have known information about Byakuran that we could've used to our advantage."

Dumb Lambo frowned, "But the Vongola base... the alarm should've sounded if an intruder got in!"

"Unless it was one of us." Reborn said quietly, and that possibility silenced everyone in thought.

And, under the same roof, the culprit's face was briefly twisted with a mad, satisfied, little grin.

End of Arc I

A/N: Gehe, guess who killed Rasiel~? *lazily grins*

Please review!

(Edited: 15/12/11 - I decided to set it in Arcs... I have no significant reason why, XD)