Hey hey~~ ok so this will be my second KHR fanfic (yay)

I hope you all enjoy this as much as Ten Flames though I feel the intro chapter is a bit meh

I'm a little unsure on how I did characterization wise with everyone so I hope you guys will review and give ya opinions~~

Also did you know that the color red is very very rare in marine life? So many fish and stuff are unable to identify the color and will tend to ignore it!

Hmmm ok pushing my bio nerdiness aside...

There is a poem in there that is slightly altered for the story but its called the Silent Sea by Debi Fields

It's funny because I seriously planned a different ending to this chapter but somehow the words just wrote itself (sighs) so now my whole storyline needs to be replanned lol

but either way~

I do hope you all enjoy! XD

The ocean. Full of mysteries, secrets and beings that have been only heard of through myths and rumors. It was a time of adventure and action, a male's romance they say. A time of exploration and treasure-hunting in the human world as many chose to travel rather than stay cooped up on some farm in the country. It is during this time, in this strange unexplored world overrun by even stranger beings known as humans a story unfolds.
And the now the story will start. In the depths of the deep blue sea...

"Haha Dame-Tsuna is such a failure!"
"I heard he got the lowest IQ in the entire sea!"
"Really he's a disappointment to merfolk everywhere."
Tears weld up inside the brunette, only to be washed away by the surrounding salt water surrounding him as said brunette nursed his bruises whilst listening, to the verbal abuse of his fellow classmates. It wasn't fair! He wasn't a failure, in fact he did pretty decent in everything except math- that was a lost cause in itself but still! Maybe it was because his big brother Giotto was practically considered an idol in the community and he had to live under such a large shadow-it didn't help that he looked so damn weak and feminine, not to mention his quiet, shy personality and strange 'hobbies' plus despite being quite graceful he on occasion found himself bumping into corals or tripping over nothing but water due to his godforsaken clumsiness. It did not take long for him to be immediately been pegged with the insulting nickname 'Dame-Tsuna'.

When his intuition told him it was safe to come out of hiding the teen uncurled himself from his ball and warily left the mass of coral he'd been hiding under. Sniffling quietly he drifted to one of the few places he'd take refuge and comfort in, feeling completely safe from everything. It took a while to get there much to Tsuna's pleasure as it gave him time to clear his head and to push away the dark, violent thoughts that time and time again try to invade his mind, to overtake and consume him. The sanctuary the brunette was heading to had long been forgotten by the others or purposely avoided due to unsavory rumors. Either way it was a perfect place to be alone with no fear of any outsider walking in and it also helped the location was far not to mention hard to locate, requiring a good sense and maneuverability underwater. To get to the place one had to first go through a serious of obstacles: dodging between sharp branches of coral, swimming through the coiling seaweed that always held the possibility of tangling up one's fins and tail, finding one's way through a maze of underground caves until finally reaching the destination.

Of course while Tsuna was fairly confident in his ability to get there relatively unscathed he still found himself wincing at the scratches gained on the journey adding to the numbing pain of his bruises. The brunette however ignored the stinging pain in favor of re-admiring the beautiful interior of his sanctuary.
How a library had survived, dry and untainted by the outside world over a couple of thousand meters under the sea still baffled the brunette. But here it was, intricate designs and ancient beauty could be seen once the teen resurfaced from the waters. By some strange chance or freak event the place that had once provided knowledge to humans had managed to find itself in one of the many underground caves, Tsuna guessed that the caves themselves used to be a lost civilization that had sunk into the unforgiving embrace of the sea where it was consumed by the marine life to the point there was almost no trace of its glorious past. Of course it could just be his imagination acting up again.

As he pushed himself out of the water, reveling in the strange feeling of air on his skin and scales, the brunette quickly dragged his body onto the land to grab an orange book he had his eye on for a while, only to take it and swiftly return to familiar water. It was one of Tsuna's favorite pastimes to lean on the cave ground, tail still swishing in the water, reading the wonderful tales the books could offer. To him it was a form of escape, an escape from the unfair treatment and bullying, an escape from his lack of family as his dear beloved mother died a few years back from grief and illness as his so-called father who kept leaving, finally left for good all those years ago taking his big brother along with him. The bastard didn't even know she died, hell, he probably didn't even know she was sick. However his sanctuary was frowned upon, it made him even more of an outsider in the community.

Mermaids were a rare endangered species no thanks to humans who long ago hunted and killed them for no reason other than for sport and other selfish desires. So it isn't much of a surprise that no-mer-body wanted anything to do with such impure creatures. Tsuna however thought they were fascinating. And a bit scary. Ok a lot scary. But somehow it added to this strange curiosity of the two legged species. How could they be so brutal and barbaric like he had learnt in school yet write such complex beautiful stories and come up with such intellectual, creative theories? These strange humans were so enthrallingly captivating in their complexities and their hypocrisies.

Looking at the new treasure in his hands the teen greedily read the title with his large honey brown eyes, tracing the golden printing as he did so.

The Arcobaleno's Curse, The Seven Colored Ceremony and it's History

Already large eyes widened further and glittered in curious excitement. Hopefully it's content will be just as intriguing as the cover. With that thought in mind he began reading, devouring the words and leaving reality for a brief moment in time.
The book wasn't just as interesting as the brunette expected, no- it had far surpassed his expectations. Honestly Tsuna couldn't tell if this was fiction or not and he didn't really care either. Seven Strongest people in their respective fields are chosen to be the Cursed Arcobaleno, they each are entrusted a specific treasure that holds a certain attribute fitting the individual. This so-called treasure is apparently a very special artifact which requires a large amount energy in the form of a flame. All tied by this cruel string of fate, cursed to never age nor grow as they spend the rest of their lives trying to meet the conditions to breaking their accursed burden, conditions so impossible that after generations upon generations none could complete. When they inevitably fail and perish either from accident or from simply meeting their expiration dates, the cursed artifacts will move on to the next seven people. And the cycle once again turns the hands of fate.
Tsuna was enthralled at the story, the idea was so interesting and intriguing. These mysterious artifacts, the arcobaleno, the search for the impossible somehow it all seemed to resonate deeply within him.

Before the teen could even grasp the strange tingling feeling at the back of his mind his tail twitched as it felt the changing of currents. A storm would be coming and the current would be strong. Nothing that the merman couldn't handle but it would be much safer if he left quickly nonetheless. Pushing himself back up onto the dry stone floor with a grunt the brunette dragged himself back to gently return the orange book back in its place. A part of him slightly reveling in the strange feeling of being completely out of water. However as he began to dry out Tsuna could feel the familiar stinging pain on his skin and almost a ripping sensation in his tail. He persevered for a few more seconds till the pain became almost unbearable and the brunette was forced to dive into the salty water, sighing as his body was soothed from such mind-numbing yet self-inflicted torture. Ever the curious one he'd always question what happens to merfolk when dry, it was an official rule to not go up to the surface and an unspoken law to never allow oneself to be dried out. Nobody questioned why, nobody knew what happens, they just accepted it and continued on their hidden sheltered lives. From the constant attempts of trying to 'dry out' Tsuna finally gathered that the reason for the rule was probably because the pain of drying out would probably kill someone. Actually he guessed that from the first time he was drying out when he almost got stuck on the cave surface, he couldn't really explain why he kept pushing himself to the limits by repeat the tortuous process. Maybe he wanted a deeper connection to the humans he loved so much that he had subconsciously craved to be one, maybe he was genuinely curious to see if something would change in him as he noticed he was able to stand the pain for longer and longer, maybe a part of him wished to die and finally leave his isolated, hated dame-life or maybe he was simply going insane. Maybe it was a bit of all of it.

As he lazily swam in the water, guided by his strong intuition and the currents of the sea the brunette flipped himself over so he could face where the sky was while he kicked his tail propelling him to wherever the oceans take him. The merteen loved looking at where the sky should be, he would imagine away the ripples of the water and think what the sky would really look like. When the currents were low and waves were calm sometimes Tsuna could see things in the sky, the white patches in the blue that sometimes turned grey when it pours water down, mysterious beings that seemed to swim in the sky and the bright blinding orb known as the sun. Oh how he wished to feel that sun.

Right now the surface was in chaos, the sky was dark and brooding, the white fluffy things no longer so white- more like black and menacing, the tears of the sky pelted hard and fast making it even harder to see the surface among the thrashing waves that reflected its darkening counterpart. So different from the calm water surrounding him. So much more alive.

Admiring the beautiful chaos above big caramel brown eyes seemed to be drawned to something slowly falling from the surface. A figure. A human. And from the way it was struggling it was alive too. Well that's new.
Not really thinking and just letting his curiosity overtake him, he swam swiftly to the sinking human who had now stopped struggling, possibly unconscious and not dead yet. As the boy got closer he noticed the older male seemed very different compared to the usual ragged clothing he'd seen on many a shipwrecked sailor, clothes less worn, seem to exude a sense of power and dignity despite his unconscious form. It meant this individual was different. Maybe even one of those high class nobles he'd read about, those usually were a rare sight to see in the middle of the ocean. However what really captured his attention was a faint yellow glowing orb that floated off from the human's neck. It really was breath-takingly ethereal in beauty.

Absentmindedly Tsuna wondered what both human and orb would taste like. However his primal instincts were pushed away as the strange man before him began spasming and his intuition was insisting to save the other, it certainly wasn't because a sense of sympathy welled up in him. Really it wasn't. Damn his weak heart. The human was lucky he wasn't hungry or he would have met a cruel fate, intuition and kindness be damned.
With an exasperated sigh that hid the rising excitement filling him up, the smaller male grabbed the surprisingly warm to touch orb and the other's strange yet in a way fitting black clothing and began pulling the older looking human to the rippling surface. As they got closer, Tsuna's heart beat faster in a mix of anticipation and fear. He would see the sky, he would feel real wind and take a breath of fresh air. He will go against generations of laws and rules but what did those generations do for him anyway?

Ten meters, eight meters, five meters, one meter. The brunette's heart was pumping so much a little part of him thought he'll have an attack, he was so close he could smell the salt filled air.
So damn close. He was in arms reach of what he had dreamed of, read about and hoped for.

So why was he hesitating?

The doubts that were waiting patiently in the shadows of his mind had chosen now of all times to make themselves known. Suddenly the water felt so much thicker, clinging possessively onto the the lithe figure, refusing to let one of the ocean's rare gems go. He felt himself unwillingly sinking back into the endless blue depths, into it's coaxing safety.
Suddenly Tsuna felt an iron hold grip clutching his arm, the pain of the nails digging into his flesh awakening him from his hesitant stupor. Looking down at the other being who had been flitting from conscious and unconsciousness the underwater creature couldn't help but suck in a sharp intake of water as he saw a glimpse behind the humans flickering eyelids.

Darkness, the other beings eyes held a beautiful darkness that not even the inky depths of the ocean could hold. Tsuna could feel in that one split second a power in this man's eyes. A strength, a will, a resolve to live.
The feeling overtaken him was sudden and almost painful, like getting shot by a bullet. Then he felt heat well inside him and a calmness settle over his once turbulent mind. Surged with an inner will power the merteen didn't even know he had Tsuna kicked up his fins and swam toward the surface at what a human would have considered breakneck speed.

The younger male's head broke through the surface of the choppy waters and his upper half of his body soon followed after, making sure the strange dark eyed stranger was also out of water. Not even wasting a second on admiring the moment Tsuna swam ferociously against the waves, noting absentmindedly how much harder it was to swim against waves rather than underwater currents whilst he headed to the nearest sign of what he assumed was 'land'.

Finally he felt his tail brushing the sand indicating he was getting closer and closer. Adrenalin and excitement pumped through his veins and roared through his ears. Despite his burst of energy Tsuna made sure the man he held was gently placed onto the 'land'. Then the mermaid dragged his whole body out of the water, careful to be close enough to the waves for the occasional splash to hydrate his body.

Now before he could enjoy his first taste of rebellious freedom Tsuna had to figure out what to do with the human. Looking closer at the figure he noted the other's appearance. The human was tall and despite the long blackness that covered his body the teen could see the other held a muscular yet lean, toned figure, he wondered why this man hides his body under this silky texture- maybe such features are considered shameful or unaesthetically pleasing in the surface world? His (is gender the same up there?) hair is also very strange. Curiously slender fingers traced over the spiral shaped hair that seemed to adorn the older looking human. As if in response the human seemed to frown and twitch, leading to hacking convulsions. Startled the merteen withdrew his hands from the other's face yet the coughing fit did not stop. Tsuna could sense water in the lungs and something inside him told him that for a surface dweller that was probably a very bad thing.
Using instinct and intuition along the brunette began... Punching the human. The brunette doubted this was working but he had learnt over the years to trust his intuition and it hadn't wronged him yet. However when he heard a slight ominous crack Tsuna felt either he was doing something very, very wrong or humans make cracking noises as a sign of recovery. The smaller male decided that the latter idea was stupid and tried to use less strength as he punched the chest area. After what seemed like hours for the rather impatient merteen who wished to explore rather than play punch the human (though he had to admit it did felt... interesting) Tsuna almost felt like giving up. However he couldn't just leave the black cladded male to just die, he owed him that much at least. Caramel eyes burned a vibrant orange matching the sky at this moment, where the sun was making its descent into the crashing waves. He continued his actions making sure to prop the taller male up to provide the best possible position for letting fresh air through the airways. Finally the man began spitting up water.

'A good sign. Probably.'

Tsuna nodded to himself satisfied. It was nice doing a good deed for some stranger. It was nicer that during the whole ordeal no one had come upon the two, the brunette was not stupid enough to think that he would come out of such a situation safe and happy however looking clearly at his surroundings while unconsciously pulling the larger body closer so the other was resting on his own slim figure, the brunette noticed very little sense of life where he stood. Feeling a little more confident the teen began to hum a soft tune whilst stroking shadow-dark spikey hair much like his mother used to do when young. It felt so soothing doing this as he watched the sky, admiring the beautiful mix of vibrant warm shades and colours filling the once large expanse of blue. Absentmindedly noting how similar his own tail seem to reflect such pretty hues. The humming died down and in its place a song took its shape, a song passed down from generation to generation, a song as old as the existence of mermaids. So into the song the mythical creature didn't even notice eyes darker than the blackest depths of the sea staring upward at him.

Shades of green and aqua blue

The sea painted with a thousand hues

Beneath the thundering ocean waves

Out of the reach of mariners graves

A living testimony swims in majesty, once the rulers of the sea

Once the rulers of the sea

...

There lies the hidden gems from beneath the ocean

With songs of praise and true devotion

To the God of creation and of the sea

To the God of creation and of the sea

...

A sea being robbed by cruel thieves

The song of the jewels drifts silently away

The hands of man have silenced their praise

As God looks down in his majesty

As tears trickle down on the silent sea...

As tears trickle down on the silent sea...

"KORA! I'm pretty sure Reborn isn't here, this whole island is deserted."

"Shut up damn student! The fact the island is deserted doesn't change the fact Reborn could have drifted off here. Don't you learn anything?!"

"I honestly can't believe that smug bastard actually fell overboard though kora."

"T-to be fair it had been a while since we traveled by sea."

"Skull no matter how much you defend him Reborn's still going to rip you a new one for tripping and pushing the man off the ship kora."

"If we look at the math Reborn should be around 7800-8000 miles under the sea by now. Searching here would be fruitless."

"This is a waste of time and resources. Which means money. And I don't waste money."

Fon sighed. "Guys Reborn is our comrade. Why don't we just stop fighting like children and take a look around this place quickly. That way we won't waste as much time."

In the end they reached a compromise in which everyone bickered whilst searching the island. Fon sighed again. He had been doing that a lot lately since everyone grouped together a few months back.

A beautifully pure voice rang out into the air as if from the ocean itself silencing the loud individuals, the sound of waves crashing did nothing to diminish the ethereally intoxicating sound, only adding to it's magnetic lull. As if hypnotized all silently followed the voice like a lifeline wondering who was the beholder of such expressive, harmoniously pure vocals. As they rounded past various shrubbery and vegetation they finally found themselves hidden from view behind a rock as all strained themselves to capture a glimpse (though a few were much more obvious in their attempts voyeurism) of the one who managed to capture their hearts through such enchanting to the point of hauntingly beautiful melody. The group noticed immediately two figures in which one they quickly identified as Reborn. However it was the other that had their attention.

There sitting by the unconscious hitman was a beautiful young boy, milky white skin, gravity defying chestnut hair, large caramel brown eyes and angelic soft features rarely found in this hardened cut-throat world. But what really drew their attention (though the teen's face did enrapture them just as much) was the lower half of this young male's body. Instead of legs their was a long glistening fish tail. A beautiful orange that reminded one of a dazzling sunset, the scales seemed to glimmer against the light like as if a flame was trapped in each scale. The fins adorning the sides of the tail, his arms as well as the end of his tail itself was almost transparent yet still had faint orange-pink shade. The only thing the ethereal individual wore was a delicate, shimmering see-through gossamer fabric wrapped around his hips where skin met with scales. The clothe was adorned with various strings of pearls ranging from colors of pure white to creamy orange giving an even more 'heavenly' appearance to the lithe, slim figure.

"Beautiful." Someone breathed unconsciously as every other person nodded in agreement.

"As tears trickle down on the silent sea...

As tears trickle down on the silent sea..."

The song soon ended like sea foam dissolving back where it came from and a comfortable quiet filled the air with only the sounds of the sea as company. However as all silences were met with an eventual end, this particular one ended rather abruptly when a certain purple clad individual accidentally pushed a little too hard in order to gain a better view and a few shoves later resulted in the male stumbling out of hiding and right in obvious view of the object of their voyeurism.

Tsuna continued stroking the human's hair as he looked at the horizon reveling in this feeling of peace and ignoring the niggling sensation at the back of his mind. However he quickly regretted the action as ears picked up the sound of quite loud, erratic thumpings on the sand. Turning quickly to the source the merteen's entire body stiffened and large caramel eyes widened producing a deer in the headlights expression as he caught sight of another human.

This one unlike the human the brunette was currently cradling in his arms who was dressed in black and a little yellow, was made up of violets, blacks and silver which like the other human covered almost completely his body. The part of Tsuna that wasn't screaming warning bells thought the other looked kinda pretty with flashes of silver and the interesting texture of the black and purple unlike anything he'd ever seen. The others hair was also violet but a little darker than the clothes, what intrigued the curious merman even more was the equally dark violet markings on the edge of his eyes and on his lips not to mention a sparkly silver chain connected to his lips and to his ears as well as other matching metal bulbs. Apparently humans were much more diverse than he first thought.

A rather exasperated sigh that didn't come from either humans broke Tsuna from his thoughts. Suddenly the boy felt very, very aware of his vulnerability however his intuition didn't seem to foretell any real danger before and so it was rather easy to had brush off the uneasy feeling but now... Warily he took his gaze away from the purple clad man to search for the other humans hidden. A flare of intuition and honeyed eyes rested on a particularly large rock in dense shrubbery. Unconsciously he half hugged the warm being on his tail for comfort and reassurance.

The individuals that were once hidden in the vegetation moved (swam?) out of hiding once Tsuna's gaze turned toward them. It relaxed the merteen a bit as he noted them looking almost sheepish in expression and not at all showing any signs of aggression like the half human expected from the scary stories he had heard so often from the elders. However only a little. The group were filled with various coloured humans; one had spikey green hair and a strange metal, glass decoration on his nose, one had dark blue hair and a strange red marking on her face that Tsuna couldn't identify, one with blonde hair and a funny dark green pattern on his hair which reminded the teen a little of a mix of different algae and seaweed, one completely covered in dark indigo (humans were so strange) and lastly one with long hair in a tail covered in the strangest color he'd ever seen. It was a while of Tsuna staring at the humans to the point some (Violet, Blue hair, Seaweed pattern and Tails the brunette mentally named) were visibly uncomfortable. It was Seaweed pattern that stepped up, coughed (in which Tsuna immediately tensed at the action) and spoke up.

"Uh. Kora. We were kinda looking for... That there. So would you mind passing him to us?" All the blonde got was big brown eyes blinking owlishly, slowly trying to comprehend the content. Tsuna may have read countless books and learnt many languages through the experience but never once had he heard not spoken the words in the book. It took a little while to decipher the human's words and a little longer to understand. Finally it dawned on him. The brunette looked down to the unconscious figure, to the blonde, back and forth till finally back to the blonde. "Th-ees eez youws?" The teen managed to produce from his pink lips. He worried that his terrible pronunciation would hinder communications however he had little to worry as the human's facial features crinkled into a smile as he nodded his head rather vigorously. "Yeah kora! That's ours!"

Seaweed pattern took a step forward and Tsuna couldn't help but flinch warily. Though they showed no signs of any deceit it still wasn't wise to be so trusting towards them. Centuries of stories on the hunts for mermaids as well as the cruel brutality of it were alone enough reason to maintain a safe distance. The brunette wondered how fast it would take for him to throw the black clad human at the blonde and drag himself back into the deeper parts of the sea before they attempt to capture him. 'Too slow. They could catch me before I'm even half submerged.' He thought darkly 'My best bet is to hope these humans are kind enough to leave me be.' Apparently the action was noticed by the colorful group if the calculating expressions were to go by. Whilst the merteen was deep in his thoughts they all looked at each other in silent communication before subtly nodding as one, careful not to alert the beautiful creature. It was something they always did. Before they stole something. It wasn't surprising after all, they were all pirates. What was surprising was that everyone - from the peace loving Chinese to the scientific, apathetic German - seemed to be willing to cooperate. They were all curious, they all wanted to know more, they were all unaware that they were completely enchanted by a siren's song.

A sharp burning flare of intuition pushed all and any previous thoughts aside in warning the brunette of an impending danger however Tsuna was too slow to react. Colonello still held a friendly smile on his face but the group behind him had suddenly circled around him, blocking any chance of escape. An icy chill dropped down his spine into his stomach as the half human realised how much trouble he truly was in. "Sorry 'bout this kora but why dontcha just come to us an-" the soft deceptively soothing tone stopped abruptly as all jumped to pounce forward. Not wasting a second Tsuna pushed the human off him as he thrashed around in attempt to evade and escape. Chaotic emotions spurred the need for survival on and Tsuna began thrashing and snarling around at full force again much to the humans' surprise.

"We *grunt* just- ow!- want to talk dammit!" The blue haired female grunted out. Unexpectedly the delicate, frail looks were very deceiving.

"Lies! All liessss!" The brunette hissed as he pushed away the indigo cloaked one who practically flew in the air from the sheer force. Suddenly he was stopped in his frenzy as to the teen's dismay and surprise a large hand shot up and grabbed his own thin arm. Looking down scared, confused, caramel brown eyes locked onto eyes the color of the darkest depths that held a gleam that reminded the brunette of a predator. A cold, calculating beast which both scared and pulled him closer. Feelings of anger and betrayal hit him as it dawned that this human who he saved was also trying to capture him.

And suddenly the world went black.

"What the hell did you do?!"

"KORA! You were just as guilty as the rest of us Lal!"

"It seemed after hearing the song we became more impulsive and less reasonable and logical for a temporary period of time. Fascinating."

"Who cares about that!? My question is what to do now?!"

"We should apologize to mermaid-kun once he wakes I think."

"And what?! I'm sooo sorry we all tackled you, knocked you out and possibly scarred you for life? But it was because we really liked your singing which holds magical mind washing properties? Yeah I'm sure that would go swimmingly."

"I better be getting paid medical compensation from the damage inflicted."

*BANG*

The sound of a gunshot silenced everyone who all turned to the damp raven-haired male. "Shut. Up."

They didn't even question where the man got a gun.

Reborn was already in a foul mood. Almost drowning does that to you. And the useless fighting wasn't helping either. He didn't like how he somehow became enraptured by the melody, became enraptured by the creature itself and most of all he hated the flash of hurt, betrayal and pain in those large expressive eyes when he knocked the other out. But he was the world's greatest hitman. He could get past it. "Now. I think calming the kid after he wakes would be the best route to take. Speaking of which..." Without hesitation nor warning the hitman raised his right arm and shot another bullet. "HIIIIIEEEEEE!"

All eyes turned toward the source of the not at all manly screech in which they saw a certain previously unconscious brunette dragging his tied up body to the ocean. The bullet had barely missed the figure but made a definite mark in it's point. Tsuna wanted to cry when he awoke to the sound of loud shouting, the realization that his arms were tightly bound and he was barely in the water. He wished he'd never left the safe embrace of the ocean, he wished he'd just left the horrible human though deep down he also knew that he probably wasn't regretting the whole experience either. He had achieved one of his dreams with courage he never knew he possessed and watched the sky without the ripples of water to hinder his view. Now if he could only get out of this terrifying situation than the day would be perfect.

"...Where do you think you're going?" The voice was cold yet hot, dangerous yet coaxingly seductive, fear-inducing yet calming. In short it was what Tsuna loved in humans; a beautiful blend of complexity and hypocrisy and though he knew he should be terrified out of his mind with his intuition practically screaming death threats if he didn't run now but for a few seconds he felt almost spellbound by the human's captivatingly human voice. Though the second shot really woke him from his daze. Fear and nausea once again welled up inside him. Looking at the group of humans who in turn were staring back at him Tsuna gave his most pleading look. Large brown eyes watered, threatening to spill with tears. Full soft lips trembled in an adorable pout. A light pink blush dusted cherubic features. "Please." The voice came out wavering, full of emotion, of confusion, of fear. "Pleaze let me go."

It was such a heart-wrenching sight to see such a majestically ethereal creature scared to the point of tears. Colonello, Skull and Lal shifted uncomfortably, they were not as deeply connected to the darker underworld as the others and so they were unable to stop the looming feeling of guilt eating away at their bodies. Fon, Verde and even Mammon weren't able to keep their gaze steady for long and soon had to avert their gazes from the trembling delicate figure and though it was only for a few seconds it was a clear admission of a guilty conscious. Reborn however seemed to show no sign of wavering resolve nor remorse. It seemed that way to everyone. Everyone except Tsuna. Tsuna could see in the human's eyes different shades of black; the faint differences of charcoal, ebony, midnight and over a hundred different others. And from those shades Tsuna could see hesitation. It was only a slight waver. A tremor. A crack. Perfect.

Tsuna wasn't completely dame. Yes the brunette was clumsy, naive and maybe a little to kind for his own good but he was also something else. A predator. A hunter. And a killer. Mermaids were the top of the underwater food chain after all and when a hunter senses a weakness even in the strongest prey. They take it.

Using the reserves of what one could only call inhuman strength the brunette broke his bindings as he flipped himself onto his stomach as he hastily dragged himself past shocked uncomprehending eyes and toward the wide expanse of dark blue glittering warmly with the reflection of the pretty white sparkles in the equally dark sky. Of course he did this not before giving a good back tail kick to the offending human he had saved before. Finally Tsuna felt his whole body heave a grateful sigh at the familiar sensation of cold water hitting skin and scales and fins. Once in the water the merman felt invincible against these two tailed creatures. Cheekily the brunette couldn't help coming back out of water to wave at the still staring humans before again going back underwater. As he swam deeper the teen couldn't help but let out a small childish giggle it felt exhilarating as adrenaline still pumped into his blood, his pulse racing a mile a minute. It had been scary, no it had been absolutely terrifying and confusing but. But it was the most alive he had ever felt.

The giggle soon escalated into full blown laughter as he swam circles and did backflips, whooping with joy. He knew that he couldn't go back to his life before. The life of Dame-Tsuna who had none to love or be loved by. He would miss the library but he could always visit. But now... -Tsuna caught sight of a large sea vessel anchored to the island and didn't even bother to suppress a grin- Now he wanted more.

"Wow. Mermaid's got some moves kora." Colonello couldn't help but nod appreciatively before he received a rather heavy blow on the head. "Stupid student! Don't go complimenting the enemy!"

"Technically he wasn't our enemy if we think about it we were the ones who provoked him." The woman opened her mouth to protest at the words of the scientist but couldn't find a way to refute the sheer logic.

"Tch. Let's go back to the boat I'm freezing." Stoically the curly side burned male cocked his gun back into his holster as he walked away with a dark aura of elegance and intimidation. Though a few noticed (with great amusement) the hitman rubbing unconsciously his right thigh, the place where the creature kicked him as well as some reason his ribs.

They all walked to their ship in silence. Only the waves and their thoughts to entertain them. Finally as they raised anchor and prepared to set sail did someone break the silence.

"I guess we'll never see him again huh kora?"

Reborn only looked at the dark waves. The ocean that held so many things, so many secrets. Suddenly his ears picked up a splash that broke the constant steady rhythm of the waves. His eyes picked up a flash of sunset orange in the everlasting darkness. And there he was. Eyes caramel with a faint glow of vibrant orange. Soft features molded in a charming smile. Before he could even blink to check if what before him was really real and not some sort of hallucination the creature threw something at him. Being the skilled professional he was the hitman easily caught it. A familiar warm pulse was felt and large hands opened to reveal a glowing yellow pacifier. Looking back into the waves all he could catch was a beautiful shimmering tail that held all the colors and shades of sunsets.

'That sneaky brat... Interesting.'

Turning to his peculiar group, back facing the ocean he combed his fingers through his hair remembering a different set of soft warm hands. "We travel to the East first." He barked. Though met with a few grumbles everyone complied to the orders not wanting nor had the energy to deal with an angry Reborn.

"Oh and Colonello?"

"Yeah kora?"

Gazing into the bottomless sea Reborn gave a small smirk of amusement.

"You're wrong. This is just the beginning."

It was as subtle as the flicker of a small flame but the young merman and the experienced hitman could sense it when their eyes met.

Things were changing.

The hands of fate were turning once more.