EDITED:

It's been years hasn't it? Gosh, I remember writing this while I was in high school, young, bright and annoyingly giddy. I was reading a lot of stories like this (that was sort of the fad back then) and was disappointed at how most of them ended in haitus, I decided to take things into my own hands. I'm still not finished but I promised I will and I will see it through because the ending is right there. I can sense it. I mean I've envisioned the ending but never have I written it. But I'm taking my sweet-ass time because I deal with a lot and I admit that the thrills I used to have when writing TU had been chipped away by real life.

I hardly recognize myself to be honest. When I reread TU I recalled how happy I was, regardless of the reviews. I didn't just enjoy it for every one's support but because I loved writing it out. I made mistakes but I still went with them. Still do in fact, I've left this hanging on the shelf for too long. I'm tired, weary and just wants to go to bed but I dream how happy I was and just yearns for it. So I will.

So where the hell I'm going with this?

Along with Sunset Hue (my current story), I'll be coming back to TU. Aside from my practicum training, there's nothing else I do. Finished all my classes so with all that free time what else I can do? I can finally rest and fulfill my long awaited promise to my readers. Sorry for the long wait friends but I'm starting now and with it, I'll be editing ALL chapters. Nice to be back guys!

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.

It was a grim day. Clouds hung in the sky with a promise of foreboding. Gathered on top of Namimori Middle were the strongest seven, the Arcobaleno. They assembled for the first time since after the Trials. The atmosphere was heavy with seriousness, almost smothering. If a student were to come across the group they would have trembled from where they stood. Fortunately, it was after school hours.

"Oi, this isn't getting better kora," Collonelo said as he looked at his hands and closed it tightly into fists.

"Everyday this unsettling feeling is growing," Fon said as he placed his hand on his pacifier.

Verde remained silent. Mammon merely complained why he didn't get to be paid for just being here.

"Why are you guys worrying? It's probably just-" Skull cut off as two guns were pointed at him. One was Collonelo's rifle, and the other belonging to the sadist hitman, Reborn. The rest already knew it was pointless to listen to Skull anyway. Reborn frowned, it's been three weeks since they were left deeply unsettled, as if something had shifted from its proper place and is now teetering on the edge of a knife. His instincts - while unable to compare to Tsuna's intuition - that always managed to tell him the difference between life and death was telling him how precarious this situation was.

At first, Reborn thought it would involve Tsuna (don't they always?) and was tense. He anticipated something monumental to happen but after a long time of waiting, for the first time ever, he was wrong. So he took the initiative to move first. To the best of his abilities, Reborn had utilized all of his connections within the mafia. He had allies probing other families to see if they were planning and even went as far as to have Future I-pin report the future without risking it. Practically anything that could be concerned with his student had turned out nothing. Of course there was the occasional assassination plans but those were nothing - what worried him was that it was quiet.

It felt like the quiet calm before the arrival of the storm.

And in his line of work, quiet could be associated with a very, very bad things. Then it was only a few days ago when he discovered that the other Arcobaleno were feeling quite similar to what he felt. Collonelo came to visit first and seeing the rain Arcobaleno troubled, Reborn instantly knew this was bigger than a random Family declaring revenge against his student. One look at their pacifiers that glowed faintly - no longer bright - Reborn summoned the others, sadly for a gathering. Unfortunately, Aria cannot be there personally due to some matters. However Verde had her connected with them on his laptop via internet.

"How's it going?" Reborn asked since Aria had been silent for some time. Her eyes were closed and a bead of sweat was trailing down her forehead. When she opened her eyes, she looked very much worn out.

"It isn't the future we should be worrying about…" she mumbled as she rubbed her temples.

"What? Then it's in the present kora?" Collonelo asked, alarmed.

"No," she replied.

Silence.

"In the past then?" Verde suggested quietly.

Aria paused then slowly nodded her head and winced at the spike of pain. Her powers were meant to be able to glimpse into the far future, not to look into the past. But she was able to skim the passage of time just enough to know that something had abruptly changed in the past, shifted and was slowly breaking apart from the original timeline.

"Take a break for a while." Reborn said to her. She smiled weakly and nodded.

"How far in the past though?" Skull muttered, a question that had only bounced in their heads but unable to voice out. To anyone else they would deny fear but just simply asking it would cement the fact that there was something greater at work. Although the rest considered Skull as the weakest among them all, they had to admit he did have his moments. Stupid moments nevertheless but still.

They waited until Aria spoke once again, "I can't say much... from my estimation perhaps at least a hundred and fifty years. Late eighteen century."

"A hundred and fifty…" Skull started.

"YEARS?" Collonelo exclaimed.

"Ah, what are you all panicking about? Be grateful it wasn't farther than that." Mammon asked in a still bored tone. Collonelo and Skull scowled at him. The illusionist looked away. Aria rubbed her temples and concentrated once more.

Reborn pondered in silence. A hundred and fifty years. That was roughly during Primo's time, when the second set of bearers came and inherited the Vongola set. A sense of dread was making itself slowly known as it crept into his thoughts. A dark chuckle came from somewhere deep in his mind. Ironic that his instincts were spot on. It was no coincidence, Reborn thought. Somehow, someway, Tsuna was indirectly involved and the worst was it all was that he, his tutor, is powerless to assist him. He was taken out of his brooding when Aria groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"The sky elements of the trinisette had resonated with one another… a time when Vongola ring still retained its original form… I'm sorry," Aria groaned out while holding her head. "but I can't look into it anymore. I could only get the briefest of images."

"Don't force yourself now," Fon comforted her kindly, but the martial artist was troubled indeed. All of them were.

After a moment of silence Skull spoke up, "But when was the last time that those three came close?"

Reborn was about to hit him for saying something stupid, how could he not know when was the last time that…the… it felt like something slammed into his heart as he realized he didn't know when. It's as if the knowledge that was passed to them by their predecessors were slowly slipping away or forcefully taken and left a good size chunk in their minds.

"This isn't good." Reborn said.

"What's not good?" Mammon asked.

"Tell me if any of you can remember?"

"Remember what? Kora."

"Just think. It's missing." Reborn insisted, tensing. He already knew the answer but he just needed to know. To hear it spoken out loud.

"Why would you ask that kora? I still-" Collonelo suddenly turned silent, which confirmed Reborn's suspicion. The dread permanently settled on them.

"This shouldn't be happening." Mammon said, fear finally making an appearance in his tone. Distressing as it was, they lived up to their titles as Strongest and remained firm despite the fear that slowly grew in their hearts like the vile weed it was. Memories and imprints of knowledge that they inherited was fading, slowly blinking out from existence. They could literally feel the changes and it was more than unnerving.

"It could be possible that the Arcobaleno around that time had… disappeared before their end" Verde said. The way the mad scientist phrased it left a dark mood on the seven. Death was something they avoided to discuss only because they don't know what happened when time comes to choose new successors and what happens to the old Arcobaleno. But that was quickly shaken off. They had more pressing matters to attend to.

It could be possible that someone had the brilliant idea to assemble it. But there was just one flaw… the Mare ring had not chosen an owner until Byakuran showed up which was a hundred or so years after the Vongola rings had chosen. It's existence before then completely absent. The Arcobaleno, unlike today, did not have the same luxury of communication. Their whereabouts unknown to anyone but themselves and slowly, as their memories indicated, they were slowly disappearing. The only known bearers was the Vongola Family.

So there was only one conclusion… that there is something wrong with the trinisette itself.

It had to be it. What else could there be? What else could inspire such fear into the Strongest Seven? Reborn inwardly cursed. He had seen the signs or to be more precise, he saw it in his student. Tsuna was twitchy as of late and always seemed to touch his ring, rubbing it as if was an aching wound that he had yet to have. The boy may not have realized the significance of his actions but Reborn did. Tsuna's intuition must have picked up on the disruption as well without fully realizing it. But it was there, the unbalance. Without the Arcobaleno, the world would be hanging dangerously with the threat of it collapsing. The location of the Mare set completely unknown to any soul and was less powerful without a bearer. Which means that the Vongola set was the only thing keeping the world together and sustaining the order to keep it that way. Since it was in the past, the present had undoubtedly had become dangerous. It could change anytime.

Reborn covered his eyes with his fedora. "We have no choice. We have to move, and soon."

"But what can we do? If we try and leave this time this would become unbalanced." Mammon grumbled.

This was the part where Verde was waiting for.

"We could send someone in our place instead." He proposed.

"Don't take it lightly kora!" Collonelo snapped at him almost immediately. It was a suicidal plan. A plan that could go wrong. They needed to plan that would not fail. They couldn't afford failure.

Reborn raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind Verde?" he asked, ignoring Collonelo's glare.

Verde smirked.

"You do know that this is a task most suitable to be dealt personally." Reborn reminded him but the mad scientist's smirk just grew larger.

"Hmnn, it would seem that way but we can always send Vongola Decimo and his guardians."

The seventeen-year old Sawada Tsunayoshi looked down on his burger, losing somehow his appetite. Well, he never had much of an appetite anyway. Not with the uncomfortable churning in his stomach.

"What's wrong tenth?" Gokudera asked worriedly as he saw how silent his boss was. Actually, Tsuna has been silent the whole day. This worried his two friends and that's how it led to this: Yamamoto suggested maybe food can cheer him up so they went out to a fast food restaurant. At first Tsuna was enthusiastic about it but later on… he…well…became like this again.

"Cmmf ow Tsua wu ka-"

"Swallow before talking idiot!" Gokudera yelled at Yamamoto who had fries stuffed in his mouth.

Yamamoto swallowed and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Gokudera," he apologized.

Gokudera clenched his fists. Oh how he wanted to bash that grin off that moron's face… Tsuna let out a small laugh. Gokudera looked back at his boss, a bit relieved. Tsuna picked up his burger and bit into it. He hummed at the flavor. He swallowed and said, "Sorry guys, I didn't mean to worry you but it's just… I'm feeling something... off lately."

Gokudera scooted a bit closer to Tsuna and Yamamoto narrowed his eyes. Both were suddenly alert. Tsuna saw their reaction and waved his hands in front of him.

"No, no, no! It's not like someone is going to attack us!" he exclaimed frantically. The two relaxed slightly but that didn't mean it was over. They believed in Tsuna's "Hyper Inuition" and not once had it been wrong about something. Not once.

Tsuna sighed.

"Then what is it Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, his hand around his Vongola Gear necklace.

Tsuna sighed once more and began to tell them, "You guys noticed that Reborn hasn't been around lately?"

They nodded.

"I thought he was just doing what Reborns do but he... somethings wrong. Don't ask but I just know. Anyway, I noticed ever since Collonelo came Reborn just got… weird. More than usual weird. Bad weird. Then there's this feeling," he placed his hand on his heart.

"It feels like something is wrong. Not here but somewhere else." He took his burger and bit on it again.

Yamamoto smiled and clapped him on the back. Startled, Tsuna looked up, surprised. Yamamoto grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Don't worry, when it comes we'll be there."

"Yamamoto…"

Gokudera was almost grinding his teeth to dust but he composed himself and said, "That's right Tenth. When that time comes your right-hand man - " he thumped himself on the chest proudly. " - will be there to support you."

Tsuna looked at Gokudera. "Gokudera-kun…" he smiled. "Yeah, you guys are right."

It was only a few hours later that Tsuna would find out the real reason why Reborn was acting more than weird.

MAJOR EDIT (2015)

(1) Trinnisette - I'm keeping this spelled this way. The reason being that back then around late 2011, I was watching an episode of KHR and the subs had it written that way. It was only around the Choice arc that it changed to Tri-Ni-Set but I prefer to keep it as it is because it reminds of good things.

Wow, it felt like TU is starting off with a new fresh and polished coat because that's what I did - I polished it and hammered out the dents. I'm quite satisfied really and am proud of how far I've come. Looking at the notes from beginning to end, I feel like a little bit of my old self again.