Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

A/N: So it is now the October break and I have a week off school and YES I AM CRYING IN HAPPINESS /sobs. I finally have the time to write again! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I am quite busy and this is unfortunately the best I can do. However, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. :)

P.S - Just to inform you guys, I did change my pen name to Skyla-chan.99, mainly because I use Skyla15699 for my other social network accounts and some of my rl friends had this crazy idea about trying to find my fan fiction account, so I'm a hundred percent sure they'll try that first, so to remain anonymous, I changed it before they tried. HA.

Update date: October 23, 2014

Next Release: Around December or January :(

Chapter 38 - Prelude in the Moonlight

"Let's review everything all over again from the beginning," Jax's voice echoed throughout the dojo. I nodded in response from my spot on the wooden floor, as I stared at him, who was currently drawing diagrams on a whiteboard. As to where he got the whiteboard in the first place, I would suspect Reborn gave it to him.

Right after I parted ways with Yamamoto, I had detoured from my original motive - my own house - and my way up the mountains to meet up with Jax instead. After all, as his student, it would be of my best interest that I inform him about tomorrow's battle.

And as of now, I was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his dojo, watching as he gave his final lecture to me before my real fight.

"You've already learned the four Shigure Souen Ryu Defense moves," he said as I watched him write down the four different defense moves onto the white board. "And you've mastered two, I believe, of the offensive moves: Kori Ame and Hahen no Kawa. Translating, it means snow rain and river of shards."

He added the two to the board.

"However, as we both know, there are two more moves that you have not learned yet by far. I would love to teach it to you, but it would be better for you to learn by instinct," he explained, leaving two blank spaces next to the offensive moves written on the board.

"But wouldn't it be bad if I don't learn the last two moves by tomorrow?" I asked.

"True, however, I'd rather you go into battle knowing two moves than knowing all, but having no strength left to fight due to exhaustion," he answered. I blinked. He did have a good point. "Then again, it all depends on you. If you think you have the strength to pursue another move, then go ahead, but make sure that you don't over-exert yourself before the final battle."

"Roger," I answered back and he nodded.

"Now let's move on to the next topic. It's about your opponent...Vessa," he said and I involuntarily flinched.

Vessa. I was still confused about her words a few hours ago. Mukuro had clearly stated that I actually knew her from somewhere, but she hardly looked like anyone I knew. She was unknown to most agents in the mafia world. Even Reborn, a professional information broker somewhat did not have a constructive profile of her.

If Reborn didn't know something, then there was no chance that I would be getting my hands on the information that I wanted.

"There isn't much information about her in the Vongola database. However, it can be assumed that she is a strong member of the Varia team," Jax explained.

"How is it that you guys don't have information on her?" I asked. He stared blankly at me. "Uh, I didn't mean to question the Vongola's intelligence...?" I sheepishly added under the pressure of his impassive stare.

"...It's because she never was a Vongola member to begin with," Jax answered as I froze. My eyes narrowed as he stared back at me, knowing that more questioning was soon to come.

"...Elaborate, if you would. I was under the impression that the Varia was a branch of the Vongola family...?" my question lingered in the air as I waited for Jax to cut in.

"It is true that the Varia is a branch of the Vongola family and as you know, their rebellion against the Vongola had really happened. However, Vessa was not a member of the Vongola family at that time," Jax explained.

"Meaning...?" I inquired.

"She was not a member of the Varia at the time the coup happened," and before he even finished that sentence, I was choking and gaping in shock.

"WHAT? Then where in the world did she come from?!" I yelled out. Jax sweat dropped at my sudden outburst but chose to ignore it.

"That is exactly what we are also wondering about. It can be speculated that the Varia must have picked her up later on after the coup, meaning that either they had scouted her to become their blizzard guardian...or she came to them herself."

"...So basically, I'm going into a fight with absolutely no knowledge about my opponent," I quietly said, calming myself down after my outburst. Hesitantly, he nodded as a response. I stared blankly at him.

"...Jax."

"...uh, yeah?"

"...Just tell me I'm screwed."

*facepalm*

"...No that's not the point, Akane-"

"I'm so screwed."

"...Woah, wait, no you're not. You'll do perfectly fine."

"Your averting your eyes."

*sigh*

"...Fine, you won't do perfectly fine, but I have my utmost confidence in your abilities to make do and come out on top."

"I seriously don't find that reassuring at all."

"...Sorry, but the truth hurts."

"...Ouch."

And that was officially my last chat with Jax before I stepped into the ring.

I left Jax's dojo soon after that last conversation and I was now on my way down the mountains again. For the first time in a...very long while, I was finally allowed some privacy. Taking strolls in the middle of the night, it was something that I had found myself to be course I am grateful that I have gained some new friends along the way, but there are times where one could use some quiet time, especially when their friends were such a rowdy bunch.

I flipped my phone out to look at the digital clock on it and the illuminating letters spelled out 12'o clock. It was now officially midnight.

Truthfully, it was quite the horrific experience, the first time I ended up having to travel down the hills in the middle of the night. As I weaved down the pathway, I would often anticipate that something ghastly and out worldly would crawl out of its hiding places to chase me down and I would usually end up brisk-walking as fast as I could - and occasionally even sprinting down the mountains to escape the shadows produced by the forest-green trees that seemed to be closing in on me.

But from experience, I realized that I was just paranoid and thinking too much about things that didn't even existed and after walking down the same pathway a billion times, there was hardly anything to be scared of.

Then again, now I understand Tsuna's fear a lot better.

Although usually my walks down the mountain would often be dark and eery, today for some reason, the trees were all lit up and I could clearly see the path in front of me. The moon was up high and the silver streams of light enveloped itself around the trees, casting light down onto the hill grounds. The wind blew gently around my profile.

To be quite frank, this was probably the best stroll in the night I could ever ask for, especially when it may be the last day that I may ever see a beautiful moon like this ever again in my whole life.

*BZZZZZT*

I jolted a bit as I realized that the phone in my hand was now ringing. I raised an eyebrow, curious as to who was still awake at midnight. I flipped the cover of my phone anxiously as I stared at the caller's name.

My heart skipped a beat at the number that had called me.

Yamamoto Takeshi.

I was still shaken up by what happened in the gym and I still remember the feeling of how my heart was zipping faster than a bullet. It wasn't pleasant, let me tell you. I felt like I was going to have a cardiac arrest right there in the middle of the road next to him.

With a gulp, I pressed the answer button on my phone and pressed it next to my ear as I continued on my stroll down the mountains.

"...Hello?" I quietly said into the phone.

"...A-Akane chan?!" Yamamoto's voice stammered through the phone and I had to raise my eyebrow at this.

"Why in the world are you so shocked I answered? You called me first!" I said louder. I could hear that signature laugh of his through my phone and once again, my heart fluttered out of control.

"Hahaha! Gomen, Gomen, I didn't expect you to seriously answer. I was just calling because I was bored!" his answer made me sweat drop and sigh.

"You do realize that it's currently midnight? It's time to go to bed, Yamamoto," I answered.

"Eh? But Akane-chan is also awake right now, right?" I mentally face palmed at his sentence.

"That's because I was having my last meeting with my teacher," I answered.

"OH! No wonder, haha! So are you back home yet?" He asked. I shook my head, realising later that he wouldn't be able to see me anyways.

"No, I'm still walking down the mountains," I gave my reply. "So was there anything that you needed, other than the fact that you were bored?"

"Yeah, Akane-chan, you left one of your notebooks at my house the day you slept over, so I wanted to tell you that," he answered. I blinked. Notebook? I didn't remember having a notebook to begin with...probably one of my school books.

"Thanks, if you don't mind, can you hold onto it until the battle is over?" I asked.

"Sure! So where are you now?" he asked.

"I'm now in the cities. Almost at home," I answered as I walked pass Namimori Chuu's gate.

"Oh okay, then I won't bother you anymore for today. Good night, Akane-chan!" he said in a cheerful voice that I couldn't help but smile to. "And right uh...good luck for your match tomorrow okay? Be careful..."

His voice suddenly did a one-eighty and became serious, stern, and simply not Yamamoto-like. My eyes softened as I reached the gate way to my house. I opened the lock to it and walked inside.

I whispered an answer. "I know. Believe in me, Yamamoto. I'll do whatever it takes to win this battle."

There was a long silence before he finally answered.

"...I believe in you, Akane-chan. So don't go failing my beliefs now!" Yamamoto yelled into his phone as I winced at the outburst. Sweat dropping, I laughed.

"Yeah, yeah. I won't fail okay? Now let this poor girl sleep already I just got home," I answered back as I reached the door to my bedroom. I opened the door and stepped into my bedroom.

"...Okay then, goodnight! And also," Yamamoto's voice trailed off as I sighed. I had a feeling that this good night call would be so long I probably won't be getting any sleep before school tomorrow morning.

"What is it?" I said, trying my best not to sound annoyed.

Another silence followed and I realized that I was most likely looking very stupid, standing still talking on the phone in front of my own bedroom with the door hanging open, instead of going inside.

But what he said next made me forget about all that.

"I love you, Akane-chan," and with a click, the phone call was ended.

The bedroom lapsed in silence, the quietness blanketing the atmosphere, as I silently shut the door to my bedroom behind me. My knees gave in and I slid down onto the floor, the sounds of my own heartbeat thundering inside my own head.

I found my own heart to be a miracle for functioning so well even after all the stress it has been put through.

And I sat there on the floor of my own bedroom, looking like an idiot, blushing all mad with my phone clutched close to my chest, as a silent reply to his confession that was created in the blur of the moment rang throughout the room.

I love you too.

With the Varia

"...It's a beautiful moon tonight, don't you think?" her voice caught the attention of the other inhabitants in the room as they all turned to stare blankly at her. She blinked before turning to meet the others. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that normally you're not one to speak when unnecessary," Levi answered with a blink as Bel laughed in the corner.

"Ushishishi, he does have a point. Usually, you only talk when boss tells you to," Bel adds as Vessa sighed.

"Once in a while, I just feel like talking a bit, that's all," she answered, her eyes never leaving the silver moon. Xanxus noticed her peculiar stare and his eyes narrowed, as he suddenly grunted, earning the attention of all the inhabitants in the room.

"What are you thinking about?" Xanxus asked, surprising all three of them that he just intervened into their conversation.

Vessa just continued on staring at the full moon, lips contorted into a strained, pained smile. Her dark blackened eyes shimmered like polish coals as a strange emotion seized her, the wind caressing her light blue locks. "Nothing...just reminiscing about the past."

Levi and Bel turned towards each other, confused as to why the woman who was normally well-behaved was now blabbering her mouth off about things they did not understand. Xanxus merely raised an eyebrow, before he decided that he was not going force an answer out of her. Even an uncaring and selfish bastard like him could see that she was not in her right mind at the moment.

Mentally thanking her own boss for not pressing her for answers, she lightly smiled before returning to her previous task. The full moon really did remind her of her past and it was causing a bunch of flashbacks - both good and bad ones.

Her eyes were unfocused as she was put into a trance by the beautiful moon outside the Varia castle.

"...It was also a full moon that night that I last got to see your face," she silently whispered as the wind violently blew through the window, ice crawling inside the room, shocking the other inhabitants at the sudden drop of temperature in the room.

Vessa raised her hands up as if she was attempting to grasp the moon into her hand. The rest of the Varia members with the exception of Xanxus - who was sleeping soundly in the room - were attempting to fend off the ice that was collecting itself onto the walls inside the room.

Vessa's lips curled into a frightening grin as her murderous intent spiked. The ice in the room suddenly broke apart as she quickly clenched her hands into fists.

"As beautiful as it is, I still want to destroy it into bits and pieces. It reminds me too much of you...Akane."

The next day...

This morning, I woke up staring straight up at the sky, watching as the royal purple colors blended in with the luscious pink colors emanating around some lighter-colored clouds. The morning sun was bright and the moon had completely disappeared without a trace. It was a little before seven when I woke up.

Although I should be sleeping more, I decided against it and immediately changed my outfit into a comfortable pair of pants and a T-shirt. Slipping on a light cardigan, I put on a pair of sneakers and immediately jogged out of my house with my sword in hand. I was planning on practicing up in the mountains once again before my battle tonight.

My goal was to learn at least one more offensive attack before the sun came down.

I immediately headed up the familiar pathway again, making my way up high into the mountains. I saw Jax brushing away the leaves in front of his dojo and waved to him. He greeted me with a smile and continued on doing his chore as I ran right pass his dojo. I took a look at my phone again to check for the time and it was already eight by the time I reached my designation: the waterfall.

There was a small waterfall behind Jax's dojo and that was usually the spot where I liked to train, mainly because it was calm and soothing, and there were absolutely no changes of anyone interrupting me. I stopped to take a breath in front of the waterfall first as I sat down on the ground, panting for air as the birds chirped in the morning sun.

I dropped my twin sword Ensui onto the ground next to me and stretched my arms out, warming them up. After sitting down for about five minutes, I stood up again and stretched my legs out. Meanwhile, I was constantly thinking of what I needed to practice before sunset.

It was a must that I review the two offensive moves I had already learned. I needed to learn at least one more offensive move too, but as of now, I had no idea where to start.

Sighing out loud, I picked up my two swords and stared blankly at them.

"...Well, might as well start reviewing the moves I already know," I muttered to myself with a shrug as I took a few steps back. I took a deep breath and stood perfectly still, ignoring everything around me.

The birds that were previously chirping, I could no longer hear their voices. The wind that was blowing around me, I could not feel. I erased all irrelevant thoughts from my head and focused on imagining the blizzard.

Dark...

Strong...

Fast...

Sharp...

My darkened eyes snapped open as my arms slowly moved up into a cross position. As I sliced down, dark grey flames shot out of my sword, landing on the water on the waterfall, creating a slash of ice on top of the running water.

"Shigure Souen Ryu, Offensive Attack 1: Kori Ame," I whispered to myself. However, as soon as I muttered those words out, the slash of ice on top of the water broke apart as the current pushed through it. My eyes widened slightly as I figured out what it was I needed to work on.

Although my control was fine the way it was, the power that I put into the attack was too weak. Even the water currents in a water fall could have broken my ice apart. If only I could strengthen the flame and make it cut right through the water...

If I could learn to strengthen the ice that appeared out of the swords Ensui, then I would also be able to strengthen my second attack. Silently nodding to myself, I focused my energy onto my sword for a longer period of time before I slashed it.

This time, the ice cut through the water, creating a barrier of ice in the middle of the waterfall.

But to create a barrier that prevented water from flowing in a waterfall took too much time. It took me almost five minutes to gather enough energy and if I were to be standing still for five minutes in the middle of the battlefield, I would be dead no doubt.

And I continued on practicing for four hours straight, mastering the amount of energy that I put into my attacks.

Elsewhere...

"Hibari-san, we have finished our patrol for today," Kusakabe stated as he stood still, back-straight in front of the rooftop door, watching the prefect who was sitting on top of the roof, legs dangling in open air.

"...You are excused for the day," Hibari's answered back robotically, as if used to the routine. Kusakabe bowed once before he excused himself out the roof top door.

The prefect merely grunted as he stared up at the sky, pondering about various things. There was a part of him that was agitated at the fact that his battle would be last. He was not a man of patience and the opponents were pushing the tip of his endurance. He did not want to waste anymore time with his blonde-headed mentor. If he was to be fighting, he would rather have it today. Just so that he could get this annoying matter out of his to-do list.

He had better things to attend to, for example, the well-being of Namimori Chuu...

And obviously, to tend to his personal herbivore.

It was only a few days since he last saw her around and after the rain battle, she did not show herself around the school ever again. He speculated that she was skipping out on school to train for her match, however, skipping school was against the rules that he had set.

Not to mention the fact that she was neglecting her duty as his temporary disciplinary officer. He did not inform her yet of Kusakabe's reappearance, meaning that she was supposed to be reporting for duty.

But then again...

A smirk began to make its way up on his face.

If she was breaking the rules, it meant punishment and that he was very eager to conduct.

As he enjoyed the peace on top of the Namimori Chuu, it was suddenly broken by the sound of an explosion somewhere over the horizon. His eyes narrowed as his eyes darted around the school areas, searching for the prey that dared disturb the peace in Namimori. However, the explosion was not caused by someone close to the school.

His eyes immediately turned towards the mountains. There was a thin - almost invisible - stream of grey smoke rising up into the air. And at that moment, he knew who was the cause of the disturbance.

I flipped over the phone once more and read the time. It was now officially one in the afternoon. I had eight hours left before the fight would begin at nine pm. I panted hard as I kneeled down next to the water and took a sip of water from it. I washed my face with a splash of water as someone emerged from the bushes behind me. I immediately twirled around, hands on my sword as I raised my arms in a defensive stance.

The person who emerged from the bushes had bright red hair and I sighed in relief.

"...Jax, don't scare me like that," I said with a small laugh. He smiled back.

"Sorry, I just came to give you a snack. It's lunchtime now, so I made a few onigiri for you," Jax said. I beamed as my stomach growled in response.

"Thanks a lot, Jax. I seriously needed it," I replied with a grin as I watched him walk towards me and set a plate filled with onigiri down. Then he took a few steps back, giving me room to eat. I immediately grabbed one and shoved it down my throat, gobbling it hungrily like I hadn't eaten in years. He sweat dropped as he watched me choke on one of the onigiri, having to sprint to the waterfall to take a sip of water to push it down.

"...How much energy did you use here?!" Jax exclaimed in horror as I sheepishly grinned.

"Uh, quite a lot, actually," I answered as his eyes immediately turned into a glare. Underneath his glare, I then remembered how he had told me not to overexert myself before my battle. I quickly added, "but I'm planning on taking a rest now."

He raised an eyebrow at this. "Really? So did you learn the third and fourth offensive move yet?"

"Unfortunately, I only learned the third one," I said between gobbles of food.

"Which one...?" He inquired. I grinned and pointed to the wall of rock behind me. I watched as he slowly turned around, eyes slowly widening to the size of saucers. He gulped before he pointed to the same spot that I was pointing in.

"You...created that big hole in the wall?" he slowly asked. I nodded in response.

Behind me, was the place where the cliff next to the waterfall was supposed to be. However, now, it had a clearly HUGE hole in the middle of it. There were smaller boulders, thrown around near the crime scene. Jax then suddenly realized something.

"Ah, I see, you must have found that move," he suddenly muttered to himself.

"What move?" I cocked my head to the side in inquiry, almost losing my balance for some odd reason.

"The third offensive move that you found. It's the stronger of the remaining two that you haven't learned yet," Jax said.

"Oh really? So then it's great that I learned this one first, right?" I beamed as I shoved the last piece of onigiri down my throat, feeling my stomach clench up for some reason.

"It may be true that this move is the stronger of the two, however, as you've probably noticed I hope, it drains your energy quite fast. It is recommended that you don't use it more than three times a day," Jax explained. At this, I immediately froze.

"...Three?" I quietly said. He grimly nodded.

"Yeah. It has a destructive power, however if you use it more than three times a day, you risk the chance of you fainting and if you were to faint in the middle of the battle field," he paused for the dramatic effect before he smiled...darkly at me. "I think even you can guess what would happen."

I gulped. "...I'd be screwed for real."

"Yep."

"...Oh shit."

"Yeah, just remember that you used it already once just now, so you have two more times that you can use this move. Use them wisely during today's match."

"...Okay."

"So, do you think you're ready to rest yet?" He asked with a smile. I blinked.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"You do realize that you've been swaying quite a bit since you've puked up that first onigiri right?" He asked quietly.

"Uh," I tried to say as I suddenly felt a rush of fatigue. "Yeah, that's a good point."

"Don't worry, I'll wake you up around five pm so you can go home and change before the battle," he stated with a smile as he slowly walked towards my spot in front of the waterfall.

"Y-Yeah, t-thanks a lot, Jax I-" and before I could even finish that sentence, everything around me swayed and my vision became black as I felt gravity pull me down onto the ground. And the last thing I felt before I lost consciousness was the feeling of being carried on someone's back.

Eight Thirty PM at Namimori Chuu...Third POV

"So, did anyone see Akane-chan today?" Tsuna asked as everyone else shook their heads.

"She didn't come to school," Gokudera answered.

"She's probably training EXTREMELY somewhere," Ryohei screamed out loud as he punched the air with his fists.

"Probably! Haha," Yamamoto added with a laugh.

"If it's Akane, there's nothing to worry about," Reborn suddenly said, gaining the attention of everyone. "Unlike a certain someone, she won't be coming to the battlefield late or unprepared."

Gokudera suddenly shivered. "W-why do I get the feeling that he's talking about me..." he muttered to himself. Tsuna merely sweat dropped, while Ryohei continued on screaming extreme for no absolute reason. Yamamoto was just staring at the soon-to-be battlefield. Apparently, the battlefield for the Blizzard Guardians was to take place in the same exact place as the rain stadium.

"Oh, is everyone here now?" Dino suddenly popped into the conversation as Tsuna beamed.

"Dino-san! You came!" Tsuna exclaimed in excitement as Dino laughed.

"Yeah, today is Akane's battle of course. And also, my student did feel the need to come watch her battle," Dino said with a laugh as Tsuna blinked.

"So Hibari-san is also watching this battle?" Tsuna asked.

"Yeah from up there," Dino pointed to the rooftop of the Namimori main building. Indeed, there was a small black figure sitting right on top of the rails on the rooftop, staring down at the members below. "It's about eight fifty now, she should be here soon."

"I hope that she didn't run away," Vessa's voice suddenly cut through the air like a knife. The Varia members were already standing on top of the battle field. Tsuna and the others immediately glared at them.

"Akane-chan won't be running away from a battle!" Tsuna yelled out.

Vessa merely laughed. "I hope not," she said, surprising everyone. "I was looking forward to ripping her apart into shreds," Vessa added with a laugh of her own that caused shivers in the Vongola-side.

"Akane-chan...I feel like this isn't such a good idea anymore..." Tsuna whispered.

"Well isn't that a coincidence," a new voice suddenly broke through Vessa's laugh. All eyes including the Varia turned towards the newcomer. Her bright purple eyes appeared out of the darkness as she walked out of the shadows. The Vongola side immediately beamed. She took the hood off of her coat, exposing her features to the spectators.

"I was looking forward to this fight with you to, Vessa-san."

Back to Akane's POV

"Akane-chan!" Tsuna immediately yelled as he ran towards me. I waved a greeting at him.

"Yo. How's it going?" I asked.

"How's it going- NOT, you idiot! Why didn't you come over earlier?!" Gokudera immediately yelled at me. I rolled my eyes and stared blankly at him.

"I seriously do not want to hear that from someone who came a mere second before the time limit," I bluntly said as an invisible sword struck him in the heart, causing him to sulk with a storm of black clouds above his head. Tsuna sweat dropped.

Yamamoto suddenly spoke up. "Akane-chan, what's with your clothing for this match?" I blinked before staring down at myself.

"Oh these? It's to prepare for the cold of course," I said as I pointed at my own attire. I was wearing a thick and furry hoodie, along with a pair of pants and leggings inside to keep me warm. "I mean this is the blizzard match after all. You'd be crazy not to expect some coldness. Even Vessa-san over there is dressed up all ready." I pointed at Vessa who was currently wearing a hooded jacket that was incredibly think and furry with the symbol of the Varia on the front of it.

He blinked before laughing. "That's true!"

"So, are you ready, Akane?" Reborn's voice rung throughout the stadium. I smirked.

"Obviously, who do you think you're talking to?" I answered as he gave me a smirk of his own.

"Let's hope the best for you then," Reborn stated with his signature smile as I nodded and turned towards the battlefield. The pink-haired Cervello immediately dropped down from the top of the building, landing gracefully not the ground below as usual.

"I believe it is time that we start the Blizzard Guardian Match. The two participants, please make your way into the stadium. The rest of the members shall watch from the screen above, like in the Rain Battle," the Cervello both announced before they made their way into the stadium.

"Good luck...Akane-chan," Tsuna suddenly said before I made my way inside the stadium. His eyes were filled to he brim with worry and his hands were shaking. I smiled lightly at this sight and answered him.

"Just keep believing in me. I'll definitely win this for you," I answered confidently, eyes blazing with determination as he nodded. I waved good bye to the rest of the members, including Yamamoto who constantly kept asking if I was ready or not. I reassured him with a pat on his back as I made my way inside the stadium.

I glanced at Hibari who was sitting on top of the roof, right before I entered the building. His eyes met mine from that distance and I mentally smiled to myself.

I will be fine. Yes I will be. My friends are here for me. By winning this battle, I will be able to thank them for all they've done for me - for bringing me out of my marionette cage and for enveloping me in warmth.

And then I heard the metallic door shut behind me with a thud, completely blocking my access to the freedom behind the doors. I turned around to face the stadium and my opponent, however, what I saw inside the stadium shocked me to the point where I almost accidentally dropped my sword which was strapped to my back at the moment.

The entire stadium was quite literally...frozen. The walls were entirely covered with ice and judging from its thickness, it would be quite hard to break the ice down. Not only that but there were some strange machines, lying all around the bottom floor of the field.

But even more shockingly were the pathways made out of ice. There were with no doubt a hundred different pathways, made from ice, connecting from the first floor, to the second, and to the third, and so on.

The pathways weaved around the entire room, creating a spider web of ice. It was no doubt going to be a challenge to run on those pathways, mainly because it would be incredibly slippery.

But most importantly, if one were to fall from the pathways beyond the second floor, they'd definitely die.

I took a step forward and examined the ice path ways closely.

Each one was amount a meter wide, meaning that there wasn't much room to spare on one pathway, meaning that fighting an opponent on the same pathway would definitely result in one of them falling straight down to hell. Not only that but each pathway was spaced purposely about a meter away from each other, meaning that it would also be quite hard to jump from one path to another.

At that moment, I realized one factor that would most likely decide the outcome of the battle. They were forcing a battle of speed and stamina. With no doubt, this battle was going to end with me, being forced to run up and down the path ways, leaping from one to another while attacking my opponents. Also, the different pathways also provided space for us to rest.

This meant that long-range attacks would be most efficient for this kind of battle.

"As you can see," the Cervello started to talk as I immediately listened to them. Vessa was standing on the opposite side of the field. "The entire field is made with ice and we have made sure that none of the pathways weaved into this field will melt. It is impossible, due to the temperature-controllers deployed onto the field."

I immediately glanced at the machines on the ground. So they were there to control the temperature in the room...no wonder it was freezing in here.

"This battle does not have a time limit," I almost sighed in relief but I was cut short by their next sentence. "However, we would like to inform the participants that the temperature of the room will drop by two degrees each minute."

I almost had another cardiac arrest there.

"At the moment, the temperature in the room is at six celcius. In three minutes, the temperature will drop down to zero. This will continue until the victor of the battle is decided. However, the human body cannot maintain in a cold climate for long. Therefore, if the victor of the battle is not decided before the human body breaks down...then we will declare both of the participants unfit to rule the Blizzard Ring. The victor of the battle is decided when the half-rings are put together by one remaining fighter," the Cervello explained.

...Basically, that meant that we would both die if one of us wasn't killed first.

"We would now like to confirm that the rings are infact genuine," the Cervello said. I handed mine to one of the Cervello, while Vessa handed hers to the other.

I swear I heard a certain "HIEEEEE, THIS IS EVEN MORE CRAZIER THAN THE OTHER BATTLES" coming from someone outside. I mentally laughed at Tsuna's cry when obviously, it was me who wanted to scream my lungs out at the crazy rules.

"We have confirmed that both of the rings are indeed genuine. May both participants take their stances," the Cervello said. I immediately took my ring and wore it on my finger. Then, I leaped back near the exit of the stadium.

Vessa did the same.

The Cervello nodded at each other as I took a deep breath.

"So then...the Blizzard Ring battle between Vessa and Tsukiyomi Akane will now commence!"

I rushed forward down the path to oblivion.

~•~•O•~•~

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.

It has no survival value;

rather it is one of those things

that give value to survival."

- C.S. Lewis

~•~•O•~•~

So I would like to tell you guys that I wrote this thing all in one go. Like seriously, I just finished this one minute ago and I'm just going to go with the flow and publish this without even checking it LOL. It took me five hours of non-stop typing to get this chapter written down for you guys so I hope you guys review, fav, and follow! :)

And until next time, CIAO! XD