A/N: Well so the last chapter ends. There will be an epilogue at the end as special thanks to those who been reading this story let it be starting today, in the middle of the story or from the very beginning. Thank you! *bows in gratitude*
In another note: Happy Birthday Tsuna!
Disclaimer: I will never, ever, ever...own KHR merchandise.
Chapter 16
Deja vu
Hibari growled frustrated, then stared at his tonfas. He tightened his grip on them before dropping his arms to his sides.
"Ohh~ gave up already?" one of the copies of Wonomichi smirked.
The other guardians and Reborn stared at the cloud guardian in mix of confusion, curiosity and horrified.
"I accept your protection," he muttered rather annoyed.
"Come again?" The clones blinked at this.
Suddenly an explosion of cloud flames surrounded Hibari, but one could see mix in as it engulf the cloud flames were sky flames. They disappeared as Hibari smirked demonically full of powerful flames and attacked half the army of clones in quick succession of hits from his tonfas. He is the Carnivore and all below him shall be bitten to death!
Some of lingering sky flames licked around Hibari and touched one of Mukuro's illusions. "Kufufufu," Mukuro grinned maniacally as he felt the flames surround his own flames, "we indeed meet again, Cloak-san." He felt his mist flames strengthen and their deadliness became a thing of a year of nightmares nonstop.
Chrome looked up at Mukuro in surprise as she felt her illusions brush Mukuro's. She smiled, accepting her Bossu's flames, I learn to love myself as well as others thank you for giving me hope.
Takeshi went alongside with Chrome and felt her resolve to go back to Tsuna strengthen his. Of course the flickering sky flame engulfing his box animals he summoned and remembers the same warmth when he first met Tsuna (Yoshi at the time). He remembers the loneliness, but with Tsuna, I am no longer alone. He can tell the others were fighting like no tomorrow as they try to reach the place the portal was last seen opened.
Hayato pulled up his shields when someone dared to attack the baseball freak from behind. Together they will fight until they see their sky again. Hayato barely hold his temper in check, knowing he has to focus because of his System C.A.I. complexity and right now he needs its full capabilities. He remembers the time that when he was just a little boy, Juudaime protected him and remembered Juudaime's wish for him, I found my purpose and I am happy serving you, being friends with you.
His dynamites exploded near Ryohei's fight as the boxer began to feel overwhelmed by the different dimension air, but he was determine to keep fighting. When the lingering sky flames touched Ryohei's resolve, "EXTREME! MY RESOLVE TO YOU MY LITTLE BROTHER WILL NEVER CHANGE!" His eyes turned aflamed with sun flames exploding from his body, I EXTREMELY PROTECT YOU AND MY FAMILY!
Lambo felt the strained in being in the wrong time for more than five minutes, but was desperate to save his godfather, the one he calls his big brother, knowing thanks to him, his aunt didn't flinch or ignore him like the first time around before Tsuna interfered, heard about his mother. His lightning flames became more focused as sky flames engulfed them when Ryohei-nii-san's sun flames enlarge enough to touch Lambo-sama's charge at the enemy. He no longer felt the drained feeling. He went for another charge at a couple of clones and passed by where he last suspected the portal appeared to take the original Wonomichi back to Tsuna-nii. He somehow knew what to say to make the disappeared portal appeared once more, "TIME REWIND!"
A portal reversed itself from disappearing to appearing.
Reborn frowned as he felt his students flames somehow, but not surprisingly synchronizing his flames as everyone rushed by him toward the portal. He shoots any strangler clone who tried to get in their way. The portal showed Wonomichi's back and his gun aiming at Tsuna-nii's unprotected back.
Idiot, I told him not to do anything stupid, and you did just that, Reborn scowled and prepared for the last round of fighting.
"So you are staying? Willing to give up your powers?" Kawahira question Tsuna, "Do you truly believe your famiglia will protect you?"
Tsuna frowned when his intuition screamed, but went silent. Tsuna gasped in pain as he dropped on his knees holding his head which felt like it was being split open. He barely looked up when Kawahira cursed as he dodge a flamed bullet grazing tips of Tsuna's spiky hair.
Tsuna paled when he notice Kawahira's kimono covered in blood, "Kawahira! Are you hurt?" Kawahira blinked and stared at his kimono.
"Curious, but its believe it isn't mine," Kawahira looked at Tsuna confused. Tsuna paled as he remembered. He checked himself, but felt something off...
His thought process were interrupted by familiar war cries behind him.
"How dare you shooting at Juudaime!" Hayato shoots dynamites at a shocked Wonomichi.
"Impossible! I know for sure I shot you! I can tell I shoot this twice!" Wonomichi gasped out at Tsuna as he ducked another attack from another guardian.
"Kufufufufu, you think we will let you kill him. I still need to possess his body!"
"ARE YOU ALRIGHT THERE, EXTREME LITTLE BROTHER!" Ryohei checked Tsuna for any wounds.
"Onii-san?" Tsuna still felt he was in shock, "What– ? How– ?"
"Extreme rest up, I feel you exhausted your extreme flames," Ryohei smiled softly at Tsuna. He passed a sleeping Lambo onto his arms as he proded Tsuna for any wounds or cuts he sustain since he was at his house.
"Mmm, Tsuna-nii..." the little lightning guardian muttered in his sleep and tightly griped on Tsuna's shirt. Tsuna smiled fondly at the child until he felt someone staring at him. It was Kawahira, who Ryohei reluctantly went to check because of the amount of blood on him. He was staring strangely at Tsuna. Tsuna quickly looked away and stared at his guardians. That is when he notice Wonomichi was no longer making clones and was looking tired very quickly.
Kawahira murmured, "I feel like my power is returning," everyone gasps as they see Wonomichi stares at his hand horrified.
"AHHHHH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!" Wonomichi's hand was see-through. After a while the attacks only went through Wonomich. He was fading.
Kawahira voice cut through Wonomichi's panic, "Since I no longer have an apprentice for there is no one willing or worthy to do so, my power will die with me and you who only lived this long because of me will fade out of existence just like your clones. For I no longer consider you my apprentice not now, not ever." In the middle of Kawahira's speech, he barely glanced at Tsuna again and frowned.
They stared at Wonomichi in horrid fascination until he was no longer there. After a minute of silence, everyone who stood gasping for breath, dropped unceremoniously on the ground in relief.
"Well," Kawahira stood up and glared at his ruined kimono, "its best that I leave before disrupting something else, now that I am back full power," he looked apologetically at Tsuna, "I am truly sorry for what you lost, if I have done it, you would not been scarred." He ruffled Tsuna's hair and disappeared.
Tsuna felt his intuition nagging at the comment when he heard a rushing stampede toward him.
"HIEEEE!" he was jumped by his guardians. Some cried and claimed for his body, others cursed and relief laughter or in Reborn's case a hard hit from a 10-ton green hammer.
Tsuna brightly smiled as he took in his friends...his precious family.
Together at last.
~Epilogue~
Though they were tired by the long night, everyone couldn't sleep much. So Takeshi said he will tell his father to close down the shop tomorrow (or today now with the sun now up and all) and do their impromptu party they cancelled earlier this week, just between all of them.
Lambo woke up by the time they reached TakeSushi.
"Gwahaha, Tsuna-nii is now my godfather! That means you must give me candies!" Tsuna smiled at Lambo's new title that did not have Dame on it.
"You stupid cow! He always been giving you candy!" Hayato pulled Lambo's cheeks. Lambo pouted as he think.
"Oh! Then double the candy for Lambo-sama!" Luckily for Tsuna, Kyoko and Haru entered the shop, which he had to thank Reborn for calling them.
"Nee-sans!" Lambo rushed toward the girls and beg for candy. The girls smiled and carried him toward Chrome.
"Speaking of brothers..." Hayato coughed out. Tsuna turned to see a blushing Hayato, "Thank you for taking care of me, Yoshi-nii!" Tsuna spluttered at Hayato's bow. At least he isn't bashing his head in apology on the floor. Tsuna's intuition screamed and he proceeded to ducked down as he heard a something shifted above him.
"TOU-SAN?!" Takeshi yelled. Hayato stared at Yamamoto-san's darken face who was holding a katana.
Then the man grinned, "Glad you still have what it takes to take care of yourself and others." Tsuna notice his hand gripping Hayato's shirt. He somehow simultaneously ducked and pulled Hayato with him from being beheaded. Tsuna let go of his shirt leaving Hayato shocked and turned to Takeshi, He cursed up a storm about his dad almost killing Juudaime. Takeshi profusely apologize on his father's behalf, who just laughed and muttered, "You still need more training son." Takeshi's narrowed eyes was the only response to his comment.
Surprisingly, Hibari and Mukuro sat and drank their tea or (something in Mukuro's case) without fighting. Well they were rather exhausted by the quick power drain from the sky flames and escaping the weird dimension. They were both staring at Tsuna, who kept glancing at all his friends with a strange look.
"Been a while since I seen that look," Hibari muttered.
They could clearly hear Ryohei's shouts about Master Yoshi's exploits and fun training to the girls. They saw how Kyoko gasps in surprise and blushes when she discovers Tsuna was actually her childhood crush.
"What look?" Mukuro asks curiously as he gave subtle looks at Tsuna, but stopped when Tsuna looks at him questioning. Tsuna barely holds his surprise at the strangeness of Kyoya calmly sitting by Mukuro with no blood spilled. Mukuro leered at a blushing Tsuna who decided to look away.
"Hn. You would know."
Mukuro drank his drink and looks to see the Kokuyo gang coming in. They all look up to Mukuro questioning. Foolish subordinates, following me no matter what I do to them or make them do, I will never understand unwavering loyalty...ah I see, Mukuro felt uneasy, but didn't show. He went to meet up with his gang without a simple goodbye to his rival.
"Oya! Did you buy more milk for Yume-chan?" Said cat was in Chikusa's arms snoozing the morning away. The response was lost when Ryohei joined Kyoya.
"Kyoya, " Ryohei greeted Hibari, which the prefect was thankful by the boxer's loud whispers compared to his yelling. It only happens when they are only them two, "Did you know while Kawahira was covered in blood, he had no wounds?"
"Hn."
"His extreme kimono showed no signs of being damage meaning he didn't heal himself and I think I extremely heard he said it wasn't his blood."
Hibari looked up and glared at Ryohei, "I extremely checked my extreme brother, but while I sense no flames on him, no doubt he must have exhausted them defending himself, but do you know what Kawahira meant earlier?" In response, Hibari glared at the moonless night through the window. He dropped some coins and put on his coat leaving behind a brooding Ryohei.
"Leaving so soon, Kyoya?" He froze for a second in surprise by Tsuna's familiarity with his name, but decided not to reprimand him for doing so. He glanced back and nodded.
"Take care then," Tsuna smiled. Hibari left, but didn't let his sky know he is...troubled by his smile. Surprised to be smiled at, but he sense darkness is beginning to taint it.
He guesses it will be long while before he decides to bite the sky to death. Only time will tell when the sky able to hold himself until he can get a satisfying fight.
A/N: So it ends. Now I can fully focus on working on Toward the True Sky. So far in my notes says in a couple of chapters, it would end. In the meantime for those who don't know, as of right now there is a sequel/a-type-of-prequel for Out of Time called Out of Time: Special: the time after Tsuna's time jumps leaving behind his younger guardians who went on with their lives. Some might consist up to the point before Tsuna time jumped. Hopefully when that story finishes, I will upload femTsuna story (I have an outline, but only wrote 2 chapters so far).
Have a great day and fight life troubles with your dying will!