As Izumi runs off to get the First Aid kit, the blue-haired man that Kensuke doesn't recognize sits down with his legs spread in front of him, and together, Gokudera and Hibari, who've already managed to get their friend's shirt off, maneuver Tsuna so that he's sitting with his back to the blue-haired man's chest, his head lying in the crook of the taller man's neck.

"Here," growls Gokudera, pausing his phone conversation just long enough to throw two handkerchiefs at Kensuke. "Stop standing there like an idiot and make yourself useful. Press these against the wounds on Juudaime's front and back to stop the bleeding."

Kensuke does as told, while Gokudera and Hibari work methodically to remove all of Tsuna's clothes to check for any other injuries and to make sure the bullet really had exited where they thought it had, instead of traveling to another part of Tsuna's body.

As he holds the handkerchiefs, Kensuke's mind is reeling, trying to comprehend what's going on.

Trying to ignore the ache in his knees as he kneels awkwardly next to his former schoolmate, and the fact that his hand is squeezed in between Tsuna's and the blue-haired man's bodies, he focuses instead on their conversation.

The man is carding his fingers through Tsuna's hair, whispering soothing words to him in both Japanese and Italian.

Tsuna replies every once in a while, his voice absurdly lighthearted, given the situation they're currently in. It sometimes takes him a little too long to reply when he gets distracted by his pain, but his friend just waits patiently and smiles indulgently as he answers.

By the time Izumi gets back, Gokudera has finished his phone conversation.

"Finally," he growls, grabbing the kit from Izumi and saying, "Go take Mochida's place."

Slightly startled at the command, Kensuke carefully extracts his hands so that the bartender can take his place.

"You go lock the door," Gokudera barks at Kensuke as he starts rifling through the first aid kid for some gauze to replace the soaked handkerchiefs they've been using to try and stop the bleeding. "Those fucktards probably followed us here, and we need to stall them as long as possible until backup gets here."

Swallowing down his question about who, exactly, would be crazy enough to target one of Hibari Kyoya's friends, Kensuke gets up to do as told.

He's halfway to the door when, suddenly, it blasts open, and a bunch of yakuza thugs start swaggering into the bar as if they own the place.

"God fucking dammit!" he hears Gokudera swear, and Kensuke's eyes flick over for a second to see that the blue-haired man is slowly, carefully shifting his position so that he can sit back-to-back with Tsuna, and so that he can see the thugs threatening them.

Hibari has just finished re-dressing Tsuna, and is standing up, leaving only Izumi still trying to stop the bleeding, and Gokudera, holding faintly glowing yellow hands over Tsuna's wound, his eyebrows knit together in concentration.

He also seems to have taken over the blue-haired man's job of distracting Tsuna, if the long string of curse words flowing from his mouth and Tsuna's weak laughter are anything to go by.

Kensuke steps out of the way then, as Hibari steps forward – obviously the former prefect has a lot more experience in a fight, and it would be best not to get in his way.

But as Kensuke walks slowly back towards Tsuna and the rest, still keeping one eye on the thugs, he notices something strange about the blue-haired man.

He's staring intently at the attackers, his right eye completely enveloped in indigo flames, and Kensuke steps back with a shudder.

Those look just like...

But there's no way that's possible.

He whips his head around to look at Hibari, who's finally decided to make his move, his tonfas already out.

Kensuke gasps, stumbling backwards as he sees that even Hibari's tonfa are wrapped in bright violet flames.

He wants desperately to ignore all of this, to close his eyes and convince himself that the flames aren't real, to convince himself that they're just a figment of his imagination, the same way he had last month, when his father had been threatening his brothers, and those read and green flames had burst forth from within him.

But then he catches sight of Tsuna, still sitting with his back against the blue-haired man.

And he sees Izumi trying desperately to stop the bleeding, and Gokudera's hands are still glowing that faint yellow and Kensuke wonders idly if those are flames too.

And as he's thinking that, he realizes there's no time for him to be a brat.

Unless he wants to keep being that same useless waste of space who's going to die at twenty-five, and isn't buried until he's seventy-five.

And he's tired of being that man.

So he tries to remember how he'd felt that night – he tries to remember the fierce protectiveness boiling in his chest, tries to remember the determination to make everything alright for the innocent souls depending on him to keep them safe.

And he knows he's succeeded when he feels all eyes in the room snap to him.

He knows he's succeeded as he rushes towards the attackers with murder in his eyes, and brilliant red flames licking at his knuckles.

He knows he's succeeded as his fist connects with a jaw, and he feels bones creaking and giving way beneath his punch.

Then, all hell breaks loose, and even though it hurts, he feels a fierce swell of pride when he sees Hibari give him an approving smirk when they pass each other once in the middle of the fray.

It feels like the fight goes on forever, even though Kensuke knows it can't have been more than five minutes.

But then next thing he knows, he and Hibari are the only ones left standing, and every inch of his body is aching, but he's never felt so good. He's never felt so goddamn proud of himself.

He stands there, stock-still, staring at the carnage and unable to move until he hears an impressed whistle from behind him.

Gokudera and Tsuna and Izumi and the blue-haired man are all staring at him with wide eyes.

"Didn't know you even had flames, let alone that you could control them," says Gokudera, his eyebrows raised to his hairline.

Kensuke attempts a smirk.

"Anything you can do, I can do better," he says, and there's an unexpected bark of laughter from the blue-haired man.

"Fuck off, Mukuro," growls Gokudera, glaring at the blue-haired man before turning back to Tsuna, his hands still glowing a faint yellow.

Kensuke steps forward, intrigued, and asks, "Are they supposed to be that faint?"

"My main flames are storm, like your red ones," replies Gokudera, not looking up from the wound again. "My sun flames aren't anywhere near powerful, but I have just enough to make sure Juudaime doesn't die until we can get a proper sun flame user in here."

Kensuke's eyes widen in understanding, and he's about to ask more when suddenly, the door is thrown open for the second time that night, and he spins around, getting ready for another fight.

But instead of more yakuza thugs, Sasagawa Ryohei steps into the bar, followed by three others.

There are blazing yellow flames already licking at his hands, and he immediately makes his way to Tsuna's side, nudging Izumi over so that he can get his hands on his friend.

The other three people that entered along with him split up and head towards Hibari and Kensuke, to check for injuries.

Kensuke is kept preoccupied for a while after that, and when next he has a chance to look around, he notices with some disappointment that Tsuna has already been taken away.

After that incident at the bar, Kensuke somehow doesn't expect he'll see Tsuna and his friends again.

After all, Izumi had said that they were from Italy after all. They probably want to get back home as soon as possible after the craziness they'd experienced.

Contrary to his expectations though, Kensuke was watching television the very next afternoon, lazing around so he doesn't accidentally open up some of his wounds, when he hears the doorbell ring.

Answering it, he's more than a little startled to see Sawada Tsunayoshi standing there, a dazzlingly bright smile on his face and not looking the least bit like he's just survived a gunshot wound.

"Mochida Kensuke-kun," he says almost immediately after Kensuke has answered the door. "How would you like to join my family?"

The End

SkyGem: Whoo! Two updates in one night! I'm on a roll! So, what'd you guys think of this fic? Did you like it? Do you think the ending was good? Please do leave a review and let me know what you thought! And I look forward to your continued support in my future projects! Ja!