Instead of going to Namimori Hospital where her father works, Kyoya took Tomoe to an urgent care that was open 24/7.
When the doctor there examined and patched her up, she was able to find out the full extent of her injuries. She had a cut on her arm from the bullet that was shot by BOT and just nicked her, bruises around her back from colliding with the wall after the explosion, burn wounds patched around her stomach, small cuts caused from BOT's parts during the explosion, and a fractured rib.
Oh, she also got hypothermia.
Thankfully, she would heal up quickly and nicely (thanks to anime knowledge), meaning no scars and that the burns would go away over time. So, she and Kyoya were allowed to leave the urgent care and go to their homes, but not wanting her family to see or notice her injuries, Tomoe stayed over at Kyoya's place.
"Kyo-chan~" Tomoe whined, clinging onto the male. "I'm cooooold."
He grunted, shifting in his sleeping position to make them both more comfortable. "Go back to sleep, small animal," Kyoya replied, doing just that and Tomoe nuzzled into him more.
"Mmm. 'k."
A peaceful silence consumed the room and the only sounds heard were the two breathing softly.
However, peace never lasts in Namimori. Especially if your name is Kocho Tomoe.
"Kyoya~!" a voice shouted, breaking the peaceful silence as the bedroom door slammed open, making their eyes snap open from their sleep. "Are you ready for- Oh."
Dino paused mid sentence, looking at the scene in front of him.
Kyoya, his student, was wearing pajamas and had messy hair (he ignored his glare). Tomoe, his bestie, was wearing a pair of Kyoya's pajamas (he guessed they were his because they were quite big on her) and was clinging onto Kyoya, practically laying half of her body on him. Tomoe and Kyoya in bed, together.
And him being Dino, he had totally misunderstood. "I... I'M SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING! I'll come back later!" Dino yelled with a blush, running out of the room before he popped his head back in for a moment, with a smirking yet looking nervous expression. "Also don't forget to use pro-"
Tomoe had already thrown a pillow in his face before he could finish. "You're misunderstanding here, you dirty minded idiot!"
Kyoya jumped out of the futon, tonfas in hand with a very pissed off expression. "For interrupting our sleep and breaking into my house, I'll bite you to death!"
Let's just say it was a crazy morning for Tomoe (and for the community especially when explosions were heard from the Hibari household).
After that noisy morning full of destruction and fighting, Tomoe went off to pick up Chrome who was discharged from the hospital. Apparently the girl ran into Tsuna on the way out, but ran away before they could have a conversation since she wanted to get to the Kocho estate quickly. Tomoe could only let out a sigh and take her back home, leaving Ao to watch over the girl along with Ken and Chikusa.
The ravenhead girl had to prepare herself for tonight's battle. Afterall, it was the battle of the Clouds, Kyoya's fight, and the fight where everything was going to go down.
Midnight at Nami Chuu...
"Listen up, people!" Gokudera yelled, a cigarette in his hand as his face was covered in bandaids. "No matter what happens, we have to win!"
"Oi, what are you talking about? The one fighting is Hibari," Yamamoto replied, all bandaged and still recovering from his fight with Squalo.
"What's the point of getting so worked up?" Ryohei commented, looking the most intact of the three despite having his arm in a cast.
"You think I don't fucking know that?!" the grey haired teen retorted, putting the cigarette between his lips as he scowled. "The boss is counting on us, so he didn't have to be here. Like hell we're going to allow a defeat on our watch!"
Yamamoto laughed. "Hahaha! What a funny reason."
"Oooh, octopus head! I don't get it myself, but somehow I'm EXTREMELY fired up!" Ryohei grinned, clenching his fist in excitement.
"An oaf like you would never understand in a million years!" Gokudera retorted angrily.
"Man, you three are pumped," Tomoe muttered and the trio snapped their heads towards her.
"Kocho-senpai!" Ryohei and Yamamoto exclaimed while Gokudera clicked his tongue, pointing an accusing finger at her.
"Why the hell are you here, woman?" He frowned.
Tomoe walked up to them, arms crossed with a nonchalant expression. "I'm here to see Kyo-chan's fight, I don't really want to be here, but for Kyo-chan I will."
"What EXTREME loyalty!" "Fufu, thanks Ryo-chan."
"Oh yeah," Yamamoto spoke up. "Kocho-senpai, are you feeling okay?" he asked. "After your battle you left and we weren't able to see how badly you were injured."
"The worst injury I got was a fractured rib." She shrugged. "Nothing too bad, it was the cold that got to me the most, but besides that I'm not in that much pain. Just a few bruises, burns, and cuts."
"That's good." Yamamoto sighed in relief. "We were worried it would be much worse, especially Tsuna."
Her heart clenched. "I see. Well you can tell Tsu-chan I'm fine," she responded and looked around. "He's not here today?"
"The tenth is counting on us, he doesn't need to be here," Gokudera answered and Tomoe eyed the cigarette his lips were around.
"Smoking is bad for you, Haya-chan. Do you want to get lung cancer and go into an early grave?"
"Shut up! And don't call me Haya-chan!"
"Don't yell at Kocho-senpai, octopus head!"
"You-!"
Yamamoto perked up when he saw Hibari walking up to them in his school uniform. "Well, here's the main star of today."
They all quieted down when he approached. "Why have you all... gathered here?" Kyoya questioned.
Gokudera was annoyed. "What the, you-!"
Yamamoto cheekily smiled. "Now, now... Well we're..."
"Here to support you!" Ryohei exclaimed.
Tomoe grinned. "I'll be cheering you on, Kyo-chan."
"Hmm..." he glanced at them all. "You're an eyesore. If you're not gone in the next second, I'll kill you."
"What the hell did you say?! You just pissed me off something fierce!" Ryohei hollered, veins popping.
Sneaking to Kyoya's side, Tomoe tugged on his sleeve. "Kyo-chan, c'mon, let me stay here and cheer you on. Please?"
Kyoya looked at Tomoe with a blank look. "Hn. Okay." he turned back to the others. "You guys hurry up and leave."
'What's with the difference in treatment?!'
Yamamoto still continued to smile, being the peacemaker. "Now, now, let's all calm down. We're just coincidentally passing by, see? Don't mind us, Hibari, okay?"
At that moment, the Gola Mosca jumped down, landing onto the ground with a loud noise. Kyoya smirked. "So... that's the one." He took his tonfas out. "All I have to do is bite you to death."
In Ryohei's mind, he imagined Kyoya literally biting the Gola Mosca's head and paled, sweating profusely.
After the Gola Mosca appeared, the young Vongola group was led to the battlefield, where the Varia was already waiting. It was a ring in the open that was surrounded by barbed wire and gatling guns.
"Here...?" "This is it..."
"Yes, this is the field for the Cloud Guardian's battle," the Cevello sister said. "The Cloud Ground."
"What did you do to the sports field!!" Ryohei exclaimed in shock.
"Ga-Gatling guns?!" Gokudera was more concerned with that than the field.
"The mission of the Cloud Guardian is to be the aloof, drifting cloud who protects the family from an independent standpoint, and whom nothing can ever bind," the Cevello sister explained. "Therefore, we have prepared the most extreme field for him. The field is surrounded on all sides by barbed wire, as well as eight automatic batteries that will shoot at any mobile object it detects within a 30m radius."
The twin continued. "Furthermore, there are countless pressure sensitive mines buried under the ground. Once activated, an alarm will sound followed immediately by an explosion."
Sweat rolled down Ryohei's face. "Isn't that totally a battlefield?!"
"If you're scared, run away," Levi mocked. "Just like your boss did."
Belphegor showed a grin full of teeth. "Shishishi."
"Up yours! The boss didn't run away, asshole!" Gokudera snapped.
"It's just, there's no need for Tsuna to be here," Yamamoto replied, putting his hand on Gokudera's shoulder to hold him back. "Because Hibari is our ace. He won't lose."
"I have to agree on that," Tomoe joined in. "As if Kyo-chan will lose to a robot."
Levi blinked. "What?"
"...Pfft. Ace..." Xanxus exploded in a fit of laughter. "Bwahahahaha! I'm definitely looking forward to this!"
Kyoya stared at him before looking away.
"That crazy bastard!" Gokudera clenched his jaw.
"The preparations are ready," Romario said to Dino.
"In that case, we'll proceed," the blond replied.
"Boss. It's almost time for the battle, isn't it? No matter how much stronger Kyoya has gotten... His opponent is the aide to the Varia Boss... He's no chicken feed. Are you sure you don't want to watch it?"
Feeling familiar flames, Tomoe looked around to see Ken and Chikusa sitting on the grassy hill, Chrome sitting a bit away from them.
'Those three...' she huffed. 'I thought I told them to stay home and relax... Well, I guess it's nice to see them showing support.'
"Kocho-senpai, come here!" Yamamoto said and grabbed Tomoe, pulling her into the group huddle.
"H-Huh?!"
Forcing her into the huddle, Ryohei began to cheer. "Hibari fight! Ooohh!"
"Hey lawn head! You were too soft!" Gokudera complained.
"Huh?!"
Tomoe blushed in embarrassment, but she was slightly happy to be included into the huddle.
"But Hibari himself isn't here, so I can't really be bothered!" Ryohei replied.
"Still, Gokudera was the one who was against the circle rally in the first place, but now you're so motivated," Yamamoto called him out.
"Of course!" he boomed, turning away. "If the boss were here, that's what he'd have done!" 'Don't you dare lose, Hibari... For the boss's sake!'
"Then, we shall begin. The Cloud ring, Gola Mosca vs. Hibari Kyoya. Begin the battle!"
Jet boosters appeared from the robot's legs as it burst forward, charging at Kyoya while the teen just stood there holding his tonfas.
"Wha-?!" "It's flying!"
Tomoe smirked, speaking up to get the other's attention. "Hey, do you guys know?"
"You know something, Romario," Dino said. "Where Kyoya is concerned..."
The Gola Mosca brought it's hand up, the fingertips glowing to attack. Kyoya's eyes narrowed.
"The Gola Mosca is..." Tomoe grinned, putting a hand on her hip.
Dino smirked. "That Gola Mosca is apparently..."
"Not even worth his time."
The Gola Mosca fell to the ground, it's arm ripped off as it zapped before exploding. Kyoya stood in front of it, back faced away with a bored expression as he clicked the ring halves together.
"Wha..." Gokudera, Ryohei, and Yamamoto were stunned and silent.
"Eh..." Levi and Belphegor were wide eyed, in disbelief.
The Cevello twins stood there with gaping faces.
Tomoe burst out laughing.
The battle didn't even last ten seconds.
"I don't need this," Kyoya said, dropping the ring into one of the sister's hands.
"Eh? Urm..."
Kyoya walked past her and began to address Xanxus. "Now you, the one sitting over there. Come down here. Until I bite you to death, monkey boss of the mountain monkeys, I can't go home."
Immediately, Tomoe bursted into laughter once again at the insult. "HAHAHAH! M-Monkeys he called them!"
"What?!" Levi yelled.
"Don't just "What", you octopus," Belphegor mummed, frowning slightly. "Or haven't you noticed? We've lost... the ring contest battles. What now, boss?"
Xanxus stared at the steaming Gola Mosca and smirked.
Tomoe didn't know how it happened, but Xanxus seemed to jump into the ring, his foot landing against Kyoya's tonfa which he used to block himself with. Xanxus put force on the tonfa to jump back into the air, doing a flip as he landed, holding onto his coat.
"My foot slipped," he said, feet hitting the ground."
Kyoya didn't believe him. "Right."
"No, really." A mine exploded and Xaxnus jumped forward to avoid getting hit within the blast radius. "I came down only to retrieve that piece of junk. We have lost."
"Hnnn. Your face..." Kyoya ran forward. "Tells a different story." He swung his tonfa and Xanxus dodged.
"What the heck is Hibari doing?! He'd already beaten that mechanical monster!" Ryohei screamed.
The gatling guns moved, shooting bullets at the two in the battleground.
Xanxus smirked, revealing his teeth. "Don't worry. I won't raise an arm."
"As you wish. Anyway, I'm going to bite you to death."
"That brat-!! How dare he mock the boss!" Levi hollered.
"Hold it, sulky face," Belphegor said, stopping him. "We've already lost the battle. If we get into the fight, it'll be seen as mutiny against the incumbent tenth boss. They'll have our heads along with the boss's."
"You're saying we should just let that impudent brat do as he pleases?!" the older man accused.
"Well, he seems to be scheming something, our boss."
"What could it... be...?"
"No idea." Belpheogor's mouth pursed into a thin line, ignoring Levi's yelp of, "What!". "Mammon or Squalo would probably know though."
The Gola Mosca, despite being destroyed, seemed to come back online and it's sight was targeted on Kyoya.
Xanxus moved a hand to block the tonfa.
"You've... raised an arm?" Kyoya questioned.
"That boy was able to force the boss's hand?!"
"Unbelievable."
"Ghh...!" Xanxus moved back. "Cervello."
"Yes master Xanxus?"
"Don't get the story wrong now, I didn't attack him at all," Xaxnus said, trying to get the upper hand.
Tomoe frowned. "Shit... he tricked Kyo-chan into hitting him first." Her eyes widened when she saw Xanxus smirk evilly. "KYOYA! Dodge!"
Grey eyes widened, but he didn't move fast enough to avoid the bullet which skimmed his thigh, making blood splurt out.
"What?!" "Hibari!"
Rockets were launched into the air, wilding flying around. Tomoe looked up to see five rockets heading towards her and the others. "Run!"
The four moved out of the way, avoiding the rockets which exploded where they were just standing.
Levi squinted his eyes, as he looked into the sky. "What's that?"
"Er, bad news," Belphegor replied before he dipped, leaving Levi by himself to get hit by the explosions.
"NYAHH!"
"You good, Haya-chan?" Tomoe dusted the black particles off her clothes while Gokudera stood up, clicking his tongue.
"Are you alright? Sasagawa-ani?!" Yamamoto asked the older male as he got up from the ground.
"What the heck was that?!" Ryohei squawked.
"...What was that? I only came to retrieve my junk, but... I've been obstructed by their cloud guardian all this while," Xanxus said as the machine began to launch more rockets and missiles. "Now Mosca's retraining system has been broken."
"What?!" Gokudera cried out. "It's gone berserk?!"
Xanxus grinned and Tomoe could only curse at how bothersome things became as explosions were going off everywhere, destroying the field and the school.
Gokudera put his hand to his head. "Aaaaa... Compressed particle beam?!"
"It's shooting all over the place! If this continues, all of us are going to die!" Ryohei pointed out.
"Well thanks for pointing out the obvious Ryo-chan!" Tomoe yelled back, an irk mark on her face.
Standing in the smoke as everything burned, Xanxus laughed. "Fufu... Bwahahahaha! This is a terrible disaster!"
"That guy is laughing..."
"That crazy bastard... He didn't care about the fight from the start. He just wanted to kill everybody and make it look like an accident! That's why he kept provoking Hibari!" Gokudera realized.
Kyoya grit his teeth, annoyed and pride hurt that he fell for his trap. Tomoe ran up to the male, helping him up. "Braccio di Neve!" she called out and her snow flames activated. Snow attached to her arms, as giant hands formed attached to her own, slapping the projectiles away that were aimed at her and Kyoya. "We need to move, now!"
"Haa ha..." Chrome panted as she ran from the missles, holding onto her weapons.
"Oi! Don't enter the field, it's dangerous!" Ryohei warned, but Chrome had stepped on a mine and her eye widened in fear, thankfully both Ken and Chikusa tackled her to the ground, away from the mine.
"Chikusa... Ken...!" Chrome breathed out.
"Geez... can't take your eyes off her for a second," Ken grumbled. A gatling gun moved towards them as they still laid against the ground. "Geh!" To make matters worse, the Gola Mosca stood back up and was facing them. "Oh shit!!"
"This is bad!" "They're sandwiched!"
"God dammit!" Ken screamed as he and Chikusa moved to cover Chrome and their own heads.
Tomoe's brown eyes widened as she moved her hand towards them, flames bursting. "Gelare!" A wall of ice formed, moving forward to cover the three. 'Come on, make it-!'
Just as the ice reached the three, an orange flame burst forward the same moment the gatling gun and Mocsa attacked, making the two attacks hit the flame which acted as a forcefield. The flames' heat was strong enough to make the ice wall begin to melt.
Everyone looked on in shock at the flames' sudden appearance.
"That flame...!" Xanxus growled.
Chrome looked up as a figure landed onto the ground. "...Boss."
There in all his glory was Tsunayoshi with a bright orange dying will of flame on his head, Vongola gloves on his hands which were surrounded by flames.
Tomoe teeth gritted into a strained smile. "You're a bit late, main character."
The smoke fully cleared to reveal Tsuna.
"That's...!" Ryohei and Yamamoto smiled.
"B-Boss!" Gokudera exclaimed.
Kyoya and Chrome stared.
"So you're here," Xanxus hummed. "...but."
More missiles launched from the Gola Mosca and Tomoe began to wonder how the heck did the robot contain so many missiles.
'What in the fucking anime logic-'
"What on Earth is going on?!" Basil shrieked as he and Reborn arrived, running through the smoke.
"That Mosca looks like it's going to destroy everything in its path," Reborn calmly answered. "That maneuver can't be human. Has it gone berserk?"
Missiles rained down onto Tsuna.
"Eliminate everything, starting with scum," Xanxus said. "That has not changed."
Eyes narrowing, Tsuna launched forward with his flames as his gloves ignited. Maneuvering through the missiles, he destroyed each one of them.
"Wha-What?!" "He-he can fly!!"
'I wonder if I can do that with my sky flames...' Tomoe wondered as she looked up at Tsuna in the air. 'I might need a little more practice with them before I experiment with that.'
Tsuna flew down towards the Gola Mosca, ripping off it's other arm and dropping it to the ground.
"Wha-What the hell did he do?! What the heck was that move?!" Varia's thunder guardian questioned.
"Hey blockhead." Tsuna looked at the Gola Mosca, unwavering. "I am your opponent now."
The Gola Mosca continued to fire missiles everywhere and Tsuna kept dodging.
"Sawada!"
"All the shells are going for the boss!"
"Mosca has locked onto his target," Reborn observed.
Tsuna ran forward and struck, punching his flame coated fist at Mosca's chest, sending the robot crashing into the ground.
"He-He's so strong!" "Yup!"
"Way to go, boss!"
"Bo-Boss!" Levi turned to look at Xanxus, but was immediately confused when he saw the male smirking in victory.
"As expected! That mechanical weapon is no match for Master Sawada!" Basil beamed.
"...But something doesn't feel right..." Reborn blurted out. "Mosca could have fought Hibari at full strength and won the whole contest. He would have thought of killing everybody too, but why go through such a long and roundabout way?"
"Xanxus... What is all of this about-" Tsuna didn't get to finish his question as Mosca charged at him again, but the boy didn't even bat an eye as he caught the robot.
"Wait Tsuna!" Tomoe yelled, remembering what would happen next. "Don't do it-!"
He didn't listen as he used his free hand to slice vertically down and break through the metal.
"Oooh!" "He did it!"
"A person is in there!" she screamed, but it was too late as the robot fell to its knees.
Tsuna looked confused as Xanxus smiled mercifully. A person fell from the wires attached to the Gola Mosca, revealing an old man.
Everyone froze in shock and fear.
"Wha-What the... There's a man inside!"
The Dying Will flame on Tsuna's head began to wither. "......Eh... Th-This... person... The Ninth boss...?!"
"How... Why is he here?!" Basil panicked and Reborn ran forward with a medkit.
Xanxus' face shadowed with a dark grin.
"What... What's going on?" Tsuna questioned as he fell to his knees. "...Eh? Why... is he inside Mosca?!"
Reborn kneeled down to the ninth. "Oi, hang in there! Che. I've seen it... Mosca's construction only once... was forced to be Gola Mosca's power source."
"Power source?!" Gokudera repeated.
Basil gasped. "How could they!"
"Wh...Why?!" Tsuna yelled.
"It's not "Why"... Is it!" Xanxus looked down at him. "You've gone and killed the ninth boss..."
Tsuna looked at his hands, shaking. "Me... I did this...? Aaa...?"
"This looks bad. It's not something we can treat with a first aid box," Reborn revealed.
"Why not use your sun flames to heal him?" Tomoe asked aloud. "Wouldn't that be able to help him out until a medic team comes?"
"It'll be impossible," Reborn answered. "No matter what we do..."
"No...!" Tsuna cried.
"Who was it? Who struck down the old man with no mercy whatsoever?" Xaxnus rhetorically asked and Tsuna panicked.
"Haa ha ha..."
"Who was it? Who split Mosca in half with the old man inside?"
"No... No way... haa ha... Me... It was me.. I killed the ninth boss..." Tsuna mumbled pale, sweating, and shaking.
'He might start to go into a panic attack soon and hyperventilate,' Tomoe thought to herself as she helped Kyoya stand. 'If we keep standing her looking at his bleeding body, the old man really will die... he has a better chance if we take him to a hospital right now...' "H-"
"...No..." the ninth whispered, heavily breathing. "The one at fault... was me..."
"Ni-Ninth boss!"
"We finally get to meet... young Tsunayoshi..." he said weakly. "I'm sorry... All of this happened because of my own weakness... My weakness that... allowed Xanxus to wake up from his long sleep..."
"!!" "!?"
"What do you mean by sleep?" Reborn asked. "After the Cradle Affair, Xanxus was cast out of the family and kept under strict surveillance by the Vongola, wasn't he?"
"Cradle Affair...?"
"It was about eight years ago, the largest coup d'etat in Vongola history," Reborn summarized. "Because the rebel army was led by Xanxus, the ninth boss's son, this terrible truth was treated with utmost secrecy. The only ones who know the truth are the fami;y's upper echelon and the Vongola's highest elite who fought in that battle..."
"Xanxus was... stopped there, eight years ago... since then he'd been asleep," the ninth revealed. "While his hatred and his grudge grew to frightening proportions..."
"Eh...?! What... What do you mean..." "What really happened?"
"Gwaaah!" he coughed out blood.
Tomoe deadpanned. 'This man... we could have gotten him to a hospital by now but with all these questions and talking... Sigh...'
"Aaah! Are you really alright?! Please hang in there!!" Tsuna trembled.
"Tsunayoshi... I've always... I've always been hearing news about you... from Reborn... about the girl you like and... about your school... and your friends... You are a child with a heart that... is really mismatched for a mafia boss." He lifted his finger to Tsuna's forehead. "I also know that up till now, you never once fought in a battle willingly. You always have these lines between your eyebrows... clenched your fists as if praying... And all that is why I..." he smiled. "...chose you to be the tenth boss of Vongola!"
'Xanxus wasn't the one chosen...?' Tsuna thought to himself as Xanxus' eyes narrowed. The ninth's finger then lit up. 'The Dying Will flame...? What a warm and nostalgic feeling... Nostalgic...? I... I know this person...!' Tears escaped his eyes. 'The flame is starting... to get smaller...! No... it can't be!'
"I'm sorry... but I'm glad... it's you..." The ninth's finger fell as he laid on the ground, unmoving.
"Wait...! No please don't... please wait...! Ninth boss! Ninth boss!" Tsuna wailed and Reborn's fedora shadowed his expression as he bit his lip.
"How dare you kill the ninth boss!" Xanxus yelled. "The desipicale way in which you struck down the ninth boss, is a challenge against his own son, Xanxus, as well as the noble Vongola spirit!"
"What?!"
"No need for investigation! The burns on the ninth boss's chest are undeniable evidence! Now that the boss has been murdered, the ring contest battle is meaningless! For the boss, my father, and for the future of the Vongola." The scared man smirked. "I will kill you as gengence!"
Everyone was shocked. "Wha-What?!"
"Wh-What the hell did you say?! He wanted to what the ninth boss?!" Gokudera hollered.
"So, this is what he'd aimed for," Reborn muttered. "If he only won the ring contest and became the next boss, those who know of the Cradle Affair would object to his succession, and would also continue to oppose him. But, if he trapped Tsuna into the role of the villain and attacked the ninth boss's enemy in a battle of revenge, that's a different matter. He would gain absolute trust from the majority of the family. Besides, if he could prove himself stronger than Tsuna, who was supposed to be the tenth boss, it would be further proof that he was the true heir. In that case, he could easily eliminate anyone who opposed him."
"Then Xaxnus is planning to become the boss and establish a dictatorship at the same time...?!" Basil exclaimed.
"Yes. It was a well laid out trap," Reborn replied. "Mosca was supposed to kill all of Tsuna's guardians in an accident. When that happened, he knew that sooner or later, Tsuna would come and take it down."
Tears leaked down from Tsuna's face. "How could he... For something like that...!"
"Please refrain from speaking such wild conjectures out loud Reborn. We will officially record everything that is spoken," the Cervello twins said.
"Those guys..."
"I knew it! The Cervello are on Xanxus' side!"
"Hey, if you're recording everything that is spoken then let me ask you this," Tomoe said, glaring at the two girls. "How did the ninth get inside the Gola Mosca? Did he just decide to go, "Oh, what a lovely robot, let me just climb in there and battle my successor!" That's bullshit. He was forced into there and we all know who did it. I mean, the Mosca is on Xanxus' side, so it's only natural that the true perpetrator of this crime that occured is him."
Tomoe let go of Kyoya as the teen stood on his own. "While you guys were chatting it up the entire time, the ninth could have been saved if you'd just called an ambulance, yet no one besides me did." She held up her phone. "They'll be arriving now to take the ninth's body. As professional doctors of the Kocho family, they'll be doing everything they can to get a heartbeat back under my orders." She glanced at Xanxus with a cold look. "I wonder what'll happen if he does regain his heartbeat, hm?" 'Oi Dino, you and the others better hurry the fuck up...'
The Cervello twins began to speak again. "You can-"
"Do whatever you want," Reborn interrupted. "My patience has run out." His bloodlust leaked out. "But, I will honor my promise to the ninth boss and not interfere... With my student's battles, that is. Having said that, I don't know what my student who hates fighting will do..."
"Xanxus," Tsuna said, turning towards the male slowly. "I will take that ring back. You will not follow in the ninth boss's footsteps!"
"Well said, Tsuna," Reborn praised.
"I'll carve your name into Vongola's history books as the foolish runt who dared to deft Xanxus all by his little self."
"He's not alone!" Gokudera declared, making Xaxnus flinch. "This boss's will is..." Everyone took out their weapons, getting ready to fight.
"Our will!"
"My will is my own," Kyoya said, making Tomoe sweatdropped.
"You just had to go off on your own and ruin the moment," Tomoe mumbled as she swung her nunchucks, letting them lean against her shoulders. "I do agree with you on that, but for now, I'll let my will be his."
Levi grabbed his umbrella. "You want some of this, you brats!?!"
"How about it?" Belpheogr grinned, taking his knives out.
"Exterminate the traitors," Xanxus ordered.
"Hold it right there, please," the Cervello sisters stopped them. "We will be in charge of the battle for the ninth boss's revenge."
"What?!"
"We have a duty to oversee the whereabouts of the Vongola rings."
"What the hell are you talking about? You're all Xanxus's bitches!" Gokudera accused.
"Please watch your mouth. We have an official decree from the ninth boss himself," they said, showing the document which had a flame burning. "Any changing-of-hands of the rings will not be approved without our ratification."
"You've got some nerve!" Basil yelled. "You forced the ninth boss to give you that Dying Will flame seal against his will!"
"The winner of this battle will become the next Vongola Boss, so... We declare this the Sky Ring Battle. In other words, this will be the last of the eight ring contest battles over the past week. How does that sound, Master Xanxus?"
"Not a bad idea," he replied.
"Then, tomorrow night, will everyone please assemble at Nami High?"
"Ohoho. The fake got a suspended sentence for now," Belphegor teased.
"What!" "Watch it, asshole!"
"Tsuna is exhausted from his training today. That's good news for us," Reborn said.
"Pfft. Tomorrow will be the final chapter in this happy comedy," Xanxus said as he threw the other half of the sky ring at Tsuna. "Make sure you're up for it."
Xanxus then used his flames and a bright light occurred, blinding everyone. When it cleared, the Varia and Cervello twins vanished.
"They're gone..." Ryohei mumbled. "Those ladies too...!"
"Nine... Ninth boss!" Basil ran towards the man.
"Are we too late?!" Dino yelled, appearing with his men and the Kocho family doctors.
"The Prancing Horse!"
"You people! Help the ninth boss and the injured!" Dino ordered.
"Kocho-sama!" the doctors bowed.
"This is an order!" Tomoe shouted, voice full of authority that the others never heard before. "Do whatever you can to get a heartbeat back on the ninth boss!"
"Yes Kocho-sama!"
Dino's men and Tomoe's family doctors began to move, helping everyone as they took the ninth on a stretcher into the ambulance.
"I received news from the CEDEF team..." Dino said, standing beside Reborn. "I never thought... it would come to this... Are you all right...?"
"The damage we received is quite substantial," Reborn responded and Dino kept quiet. "But..."
"You ok, Hibari?" Yamamoto asked the raven head who had an annoyed expression on his face.
"How unusual for you to be so restrained," Gokudera commented.
"If this situation can draw out that herbivore's true strength, I won't interfere just yet," Kyoya replied, looking at Tsuna's back.
Tsuna stood there unmoving......until Reborn kicked his back.
"We're going home." "GYAAAAH!"
"You better get yourself properly recharged for tomorrow's fight."
"Why do you always have to kick me?!"
"Because I'm really vexed right now."
"What kind of reason is that!?"
Dino smiled softly. 'We haven't lost hope yet, have we? Reborn.'
"Squirt!" Tomoe heard a voice shout and looked over to see Ao.
"Uncle Ao!" she jogged over to him. "What are you doing here?!"
"I felt the burst of flames from the estate," Ao answered, pushing his bi-colored hair back. "What the hell happened here..." he mumbled, looking around. "I guess that Xanxus bastard went on a riot."
She snorted. "You got that right."
"Kocho-sama..." Chrome mumbled, bowing down at Ao, Ken and Chikusa behind her.
Ao let out a sigh of relief, passing Tomoe and grabbed the three teens, surprising them when he hugged them all. "Phew... Thank goodness you all are okay."
"Gah! Let go of me old man!" Ken struggled in his hold. "What the hell is wrong with ya?!" Chikusa just stood there awkwardly while Chrome blushed.
"Awww, you starved touched kids," Tomoe teased, grinning.
"Damn you Tomoe!" Ken cursed.
"Carnivore..." the five heard and Ao let the three go to avoid Kyoya's tonfa.
Ao looked at Kyoya with an annoyed expression as he fixed his glasses. "Hello Kyoya-brat."
He growled. "Fight me."
"Tch. No way, I'm only here to pick up my niece and these brats." Ao rolled his eyes. "If you want to fight someone, Jun is home. Pick a fight with him or Milo."
"No, you're stronger."
"Kyoya, I swear that if you start a fight with me I'll call Kyosuke and tell him about your little endeavors."
"...I'm leaving. See you tomorrow, Tomoe, carnivore."
"That's what I thought," Ao scoffed when Kyoya put his tonfas down and walked away.
"To think he can control that monster..." Chikusa mumbled. "Impressive."
Ken rolled his eyes. "Hyaaah! It's not that impressive." He was instantly bonked on the top of his head. "Ouch! You damn old man!"
"Those guys have an interesting dynamic," Yamamoto said as he looked at the group.
"They're EXTREMELY close!" Ryohei laughed.
"Hey, who is that guy with the yukata?" Gokudera asked, using his head to gesture at Ao who was giving Chrome a head pat.
Dino took notice of their conversation and decided to join in. "Him? That's Kocho Ao," he answered, repeating the information he knows about the male that Reborn asked him to investigate a few months ago after finding out about Tomoe's flames. "He's thirty years old and is the uncle of Tomoe-chan. He's the outcast of his family and is an architect who graduated from University of Tokyo. He wields a spear as a weapon and also has rain flames."
"Really?" Their eyes were wide. "That's shocking... to think Kohco-senpai has another family member with flames."
"I'm surprised he's here. Does he know about the mafia?"
"Well, no one else besides him and Tomoe-chan know about the flames and mafia in their family, so I guess you can assume that those two are the odd ones out of the Kocho family," Dino explained.
Gokudera looked at the man and frowned slightly. Yamamoto took notice. "What's wrong Gokudera?"
"Well it's just that... I think I've seen him somewhere before," he answered, eyes still locked on Ao who was beginning to leave with the others.
"Hey, Uncle Ao," Tomoe whispered to the taller male beside her. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Did you move Squa-chan to the different location I told you about?"
"Of course I did," he whispered back, huffing. "Cavellone knows the location as well."
"Good. By the way... Haya-chan seemed to be ogling you back there, what did you do to him?"
"Nothing that I know of," Ao replied before he thought for a moment. "Wait a minute... Ugh. I know why he was staring."
Tomoe looked at Chrome, Ken, and Chikusa who were walking ahead, not paying attention to their conversation before staring back at Ao. "Care to explain to the class?"
"Remember that friend of mine who taught me flames after his cousin taught him how to utilize them?"
"Yeah...?"
"Well that friend's cousin is that grey haired brat's father."
"I see- WHAT?!"
"Shush!" Ao covered her mouth when they saw the trio look at them.
"...What are you two doing-pyon?" Ken asked, seeming suspicious.
"Just talking about something private," Ao replied. "Go back to not paying attention."
Ken scoffed, looking away. "Whatever old man."
"Anyways..." he removed his hands from Tomoe's mouth. "I must have ran into that brat or he must have seen me at his place before."
"I see... Well, there shouldn't be anything to worry about." Tomoe sighed, scratching the back of her head. "Do we have food at home? I'm starving."
"Rice good enough?" "Yeah."
A/N : LOOK AT HIBARIS FACE IN THAT ONE SCENE SO CUTE! Also can we just acknowledge that Belphegor just left Levi to get hit by the explosion XD he's like every man for himself. And the Cervello twins r annoying af like I hate them so much, I was cheering when Gokudera called them bitches.
Can't wait to expose more of the snow flame abilities in the final battle >:)
Braccio di Neve = snow arm