Summary : Did you all like Hibi? I know it's so cool to have a dinosaur as a pet. And I think this dino suits our Yakuza princess quite well. But let me be honest this chapter was a pain to write. It took me almost a whole month to get through.
"Ugh...What a nightmare... strangling the tenth's throat..." Gokudera began to stir first. Hibari, Chrome then Sakura woke up. "Tenth!" Gokudera yelled. Sakura groaned. Hibari went over to her. "Did we get caught? That's ... the cervello women! Why are they!" Gokudera continued yelling. Sakura flinched at the yelling and Hibari pulled her to his chest as she pressed her forehead against him.
"Your life is in my hands. I want to talk, so behave won't you?" Irie Shoichi said calmly. "Irie Shoichi!" Kusakabe yelled his name. "Bastard!" Gokudera commented, still feeling weak. They went to get their boxes only to realize... "Resistance is futile. I've taken... all your rings and box weapons." Sakura's eyes widened and she turned to look to see her bicolor box. She stood up and hit the glass. "Give me back Hibi!" she yelled. Everyone else also began yelling words of disbelief. "What ... is going on here?" Kusakabe demanded. "Ugh... Sawada... Don't mind us! You must destroy that device!" Lal yelled. "That's right Tenth! The round device! If you destroy that, we might be able to return to the past!" Gokudera encouraged.
"...Don't" Chrome whispered. Gokudera turned his anger towards her. "Why you! Did this situation make you want to lose your life or something?" "No... but..." She tried. "Honestly, I'm amazed at your ignorance. If you destroy this device, the ones to be inconvenienced will be you right?" Irie commented. "What!" The device began to stir. "Inside this device..." "It's opening!" Gokudera yelled. "Those who disappeared while being switched with you... are your future selves!" Sakura's eyes widened and she covered her mouth. Sure enough standing there holding hands were her future self and adult Hibari.
Irie went on explaining how it all worked including when he switched their bodies. Where their adult selves were. How it all worked with the anti-7^3. Everything. "Why?" Tsuna asked his dying will flame fading off. "Why would you go through all that trouble to get us in this time!" "Irie-sama, any further..." the creepy twin spoke up. "No... I'll answer. It's a simple story... For Byakuran-san to be able to destroy the world in his hands and make a new world, he needed the Vongola Rings." They all stood shocked by this. "In this world there exist a large number of rings with hidden powers of which we call the 'Mare Rings', the 'Vongola rings' , and 'Arcobaleno pacifiers' which all contain a set of seven, a total number of 21 rings. Hence 7^3. And 7^3's ores are the cornerstones that created this world."
Sakura and Hibari's eyes widened. "What... a story..." Tsuna commented. "You're free to believe it or not, however... the arcobaleno who sacrificed themselves because they were ordered to protect 7^3 can't deny this story." he continued. "Wha?" "Eh?" "Sacrifice... what?" was yelled from the capsule. "Re-Reborn and them have something to do with this?" Tsuna questioned. "We're done talking. I'm leaving the rest to you." Irie turned his back to them, giving the Cervello orders.
"Yes sir. Sawada Tsunayoshi, hand over the sky ring. If not, we'll poison your guardians." they said holding a gun at the Vongola leader. "We're not done talking yet Irie. There's one part I can't agree on." Reborn continued. "We're not negotiating. This is an order. If you don't obey within three seconds." "You can't escape destruction." They went back and forth. "Just a..." Tsuna yelled. "Wait!" The mechanic yelled. "You're cervello right!" Tsuna yelled again.
"3" They started counting down. "Damn woman! Tenth! Don't mind us, Please get those guys." Gokudera yelled. Sakura too was standing against the glass causing Hibari to get up and hold her from behind. She turned and looked at him before leaning on his chest. He held her. If they were going to die, then he wanted her in his arms together. "But... There's no way I can..." Tsuna began to panic.
"2" "Do it Sawada! After they get the sky ring, they'll kill us anyways!" Lal yelled. "But..." Tsuna couldn't do it.
"1" Two shots were heard. Everyone froze. "Iri... e... sa... ma...?" One of the twins questioned right before both their bodies hit the ground. "Don't think badly of me. I'll just make you a little sleepy." Irie said. Sakura had turned out of Hibari's chest when she heard the shots. She stared in shock, While Hibari continued to keep her in his arms.
"Haa. It's hot. I'm all worn out. I just thought I'd try it out just once. Sawada Tsunayoshi and everyone from the family. Ah I'm so nervous. My knees are shaking. He fell to the ground clearly rattled by his own actions. "You did well to get this far. I was waiting for you. I'm your ally."
"Wha! You're on our side." they all yelled shocked. "Yeah. That's right." Irie continued. "Normally everything I do is under 24-hour surveillance by my subordinates and the cameras which transmit directly to Byakura-san. But, thanks to you guys, everythings a mess. Finally, I can talk without alerting the millefiore people." He let out a deep sigh. "I've been waiting forever for this moment...Being able to meet you in this base, under these conditions,was the goal we were planning for from the start."
"Goal?" Tsuna questioned. "Wh-what the hell are you talking about?" Gokudera demanded not believing one word of it. "The fact that you were brought to this era because the millefiore wanted to take the Vongola rings is true. But, ever since you guys arrived in this era, I've been pulling the strings to get you here. According to the secret plan we'd devised without the knowledge of the millefiore. So that you could undergo training and become stronger." Irie stated. Everyone was shocked once more. "A lot of bad things happened though. For that, I'm truly sorry. But, you had to be trained to increase your strength exponentially in the shortest possible time, so that you'd be ready for the battle that's to come. This was the only way!" he justified.
"For the battle to come?" Reborn asked. "That's right! I'm not the enemy you're after!" He tried to continue. "Fuck you! You're making all this up. You were the one who got us all into this mess!" Gokudera yelled. "Gokudera is right!" "Who'd believe a thing you say?" "W-wait a sec! Just think about it. If I'd want to kill you, I'd have you killed you all much earlier already!" Everyone was shocked by that statement.
"No matter how much the millefiore drop their guard, their firepower is light years ahead of yours. Instead of replacing your future counterparts all at once, I made sure your counterparts of this era could guide and train you from the past." Sakura's eyes narrowed at that response. "Also, once you entered this base, I could have moved the base much earlier and captured all of you. But, that wouldn't you gain experience, so I had to delay it on purpose!"
"That's not all. Did you think about why Ipin, Sasagawa Kyoko and Miura Haru were brought here from the past even though they were not your guardians? You'd grow a lot stronger when they're people you want to protect. We'd decided that was a necessity we couldn't avoid." he continued. This angered Tsunayoshi as he rushed at Irie.
"Actually..." But he was cut off. "How could you.. What kind of reason is that? What if something had happened to Kyoko-chan or the others? And, it's not just them! Even before the training started. Yamamoto, Gokudera-kun, and even Lal... We could have all died in a fight!" Tsunayoshi started losing his temper. "... if that was the case... it couldn't be helped anyways..." Tsunayoshi froze. "What the fuck?" Gokudera demanded. "...how could you..." Chrome questioned.
"I'VE TRIED MY BEST TO PLAN IT ALL! IF SOMETHING UNEXPECTED HAD HAPPENED, I'D BE IN TROUBLE TOO! ALL OF THIS IS A LOT MORE SERIOUS THAN YOU THINK! BESIDES, THIS ENTIRE PLAN WAS PART OF YOUR FUTURE COUNTERPART'S IDEA TOO, TSUNAYOSHI-KUN!" Irie lost his temper. "My idea?" Tsuna questioned.
"This plan was of utmost secrecy held between myself, your future counterpart, and the future Hibari Kyoya. Under no circumstances was the plan to be revealed to anyone else." Hibari perked up. "That's also why the future Hibari-kun knew about the ambush from us." "What..." Tetsuya muttered.
Sakura spoke up. "If I may?" she asked. He looked over at her. "Sakura-san..." Irie addressed her formally. "Kyo-san said my future self died and that's why I was switched early. But if you were arranging everything then why was she put in such a spot that she died?" Irie looked down. "Sakura-sama was to break in the box and take the research. I don't know why she chose to take longer and steal the bicolor box but if anything she put herself in that position. She also didn't die. I made it outside the base and was able to put her in the device to save her right before she could die." he explained. "Then..." "Yes, I never got to tell Hibari-san but your future self is okay and so is he." Sakura sighed.
"Furthermore, your future counterpart resisted the idea of getting the others involved till the very end. Finally, he acknowledged that this was something his past self needed in order to grow." "Is-is that true...I did this." Tsuna questioned himself. "That's impossible. I know Sawada's personality." Lal chimed in. Irie continued on but Sakura didn't hear anything else. She was trying to comprehend how in the world adult Hibari would react if he knew that her future self was actually okay. She had seen that man slightly broken with the loss of his wife and now to find out that the whole time she was okay.
Hibari stared at Sakura. He hated that she had spent time with his older self and not just a few days a whole month. He glared slightly at that machine. Sakura stayed lost in her thoughts until she heard "The battle of the main force in Italy." "Xanxus..." she muttered his name.
"Please get all the injured on the stretchers." Irie requested. "Is everyone okay?" Tsuna asked. "Tenth! Are you injured?" Gokduera asked. Hibari stood behind Sakura before he asked her, "Are you hurt anywhere?" She looked up at him and realized that yes, she was wearing heels. Hibari was taller than her again but it looked a lot like. "Yeah, I'm okay." she assured him.
Tsunayoshi ran over to Chrome and Lambo. "Lambo!" he called his name. Irie went to check on all of them. "Are... are you okay?" he asked the baby. "He is asleep." Chrome commented. "Oi Irie, let me punch you once." Gokudera held up a fist. "Let me do it first. Even if you had your own reasons for doing this, we still want to vent our anger on you." Hibari chimed in.
Sakura pushed past both boys and punched Irie in the jaw, sending him down to the ground. "You're lucky I didn't kick you. That's for Kyo-san. He was really worried about my future self and you didn't tell him anything!" she yelled at him. Gokudera's eyes widened and he took a step behind Hibari after all that was his woman. Hibari had a proud smirk on his face. He no longer needed to bite this herbivore to death.
"Wait you all?" Irie started to freak out. "Wait guys, Don't we have something to ask Irie?" Reborn took control of the situation. Irie went on explaining Byakuran's powers. After he was done Reborn chimed in. "Giannini just received news from Italy about the main battle. Looks like Xanxus managed to defeat his opponents." Sakura perked up as did everyone else. She turned to look at Hibari. "Kyo, did you hear that!" Her eyes widened and she used his future nickname. He turned away to hide the blush on his face. He didn't know why but he liked her calling him that. Just her though a nickname for him and only him that she could call him by. Sakura on the other hand quickly turned away as well excited about the Varia's win.
"Finally the news we've been waiting for. I don't want to be a wet blanket, but... it's too early to celebrate. Even if you've defeated their general, the strength of their army is far superior to yours. If the Millefiore appoint a new general and draw out the battle..." But Irie was cut off by Reborn. "There's no need to worry about that. The enemy has begun to retreat." "Woah!" "Ehh" "Then, that means we've won right?" Irie asked, more excited than anyone. "Well, yes." Reborn agreed. "That means we can really do it. The Vongola's fighting power is much higher than we expected. They even managed to overcome the main force." Irie cheered. "Why get so excited all of sudden? '' Gokudera wondered.
"Oh no. This is merely a little break. Both the main battle in Italy and the Melone base in Japan. You have been most entertaining." Sakura turned to face where the voice was coming from. Hibari, who was standing away from everyone, came closer to Sakura. He stood behind her as she looked up at the hologram. "Th-that's..." Tsuna commented. "Byakuran-san!" Irie yelled. "This pre-game battle had a very important purpose, you know. Like, you've shown me the true abilities of the Vongola's most powerful squad. And Sho-chan's desperate act of trying to lie to me." he continued. "Th-then you mean..." Irie froze. "Yep. Busted." Byakuran called out. "Indeed, you managed to carry out your plans very well, Sho-chan. I didn't expect you to join forces with the Vongola in this manner, but... I knew you'd become my enemy sooner or later. Because Sho-chan, you have always looked at my actions with plans with disapproval. Since a long time ago."
"...What you're doing is... wrong." Irie said. "See? Well, whatever makes you happy. You'll soon see who's in the right and wrong. But Sho-chan, you really like living on the edge, don't you? The Vongola 10th boss is still a greenhorn. Yet, you've cast your fate in him. To tell the truth, it's all too easy for me to continue the battle without a break, and crush the Vongola completely. But, I've been having so much fun so far. Plus, being betrayed by my trusted aide... had some effect on my pride as a leader right? That's why I thought it's about time we had a proper match."
"An official trial of strength... between the Vongola Family under Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun command and my Millefiore family. "Of course the 7^3 will be the stake. The time is just right too. A farewell party to bid Sho-chan and this old world goodbye, and... A ceremony to celebrate the new world~"
He went on going back and forth between with Irie about the battle and the real six funeral wreaths. Sakura felt a part of her break when he mentioned the real ones because she had heard and saw the battles yet... she was starting to feel weak again. Here in the future she really thought she had caught up to everyone else but the reality was she was still weak and was useless to the battle up ahead. Hibari, of course, noticed her attitude change. He put his hand on her shoulder forcing her to look at him. He didn't have to say anything to her. She blushed and looked away.
"Last time I was always playing with Sho-chan. Do you still remember the game named 'Choice'" Byakuran directed his attention to Irie. "I am planning to make it real. Details will be informed 10 days later. I won't be moving during that, so rest properly." "Stop the useless talk. To see such a monster, How could we rest properly?" Reborn called him out. "Oh. You are the arcobaleno Reborn. Oh I really want to talk to you more but you all can't escape. The Melone base you are located... is going to disappear." "Disappear!" the group yelled. "To be accurate, it's because the super ring transmission system is moving. Which means the teleport system using ring flames..."
"Is.. completed?" the mechanic questioned. "Nope it's not, it only works with the object with such a frame. Because it needs lots of time and powers so a lifetime you might not even see it once. So... see you in 10 days later." Byakura finished. A blinding light filled the space. Hibari grabbed Sakura, shielding her eyes.
"What! What actually happened?" the mechanic questioned. It's teleport! The secret base will fly to somewhere else." Irie explained. "What... What?" someone else yelled. "What should we do?" "There's no problem! Catch onto something!" Hibari heard them and held the princess a little tighter. "No problem."
With a flame of light the base was gone. Everyone was on the ground barely holding on. Sakura got up with Hibari next to her. "You okay?" he asked her. "Yeah. What about you?" He nodded. "The base... Melone base is gone!" Tsunayoshi yelled. The two stared at one another. It really had been a whole month since they saw one another.
"WHERE IS THIS PLACE TO THE EXTREME!" The pair turned to look at Ryohei as he continued to scream at the top of his lungs. She sighed. Her kimono was ruined and she wanted a bath. Everyone else greeted Ryohei but the pair continued to stay a little further back from the crowd. Hibari went over and firmly took her hand. The tips of his ears turned red.
"No! We can do it!" Irie yelled. Sakura was starting to get a headache. "It is because of that, that you guys get through all this. The you that is grown can definitely match them. We are not just purely making it hard for you guys... This level of threat was predicted. Now we will pass it to you guys... " Irie went over to the machine. "Ah, the center of the system has opened," Tsunayoshi yelled. "Accept it with your heart The powers granted the guardians of this era." Irie said as seven lights all with the same color of their flames flew out to them. The Vongola box.