"Whilst he's quite dangerous despite being somewhat of an ally, why does it seem like everything is more at ease when Yuki is present?" Bianchi questioned. They all observed at some distance from the two who sat alone across from each other. At some point, Mukuro had changed into his true form, getting a comment from Yukina that he was now all grown up just like her. He shrugged that off with a dark grin. Not a single word could be heard due to Yukina setting up a barrier with her powers.
"You look like you've been having too much fun Mukuro. Isn't that putting a great toll on your real body?" Yukina inquired with her innocent cheerfulness – the attitude usually having a dark side behind it.
"That doesn't concern you, but my questions do regard that matter," Mukuro answered, "why did you try to break me out before you escaped yourself?" Yukina's expression showed confusion as she cocked her head to the side.
"You're the one that asked me to do it, didn't you?" she replied, tapping to her temple, "I heard your voice while running past you in that hallway. 'Release me' you said. So I tried. They caught up, so I had no choice but to get on my way again." Mukuro was thinking.
"I may have wished for something like that." He leaned back on the worn couch, crossing one leg over the other. "You were my only source of entertainment in that prison anyway. Slight curiosity drove me to that question."
"I'll let that one slide because I understand slightly how your mind works. Now, don't tell me that's all you have to say."
"What was that disturbance outside? If these eyes don't deceive me, that vehicle was thrown into the air."
"Oh... OOHHH..." Yukina had gasped, covering her mouth, "I had completely forgot that she's probably still in the area..."
"Biondo, if you decided to bring along one of those maniacal companions of yours_" The ground started to shake violently though Yukina and Mukuro managed to stay in their spot whilst everyone struggled. "Looks like we will continue this later..."
"As compensation for being entertainment back in Vendicare, how about helping me with this troublesome bugger?" Yukina suggested.
"Denied," he replied immediately. She pouted, snapping her fingers as the barrier was broken. At the same time, she summoned her guns. "Whatever it is your doing, please don't make a mess of this place. I'd like to use it for a while longer."
"No promises," she mocked, poking her tongue whilst she told everyone to go and flee outside. Forces suddenly pushed her down from above, Yukina forced down to one knee whilst everyone was now lying down and struggling to get up. "Show yourself Athena!"
"Ahahahah!" A dark portal appeared at a distance in front of Yukina, a female wearing a red hooded shawl over a normal white office shirt tucked into her black tights with pink stripes down the side of the leg sleeves. Her black boots clicked against the floor, her open parasol shading her pale skin from the sun. Her bloody-orange eyes stared down at her added with a malicious grin. "Shouldn't it be more like long time no see, Yukina?" Under the hood a few locks of greyish-blue hair escaped.
The girl in front of Yukina emanated a real threatening aura as everyone was seemingly pushed to the ground and unable to move. Was this what she meant by being able to control space? Athena had closed up her parasol, lowering it to raise Yukina's head up by her chin.
"Now isn't this a sad position for you to be in? Don't tell me this is all you will fight with, Yukina~," she coaxed. Yukina swatted the mechanism away and stood up forcefully.
"At least consult with me first before putting on a handicap, Athena." She glared with a roaring anger, quickly aiming her gun at the other girl. "Let them go, now." Yukina wasn't the only one with her weapon pointed – Athena had the barrel in disguise pointed at her chest.
"Fine then, but anything after that is their own fault for being such weaklings." Both had shot at the same time – Athena warped via another dark portal whilst Yukina played the illusion trick again, now only being one step to the side of her original position.
"Yukina!" Hayato called.
"Stay back!" She aimed her gun at them, causing the chibis to panic. The bullet flew and burst into the barrier glyph, creating a large dome around the building of Kokuyo land. Her eyes softened and it was like she returned to her usual self. "Even though I asked for your help... the fights to come ahead are mine alone."
"Hayato, do as she says. This girl on a completely different level than any of us," Bianchi stated, pulling back her younger brother. He begrudgingly did so, feeling so inferior and unable to do a thing despite all of his promises.
"You should've just kept on running Yukina... you should know best that our power levels are very much different. I might kill you right here," Athena laughed, hovering in the air with her parasol open again.
Close combat is probably the best way to go... even if she teleports, if I'm able to just brush her... Yukina took in a breath, gripping onto her guns. She vanished in an instant, surprising Athena when she was near her face. Yukina had reached out with Jauna Beltza but Athena had flipped backwards, kicking up her hand in the process. Jauna shattered after being knocked out of her hand. Athena proceded with more attacks, swinging her umbrella expertly as if fencing. Yukina barely blocked but could barely deflect the last attack which was Athena swinging the umbrella down from above. It knocked her down with strong force into the ground below. Athena sighed, standing properly in the air and fanned herself with her hand.
"Oh dear Yukina. Don't tell me you've gone all rusty now..." The dust clouds disappeared, revealing a crater with Yukina lying on the center. A light trail of blood went from her mouth to her chin as she barely was able to stand back up.
"Not yet..." she said followed with coughing. Athena was going to be all snarky again but noticed the change, her eyes widening. A pale golden light had encased Yukina's figure as she stood, her legs shaking. "I have plans right now, so I really can't go back to the Vindice..." All visible wounds healed and the air was picking up around her – the power she was emanating was real strong that it sent shivers down Hayato just by watching. "I know how much our power levels differ, Athena... I knew that I probably won't beat you at my best... so... I'll just have to try when pushing the limits."
Athena couldn't speak as Yukina had transformed her clothes but instead of the usual dominating white, her clothes were now black with white hemlines and pipings. Her eyes were completely clear and now void of emotion. Her remaining gun had vanished and seemingly fused into her body, giving her eyes a slight glow and changed the colour from brown to gold.
Athena immediately readied her gun once she regained composure but it was already too late as Yukina had disappeared from her sight. A powerful force met her side and she flew quite a distance while Yukina landed back on the ground and went leaping greatly to her location. They were near out of sight.
"Th-that was Yukina... right?" Tsuna had questioned. Reborn had a slightly concerned expression on that note.
"I think we should probably go after them..." Reborn noted, "of course, if any of you are too afraid, you can stay back." Yukina's barrier suddenly shattered into tiny fragments, falling like golden snow until it just disappeared once hitting the ground.
"There has to be something I can do..." Just as Hayato was going to sprint ahead to where the fight was, a wire of sorts wrapped around him and pulled back hard. "What the hell?!"
"Be grateful for that – I just saved your life," Mukuro said, pointing at the area in front of him. When Hayato did look, the area that used to lead to forestry was now completely leveled into a massive crater that was probably the size of a stadium. The center of the crater was the only part that remained – Yukina stood in the center with a barrier protecting her.
"Th-this..."
"It would be for the best if you didn't interfere at all. You'd probably disappear like this forest," Mukuro stated, using his illusion to lift him up into the air.
"Wait! Where do you think you're going?!" Hayato questioned after being freed from Chigusa's yoyos. Mukuro only let out his trademark laugh and disappeared. "Goddamnit!" Hayato punched the ground in a rage, feeling at the most useless as of yet.
"Not completely returned huh...?" Athena wondered aloud, avoiding the rapid onslaught of spears made of light which Yukina was still creating in much mass. Athena even rebuffed a few with her open defensive form of her umbrella, then shooting the hidden gun twice. Yukina had moved swiftly and moved toward Athena, going for a slice with a sword of light. Athena blocked with the closed umbrella, grinning darkly as she was hovering above Yukina. "You should stop being so reckless. Don't you remember telling me that all the time, Yukina?" The blonde's only response was a gritting of her teeth before flinging her away quickly and another glyph appeared at her feet.
"Modi," she chanted. More spearheads of light formed and rapidly shot at Athena. Athena had raised out her hand and distorted the space in front of her – the spearheads had dissipated into a black hole, Yukina taken back. She was suddenly struck in the back by the same spearheads which came out of the similar portal made by Athena. Yukina coughed out blood when they vanished and wounds were on her back, bleeding.
"I'd really appreciate if you were still living afterwards, Yukina," Athena sighed. With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared in front of her eyes. Athena was at a distance behind her and swung her umbrella as if slashing. It was a powerful materialized G-force attack coming straight for Yukina. She couldn't react in the last second she noticed, but instead was taken by the arm and pulled downward to avoid the attack. Athena blinked in confusion, finding a tether-like thing wrapped around Yukina's arm which had saved her coming out of nowhere. "Hmm... don't tell me..." Athena was met with an attack in front of her – Mukuro attempted to slash out at her with his trident but narrowly missed when Athena flipped.
"Kufufu... That was disappointing," Mukuro commented, straightening up his weapon, "Athena Baraq... you own the recently stoned Thunder pacifier, correct?" Athena raised her eyebrow.
"Rokudo Mukuro? Did you manage to escape again...?" She took a more calculating look, "No... that's some other person's body... possession? It would make sense – your own image is beginning to fade you know?" Mukuro shook his hand when it started to show some sort of static image.
"Only a minor setback, doesn't mean I can't_" Yukina had swiftly moved and attacked Athena with her own fist, forcing her way way back. "I hadn't even finished talking..."
"You took too long," Yukina replied, looking rather worn. She held her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut.
"And you're not looking too good," Mukuro sighed, tapping her head with the end of his trident, "stop trying to balance on the edge of insanity, Biondo." Yukina responded by laughing wryly.
"Its too weird that you're concerned for me." She straightened up, locks of her hair falling over her hand and a bit of her face – it almost gave the image that she was already too far gone from sanity. "Besides, if I don't go on the edge then I won't be able do much against her. You are also in no condition to carry the team either."
"That does not concern you, Biondo."
"Stop calling me that already."
"Are you done yet?" Athena questioned, homing in and slamming her open umbrella at her. "I can't believe I've been forced back nearly three times. If your little helper here dies, it won't be my fault, Yukina." Athena sat mid-air, one leg crossed over the other as she spun the cane of her umbrella in her hand. "Shall we continue now?"
"Althea... Iokai," Yukina chanted. Smaller orbs of light quickly moved to her back, instantly healing the wounds there and her clothing was fixed as well. She held out her hand in the air, calling out in a louder voice. "Nero Cross!" More light shot out from above like lightning though there wasn't a cloud in the sky. They were much more blinding and were colossal in size. Athena avoided this attack though finding it difficult when it was so bright – it seemed that as they struck, the colossal crosses of light planted themselves into the ground and shone brightly.
"This is why you're more useful in a war-zone rather than mafia," Athena commented, taking out shades from some other portal and wearing them. She made more calculations. "About five minutes left until you're gone...How about we make it quick work?" It was now Mukuro who tried striking Athena, his stabbing attacks with his trident multiplying though she dodged all of them easily. He slashed out only for it to be blocked by Athena's umbrella.She let out a snigger, pulling on the cane in which a blade came out with it. "I'll get rid of you first." Athena pushed down Mukuro hard and he was falling quick to the ground while she propelled herself down toward him, her sword pointed. Mukuro was trying to recover quickly though she was already too close for him to react and he had let himself slip away. )