Vongola Castle , Namimori

"Shh... Kuro, calm down!"
Both of the young girl's hands were on the top of her head, trying to placate the small cat that was now hissing at the girl with pink hair. She was an alien, there was no doubt of it. Kuro rarely responded so strongly to humans, even if they were guardians of another flame. "There, there." She had finally managed to get it to calm down finally, but it was still glaring at the mist guardian with something of a vengeance. "Sorry, he's not... Very good with pink things." She gave an apologetic look at the two Vongola guardians. It was a lie of course, albeit a white one.

"I'm so sorry Ty-Ty tan! But I want Kuro tan!"
The cheerful voice came again, as the ever happy Quaser guardian stretched out his hands, picking her box weapon up and rubbing his cheek against its dark fur, causing the kitten to mew and bat at his hair with its small paws. This was nearly the perfect opportunity to escape from the awkward conversation. However, before she herself could speak, the boy with golden hair did, excusing himself to go to the ceremony. "Please excuse me, but shouldn't... You go too?" She asked the alien girl quietly as she tuned to go to the other two guardians.

Her shoulders sagged with relief immediately after she reached them as she moved behind Cornelius discreetly. That was enough 'conversing' for the day. For the rest of the time before the fight she would stay close to the two guardians "It's good that Kurai you brought Kuro tan!" Cornelius chirped happily, seeming more like a child than anything and bringing a rare smile to her face. It was nice to see at least one person relaxed about the whole business of getting to the rings. It seemed almost like they were close to a family for a split second if they acted naturally to each other. They were a odd group, but she like them nevertheless.

"Yes tan! I have a lot of tricks tan!""I can't wait tan! I already told the children earlier tan. You'll also enjoy it a lot Ty-Ty tan!"
"Try not to make to much of a mess maybe? I'd hate to see your outfit get messy with blood." She said as she reached up to pat a purring Kuro on its head. He does have a tendency to lose himself once he takes of his patch after all.

"Please excuse me, but shouldn't... You go too?"

Ai nodded, although her invisible third eye was staring at the box weapon. Perhaps it was designed to detect the usage of illusions or of flames in general which caused it to react, or Aliens. The latter was highly unlikely, however. With her cue, Ai went back toward the stage where she saw all the other guardians had gathered, already seated and ready to begin. Upon making it on the stage, she spoke, not to the boss or any of her fellow guardians, but to the External Advisor, whom was shuffling his cue cards while some adjustments were being made to the microphone and the speakers

"All the guardians are present," Ai stated simply, as if it weren't already clearly obvious. DiCaccio didn't even need to glance behind himself to confirm it.

"Yes, I can see that," he confirmed, "And it appears things have gone smoothly so far... for the most part." DiCaccio bent over a bit and spoke in a low voice with the intention that nobody eavesdropping could hear them. "I've been informed that there was an attack on one of the allied families, the Bovino family, less than an hour earlier from now. Three deaths, including the boss, but not the daughter. We've no information about who the killers could possibly be, but we've confirmed that deathperation flames were involved, albeit we're not sure what kind yet. I don't think it is of relation to this ceremony, but my men are still on alert.

"Naturally, the Vongola family is expected to help deal with something like this, seeing as that was the Tenth's code. Currently, I've already ordered my own men to investigate, but it is up to the Vongola head to make the decision to pursue. Now, I don't want to give the Boss anything to worry about right before she's to make a huge public appearance, but I'm going to have to inform her about it tomorrow. I'm sure she wont have any issues about this heroic stuff. I'm just wondering if something like this would be too big for her right now..." DiCaccio trailed off in consideration, glancing at Reida.

He seemed to come back to himself when he looked back at Ai whom was staring at him ever-so intently, standing back up again. "Ah, yes, make of that what you will, Ai," he told her, no longer speaking in a low voice, "For now, we must focus on the ceremony. You know where you've got to be, so go join your friends." Ai stared back blankly. "You're Boss and fellow guardians," DiCaccio corrected. Ai nodded and took a seat on the stage. Though DiCaccio said it wasn't likely of relevance to the ceremony, Ai couldn't help but consider every possibility of a threat. To do so, however, she'd first have to consider the Bovino family and of their relevance. Only, somehow, Ai felt the Bovino family had some sort of significance to them that she was not considering. Maybe she'd consult the TID about them.

With everybody present, the presentation was underway. DiCaccio tested the microphone personally, while getting everybody's attention. With a final lively "Good evening," all the room had their undivided attention on him. He smiled and began to speak.

"Indeed, good evening everybody. I'm sure I've spoken to many of you personally and in fact, if I haven't spoken to you already, then please, do be sure to do so by the end of this presentation, but anyway, my name is Lorenzo DiCaccio and I had been the acting head of this company for about four years now up until recently. In reality, I'm the head of a branching company known as CEDEF, a security agency that began as a simple traffic redirection organization. Indeed, I've been rather vague about the exact content of this presentation, although I'm sure you've all heard the word 'Box' thrown about here and there. Well, that's quite simple. That is because everything we wish to present," he raised a small orange baseball-sized cube with a clam print on it, "Is contained in this little box." He paused to allow the intrigue to sit in as people struggled to get a clear look at the small thing, looking quite sure of himself.

"Now, I'm sure we all have the same question in our heads. 'What could be so special and yet be kept in such a tiny box?' Well, in this little box of ours are all sorts of little secrets, secrets that perhaps were never intended to be discovered by society, secrets of the universe we have been kept in the dark about. Today, I hope to bring these secrets to light as not only is the secret to the next technological revolution hidden within this box, but the secret to the future of our company, Vongola Corporations.

"Now, of course, Vongola Corporations already makes over a trillion dollars a year. Of course, that's absurdly more than we've been making about 70 years ago, when the last head was already beginning to turn this company into what it is today. Back then, we would have only been making a few billion, although back then, of course, that was a lot of money. However, with this new industry we plan on opening with the secrets that are contained in this box, we expect to make it to our second trillion within the next twenty years. Who knows, in a hundred years, we may have a gazillion.

"Of course, we're all here because of what is inside this small little box and what is inside is the future of this company. Indeed, this presentation is not only about the future of technology but the future of Vongola Corporations. Not only do we hope to enter a new era with this new technology, of which I'll reveal soon enough, but we wish to do so under the direction of our new young head, Ms. Reida Sawada." DiCaccio gestured to the young boss. "Now, she may be quite young, but don't let her appearance deceive you. She is a very passionate and intelligent individual on the inside and we are proud to enter a new era of not only industry, but of life, with her guidance. After all, the former head, Tsunayoshi Sawada, had inherited the company when he was only fourteen, and look where we are now!" The audience applauded.

DiCaccio quieted them. "Now, before we proceed, we would like to have the new company head say a few words concerning her plans for the future of the company to open this presentation. We would appreciate it if you held your applause until the end refrain from taking pictures until cued. Any questions directed toward her may be asked at the end of this presentation or directly to her afterward." He explained it with a slight sternness directed toward anybody who might have given her trouble if it was picked up.

"And now," DiCaccio called, "May we all direct our attention to the honorable Eleventh Vongola head, Reida Sawada."

The man was tall, that was for sure. He weighed in at just over six feet two inches, 200 pounds. Maybe. He wasn't really counting anymore.

He completely towered over those that stood around him, that was for sure. Perhaps that was why he found it hard to pay them any mind, choosing instead to lean against a nearby wall, arms folded across his chest. These "mafia bosses," business executives, scientists, researchers... humans. Primitive humans. All of them scurrying about, full of their own self importance, unaware that their entire species rests fully within the shadow of annihilation. A shadow cast not by some potential environmental disaster or a coming war between families or atomic powers. No, this was something else entirely. Something they weren't prepared for. Something they weren't imagining.

Not in their wildest dreams.

From the inside of his trenchcoat, the man pulled a cigarette. Using a single hand, he brought the death stick up to his mouth. Immediately upon placing it against his lips, the cigarette's inert tip exploded into incandescence. It looked as if he'd just held it to an open flame. From the dirty looks several onlookers levelled at him, one would think he'd just strapped on a suicide vest. Still, he paid them little attention, choosing to focus his remaining eye on some other sight. Yes, he only had one eye. He lost the other a decade or so ago during a particularly nasty skirmish, employing what he believed to be a discreet black eyepatch to cover up what little remained.

Not that the prospect of being stared at phased him either way. These primitive humans... perhaps to them he looked edgy and mysterious.

Closing his eye, he took a slow drag from the cigarette, rocking his head back slightly, enjoying every second as the toxins pervaded his lungs. That possibility of lung cancer or the like didn't bother him. He wasn't really concerned with longevity at this point, and while he was here, in this foreign place and time, he would take care to savor such luxuries. Where he was from, the old ways—the old luxuries—were all but dead. There was nothing left but the day-to-day chore of survival.

Very soon, this world, this time, would look more like his own, and, like every other timeline he'd peeked into, the result would be the same. Humanity would be destroyed, here and everywhere else. It was inevitable, against an adversary superior in nearly every way.

The man exhaled through his nose, a thick stinky cloud of cigarette smoke enveloping the immediate area. Several of the more offended guests decided to move away, muttering under their breath, but again, the man paid them no mind.

After a moment, he opened his eye, sweeping his gaze over the crowd for the umpteenth time. Once more, he caught sight of a Rizzo. Tyde, this time. He had to admit, it was pleasant to see his guardians in person again, even if they were several decades younger than he remembered. Standing beside Tyde was another Rizzo, Cornelius. He recognized them from their hair styles.

Ah, now that brought back memories.

The Tyde and Cornelius of the timeline from which he hailed looked exceedingly similar to their younger counterparts in the here and now. His eye landed on the others as well. First Althaia, then Elysia, and finally Anna. They were all spitting images of their future selves. He was sure the same applied to the young Kurai, who was a regal being back in his timeline. She was too young in this present, her body too short, for him to catch sight of her now, wherever she was in the crowd. Still, it was fascinating. They weren't so different, these Rizzo and his own, except for one main point.

Despite himself, the man grinned. It wasn't a pleasant expression—more of a jackal's smirk than anything. It was the total irony of it all that brought about the facial contortion. The main difference between the Rizzo of his timeline and the Rizzo of this foreign timeline was simple.

In his future, all of his guardians were dead. Of the Rizzo main family, he was all that remained. He—Alastor Lorenzo Koenig Rizzo.

Of course, he became king like he'd always wanted. King. Lord of the Rizzo, or of whatever was left. In fact, he'd become a general of sorts. Coordinator for all that remained of the resistance, including the Vindice and survivors from the Cervello. Yes, that's what they'd been reduced to, a "resistance". Mere actors playing within someone else's game, someone else's rules. It was like admitting that they were already beaten. Their only option now was to resist. Not defeat, not cripple, not dominate, but simply to resist—and even that wasn't going well.

To top it all off, he was alone. His guardians were gone. His family, gone. There was nothing left and nowhere to go. His universe was doomed, just like the myriad others. Doomed.

Alastor took another puff from the cigarette, this one shorter, removing it from his mouth and exhaling yet another cloud of gray. This time, his gaze landed on another. Clear on the other side of the gymnasium, standing atop the balcony that separated the entrance area from the rest of the gymnasium, was a guy. Alastor was hesitant to call him a man, for he was yet more boy than man. He had not been shaped by the tragedy of inevitability. Of death and suffering. Of true war.

Not yet.

The guy was looking down from above, eyeing the crowd below him with what Alastor knew for sure was an unhealthy amount of disdain. Next to him stood a young child, a preteen by the look of him, balancing himself on the balcony railing with his forearms. The two looked very similar, with stringy black hair not unlike Alastor's own, though he had his gelled-over into a series of small stylish spikes. It was a future fad.

Still, in a way, Alastor pitied them. His experiences made him cold, merciless, and virtually undefeatable in combat. He'd seen every type of battle, every type of savagery, every manner of death conceivable at the hands of their enemy. By comparison, these younger greener versions of himself only thought they knew what it was to struggle. To crawl and scrape for every last inch on a battlefield littered with the remains of your comrades.

They would soon learn. Everyone would. It would be mankind's grand finale.

Suddenly, the guy atop the balcony raised a single finger. His index finger. Alastor immediately knew what that meant.

The time for action was nigh.

Alastor dropped his cigarette, giving it a curt stomp with the back of his heel. The number one had arrived. His target. The eleventh Vongola boss: Reida Sawada. Even in his timeline, she was legendary, renown for her fighting prowess and her reign over the final era of the Vongola empire. It'd be interesting to pit his full ability against the likes of such a historical figure. Hopefully she wouldn't disappoint, even if he was couple decades too early to meet her at her prime.

Once given the signal, he would engage.

Though the chances were essentially non-existent, perhaps this would be the timeline that would change things. Win the war in the past, before it even starts. Perhaps.

Or perhaps not.

The Vongola XI had already begun her speech when a distinct and all too familiar reverberation reached his ears. A SNAP! that could only come from one person. It was the signal. The time to strike was now.

---

---

"Now, before we proceed, we would like to have the new company head say a few words concerning her plans for the future of the company to open this presentation. We would appreciate it if-"

Reida's shoulders stiffened slightly as DiCaccio's words pricked at her ears. When he had first starting speaking, she'd been listening rather intently, excitement bubbling in her stomach as the time for her to rise slowly approached. However, as his introduction continues on, her eyes had drifted to the audience. For some reason, she spark of excitement in her stomach had grown less and less pleasant until it melted into nervousness, though she couldn't really figure out the reason. Sure, she was about to give her very first public speech, and as the new head of the Vongola, no less, but she couldn't understand why she'd suddenly start to feel heavy from that. There was something else bothering her, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Her head turned from side to side as she looked over her Guardians, wondering if they were feeling the same paranoia that she was, but she couldn't seem to read their expressions. They were probably focusing on DiCaccio, after all.

"And now, may we all direct our attention to the honorable Eleventh Vongola head, Reida Sawada."

Her attention was quickly redirected to the front as the applauds of the audience echoed off the walls of the gymnasium. DiCaccio's voice had blurred out to her for a moment as she searched for an answer to her nervousness, taking her a second to realize it was time for her to stand. She unintentionally hopped out of her chair, causing the seat to move backward a couple inches, but she made a fast attempting at regaining herself and gave DiCaccio a smile and a nod before making her way to the podium.

Standing there, she waited for the clapping to die down before clearing her throat and opening her mouth to begin her speech, the words on the paper she had written skimming through her mind like a movie reel.

"You've all come here today to learn about the new, revolutionized tools that will improve humanity as we know it. Before I go into detail of this technology, I'd like to first say a few words as the head of the Vongola Company. To have my father pass down his title to me was an honor far greater than any trophy or medal. For him to intrust me with the company that my late grandfather, Sawada Tsunayoshi, started was something I never expected, but even as a child I made a promise to both my father and the previous Vongola Head that I would move this company farther than either of them could imagine. As the young adult I am now, I still intend to keep that promise."

The nervousness that had been pricking at her before had nearly vanished now, her mind too focused on the words she had written down. Though she also felt a slight nudge of disappointment as she spoke. Here she was speaking greatly of her father, but he hadn't bothered to show up to the ceremony or even send her message. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard from him since he told her he was going overseas on business three months ago.

She paused for a moment, somewhat to redirect her thoughts and somewhat to add a little dramatic effect into her speech.

"I can't keep such a promise on my own, of course. My grandfather wouldn't of brought the company this far without the help of his closest friends and subordinates. As such, I take great pleasure in introducing my very own personal team."

She took a step back and turned to the side, angling herself in a way so she was still mostly facing the audience.

"Yamada Akio has confidence that exceeds even my own, never letting that confidence falter no matter the situation. Kuromaku Rosa is always aiming for the best possible outcome, never accepting anything less than perfect, her confidence easily matches Yamada-san's."

As she spoke each of their names, she signaled to them with her hand to let the audience know whom it was she talking about. It felt a little strange calling them by their last names, but she decided to do so since it made her look more professional.

"It takes creativity to come up with the most interesting ideas, which is the role of Takumi Troy. Sawada Trevor, the youngest member of my team and also my adopted brother, has medical capabilities that match those of high-ranking doctors. Ai Shaji is never unprepared, always being ready for whatever the future may bring. Vongola Vincenzo even wears the name of the company as her own surname. She's level-headed and intelligent to no end."

She once again turned to face the audience head on as she continued to speak. "It's quite clear that both my team and I are young and still gaining experience, but with this youth comes endless possibilities for the future. With this youth comes the determination and imaginative thinking that the Vongola Company needs to reach it's most successful peak since it first came to be."

Taking in a breath at the end of her personal speech, she waited a moment as the crowds applauding started up once again. She felt warmed up now, prepared for the long explanation she would give next to finally introduce the Box Weapons, or rather tools, to the public. However, as the clapping slowly began to die down, Reida's eyes had locked onto a certain individual. The eye patch was the first thing that she noticed, along with the rock that had dropped into her stomach and had begun to make her feel slightly ill the moment she laid eyes on him. Something about him wasn't right. It wasn't right at all.

"This isn't right. He shouldn't be here. He's not supposed to be...why do I feel cold all of a sudden?"

Though she hadn't noticed yet herself, her fingers had begun to trace the notch on the back of the podium. It had been set up early that morning, with her weapon concealed inside in case of emergency. She became aware of the movement of her fingers when she realized the crowd had been standing in silence for a good few second now as they awaited her to continue. She swallowed dryly, trying to move her focus back onto the explanation she was supposed to give.

"That's enough about myself...I'm sure..you're all ready to hear...the real reason why this ceremony was.." She was speaking slightly quieter than usual, her voice hesitant as wavered on and off as the words left her lips. Her eyes had becoming completely drawn to the large, dark-haired man that had slowly started making his way through the crowd, growing closer and closer to the stage.

"This is..."

Her eyes moved frantically over the crowd, wondering if anyone else had sensed the aura coming from him. The majority of the crowd only looked confused as to why she had suddenly silenced her speech. Had her Guardians noticed? Had DiCaccio? If she looked back at them now, it would only cause more confusion, but she couldn't ignore this feeling.

"This is wrong!"

Though it was quiet, nearly silent to her hear, she heard the faint sound of a finger snapping. In that same instant, she ripped open the small door that had been carved into the podium and grasped her nunchaku. In another swift move, she turned and reached for her brother with her free hand and took hold of his own hand. A threat had made it's way into the gymnasium, and not one person who was posted to make sure such a thing wouldn't happen had realized it.

"I need everyone to get as many people out as possible!" she said to DiCaccio, a hint of fierceness in her tone. She wasn't asking, this was an order given by the 11th herself. "Now!" This time she directed her order towards her Guardians, all of them except for er brother whose hand she was already gripping. By the time she was able to give this order, the voices of the crowd, surprised and afraid at the events that were now taking place, had grown loud and jumbled into an inexplicable noise.

She practically jumped down the stairs, kicking off her heels as she did so, and pulled her brother behind her as she sprinted towards the exit. She had no time to explain her reason for leaving the gymnasium while it was under attack. Anyone could assume that she was running away and leaving her subordinates to take care of the danger, but in truth she had made a single error before leaving her room earlier. Her box weapons had been placed in a nice black shoulder purse that she was supposed to take with her, but in her rush earlier she had completely forgotten it, leaving it on her bed. Normally she wouldn't be so concerned with retrieving them, but right no she knew she needed to get to them at all costs, though she wouldn't be able to explain how she knew.

Halfway down the hall she halted. The outfit she had on was much too difficult to move quickly in, and the tights over her feet were slippery on the floors of the building. She released Trevor's hand and first pulled on her tights, ripping out the bottoms so her feet could show through. Next she pulled on her skirt until the side had ripped up to the middle of her thigh. It was a shame she had to ruin such nice clothes, but she honestly couldn't care less at the moment.

She looked at Trevor, ready to grab his hand and start running again, but she suddenly felt a little guilt for pretty much dragging him up to this point. She couldn't afford to move any slower though, as she needed to get back to her brother to safety and then back to the other Guardians as soon as possible.

"Sorry, Trevor," she said before wrapping her arms around him and lifting him off the ground. She then proceeded to sprint down the hallway carrying the blond boy in a cradle-like fashion.

It was convenient that her assigned room was only a four-minute sprint from the ceremonies location. So far it didn't seem like any enemies were following her, but she held her brother tightly and kept every one of her senses on edge despite that. It had been drilled into her to never drop her guard, even when you believe nothing can go wrong.

Reaching her door, she came to an abrupt stop and, letting Trevor back onto his feet, hastily turned the knob and hurried her way in. The black bag that contained her box weapons were right where she'd left it a few hours ago. With no time to lose, she pulled the strap over her shoulder and stepped back out into the hallway.

"I have to get back to the gymnasium," she said, hesitating a moment before crouching down so she could be eye-level with her brother. "Please find yourself some place to bunker down for now, and no arguing with me either."

To be honest, she felt kind of bad saying these things to him. Hopefully he wouldn't get upset with her treating him like a child. He was a child, after all, but he was also the appointed Sun Guardian. Still, she would see him as her brother before thinking of him as a subordinate, and as a sister she had to make sure he was going to be safe.

Ai was developing a theory. She had been doing so ever since she sat down. Now, it didn't mean she wasn't paying attention, no, she could multitask. She could watch the crowd, listen to DiCaccio and develop her theory in her mind at the same time. Everything was going as planned, yet Ai felt something was off. Now, if Ai felt something was off, she knew it wasn't just a human sense of unease, like DiCaccio had brushed it off as, but it was part of a complex mental system of which she was designed with that made sure she never made any mistakes.

Ai had spent time studying the Bovino family, in her mind of course. She searched up all the information she could using the Thought Integration Database, the Alien telepathic 'internet', with nothing of interest except their involvement in time travel technology. She was receiving data from the future as well, data that told of the incident that just occurred hours before and what they had done in the future. Interestingly enough, they were involved in some of the early efforts to fight back against the Aliens, assisting in the foundation of the Alien Extinction Project of the future, thanks to the efforts of the next Bovino family boss. Further query had told her that she was involved in that incident. Ai tried to gather information on the killers, but found unsatisfactory results. Either CEDEF kept it a secret or were unable to find an answer.

Stumped, that was a fitting answer. Ai needed a new line of thinking. She thought about her attack the day before the inheritance. That had never appeared on the TID, Ai took care in making sure not even her own kind was aware of it. Indeed, though Ai had said the chances of such an event occurring were slim, DiCaccio had grossly misunderstood her. Chance meant nearly nothing when you were dealing with multiple futures. Chance was merely what percentage of those futures had a certain outcome. Either way, all possibilities were certain to happen. So, if something came from a certain future to eliminate her, another was certain to arrive as well.

Time travel seemed to be the center of this mystery. Ai considered the possibility. The killers may have been time travelers. They couldn't have been Aliens as such an attack like the one that had occurred couldn't possibly have had much of an effect on the future, at least of the future worked the same way it did now.

So what if the incident never occurred? What would the future be like if the incident had never happened. Ai may have not been able to get the answer from the TID because the event had already occurred, so all possible futures were ones where the victims are dead because they are in the present, so she would have to get the answers on her own. Using some information from the TID, Ai could invest a lot of thinking power into calculating all possible futures. Her mind worked at lightning pace, the efficiency of it allowing information to move through her Alien brain close to the speed of light. She made connection after connection, possibility after possibility and theory out of fact and could calculate near an infinite amount of universes. Of course, to any outside observer, it would appear Ai was just sitting there quietly, like she always did. The world was moving on around her at the ever fluctuating speed of time. "Ai Shaji is never unprepared, always being ready for whatever the future may bring."

And then, it came to her. The answer to everything, everything that was about to happen. Snap!

"We are currently in danger."

For the next several minutes, Al chewed on his lower lip, annoyed with the tedium of it all, his neutral expression long since given way to a deep frown. The Vongolas had begun their presentation, and he was suffering under the grinding boredom and stifling monotony of polite clapping, guys in suits getting up and speaking, and blah blah blah. Every now and then, between flexing his injured hand, he would glance over at his elder for a sign.

The man was like a statue, glaring down at the crowd below, eyes locked on the girl who'd just taken the stage moments earlier. The Vongola XI, Reida Sawada, began her speech. Instead of listening, Al simply made faces at the Vongola, hoping one of them would notice him and screw up, but none of them reacted. Maybe he was too far away. Oh well.

It wasn't until towards the middle of the speech, when the Vongola boss began to falter in her enunciation, that Alastor finally acted. Slowly, he raised his arm into the air, and with one loud Space-flame-assisted SNAP! he signaled to his fellow Rizzos:

Attack.

V.V mind zoned out as the speeches were given out due to her lack of disinterest along with the continue persistence of.. that woman. "Vincenzo, are you listening to your fathers advice?" The woman asked, with a sneer, "That man may be a fool but he may be right." She glanced at the crowd expectedly, "This will turn into a party any moment now." And usually Vincenzo would ignore the damn woman but she was surprisingly tense. This would have been the first time she was right.. SNAP Her mind went alert, and by instinct, she flipped back, while throwing the chair she was on in the air in front of her in hopes to block whatever may come at her- bullets, punches, etc. "I need everyone to get as many people out as possible!" She glanced toward the recognizable voice, that was surprisingly.. serious. V.V never saw Reida.. as a leader type, sure she saw a spark of potential, but she never came off as a vongola leader. But maybe now.

Vincenzo shook her head, as she cleared the open area, her gun instinctively in hand- loaded ready to fire. In the meanwhile, her eyes darted to the various of person she registered as a team. They all were on their feet, so she went to the next objection.. the enemies. But a problem was the various of movements happening in the crowd, and despite her keen sight, it was difficult for her to target the.. opponent- opponents?
Her eyes narrowed intently, it would be hopeless for her to run back and forth, 'They will come to me.'
Wielding her weapon, she dodged the panicking watchers, while her eyes kept on searching for anyone irregular.

Cornelius was in pure bliss with Kuro in his arms. His love for cats was not to be dampened by anything else even the given mission they had coming to this era and to this specific event. He did not even noticed the vongola guardians leaving them or the point the presentation has already started. But even if he was enamored by the flame cat in his hands, he took noticed of Kurai who was now behind him. She patted Kuro's head and reminded him not to make a mess since his outfit would get bloody and all. He did remember that blood stains were quite hard to remove on clothes. But, that would be a bit difficult since his ability is to make things go splat and kaboom! Adding to that, subtlety was never his strongest suit, but since Kurai did ask him, he could try at the very least.

"I can't make promises tan! But, I'll try tan!" He stated with a bright smile on his face. He then finally lifted his head enough to see that most of guests were looking at front. It seemed the ceremony was starting. Well, he really did not care for speeches because in his personal book, they were boring. They should do something livened things up. He could even see from the corner of his that some of the children were not entertained by the long-winded statements or the technical terms relating to innovation and technology. Why would they? That's why he would just busy himself with Kuro and other fun things he could come up with. But, that was also impeded by the resounding snap of a finger which he knows far too well.

"I'll play with you later Kuro tan!" He happily said as he handed the feline back to Kurai. When that was done, he stretched his arms and limbs, much like a warm-up. "It's time for the show tan!" He glanced back at Tyde and Kurai with a very excited expression as if he was a child who was about to receive the most wonderful toy ever in the entire world. "I'll catch you all later tan! Have fun everyone tan!" He stepped forward and saw that everyone was in a panic. It seemed that the legendary Reida Sawada was not just a myth. She sensed something was amiss. Good to know, that. This would not be that boring then. He stretched his arms sidewards and announced with a quite cheery but loud voice. "Everyone should stay tan! Good boys and girls will be rewarded tan! Just sit back and enjoy the show tan. Because if not tan...."

His words were left in the air but, it was soon replaced by a series of explosions which rattled the entire hall as it was revealed that he had implanted quasar-infused flame balls at the entrances of the entire gymnasium in suspended animation. Now, most of the entrances were blocked and impassable effectively trapping the ones inside and preventing outside interference for a duration. "The next ones who would go kaplowe are you tan!" He then looked towards a group of children which had been part of his crowd when he was telling a story earlier. "Didn't I tell you tan? There would be an awesome show tan!" Now, his hands were not empty any longer as each now held concentrated quasar flame balls which appeared as a dark-red flame which sparks in a wild frenzy. His eyes then looked at the trapped crowd with his bright smile as if he did not do anything wrong at all. "Let's make more fireworks tan!"

---

---

As it was to be expected, the signal had been given. Elysia gently moved away from Annalise but not before leaving a few words. "Be careful." With that said, she made her way through the crowd without much difficulty. The panic ensued by the Vongola XI did not alter her perception where everyone was in a slower time than hers. She is able to move away from the way or to be ahead of others. Her demeanor eerily calm as she is already aware where her assigned target is. She had seen him being taken away by Reida Sawada to another room. That is the destination she must go which was not that hard to reach even when Cornelius had began a series of explosions which filled the entire gymnasium with such thunderous sounds, cloud of heat, heap of debris, and injured individuals.

She did not pay heed to it as she came out of the explosions completely unharmed and even when some of the security detail intend to prevent her from advancing forward to where the Leader of the Vongola is. They could not either due to the fiery blasts or simply because they were far slow when compared to her. She gave a few knocks to announce her presence. It is proper decorum to do that is it not? After doing so, she opened the doors and entered seeing the presence of Reida and Trevor Sawada. She then walked towards them with a notable distance before speaking once more. "Good day, I am here to take the Vongola Sun Ring. If you would kindly please hand it over." Her words were not laced with any hint of sarcasm or any edge of malice.

Elysia was simply stating her purpose in a calm manner and the tincture of sophisticated politeness. Her emerald eyes did not reveal anything deeper as she stood before the two in a presence that shall not be moved. "If it is not complied with, I am allowed to use force." Upon stating that, she reached for a small pouch which she carries and poured its contents to her palm which revealed to be shards of some object. Then, she enclosed it between her hands where a bluish light illuminated forth into a circle. Afterwards, she released it from her hands as it was now able to sustain its own form which appeared that of a silver-green orb which floated before her, but it exuded a cold air around it. "This will be the only time a choice will be given." She reached out her hand towards them with an open palm for the said ring to be handed to her while the said formed orb began to circle around her form. "Whatever it may be, I will respect it and I hope you will do the same to mine."

After stating that, the silver-green orb whizzed passed the two Sawadas with such blinding speed leaving a notable icy trail in the air as the orb implanted itself on the wall behind with such strength enough to create a large hole on it. It would appear that the enemy before them was not just anyone.

DiCaccio was growing nervous. The Eleventh was losing herself in her speech. Did she forget her lines? A sudden wave of nervousness. Was she feeling faint? DiCaccio was just beginning to approach the podium to take over for her, when a barely audible voice caught his attention.

"We are currently in danger." It was Ai, in her quiet, sudden way of speaking. DiCaccio was about to question it, but hesitated. Then, even more suddenly, Reida cried out.

"I need everyone to get as many people out as possible!" Her tone was much fiercer than the tone she had before. "Wh-" DiCaccio couldn't finish his question. "Now!" At that, she broke into a jog, taking her brother with her. "What's going on?" DiCaccio asked, yet with a tone of control. The question was answered for him. Chaos was beginning to ensue. It was an attack. No more questions needed to be asked. DiCaccio's hand rushed to his earpiece as he crouched slightly, trying to shout over the noise, "I need security in here right now!"

"Don't," Ai said, standing in front of DiCaccio. She pointed toward the entrance. "There are weapons." DiCaccio's eyes widened as he looked over toward the entrances and saw what appeared to be flame weapons suspended in the air, rapidly expanding. DiCaccio shouted into his earpiece at the top of his lungs, but by that moment it was too late. Explosions rang off in every direction deafeningly. There were many screams as well. DiCaccio stood to observe the spectacle, what appeared to be a pile of rubble, embers of a blaze and a charred suit barely visible within, motionless. DiCaccio gritted his teeth before running backstage into cover, issuing orders. Ai followed him.

"All personnel be advised of explosives on the premises. Detonation of the main entrances has been confirmed. Priority is the evacuation of civilians... Report currently available exits. All emergency exits? Including the cargo doors? We're trapped? All security personnel within the gymnasium, your priority is the safety of all civilians. The Guardians are currently in action. I want all unrelated personnel evacuated from the building if possible. Emergency response units, prioritize creating a safe exit out of the gymnasium, use anything at your disposal. Usage of Box Weapons is authorized. Be advised of the presence of explosives. CEDEF-9 and CEDEF-10, your tasks are to make certain of the Eleventh's safety. All other CEDEF units, initiate protocol B-612. I need info! What is it Ai?"

"I have gathered information on the nature of our attackers. I am to believe there are seven of them, yet certain factors lead me to believe that estimate may be off. I estimate capabilities are beyond our own and many of them have records of extreme violence. I speculate their aim is to-"

"Ai, I don't need your speculation right now," DiCaccio responded fiercely, "I need you to follow your Boss's orders. The other guardians are dealing with the threats, your course of action is to help secure a safe passage for the guests out of the building. Go see if you can assist in clearing the main entrance and have your eye out for further explosives." Ai simply nodded.

Ai walked out from backstage toward the entrance, walking rather calmly through the panicking crowds of people. Vongola hitmen were trying to get them organized, getting people to duck under tables or get closer to the ground, as well as avoid the entrances. Ai approached the main entrance directly, without a word of objection against her. She faced the rubble, examining it up and down before turning around putting her hand out.

"Request formation of barrier foundation," she muttered, before a small white and indigo flame lit on the back of her hand. A circle began to form around Ai's feet, a indigo and white mist that was very visible. While it may have been unidentifiable, it was the base of a barrier that Ai could form at any moment, at the slightest provocation, a complete Data Refusal where no light, matter or data could pass. Of course, she couldn't form a full barrier yet because it would obstruct her vision.

Turning back around toward the remains of the entrance, she examined it once more. First, she would have to check for the presence of any further deathperation flame activity, and if she found any, she would have to calculate an effective way of dissipating it on the quantum level, seeing as she was lacking the proper Rain flames that would allow her to do so much more efficiently, and that would have taken a minute to calculate. Of course, if she didn't find any flame activity, she'd have to calculate the potential of there being an illusion which hid any other sort of explosive device, or any other form of concealment, which would have taken two minutes to calculate. Nonetheless, she was determined. Seeing as this was a matter of urgency, Ai felt that a more effective method would have been to experiment as opposed to speculate.

Now, Ai was always an extremely cautious being, and she had to be even more cautious seeing as she had an important reason to preserve her body, which would mean shielding it from harm and being less reckless in decision making. Nonetheless, Ai was also programmed with a certain thought-path, a thought-path that required the absolute most careful of fine-tuning to get perfectly right, a program that had been put in her mind that would guarantee that Ai would be destined for success, more so than any other of her kind. She had been programmed to take risks.

With careful steps, Ai approached the entrance.

Rosa was rather unpleasantly surprised at exactly how dull the ceremony was going. Sure, she appeared to be smiling warmly, hoping to attract some of the attention to herself as being the most beautiful thing on the stage, it was a little difficult to do so when you were sitting backstage. Nonetheless, she sat like a dignified lady.

Rosa was quite annoyed about exactly how little the presentation had to do with the mafia, as well as how much bullshit the External Advisor could put into a single speech yet still pull it off naturally, and she swore, if he heard him begin a sentence with 'now' one more time, she was going to strangle the man, regardless of his stature.

With the title 'honorable', Reida took the stage. Like DiCaccio, she sucked up to her grandfather, that herbivore known as the 'Tenth'. He was the only reason why Vongola dared call itself a 'company' so proudly. Eventually, she did move on to talk about her guardians. Rosa still couldn't stand to call herself a guardian, yet she was somewhat curious as to what the girl had to say about her. "Kuromaku Rosa is always aiming for the best possible outcome, never accepting anything less than perfect, her confidence easily matches Yamada-san's."

Rosa wanted to do nothing but frown, which she did for about half a second, but her smile came back to her, nodding to the crowd very slightly. What an understatement Rosa thought. First of all, Reida appeared to have said her name backwards, which she wasn't sure was her trying to be formal about her name or make it sound more Japanese. Now, Kuromaku may have been Japanese and it may have been false, but she intended it to be a more western-style name. Also, Rosa was infinitely displeased about being compared to the likes of somebody like Akio. She was clearly better than him in more aspects than one, yet Reida made it sound like she was on equal footing with him with the way she made her statement. Rosa was also irked about the fact that Reida didn't mention any of her thousand other talents. Damn that Vongola...

Rosa didn't pay attention to anything else the Vongola was saying. She just stared at the crowd, her kind expression fading once she felt the attention off of her. Perhaps the evening was taking its tole on her, but she was losing her energy. There was one figure among the many whom was making a lot of fuss, like he was playing with something. He's kinda handsome, Rosa thought casually. Maybe if she could memorize his appearance, she could use it as a reference for a groom character for something she had in mind. Maybe the hair could be a little shorter, a little less ungainly and, yuck, he's covering an imperfection on his cheek. That's gotta go. It ruins his perfect skin.

"I need everyone to get as many people out as possible!" Reida shouted, bringing Rosa's attention back to reality. "Hu~nh?" she uttered in an uninterested tone of voice. "Now!" That really woke her up. Rosa's senses rapidly came back to her as tension seemed to be rising extremely quickly. Somebody in the crowd was shouting midst the chaos. Rosa stood from her seat, following the suit of the Guardians yet moving at her own discretion, when suddenly, a series of explosions caught her attention. This is actually happening...

Rosa's battle instincts came into action as her thoughts became as clear as distilled water. They were under attack, likely by attackers. Rosa would have been able to identify the attackers easily, not that she knew who they were the whole time. Her first course of action should have been to get her box weapons, which were in her handbag. Rosa darted to the edge of the stage, standing almost dangerously close to the edge and quickly scanned the crowd. She quickly identified one of the threats.

"Let's make more fireworks tan!" Who knew? It was Patchy the patch-faced pirate all along. He appeared to be threatening the crowd, including what appeared to be a group of children. He held no weapon, but he had flames in his hands. Rosa would have to identify them quickly, but they appeared to either be Storm or Lightning in some shape or form, yet she wasn't entirely sure. Was he the only attacker? No, there had to be more, but he was certainly the immediate threat. Picking on the weak, honestly, this guy had no standards. Now, if only Rosa had her box weapons...

A blonde woman had separated from the crowd, seeking the cover of one of the tables, two handbags in hand. She appeared to be dressed as finely as anybody else, but even in high-heels, she moved with the grace and carefulness of a police officer. The blonde-haired man was turned away from her now, perhaps having not noticed her. Though she was in heels, she crept quietly out from underneath the table to approach him, very slowly, hand in one of the opened bags, a black leather one. From it, she pulled out what appeared to be a Beretta model pistol and pointed it at him, standing about five feet away.

"Don't you dare touch them," she called to him, gun held firmly in both hands pointed directly at his slender body. She had a fierce expression on her face, of which was emphasized by her makeup. Rosa was watching her intently, somewhat in awe. Was this woman serious?

"Mother?!"

Trevor didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary. He wilted ever so slightly under the attention his older sister rained down upon him and the others during the beginning of her speech. He didn't much care for being in the spotlight. It wasn't until Reida paused for a second too long that Trevor began to pick up on the odd vibe she was throwing off. She seemed unsure of something, and he actively resisted the urge to step forward and ask her what was wrong. A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed as he observed her fingers tracing over the notch on the back of the podium, where he knew her emergency weapon was hidden.

"I'm sure..you're all ready to hear...the real reason why this ceremony was.."

That's it. He couldn't resist anymore. Though he knew he'd be scolded for it later, he broke the otherwise pristine lineup his fellow Guardians had made with their bodies, making his way forward towards Reida. Unfortunately, he didn't get more than a few steps before he froze, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. Unlike the others, the snap! seemed to affect him differently. It started as a soft pressure against his eardrums but grew into a raging cacophony so intense that he screwed his eyes shut in pain, his earlier migraine returning with a vengeance.

The next thing he knew, someone had grabbed his hand and started pulling him in a direction. He recognized the sensation—the fingers clasped around his wrist; it was nothing new to him. Reida. She'd dragged him in her wake a hundred thousand times by now, and he knew better than to attempt to worm his way out of it, not that he wanted to.

Suddenly, like a veil being lifted, the pressure on his eardrums ceased, leaving behind a faint high-pitched ringing. Opening his eyes, he realized they'd left the main auditorium of the gymnasium and were now sprinting up one of the side hallways. Looking over his shoulder, he noted the chaos that had ensued back in the auditorium itself. People were running about, kids were crying, intimidating CEDEF agents in burly black suits were trying to herd groups of people towards the exits. All of it was somewhat confusing, but he got the gist. Someone was causing a ruckus, and Reida wanted her box weapon in order to deal with it. That meant it had to be serious... though, like most things, Trevor took it in stride.

That's when Reida stopped abruptly about halfway down the hall. Releasing his hand, she tore her dress like a badass action hero. Trevor just stared, his expression eerily tranquil, his hand suspended in the air where she'd left it. When she turned to look at him, he met her eyes with his own, opening his mouth to ask a question.

"Sorry, Trevor," she interrupted, wrapping her arms around the boy and hoisting him off the ground.

Well... this was new, that's for sure. Still, he didn't particularly mind being carried. "It's okay," he muttered, not wanting to break her concentration. What concerned him most was the expression plastered on her face. As he glanced up at her, he realized this was the first time he'd seen that look on her.

Something was really aggravating his sister.

They reached her room in no time. She set him down, nearly bust in the door, and swept through her room like a hurricane. It didn't take her long to find what she needed, and a few seconds later she stepped out. Trevor wasn't looking at her, however. His eyes were locked on the metal double doors that sequestered this more private area from the rest of the hallway.

"I have to get back to the gymnasium," she said, crouching down so as to be eye level with her brother. "Please find yourself some place to bunker down for now." He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again as she continued, already predicting his response. "And no arguing with me either."

As Reida turned to walk away, Trevor reached out and grabbed the fabric of her dress, halting her advance. After a brief instant of silence, he spoke.

"You can't go that way." He took a step backwards, releasing the fabric. "Somebody bad is over there."

As if on cue, several polite knocks emanated from the other side of the double doors. Without waiting for a response, they were opened, and in sauntered a woman. She had smooth coffee brown skin and thick violet hair that nearly touched the ground. Her deep green eyes were piercing, her forehead marked red. Trevor had never seen such an odd looking person before.

Well, maybe Rosa on an off day.

"Good day," the woman began, "I am here to take the Vongola Sun Ring. If you would kindly please hand it over." Her words were not laced with any hint of sarcasm or any edge of malice. "If it is not complied with, I am allowed to use force."

Shifting his eyes instead of his head, Trevor looked to Reida, his expression bland but his train of thought obvious: how do I respond?

After ignoring Rosa's remarks and having her storm off as usual with a few chuckles at her 'irritated annoyed walk', he replied to Vincenzo asking, "What's the plan?" His simple reply, "Go with the flow, let your inner chi guide you...that's exactly what Ai said," he lied. He started making his way on stage to his respective seat afterwards. He received many looks and glares from the attendees due to his book bag and strange attire with paint splattered all over it which could have possibly suggested he didn't prepare for this affair; however, he smiled because....it's art. He took stood next to Vincenzo and waiting for the 11th to make her way. He saw her approach them and say, "It's good to see you, Vinco-san," and now the 11th was approaching him. He always has this 'thing' for the 11th, it wasn't like a crush but more like a 'I must protect her and respect her type deal' which he believes came from Gokudera pounding that idea in his head. It's extremely similar to how Gokudera felt about the 10th.

"Defacing public property again, Ta-Ku mi-kun?" 'I'm caught' were the only words that came to mind and they repeating at each piece of his name being said. He couldn't even muster a reply for her thinking she may possibly give him a lecture, but she smiled. A sigh of relief quickly fell over him seeing a smile as vast and infinite as the sky, but her hand swiftly went onto her hip while her other tapped him on the head. 'Awwww here we go' he thought to himself. "You're covered in paint! The least you could do is clean yourself up after vandalizing the neighborhood! You-" She removed her fist and started laughing, "What?" he asked, "What's so funny?" he couldn't seem to identify the source of her laughter, but at least the change of her mood made things easier for him.

"Never mind, we should all be taking our seats on stage now. Just Ai and Trevor are left, right? They'' know to come over once they see us in our seats," Reida said as she begun making her way on stage. Vincenzo merely glanced at Troy seemingly annoyed and continued to walk. "Meh, whatever," he said out loud and followed them on stage to his seat. The ceremony begun, Ai spoke, Reida spoke, blah blah etc. As soon as Troy had his seat, he pulled out a sketch book and merely begun drawing things. Ceremonies and speeches really didn't catch his interest and if he were in a position to make it more 'entertaining' he would; however, there are even some events to where he can't or shouldn't misbehave. In the time it took Reida to finish, he had already drawn a high quality portrait of the audience watching. 'Meh, it looks alright,' he said to himself. He turned over to Ai in an attempt to show her his picture. He said quietly, "Psst, Hey Ai look at thi-." "We are currently in danger." Troy's demeanor turned from a lousy one to a more serious tone. "What do you mean? What 'danger'?" he said. He quickly glanced around to look for the 11th knowing if anyone was a target, she was.

After making his way to his seat Akio zoned in and out during the External Advisor speech. Akio began tugging on his black dress gloves he muttered to himself, "Man, I didn't know this was going to be so boring." Once he was done fidgeting with gloves he looked back up just to see Reida make her way to the podium. Her voice carried over the crowd like a breeze, her words strong and confident. Akio would have been proud of her if he wasn't so bored. He lazily payed attention to her, until her voice began to soften. This immediately caught Akio's attention, then he felt it. Explosions all around the base simultaneously. Reida called out to her guardians "I need everyone to get as many people out as possible!" This was lost on Akio, since he could see it would be pointless for him to help others try and get out of the base. Akio figured his best move was to stop whoever was behind this. Akio made his way through the panicking crowd, once he was out of the crowd he noticed someone off to the side. they were not panicking. From what Akio could tell they actually seemed to enjoy this. Once he moved closer to them he could smell blood on them. It wasn't a very strong smell but who ever this was had recently been covered in it. He grinned deviously already itching to break up his boredom. "So I'm guessing you have something to do with this," he said, pointing with his cane.

((OOC: Sorry this post isn't good but I rushed to make it since I don't know how long the site is going to cooperate with me... I been trying to post for the last two days but every time I go to post the site is down.... so ya lol.))

Edited by Lloyd999

The elder Alastor somehow managed a chuckle without cracking a smile. The sound came out as sarcastic instead of jovial, cold and bitter instead of warm or happy.

Truth be told, it'd been a long time since he'd had an enemy run at the very sight of him. So when the Vongola XI snagged her little brother and made a beeline for an exit, he couldn't say he wasn't caught off guard. Perhaps she was a coward, abandoning her friends and allies to their grisly fate. Or perhaps she was playing a more strategic game, trying to lure him into an area more favorable to her style of combat.

That was the type of tactic the aliens loved to pull back where he was from.

Not that it mattered either way. That moment he met the Vongola boss's eyes, he realized: she would be no match for him. This was not the legendary Reida Sawada, the historical paragon of the Vongola family. This was just a scared little girl who'd found herself in way over her head.

Unlike her, he, Alastor Lorenzo Koenig Rizzo, was not real. Not here. Not in this time. Not even in this universe. He was more like a ghost, an illusion from another universe—one given flesh and blood by the technological marvel that is the Rizzo Clocktower. All of his memories were intact, as were his unique set of skills, skills honed through perpetual and torturous combat experienced over the course of decades against a merciless and unfeeling enemy far more advanced than he. The only thing he lacked as an illusion in this foreign universe was access to his power. Part of existing as one of three meant his current reserves of deathperation energy were not his own. He was forced to rely on an inferior and unrefined version of his own power, his own flame, from a more boyish version of himself. Worse, that power was further split three ways. The current Alastor's flame output was split evenly amongst himself and his temporal images.

Compared to his real body's nigh-limitless reserves of deathperation energy, with the capacity to output Space flames nearly as pure as that of Maschenny Rizzo, his current flames were as nothing.

Again, not that it really mattered. None of this did. Even in this severely handicapped state, with the mere capacity to manifest a stunted more impure version of his own flame for a much more limited amount of time, he could still handle a child—a little girl and her little friends, all blissfully unaware of the war they had become pawns in.

The true Reida Sawada—the legendary boss—perhaps she'd have given him a run for his money. But this version? This kid? It'd be like taking candy from a baby.

Alastor sighed softly as he walked. He didn't have to move to dodge any of the panicking audience members. They all seemed to flow around him instead, as if he were a mighty stone amidst of a roaring river. Even these primitive humans had a sense who was and was not a threat. As his target and her brother disappeared down a hall, moving at a brisk sprint, Alastor maintained his leisurely pace.

One such as he did not run. Not for anyone.

Moments earlier, Alastor had caught sight of Elysia, the current Alastor's Comet Guardian, giving chase to the Sawada siblings when someone had the audacity to step in his path, barring his way. Alastor didn't recognize him specifically, but could feel the energy radiating from him. He'd long become accustomed to the gentle pressure that those with the capacity to produce deathperation flames gave off. In this regard, the old Sky suite was no different.

"So I'm guessing you have something to do with this," the person said. Alastor chuckled again, this time in disbelief. This person was nothing more than an adolescent. A mere boy dared to address him? A token Guardian was impudent enough to step up to the likes of he?

Preposterous.

Alastor didn't even deign to look at this Vongola, let alone respond, choosing instead to maneuver around the kid like a leaf in the wind, continuing on his way. The very notion of a Guardian attacking him didn't even register in his mind, for no primitive would dare raise their hand against one such as he.

Besides, none of the Vongola Guardians were his target, and so none of them were worth his time. And above all, that was the commodity most in demand, wasn't it? Time.

It was truly funny how boredom worked. At the start, it seems like it'll never pass. Hours pass by along with the boredom and it seems like each one passes slower than its predecessor. Luckily with boredom comes new ideas. Ideas of how to pass the time. These ideas could be drinking punch, or eating sweats. Even talking to people is a good way to pass through the grueling wait, that promised nothing but the utmost fun. Still, Tyde bared his teeth and went with it. It was his job after all. If he controlled himself then he would have his fun at the end of the day. How sweet it would taste too after being denied for so long. He had to think. Was he a masochist for this type of thing? Did he like being denied his birthright? His right to take life with his own prowess? It was a fun idea for a about two minutes, but seeing as he didn't really care about the ticks he had in his personality to either fix them or follow through with them. Of course this wasn't entirely true. More like a half truth. He would admit that his love for life and the last wonders of it was a tick, by human standards and maybe even alien ones. However, he didn't consider a tick. Instead it was something he was meant to do. A road he was meant to take. . . Plus it was fun.

He sighed, falling back into a state of non existence, or daydreaming for some. He noted the Vongola pair walk away from Kurai, which was a relief to him. The more they stood around them, the more he wanted to kill them.

To make matters worse, he was passing through the mid stage of boredom. Thanks to the annoying man announcing the start of the presentation. This stage was more anticipation than anything. He could literally feel his time coming upon him, much like a kid who studies all day just to smell his mothers cooking. Well, in his case it was either a doctors cooking or a servants, but it was all the same feeling at the end of the day. Usually, in an event like that, one would run to the dinner table, ready to eat. However, this was one of those times where you had to let a meal marinate first. It marinates and all you can do is sit back and look at it, licking your lips raw until the right time calls to dig in. This situation was only different because instead of food, they were targets. All lined up on stage. Had this been a mission to kill them, Tyde wouldn't hesitate but to crush them with rocks found in one of his boxes. Or even himself. Though, when he thought about it, rocks would be better. It would be less likely for them to die, especially if he targeted their limbs. Then, with the ones that survived he could have his way. It was a pity really. His fun would be cut in half, but he'd still be able to bring pain. Tyde decided he would imagine the rest after he was done. He looked at the Vongola, just like the rest of the crowd. Though, instead of paying attention to what was being said, he gazed at them long enough to fix them into his day dream.

The eleventh. Yes, she spoke about things that didn't matter to Tyde, but with every expression her face made, Tyde could see it better and better. The sight of the dark place, he called his thinking space. He had a lot of thought space in his dream world, but the thinking space was special. Each idea made Tyde an Einstein of death. Whether it be prolonging or hastening, inflicting or numbing, he was able to do it. Sometimes he wondered if the things he has thought of and done were things people would find in the future of him simplistic and boring. It made him feel happy, knowing one day, someone could surpass him.

"Oh my," he said in the dark room. "I almost forgot about my pastime. Eleventh Vongola, you aren't my target, but still, I can play with you. Hehe. Here I can play with all of you."

The dark room shown small lights in seven different places, each showing a tied up Vongola. "For the eleventh, I took out your voice box. I don't really want to here you talk about... What is it? Revolutionized Tools? Yeah, just like the man who invented the wheel said. And now look, we don't even need wheels. Circular objects are still used though so hey. Wasn't much of a waste now was it? Whatever. You bore me, so onto the next."

He walked around to the second table which had the sun guardian. "Little Trevor. So young and innocent. Though if I had my way..." He thought for a second. "Yes. Brilliant. I'll stitch your back onto the Storm kids back, then I'll hang you from the ceiling with.... Let's say fish hooks? Maybe that's too cliche. Oh. I can nail you to it with knives. Then slowly the stitches will fail do the weight of Stormy here and he'll probably fall to his death. You, on the other hand, will probably be bled out by then. Yes."

In the current plane, he smiled as he watched the eleventh talked. Tyde's eyes looked like they were focused on her and the rest of the speakers, but in all actuality he was seeing something other than some boring talkers. He was seeing the chaos of a generation other than his own. One before his own. It did become rather boring, seeing as no matter how many times he killed them in his mind, they were all up on stage, happy go lucky and... unamused? He wondered if they even wanted to be there. Well, if they didn't, he'd help them. He'd take away their boredom. Of course it would be replaced with pain, but if he was just given the signal, he would do it. There was nothing more Tyde would rather do.

He found himself going through the third phase of boredom, which was pretty close to surrendering to it. He sighed and walked back to the punch bowl, pouring himself some of the sweet red liquid and leaned on the wall. "Life is what it is I suppose," he muttered looking at his reflection in his cup. "Sure I'm bored now, but as long as life keeps going, I'll be able to cease it sooner or later. Gotta just wait it out."

He slightly tightened his grip on the cup in his hand and brought it closer to his mouth. At that time, if you asked him what he heard first, Tyde would have to say it didn't matter. For both the snapping sound and the volume change of the crowd were equally charitable to him.

The final stage of boredom had finally begun. It was funny. He couldn't even remember being bored in the first place. This feeling, the current one he could have easily exploded from, was indescribable. He loved it. He wanted it to get even more intense. If he lost himself in it, that would probably be the most glorious gift god could give him.

He looked over to Conelius. Tyde knew that he should probably fight away from the boy seeing as casualties were supposed to be kept at a minimum. Though after hearing that he was going to put on a show, he couldn't help but feel like he was missing out on something. Before walking away from Kurai, he patted her shoulder, saying, "Knock em dead kid."

As he walked around looking for a guardian, any guardian, to play with, he caught a glimpse of the older Alastor standing amongst the crowd looking as god like and awesome as ever. Thinking that it would be cool to watch him fight someone, Tyde followed after him, doing his best to catch up with the clatter and panic, the boy saw one of the Vongola guardians challenge the man to no avail. In seconds, Tyde was bursting out in laughter. He didn't even care about older Al anymore. The kid in front of him was a hoot. "Ahahahaaa. Wow. Wait. Hehehe. Ahahahahaha." He giggled and leaned his arm on the boy, laughing even harder. "Sorry, heehe....Sorry but, hahahaha." The laughter was uncontrollable. Tyde had to focus to stop and even after he continued to giggle here and there.

"Okay....Okay. Yeah, I'm good now. Hehe. So kid," he chuckled grinning at the pink haired boy. "You should give me your ring. You're most likely going to have a bad time if you don't." The Rizzo's Asteroid extended his hand as if he was about to accept the ring whenever the Vongola was ready and suddenly stopped halfway. "Actually... This isn't about you is it? Nah. It's about something greater. Life. Life has lessons for everyone to learn. So I'll teach you something. Something about how life, is also unfair."

The young man didn't lie. Unknown to the boy in front of him, he already knew things about him that could be used against him. He was also older and had killed probably more people than the boy has in his living family. One could probably add the other Vongola's families in that mix too. Not only that, but other things also made this unfair. It was unfair in Tyde's eyes. Though the fact that he wouldn't be able to kill him limited him and made it more fair. Still, Tyde was sure of the outcome. He just wasn't sure if he'd be happy with it. "You better be entertaining. I want to see if the blind should even be allowed to exist. Show me what makes life special for you and I'll teach you a lesson."

As he talked, Tyde backed up from the boy and pulled a knife that was sheathed in the back of his belt. "Draw your sword Akio," he said, wondering what the boy would think of his name being known by a stranger. "It's time to play samurai's and ninjas."

Cornelius looked to his side in curiosity. He seemed to hear someone addressing or appearing to be the case. His eyes reflected the visage of a woman pointing a gun at him. He found that rather interesting to a fault along with her stated words of not touching them. Who was he about to touch? If he was properly thinking back, he had never touched any of those people who went kaplowe. Technically, it was his flames who did the touching and that was not even the case, as those people were generally repelled by his explosions. So, he doesn't get where the woman was coming from, though, he liked the idea of a dare. "I don't know what you're talking about tan! But, I'll make you a part of the show tan!" That was his only announcement along with his bright smile which was similar to that of a kid who got a star for answering a hard question. One of the translucent balls on his hand was released. It aptly landed near the woman and without a delay. The said object exploded similar to earlier series of fireworks he did. "And Peru-Peru attacked the Harping Princess for interfering... How truly sad tan..." He stated with a matching disappointed expression on his face. His attention then shifted towards the other occupants of the room whether they were survivors or not. "But Peru-Peru won't let that end in that way tan! He'll defeat the Dark Menace tan! No matter what tan!" Upon saying that, more translucent balls manifested on his hands. This time, there were more than two.

"Mother!" Rosa yelped, running toward her just as she saw the attack land. The woman had tumbled away from the explosion screaming, before resting on the ground. The handbags had flown out of her hands, as well as her gun. Rosa, stood before her mother, whom was cringing in pain, but caught sight of her own handbag a few feet away. She dashed for it first before running back to her mother and crouching to her level. She was sitting holding her leg, which appeared to have a rather severe burn on it. Rosa yelled at her, "What were you thinking?!"

"Rose, Rose, Rose," she repeated, inhaling sharply to get over her pain, "I couldn't let those children be harmed," she said rather quickly, before whispering 'ow' over and over. Rosa looked over at the man whose back was turned, more of those flames around him. His back was turned again. That was his biggest mistake. Rosa immediately opened up her bag to find the single box weapon sitting inside it. Dropping the bag, she brought the box up to eye level in one hand and clenched her other hand into a fist, glaring at the Vongola Ring on her finger. Her concentration was broken by a hand put on her forearm by her mother, whom was shaking her head.

"Don't do it, Rose," she whispered, "You can't do that again, remember what I told you when we moved here."

Rosa sighed. "Emergencies only," she growled, "And this is an emergency!" Her mother shook her head again.

"Rose, you have to get out of here," she told her, "Let the Vongola handle this. This is too much for you." Rosa glared back at her mother. She was not just going to take being called inadequate, not even from her own mother. With a huff, she stood up, leaving her mother on the ground. Bringing her fist up, a purple flame appeared, bubbling with energy. Rose collided the ring with the receptacle in the box and injected the flames into it. It opened instantly and out from it a great big cloud of purple flames exited and completely surrounded her and the area around her. Then, when the clouds disappeared, Rosa was there with a few changes in appearance, wearing boots instead of high-heels, having many black rings around her fingers and a leather belt wrapped tightly around her waist where many box weapons were attached, along with various tools such as a large spool of wire and a sheath for a large knife. Rosa grabbed what appeared to be a tiny sewing needle in a pouch at the side. She brought it up to her face, holding it up against her target like an artist with a brush or pencil. She only needed to use one and her victory was assured. She was the predator, and he was her prey. With a great big swipe of the hand, she sent the needle flying toward the back of her target.


"And suddenly, the Dark Menace appears tan!" Doing a side pirouette, Cornelius was able to dodge the needle targeted at him. Actually, he wasn't aware of it and simply did that action due to his flair of showmanship. What he was sensing was the activation of a flame which does not belong to the Rizzo, for now. That is why he had turned around to finally look at a familiar face. He did think familiar but no names were coming up as of now. His face all scrunched up a bit which indicated he was thinking who was the one in front of him. "You're a guardian right tan?" He pointed that obvious fact first before continuing with his contemplation. "Dolly... Parton... No, that's not it tan... Something with a flower tan." He crossed his arms in though which in returned the translucent balls he had crafted fall all over the ground to various directions causing explosions once again where one had actually went to the direction of the children.

"I remember now tan! Rose tan! That's your name right tan!"

In the exact moment, he blurted that sentence. The explosion engulfed some of the children who were once before humble audience to his innocent story-telling. He heard a few screams but simply took a look over his shoulder. "Ooops... Sorry tan!" Then, he returned his attention to the person he now remembered as the Vongola Cloud Guardian.

"Now tan! Give me your ring tan!"

Rosa had a hand raised in the air, fingers spread and ring displayed. She took glances at various directions of the room, before looking back at her target. Her eyes narrowed at him, judgingly so. She paused.

"A guardian? A flower? Huh," Rosa closed her fingers to examine her nails. "I am neither. You have the honor, of which you do not deserve, of being able to gaze upon a Princess." She raised her hand once again, palm facing her. "Yet, this particular ring of mine belongs to me and myself only. Now, what I ask is what you could possibly want with this ring of mine." Rosa looked directly at him, raising her other arm slightly as if to monologue.

For the first time in Cornelius' life or rather, the many first times in his life, he was to the point of sleeping. His eyes were rather fighting the temptation of closing. One would wonder if he was truly paying attention or is he even taking anything seriously. They didn't tell him that this Rose girl was astronomically boring in terms of speech. It reminded him one of those scolding sessions he has with The Matron (Annalise). If she wasn't a target, he would have left her there and do something fun instead of listening to her soliloquy.

"You appear to be strong, yet you are just so inadequate. Here you are, flames in hand, defacing somebody else's property and threatening children. Children. Why, I couldn't think of anything so low and pathetic. Perhaps I should be barking insults at an animal for its table manners if I were to accept such low standards. Honestly, you should feel ashamed of yourself." She rose both her hands into the air, as if she were holding the sky.

It was definitely a scolding. He was practically being told to act his age. Adding to that, when did he threaten the children? He just told them to stay so they can watch a wonderful show. In his personal opinion, he truly believed he was just showing them something fun. The notion of things exploding and people dying around him in his understanding are fun and entertaining. In any case, he released a rather large yawn indicating that he was rather bored.

"Do you want a show?" Rosa asked, "then perhaps I should give you the Grand Guignol!" Rosa brought her hands quickly, tossing them passed each other as if she were a conductor. At that moment, purple flames raced down previously invisible strings in all directions in front of her and into the air. In the air in every direction they were, droves and droves of dolls that surrounded the unaware man like spectators at a coliseum. Rosa had already opened them while he was playing his guessing game and had took her time to monologue to put them all into position. They were armed with shields and lances, all taking on the same appearance of cute European girls, but nonetheless armed with threatening weaponry, all pointed at a central point, the prisoner in the center of the stage, ready for his public execution. His crime: annoying the Princess. At once, they all charged.

The only time he perked up was when she mentioned about a guacamole. Cornelius hates anything green, so that definitely woke him up along with her saying about a show. And as if on cue, dolls surrounded him. He was wondering if they were going to play house or something. He should have invited Kurai over. But, their purpose was revealed soon enough when they charged against him. Well, that's how he likes it.

"Very good tan!" He announced in a lively tone as his fists were instantly coated in dark-red flames which flickered in sparks and random intensities. Cornelius began to move in a rather graceful yet tinge with precision as he jumped away letting the dolls be deprived of their target temporarily. After a few seconds, he delivered a pummeling puch from above to one of the dolls which instantly rippled its form before exploding. He continued the same thing to the others in varying degrees of punches and kicks whilst his hands and feet were covered in his own special flames. It was like he was dancing as his movements resembled that of an acrobat, but what was very noticeable above all, was his smile.

He was enjoying it, the thrill of plunging himself into the fray, even if they were actually, just dolls.

Soon enough, the horde of dolls were but pieces on the marble floor or what used to be a pristine floor. Cornelius settled himself before crafting two translucent orbs on one of his hands. They were much smaller than the ones he had used earlier. "Rose tan." He started as he faced the one who calls herself a Princess. Well, he has no problems with that. He goes by the alias of prince when he does his story-telling back at his place."Can I have one of your dolls, tan? I'll give it to Rara tan!" He then presented the two orbs to Rosa. "In exchange, I'll give these to you, okay tan?"

Somehow, he seemed to forget that he was supposed to get the ring, not the dolls.

At that moment, a large volley of small cloud arrows was sent in his direction. "I don't need your charity!" she called before making another gesture as if she were pulling back a bow. The great big firing line of archers in front of you fired their arrows once again. At that instant, she ran to the right away from the firing line. With another gesture, another volley was fired to cover herself. "Tell me which dolls take your interest!" Rosa smashed her fist into three boxes to summon three sword and shield wielding dolls. She controlled them with her right hand while her left hand controlled the archers. She jerked her left hand and sent cloud flames through the strings to cause the firing line of about ten archers to disperse in different directions around their target while her right hand reached into a pouch to grab a fistful of needles. First, she sent another volley of arrows her target, then she threw the needles with her right hand, which caused her knights to stand in front of her in a defensive position. She just needed one hit, just one would do.

"Stinky tan!" He said while sticking out his tongue at her. The two smaller orbs he held were released to the air as it effectively destroyed the incoming volley of arrows. That was unintentional, however. That was not the end though as another volley was launched towards him. But this time, she seemed willing enough to negotiate as she told him to tell her which doll he likes. "I can really pick one tan???" He managed to voice out in excitement before creating another series of small orbs to throw into the air. It seemed to work earlier blocking the arrows, so he did it again. But this time the moment they exploded, he launched himself at the archers with his hands covered again with those unstable deep red flames of his. He smashed them to bits like he had done before. Yet, they seemed to be endless as another series of arrows aimed at him.

His eyes narrowed distinctively as he took noticed something glistening so dreamily. That's his description of it. They were actually needles as he jumped into the air and then did a little spin while continuously releasing a series of explosive orbs. The moment they touched the ground, a frenzy of explosion rattled the gymnasium once more. Rosa's dolls were either caught in the explosion tearing them apart or thrown away. The resulting shock wave compiling with one another was enough to deflect and even destroy both arrows and needles. The damages with him kept on piling up and he had been told to keep it minimal.

Anyways, he seemed pleased with himself as things appeared to quiet down. Cornelius landed on the remaining intact floor seamlessly. A big smile on his face but instantly turned into a frown. It was because all of the dolls were broken or damaged. He can't give that to Rara. "Hey Rose tan! Bring out new ones tan! I broke them by accident tan!" His words might come up as insulting but, he was actually earnest in that request. He truly wanted to have a doll to give to Rara."Please tan? I'll give you this one tan!" He happily stated as he removed the giant cat stuffed toy from his back which served as an odd cape and then showed it to Rosa.

Apparently, he was not really taking the Vongola Cloud Guardian as a threat. But, that was to be expected as he never thought anyone of a threat.

Rosa frowned slightly. None of her attacks were making any hits, at all. Overwhelming him had no effect and neither was taking him by surprise and to top it all off, he was continually trying to mock her, at least that's what Rosa thought of it. It was really starting to annoy her. She only needed that one hit to assure herself a victory. Luckily, Rosa was still on the offensive and and the stage was set. Rosa could have easily went for the sure-kill right then, but she refused to until everything was perfect. Every move she would make from this point on would be for assurance.

"I don't need such a piece of crap," Rosa spat. The three dolls around her pointed their swords in a possible striking stance. Rosa opened more boxes around her waist to create three more identical dolls. Rosa then thrusted her palms forward, which sent all six dolls forward to attack. At that moment, she ran again, this time toward the shifting crowds of people at a somewhat frightening speed. People split to allow her to make room, but Rosa was constantly shifting directions. She was attempting to lose herself within the crowd, yet even without looking at them, somehow, Rosa could control her dolls. They move in unpredictable directions, spinning around the man and striking at random intervals with what appeared to be delicate movements, as opposed to the rather rudimentary movements of the other dolls.

Rosa's mother was still sitting on the ground clinging onto her leg, yet she was not watching the fight. Her shoulder-length hair was covering her face. She appeared to be focused on squeezing her leg, as if she were massaging it.

It was not much hard for Cornelius to follow the erratic or even the stable movements of people around him. This was probably due to his so-called eagle eyes which allows him to see everything within his line of sight with such crisp detail. He tilted his head to an angle with a pout on his lips. It seemed that this flower girl was not a nice person at all. She just called his giant feline stuffed toy a piece of crap. That was not nice at all. "So mean tan!" He then patted his toy's head in an affectionate manner while evading a strike from a doll. "Don't you listen to her Peru-Peru tan." There was another attack which he jumped away by doing a back-flip. His arms wrapped around the cat toy much like how he did with Kuro. "You're perfectly handsome tan!" This time he stepped on the head of a doll while his foot was coated with his flames which effectively destroyed it.

Landing back on the ground perfectly, he placed the cat now known as Peru-Peru by his side and then cracked some of his knuckles. "You hurt Peru-Peru's feelings tan. I'll hurt you all too tan!" After declaring that, he plunged himself towards the remaining dolls which engaged him to a fight. The idea of giving one of them to Kurai completely out of his head, for the time being. Both of his hands and feet covered once again with his unstable flames as he began to destroy the dolls before him.

Emerging from the crowd, Rosa crept quietly forward, no longer controlling the dolls. Instead, she had a fistful of wires in her hands, connected to the rings on the opposing hands. She couldn't help but grin. When was the last time she killed somebody like this? She used to be so much shorter. Well, this time, it would be easier. Rosa pounced at the taller man from behind and tossed the wires around his neck, before pulling as hard as she could, grunting while doing so. Her grip was unusually strong. She shouted "Just die already!"

Perhaps, he should nor have removed Peru-Peru on his back. It was for the better anyway, since he did not want this mean flower girl to jump on his feline toy. She was just too mean. His hands still coated with that dark red flames grabbed on to the wires strangling him. The pain induced by the attack did not bother him that much. But, he would have to admit that talking and breathing were rather difficulty to do at this moment. In any case, the wires snapped around his neck as he induced it to break apart by making its very molecules explode. After that, he grabbed the girl's arms and threw her away like a rag doll towards the panicking crowd which was not a hard thing for him to do."No piggy back rides for you tan!"

Rosa made no reaction toward getting thrown away, even as she slid on the ground, as if it didn't really matter to her. Rosa sat up quickly and examined the floor around her enemy. All the broken box weapons had burned away and all that remained were the wires, which lay motionless on the ground. Her options were running thin. Rosa attempted to reach for the knife at her side when she realized something wrong. Her right arm was missing. It lay next to her, lifelessly. There was no blood, not even a single drop of read was present anywhere. She merely frowned. It seemed that it was finally time to get serious.

"Wow tan!" That was the initial reaction Cornelius had as he saw the dismembered or rather the right term would be detached arm. "No blood, tan." He crossed his arms over his chest and had a thoughtful look on his face. That should not be possible at all. since everyone had some of liquid inside them no matter what kind color it will be. There should be blood plus, it does makes thing more colorful. His eyebrows met at the center as he was truly thinking how could this be possible.

Rosa grabbed the knife with her other hand. The blade shined brightly in the light. She stood, looking at the ground, knife to her side as if she were some sort of ragdoll. With a sudden jerk of her head, Rosa looked up at her opponent, although her appearance seemed much different. Her eyes were glowing a bright red, as if she were suddenly possessed by a demon.

Cornelius' trail of thoughts was interrupted when the Vongola Cloud Guardian spoke. He lifted his head to look at the girl and noticed that she now sports those laser-like eyes. It was like those lights in a dance party. That was rather impossible unless she was like the Matron (Annalise) with the robotic implants and all. If that was so, was he fighting with a robot all along? That was just.... so COOL!

"I've decided," she called, "that you're not only going to die, but you're going to die a fool, at the hands of a true 'Princess'." At that instant Rosa charged forward, head-first, toward her enemy with her knife raised as if she were a model of a monster or ghost in an old movie being pulled along by wires.

"Princess tan? You're a princess tan?" Somehow, Cornelius found that completely impossible. She doesn't look like a princess at all. It was more like those evil sorceress or royal maids like that stuff, definitely not a princess. Anyway, he charged as well to meet the now identified robot flower girl. It was actually a doll but, he was a blunt edge inside that head of his. He delivered an upward kick which should detach the other arm carrying the knife. After all, Cornelius' personal strength was not an illusion or the result of his flames. He was inherently inhumane in strength which also relates to combatant skills in terms of hand-to-hand. Then in one swift motion, his fist glistened with his flames again.as in one connected motion, he destroyed the wires wrapped around it.

At first, he believed it to be some kind of accessory. But, it was clear to him at only this point that it wasn't. "You’re not a princess tan." He stated as he delivered a straight punch to robotic flower girl before him who was wrapped with his quasar flames. The result of that would be similar to that of other dolls, destroyed. "You’re a robot tan!" He said with a bright smile as he believed that he was absolutely correct on that identification.

"A doll," Rosa's voice corrected, although it came from elsewhere, her mother. She appeared to be standing now, regardless of the condition of her leg. "A beautiful doll, born from my creation. Honestly, she thought she could compare to a real 'Princess'" She grinned as she wiped the hair away from her face, revealing narrow blue eyes that could have only belonged to one person. "Yet I'm getting real tired of you, breaking all my toys. Have you no sense of appreciation?"

At that moment, the woman whom looked like Rosa's mother became encompassed in violet flames until she was obscured. Then, many threads covered in Cloud flames fell away from her, revealing the true woman underneath. "I'll teach you how to appreciate true greatness," Rosa called dramatically, unsheathing her knife and presenting it facing up as if it were a sword, "Let us make incision to prove who's blood is reddest!"

As usual, Rosa was being overly dramatic.

Kurai barely flinched as one of orbs flew past her to be implanted in the entrance, successfully blocking anyone with the intention of leaving. Not that she liked seeing innocent people injured, but they couldn't take the risk of their prey escaping, could they? Cornelius had handed Kuro back to her, announcing that he would play with him later, so she was now cradling the small creature in her arms and surveying the damage caused with an oddly calm mind. From all the times they had worked together, it wasn't the worst damage he had caused to a building. Nevertheless, the objective this time was different...

The crowd was already in a panic, especially with what seemed like a golden haired madman wielding two weapons of destruction laughing like it was all a game before them. You can't blame them for being afraid. Seeing the Quaser guardian laugh happily while almost killing people was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.

"Knock em dead kid." Tyde's voice came to her ears as she spun around, studying him with her large eyes before giving him a quick nod. He was off to find his victim, and whoever he was, he'd better watch out. Knowing Tyde, he has a tendency to have fun with his prey.

"Guess I ought to go now." Kurai murmured to herself as she stroked a purring Kuro. She wasn't looking forward to this too much, unlike the others and her feeling was more of one that wanted this over and done with. She had managed to put up with the brief but suffocating social session for this fight, but while she was hoping that it would be worth the wait, she wanted him to surrender his ring quickly. She didn't want to fight that badly. It was too tiring and boring.

Still, she was a step behind everyone as she headed to her target, Troy the storm guardian. He was looking around for the leader of the Vongola, as if he was worried for her. However, he was standing next to the alien girl... She changed her grip on Kuro, holding him tightly before he could do anything drastic like jump clawing to the girl's face. He reacted strongly to extraterrestrial beings for reasons unknown to even herself. He is a fickle animal, like all cats, even if he was a flame weapon.

"Troy Takumi, may I take the ring?" She asked politely, slightly proud of the fact that she had not stammered yet. She had rehearsed the many situations again and again in her head before deciding on he perfect one for the occasion. She pulled out her gun with one hand, but did not aim it at him just yet. It was simply to let him know that she wasn't joking about wanting the ring, but she didn't want him to feel threatened. Of course, she didn't expect him to just hand his over without a fight either, so in whichever case, she was prepared. With that, she waited for his reply quietly.

Troy was still wondering what the impending danger consisted of since he didn't identify any of the 'enemies' in the area; however, panic started to fill the room. He looked around to see who the targets were while looking around the room for Reida. The main target in his mind would be the newly appointed Vongola guardian of course. The worst part about this is that she walked off stage earlier. He had started to walk away from Ai when a cold shrieking voice then murmured his name saying, "Troy Takumi, may I take the ring?" the strange girl asked.

The first thing Troy noticed about her was the gun in her hand, but it wasn't pointed at him. He realized the seriousness of the situation; however, he wasn't worried about himself. He was more worried about Reida because her life was the only placed above his own in his head. With that in mind, he merely glared at Kurai in the eye and slowly took off his book bag. He unzipped it slowly with her still waiting in front of him and pulled out a belt with box weapons and placed it around his waist. The next three things he pulled our were a large paint can and two spray can bottles. He carried the paint can in his left hand, and the spray bottles in his right. "So the ring thing...," he threw the large paint can towards Kurai and threw one spray can to the left while the other to the right. He quickly placed his ring in a box weapon on his belt and pulled out a small Systema C.A.I. pistol and said, "No." He shot the large paint can, and both of the spray cans one after another and they all exploded. Paint splattered everywhere on Troy, Kurai, and the general floor around the area. "The sooner you're out of my way, the better. I kill people like your for breakfast so lets make this quick." He lied.

He placed his right hand to one of the newly made pools of paint and his storm ring begun to shine. A long spear-like weapon came out of the ground, but had a paint brush tip that constantly dripped paint. He looked towards this strange girl with seemingly void black eyes and pointed his pistol at her. "Hope you're ready!" he said with a gesture as if he would shoot. His storm ring begun to shine again and his entire body immediately dissolved into the paint as if his entire being was being melted. He swiftly popped out of the area of paint formed behind Kurai and sent his spear flying at her while the spear at every movement dripped more paint onto the ground. After the first thrust, he sent three more lunges, then jumped back. "Bang, bang" he said with a devilish grin as he begun to fire off disintegration rounds from his Systema C.A.I. gun.

Althaia head perked up at the distinct sound of snap, her ears pierced by the signal. Suddenly her body sprung up, and she darted through the crowd like a running rabbit- quick and agile. As she dodged the panicked crowd, her nose began to pick up a few scents.. but one she was clearly looking for was her target: Ai. 'Tick tock.'
Red eyes dilated, 'Im late. Im late.' She appeared before Ai in good distance, "Hello there!" She chirped pleasantly, as her head cocked slightly to the side, "The Mist guardian Ai, Its a honor." A little giggle followed.

"Does your data base have anything on me?" She questioned curiously, seemingly knowing of the girl's intel. "Probably not, but soon you will know me, Us." As those words slipped her lips, a pale, transparent white flame surrounded her body- almost invisible to the naked eye however. But unlike the others around her, Althaia's senses spiked, and everything around her became known. Every coming movement, to the panicked hushed voices among the crowd. Despite these sensitive sense, Althaia had control, and it allowed her to focus on the Guardian.

She was waiting carefully, watching every little twitch of the target, while keeping a small smile which graced her lips always. "Anyways, Im sure you know what im coming for." She pouted, "But you wont just give it to me correct? So lets play a game." The pout disappeared, her eyes glowed, "Not a short game of course, because I have high expectations in you, in the Vongola, so itll be a lengthy one, but itll be fun." She paused, before chuckling sympathetically, "Even though the winner is already known." The rizzos.

"Hello there!" Ai turned her head from her careful work (even if it only appeared as if she were merely standing there) to glance at the voice that had addressed her. A woman in white. Ai could determine from her demeanor that she seemed rather peaceful, although something was quite adding up. Her appearance! Her facial features. In the information she was currently downloading, Ai thought she appeared familiar. The fact that she knew her identity as a Guardian wasn't too alarming. Yet, it appeared she knew more than that.

"Does your data base have anything on me?" Ai turned her body completely around to face her. The woman could only have been referring to the Thought Integration Database. Ai's mind went tense as it reacted to the stimulus of encountering a threat. "Probably not, but soon you will know me, Us." Ai could sense the presence of deathperation flames being generated by the person in front of her, only Ai couldn't quite identify them. Ai stood there, examining this threat. From what Ai could observe, it appeared that similar threats have been encountering the Vongolas one by one and engaging them in combat. Ai determined it had to be their aim, to take on each of the Vongolas alone. This one must have come for Ai. As much as Ai wanted to fulfill the Boss's orders of evacuating all the guests, it appeared that the only way she could assure their safety was to engage this one in combat, just as all the others were, so none of the attackers would be able to direct harm against third parties, unless the threats outnumbered the Vongolas. Ai may have made no movements on her body, but hidden under those hallucinations Ai transmitted, her cords was squirming along the body's membrane, expanding and tensing.

"Anyways, Im sure you know what im coming for." More or less. For Ai specifically, although for what reason she was not certain, yet it had to be the same reason as the others. "But you wont just give it to me correct? So lets play a game." So she was after something. It must have been something in her possession, something all the other guardians had. It had to be their rings, of course. Ai blinked as she watched this threat become more menacing. "Not a short game of course, because I have high expectations in you, in the Vongola, so itll be a lengthy one, but itll be fun." A game. Was this threat's intention not to engage her in combat? Or was it one of those ever-so confusing metaphors. "Even though the winner is already known." Typically, Ai believed that she could win any game that involved either probability, physics or cognitive function. Yet, if this were a metaphorical game, namely, a battle, then she wasn't as certain. Still, like a game, Ai believed she could calculate the positive outcome of a battle as long as she had information. She needed that information. Of course, she'd need to stall for the time to download it.

"I do have information on your existence," Ai said unintimidatingly. It wasn't exactly a lie, but Ai would have to wait to get more accurate results. After all, in one future, this girl was a cripple named Flandre and in another she was a pilot named Rovert. "I am aware of the reason you have come here," for the Vongola rings, yet she didn't know why, "And I am aware of who you are," the Rizzo family, Ai had figured that out a while ago. "Seeing as you are already aware of who I am as well as what I am, then you should already be aware of my capabilities as well as my abilities to both gather information from any point in time as well as calculate infinite sets of probabilities. I have all the information about your capabilities and your weaknesses, including an infinite amount of ways that you specifically are able to lose in battle. Therefore, engaging me in combat is an unnecessary as it is already a forgone conclusion as to which of us will succeed in a battle." It was all a big bluff, but that's what the Mist guardian's specialty was, right?

"With this knowledge, please reiterate the exact reason you have for attacking us, both you as a group and you personally."

Her ears tuned in to her words and despite being cleverly retorted by the guardian, Althaia's smile never faltered.
"Seeing as you are already aware of who I am as well as what I am, then you should already be aware of my capabilities as well as my abilities to both gather information from any point in time as well as calculate infinite sets of probabilities. I have all the information about your capabilities and your weaknesses, including an infinite amount of ways that you specifically are able to lose in battle." This wasnt new to her, but she understood the lie that was entangled into those words. Besides, she wouldnt fear a person who knew time anyways.. she only quivered under one, her leader. Well.. for now three leaders.
"With this knowledge, please reiterate the exact reason you have for attacking us, both you as a group and you personally." She shook her head. Althaia was always underestimated due to her bubbly appearance but she was knowledgeable.. besides no one tells their plans in any game.

Especially in a game of life and death. "Well we want the rings." She smiled, "But whats the fun in revealing everything?" She sniffed for her leader, before continuing, "Besides I dont want to waste much time, so lets have fun huh? Even though according to you.. I'll loose." That got a giggle out of her and Suddenly she hopped gently on her feet, as a boxer would preparing for a fight. "Tick tock." she chimed, and as her breath escaped her, Althaia appeared behind Ai, sending a kick quickly towards her hip. At the same time, if Ai chose to use her flame, the area around Althaia, if not a meter away, would not allow any of it due to her comet ability- cancellation. (excluding familar allied flames) And as the kick left her (if hit or miss) she took a light hop back, and sent a upper cut towards her chin. While her body moved, her senses tingled: Her hearing, eye sight, and 6th sense, ready to dart away from any movement coming towards her, like a wary rabbit. Her blood red eyes shone.

Ai hardly did much more than bend over slightly when she was kicked. The kick would have hurt, yet Ai was able to avoid harm to her body thanks to her cords. They had quickly wrapped around her midsection as soon as the attack hit, although her opponent wouldn't have been able to sense it. Ai turned around only to see the next attack head straight toward her, yet she did not move out of the way. Instead, the threat's fist appeared to get caught on something, as if it were grapped. Ai stared directly into the threat's eyes with her own two. At that moment, the light around Ai seemed to bend as Ai's appearance began to transform into something much more unusual. Surrounding her body were cords and strings in sickly colors varying from red to yellow to pink. They all connected to her body, some points visible and some hidden beneath her clothing, yet they were everywhere, like orbitals on the diagram of an atom. Many connected to a single point over her chest, where a large inhuman eye hung, staring.

Ai's true identity, that of an otherworldly creature. Only Ai's opponent could see them, yet this was merely an intimidation display. Ai still had to conceal her identity from the other organisms in the room, yet such actions were inefficient. Ai was running relatively slowly as she was still receiving data from the TIC, mainly about the unusual flame that Ai had just experienced. It's properties seemed to have a tranquilizing effect on the growth of Ai's cords, yet their properties were very different from Rain flames. It had to have been a kind beyond the Sky set ordinarily found on Earth at this period in time.

"If you refuse to cease," Ai said with her cold and boring tone of voice, "Then I will be forced to subdue, or if I deem it necessary, terminate you." The cords tightened around her arm.

Althaia eyes refused to shift from the guardian's, for she felt no fear at the moment. Even if Ai appeared different, her true form, Althaia also had one. She knew that she herself was a monster, and it made her wonder what kind Ai was. 'Is she one?' It was a bit comforting to know that she wasn't alone, but she knew these thoughts were the last thing that should come to mind. "I'm sorry I can't," She replied, almost genuinely apologetically. "I have a mission to follow, and if you had one, I'm sure you wouldn't cease just because an opponent told you too." Her smile never faltered, but her eyes suddenly gleamed sympathetically, "If you don't understand now, you will." Suddenly, she bit down on the biological cords with her supposedly human teeth, however on contact, they cut way faster then one would assume.

It was a combination of surprisingly sharp teeth, along with the inhuman strength of her jaw- somewhat like a rabbit. As she teared through, she hopped back, flipping past the cords that came in her way. Her 360 vision coming very handy, but as she backed off, she questioned her next move. It seems like her flames were going to be able to completely stop her opponent, due to the cords being one with her. But mist induced illusions at least, weren't going to be a problem. Brushing her skirt up slightly, she pulled out a pair of weapons, sickles, one for each hand. One the ends were chains that trailed on the floor, revealing their heavy weight which would surely hurt if came in contact with flesh. "Anyways, are you human?" She asked curiously, leaping forward, "Do your fellow guardians know of this form?" She sliced through cords in her way, having slight difficulty due to their thickness.. and as she came close to the girl, she whipped the chains towards her, in rapid moments, while cutting through cords with the other scythes on the end.

Ai found that her biological defenses weren't holding up well. The opponent was quickly cutting through them faster than Ai could grow them. Maybe she could have strengthened them with her Mist flames, yet Ai felt her defenses failing her. Ai was likely not going to win a physical engagement. Ai quickly put up a barrier to defend from an incoming attack, all of her cords recoiling quickly. A great big wall appeared, it merely being a screen of distorted light that look similar to a thick mist. Nothing could pass, not even light, yet it was only a small barrier. Just as quickly, Ai deleted the barrier, it disapating into a thin mist of ionized particals which quickly dissappeared into thin air.

"You are aware of this form," Ai stated, "So you are aware of the particulars of my frame, this frame of which your kind will despise. I will demonstrate the exact nature of my inhumanity." At that moment, Ai completely dissolved into a jumbled mess of cords of which were a sickly pink. They quickly expanded in mass and quantity and appeared to become a great big monster of its own. All at once, this sea of alien spaghetti came crashing down on the human enemy.

Her eyes widened a fraction, unprepared, but her animalistic instincts kicked in to save her. She fliped back, several times, before jumping up and towards the panicking crowd. She was only a few feet from a confused family, and she stared at the piles of cords, wondering what her next move would be. Surely she could aim and hit one her. but Althaia was agile and quick, so one wrong move and one little dodge, could lead to someone else's undoing. Though nobody else in the crowds seemed to quite notice it, the various cords quickly dispersed and slithered through the crowds, closing in on their target from all directions. Her eyes dilated, and her ears twitched, the slithering was every where, and between moving foot steps she spotted sickly colored cords. Her mind gave her calming, rational thoughts, however her rabbit side of her told her otherwise, 'Danger.' Her leg muscles tightened, 'Everywhere.' And from past experience, Althiaia noticed her instincts being the thing to keep alive, so her human mind closed briefly and thus her body launched.

Similar to a panicked rabbit stuck in containment, she began to leap, unpredicatably all over the room, mostly on the walls. As she, she whipped her chains around her, like a barrier in a sense. It showed the skill that Althaia achieved, further proving that shes a force to be careful with. 'Where's the danger!' Her rabbit mind screamed, but the human side slipped in, 'Where was the source!' Not sure her body did the opposite from sensible, she continued to bounce all about, uncarring of the things she was hitting.. such as the people. And because of this, she didnt mind the fact that her chains were about to hit the public, especially a women closest to her.

It may have been difficult, due to the fact that the target was jumping all over the place, but with careful tracking and calculation of the target's movements and velocity, it was possible. Ai appeared seemingly out of nowhere, hidden by a hallucination, right in front of her target. Just as she was headed directly for her, Ai pulled up another Data Refusal which was created right in front of her, with the intention that she could damage her quick-moving target. Ai may have seemed to been able to pull up these barriers effortlessly, yet the amount of calculations she needed to make to create each one really had a toll on Ai's current mental capacity, especially when she was already devoting a portion to downloading information and another to creating constant hallucinations. In fact, to create this barrier, her previous illusion had to disapate, the many cords that slithered through the crowds like water in rapids just disappearing into thin air.

The disappearance of the cords was more than perfect, for her human mind came back in control, and because of that, she stopped. But maybe not in time, she collided with the barrier, which scathed her skin considerable, causing her to pull back. Along with that gravity took a toll on the static personal, allowing her to fall but quick on her feet, she caught herself. She frowned at the scratches on her snow white skin, especially when familar red liquid seeped through, however this was a welcoming price in exchange for the location of her opponent. Quickly, she began to whip the barrier without pause, not wanting to lose track of her. But she again began to question the effiency of her actions, would the barrier ever come down? Nevertheless she continued, hoping to keep note of where the oppoenent was. She also began to move her chains directions a bit as well, trying to get a visual image of the barrier around Ai. From where she hit, she assume that was the shape of the date refusal, but to her interest, the chains suddenly curved as if it hit the side of a wall. Was this not surrounding her like she imagined? Althaia decided to experiment, so she leaped a good distance from the opponent, and instead of sending the chained end of her weapon, she switched, sending the scythe side in hopes of hitting something from her angle. From what she visualized, her current aim would be beyond the "wall", 'Well?' She wondered, waiting.

Ai was planning on using the barrier as a mere distraction as she snuck around to attack her target while invisible. Yet of the thousand possibilities that could have happened instead, Ai's head was hit directly by the scythe, the sharp tool bouncing off her skull and hitting the ground. Ai did not fall to the ground or recoil in pain, however, she was bleeding. Invisible, yet bleeding at the right side of her head where it had hit. One of the cords that was attached to her head (seemingly attached to her headband) was also cut, causing Ai to freeze in place. That one cord may have been one of many attached to vital parts of her nervous system, but that one was heavily involved in transfering illusions from Alien thought patterns into human brainwaves. Ai wouldn't have been able to generate any more illusions until she healed that part. It was already quickly regenerating, but it would have taken about thirty seconds to do so. Ai quickly fled back to the cover of her own barrier, although how long she would be safe in that cover, she wasn't certain.

She blinked as the end of her scythe hit something, whether it was an illusion or not, she wasnt sure but she took her chances seeing how all the other illusions disappeared. "Ai tick tock." She said pleasently, "We are wasting a lot of time!" Even if this statement seemed full of irritation, Althaia was not, she was still as cheerful as she was from the beginning. Going at the wall again, she switched both ends from chains to scythes. One used to give Althaia consistent visual, while the other one was used to hopefully harm the guardian even further. So as she continued on to whipping, her curved blade found the end of the wall, and instead of piercing it.. the blade hooked on. Althaia took note of this, and was careful not to pull back, while the other chain kept at it. this time she wasnt hitting any wall, due to her new knowledge on where the wall was, and by the blades ability to hook on, how thick the wall was, she got a good estimation on where to hit. However her blade was small and she saw her chances to be small as well. So instead, she lept up, letting the hooked chain guide her way, and she began to swipe rapidly with long waves of her hand, hoping to cover more ground.

Ai, crouched on the ground behind the barrier, witnessed the threat soar right over her and begin to attack the area blindly. Ai witnessed it at her chance to retaliate, even though her illusionry ability was still out of commision. Ai stood and approached her enemy from behind, her cords extending with intention of subduing her.

Althaia frowned considerably, since she felt her hook hit nothing. but as she began to continue, her 6th sense spiked. Nothing was ahead of her.. or so she felt, and her sensible human mind agreed, 'No point in going past the hooked blade..' So she decided to try again, thus she dropped without any notice, her feet facing the ground ready to land.

Then, with sudden intensity, Ai's cords wrapped around Althaia, restraining each and every one of her limbs as if she were being mummified. They prodded at her body and squirmed all over it, bringing it close to Ai. Ai brought her victim's face close to her own. The cords around her neck were especially threatening.

"As I have stated," Ai said, regardless of her head wound, "This outcome was predetermined. Cease your violence or risk your freedom of thought." Ai could have easily used her ability to possess this target at any time for the sake of both subduing her and gaining information, yet doing so would have required all of Ai's mental concentration, and she was still downloading large amounts of information from the TID, not to mention the fact that she was still hiding her Alien identity from the masses. Possessing another girl could have meant the end of Ai's mission if she couldn't preserve secrecy. Still, having her ring taken could also have had its own set of catastrophic effects.

Althaia smile fell for the first time in this battle, the words she heard made her scared.. not neccesarily because of Ai herself, but because of the disappointment and anger her leader would have for her.. even if she was dead. If she failed, Althaia may be deemed better gone.. She would have quivered if it weren't for the restraintments. The sight of "bigger Al" in front of her.. his face holding that constant frown.. She bit her lower lip. 'No.' In any other situation, she would barely struggle, she may just laugh about it, however this mission was important.. and if she couldn't achieve this much.. Well her fate wouldn't be pretty. Her life was for the Rizzo's, her king! And so her smile again graced her lips, as she remembered her sole purpose once more, "End me. You clearly have the power too." She said, but as she rambled quietly, her lingering flame that traced around the room from her earlier nonstop hopping, began to concentrate to individual forms.. rabbits to be precise. And because of the flames already being present in the room earlier.. it may not spike any suspicion, until they strike. Now like rabbits, they multipled to a number a bit more then the cords.. and once they finished, they attacked with monsterous speed. Their usual innocent expressions turned almost blood thirsty, and that thirst may be the thing that drove them nuts.

Appearing before Ai and Althaia, numbers of them striked different cords.. some towards Ai directly. But the priority was her neck and limbs, so quickly they teared away, freeing Althaia from close to death experience. Not taking any moment to pause, she used the wall as leverage and shot forward, her scythe whipping ahead of her, cutting through cords.. and hopefully at Ai as well. And if she missed, her box animals too were shooting forward, at a closer range, in search of the disguised alien. But due to the seconds before attack, she took good care in forming the chained barrier around her self.

Ai's hesitation nearly led to her downfall. Ai found herself being ripped to shreds quickly and viciously and though she fought back, it almost seemed as if she was an organism that was fated to fall prey to a greater force. Though her Alien parts hardly were effected by physical harm, her human parts were not. So many attacks were directed at Ai, and soon, Ai's actual body would be in danger. Normally, an Alien like herself wouldn't protect their vessels so desperately, yet this vessel was special. As troublesome as it was, Ai had to protect this vessel at all costs.

As Ai found herself nearly overwhelmed by attacks, her mind ran at lightning speed. She only had one hope left. Just as the attacks nearly connected, the barrier that was still behind Ai began to shift in shape. It's shape became distorted and scewed before wrapping itself around Ai in a circular motion, completely encompasing her in a misty shell. All the non-essential external cords that were beyond the barrier's limits were merely shed as Ai was left with many cut ends and injuries to her Alien body, yet nothing serious enough to damage her mind. At the same time, Ai's illusions had completely faded, yet that didn't matter now that she was encompased by this barrier. Unfortunately, surrounding herself in a complete data refusal meant that she had lost connection to the TID, so she could no longer download any data. At the same time, she could not physically sense exactly what was going on outside of the barrier. Ai was completely trapped in her own little pocket of space, seperated from the universe. It may have been a last resort, but it was the only way to preserve both her body and her ring.

With no response from her brother, it was clear that he had no intention of arguing with her decision. With him in a safe place, she would be able to focus on the conflict at hand without worrying about whether or not he was okay. She would leave no time for him to change his mind and follow her either, quickly raising to her feet and turning away from him. However, before she could take her first step, she felt a tug at her skirt and realized that Trevor had reached up and latched onto her with his fingers. Reida frowned at this. The longer she spent here trying to get her brother to follow her instruction, the longer her Guardians would be without her help. She opened her mouth to speak, prepared to be more stern this time, but Trevor's voice reached her ears before any sound could escape her lips.

"You can't go that way."

A confused looked crossed her face as Trevor released his grip from her skirt and took a step back.

"Somebody bad is over there."

"What?"

What followed Reida's question was the sound of a single knock upon the metal doors that parted the hallway. After that, two more echoed through the halls before the door slowly opened and in entered a tall woman whom Reida didn't recognize. Her first thought was how beautiful the strange woman was, almost as if she could be a queen of some faraway land.

"Good day, I am here to take the Vongola Sun Ring. If you would kindly please hand it over."

Reida took a step to the side to poise herself in front of Trevor, her eyes narrowing slightly in a defensive manner. So this was one of the enemies involved in the attack on the gymnasium.

"If it is not complied with, I am allowed to use force."

"She's allowed to? So someone's giving her orders...she's not alone," Reida thought to herself. A feeling of anxiousness itched at the back of her head. If there were others, then they were likely still in the gymnasium where she had left her Guardians. Not only that, but there was a leader. Her mind drifted back to the man she'd first seen in the crowd as she was giving her speech, the one who had made her feel sick at the sight of him. If that man wasn't the one in control of this attack, then whoever it was must be a monster.

"This will be the only time a choice will be given."

Reida was quickly distracted from her thoughts as the light of silvery orb that the strange woman had created reflected in her eyes. This was clearly some form of deathperation flame, but what type it was Reida had no idea. The violet-haired woman outstretched her hand to them, but Reida lifted her arm and placed it in front of Trevor. The Sun ring belonged to no one but him.

Reida's response prompted Trevor to clasp his left hand over his right, completely covering the Sun ring. It was his precious gift from the Sawada family. From his sister. Though his countenance remained stolid and impassive, a distinct sensation began to pervade his body, starting in his gut and working its way out until his entire being was alight with it. The force manifested itself as golden-yellow whisps of flame that peeked out from between his fingers.

There was no way he'd give the ring up so easily.

"Whatever it may be, I will respect it and I hope you will do the same to mine."

"The ring doesn't belong to-"

In a split second, the orb that the woman had been holding sped past them, nearly brushing Reida's ear as it did so before colliding with the wall behind them. She was taken aback by the speed that the object had flown, but it only took a second for her snatch one of the Box Weapons out of her purse and connect it's opening with her ring that was now alight with the orange flickering of her sky flame. This was the very first box weapon she'd ever received, given to her by the 10th Vongola himself. In an instant, the walls glowed with the reflection of the sky flames that engulfed the antlers of Pen, a giant Sky Stag. It stood in front of Reida and her brother, it's head raised high with pride.

"You won't have the sun ring," she said simply, her eyes locked onto the stranger.

As if punctuating Reida's words, Trevor transitioned into a more aggressive stance, balling his fists and bringing his knuckles together like he'd practiced a thousand and one times before. His sun flames leapt from one fist to the other, bathing them both in their glorious golden resplendence. With Pen to the front and big sister to the right, he found it hard to believe that only a single enemy could possibly pose a threat, whoever they were. Though he abhorred fighting, he'd make an exception with the ring at stake, even if he wasn't entirely sure what to do next... besides dodge those orb things.

Deep green eyes reflected nothing but understanding. Elysia did know that the possibility of settling this peaceful was close to nil. However, there was no harm in trying. She would not want to do needless damages to anyone or to anything if possible. "I see. Let us begin then." But, her order must be done at all cost. That is her sole purpose in becoming a Rizzo Guardian. She will not fail her Master at all costs. After stating that, the orb which was implanted on the wall immediately removed itself. She did not move from her spot nor did she seemed bothered by the presence of a Box Animal specifically of the Sky Flames. It made her wonder if she should do the same. However...

She raised her right hand upwards as the orb returned to her as it twirled around the raised limb. Their files had been read and studied by her, but she would have to see them both in action to truly know the extent of their abilities. From that decision, she leveled her arm towards the pair or more aptly, the trio. With that motion, the orb was launched to strike with the intention to hit Reida as she was an obstacle from obtaining the Sun Ring. At the same time, it would not be noticed immediately but somehow, the air around the room or specifically the temperature was altering on a negligible amounts for now.

Trevor took note of the woman telegraphing her move. The smooth, robotic manner in which she raised her arm. The slight narrowing of her eyes as she took aim at his sister. At that moment, he tensed, his mind cleared of all auxiliary worries. He didn't receive much in the way of formal training, and he didn't have a box weapon, but he refused to be helpless.

The moment the orb flew from her grasp, he took the initiative, crouching down and streaming forward like a great golden hurricane, his unwieldy speed coming as a surprise even to himself. Since the attack was not aimed at him, the orb sailed clear over his head. Subconsciously, he was busy internalizing his own Sun flames, using them to activate the full potential of his cells, his tissue, his muscles. This had the transient effect of bolstering his speed and strength to near that of an Olympic athlete. In less than an instant, he cleared the distance between himself and this adversary, his body appearing mere inches before her outstretched palm. Within the same instant, he bent his knees and rocketed straight into the air.

His forward velocity was unbelievable for a human being of his stature, almost as if he'd jumped through time itself.

For him, things seemed to occur in slow motion. He was now sailing through the air a few inches away from the woman, his legs still in jump configuration, his shoulder turned, his right fist cocked back far, wound up like a spring. Even now, he was busy gathering Sun flames along his right arm in order to further strengthen the coming attack, almost like instinct. Amidst all the action, he still managed to maintain his calm icy demeanor, his countenance radiating equipoise—though he was clenching his teeth in concentration.

In the next instant, he twisted at the waist, intuitively unfurling his shoulder to take complete advantage of the momentum of the maneuver, bringing to bear the full might of his fist, gunning for the woman's face.

The attack had enough force behind it to smash concrete.

To most, Elysia's movements would appear rather mechanical, precise, and nothing spectacular. However, her mind was operating with an almost superhuman sense of vision. Everything and everyone around her moved in a slower pace, similar to that of slow-motion video. Despite the seemingly surprising speed that the Sun Guardian displayed, she was still able to see him coming and aptly dodged it by casually stepping aside, allowing his small fist to hit the door behind her.

With her orb still in play for the Sky Guardian, she simply looked at him with those seemingly empty yet melancholic eyes of hers.

Trevor ended up with his arm buried up to the shoulder in the steel reinforced door, its jagged remains turning the sleeve of his otherwise dapper suit jacket into confetti. Though he was facing the door, he angled his eyes to the left, catching the woman in his peripheral vision. Her movements were baffling. She didn't seem surprised by his speed at all, though he was sure she should have been. He'd poured everything he had into that attack. It was almost as if she knew he could do that—would do that.

With a tortured screech, the door buckled inward and Trevor yanked his arm from it, taking the opportunity to put a bit of distance between himself this adversary. Blood oozed from the lengthy lacerations he'd incurred by slamming his limb through reinforced metal, but if he was in pain, his face surely didn't show it. The Sun flames were already taking their effect, activating his cells and healing his wounds. After a few moments, there was no evidence that he'd even been wounded in the first place, save for the crimson tinge of his sleeve's remains.

"You're weird," he muttered, backing away even further, once again covering the ring on his right hand with his left.

The Sun Guardian described her as weird. Elysia pondered that word briefly. It was similar to the word odd, which had been an attachment of her by many. She was aware of her mannerisms and seemingly inhumane aspects, but that was caused by the flame residing deep within her body. Its attempts to freeze her or at a grander stage, to stop time itself, but of course, that could not be possible at this point. So, it only does what it could for now, slow everything for her, and just her.

Perhaps...

She did not continue that thought as it was taking her attention to the matter at hand. She was to retrieve the Sun Ring and no one would stand in her way to complete that one order by her Master.

WARNING: SIGNAL VERY LOW. CONNECTION LOST.

Amidst the cold, it was locked in place. Metal, frozen in a most peculiar pose—as if in a struggle. As if it longed for life. For breath. For warmth. It had reached forward with all its might, slowly rusting over, savoring every glorious inch, grasping at a land far away, a goal out of bounds, its dark limbs frozen in time, its heart in another place.

Floating, in this foreign space.

Lost.

An anachronism, twisting arm over arm in a sea of black. Bathing in it, crushed under it, smothered within it, but not destroyed by it. No. It was at home here.

More than any other environment, it was built to withstand this one.

WARNING: SIGNAL—

Distant orbs winked and twinkled in varying shades and hues, some obscure, deep, and wide; others closer, shallower, narrower. All of them capricious, eager to boast of their bounties—of light, of life—but wholly unwilling to share. It did not particularly mind, however, for what it had was enough. Enough to keep going, to keep running. In spite of the pittance they offered, it managed to accrue its own light, howbeit dim. Fleeting.

Internally, that very same light flickered, the array of diodes behind the glass befogging once more before becoming luminous, taking up a new configuration—a new message, sprawled across the screen's glossy surface, half hidden behind frost and ice.

REESTABLISHING CONNECTION...

It could feel him. See him. Sense him. Sense the heart. It's heart.

That was its primary purpose, after all. It was built to sense. To detect. Deduce. Aggregate information efficiently and effectively, and then deliver it. Even now, absent a master, it attempted to fulfill its purpose.

Once again, it attempted to reach out—not with its motionless limbs or silent voice, but with something much greater. A system crafted at the pinnacle of science. A force born of mankind's destiny, forthcoming.

For the umpteenth time, it made contact with its heart... but only barely. It was as nothing more than the faint caress of a phantom, a whisper across the nape.

Yet, for one infinitesimally brief instant, its heart reached back.

CONNECTE—
WARNING: SIGNAL VERY LOW. CONNECTION LOST.

But it wasn't enough. The link was too unstable, it's heart much too far away... but with the passing of each torturous eternity, it gained proximity. Here and now, the inescapable tug of the colossal blue hastened its dreary pace.

It was getting closer. I wouldn't be much longer now.

Akio Yamada

In one swift move, it seems the man had somehow gotten behind Akio, this through him off guard a bit. He was sure that the man didn't move behind him, he would have heard that. Its almost like the man just appeared behind Akio out of thin air. Akio had never seen anything like it before, but before Akio could question the man on this he was interrupted by a loud and a condescending laugh telling him to hand over his ring. This pushed the other man and his actions out of Akio's mind. If there was one thing Akio couldn't stand it was people looking down on him. He had to deal with that from his parents and siblings, He wasn't going to take it from some random sümük. Akio, wanting to keep his cool demeanor in front of an enemy, composes himself " Ok dude, but when you're laying on the ground in pain in a few minutes I want you to remember." Akio would pause as he quickly opens his eyes."You asked for this." As Akio readied himself he noticed a different feeling than when he spars with his mother. His opponent had an odd wind about him. It was almost like Akio could feel his malice, his bloodless, his killing intent. For some odd reason this gave him a rush of excitement. He thought to himself "This is awesome! This uplifting feeling I can't get from training with Mom. This tingling, to fight without hesitation or thought of how to defeat my opponent! Just knocking him down with all my might!" He grinned itching to start this fight. In the back of his mind, he knew he should go look for the others but he couldn't help himself. He only hoped that 11th wouldn't be too mad at him for not following her order. His grip on his hilt tighten as the tension begin to build. Akio slowly started to circle around around to his opponent meticulously listening to every sound his opponent made. Nothing about his opponent really stood out to him other then the fact he was bold enough to pull a knife on a swordsman. Ether he was extremely cocky or extremely good. Akio couldn't wait to find out which.