"Onee-san, happy birthday!"

Tsuna held out a small box to Irina, who blinked in surprise.

"Tsuna-kun? How did you know...?"

The brunet smiled warmly, winking at her.

"I have my ways."

Irina took the small box and opened it, smiling at the sky-blue earrings that were within. They were twin snowflakes.

"Arigatou, Tsuna-kun. I'll wear them tomorrow."

Tsuna grinned and patted her head.

"Have fun."

Irina smiled brightly at him.

"Hai~!"

But once Tsuna was gone, Irina looked at the ground dejectedly.

"Yeah...I'll have fun....." '....Everyone else forgot....'

~~
//(Five Days Later)//

Tsuna was sad that Irina's birthday was forgotten by everyone else.

But the students then had an idea of pairing Irina back with Karasuma again, so they took Irina away and had fun with her as they talked separately with Karasuma.

The group decided on getting Karasuma to give flowers to Irina.

....It didn't end very well.

Karasuma had given the flowers to Irina in a cold way; her heart was a little torn.

Tsuna sighed softly as Irina walked out of the school, her new snowflake-shaped earrings glinting slightly in the sunlight; he quickly jogged over to her.

"Onee-san..."

She whipped her head around to see Tsuna; her eyes were shimmering slightly with unshed tears, but her face was expressionless.

"What do you want?"

Tsuna said nothing, but he brought her into a hug; Irina struggled briefly, but she gave up and simply placed her forehead on the brunet's shoulder.

"......He didn't care. He didn't care at all........"

The brunet merely ran a hand through her hair as she continued to speak.

"But I suppose...that's alright.....heh......"

Her voice wavered, but no tears soaked Tsuna's suit; he hummed softly.

"...I'll walk you home, okay?"

"....Okay."

He took her hand and started to guide her down the mountain.

~~

The two were now walking through the empty streets of the city.

The brunet suddenly felt a pressure in the air.

Tsuna stopped walking, causing Irina to bump into his back.

"Tsuna-k--?"

The brunet held a finger to his lips, eyes slightly wide with worry.

'Sh**....how couldn't I have sensed this bloodlust before? It's so...thick.'

"Ah. That would be the fragrance of the flowers. They contain a chemical to dull the five senses, including the senses of the famed Hyper Intuition."

Tsuna quickly pulled Irina behind himself as he turned around to see a silveret man standing beside a van filled with flowers.

He smiled calmly as he held a bouquet of flowers out to Tsuna.

"Would you like one, S a w a d a T s u n a y o s h i ?"

Tsuna grimaced, stepping backwards and pushing Irina behind him further.

"Ah...no thank you."

Irina was also on alert.

'I've never seen Tsuna-kun this worried....besides the times when the students are in danger...'

The man smiled.

"...Hm~you're not like what the reports said--"

Swish, smack!

The florist raised his arm in time to block at roundhouse kick from Tsuna; the silveret blinked in surprise, smile wiped off of his face.

Tsuna tsked and quickly retracted his leg, dragging Irina along as they dashed away from the silveret man.

When the two were gone, the florist lowered his arm.

Slowly....a wide smile formed on his face.

"Definitely not like what the reports said. Hehehe......i n t e r e s t i n g ~ !"

<<(With Tsuna & Irina)>>

The brunet squeezed Irina's hand as they dashed through the empty streets; the blonde woman was looking at the Decimo worriedly.

'He's really unnerved.'

Tsuna then let go of Irina, pushing her in front of him; she looked back at the brunet with surprise.

"Tsuna-k--?"

"You should....go on ahead. I'll catch up--don't worry."

The brunet had his fedora tugged down as he faced Irina; there was a smile on his lips.

"I....I won't be long. Get to a more populated area; I'm sure you'll be a little more safe there."

Irina narrowed her gaze.

"Are saying I'm weak!? Wh--!?"

"No. I just....want you safe, okay?"

Tsuna lifted his head, and Irina was able to see his worried eyes.

"Please. Go on ahe--"

"T o o l a t e ~"

The florist--no, hitman--from before stood behind Irina; his grin was wide and disturbing.

Tsuna widened his gaze as he quickly jumped in front of Irina, pushing her to the ground.

Slash!

......Plip......plip...

Tsuna's fedora fell to the ground.

Irina stared at the brunet with shock.

"Ts-Tsuna-kun! Your hand--!"

"A simple flesh wound. Don't worry."

Tsuna had his gaze narrowed as he held the bladed part of the knife that the hitman tried to hurt Irina with.

The silveret grinned.

"Let's have a few introductions, neh? I am the G o d o f D e a t h . But the Shinigami is fine too."

He made a mock bow while backing away, letting his knife go.

Tsuna narrowed his gaze further as he threw the knife to the side, keeping Irina behind him.

"Well....Shinigami-san....this is not...a very warm greeting....."

Irina stared at Tsuna's injured hand worriedly; the knife had pierced completely through the brunet's palm.

'He's limited to use one hand now!'

Tsuna sighed as the Shinigami continued to smile.

"Well...I was hoping for a peaceful night...."

Swish, thunk, thunk!

The Shinigami ducked his head in time to dodge two xacto knives that Tsuna threw; they became stuck in the wall a few meters behind the man.

The brunet then brought out three pieces of chalk, smiling wryly as he flicked them at the silveret man.

They immediately turned into dust upon contact with the wall behind the Shinigami as the man dodged once more.

The Shinigami grinned widely as he brought out a pocket knife, flicking it in the air a bit before lunging at Tsuna.

Tsuna rolled under the Shingami's attack and sent a backhanded fist at the silveret man's head.

Crack!

Solid contact.

The Shinigami stumbled forwards; Tsuna quickly dragged Irina behind him once more.

The hitman regained his balance and rubbed the back of his head; he brought his hand up to view.

"Oh my.....I'm bleeding."

Slowly, chuckles started to get emitted from his mouth.

It then melted into crazed laughter.

"Fu.....hahahaHAHAHA. I....h a v e n ' t b l e d i n a l o n g t i m e ."

Black mist rolled off of the Shinigami as he turned to face Tsuna, eyes glinting ominously.

"Too bad though. I would've wanted to go all out with you....if you weren't poisoned, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Right when he finished his sentence, Tsuna fell to the ground, kneeling; the brunet's face was pale and he had beads of sweat rolling down his face.

Irina looked at the brunet worriedly; then she saw the blade that The Shinigami had used at the beginning of the fight.

'It's poisoned!'

Tsuna gritted his teeth.

'My flames aren't burning the poison out of my system! Wha--?'

The brunet made eye contact with the Shinigami and froze; the man smiled in return.

*The poison on that blade is very special. I made it for Dying Will flame-users, so they can't burn the poison off so fast.*

Tsuna's eyes flickered; he breathed heavily as he looked over at Irina.

"O...nee-san.....get...out...of...here......I...can...hold him...off--"

"Shut up! I'm not just leaving you here, you idiot!"

The brunet blinked owlishly at the sudden outburst.

Irina then stood in front of Tsuna, arms spread wide; she chewed on her lip as she stared at the Shinigami in front of her.

"....Please spare Tsuna-kun. You're just trying to get rid of contest that are after the octopus, right? I'm your target--not Tsuna-kun! I'll kill myself if I must--don't harm him, d*** it!

The brunet gritted his teeth as he struggled to his feet.

"Onee-san...this...isn't...the time...to--"

The Shinigami was suddenly there, pinning Tsuna to the wall by the throat with one hand.

The hitman smiled.

"Now, now....let her speak her mind, Tsunayoshi-kun."

Tsuna glared; the Shinigami chuckled.

"So fierce. I believe you should deserve the name Young Lion instead of that spinless, power-hungry fool, Iemitsu."

The brunet gritted his teeth as he sent a kick at the Shinigami's gut, but the silveret man was able to hold firm since Tsuna was in a weakened state.

The hitman smiled serenely and tightened his grip slightly as a warning as he then turned his head to look at Irina.

"...Continue please."

Irina flitted her gaze over at Tsuna worriedly before hardening her eyes as she looked at the Shinigami; she took a calming breath.

"I....I can help you capture that octopus. It...It won't take much--you just need to bait him."

Tsuna narrowed his gaze.

"Onee-san..don--"

Slam!

The Shinigami slammed the brunet into the wall, causing a few cracks to appear behind Tsuna.

Irina bit her tongue, trying not to call out in alarm to Tsuna as she continued to speak with the Shinigami.

"You can kill the d*** octopus by yourself when you have him captured. I-In return...you can spare Tsuna-kun and everyone else..." 'Sh**. I stuttered.'

The hitman tilted his head thoughtfully; Tsuna's vision was starting to black out as the Shinigami gave his answer.

"....Alright. I'll spare Tsunayoshi-kun along with everyone else."

F***ing liar.

Despite his near unconscious state, Tsuna could tell that the Shinigami was lying.

He tried to speak, but he found that his windpipe was crushed from the time the Shinigami slammed him into the wall; he couldn't form a single word.

The Shinigami then handed a drug to Irina so she could knock herself out to look like she was captured and defeated; she slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The silveret man then turned to look at Tsuna and smiled, his eyes relaying a message to the brunet.

*Now, now, Tsunayoshi-kun. What's wrong with telling a few lies to soothe her worries?*

*You son of a b***--*

The Shinigami tightened his grip threateningly; his smile was still present.

*Language, Tsunayoshi-kun. Don't worry--I'll make your death painless when this is all over. Iemitsu's paying a fine price for your head.*

Tsuna finally blacked out.

'Sh**.'

~~
<<(With Class E)>>

Koro-Sensei's face had the pattern of a soccer ball as he grinned widely at his students.

"Nurufufu~please call me if there is any activity from Irina-Sensei or Tsuna-Sensei. Sensei must go to Brazil to watch a football game."

And the octopus zoomed off, out of the window.

The students sweatdropped.

"He's a typical once-a-year casual fan. And he's normally a baseball guy--never knew he was a fan of football..."

The students then fell into silence; Megu spoke first.

"I wonder if Bitch-Sensei is alright."

"She has Tsuna-Sensei--I'm sure he can protect her."

"I can't reach her cell phone though."

"Do you think....she would leave because of this?"

And then a more adult voice entered the conversation.

"That won't happen--she still has things to do here."

"Yeah...."

Everyone froze and turned to the new voice.

The newcomer suddenly appeared in front of the classroom, setting his bouquet of flowers on the desk in front of him; he smiled serenely at everyone.

"I...am the G o d o f D e a t h . And today, I will be giving you all a lesson."

As the man gave his....'lesson', it was soon discovered that he had Irina captive.

But, before he left, he reached for his bouquet and pulled something out of the collection of flowers; the silveret smiled as he turned to face the class.

"Oh...before I leave...I should give you this."

The object fell to the wooden floor.

It was a fedora.

Tsuna's fedora.

And there was blood on it.

"Ts-Tsuna.....-Sensei....?"

The Shinigami smiled as he threw his bouquet into the air, and he disappeared as it fell apart around him.

The students were left in confusion and turmoil.

"What should we do?"

"Koro-Sensei's gone, and we don't know when Karasuma-Sensei will return!"

"And do you think...Tsuna-Sensei is...?"

"No way! He's...stronger than that...."

Ryoma then waved over at them, gaining their attention.

"Don't you think it's time....to use those...?"

They looked at what he was talking about.

"....The super gym clothes..."

Rio and the others looked a bit hesitant.

"Didn't we say we would use those to protect someone?"

Taiga sighed, smiling wryly.

"Well...even if she's a b****, we do owe a bunch of stuff to her."

And Megu hardened her gaze.

"And Tsuna-Sensei has watched over us and protected us--we need to return the favor."

They then came up with the solution of following the map that the Shinigami left behind.

They were going to get Irina and Tsuna back.

~~

Karasuma walked down the streets; a small flower fell in front of him.

The ravenet picked it up and handed it to the silveret man in front of him.

"You should be careful. Your merchandise might get stepped on."

"Ah! Thank you....actually, as a sign of gratitude, take one."

Karasuma blinked with slight surprise.

"...This is a flower I've seen recently..."

The silveret man turned to look at the Government Agent.

"That's a gerbera; it's a rather delicate flower."

The florist stared into Karasuma's eyes, smiling brightly.

"You're probably the type to prefer flowers that bloom robustly in the wild, but....a flower you carry, will soon wilt if you don't give it water."

Karasuma blinked dumbly before tucking it into his suitcase.

".....Thank you. I'll do my best to keep it alive..."

The ravenet walked away, missing the florist's wide smirk.

~~

Karasuma looked at the school building before him, frowning slightly.

'...It's too quiet...'

He quickly entered.

Right when he did, he saw Tsuna's Guardians; they were looking a little worried.

Hayato noticed him first.

"Karasuma-san....have you seen anyone lately? Tsuna-sama hasn't returned home yet. We were about to enter the school, but then you appeared."

Karasuma frowned.

"You haven't seen anyone yet?"

Hayato shook his head: 'no'.

They entered the building.

They stopped at the homeroom class and opened the door.

Setting sunlight filled the room, making it look orange.

....There was someone there.

It was a ravenet.

He held a bloody fedora in his hands.

The ravenet then placed it onto his head, ignoring the stains.

The air was slightly heavy...with the bloodlust emanating from the ravenet.

He turned around to face the group, curly sideburns bouncing slightly at the movement.

"....Chaos."

Hayato and the Guardians straightened up reflexively; the Storm's eyes were wide with shock.

"....Y...Y-You are....!"

Hayato couldn't finish--too shocked beyond words.

The ravenet stalked up to them; the fedora gave his eyes a more dangerous look.

A green lizard crawled onto his shoulder.

"...Where the he** is Dame-Tsuna?"

~~
<<(With the Students)>>

...It wouldn't have been called a fight.

Even Nagisa's special move was defeated.

The Shinigami easily defeated the students with his experience.

And--unfortunately--Irina betrayed them.

The students couldn't find Tsuna; he wasn't in any of the rooms that they searched in the warehouse.

And now....they were all cuffed and back in a cell.

Explosive collars were also placed onto their necks.

But...while they were in there, the screen inside the cage showed a video; the students smiled with relief.

"It's Karasuma-Sensei, Koro-Sensei, and.........who's that?"

Everyone stared at the unfamiliar man on the screen.

The ravenet was wearing Tsuna's fedora, so....

"A friend of Tsuna-Sensei?"

"Possibly...?"

<<(With Karasuma)>>

The Government Agent sweatdropped slightly.

'What the f*** did I do to deserve this?'

Karasuma was currently holding a leash....that was connected to Koro-Sensei...who was a dog...

Sniff, sniff, sniff...

"Nurufu~it's here. I was naturally able to find the hideout with my sense of smell after dressing up as a dog."

"What's so natural about this?"

Koro-Sensei then discarded his outfit, looking over at the fedora-wearing ravenet.

"Not to be rude, but was it alright to leave Hayato-kun and the others there?"

The mysterious man nodded.

"Ah. Having them all here would actually go overboard with attacking this 'God of Death'."

Koro-Sensei nodded thoughtfully.

"I see....and now would be a good time to enter."

Once they entered the room, a wall moved, revealing the Shinigami and a 'captured' Irina.

Karasuma and Koro-Sensei called out in alarm.

"Irina/Irina-Sensei!"

The ravenet with the fedora merely studied the situation.

The Shinigami smiled serenely as his bloodlust rolled off of him.

"Konbanwa, Karasuma-san, Target-san and....who might you be?"

The silveret gazed at ravenet with the fedora.

The ravenet was silent, merely observing the Shinigami; the silveret man continued to smile.

"Haha....not much of a talker, are you? There was a brunet that was wearing that fedora before was kind enough to make a conversation with me."

The Shinigami continued to smile.

"Anyways....all of them are wearing collars that I can detonate. You wouldn't want them to die, no?"

Koro-Sensei and Karasuma tensed while the fedora-wearing ravenet continued to keep an expressionless mask on; the Shinigami widened his smile.

"Good."

The God of Death then threw Irina in front of the three; she landed with a grunt.

Karasuma checked up on her, but suddenly, she shot Koro-Sensei's foot, surprising the octopus.

Irina then pressed a button and a trapdoor opened underneath Koro-Sensei.

The Shinigami was able to shoot Koro-Sensei's tentacles away so the octopus could fall the entire way down.

They all quickly went down stairs, and they found that Koro-Sensei was inside of a cage along with the students; the Shinigami smiled brightly.

"Haha! Well, that was easy!"

The God of Death then explained about his plan of drowning the students along with Koro-Sensei, causing them all to tense up.

Karasuma studied the people that were in the cage before turning to the God of Death, narrowing his gaze.

"....Where is Sawada?"

The Shinigami smiled and pressed a button.

Another door opened up from inside the cage, above the group of students.

Koro-Sensei widened his eyes in realization and quickly darted underneath the chute.

Thump!

The octopus had quickly reached his tentacles out to catch.......a very bloody...Tsuna.

"TSUNA-KUN/TSUNA-SENSEI/SAWADA!"

The Decimo was breathing--barely.

The brunet was quickly set on the ground; the Shinigami outside of the cage smiled brightly.

"Even with that poison in his system, he put up quite the fight. He nearly escaped five times! So...you can see I had to....kindly teach him not to escape every single tim--"

A bullet pierced through the God of Death's forehead......or that's what the silveret felt.

The Shinigami widened his eyes as he snapped back to reality.

'What...was that? Did I just die? No.....that was....pure killing intent....'

Tap.

The fedora-wearing ravenet was suddenly right in front of the God of Death.

In a blur, the ravenet gripped the front of the Shinigami's coat and threw him right through a wall.

Everyone watched with gaping mouths as some loose concrete fell to the floor from the man-sized hole in the wall.

The fedora-wearing man cracked his knuckles and shook his hand out.

He tapped a shoe on the floor, causing his fedora to hide his expression as he lowered his head.

"Hey......do you know.....what you've just done?"

His voice was low and smooth; it held authority--like Tsuna's--and a hint of venom.

He flicked his fedora up to reveal cold, onyx eyes.

".....You've crossed the d*** line, you sh**y brat."

The Shinigami rolled out of the way in time to dodge a rain of bullets; he quickly hid behind the wall he was just thrown through.

The God of Death narrowed his eyes slightly as he called out to the ravenet, a maniacal smile starting to form at his lips because of the excitement of a possible worthy opponent.

"Haha.....can I have a name?"

Ga-chack! Clink, clink, clink.....

The fedora-wearing ravenet reloaded his black pistol as empty bullet cartridges rolled along the ground; he then reached up for the lizard on his fedora, who turned a bright red, showing his anger in colors.

"....My name? Heh......I am....Reborn, the World's Greatest Hitman. And you should be happy......."

The ravenet, Reborn, twirled his pistols--a red Leon and a normal black one--on his index fingers before clicking the safety off of both of them.

His fedora shadowed one eye, and the visible one was onyx ice.

".....You have just become number one on my hit list."

Reborn dashed through the man shaped hole as the Shinigami bolted. Karasuma quickly ran after the two, leaving Irina with the others.

Irina stared at Tsuna's body numbly.

"....Tsuna...-kun...."

<<(With Reborn)>>

'This...little...piece...of...sh**!'

Reborn brought both of his pistols in front of him, aiming at the bolting God of Death.

"Mayhem."

Rapid fire was heard, and Reborn shot his entire round of bullets that he had in his pistols.

His normal one ran out, but Leon was still able to fire.

The Shinigami grinned widely as he quickly brought out his own pistols, turned around and fired at every bullet Reborn shot; the two attacks nullified each other.

The ravenet reached into his suit and brought out a new load of bullets.

Ga-chack! Clink, clink, clink....

Reborn quickly hid behind a corner as the Shinigami fired at him while he reloaded.

He jumped away from the corner and leveled his guns.

"Catastrophe."

He pointed his guns sideways and fired; the bullets ricocheted randomly off of the walls, but they all soon deflected towards the Shinigami.

The silveret recieved a few scratches but nothing too serious....yet.

Reborn then hid behind the next corner.

The ravenet then pocketed his normal gun and looked at the red pistol in his hand.

"Leon."

The lizard flickered green for a brief second as confirmation before turning a bright red once more.

Reborn wrapped his finger around the trigger as he rolled out into the hallway, dodging a rain of bullets.

The ravenet then got back onto his feet and dashed at the Shinigami, leveling his pistol.

"Silent Killer."

The sound was muffled as Reborn shot a round of bullets out into the open.

These bullets were special--they were invisible

The Shinigami didn't see it coming.

But, with his instincts, the God of Death was able to move to the side.

Shunk!

The Shinigami winced as his shoulder got pierced through by an invisible bullet, and his right ribcage was scrapped by one.

'Heh....at least it wasn't my heart....'

The God of Death then dashed through a row of doors, setting his traps up to be ready; the doors slammed shut behind him.

Reborn stopped at the first door.

Tap, tap, tap...

The hitman turned his head to see Karasuma catching up with him.

The other ravenet stopped right next to the other.

"Did you get him?"

Reborn tsked.

"Only a d*** scratch."

(O.D.D.-.....A bullet through the shoulder is a scratch? (O_O))
(Reborn- It is in my world. (￣ー￣))
(O.D.D.- I see.... (￣◇￣; ))
(Reborn- I need to blast his entire f***ing arm off in order to call it an
injury. （￣+ー￣））
(O.D.D.- Is.....Is that so......? Haha...ha...ha......I'm gonna go hide for a bit. ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(;￣◇￣)┘)

Karasuma placed a hand onto the handle of the first door.

"...There's a trap here."

Reborn merely rolled his shoulders before walking away from the door.

"Humph.....if that d*** brat is gonna play it that way, then I'll leave him to you. I need to head back to those kiddies. But when you're done with those traps," Reborn cocked his pistol. "I'm gonna give him he**."

Leon morphed back into a lizard, still red, as he flicked his tongue out two times before circling once on Reborn's hand as the hitman raised it to his eye level.

"Yeah, I know. We'll get him later on--don't you want to help out Dame-Tsuna?"

Leon immediately turned into a gray shade, showing that he was dejected.

"Don't get so depressed. If that idiot's dead, then I'll bring him back to life and kill him myself."

Leon regained his green color and quickly crawled up Reborn's arm and onto his shoulder.

The hitman then looked back at Karasuma, who was shrugging off his suit top and setting it on the side.

".....Don't beat kick his a** just yet--that's my job."

Reborn then walked away, glancing over his shoulder to see Karasuma activate the first trap.

The hitman placed a hand over his fedora so it wouldn't get blown away by the explosion.

The smoke dispersed and Karasuma walked away unscathed; Reborn smirked slightly.

'Using the Ukemi Technique while also using the door as a makeshift shield. Not bad....'

The hitman sighed as he then quickly stalked down the hallways, heading back to the students.

~~

Karasuma was able to get through all of the traps with ease.

Irina then came at Karasuma from behind, stopping the ravenet from going any further.

The Shinigami then set off an explosive above the two, causing rubble to fall on both of them.

Karasuma was able to get out unscathed, but Irina....was pinned down; the Government Agent looked at her with shock.

The Shinigami smiled serenely and spoke despite the wall of rubble separating him from Karasuma.

"She was so lost; it was almost cute. You were distracted by her, so your reaction was delayed."

The God of Death turned on his heel and started to walk away.

"Now you won't be able to chase me for a while. I'll just stroll along into the final stage of my plan."

Karasuma tsked, and then his phone made a noise; the Government Agent recognized it as Koro-Sensei's voice.

"Karasuma-Sensei! It looked as if there was an explosion on the monitor. Are you alright!? And Irina-Sensei!?"

Karasuma looked over at Irina with a furrowed brow.

"...She's pinned under some rubble......but I don't have time to worry about that. I need to do something about the rubble blocking my path from the God of Dea--"

"NO!"

It was Hinano.

"Why aren't you helping her, Karasuma-Sensei!?"

Karasuma frowned slightly as he responded.

"...In her own way, she sought results, and she joined forces with the God of Death...and this is the outcome of that. I won't blame her, nor will I help her. A full fledged pro takes full responsi--"

"This has nothing to do with being a pro or whatever! I'm saying this as a fifteen year-old, but Bitch-Sensei is only twenty!"

And then Touka spoke up.

"Yup. Even though she's an adult with loads of experience, she's even more childish than us, isn't she?"

Hinano's voice came through once more.

".....Maybe...because she was raised in an environment with no peace of mind, Bitch-Sensei, while growing up, forgot to pick up certain pieces of her adulthood."

Karasuma blinked in surprise as Touka spoke again.

"...Help her out, Karasuma-Sensei. You forgive us students when we make mistake, so forgive Bitch-Sensei too."

Karasuma furrowed his brow slightly.

"It'll be a loss of time, and you guys will die."

"It's alright!"

The other students spoke up.

"The God of Death will probably come back without fulfilling his goal, so stay right there, Karasuma-Sensei."

The phone call ended.

Karasuma was a bit stunned, but he shook his stupor off and looked over at Irina.

He glanced back at the rubble that was blocking way before looking back at Irina once more.

He sighed and quickly dashed over to the blonde woman.

The ravenet bent down and lifted the heavy rubble up.

Irina's eyes fluttered open to see Karasuma lift the objects up.

He huffed as he looked down at her.

"I'll shoulder the heavy stuff for you. Try and stand, alright?"

~~

The God of Death entered the control room and found....that the students, Tsuna and Koro-Sensei...were missing....from the cage--without the bars being destroyed.

The God of Death set off a few of the collars, but he found that the students had took off the explosive devices with force without triggering it.

::(Flashback)::

Reborn returned to where the students were; he noted that Irina was gone.

The students looked at him with slight awe and shock, but his question snapped them out of their dazes.

"How's Tsuna?"

Koro-Sensei's grin didn't have his usual spark.

".....He's not in any danger--that's the good news--but he has suffered....very painful injuries. It....it will take a while to heal...."

Reborn raised his hand and gripped the tip of his fedora tightly; his knuckles went white for a moment before he relaxed.

".....You don't have to worry. Knowing him for years....he'll be trying to get out of bed the next day."

Reborn smiled wryly at the group.

The students looked at him with genuine curiosity.

"How do you know Tsuna-Sensei?"

'So that idiot became a teacher in this world? How amusing.' "Tsuna? Ah....well, he's my son."

"........"

"................."

"..............................."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"

Reborn smirked.

'Ah. How I love messing with people.'

The ravenet then stepped closer to the cage; Rio grinned.

"Fufu~I can see where Tsuna-Sensei got his looks then."

Reborn continued to smirk.

"Why I'm flattered. You kiddies aren't so bad."

The hitman then stopped before the cage; he stared at Tsuna through the bars.

'.........You d*** idiot, Tsuna. Every time I'm not there, you get beaten to a pulp. I'm going to schedule a few spars with you once you recover.'

Reborn sighed softly as he tipped his fedora at them.

"Are you guys getting out?"

The students nodded.

"We have a plan. But....we don't know how we'll hide Tsuna-Sensei...."

It was easy to see that they were afraid to move the brunet's body anymore.

Reborn then reached up for Leon, nodding to the lizard on his hand before setting him on the ground.

Leon quickly crawled through the bars and transformed into a blanket, throwing himself over Tsuna.

The students watched with amazement as Leon camouflaged himself with the ground, hiding Tsuna perfectly.

Reborn tipped his fedora up and walked away.

"I'll be out of the camera's view for now. You kids can do whatever you have planned."

With that, the students quickly went to work and used their special clothes and gear to camouflage themselves in the cage.

::(Flashback End)::

<<(With Irina & Karasuma)>>

"There, this should do for now."

Karasuma used his shirt as a binding for the makeshift brace on Irina's broken arm.

Suddenly, blood spurted from Irina's nose; Karasuma jolted slightly in surprise.

"Oi, you're bleeding!"

Irina shakily wiped her nose.

"Er...it's nothing...you....you just have such a toned body; I just got excited....."

Karasuma deadpanned the other.

"I thought there was something wrong with your brain, but I guess this is normal to you."

The ravenet sighed as he gave one last tug on her brace.

"Even though they were tricked by you, the students were concerned for your wellbeing. After hearing that....I felt so small for being fixated on the boundaries of a pro."

He looked her in the eye.

"I was lacking compassion. I'm sorry."

Irina blinked in surprise; a warmth filled her chest.

Karasuma then perked up.

"The Shinigami's coming back--just like the students said."

The ravenet then stood up, walking away as he continued to speak.

"It may be different from the world you were raised in, but....the students still need you in their world."

~~

'How did they escape!?'

The Shinigami clicked his tongue as he exited the control room; he blasted the rubble away and found a bandaged up--but alive and conscious--Irina.

There was no Karasuma in sight.

The God of Death inclined his head.

"Irina.....where's Karasuma?"

She stared at the floor.

".....He went somewhere for another path. You're so mean, God of Death--blowing me up too."

The Shinigami was silent for a while before he smiled bright and sheepishly.

"Aah~sorry about that! But if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been able to achieve my goal!"

He smirked.

"Our world is one of deceive or be deceived, right? If you want to complain, I'll make sure to kill you this time."

Irina looked up at him before smiling.

"....It doesn't really matter."

She made a seductive smile as she brushed a few of her bangs back.

"Because....I'm a b**** that moves on to another guy right away."

Suddenly, the God of Death was grabbed from behind.

The hitman turned his head slightly to see that it was Karasuma; the ravenet 'hmph'ed.

"Rather than being overconfident with your skills, maybe you should make some reliable friends."

Karasuma then started to drag the God of Death backwards.

"I don't know what types of tricks you'll be using here, so let's move to a refreshing spot..."

The Shinigami glanced backwards.

'Is this guy....for real!?'

The two jumped off a ledge into a deep pit.

While they were falling, Karasuma spoke.

"I was thinking.......are you really that great of a hitman?"

They broke off from each other.

SPLASH!

They landed in a small pool of water.

The two were immediately on their feet; Karasuma huffed.

"Hm, nice use of the Ukemi Technique--I expected at least that from yo--"

Splosh...

Karasuma blinked at the object floating in the water.

It was.....the Shinigami's face?

The ravenet looked up at the God of Death's face with shock.

The skin was off completely, only revealing the muscle underneath.

"You.....your face....."

The Shinigami smirked.

"I ripped the skin off of my face and tossed it away. On top of mastering the skill of disguise, it was nothing but a hindrance."

He grinned widely.

"The God of Death sacrifices all to polish his skills! Maybe I should kill you and take the skin away from your face too!"

Karasuma scoffed as he got into a fighting stance.

"I ask you to withdraw from this class--you're too much of a detriment to the education of the students."

The Shinigami smirked before lunging at Karasuma.

<<(With the Students)>>

"What was that!?"

"That was your friend and the God of Death."

Class E perked up and saw that Reborn had returned.

"Ah! Eto, Reborn-san right? Do you mean Karasuma-Sensei?"

"Mm."

Leon morphed back into his lizard form; he crawled off of Tsuna' chest and stood next to the brunet's head.

He stuck his tongue out and gave Tsuna a brief comforting lick on the cheek before crawling out of the cage and into Reborn's outstretched hand.

The students dissembled their little trick for the cameras as Koro-Sensei tried to explain what was happening; his eyes were stretched out into the open.

"The God of Death has a knif---ah, no, next is a wire! For this, Karasuma-Sensei...OOOOH, AMAZING! HE DODGES AND COUNTERS WITH AN ELBOW! Ah, it's no good, he's using the knife as a shield. Seeing that he instantly changes to a kick and--uuum, uuuum! B-Both at the same time! THIS IS AN AMAZING FIGHT!"

"Koro-Sensei, you suck at reporting!"

"Nyah!"

The octopus then looked back at the battle.

"....There's no need to worry. Karasuma-Sensei won't be done in so easily. The God of Death possesses a diversity of skill--and all of those skills are on a fearfully high level. No matter how cautious you may be, he can still catch you off guard. So....Karasuma-Sensei has daringly gone into a close range battle, and their location....is a simple water stage with concrete."

Koro-Sensei grinned widely.

"The God of Death cannot set up traps within a regular fight, and Karasuma-Sensei's skill goes beyond that of the Shinigami's."

Reborn then noted that the God of Death was about to do something.

The ravenet glanced down at Leon, who turned into a pistol.

The Shinigami reached into his coat and pulled out a....rose?

He threw it up into the air; Karasuma's eyes followed the flower.

Reborn yawned slightly as he readied his gun at the same time the God of Death aimed his index finger at Karasuma.

The ravenet was about thirty yards away from the two fighters.

".....Questo è per il mio stupido figlio." (.....This is for my stupid son.)

Bang!

The World's Greatest Hitman shot off the God of Death's hidden gun--his robotic finger.

The Shinigami looked at his hand with shock.

'Wha--!?'

Smack!

...

.....

........The God of Death just got socked in the balls.

"UGUOOOOOOOOOOOH!?"

He fell to his knees as Karasuma huffed, raising his fist threateningly.

"So you've finally showed a decisive opening. I'm glad that even the God of Death has some common vital areas."

Irina appeared, climbing down the stairs at the side; she paused at what Karasuma said next.

"Are you ready, God of Death? You laid your hands on my precious students and colleagues."

Irina huffed as she smiled; Karasuma continued as he smirked.

The Shinigami panicked slightly.

"Wait! Wh-Who besides me are you saying can kill--?!"

Karasuma interrupted the other as he cocked his fist back.

"If you want to talk about skills....this class has a full set!"

WHACK!

Karasuma punched the God of Death square in the face.

The punch was so strong that the Shinigami flipped once in the air before hitting his head on the edge of the concrete pool; he fell unconscious.

Karasuma scoffed as he looked at the man.

"Why don't you quit being a hitman? If you go to the Public Employment Security Office, they have plenty of skill."

Koro-Sensei chuckled.

"Nurufu....every student and every teacher--this was a victory won by everyone in the class, wasn't it?"

~~

The God of Death was quickly restrained in his unconscious state.

And Karasuma released the students, Tsuna and.........Koro-Sensei.

'Is there no way to let everyone out except that octopus!?'

The ravenet opened the cage in the end.

Later on, they found Irina trying to escape--though they captured her in the end.

She was surprised to find that they all forgave her; the students grinned.

"If we can't enjoy our school life with some Bitch....then what's the point of us being hitmen and middle school students at the same time?"

"That's right."

They all turned to see Karasuma.

The Agent held up a single, red rose.

"This flower...isn't something I borrowed from the students. Through my own will, I obtained it after defeating the enemy."

He handed it to the stunned Irina.

"For your birthday....will that do?"

The woman blinked....and blinked again before a smile spread across her lips; her eyes teared up slightly.

"...Yes."

Koro-Sensei then spoke up.

"However, Karasuma-Sensei, I would like to say something before this develops into something lascivious."

Karasuma had a tick mark on his head.

"That would never happen, but go on ahead."

Koro-Sensei reached his tentacles out and patted each students' head; his face was slightly red with anger.

"Hereafter...by no means, do I wish for the students to be involved in such a dangerous situation, including all of my teachers. A safe environment to kill and be killed....I strongly suggest that your Ministry of Defense should create one."

Karasuma nodded; his expression was serious once more.

"....I know. I've thought of a way."

While everyone was calming down, Reborn walked into the cage and crouched beside Tsuna's body; Kotaro was patching up the brunet's lesser wounds.

Kotaro lifted his gaze and inclined int slightly before pushing his glasses up.

"Are you him?"

Reborn blinked.

"What do you mean?"

".....Tsuna-Sensei's....'il numero uno dei papà'. I do not know what it means, but....are you him?"

Reborn blinked in surprise at the words.

''My number one dad'? Dame-Tsuna....'

The hitman chuckled lightly.

"Yeah, I'm the one. Tsuna's 'number one dad'."

Kotaro smiled.

"He told me....that you're quite the sadist."

Reborn nearly barked with laughter, but he suppressed it.

"Really now....."

The ravenet looked at Tsuna before looking back at Kotaro.

"Hey, thanks for patching him up. Go to your classmates, I'll take care of Tsuna."

"Okay...."

When the teen was gone, Reborn reached out and gently touched the brunet's head; his hand twitched slightly when he felt dry blood.

Reborn sighed softly.

"....He really messed you up..." 'Should've killed the d*** b*****d when I had the chance.'

The ravenet then took his fedora off as he sat Tsuna up gently.

He placed the fedora on the brunet's head before hoisting the Decimo up carefully.

Reborn then carefully placed Tsuna's arms over his shoulders and gave a piggyback for the brunet.

"....Let's go home, Tsuna."

Even in his unconscious state, a small smile made its way to Tsuna's lips.

~~
//(The Next Day)//

Tweet, tweet, tweet~!

Sunset-orange eyes cracked open; they blinked blearily.

'Sh**......my entire body hurts.....what happ--CR**! ONEE-SAN, KARASUMA-SAN, KORO-SENSEI, MY GUARDIANS AND THE STUDENTS!'

Tsuna tried to sit up, but something pushed him down; the brunet struggled, thinking that it was the Shinigami.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna! It's me! Calm down, idiota!"

The brunet froze at the voice.

The Decimo's vision began to focus more.

He saw....

No....it couldn't be....

Tsuna's voice came out in a soft whisper.

"Re.....Reborn?"

The said hitman quirked his lips up slightly into a smile.

Tsuna blinked his eyes rapidly.

"I....I can't tell if this is a good dream or a really bad nightmare because Reborn never smiles--unless he's tortur--"

Pinch!

Tsuna winced as his cheek was pinched rather harshly by one of Reborn's hands.

"Owie! Ukay, ukay, ah wuz just kidding!" (Okay, okay, I was just kidding!)

Reborn released the brunet's cheek and sighed exasperatedly.

"Sometimes, the one thing I regret teaching you is how to he a smarta**."

Tsuna grinned before wincing, remembering the injuries he had received; he went into panic mode again.

"Is everyone alright? Safe? Uninjured?"

"Yes, yes. They're fine."

Tsuna sighed in relief before looking up at Reborn, a wide grin on his lips; it hurt a bit since his lip was split, but it didn't matter at the moment.

"I could sense you. My Hyper Intuition told me you were here....heh...."

The brunet's eyes glowed warmly.

"Good to see you alive and well, Papà." (Dad.)

Reborn tugged his fedora down before taking it off and stuffing it onto Tsuna's bandaged head.

"......Hmph.....good to see you too, stupido figlio." (Stupid son.)

Moving the fedora out of his eyes, Tsuna could see the slight tint of pink on Reborn's cheeks; the brunet grinned.

"Aww, someone's embarrassed~!"

"That's it, thirty spars with me once you're healed."

"What!? Oh, come on!"

...And just like that......the World's Greatest Hitman returned.

Peacef--

BOOOM!

"Who the he** sets off bombs in the same room a person is recovering in!?"

"Me of course.  Psh, looks like you're as dumb as ever, Dame-Tsuna."

"D*** it, Reborn!"

....Okay....not so peaceful--but the fun and enjoyable days were back.