Tsuna was nervous. That was something quite obvious. He was about to engage in a battle with Enma, why wouldn't he be nervous anyway. Though, the nerves that were wrecking through his being were hidden in sheer determination to get Chrome back. That, and he wanted to talk Enma out of all this. He sincerely believed that Enma would definitely listen to him. 

He, Yamamoto, Gokudera and Ryuuichi pushed the raft to the shore, tying it up immediately so that it wouldn't drift away. As they did, he took a brief glance at Ryuuichi, who was looking around, as though he was searching for something.

Last night, he had confronted the teen when Ryuuichi stayed over. (Reborn was around, hidden in the shadow. Tsuna just knew he was there, even if he couldn't see or feel the hitman's presence) He asked him if he were alright, and all, and he had asked if he could know the reason why he didn't interfere. Ryuuichi, as usual, simply gave him a loop sided smile, all too familiar to him, and said that even if Ryuuichi did interfere, he couldn't change the resulting situation, which was this. And Ryuuichi couldn't, as he had pledge alliance to both Vongola and Shimon. It wouldn't do good to side one.

It wasn't exactly the answer he was looking for, but he pried no further. Ryuuichi looked a bit off course. He still is, actually. 

They walked further into the island and saw a huge entrance and a long stair up the hill. It didn't exactly looked abandoned, so they figured that there were people living on this island. "You were faster than we expected" They looked up to see Shimon. "We've been waiting, Tsuna-kun"

A certain red head in Hyper Dying Will Mode spoke as he looked down, standing in the middle of the others. "You were right about coming alone. If you had brought along a troop, there would have been more dead bodies to deal with"

Tsuna ignored that and asked for Chrome's safety. Much to their dismay, Julie Katou had answered them, sounding quite p----ed. But before anymore were said, Reborn interrupted.

"Wait. Why are they here too? Are you the ones who let those ominous guards onto this island? The guards of the Mafia world" A sudden chill ran down their spine as they snapped their heads to one of the hills. Bandaged men who were holding onto chains stood in their glory. "Vindice!"

"Are they.. Humans?" 

"They were, long ago." Adelheid explained to Enma. "Some call them Death Gods, and others call them devils. They are the most feared in the mafia world. Those who defy their rules are arrested without hesitation and are doomed to spend their life in a water prison that cannot be broken out of"

Ryuuichi silently mused at that. 'They're no death god alright' 

"I don't recall inviting you to this sacred island! Have you come to mourn for Vongola who will soon meet their end?" 

The one in the middle, answered with a voice that sounded so cold that had them freezing for a moment. "No. We live to take revenge. We know no other emotion, besides hatred. We have come here to complete the oath between Vongola Primo, Giotto, and Shimon Cozart." That had their full attention as the Vindice continued. 

"Giotto and Cozart were connected by a strong friendship. Thus, it is impossible for Vongola and Shimon to bear swords against one another. However, should there be such case, then it was deemed our duty to destroy the defeated."

It wasn't any misunderstanding to all this, to Tsuna's horror. Everything felt so damn wrong. His intuition screamed. He felt, he knew, oh how much he knew that there was something going on here, and he didn't know a damn thing what it was.

"This oath has been activated twice. The one to lose this battle shall be locked in our prison forever. The dice have been rolled. Descendants of Giotto and Cozart. Let the battle begin!" 

Ryuuichi momentarilly took a step back when he felt the Vindice looked directly at him. Even though the man's eyes were bandaged, Ryuuichi could definitely feel eyes on him. He inaudibly gulped and stood still. "Historian. You are allowed to watch the battle close up. However, the oath between Vindice and Historian mustn't be broken"

He slowly nodded. His voice were low, cautious as he replied. "I will. I won't interfere in their battles. You have my word"

"We do." In a blink of an eye, a metal collar latched onto Ryuuichi's throat. The teen reached up and grasped it, instinctively trying to tear it off, but it tighten as he did. He was choked slightly at the sudden grasp and glared at the Vindice. He opened his mouth, trying to ask what the hell was that collar for, but his voice wouldn't come out. His eyes widen, feeling his flames being restrained by something. His flames were trashing inside him, trying to get free, but to no avail. He forced it to calm down.

"We have both your word and your flames. You will be temporarily robbed of them until the battle is over as a precaution."

His eyes narrowed. 'Do you not trust me when I gave you my word?' He knew that they could literally hear his voice, slightly relief when the collar loosen a while after he stopped struggling, but the Vindice chose to ignored it. "If you take a step off the boundary, Historian, that collar will crush your throat" 

He snarled at them. It wasn't strange for the Vindice to be this merciless, even to the Historian. (They might just even kill him) Ryuuichi could barely stop every fiber of his being to not tear the stupid thing off his throat. It was suffocating enough, even though it didn't choke him, yet. He huffed, scowling as he nodded. There was nothing he could do about it. He would just have to wait. 

Mist started to surround the Vindice. "We are not here to judge the battle. We do no more than execute the order and the punishments. We shall wait for the moment when the defeated appears. What you must for, in this battle, is your pride. The defeated will be the ones whose pride has been crushed."

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For five hours, they have walked in the forest. Each step had Ryuuichi frowning harder and harder until he was practically scowling. There was something wrong with this island. Or rather, to be specific, the whole atmosphere of this island felt... Strange. He didn't notice it at first, but after he walked through the Arch with Tsuna and the others, he felt the difference more and more. No doubt, there's something to do with the Shimon's abilities.

Or perhaps it's just because there was something restraining his flames at the moment. (He didn't exactly need his flames to record things, and Vindice knew that very well. Curse them. He just couldn't get use to having a restrain on, even if his flames have been sealed for years before. And he was already used to having his flames free, dammit)

They suddenly stumbled upon a open ground, when strong wind blew as though there was a storm. That was when Ryuuichi start up his Sight. The leaves blown pass them, cutting them as it did. "These plants were all grown from the blood of the First Shimon Boss, and re-planted here."

Tsuna could barely blink at the suddenly voice, neither could he see clearly at the person. The wind and leaves slowed slightly for them to see, it was still strong, and still cutting. "And now it's time for these plants to drink up Vongola's blood. That's how it is, in the end" 

"Aoba Koyo!" Ryohei gritted his teeth. "Why are you doing this, Koyo! I thought we fought like a good sportsmen and understood one and another!" 

"It is because a hatred towards Vongola was born within me, that exceeded any understanding we might have had. Besides, I never had any sportsmanship in me to begin with. Do you really think we had the capacity to spend idle time playing sports like you? Thanks to Vongola, we were crushed and crawling around desperately on defeat ground all this time. I've made my decision in order to live! This is my way of taking revenge on you.

"Now then, I'll deal with you all. I can easily defeat you alone."

"We would never team up to fight you! I will fight you one on one, fair and square! That's my pride, as a boxer!"

Ryuuichi smiled at Ryohei's determination. 'And as Koyo's friend, no?'

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"Maximum Sunshine Counter!!"

Ryuuichi squinted his eyes at the blinding light, shielding them from the dust from the strong impact with his arms. The wind was stronger than before and it almost blew his away if he didn't have his feet literally planted onto the ground firmly. Slowly, but surely, the wind subsided. It took them a while to spot both Ryohei and Koyo, but when they did, they saw Ryohei still standing despite the bloody wounds. A sense of relief took over them.

"It's not over yet!"

At the opposite, they saw Koyo still standing as well. Both of them were heavily wounded, but their stubbornness had them standing, as their pride were on the line after all. They couldn't believe it. (Well, Ryuuichi could) They each took a shaky step forward, as though they would topple down sooner or later. "They can't have any power left in them!"

Tsuna couldn't understand why they were driving themselves so hard. Why would they- A twinge of pain hit him when Reborn said that it was their pride. True, this is the battle of Prides, he knew that very well. But he doesn't get the point of getting hurt to the point of almost dying just for the sake of a pride. (But he knew, he get it. Because he himself has a pride he couldn't let go, no matter what)

"Koyo!" "Ryohei!"

The two punched, their fist met. For the first time since the beginning of this battle, they both smiled, contented and satisfied, before falling onto the ground. At the thud, Tsuna, Reborn and Gokudera rushed forward, immediately taking action on giving the two medical attention, only to stop by a cold voice they heard hours ago. 

"The match has ended"

Chains wrapped around Ryohei and Koyo, dragging them into a dark portal. "I have no regrets.." Ryohei said weakly. "I fought with all my pride.. Don't let them take away your pride, Sawada..." 

"Onii-san! What do you mean, my pride?!" 

Ryohei replied with amusement. "Ha.. What's with the face? Just let your heart lead the way.. There's nothing to worry about, Sawada.. Because I know- Your pride!" He groaned out when he disappeared through the portal. Tsuna's heart leaped as he wanted to reach out to Ryohei, but he couldn't.

"Thus, we shall leave behind the first key. That was given to use by Cozart and Giotto" A small bag, or pouch, was floating in front of the Vindice. It confused them, for they heard nothing of 'key'.

Bright lights shot out, and they suddenly saw Giotto, Cozart and G. Ryuuichi merely blinked at that, not really surprised that he was seeing it. The memories behind the money bag, the beginning of the friendship of Giotto and Cozart, and the first key to the truth. 

"We were told to pass this coin pouch to you by Giotto and Cozart. This is the first, of 'The Seven Keys'."

Ryuuichi sighed, feeling weary. There's still six more to come, and the next one just have to be that kid. Well, he wasn't that worried anyway. (Now, what should he do with the stupid headache?)

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When Lambo had disappeared, along with both Gokudera and Tsuna chasing after the child and promptly fell into a hole, Ryuuichi hadn't wake up. He was quite a heavy sleeper, and in addition to his restrained flames, it wore him out more than he had expected. It wasn't until constant yells from the hole nearby and Sora, Kuro and Shiro's growl along with slight shaking shook him awake. His eyes snapped open, a sense of foreboding filled him. He pushed himself up, stumbling as he stood. He was still feeling groggy. He shook his head lightly, slapping himself and walked towards where he deemed the others had fallen into.

And he fell.

He would have yelped loudly if his voice hadn't been taken away. He had fallen into a hole next to the one Tsuna, Gokudera and Reborn were in. They hadn't notice him, or Reborn had. He blinked at the dim dome, peered through one of the holes just in time to see Rauji picking Lambo up and throwing him onto the ground with great strength. He almost immediately scowled, Sight activated without him realizing.

Lambo landed on the ground with a thud. He was muttering his usual catchphrase as he pushed himself from the ground. "En.. Du.. Rance.. Whoa, that was close. I almost cried.." And he turned around so fast they thought his head would just, snapped off his neck. "I got it! Rauji's being shy! Since it's the first time we meet in a little while!" He boisterously shouted, snot and a teeth fallen. It was actually quite relieving that he could still be this positive, even after that.

"Opps! Or could it be a new game that we must lie? 'Play Lie', is it? It begins with 'P', so should we name it 'Poo'?" Ryuuichi double took, sweated at that. He was feeling more awake now. He briefly shook his head, wondering what was that child thinking about.

"Listen, Lambo-san. My boss is only Enma. Enma would never betray me. He's different from a boss of some family." Tsuna's head was down, he could literally feel Rauji's gaze on him. "Contrary to Enma's weak appearance, he's got a strong heart that doesn't wander around. As long as that Enma asked me to fight, I'd fight against anyone with all my might." The trust to the red head was so deep, that even Tsuna was surprised. This had showed that the Shimon has a very tight relationship with each other.

"When I'm done with blood bathing Lambo, I'll kill you guys one by one. Prepare to die" 

Lambo just had to make things more difficult, don't he? "Lambo-san is the one that defeats that big idiot Reborn!" Of course, the said hitman was irritated.

He clearly doesn't get the situation, nor did he realize the tension in the air as he rambled on, on playing with Rauji and the others. He then proceed to take random stuffs out of his hair, from stationary, to so called rare cards, to carcasses of dead cicadas. How did the carcasses was in Lambo's hair, they don't know, and Ryuuichi definitely do not want to find out.

"If Rauji wins against Lambo-san, I'll give it to you! Oh but just the wrapping paper~" And a foot came down onto the stuffs in front of Lambo. "No thanks. I've no intention of playing with you" 

Lambo started tearing up. "Endurance.. No can do... Play with me!!" Lightning flames shot out from the Stone in his hair. Tsuna gasped, noticing that it was the Vongola Gear, probably going to upgrade, which was pretty amazing. The reason was because of the resolve Lambo had to make Rauji his subordinate and play with him, however, which was quite... Illogical.

Though, it did struck hope in all of them. The stone cracked, and a bright glow surrounded Lambo. When the light dispersed, Lambo was wearing a Helm.

Ryuuichi huffed when Lambo took off his helm for it was too tight. He sat back, never taking off his eyes on them through the holes. He couldn't help himself but mused on how large Rauji is, comparing to Lambo. But Lambo was merely five, so it was quite reasonable. Then again, if he was to put Rauji and Yamamoto together side by side, Rauji is definitely larger. It wasn't much a surprise that Rauji took advantage of that, by fighting sumo-style. 

He shook his head when Lambo immediately accepted. That child was hit off simply by a hand, only to have his bazooka shooting himself. Honestly, his fatigue was getting to him again. Perhaps it was because they were all in the underground and something about the gravity pull and all, he couldn't really grasp it. Those random thoughts were simply passing in his mind. He was feeling sleepy again, but he couldn't sleep. Not until this one finished.

He fiddled with his ring, trying to blink away the sleepiness. Though, he was pretty sure his mind had went to sleep, seeing that whatever he was witnessing and hearing, it didn't even registered in his mind. 

Let's just hope he didn't literally fall asleep there, and stuck there until he's finally fully awaken.

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"I love this town.." Ryuuichi snapped up, realizing he had somehow, managed to fall asleep with his eyes open. (He would be freaking out about it if it weren't for the voices and picture in his head) He frowned. It was the moment, where Cozart suggested Giotto to form a vigilant group, which turned into a mafia familgia now.

He leaned back onto the wall, rubbing his temple. He stood up from where he was sitting, glaring at Vindice, who 'looked' at him at the same time. If it wasn't for the bandage, he was sure that they would be locking eyes. 

'I assume my fatigue was all because of this stupid collar?' 

"It might be, it might not. The purpose of the collar is purely to restrain your flames and voice temporarily. Any side effects are unknown"

'And you think I can continue watching without wanting to fall asleep as every minute passed?' A chain shot towards him, passing through one of the small holes. It cut his left cheek as it embedded onto the wall behind him. His reflexes kicked in as his left hand shot up and grasped at the chain tightly. His eyes were wide in surprise, but immediately narrowed at the Vindice. 

"It will stay there until everything is over. Do not test our patience, Historian" Ryuuichi tighten his grasp on the chain before letting go very unwillingly. The Vindice had misunderstood his intention. He had wanted the restriction on his flame off, rather than his voice. He couldn't really care much about his voice now, seeing that his restricted flames were the one that tired him out so easily. The dude looked as though he would seriously kill him, so he reluctantly backed off. (And Ryuuichi knew that Bermuda is their leader, who probably was the one who ordered them to have this stupid thing attached to his throat.)

Looks like he would have to suffer. Hopefully he won't have to rely on Reborn to wake him up both physically and mentally for the last few days. 'Well, at least they had the second key already' He then groaned.

He suddenly wished that he could punch Bermuda for this.

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A/N= Welp. Manga- Chapter 302 to 313. Next would be the third and fourth key. 

I got lazy of the last part, again. *sigh*

Ryuuichi deemed that Ryohei's pride was, of as a boxer, and as Koyo's friend. It was quite obvious, despite the competition, constant shouting at each other, and etc. etc. between those two. They probably haven't even realize that they're friends already.

Fun fact= I had actually wanted to have Ryuuichi be dragged off by the Vindice, but I kindda changed that. The collar, was something I had thought of last minute, so it was quite hard to.. Elaborate. How the collar looks like, it is up to you all.

Before I forgotten, I've labeled Ryuuichi's ability to record stuff and so on, as Sight. The others, well. *shrug*

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-A part which I wanted to put it in, but there wasn't a suitable place-

Lambo, the teenager Lambo that was blasted from the future in ten years time, glanced at Ryuuichi for a brief moment. He remembered that the Ryuuichi from his time had mentioned something about this (not exactly) as they were eating this one time. The man had somehow fetched him from him and I-Pin from their school because Tsuna or the rest of the Guardians couldn't make it. It kind of annoyed him that they wouldn't let both of them to walk home on their own. They're capable of maiming a full-fledged adult, and could even kill one if they want to, thank you very much!

But no! Tsuna just have to emphasize about safety, and that even though they're capable of taking care of themselves, they should always have someone older, or an adult at this case, to settle some situations and all and blah blah blah, Lambo didn't exactly listen. He understood that Tsuna was just worried about them, and it made his heart swell in happiness, but it gets a bit annoying at times.

(Actually, no. He absolutely loves having one of his beloved brothers or sisters, hell even Reborn, fetching them home. Not that he would ever admit it.)

Back to the point, Ryuuichi had took them to a restaurant for lunch, and they were randomly chatting about stuff, mostly filled with I-Pin asking about Sciences and some facts Lambo doesn't care for the world. The man, then out of nowhere, talked about him getting into these situations, with a very amused tone.

Exactly this situation.

Mind if he add, Ryuuichi shouldn't have left out the fact that he would probably, probably, fight with a goddamn giant. (Shh. Don't tell Tsuna-nii he cursed! He didn't want a lecture! Althought Ryuu-nii, Hayato-nii and Takeshi-nii would laughed their butts off.)

'Well, it wasn't as though Ryuu-nii would talk in detail'

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That, happened when Lambo and I-Pin was still, ten years old and Ryuuichi was nineteen.

I'm not sure what TYL Lambo and TYL I-Pin calls the others in ten years time, but in this story, they call them by 'nii-san' or 'nee-san'. Though, TYL Lambo still calls Tsuna and Gokudera, so far as I realize, by 'Young Vongola' and 'Gokudera-shi'.............. What was that 'shi' for again?

Can I just say that I absolutely love the love between Lambo, Tsuna and the rest of the guardians was just simply, to-die-for? I love it everytime TYL Lambo said about Tsuna and the others as brothers, and that he wanted to hurry and grow up to chase after them and all--- What's with all these fluff!!DJWAICGAWUIHW---

I.. Think that's all for this chapter?

[I apologize for any grammar, spelling, etc.etc. mistakes]