{Namimori's suburb, Japan}

"It's time," Byakuran whispered, comfortably seating on his throne. In front of him knelt three of his remaining guardians. Kikyo, Bluebell and Zakuro waited for their next order to go into the battle.

Standing a foot behind Byakuran, the raven head kept his eyes shut. His sense sharpening as he tried to rely on his other faculties.

"Let's get Yuni-chan back," Byakuran stated, his perfect smile never leaving his face. "And annihilate the Vongola."

Koro's hand twitched at the declaration. The movement went unnoticed as the Millefiore guardians laid their plan bare to their boss.

At last, Byakuran nodded, sending his men out for a massacre.

Seconds passed in perfect silence, the sound of the wind ruffling the surrounding leaves being the only distraction as both Koro and Byakuran remained on their previous spot.

And then, a light, so strong even with his eyes closed Koro could feel it through his eyelids. An explosion, so loud Koro could still hear the ringing sound in his ears, and then, nothing.

Koro opened his purple eyes, observing the bright light the storm guardian had produced. He couldn't help the resigned sigh from escaping his lips as he contemplated the other's use of his Box of Carnage as they called it.

From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Byakuran's grin widening as a low hum of appreciation and anticipation escaped his lips. The white head's purple eyes cracked open, a predatory glint going through them.

Byakuran's purple orbs flickered in Koro's direction. Violet met each other. A teasing smile replaced Ran's previous expression as he called the older male out.

"Aster, don't you want to go too?" he asked in a sing-song voice. Koro's senses tingled, Byakuran was never this polite with him without reason.

Not showing any signs of his surprise, Koro returned Byakuran's seemingly childish stare with his, own calm one. Waiting for Byakuran to develop what he meant with "wanting to go."

Seeing the others lack off responses, Ran frowned a bit before softening his feature to his smiling one. "Now, Aster, don't be so guarded," he whined. "I'm only trying to be kind, and here you are, ignoring me."

Koro felt his eyebrows twitch. "What do you need, Ran?" he inquired, his voice monotonous.

Byakuran beamed as he saw the male finally react. "So, Aster. No, Koro was it?" he stated with a tilt of his head. "Yucca-nii-chan and this annoying Mukuro call you that. I presume it's your name, yeah?"

Koro's lack of answer didn't faze Byakuran who continued, satisfied with his deduction he guessed was correct from the raven's reaction. "Koro, don't you want to go and join Zakuro? I mean, don't you fear for the Vongola's lives after seeing him at work?"

Koro raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Fufu, whatever do you mean Ran?" He asked, not answering the topic.

Byakuran didn't answer the question, "You can go, so long as Yucca-nii has his fun and you don't go astray," he stated. "Now, Koro-chan, why don't you and nii-chan join the battle? I need someone to relate the events to me after all." He chuckled before throwing him an earpiece.

Koro gazed at the earpiece Ran was holding suspiciously, before gently taking it. Placing it into his right ear, he let his black bangs cover the device as he started to walk out of the egg like device.

Taking a step out of the device, Koro took one last look at its occupants. His gaze first settled on Byakuran's smiling figure who seemed to urge him to go ahead. Then, it switched to a shadow in the far corner of the room. The shadow stood tall, unmoving, waiting for their orders. Even with his full attention on the guardian, Koro couldn't decipher its breathing accurately. It unsettled him.

Part of him wanted to eradicate the unknown being which seemed to be a threat to both friends and foes. He could feel Ghost's lack of consideration for others. The other part, which corresponded to Yucca's supposed veto on their actions, wanted to cherish and protect the listless being. It couldn't help but want to raise it, love it, and spoil it the way it did with Ran. Even if the individual was completely different from the one he knew, the need to protect it was too strong. Koro couldn't go against it.

When it came down to it, every decision Koro made if Yucca disapproved of them would never happen. Although, weren't they the same person?

Few more explosions went off making Koro's gaze flicker the forest's way. He narrowed his eyes trying to decipher what was happening when no information was coming back to him or Byakuran.

The white head remained as calm and composed as ever, unfazed, his purple eyes never left Koro's figure as kept on grinning at him, urging him to take off.

Not displaying his inner turmoil on whether or not he should look more into Byakuran's proposition, Ghost's role in the battle, or even the possible conflicts which were currently taking place, Koro turned away from the young adult.

Taking the fake Mare sky ring out of his coat's inner pocket, he casually slipped it on his right hand's pointer finger, the fake cloud Mare ring being on his left hand's pointer finger. Koro took off in the battle's direction, not sparing Byakuran any side glance.

Leaning in his throne, Byakuran observed his brother's departing figure, an amused smirk dancing on his lips as he crinkled his eyes in anticipation.

::

Zakuro, Bluebell, and Kikyo. All of them were in their "Carnage form." As they slew each one of their enemies, Koro, as he got closer to the battlefield, began to grasp just how big of a massacre the conflict between the Millefiore and Vongola factions turned out to be.

Strangely enough, the sight of Bluebell's rain flame dome didn't unsettle Koro the way it should have. He didn't feel worried for his ex-comrades who he knew had joined the fight, or for the younger Vongola who strived to save their future.

He was strangely detached, unfazed as if everything didn't concern him. As if, he hadn't been blurring the line between ally and enemy for the past few years, seemingly changing side whenever he wanted and never explicitly stating his position as friend or foe.

Now that he thought about it, hadn't he been acting like a coward?

Koro shook his head. This issue was something he- it wasn't something he wanted to address at the moment. Nor was it something he had time to deal with right now.

He reassured himself, at the end of the day, the ultimate decision whatever his will, was for Yucca to make. For Yucca, but wasn't Yucca part of him?

Koro shook his head, dismissing the issue entirely as he refocused himself on the incoming battlefield. Since a few minutes ago he had this strange feeling inside of him, a sensation which only rose as he got closer to his destination. The sense of familiarity, morbid familiarity, was strangely comforting to the already dead Koro.

Finally reaching his destination, Koro settled a few feet away from the battlefield, strangely enough, as he stared down at the scene, Kikyo's box weapon had taken strange shapes. On a closer look, since when did Kikyo's box weapon's animals have the Varia and Vongola's faces?

Koro frowned, an illusion? Slowly drawing closer, his guard raised, Koro could only ascertain that the illusions had dispelled themselves.

"What do you mean! The ones we fought were all illusions-nyu!" Bluebell's screech was the only confirmation Koro needed as he settled next to his current comrades.

In front of them, the Varia, part of the Vongola and the Kokuyo land gang stood most of them seemingly unarmed.

Koro's appearance went mostly unnoticed, the Millefiore guardians sparing him a side glance before huffing at the realization of who was standing next to them. Koro observed the master illusionist as he laid the cleverly executed plan to the wreathes eyes.

The information barely registered by the raven head as he scanned the infamous illusionist. The familiar feeling's reason now clearly identified as the male standing in front of him, a particular smile grew on Koro's feature. A blend of recognition, amusement, and envy.

Did he escape? The sense of similarity between the two of them was stronger than when they last met "face to face" during the choice battle, it was almost as strong if not stronger than when they would randomly meet inside their corresponding mindscapes.

Whatever, it didn't matter. Overlooking the whole interaction, Koro's purple eyes, met Mukuro's heterochromatic ones. The illusionist chuckled.

"Kufufufu, I didn't see you there, Koro-kun," he called out, making those who didn't spot the male turn their face to look at him. Although a question remained, wasn't that Yucca? Who was he calling Koro? "Did you come especially for me? I'm flattered," the illusionist mused, grinning.

"Nyurufufu, if that's what you want to believe Mukuro, then please do," Koro answered with a grin of his own.

"Kufufufu."

"Nyrufufu."

"Fufufu."

"Fufufu."

"Kufu-"

"Master, your laugh is still as creepy as ever," Fran stated blankly, stopping whatever semblance of a conversation the two "undead" were having.

At their youngest member's statement, Bel cackled, Koro burst out laughing.

"You have an 'interesting' apprentice, Mukuro," Koro stated amused. "I cannot see any similarities."

"Kufu, now don't compare me to this kid Koro-kun."

"I would appreciate if you didn't, I don't like fruit as much as him," Fran chirped with a deadpan.

Koro's laugh grew. "Nyurufufufu, this is too good. It's a shame I didn't meet him sooner," he whispered, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eyes.

"Fu, now Koro-kun. No matter how much I like you, I don't take kindly in people laughing," Mukuro pierced Fran's hat with his trident once more. "At me," he finished before casting an illusion at Koro.

Following Mukuro's attack to end his and Koro's banter, the fight resumed. The illusion only served as the spark to lit the fire.

Liting his cloud ring, Koro's right hand, reached for Aguri's box weapon, the other holding the dagger previously hidden in his trench's left cuff. Still chuckling at his companion's misfortune, Koro deflected the illusion. He didn't know if the feeling of camaraderie was mutual or if the illusionist only used him to kill his boredom, but Koro liked to believe they were comrades who had more or less braved death.

It didn't matter. Koro would use this excuse to justify all the small-scale illusion Mukuro sent his way when he could attempt to overwhelm him with his extraordinary skills the same way Mammon had tried once.

Koro's smile turned genuinely nostalgic as Aguri got out of her box, a cute boo emanating from the purple octopus as she settled around her master's wrist. "I'll be counting on you, Aguri," he whispered before sending the purple animal at the illusion.

"Boo!"

Looking at the chaotic field, Koro's right hand, rose to his earpiece. Pressing the button as to start the communication, the previously genuine expression disappeared to be replaced by a more business appropriate one.

"Ran?" He tested, waiting for an answer from the younger male.

It was a low hum followed by a chuckle and Byakuran's seemingly childish voice that greeted him. "What is it, Ko-ro-chan?" he asked in a sing-song voice, clearly enjoying whatever he was seeing.

Not taking the time to entertain his vessel's dearest, Koro dismissed the possibly lying taunt underneath Byakuran's sweet voice as he started to retell him everything he saw and how the battle was progressing.

Not omitting any part, the brief recap lasted less than a minute as Byakuran cut him off in the middle of his speech.

"I see," he hummed. Koro didn't have time to add anything else before the communication was cut short.

::

Cutting off the transmission, Byakuran turned to face his alter-ego, a perfectly sly grin on his face as he chuckled. "It is moving as planned."

"We must be reaching the Final Act," he mused. "It's time for you to take the stage, Ghost."

Walking out of the egg-like shelter, the silhouette, went into the battlefield. Green sparks surrounding him as the spectral being started to let his lightning flames come to light.

::

Numbly staring at the green sparks, Koro stiffened. Ghost? Ran sent Ghost, wasn't he supposed to come in for the "Final Act?"

He didn't have time to think about it, no less than a second after the green sparks appeared did one of his- no, Yucca's vision invade their mind. 

Although he had to accept, whatever Yucca was, he was too.

First, happy late Christmas! And early new year! 

The final battle has begun, meaning future arc will end soon. Next chapter is most probably the last one.

Thanks for reading, until next time^^