"Tsuna! When did you get back?" asked Daisuke in surprise.
"You didn't honestly think I'd miss your birthday, did you?" asked Tsuna.
Daisuke blushed. Tsuna grinned when he noticed the letter.
"Good luck, little brother. You're going to need it," said Tsuna.
The two of them were quite close, and while they were first cousins Tsuna and Daisuke had always considered each other brothers. Obviously, Tsuna was the older brother since he was born first.
"He is so going to be in for a shock," snickered Tsuna.
"Until then, why don't you catch us up on how Europe is doing?" asked Daichi. He almost never left town. Never mind the island.
Tsuna grinned.
"Well first off, it seems that the mafia has decided they own a monopoly on all Dying Will Flame users..." started Tsuna.
The more Daichi heard, the larger his frown.
"So the underworld had fallen even deeper into darkness. I had no idea things had gotten so bad since Giotto left. It seems your trip was more necessary than I thought," sighed Daichi.
"Father?"
"What do Phantom Thieves do, beyond sealing dangerous artwork and confound the police?"
"We bring hope. We bring mystery and light to those who have given up," said Tsuna. He had seen the way the children lit up in the slums, eagerly recounting the story of how Dark had performed another theft against the mafia familigias. People too scary and powerful for ordinary men to fight against.
It didn't hurt that he stole pieces for their monetary value...only to hand out money to the slums for those who really needed it. The poor and those who had been cast out from the proper mafia families for something they had no control over (mostly bastards sons or daughters) were singing the praises of Phantom Dark, because he was someone who allowed them to do something more than just live another day.
Daichi nodded.
"Indeed. It seems that your trip to Europe couldn't have come at a better time. Perhaps it is fitting that you are the descendant of the first and second son of Giotto. If anyone could bring the underworld back from pit it has become, it would be you and Phantom Dark."
"What?!"
"Nana's husband is the descendant of the first son that was lost to the Vongola. Which means you are twice worthy of the titles that they hold, rather than the old fool who holds the throne now."
Tsuna made a face.
"Ugh. I wonder if Xanxus would be offended if I used one of the favors he owes me to clean house before I forcibly reclaim it..." muttered Tsuna.
"From what I've heard of the boy, he'd probably be more amused than anything," said Daichi. "He would make a better Niwa than a Vongola... we would never have sealed him away because of an argument that got out of hand."
"Why do you think I broke him out with misdirection?" said Tsuna grinning. "I still wish I could have been there when they find out I meant Xanxus, instead of that tacky painting."
Daichi laughed. Hearing the door open, the trio grinned. Daisuke had no idea what he was in for today.
Seeing the downcast look on his face, Tsuna gave him a hug.
"Cheer up, little brother. Today is your day... big changes are going to happen and it's only going to be for the better."
There was a shocked shout, and Daisuke...as Dark...came storming down the stairs.
"MOM! What's going on?!"
"Congrats little brother, you've awakened!" said Tsuna cheerfully.
Daisuke stared at him.
"What do you mean awakened?" said Daisuke. Tsuna let out his wings. He stared.
"Our family is a bit more odd than you might think, Daisuke. Whenever a boy from the main line turns fourteen, he undergoes a transformation and awakens as Phantom Dark. It comes with a guardian spirit that will protect you until you're old enough to protect yourself from those that would harm us... like the Hikari clan for instance. And don't worry, the transformation isn't permanent. You just have to find the trigger to switch it back," said Tsuna grinning.
"...I'm not going to grow wings am I?" asked Daisuke, calming down a bit.
"No, Tsuna's affinity for the family magic is higher than yours. He unlocked that ability early. You still have a bit of growing to do before you no longer need Wiz as a crutch to fly," said Daichi.
"I can train you to fly later, little brother. Just remember Wiz can only use his wings if you're in that form, otherwise you'll just crash," said Tsuna.
"Now we need to get you ready! This is your big debut as Dark!" said Emiko excitedly.
"It might be best if after Daisuke steals the Sacred Maiden, I made sure the cops saw me fly around as well. Otherwise there might be misunderstandings from Europe," said Tsuna.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Emiko.
Tsuna brandished a case.
"Just a little alteration. If people see Daisuke with red eyes as opposed to Dark's purple, then they'll just assume nearly identical twins and hopefully leave him alone later."
"Or you could each wear one contact in opposite sides. I suppose having people get used to twins wouldn't be such a bad thing," said Daichi.
Because the mafia and media would assume that Dark didn't want competition from his "twin brother" so the two worked separately.
"Which reminds me. Once you get used to sharing headspace with Dark, I am so dragging you to Mafia Land. It has this awesome obstacle course to play with, and the guy who runs it is a total riot."
Colonello had been shocked that someone actually WANTED to play with his obstacle course and completely trashed the current records. Last time he saw the Rain Arcobaleno, the man was revamping his course to make it more "fun".
And by fun, one had to mean the addition of lasers, automated crocodiles and other 'fun' things that Tsuna had grown up with. Colonello had loved him for it... the trainees however were cursing Tsuna's name for giving Colonello ideas.
Especially the silver haired bomber he saw. Tsuna had laughed outright at some of his insults.
Later that night...
"Oh gods..."
Tsuna was howling, there was no other word for it.
"Shut up! Why didn't you warn me about..." said Daisuke flushing.
"How is it my fault you ended up falling for twins?" said Tsuna, holding on to the wall, cracking up.
"Well who are your triggers?"
"The class idol for me, and a girl who's pretending to be a guy for Dark," said Tsuna without hesitation.
Though he had to admit, Hibari was looking a hell of a lot more interesting than Kyoko Sasegawa. It could be because Hibari kept chasing after him or perhaps there was something to the whole "flame" thing. Either way, the two were being drawn together every time they were in close enough proximity to each other.
Daisuke was grumbling for weeks after his birthday. But he had to admit, Tsuna was right about one thing.
His life had changed for the better.
Tsuna blinked and stared at the Arcobaleno in front of him.
"What does the Eye of the Storm want with me? If you wanted something stolen I could only assume you'd be able to retrieve it yourself, unless there were size issues," he said slowly.
Fon's smile didn't really 'shift', persay, but he definitely took a more interested notice of Tsuna.
"I was just curious as to what sort of Sky my niece has taken an interest in."
"You know I had the feeling you were related to Hibari-san, but I didn't know it was that close. And what do you mean Sky?"
Fon blinked.
"You don't know?"
"The reason the mafia hasn't come after my ass is because I don't know how to use my Flames. I know I'm considered 'active', but we didn't have any way of training them," said Tsuna flatly.
Fon stared.
"That... explains much actually. Let's start with how much you do know, and I will determine if you are a good match for Kyouya."
Tsuna took them someplace a little less...public, just to be sure.
"First what do you know of Dying Will Flames?"
"Just that orange is the most annoying one, since it draws the others like catnip. Part of the reason I never bothered to train it... the second people find out I have they're going to be after me more than usual."
"A wise precaution, especially without the proper teachers. Though yours seems to be slightly trained already."
Tsuna seemed to be internally debating something, though in reality he was running it past Dark.
Having a second, older and wiser guardian spirit in your head was dead useful at times. Especially during your awkward teenage years if you were willing to listen.
"I have an idea why, but I would need to know if I could trust you," said Tsuna. "Because revealing this would impact Hibari a bit earlier than I was hoping."
Fon's face went blank.
"You have my word, on my honor, that I will not repeat what I see, hear or realize outside these walls."
He wasn't quite willing to invoke Omerta, because the boy wasn't likely to understand the implications of it.
Tsuna however was satisfied with that answer.
He let out his wings.
"My name is Tsunayoshi Niwa, though I also go by Phantom Dark. I would use my father's surname, except we prefer to pretend that idiot doesn't exist."
Fon nodded, absolutely fascinated. Then what Tsuna said hit him and his grin widened.
"Phantom Dark, as in the same thief the little Skylark has become so fascinated with of late?"
"Now you see why I didn't want this getting out so soon. She's liable to kill me when she finds out one of the 'herbivores' not only knows her secret, but has been openly flirting with her for the better part of a few months."
Fon laughed outright at that. He wasn't wrong.
"And the wings?"
Tsuna grinned outright.
"I'm the descendant of the second son of Giotto Vongola. He married into a family of phantom thieves and ended up having children of his own. Unlike the first son, he wasn't stupid enough to try and reclaim something he didn't have the power to take back. Since then all the descendants of the first son had been tied to the Vongola, while the second laid in wait, patiently binding their time and getting stronger. Though according to my grandfather I have the blood of both in me. The wings are a...side effect...of an awakening the second sons go through at fourteen."
All true without giving anything important away. Fon approved of his caution.
Fon examined Tsuna's wings with interest. He could clearly feel Sky Flames emanating from them, steady and strong and clearly solid. It was fascinating.
There were all the other colors, though orange and violet seemed to be the predominant. The violet had five 'layers' of feathers, while the rest only had one or two. He could only assume that meant the boy had a Sky primary and a Cloud secondary.
"What can you do with these?"
"Well fly, obviously...but if I concentrate I can also do this," said Tsuna. The wing on the opposite side of Fon flexed, and with a half beat sent daggers made of feathers into the wall.
"Fascinating," said Fon. He picked one of the feathers up... it felt solid and radiated Sky flames.
"Dead useful for throwing off other Flame Users too. They chase after the feathers and allow me to evade their pursuit. So long as my wings are out, the feathers seem to share a similar amount of Flame until the wings disappear, by which time they vanish as well."
"How many Guardians do you have?" asked Fon seriously.
"Guardians?" repeated Tsuna, baffled. "The only 'guardian' I have is Dark, and he shares head space with me."
"So none then, other than the tentative bond with Kyouya. How much do you know about Dying Will Flames in particular?" asked Fon.
"Not a lot. There weren't that many records of Flames in our clan archives, and we keep damn near everything. The only restricted books are those too dangerous to be used in the first place, and the rest we're allowed to read once we're mentally mature enough."
Fon nodded to himself. While the boy was partially trained, it was clear he didn't know enough.
"Are you going to continue working in Europe?"
"I've been systematically helping the slums whenever I rob for monetary gain. In case you haven't noticed, the mafia has a bad habit of abandoning people who's use is up," said Tsuna flatly. "So yes, unless circumstances warrant my return to Japan."
"In that case, I will properly educate you on Dying Will Flames and the bare basics. If only so my niece will have a proper Sky that will not use her or her gender against her. You at least seem trustworthy."
"Well... I am a thief and Dark is a thief of hearts," admitted Tsuna.
Fon smiled at him. Tsuna took one look at it and shuddered.
"I also have the sneaking suspicion that Dark gets bored enough to find the best match for his partner and ends up acting as matchmaker. Which considering what little I know about soul bonds means you likely won't have to worry about Hibari if we end up falling for each other..." said Tsuna quickly.
"Well it's not that unheard of for a Sky to end up falling for their Guardian. Especially if they're the opposite gender..." said Fon smiling.
It was good to know the boy wasn't that foolish to break his niece's heart and dump her. More specifically, the boy wasn't stupid enough to do so and expect Fon not to retaliate for it, now that he knew what he looked like without a disguise.