"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." – Sun Tzu
Kyoya revved up his motorcycle and sped down the streets with one goal in mind: tear the leader apart. He left as soon as he heard that a leader of the enemy yakuza left Kokuyo Land in a car. His aunt flashed briefly in his mind, hooked to IV lines and tubes. The streets quickly became a blur around him. He would leave nothing behind and bite the herbivore to death.
He turned small corners, zoomed through narrow alleyways, and finally entered Third Street, one of the bigger roads in Namimori. There were no cars driving nearby. All the shops were closed with their lights turned off; not a single inkling of life was present. Hibari didn't care. Less herbivores getting in the way, he thought.
A glimmer of black caught the corner of his eye. He instantly swerved to the right. A black car quickly came into view. Kyoya didn't think twice. He sped up even more, the motorcycle's exhaust roaring in the air. Within seconds, he caught up with the car.
The driver was a tall man with two dark lines on the right side of his face. He looked irritated when he glanced at the prefect. Kyoya glared at him, but it didn't do anything to intimidate him. He steadied himself before leaping onto the hood of the car. The other man cocked an eyebrow.
He never stopped though and just stared at Kyoya, as if waiting for him to make the first move. Kyoya grabbed one of his tonfas and smashed the windshield; glass flew everywhere and he smirked when the man jumped in surprise. The car suddenly skidded as the other tried to take control of the wheel, cursing at the teen. Kyoya held on tight before grabbing the man's collar and hurling him onto the road with tremendous strength. He quickly jumped from the swerving car and gracefully rolled on the ground, then instantly sprinted towards the man.
He brought his tonfas together and struck the man in the ribs before aiming at his solar plexus. He slightly widened his eyes when the leader blocked his tonfa and swiftly kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Kyoya barely managed to regain his footing when he nearly flew a few feet away. Blood roared in his ears. He couldn't help the feral grin from stretching on his lips.
"Wao," he said.
The man barely looked winded. He narrowed his eyes. "What's your problem, kid? You could've killed us both back there." Even though he was a foreigner, his Japanese was decent.
"I'll bite you to death, herbivore," Kyoya responded, dashing to the man again.
They instantaneously traded fierce blows. Kyoya's tonfas struck every bone imaginable on the man, who only blocked and dodged with unnerving ease. Kyoya narrowed his eyes. Was that kick just a fluke? Why won't this herbivore fight back? Regardless, he had the upper hand. He'd tear the leader to shreds.
Finally, he found a small opening. Kyoya faked a motion towards the man's rib. The other instantly moved to block it. Kyoya smirked, instantly striking the man's face with his other tonfa. The man grunted and stumbled back.
Kyoya took advantage of the man's daze by kicking him in the chest. He didn't waste time to follow up with a vicious strike to the man's sternum and his jaw. His blows grew in fervor as rage easily took over his mind.
Suddenly, something large hurled towards him from his left. He barely managed to dodge a big metal ball flung at his direction. The man stood up, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck.
"You're really pissing me off, kid," he said, swinging the metal ball easily over his head.
He launched it at Kyoya, spinning it rapidly. How was that even possible? The prefect grunted as his body started to get sucked in towards the ball direction. He tried to plant his feet firmly into the ground but realized it was futile when he couldn't move.
The man centered the ball and struck it with a palm. "Senja Reppa!"
Kyoya gritted his teeth. His body just wouldn't move. He could block the ball with his tonfas but that was just suicide. His body would most likely be crushed. Time didn't miraculously stop for him either. The ball sailed towards him, gaining speed. It was just about to reach his face when—
Thump!
Another gust of wind blew every which way. Kyoya covered his face when debris nicked his skin. Dust billowed in the air around him; when it finally settled, he saw the man crushed underneath his metal ball and a familiar tiny figure standing in front of him.
"Carnivore," Kyoya said, narrowing his eyes. He never called for his uncle. Nobu probably did without him knowing.
"Kyoya," Fon said, nodding in polite greeting. The baby had the same faint smile on his face as usual. Nothing about him changed since the last time Kyoya saw him. "I'm glad I came in time." Fon glanced at the other man. "I suggest that you be careful. There is something off about him."
Yeah, Kyoya figured when the man just threw around a large metal ball with ease. Still it was different and he was excited at the challenge. It had been some time since he had an interesting opponent (no matter how passive the man was).
"I will bite him to death," he said, lunging at the man with his tonfas ready.
The man struggled a bit as he stood but reacted in time to dodge Kyoya's strikes. He took the brunt of Kyoya's strikes impressively. What was his body made of? No matter, he would continue to bite him to death.
"Oya, oya," the man suddenly said, looking at him with oddly-colored eyes. "You're a stubborn one."
Suddenly, Kyoya froze. He was…falling? No, he was lying down on his side. He gritted his teeth when he forced himself to move. Why wasn't he moving? His limbs felt impossibly heavy; however, he could feel glass nicking his skin, the gravel digging under his ribs—No. No. This wasn't happening.
His eyes darted around the empty, familiar road. Where was his uncle? Where was that man? What was going on? He had to move. Get up, Kyoya thought angrily, desperately trying to move his limbs. No, he didn't do desperate. He was a Hibari—they never cowed in to anything. But this felt too real to be fake. Was this a joke? No, he could clearly feel the glass and gravel underneath his skin. He could smell coolant…and gasoline…
Kyoya widened his eyes. There was a car in front of him—his parents' car. It was toppled over on its side and he could clearly see his mother and father in their seats.
His father was already dead, his head lolled to the side. His mother's lips were moving. Kyoya tried to look away but he found himself fixated on her mouth. She was saying the same thing over and over: "Kyo-chan, help me. Kyo-chan, help me. Kyo-chan, help me…"
Kyoya paled. His heart picked up its pace, thumping painfully against his chest. He could hear his blood pulsing in his ears. This wasn't happening, he thought. This wasn't real. But the gasoline and the glass and the—
"Kufufu," a voice said. "I must say, this is a fitting position for you."
Kyoya glared weakly at the man in front of him. It was the leader, but his right eye was crimson and had the kanji for one. He seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Kyoya swore he'd bite the herbivore to death.
"You're a mama's boy," the man said, placing his heavy foot on Kyoya's chest. "That's adorable. How would you f—" A flash of annoyance briefly came and went in his eyes. His smile became slightly strained. "It seems like we'll meet another time. Ciao."
Kyoya suddenly found himself sitting on the ground in a daze. He blinked, trying to regain his bearings, when a small hand patted him on the shoulder.
"Kyoya, look at me," his uncle's soothing voice said. "It's me. You're okay now."
Kyoya looked around and was relieved to find himself back to…reality, he supposed.
"What happened?" he demanded. "Where is the herbivore?"
"He's gone," Fon said. "I was able to get you back in time."
"What?"
Fon frowned. "You need to rest, Kyoya. I'm sure you saw some things you didn't want to see. If he had gone any further, you would've been killed."
Kyoya froze. The smell of gasoline and coolant suddenly came back to him, hitting him in full force. He glared at his uncle. "I don't know what you're talking about."
His tiny uncle looked at him with sympathy. That was why he could never live up to the Hibari name—his uncle was too kind. Kyoya hated it. He knew how powerful his uncle was, but Fon chose to keep it under the radar and acted like some saint.
"I already called for Nobu to send some of his men here," Fon said. "He's in the hospital now. Can you stand, Kyoya?"
Kyoya smacked his uncle's hand away as he struggled to stand. His brain must've been messed with, he thought, seeing brief flashes of fire and glass in his vision. Had the man drugged him somehow? Regardless, he would bite that herbivore to death if he finds him again. His body just felt…tired.
A gentle hand patted him on the leg. Fon looked up at him, concerned. "Kyoya, you should rest before they come."
Kyoya clenched his teeth but gave in to his uncle's orders. He slumped none-too-gracefully on the ground and leaned back against a vacant building.
"What happened?" Kyoya asked again, trying to keep his voice steady.
"You don't want to know, Kyoya," Fon said solemnly. "It's best to rest for now. I'll let you know when they're here. Don't worry. I'll be here."
Kyoya stayed quiet. Fon never left his side, just like he said, and Kyoya would never admit to holding onto his uncle's sleeve like his life depended on it. Fon, thankfully, didn't say a word.
Fon could feel it when he was on a plane to Namimori. When he neared the small town, the tremendous influx of Sky Flame overwhelmed him. They were extremely powerful, but he couldn't help but worry, regardless. They were practically oozing in the air, coating the town with their unique presence—it was like an extremely bright beacon. It was worse than he had thought.
As he approached Namimori University Hospital, Fon couldn't help but feel even more anxious. Whoever was the source of these flames had no idea to reign them in or control them—maybe they couldn't. The copious amount only furthered his suspicions; however, he still had to have a look himself.
"You can go ahead, Kyoya," Fon said, hopping out of the car. "There is something I need to take care of first." He smiled reassuringly. "I will visit jiě jie soon."
His nephew narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything.
Fon patted him on the leg. "I'll still be here. Don't worry, Kyoya."
Kyoya just huffed before heading into the chaotic ER room. Fon couldn't help but chuckle at his nephew's antics. With that, Fon followed the Sky Flames' trail. He frowned. The flames were so thick, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the source. The tracks spread in random directions, and all he could do was follow every one of them. That wasn't a problem—he was the fastest Arcobaleno. Soon he passed by a closed room when his pacifier started to glow. Ah, well that would make things easier.
The door opened and a familiar hitman peeked his out. His yellow pacifier was glowing too. "Fon, come inside."
Fon nodded and quietly slipped in, closing the door behind him. He gave the room a cursory glance; it was bare, other than a large window that looked out into an operating room. He slightly grimaced at the gruesome procedure. A group of surgeons and nurses crowded around a female patient on the operating table. One of them, who looked too young to be a surgeon, was instructing everyone with a steady, light voice, his hands swiftly removing visible bone and metal fragments from the patient's cut-open head.
"It's him," Fon said quietly.
Reborn tipped his fedora. "What are your thoughts?"
Fon smiled wryly. "I'd like to sit down and drink some tea. I'm even tempted to leave the room." His eyes softened. "If I had Rain Flames, I would help him calm down. I'm surprised he's even standing. Does he know?"
"I doubt it. I tried calling Aria but she won't pick up. There has been no contact from the Giglio Nero Famiglia either. I've been trying to track their movements but…it's like they disappeared." Reborn's blank eyes darkened slightly. "I don't know what's happening but I don't like it."
"When did this start? His flames… They're overwhelming."
"They suddenly appeared last night. I'm not sure why, but I have my suspicions. When I first met Tsunayoshi, I tried to sense if he had any flames in case; however, I couldn't find anything other than some kind of obstruction."
Fon raised a brow. "How so?"
Reborn narrowed his eyes slightly. Fon had never seen him so serious before. "My flames encountered something that prevented me from reading his flames. I believe someone sealed them."
Fon widened his eyes. Sealed his flames? That was a nearly barbaric act. Flames were a natural part of a person's spiritual and emotional core; they were another extension of one's body. To seal them was depriving the person from accessing his mental capacities as effectively and could seriously warp their spirit. How could this Tsunayoshi manage to retain some sort of mental function for this long? Unless they were sealed when he was at an older age—that could be a possibility. The young man barely looked twenty.
"Who would seal his flames?" Fon said, a bit alarmed. "He's a civilian. He poses no threat to the underworld."
"But he's a civilian with Sky Flames," Reborn said. "He has even told me that he met Verde before. Someone must've known." His tone darkened. "I think it was that man."
Fon tensed. The Man with the Iron Hat. There was no one else who would know about the Arcobaleno curse as much as he did. The elusive man seemed to come and go when he felt like it. Fon was never fond of him. He had tricked them all into harboring the curse—that was something Fon would never forgive, and that was him being nice.
"Why would… Ah." It finally dawned on the man. The mysterious radio silence from the Giglio Nero Famiglia, the sudden appearance of Tsunayoshi's Sky Flames breaking through their seal, the power that oozed from them. "He must be—"
"We'll have to do more digging," Reborn interrupted. "I need to make sure the information is enough to confirm my theory."
Fon stared at him. Reborn was usually collected for the most part, and difficult to read. Seeing him show some hints of denial was out of character for the hitman—just any hint of an emotion was alarming. Fon didn't know why Reborn was denying the most credible conclusion of the situation, but he was smart enough not to address it. He wasn't keen on getting on the man's bad side.
"Of course," Fon said, nodding. "I will assist you in any way I can."
"I need to talk to your nephew."
"Kyoya? Why?"
"I went to investigate when I felt the sudden influx of Tsunayoshi's flames. Hibari was in his room and must've seen what triggered Tsunayoshi to act frightened. He and Nobu had set up a secure perimeter around Tsunayoshi's home." Reborn's eyes were trained almost intensely on the brunet. "He had woken up from a nightmare. I think it's a common occurrence for him. I'm not sure about the content, but I'm certain there's a link between them. Hibari seemed to recognize him before too, but Tsunayoshi didn't. I want to know more about their relationship. I have some theories but it'd be best to talk to him instead."
Fon digested the information with a bit of bafflement. Kyoya—his bloodthirsty, belligerent nephew—setting up a secure perimeter around Tsunayoshi's home? While Fon was not oblivious to Kyoya's softer side (even though the teen would say otherwise), it was rather curious to know that his nephew willingly went out of his way to ensure a specific person's safety. Yes, he was very protective of Namimori but that didn't extend to the citizens in some cases. Kyoya really needed to get a hold of his temper, Fon thought exasperatedly.
"I see," he said. "Maybe it's best that I talk to him. If you were to approach him personally, he will only see it as a threat." He smiled almost fondly. "That's just how he is. You can spare your time on something more productive in the meantime."
Reborn nodded. "I'll have a talk with Tsunayoshi."
"The ER is in chaos, Reborn. I highly doubt he'd spare you time. And he looks exhausted."
"I'll manage."
Fon was unsettled by the slight smirk on the hitman's face, but there was no way he could dissuade the stubborn man. He only hoped that Tsunayoshi would be okay under the brunt of Reborn's subsequent interrogation. He did save his sister's life after all. That was enough to warrant Fon's good side.
"By the way, there was a prison break in Vindice a week ago."
Fon frowned. "Yes, I've heard."
"Rokudo Mukuro was one of them."
Fon tensed. Of course, he thought, thinking back to the man with the steel ball. It was possible but he didn't want it to be true. Still, he had to evaluate all the threats that concerned his family.
"Reborn," he said dryly, "I believe we might have another problem."
Reborn looked at him sharply. "Explain."
"Mukuro might be in Namimori right now. I believe he's involved with the yakuza that tried to kill my sister." Fon glanced at the operating team. "I hope we get this sorted out soon. This will be very troublesome soon."
Tsuna snuck into the break room after the operation ended. It was a success, thank Kami. The patient's brain hadn't taken serious damage and she was somewhat conscious when she was brought in, but Tsuna couldn't take any chances. He had to face the facts. She might not be able to write properly and might have difficulty with math. The bullet had damaged her left parietal lobe. It was even a miracle it hadn't damaged anything else.
His hands shook slightly as he poured another cup of crap coffee. The break room was quiet, aside from the reporter's quiet voice coming from the TV. He just wanted to stop functioning and sleep or something to keep him from leaving the room. But he couldn't leave those patients.
"Tsunayoshi."
Tsuna nearly shrieked when the squeaky voice talked out of the blue. His cup fell to the floor and he cursed when some coffee splashed on his sneakers. "What the—You again?"
Reborn stared at him impassively from one of the tables in the room. Tsuna narrowed his eyes. The hitman looked…almost uncomfortable. "What's wrong?"
"Do you feel strange?" Reborn said, ignoring his question. "Overwhelmed?"
Tsuna rolled his eyes. "I just came out an intense surgery. I'm feeling absolutely peachy. Thanks for asking."
"Don't act stupid." Reborn tipped his fedora to cover his eyes. "Something happened last night to trigger your flames to come out."
Tsuna tensed. He remembered the orange flames that surrounded him when he had protected Kyoya. He didn't know how he could forget something that would be impossible to forget. When he tried to remember why, there was a clear gap in his memory, as if he just erased it somehow. Tsuna eyed the baby hitman warily. "What are you talking about?"
"You have the Sky Flames," Reborn said bluntly. "They are part of the Dying Will Flames that are prevalent mostly in the underworld; however, civilians are able to use them if their will is strong enough. Your flames are too powerful for your body to handle, which might explain how exhausted you must feel now. It's not because of the surgery or your irregular sleep schedule, though they are factors that are worsening your condition."
Tsuna blinked as he digested the information sluggishly. Sky Flames? Dying Will Flames? Will? Sleep? Yeah, sleep sounded great. Wait, Dying Will Flames. Yeah, let's…try to focus on that, Tsuna, he thought.
"I'm not sure if I got everything you said," he said slowly, "but yeah, I'd love to get some espresso now." He glanced at the clock. "I need to go. There are patients waiting."
"You're in no condition to work," Reborn said, hopping down to block his path. "Your body is at its limit. It's a miracle you're even staying up for this long."
Tsuna scowled. "What? And what right do you have to dictate what I can or can't do? This is my job. I need to help. This hospital is understaffed and needs every help it can get. I've been through worse."
"You're deteriorating on the inside. You need a way to contain your flames."
Tsuna threw his hands up in the air. "Kami, you're talking about flames and wills dying or whatever. Why couldn't you tell me when I'm, I don't know, more sober and functional? Really, this is just bad timing. Why do you even care?"
He was surprised when the hitman actually hesitated. An uneasiness coiled in his stomach. Sure, the flames and whatnot sounded outlandish, like they were straight out of a shonen manga or a fantasy book, but… There was a part of Tsuna that thought this all made sense. And he didn't like it.
"I don't have all night," Tsuna snapped, despite himself. He started to move towards the door. "We can talk later or s—"
A cane suddenly blocked him from going any further. Tsuna blinked when a masked man with an iron hat suddenly leaned in close to his face. He heard Reborn cock his gun behind him and was somewhat relieved that he had some sort of backup; but something inside him screamed danger when he looked at the odd man. The man also looked awfully familiar. Tsuna had seen his face before…
He widened his eyes. "Checker Face…"
The man slightly smirked, which seemed permanently etched onto his face. "Ah, so you do remember me. Or rather, you have seen me in some people's memories, I presume? I'm glad. We can get right to it then."
Tsuna took a step back, but the man only stepped closer, almost caging him in.
"Checker Face," Reborn said, his voice low, "I won't hesitate to shoot you."
The man cocked his head slightly. "How rude, Reborn. I was only trying to acquaint myself with Tsunayoshi-kun here." He smiled. "But I'm glad you seemed to take a liking to him already."
"You're the one who cursed them," Tsuna said, pieces of his past dreams rushing back to him. "You tricked them into becoming the Arcobaleno."
Checker Face smiled. "Small sacrifices are necessary to prevent greater ones, Tsunayoshi-kun."
"What are you doing here?" Reborn demanded.
"You're not stupid, Reborn," Checker Face said almost mockingly. "I'm just here to help Tsunayoshi-kun." He looked at Tsuna, and the brunet could've sworn he saw a hint of red behind his metal eye-mask. "Would you let me help you, Tsunayoshi-kun?"
Tsuna narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about? I don't need your help."
"It's very simple." Checker Face took out a glowing orange pacifier from his pocket. "As Reborn said, you're deteriorating from the inside and I'd rather not have you dying so soon. You still have a long way to go, Tsunayoshi-kun."
"Tsunayoshi," Reborn said, "don't trust anything he says."
Checker Face grinned. "There's no choice in the matter anyways. Congratulations, Tsunayoshi-kun. You are now the new Sky Arcobaleno."
Tsuna widened his eyes. "Wait, I didn't—"
A sudden bright light blinded him. Then he saw nothing but darkness and an orange flame flickering within him.
Translation:
Ciao –"goodbye" in Italian
Senja Reppa - Thousand Snake Fierce Domination
Medical Terms:
Parietal lobe – a part of the cortex; processes sensory information that had to do with taste, temperature, and touch
A/N Ahh, I'm so sorry this took a while! Midterms are finally over but work just keep piling up. :^)
I hope the action scene was written okay. If not, then I'm so sorry! I pray that it's passable at least. But anyways, Fon is here! And Mukuro! And Checker Face! I was worried about the chapter and wasn't at all satisfied on how it turned out, but I felt bad for keeping you peeps hanging…
To clear some things, this is the beginning of the Kokuyo Arc where things will start heating up. I apologize if there are too many OC's and if they feel like they're just being used to have Tsuna use his skills, but from here, the canon characters will gain more focus. Thank you for your patience and for sticking with the story this far!
On another note, I have a KHRxPJO crossover out (because I couldn't help it—sue me) called "Guardians of Olympus". If you'd like, check that out! Additionally, I might publish a kind of drabble/one-shot fic where I can store random Tsuna pairing stories in there based on songs that I listen to. You peeps will be able to request stuff as well! Let me know what you think.
Thank you so much for reading. Leave a review to let me know what you think! I'll try to answer questions as soon as I can!
I hope to see you again in the next chapter!
Have a lovely day~
(I promise the next chapter will be better!)
Little Miss Bunny
