Trigger: N/A
Warnings: N/A
Important Stuff:
Small OC Cheat Sheet
Spirits:
Zephyr -The wind spirit that Reborn met in the Spirit World.
Kamikawa - The origami spirit that Reborn exchanged information with.
Engetsu - Silver kitsune that Reborn met in the Spirit World. Knows Ayame.
Meishi - A green falcon that lives in the Sawada Household
Farran - the woman who challenged Fon
Ienari's Guardians:
Matsushita Hachirou - Ienari's best friend. Captain of the Judo Club. Lightning Guardian
Akemi Kaori - President of Ienari's fanclub. Black Hair, Purple Eyes. Sun Guardian
Kakusu Hideki - Former student council president, son of politician. Red Rimmed Glasses. Mist Guardian
Koujin Fuun - Ninja assassin. Dark purple hair, crimson eyes. Kunais as weapons. Cloud Guardian
Inmen Hisen - Mochida's cousin. Ienari's crush. Hime-cut black hair and ocean blue eyes. Rain Guardian
Mochida Kensuke* - Hisen's cousin, captain of kendo club. Storm Guardian
Others:
Hibari Koumei - Kyoya's Father. Interpol Agent.
Hibari Yun - Kyoya's Mother. Deceased. Fon's sister.
Sawada Hidetada - Giotto's son. Twin to Yoshimune
Sawada Yoshimune* - Giotto's son. Twin to Hidetada
* - canon character
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Overwhelming Might
Reborn winced as he landed. His Sun Flames ablaze, healing the damage to his cracked femur. He heaved, wheezing slightly and pushing back the pain with practiced ease. Somewhere along the way, he had lost his jacket; his white shirt stained crimson red from an earlier hit.
Around him the field had turned into a battlefield. Deep trenches carved into the ground, patches of grass incinerated and ripped up. Smoke curled in the distance, the sparks of fire glowing ominously under the red moon.
His only consolation was that from across the field, Ayame looked just as bad. Her braid had come undone, brown hair falling loose. Blood was smeared across her cheek where Reborn had clipped her and he was sure she was hiding a broken rib.
Reborn would never tell her, but Ayame was good. Very good. He couldn't remember the last time someone really made him sweat in a fight. Definitely couldn't remember the last time someone had injured him so badly. If he didn't have Sun Flames, she would have overwhelmed him ages ago.
She was easily on par with the rest Arcobaleno. No… she probably surpassed them, even before the curse was inflicted on them. Ayame was fast, coupled with her portal spirit ability, she bounced all over the field, always slipping pass Reborn's guard. Her weapon was infuriating. Those seven orbs spun around her like lazy moons, free floating and capable of their own individual patterns.
They also shapeshifted. Reborn lost track, unsure if each orb was a different weapon or if they freely changed to whatever Ayame wanted. A whip, a gun, a sword, and more they flashed into existence like lightning and gone as soon as they struck, before Reborn could even register what she was using. She was probably hiding even more.
So this was the power of the Shadow Queen.
He had the advantage with his Sun Flames, healing the damages as he went. Sooner or later, the injuries would eventually slow her down, except…
"You're holding back," Reborn said tightly.
Ayame smiled cheekily at him. "Contrary to belief, I don't want to actually kill you."
Somehow, he highly doubted that. Reborn scowled.
That seemed to only amuse her further. "Didn't you learn anything the last time you were here?" Ayame challenged. "Your physical body is still back in Namimori. Your soul is the only thing here because you're dreamwalking. It's the reason why you're back into your adult body, because that's how you perceive yourself."
She waved her hand nonchalantly. "Souls are actually much easier to break than one would think. At the same time, they are very resilient. It's a balance."
"Besides," Ayame said, her gold eyes practically glowing. "You're holding back too, even if you don't realize it. The curse you're under, still weighs you're down. It's both a blessing and hinderance that you are without your physical body."
It didn't feel like that, but he wasn't about to show her his unease.
"Still, not bad," she said, mildly impressed. "There's room for improvement, but that's always the case, even I have room for improvement. I say we're about even matched, give or take."
This was evenly matched?
"It's the same difference between Kyoya and Kyoko," Ayame said, relaxing her stance. "You have more experience than me. No matter how strange my childhood was, I didn't spend it looking over my shoulder with a sword hanging over my head. No, your childhood and job as a hitman refined your skills in a way I'll probably never achieve.
"But," she said, sounding smug. "I hold way more power than you. I can't use it against you, because again, I don't actually want to kill you."
Reborn narrowed his eyes, scowling harder.
Ayame merely laughed at that and she snapped her fingers. The red moon shattered and the entire area melted away into a Japanese sitting room. She turned, hands reaching to redo her braid. "Still, it's good enough," she said, looking back at Reborn over her shoulder. "Welcome to the Shadow Court, Reborn-san."
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. "What?" Reborn demanded to know. What the hell did that mean? "I want answers, Ayame," he hissed.
She hummed, turning on the small stove to heat a teapot. Taking a seat down at the table, she gestured to the seat across from her. Reborn tensed, not wanting to let down his guard.
Finally, as the teapot whistled, Reborn conceded to sit down. Weariness was beginning to settle in his bones and Ayame had made no movement to attack him. He took a seat as Ayame poured two cups of tea.
"I find it easier to explain after I know what you know and what misconceptions I have to correct," Ayame said. "So why don't you start and tell me everything you know about the Shadow Court."
Reborn scowled darkly, knowing this game of information all too well. Like all the other times they had sat down for exchanging of information, she wouldn't budge until Reborn told her what he knew.
"There are only stories about the Shadow Court," Reborn said. "No one is even sure they exist and if they do, they must be monsters." Considering the mafia contained a wide myriad of monsters and used rainbow colored flames, it spoke quite a bit of the fear they felt when it came to the Shadow Court.
"Nono provided the most solid explanation beyond ghosts and rumors," Reborn said. "Things he had learned from his mother, Vongola Ottavo who was a member herself.
"The creed of the Shadow Court is 'Too dangerous to live, too valuable to kill.' There are two parts of the Shadow Court, Active and Inactive. Nono had his theories as to what was the criteria for how to get into which part."
"But the one thing everyone can agree upon, is that the Shadow Court is overwhelming powerful. Anything that draws their attentions is destroyed without any warning, a strike from the shadows. The Shadow Court, a court of rulers, of world shakers who strike from within the shadows," Reborn finished flatly.
"Not completely right, but not completely wrong either," Ayame said. "Not surprising, and ever since I had joined, it had changed quite a bit.
"Well, let's start with the history lesson. True, the earliest incarnation of Shadow Court was created in the aftermath of World War I. It went by many different names, in many different governments. It was a simple list, divided in two: Active and Inactive. Active members were people who needed constant watching, their mere presence shifting and changing the world. Depending on whether they lived or died, what they said or didn't say, what they did and didn't do, they changed the world. This primarily consisted the world leaders, kings, queens, presidents, dictators, and mafia dons. No one wanted to be blinded sided by another assassination of a political leader."
"Inactives were merely those who had either retired or were up and coming potential Actives," Ayame said, sipping at her tea. "A small part of the Shadow Court is still this today. All Vongola Dons and Donnas are on the Active or Inactive list, merely by the fact that they are the leading power figure in the Italian Mafia. Depending on what they do and do not do, they can soak all of Italy in red if say a full out mafia war broke out."
She huffed, a wryly smile playing on her lips. "No one has bothered to tell me, but I'm willing to bet Kinga is also on that list."
"That would not be surprising," Reborn said dryly. So, Nono's information was merely outdated then? Not too surprising.
"World War II and the creation of the United Nations and Interpol gaining steam, saw the ratification of the official Shadow Court," Ayame said. She tilted her head. "It gets a little confusing here because multiple moving parts.
"First off was the discovery of supernatural abilities. No, discovery isn't quite the right term as supernatural abilities have been around since the beginning of time. But well, governments had become aware, more so, of the idea of say rainbow colored flames, gods and demons. They also realized that they had no way to combat against these abilities unless they used other users with the same abilities."
Reborn felt his stomach clenched. He had always assumed that Dying Will Flames was both the best and worst kept secret of the mafia. No self-respecting police officer would ever believe something as wildly fanatic as rainbow colored flames. So it continued to remain an open secret, without it really being a secret.
To have Ayame outright tell him that the Italian Government was not only aware, they probably knew as much as the weakest mafioso knew about Dying Will Flames. Then why had they not made a move?
"I would have to check. But I'm fairly certain that was why Vongola Ottavo was tapped," Ayame said.
Daniela's rein as Vongola Ottavo was… impressive to say the least. No one expected her to rule so well. Vongola's strength and size not only doubled, but she also led one of the bloodiest reins of Vongola, only surpassed by Vongola Terzo. Most passed it off as her living through the wars, but others saw how she consumed and destroyed some of the more troublesome mafia famiglia of that time.
Now, Reborn knew. Daniela was most likely carrying out orders as a member of the Shadow Court. Vongola's growing resources was probably her reward.
"Second was the threat of Hilter and how hard it was to stop him and his ideology. As a complete reverse of World War I, the governments found themselves in a situation as the war dragged on," Ayame continued. "They needed someone, not connected to a government, powerful enough to wipe out the threat and either contain or neutralize the resulting fallout."
"Not just limited to dictators either. Say if it's projected that the next leader of Vongola will incite that full out mafia war that the Italian Government is afraid of because they're bloodthirsty and power hungry. It's the Shadow Court's responsibly to… ensure Vongola remains in status quo, whether quietly arrange the death of the heir apparent and making sure there is another heir to step forward or if there is none, perhaps warp the personality of the heir apparent. The same goes for World Leaders."
Reborn stared at her, shock. "Nono's sons?" he asked.
"No. They were simply foolish," Ayame said. "But according to the records, Nono use to have an older sibling."
That was… It was like taking a hit, but on a much grander scale. The fallout too. Politicians, Reborn had no problem accepting those jobs. There was always going to be another politician. But World Leaders, Reborn was sure he could probably assassinate the prime minister, but the manhunt afterwards was never worth it, not to mention the turmoil the entire country would be thrown into.
"Third was a much more basic idea. On top of keeping an eye on the world and other supernatural communities, we were expected to keep an eye on each other. Should anyone go rogue, it was the Shadow Court's responsibility to hunt the traitor down."
"'Too dangerous to live, too valuable to kill.' The creed of the Shadow Court. Our abilities and perceived power made us dangerous and valuable," Ayame carefully recited.
"Every person with supernatural abilities is a Shadow Court member?" Reborn asked.
"No. In fact, most don't even know it exists. It's a delicate balance with the Shadow Court serving as the fulcrum. The idea is that governments know supernatural abilities exist, they're willing to leave them alone to be govern by others with the same ability. When that fails, they expect the Shadow Court to move in and neutralize the issue. Same, should anything 'drastic' need to happen, like a young dictator growing his power base, the governments hope to call upon the Shadow Court to take care of the issue," Ayame explained.
"If they don't know the Shadow Court exists, how do you enforce that?" Reborn asked.
"As far majority of the self-contained communities, their leaders are always read into the existence of the Shadow Court when they take up the mantle, whether it's by their predecessor or by a member of the government or Shadow Court. But, power spreads rumors and even if I'm not know as the Shadow Queen, there are many users who tremble at my name," Ayame said. "If you are wondering the Vindice serve as the ruling community for the Italian Mafia. Which is why they are the ones who lock up mafiosos instead of the normal Italian Government."
She finished off her cup of tea and poured herself another cup before topping off Reborn's rapidly cooling one.
"Also so you know, the United Nation is the one who makes the big requests, but the Shadow Court can always decline it. Likewise, Interpol is the Shadow Court's support as far the legal side with Hibari Koumei was our handler," Ayame explained.
"Now, while you can't request to join the Shadow Court, they do tend to look at family lines first and bring those who are already 'in the know' rather than reach out and tap someone new. Provided of course, their offspring's power and control remain the same or stronger than their parent. They're also incredibly nosey about personal lives and they got very nervous when my father married my mother."
Ayame paused, letting out a deep sigh. "My induction to the Shadow Court was… messy to put it lightly. It's a story for another time, but all the previous members were suddenly gone and I was left as the only member. I was… far from stable.
"So suddenly, I went from being a valuable resource to a quick threat and they had no one else who could control me," Ayame said bitterly. "Until they did. That was where King came into play."
"But King set a different precedent. While he knew about the supernatural world, he didn't have any supernatural abilities of his own. More importantly, he knew me and how to talk me out of some my crazier ideas. So he became my leash.
"It also opened the door to the idea of different types of powers, not just supernatural ones. King was a master with money. While my supernatural abilities are off the charts, so is my IQ. People say I herald the technological advancement we live in now. I disagree, but that is what they think."
"Admittedly, they're still afraid of me and I have a lot of leeway because of it. I do have a 'get out of jail' card in every country because they're too afraid of what I would do," Ayame said. "And I have free reign for the most part. That is the tradeoff. You get treated like a weapon, can be called into any situation, which can be declined but not - they are usually good about presenting a strong case-, and they are constantly checking into your life. In exchange, you're given absolute power, free rein in whatever you want to do, be it crimes or travel as long as it doesn't cross into taboo territories, such as harming innocent and are largely left alone."
"A gilded cage," Reborn said.
"Hard to see it when the cage is the entire world," Ayame said. "But a cage nevertheless. It is both a blessing and a curse."
Reborn frowned. It was not entirely surprising. In fact, it was probably on the same level of celebrities and world leaders just more intense. The entire world paid close attention to their private lives, but they in turn had the money and often were allowed to let go free just based on public opinion.
"Then, what do you mean welcome to the Shadow Court?" Reborn asked. He chafed under the idea of being caged like that.
"Because I'm going to go back and tell them you are an even match to me," Ayame said, amused. "They'll be happy with another leash."
"Except I'm not a leash to you," Reborn said, tone drier than a desert.
"Of course not," Ayame gleefully agreed. "But they don't need to know that. They think Tsuna is a leash, but the reality he is a trigger point. But again, they don't need to know that."
"Just like that, I'll become a member of the Shadow Court," Reborn said, still utterly skeptical of the idea.
Ayame continued to look more and more amused. "Just like that. It has the added bonus of wiping your criminal record clean. Drop the right information in front of the right people, and your exit of the mafia is one of the cleanest possible."
"What?"
"I'm saying the Vindice can't come after you for any crimes nor can any government," Ayame said. "Don't even have to fake your death."
That… was… hard to wrap his brain around. Reborn knew, knew it was probably possible given everything Ayame had told him and what he knew previously about the Shadow Court. But to have it all swept under the rug just like that?
"They probably won't give you a full title until realize how much you mean to Tsuna, but that's an issue to tackle in the future," Ayame said.
"What does that mean?" Reborn asked.
"Royalty titles, such as King and Queen are 'full titles' in the Shadow Court," Ayame said. "They are reserved for people who fulfill the creed of too dangerous to live, too valuable to kill. In a nutshell, they have the full abilities, the full power of the Shadow Court behind them. All the benefits and downfalls of the position.
"Below that is the secondary tier. They still possess titles, based off other things like animals, elements, such as Shadow Dragon. They are those who are powerful, but don't necessarily impact the world on the same scale as a full member. What most people tend to worry about is their impact on other Shadow Court members. Secondary Tier members tend to be people who are 'in the know', 'leashes' to the full members, and have the 'potential' to go to full membership.
"Below that is the protection tier. These are for the people the Shadow Court are fond of. Protection is extended to them and the quickest way to anger the Shadow Court is to target them. This tier is usually reserved for family members and close friends who have no abilities. They may or may not be aware of the Shadow Court.
"Last, but not least, is the support tier. Those who are 'in the know', possess little power and basically, yes just there to support. Hibari Koumei is considered to be a support member."
"So I fall into the second tier," Reborn said.
"Right now, if you die today, there would be no impact beyond Tsuna being upset," Ayame said with a wave of her hand. "People would mourn you, true, but world won't necessarily tremble with your passing. Well, unless that curse pacifier around your neck means something else."
She rested her chin in her hand, tilting her head slightly. "So yes, second tier. Which is fine with me, because I don't particularly want you to gain the title of King."
Reborn drew in a sharp breath. "You have always referred to King in past tense." If King was her leash… did that mean she had killed him? Or was it possible to have more than one King. He didn't think so.
He didn't miss the brief flash of grief across Ayame's face. Ah perhaps not.
"King is dead," Ayame answered.
"Titles originally were given based on how well you worked together. King and Queen of the past use to be people who were partners. Somewhere along the way it became known as those who were capable of taking each other out. Mortal enemies, though there are plenty who still follow the old system," Ayame explained. "I have no intention of letting anyone become King as long as I rein as Queen."
That, Reborn could relate to. It was no different than how he felt after Luce. But finding Tsuna… well perhaps Dino would be the one to take up King's mantle.
"I don't have a choice," Reborn said.
"You always have a choice," Ayame said. "You can remain on the protection tier."
But he wouldn't remain her equal. Well, he doubted as long as she was a full member and he wasn't, he wouldn't be her equal, but Reborn knew that the secondary tier offered more, more information, more power, better to protect Tsuna, better to not be kept out of the loop from Ayame. Though shackles and chains, a gilded cage was still a cage. He was trading the mafia for something just as dangerous.
"Vongola?" he asked.
"Struck the fear of the Shadow Court into Nono and placed a geas on him and Ienari," Ayame answered.
"What about the Arcobaleno Curse?"
"Tell me more about it and we'll see."
"And where does Tsuna and his friends fit into this?"
Ayame smiled sharply. "You always do ask all the right questions. The kids, even the few adults like Nana, are scattered across all over the tiers but most of them are in the protection tier."
"And Tsuna?" Reborn asked.
"What do you think?" Ayame asked.
Logic said that Tsuna was at most a secondary tier… but. "He's a full member," Reborn stated.
Ayame lifted her cup, hiding her smile. "Correct. Long live the Shadow Emperor."
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Sweet Dreams
Reborn woke with a start. He stared back down at his tiny hands and cursed body, the jarring displacement was no smoother than the first time.
A quick look at the clock revealed it hadn't even been more than ten minutes since he had supposedly vanished.
"Think about it, tell me your answer tomorrow."
Reborn twirled around, reaching for the knife he always carried. Ayame merely stared down at him, her gold eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Sweet dreams, Reborn-san," Ayame said. She smirked, before crawling into the empty space next to Tsuna.
Reborn twitched. He already knew she was going to take full advantage of her portal ability to pop out of nowhere from now on.
Plus, how did she expect him to sleep? After she dropped all that information on him? Reborn silently snarled and took a seat. He pulled out some paper and began jotting down his notes.
He had so much to think about.
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From these lips (fall gems)
"Tsuna."
"Yes?"
"Shadow Emperor?"
Tsuna placed his pencil down, giving Reborn his full attention. The summer homework Reborn had been helping him had quickly been put aside. "You talked to Neesan," Tsuna stated.
Reborn nodded curtly. It had been a long year though, and Tsuna was finally beginning to pick up on the subtler cues. Reborn held an excellent poker face, but Namimori (and Tsuna assumed, Ayame) strained him in such a way, Tsuna was beginning to see the cracks. It was subtle, the slight twitch of a tense muscle in the neck, the way Reborn's lips formed a thin line, both a sign of how serious he was and to hide the clenched teeth.
"I didn't set out to become Shadow Emperor," Tsuna said. "In fact, I believe Neesan had every intention keeping me in the dark, on the protection tier for the rest of my life. That was most likely her original plan for dealing with Vongola."
He took a deep breath, memories swimming. "Someone took notice of her interest in me. Koumei-ojisan was sent to explain it to me and the plan… to make me a secondary tier member. I don't think Neesan has ever forgiven him for it," Tsuna said. "The Kyoto Spring Trip ensured it."
"Is that why none of you speak of it?" Reborn asked.
"Somewhat," Tsuna said with a shudder. "Mostly we really have agreed to never speak it. That was such a nightmare. We are banned from going back for a good reason. It's crazy, even by Namimori's standards."
"Then the transition to Shadow Emperor?" Reborn asked.
Tsuna was silent for a second. "The price of Mukuro's freedom," he said.
Reborn blinked.
Tsuna shrugged helplessly, a wry smile on his face. "Neesan made the push for it. I don't blame her for it, because I had asked for it. Shadow Emperor was the ultimatum they delivered back."
"...Does Mukuro know?" Reborn asked.
"No. I don't really plan on telling him," Tsuna said. "I am well aware of what I had gotten myself into. Don't tell Neesan, but I was originally planning on making that full transition eventually. Perhaps when I had earned the right."
"Why?" Reborn asked.
"Because I wanted to walk alongside her," Tsuna said with a fond smile. "I know you don't see eye to eye with her, but it's always an adventure with Neesan. She knows so much, but what she knows is just a tiny drop in a much bigger world. But it's hard to go that far without getting tangled in the Shadow Court; a simple side effect of knowing her.
"By placing Mukuro on the protection tier, Mukuro who was close to becoming a potential enemy that Shadow Court would have been asked to take out, I basically forced the UN to acknowledge me as Shadow Emperor. Or, as Neesan likes to say, they clued in that half the people on the protection tier were because of what I wanted and not so much Neesan who, while fond of all us, doesn't really care beyond… well me."
That had been another brutal and awkward conversation between him and Ayame a few years ago. Sure now she more or less attached to Kyoya, Takeshi, Hana, Ryohei and Kyoko, but it hadn't been like that when they first started hanging out with Tsuna. She tolerated Lambo, Fuuta and I-pin because of how much Nana and Tsuna adored them. A grudging truce was formed with Reborn because of Tsuna. Shoichi and Spanner may be the only two people who recently came into group that Ayame genuinely liked.
Many of Ayame's actions made much more sense when viewed from the standpoint that she only did it because of how much Tsuna valued the person. Nagi was brought to Namimori only because Ayame kept a close eye on her because of how she had bonded with Tsuna during the Kyoto Spring Trip. Hayato's rent went down specifically because he was friends with Tsuna. She kept Mukuro and his friends close because Tsuna had asked her. She ensured that all the kids had transfers to Kinga because she knew Tsuna wanted to be with his friends.
Tsuna didn't know what he had done to earn it, but Ayame tolerated all of Tsuna's friends and requests because she liked him. In a different world, the only people Ayame might have tolerated would have been Kyoya, Hana, Shoichi, Spanner, Tsuyoshi and maybe Fon. Possibly Reborn too, as he didn't know why exactly Ayame didn't like Reborn. Which was strange, in his opinion. The two of them were rather alike. Unless that was the exact reason why they didn't get along.
"Who else?" Reborn asked.
"Kyoya-senpai, Kyoko, Hana, Ryohei-nii and Takeshi are all on the secondary tier," Tsuna said. "Shoichi and Spanner have recently been added to the support tier. Everyone else is on the protection tier. For now, at least."
Reborn nodded, quietly absorbing the information.
"What do you plan doing in the future?" Reborn asked.
"My immediate goal is to finish school with good enough grades to accepted to a decent college. But I suspect Neesan will pull strings and neither she nor you will let me pass with just 'good enough grades'," Tsuna said.
Reborn nodded, a sly smile growing on his face. "Now that you don't have to worry about Vongola and terrible teachers of Namimori are no longer an issue, I expect top marks."
Tsuna chuckled weakly. "I thought so. But other than that, I don't really have an exact plan. Unlike some of the others, I don't know what I want to major in, what I want to do. I figured I would just enjoy the journey there."
There were some places he wanted to explore, if he could convince Ayame to take him. Kamikawa's Library was one, but so were a few other places that Giotto had told him in the Spirit World too. He would like to go back to France too, so he could actually appreciate the country this time around.
But mostly, he was going to let the wind take him where he went. He would learn whatever Ayame and Reborn were willing to teach him, help his friends explore their interests, and just make sure he would wake each day to see the sunrise.
"I just want to enjoy life," Tsuna said with a small smile.
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Shadow Contract
"I agree," Reborn said. If Tsuna felt he had to become a full member to follow Ayame, then becoming a secondary tier member to follow Tsuna was the first step to make.
"Good," Ayame said. "I'll let you know if anything comes up."
"That's it?" Reborn asked.
Ayame nodded. "That's the whole point. We carry on with our lives until we are requested. So, if you want to go cause chaos somewhere, I'm certainly not going to stop you."
Huh. Well in that case...
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Soulmates
Dino fidgeted, running a hand over his jacket, smoothing it out. Ayame had requested that he meet her at her apartment.
The last two and half weeks had been… odd. He had confessed to Ayame, Ayame had reciprocated. He started this crazy progress of slowly pulling out of Italy and moving to Japan (with all of his people strangely supportive). Ayame dropped the bomb that she own Kinga Corporation.
Suddenly the reason why she didn't let him pay for her dry cleaning suddenly made so much sense.
With all the whirlwind of activity, this was the first time they were going out on a proper date. Dino paused. It was a proper date, right? He panicked, unsure if he was supposed to have brought something, -not flowers, he learned his lesson, food? Ayame liked inarizushi- with him.
The door swung open, and Ayame stepped outside, closing it behind her. "Right on time."
"You look nice," Dino blurted out.
Ayame glanced down at her outfit, her usual black dress with white sleeves. "This is what I normally wear," she deadpanned.
"I know! I mean umm," Dino sputtered.
Ayame rose her eyebrow before shaking her head. "Your silly man," she said. "I hope you wore comfortable shoes."
Dino glanced down at his sneakers. "Yes? Why?"
Ayame opened the door to her apartment. "You're going to need it. Follow me."
Dino stepped through the door, and came out in the middle of a forest. He blinked at the stone steps that appeared beneath his feet, raising his head. The stairs extended all the way up as far as the eye could see, framed in red torii gates that stood out against the lush green forest.
"Where?" Dino asked.
"We're on Mt. Eike," Ayame said, standing further up the steps, looking back at him. "Come now, it's a long way up."
Dino followed behind her as they trekked up the stairs. He remained quiet on the way up, sensing that this was something important to Ayame. Dino didn't dare to disrupt her thoughts as they climbed.
Eventually, they made up to the top where a small shrine guarded by Kitsune greeted them.
Dino grinned to himself. Kitsune huh. Well that certain explained why Ayame liked this place.
"Hold this," Ayame said, handing Dino a bucket of water. She picked up another bucket and took him down a winding path behind the shrine.
"So where are we going?" Dino asked as they walked past the shrine.
Ayame came to a stop at a small clearing. "I figured I should introduce you."
Dino looked, seeing two headstones in the middle of the clearing. "Your parents?" he asked.
"... No."
Ayame took the bucket of water from Dino and began washing down the headstones. Once that was done, she pulled out from the second bucket a box of pocky and a melon and lit the incense.
Dino watched quietly as she went through the motions. The grave on the left read Honjo Tier and right Kazakami Asher.
"Ayame?" Dino asked, afraid to break the silence.
She pulled out a blanket from the second bucket, setting on the ground. Taking a seat, she patted the ground next to her, motioning Dino to sit.
"I have a hard time talking about them," Ayame said as a preamble. "But if this relationship is going to work, you need to know and understand."
Dino frowned. "If you don't want to talk about it…"
"I never do," Ayame said. "But it's hardly fair to you if I don't. Meet Asher and Tier. In a bit of rarity, I had two soulmates. They were mine, I was theirs. A perfectly balanced triad. As you can see, they're gone."
Dino blanched, reading the dates. They had both been so young when they died. "Ayame… they died six years ago."
"Yes," Ayame said. "We were fifteen or well, I was fifteen. Tier's birthday hadn't passed yet and Asher's was still months off."
Dino stared at the graves wide eyes. Fourteen, the same age Tsuna was now. "Can… I ask how?"
"By the same bastard who murdered my parents," Ayame deadpanned.
What? That… was... Dino's head spun. Ayame just casually dropped information when she was in the mood. So not only had she lost her soulmates at a young age, she lost them to the same person who killed her parents? Her parents were murdered?
"Of course, the bastard is dead. This time I ensured it. Dismantled the whole organization while I was in the progress," Ayame said. "But it won't be the last time someone tries something like that."
"This… you're warning me how dangerous it is get involved with you?" Dino asked. Oh, the irony. He expected to be the one delivering this conversation to Ayame, not the other way around.
"No, just telling you what is the reality of getting to know me. While my security precautions are strong, at least four people have gotten too close enough to Tsuna for comfort. He doesn't know it, but something to be aware about," Ayame said. She waved her hand dismissively. "The danger runs both ways for us."
She took a deep breath. "But that's not the most important part. What you need to understand is that losing a soulmate is devastating. Even more so for me who is far more sensitive to impacts it has on one's mind, soul and emotions. There is no 'moving on'. It is a grief I'll carry until I die, a sense of loss that no one will be able to fill.
"We'll grow in our own way together, but know I'm going spend a lot of time comparing you to them and seeing where you failed. I'm going to paranoid and slammed you with as many tracking spells and protection charms I can create. I'm going to have a hard time getting out of bed because it hurts too much. I'm not a nice person. I will lash out, hit all your weak points." She smiled deprecatingly. "Afraid yet?"
"I'm not frail," Dino said. "I come with my own issues. I'm clumsy, you know that. I will break everything at some point or another. I have just as many enemies who would want to hurt you and I know all about paranoia. For all my smiles, I'm manipulative to a fault because that's how I was raised. Are you okay with that?"
"Well I suppose if you are okay with me potentially breaking your heart, I'm okay with you potentially breaking mine," Ayame said morbidly.
"No faith in us, huh?" Dino said wryly.
Ayame smiled. "Prove me wrong."
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Asher and Tier
"So can you tell me about them?" Dino asked. They had sat up there for several hours, just soaking up the nature and sun in silence. Ayame might not count it as one, Dino thought for a first date, it was quite nice, relaxing even.
"Asher was a ball of sunshine, a puppy," Ayame said. "Full of energy and a curious and open mind. A social butterfly, he spent most of his time trying to convince me to look up from my experiments, convince Tier to put down his book and go out and have fun.
"He also was gifted with music, a prodigy with multiple awards and plenty of followers. There are some movies and tv shows who still use his music even today."
"He sounds like a happy person," Dino said.
"Yes, he was. He took life for what it was, living it its fullest extent," Ayame said. "I learned to enjoy the simple pleasures, a good meal, a smile, a song all from him.
"Tier, I knew from when we were babies. Our families were close friends. If Asher was all energy, Tier was all calm, solid like a rock and unwavering. He was always too old for his age, mature in way most adults weren't, realistic and a solid work ethic.
"He always played devil's advocate, to Asher's optimism and my calculated odds, always preparing for the worse and having contingency upon contingency plans to help him. Despite all of cold reasoning and logic, Tier was the one who gave me hope.
"We balanced each other out nicely. Asher was my happiness and energy, Tier was my grounding and rock," Ayame said.
"I wish I could have met them," Dino said. "They sound like amazing people."
Ayame smiled sadly. "Me too."
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Howling Night
Dino blinked. He could have sworn he was just talking to Romario. The walls of their hotel room were gone, replaced by a night sky, so dark there were no stars reflected above.
A yellow feather hovered in front of him, writing out in delicate script, 'Welcome.'
Dino yelped, surprised. "What's going on?"
There was a flutter of wings as an origami phoenix landed before him. 'I don't quite approve, but if you make her happy.'
"Make her happy?" Dino repeated. "Ayame?" Was this some sort of crazy shovel talk?
'Pass this test and you'll get at least my seal of approval. Convincing Engetsu might be difficult though.'
What test? Dino stared at the crazy spirit(?), had to be a spirit.
A howl pierced the night, echoing loudly.
'Prepare yourself.'
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Signal Start!
Tsuna woke to darkness. That in itself was odd. He reached out, quickly hitting a wooden surface. "What is this?" he asked, pushing at it.
The wood easily moved, pushing open like a door.
Tsuna sat up, looking down on the lush red material he had been lying on. His heart clenched, recognizing the shape of the box. A coffin.
What happened and where was he?
Sorry for the disappearance. RL hit me hard in the face. Still is actually. But here is how the Shadow Court works. Hey we finally get to find out about Asher and Tier. Dino and Ayame will work things out, eventually. Taking it slow is a good thing. This wraps up the Moment of Truth Arc and…. Future Arc start!
This concludes what I've been calling "Book 1" in my head. If you don't like R27 this where you stop and turn back.
At this point, I've wrapped up 95% of the mysteries introduced in the last 36 chapters, including but not limited to, what happened between Tsuna and Ienari age 8, eight of the nine occupants who live in this house, and how Ayame, Kinga and the Shadow Court all play a role. Basically this is a good stopping point if you absolutely hate R27.
While you can read my version of Future Arc and a little beyond that (as R27 doesn't happen until my Timeskip Arc) I make no promises because I intend to introduce the next set of mysteries. Pick your poison if you plan on continuing or not.
See you all in a month. Have a safe and happy holiday.
General Notes
See Chapter 22 A Demon in My View for the first time Ayame's weapons appeared.
See Chapter 21 Shadow Court for Nono's explanation of the Shadow Court
See Chapter for Ayame and Tsuna's fight. Tsuna being Shadow Emperor means should Ayame ever go rogue, it is Tsuna's responsibility to stop her.
It's never directly mentioned by Ayame or Mukuro who can also see it that she had only one soulmate.
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