My Storm, My Cloud, My Sun, My Sky
Summary: Reborn met Fon, they became Arcobaleno and went separate ways, not seeing each other for years. Kyoya was born, Fon had to leave to protect his family and they didn't see each other for years. Tsuna met Reborn, the adventure starts. Hibari met Reborn, craziness starts. Dino met Kyoya, Fon returns and secrets are revealed. Better than it sounds, I promise! D18, RF, LalCol possible others.
Fon arrived for the end of the Ring Conflict, the end of the Sky Match to be precise, just in time to went some pent up frustration against a bunch of Varia operatives. They might be some of the best and most talented fighters among Vongola, the best in Italy, that great 'Varia Quality', but they were no match against the Storm Arcobaleno when he was 'zen', let alone when he actually wants to hurt someone, as rare as that occurrence might be.
He stuck around, afterwards, because he learned Kyoya had gotten himself tangled with an Italian.
History has proven that Hibari + Italians = disaster.
Hibari + Cavallone Italians promised to be a catastrophe. History went in favor of that equation as well, even if it should be more like Skylarks + Cavallone = catastrophe. Especially if there's a side of Vongola somewhere in there.
Alaudi, Vongola's First Cloud Guardian, may have only been a married Hibari - Hibari Kumo, to be precise - but he had definitely been a skylark. His history with Cavallone Primo had been rather ... sad is not quite the word but is the most polite Fon can find without breaking into cursing the Haneuma's name from his first ancestors to his current descendant.
The thing with Alaudi and Cavallone Primo was that, unexpectedly, the dark haired Italian had managed to make the aloof platinum blond Cloud fall in love with him, deeply and truly. Perhaps even madly, because there actually had been a way to revert the gene structure mutation that had happened due to some idiocy the First Lightning Guardian's family had gotten up to. Alaudi had just not gone through with it, because he had known Cavallone stuck to tradition and that Cavallone Primo, the first proper Don of the famiglia, needed an heir. Alaudi had been ready to give him that heir.
The story goes that no one had even known what the mutation had done until Alaudi had suddenly found himself having morning sickness, feeling lightheaded, having trouble sleeping, not liking foods that could usually be called his favorites, craving the strangest combinations instead and being ... 'moodier than usual'. Some had thought he was dying, Cavallone had thought he'd learned about the arranged marriage he was getting ready for, but Alaudi himself was actually the only one to figure out that the impossible had happened. He'd made Lampo take him to his scientists and they did all sorts of research on the subject. They discovered that the gene mutation had somehow allowed the Cloud to grow an uterus. It's not always present in its proper shape - it actually needs sperm for it to look like an uterus, as the Hibari will discover years later, when X-rays are discovered - and it needs to be fed Dying Will Flames constantly for it to be able to support a child.
Depending on the nature of Flames, it was later discovered, the gestation period varied. Sun and Cloud Flames needed the least, but one month was a minimum or else the body would collapse. Usually, by logic, Storm Flames would take the longest, considering their natural attribute, but it is actually Lightning that would be tricky because they would destroy the fetus with their hardening factor. One just had to be careful with Storm, but otherwise, they can shorten the term to about seven to eight months. Rain is the second slowest, taking more than a usual gestation period by one to three months. Sky Flames would have a normal term and Mist can be anything from three to ten months. The biggest factor in deciding the length of the term is, actually, the purity of Flames and the quantity. The stronger the Flames, the shorter the gestation period.
So a strong Storm could easily deliver the child in, say about five months instead of the minimum of seven to eight. A strong Sun or Cloud, as was said, can have a term of only one month. Strong Skies maybe eight to seven and a half, though a strong Lightning would have to have a longer one, just like a strong Rain would need it, too.
Of course, all of that was discovered quite a bit later, by the Hibari Clan, their scientists taking on this new challenge with gusto since it gave their clan quite an advantage that both their men and women can bear children. Alaudi, in the time he had discovered he was carrying Haneuma's son, had no such knowledge besides that the uterus needed Flames to keep the child alive. He fed it Flames and tried to make time for a meeting with Cavallone Primo so he can tell the man the good news, only to find out, two days before the ceremony, that the Don was getting married.
A month before he left Italy for Japan with his Sky and some of his fellow Guardians, Alaudi was broken up with, their affair brushed aside as a silly fling that had gone too far, his feelings never acknowledged, his opinion never asked for. For a solitary, proud, aloof Cloud to allow themselves to get attached to, to fall in love with someone, is a big deal, especially for a man like Alaudi was rumored to be. Cavallone had either chosen to ignore the impact such a course of action would have on the younger man or had not known nearly enough about it. Flames were still a novelty back then.
The Hibari had recognized it, of course. Fon had heard many stories and read even more, all passed down from generation to generation, of how one of their own had renamed the platinum blond man, had remade him, had put back together his broken heart and made him live for the son he had carried. Whether Alaudi had ever loved her remained to be discussed and pondered over decades later, but they did have a Hibari-born daughter and son, later on, and Alaudi had never turned his back on her, even when Cavallone Primo had come to Namimori on Vongola Secondo's request to ask Giotto Vongola for the Rings.
It had been Alaudi, now Hibari Kumo, who had greeted the man, who had given him the half-Rings as the one and only Head of CEDEF, the main External Advisor. Rumors said that Cavallone had tried to win Alaudi back. He had had a cluster of children but his chosen wife had died in childbirth of his youngest, so he was a widower but free nonetheless. Alaudi had refused. He had had his own family. He had had a wife he had, if nothing else, respected, a clan who had backed him up and hidden him but had never tried to restrain him in any way because they understood what it meant to be a true Cloud.
Cavallone Primo had let him go, had finally given him the key to the gilded cage that had been their love and left Namimori with what he had come for and a cleanly severed bond he should have never cut off.
Several months later, Alaudi had finally found his release.
Cavallone had come to the funeral and had met the son that was his but will never be his. The boy was raised Hibari. The boy was the first to have the Hibari features people are today most familiar with, almost black hair and bright eyes - blue, in his case, like early morning skies just after dawn - and pale skin. He had, many years later, married his half-sister and through their child, the new 'normal' Hibari gene entered the gene pool and it became normal for Hibari males to be no different from females if they wished it.
It took off a lot of pressure off of everyone's shoulders about continuing the line and whatnot. They were the first traditional family to allow and support same-sex relationships wholeheartedly. Yes, there were idiots, but no one cared about them when, in the honor of the man who had taught them how to hide themselves completely from the mafia and the rest of the world, secret governments and all - because that man knew everything about them all, had been part and spy for and of them, had seen it all, had set up most procedures and thus knew how to get around it all - and who had given them this unexpected gift, a clan law was passed that no one must marry for any other reason than love.
Yes, Alaudi had probably never loved his wife the way he had loved Cavallone, but she had loved him and he had shared everything with her, had respected her and her family, her clan. Had called them his family and his clan. He had been a skylark, a Hibari, one of them.
His story was one of tragedy and love and hope and healing.
He had been a Hibari Cloud, aloof and proud, and he had fallen in love with a Cavallone Sky, but bound to Vonogla, a Guardian.
Hibari Kyoya was a Cloud that, had the Arcobaleno been chosen in these days, would have been chosen for the Violet Pacifier and Cavallone Decimo was definitely a Sky, one that was greatly enamored with the 'student' his own former tutor Reborn had assigned him to.
Fon was not about to let his 'nephew' live through Hibari Kumo's story.
So he stayed in Namimori and yes, he was practically stalking Kyoya and Dino Cavallone whenever the two went somewhere. He became increasingly worried when they kept visiting a realtor. The few dates Cavallone took his secret child on? They were innocent. Kyoya even teased the blond by pretending not to realize what was going on, but Kyoya, while antisocial, was far too sharp not to have known from the start. Cavallone acted like a perfect gentleman and even doted on Kyoya the way a lovesick husband would on his wife. Fon had seen it with his own eyes, the way Haneuma tripped over himself to make sure everything was to Kyoya's liking and the way he seemed to be on cloud - insert snort here - nine every time Kyoya seemed openly pleased by something. They still trained together, vicious and going all out, blood and scratches and bruises and a few cracked ribs - Kyoya had gotten so strong. Fon was so proud he nearly shed a tear more than once - and they seemed content around each other.
Really, the only thing so far that worried Fon was the, as he'd mentioned before, visits to that 'Kawahira's Realtors' place. He didn't really like the idea of Kyoya possibly moving in with Cavallone. That seemed like going way too fast. (Never mind that he himself had lived with his first ever - and only - lover for quite a bit before they then slept together and only then started proper courting. That was different and at least they were two consenting adults! Kyoya,while consenting, was a minor!) At least sex was not yet involved. Kyoya was far too young to worry about the consequences of being a Hibari male.
Fon will be castrating the Cavallone boss if he touches Kyoya with impure intentions before his 'nephew' is eighteen at the least. And out of his beloved Namimori Middle School.
Cavallone was truly Reborn's pupil. They had similar tastes, they had similar wooing techniques, though Reborn was still a lot smoother than the whip user pursuing Kyoya's attention. It was almost admirable, the way Haneuma tried to be respectful of the skylark's Cloud nature. And he acted like an overexcited puppy, most of the time, all happy just to see Kyoya.
The realtor visits still bothered him, so he decided to pack his things up and move back into the traditional house he and Kyoya had shared for five years and that Kyoya had then lived alone in since.
Only, just the night before he was going to move back in, he had a very strange dream.
For one, it was like The Fated Day, all Arcobaleno there save Luche, though there was a teenager girl about Kyoya's age, though she looked older, there in her place, an Orange Pacifier hanging from a silver chain around her neck, that bore the Sky Arcobaleno a great resemblance, from the hair color, to the eyes and even down to that strange orange birthmark under her left eye. Only, everyone except the new(?) Sky Arcobaleno were in their infant forms instead of their true age and they couldn't seem to see each other or interact with each other. He guessed each person could see everyone else just like he could, but they can only see the others not reacting to any calls or attempts at communication. It was as if they were sharing a mind space, could see the same exact thing, but they were watching a recording that was happening simultaneously with real time events. It was eerie and Fon didn't like it.
He licked it even less when the Man in the Iron Hat appeared, looking the same as that accursed day, with his checkered mask and strange clothes. Fon felt himself moving towards Reborn in an echo as to what had happened fifteen, almost sixteen years ago, but the hitman did not react like he had then, a hand reaching out to him to offer comfort for a fleeting second before they had all drawn in on themselves as the curse tore through them and made them shrink.
"Arcobaleno," the Man in the Iron Hat said and this time he did not sound so somber or apologetic. He, instead, sounded proud and ecstatic. "I have, at last, found a way to alleviate the curse that ails you." Someone must have said something - probably a sarcastic comment about them never having been cursed in the first place if there had been no interference from the mysterious man himself - because there was a twitch on the man's lips as though he was tempted to smirk. "As I have already told you once, the Trinisette must have its protectors and the Pacifiers must have holders. However, a new ... friend of mine has brought to light that a different solution might exist, one that does not require sacrifice. I have been searching for such a solution for centuries, but the solution given to me was so simple that it was too complex for an insider to see and instead needed an outsider. There is a way, my Arcobaleno, and I am happy to present it to you."
A light appeared in front of them and Fon had to close his eyes, for it was too intense and it hurt. When it faded and he could see again, he found what looked like a silver and gold valve, resembling a simple ring that would fit snugly around the meeting joint of the 'mouth shield' and 'nipple', as well as a chain, not attached to the valve-like ring but separate and far longer than someone as small as himself - or the other Arcobaleno - would need, lying in front of him. The same pair of items could be found in front of every other Arcobaleno.
"The chain is similar to the one Viper invented, but its purpose is not to block the signature of Dying Will Flames and hiding from other Arcobaleno, nor does it restrain your Flames. These Chains should be used to hang the Pacifiers around your necks after you put the Valves on. They will then act as a steady conduit between you and the Valve, which will cycle the amount of Flames that go into the Pacifiers. The Valve works both ways, but it stops any leakage of Flames that would happen otherwise. In simple terms, the amount of power you use from the Pacifiers is the amount of Flames you must give back. Each time you use the Pacifiers, you will be able to use them just as you would now, but afterwards, you must return the amount you gave. In that time period, as you steadily give back the Flames at a pace that won't kill you, you will once again be stuck in this form."
There was some kind of reaction. Fon guessed it was to that 'again be stuck in this form' that had gained it.
"Did I not say? I have found a way to break the infant curse. You will still be Arcobaleno, but you will once more be like any other normal human. You will just protect the Pacifiers and be considerably hard to kill. When, one day, you become too old to properly protect them, new Arcobaleno will be chosen to inherit the Pacifiers. You will both feed the Pacifiers Flames, but neither will the old Arcobaleno die nor will the new Arcobaleno be cursed as infants 'll be in this form for a short amount of time until their body gets used to the strain of carrying the Pacifiers, but never again will another human being be sacrificed. The Trinisette will remain protected, you will live normal human lives, though you will be considerably harder to kill than your normal human. You can do as you wish."
Fon ... couldn't believe it. This had to be a dream. It was too good to be true, too strange to be reality. Yes, he had gone to sleep, planning to move back in with Kyoya, and now he was having a weird dream because he was a tiny bit stressed about his 'nephew's' future because Kyoya was clearly at least partially fond of Cavallone. That must be it. He refused to hope.
"All you need to do when you wake up is gather together, put on the Chains and the Valves like so," an illusion appeared to demonstrate how the Pacifier should be fitted with the new 'accessories'. "And, in a day's time, you will wake up back in your original, true forms. Simple as that. I wish you happy, long lives, my Arcobaleno."
Fon woke up with a gasp, a hand immediately reaching down to touch his Red Pacifier, just to assure himself that the thing connected to his soul was still there. He calmed down fractionally, slowly, only to tense up when he saw, by his little bed, the same Chain and Valve from his dream.
It was not a dream.
00000
Fon was not a paranoid person, but when the Vongola Tenth Generation looks like a differently colored copy of the Vongola First Generation, Cavallone Decimo falls in love with the new Cloud Guardian while looking like a replica of Cavallone Primo and suddenly Checker Face shows his, well, face for the first time in fifteen years and there are, already, five out of the total of eight living Arcobaleno already in the same town - yes, Varia have not yet left Namimori, as Xanxus was still recovering from the Sky Ring's rejection in the hospital - even he gets a bit twitchy.
The familiarity of the last Hibari property was refreshing and relaxing. He had arrived early in the morning, but Kyoya had already left to patrol Namimori's streets before going to his school, so he had the house to himself. Fon and Lichi simply spent the day in the gardens, him drinking tea while his monkey explored to see if any changes were made since the last time they were here. Fon actually spent the day staring down at the Chain and Valve, debating whether he should risk it. The Man in the Iron Hat had turned him into what he is today, a cursed infant, but Fon did remember how regretful he'd sounded at the sacrifice that they were, seven people meant to be exchanged for the rest of the world. Not immediately, but it might as well be that way, right?
Could it be that Checker Face was telling the truth? Can he be free? If he just puts these things on, he could be who he used to be, the way he used to be ...
He wanted to do it, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to risk it. He didn't want to leave Kyoya alone. The boy could take care of himself, yes, but he was still only a child.
He didn't even realize how dark it had gotten as he struggled with such thoughts, not until he heard a door closing and what sounded like an anthem ringing throughout the empty house.
"Speak," Hibari Kyoya's reassuringly familiar voice followed and Fon smiled, already shifting to get up to greet his 'nephew' when a sound of annoyance followed. "How did you get this number?" A pause, probably for a reply. "You stole it from Bucking Horse phone, didn't you? I should have bitten him to death when he'd dared take my phone and install his number, then called himself to get my own number. Or just burned this damned phone. It's not like I can't get another."
That, though, sounded more like the prefect was grumbling to himself in annoyance. Fon would have smiled, but it was clear that this was not someone Kyoya had wished to give his number to, which made him worried. Even if this person had stolen Kyoya's number from Haneuma, what if they hadn't? Had the old Hibari privacy protections finally been breached? He'll need to check on those later.
"What do you want, anyway?" A pause. "Well, of course the Baby wouldn't want to put on anything you'd give him! It didn't exactly work out all that well last time for him, did it?" Another pause. "He's paranoid. It comes with his lifestyle." Another one. "What do you even want from me?" There was a longer pause in which Fon heard Kyoya take off his shoes and throw off that gakuran he liked wearing practically like a cape. A shuffling of feet and then a pause in movement. "What, exactly, do you mean by Fon being able to convince him? No, I do not know. Tell me before I lose my patience and bite you to death. No, don't you dare hang up on me, Kawahira. I know where you live. Now answer my questi- Yes, of course I want that. It's the reason we approached you instead of just killing you the second I learned of your location. Listen,that's not the part of our deal- Yes, I do know what is required for the plan to be effective- No, I am not going to- Stop interrupting me, your herbivore and listen. If I outright tell the Baby to do anything that is even remotely connected to this, he will hunt you down to see if you're manipulating me. I am that small animal's 'Guardian', as far as all those herbivores are concerned and he wants to see us form a proper 'set'. If he suspects you're interfering with that, he will shoot you and no, I won't stop him."
There was a very long pause, in which this 'Kawahira' must have been trying to convince Kyoya.
"I still don't understand why Fon would make him change his mind. I don't care, actually. I am not forcing him to interact with the other Arcobaleno if he does not wish to. Yes, I do know that. However, they don't have to actually meet up as you're insinuating. No. No. Do I need to come over and beat the answer into your herbivorous head?"
Just who was this Kawahira, a denizen of Namimori that dared argue with Hibari Kyoya? Fon resolved to see the man for suspicious was happening here.
"Yes, you know that I want that. We've already been over this. I- Fine, I'll see what I can do." There was probably an expression of gratitude from the other side and a bid for a good night, but Kyoya only said "Burn in hell," and ended the call. "Useless herbivores." There was some more shuffling, coming from the kitchen now, before Kyoya stepped out into the back garden,casually sitting down next to the Storm Arcobaleno. "Smiling carnivore."
Fon smiled at the affection he heard in the other's voice. "Kyoya, it's good to see you again."
"Hn. Next time, greet me the moment you return to Namimori instead of scampering around like a rat. I will forgive it only this once."
Fon laughed and the two spent the night out there, each lost in thoughts, enjoying the companionable silence and each other's company.
He didn't know how or why, but Kyoya obviously knew something about that weird dream of his. Not surprising, really. Kyoya was a ... lot like his parents. In this regard, he was particularly like the parent that didn't even know he existed, not in that way, always seeming to know things he should have no way of finding out. And clearly Kyoya wanted for Fon to convince 'the Baby', which Fon knows is how he refers to Reborn, to go through with Checker Face's instructions. Fon doesn't know how this Kawahira is involved, or how Kyoya got involved, but he knew one thing for sure.
When all of the Arcobaleno gather, as he was sure they will, he will have to have a talk with Reborn.
Because what Kyoya wants, truly, Fon will do anything to get.