Mia Tempesta
Summary: Reborn never liked being a (secondary) Sky, but he can't deny his nature forever, so one day he starts collecting his Elements. Except now there was a tiny Storm that packs quite a punch that he doesn't know what to do with. Denial leads to trouble, trouble leads to possessiveness, possessiveness leads to ... something else much more tender. Throw in Checkerface and the Arcobaleno Sky into the mix and things get quite complicated.
"Have I told you my ten year old son can do a better job than you?" Reborn commented as he checked Dino's progress on his latest math homework. He'd gotten four out of ten questions right in an hour and a half. They weren't even all that hard questions and Reborn wasn't judging from his point of view as someone who delighted in solving the most difficult mathematical problems in history.
"Not everyone's lucky enough to be born with a mathematical genius to teach them from a young age about integrals and other advanced mathematics," groused the blond from where he was nursing his cheek from Reborn's last slap. He seemed to be getting used to it so the punishment was losing effect.
"These are basic problems, Dame-Dino," countered the hitman as he gave him an utterly unimpressed deadpan stare. "A twelve year old would be able to do the problems you got right in less time and the ones you got wrong should be a piece of cake to you by now."
"Maybe you need to explain it to me again."
"I already did ten times."
"Clearly not well enough-" The future Cavallone Don got cut off when Reborn had Leon turn into a one ton mallet and smacked the seventeen year old with it over the head.
He gave him a vaguely approving grunt when the teen didn't immediately pass out. "At least some parts of your training are already taking hold." He's been at this for the past two months and he already just wants to call it quits because Dino was resisting in small ways every step of the way that he can vaguely get away with. His creativity was, at least, admirable, but the resistance was futile because Reborn was a man of his word and he will be making a respectable Don out of the boy. If for no other reason than to stop the creation of another arrogant Sky who thinks they are all that.
There were more than enough such bastards in the world and while Reborn and all of his Guardians were safe, Kyoya wasn't. Kyoya, a powerful, pure Cloud with a strong secondary Mist, was practically a magnet for Skies and the kid had no desire to bond or harmonize, ever. If Reborn can make sure one less Sky would even think of attempting to force him, he will gladly put in the time to ensure that.
Besides, Dino was an overall good kid. Reborn didn't want to give up on him because he had some potential. Making him Flame Active had reduced some of his natural clumsiness, but had also opened him to a whole new world of senses that he was not yet ready to deal with. He'll probably be better once he finds at least one or two Guardians to tether him to himself instead of letting his Flames blindly stretch out to search for bonds that were not yet there. Depending on how long Reborn stays, he might even help him find some. Romario was a good candidate already. The two were certainly compatible. A Rain as a first bond would be good for his further growth and development. It should prevent him from making any rash and dangerous decisions and Romario's loyalty might help eventually win him over to the idea of becoming a boss.
Cavallone Nono was getting worse by the day. From what he had overheard, the man had a year if he was lucky but could literally not wake up the very next morning as well. The instability was costing the Cavallone allies and was even starting to affect their ability to hold their territory. Sooner or later, something will have to give.
Dino was far from ready to inherit the family, so Reborn at times snuck into Nono's room and fed him Sun Flames, soothing over any resistance the man's own Flames might give - because he had had a Sun Guardian of his own and the woman had died years ago defending him, so Reborn was nothing more than an incompatible intruder - with his own harmonizing Sky Flames. It didn't even take much of a toll on Reborn but worked wonders for the Don. He'd be a lot more energetic the following couple of days.
Reborn was careful that no one knows what he was doing because Cavallone, if no one else, would question how he can heal him on such a deep level when their overall compatibility is 0%. (Reborn's Sun is 100% compatible with his Sky. There was no space for any other Sky or Sun there.) And while usually healing by way of Sun Flames doesn't require compatibility, Cavallone Nono was literally dying, so even his Flames were slowly going out, lacking the energy to continue burning. Reborn gave them the energy they needed, which should be impossible between an utterly incompatible Sun and Sky. Hence his use of his own Sky Flames to create a fake harmony to trick Cavallone's Flames to let him heal him. If they question him about how he could heal someone on a literally soul level, his secret secondary Flames would not stay so secret anymore.
Perhaps he was getting himself too involved in famiglia matters that didn't even concern him. He was a freelance hitman and he had a family of his own to look out for. None of this concerns him.
And yet, sometimes, right after Dino visits his father's sickbed, the blond would have this lost look in his eyes that reminded him a bit too clearly of Fon at that age and he would relent some of the ice around his heart and reach out a helping hand, even if it was in secret.
Ultimately, Reborn knew that the only way he can really help Dino is by making him a strong, capable mafia boss because only that way would the future Cavallone Decimo remain relatively safe and be able to control his own destiny. Reborn didn't want the teenager to die, which means he needs to, perhaps, take this whole training thing a bit more seriously. He needs to bring it up a notch so Dino would take it more seriously.
An idea started forming in his mind, a combination of his natural chaos and a training regimen not all that different from what his own 'mentor' had once put him through until Reborn got strong and skilled enough that such methods no longer worked on him. It had taken him a couple of months, but he knew the method might need years before it shows any true fruits with Dino. That's fine. Reborn was fully committed at this point to make Dino strong.
He guessed they can start tomorrow, when he gets some TNT, Leon has the time to make more Deathperation Bullets and so he can find some of his old sheep and wolf costumes.
Also, he might need to video-phone Fon and ask for a demonstration in some whip moves, given that the Cavallone traditionally used that weapon and Reborn would not use such a thing outside of the bedroom with a very kinky partner. (Which Fon wasn't. He may be up to some roleplay and bondage from time to time, but whips were a no go.)
(Judging by a few faint scars on his back, faded to the point of almost being invisible, Reborn could guess why and it made his blood boil and trigger finger itch. He hoped the person who did that to Fon was already dead, because if they weren't, Reborn will be coming after them.)
00000
"Reborn, I don't mean to question you, but why are we dressed like this?" Predictably, his student asked him the next morning as he gestured at their outfits. Dino looked far too innocent for a teenager dressed as a lamb while Reborn was the true personification of the big, bad wolf. Only, if he was going to devour Dino, it was going to be in a literal sense because the kid had been complaining about the early hour - it was still dark outside at three forty in the morning - and the long walk into the middle of the woods and about having to carry loads of bags that Reborn had shoved into his arms as soon as he had dragged the blond out of bed.
Reborn hasn't had his morning espresso yet and he was kind of peckish, so literally devouring Dino like a cannibal wasn't off the table. It's messy and probably bad for his stomach, but he's the strongest Sun in the world and it would seriously rid him of many problems.
"Fon was so much better at this age," he reminisced to himself with a sigh before granting Dino his attention. "It's for endurance, adaptability, agility, speed and stamina training."
"Okay, but I have to ask how the sheep costume comes into play."
Reborn didn't bother to hide his sadistic grin as he took out a whistle and blew. A second later, an entire pack of hungry wolves howled in answer before the sound of snapping branches and rustling leaves filled the early morning. Even in the dim lighting, he could clearly see Dino pale.
"Think of it as a game of tag."
"Why would you do this?" The still too shocked to start running teenager asked and the hitman shrugged.
"There's this very interesting story I like about a lamb that didn't listen to its elders and went too far into the woods and met the big bad wolf. The lamb had to dance to save its life until someone came to save it or it managed to lead the wolf closer to where the humans might be searching for it with guns. But the lamb only knew so many dance moves and it didn't take long for it to run out and the wolf noticed and started losing interest. So the lamb made up new moves on the spot. Its life quite literally depended on the wolf's entertainment. Think of your training from now on in that context, because if you slack off, I won't help you. I'll leave you to the big bad wolf."
"You're crazy!"
"And you're dressed as a sheep with the perfume to booth to make it more realistic and there's a pack of wolves charging for you. Now start running or I'll just sit right here and watch them tear you apart piece by piece."
Needless to say, Dino ran like he'd never run before, right up until dawn, when he grew too exhausted and the wolves closed in on him.
Reborn simply hit him with a Deathperation Bullet and watched the chase continue while munching on some popcorn.
00000
"Wrong again."
"No, wait, I know where I made a mistake-gaaah!" BOOM!
"The answer is f(x)=x*g/2. Do the next one. If you get it wrong this time, you'll get double the Boom."
"Mio Dio, salvami!"
00000
"Why am I learning Japanese?"
"Because I said so. Now, again from the top. Konichiwa."
"Konichiwa."
00000
"Reborn!" An excited Dino burst into the tea room on the second floor of the manor, waving around a crumbled and a bit torn up piece of paper - probably a result of his clumsiness - with gusto and a blinding smile on his face. "I got 25/30 on my math test! The teacher praised me for my improvement! Thank you so much!"
Romario, who had been having coffee with the hitman, got all teary eyed with pride and even clapped at the best math grade so far. "That's wonderful, Boss. Well done!"
Dino was so focused on Reborn who was examining his test with a critical eye to notice the change from 'young master' to 'boss', but Reborn didn't. Still, he gave the blond a proud smirk as he handed back the test. "Good job, Dino."
"You didn't call me 'Dame'!" Exclaimed the soon to be eighteen year old in elation and delight.
"Keep it up and I might drop it permanently, Dame-Dino."
"I'll show you! You'll see, Reborn! I'm not 'no-good'!"
Well, his Japanese was also coming along quite well.
Reborn was quite satisfied.
00000
Reborn took a vacation from Christmas to the end of the first week of the New Year. The Arcobaleno were all gathering in Namimori to spend the holidays with Kyoya and to get away from the idiocy of their current 'coworkers'. Viper and Lal especially needed the break, because the Vongola as a whole were all idiots.
Reborn was eager to go back home - and wasn't it strange that Namimori was now 'home'? Well, Kyoya was there, so there was no other place in the world that could carry that title - because this was the first birthday in years that he hadn't spent with his Guardians, which meant that they would be making up for it now. Which meant he'll be allowed to have a whole day with only Fon while the others watch Kyoya. If he plays it right, he could get two to three consecutive days of a little private vacation with only Fon and himself.
Don't get him wrong, he loves all of his Guardians and Kyoya, of course, but he's a little frustrated and Fon was the best way to vent that frustration, be it through an all out spar or in the bedroom. And for both of those methods of relieving stress, they need privacy or else someone might get hurt.
Also, presents and booze. And the Arcobaleno trademark chaos he hasn't fully enjoyed in months.
Walking through the streets of Namimori almost felt nostalgic, which was ridiculous as he'd visited just a couple of months ago. The people knew better than to get in his way but the dangerous aura he exudes did zilch to stop more than a couple of women and even some men from gazing longingly after him. Once, it would have pleased him greatly to have such attention, but now he was always battling between annoyance and amusement since his heart remained very firmly Fon's. And his little tempest remained exclusively his, too and that's how they like it. Ten years later and yet nothing has changed between them. Adding Kyoya to the mix had only solidified their relationship further.
And speak of the demon prefect of Namimori and he shall appear!
Reborn grinned when he caught sight of the familiar mop of raven hair, the owner too short and dressed in all the wrong colors to be Fon. Kyoya doesn't seem to have seen him yet, but the hitman knew that won't last. Kyoya on his own had almost animalistic instincts and was a born fighter. He's always alert and aware of his surroundings, categorizing people by threat level as 'herbivores', 'omnivores' and 'carnivores' and Reborn definitely fit into that last one. The number of times he's managed to take Kyoya by surprise since the kid hit seven was inappropriately low for the world's greatest hitman because Kyoya always seemed to be aware of him, the biggest danger in the room.
And while Reborn was proud of how good Kyoya was for his age, he also wants to play pranks on his son, too.
So he uses this golden opportunity to its fullest and all but drops behind Kyoya out of literally nowhere, grabbing the ten and a half years old boy in his arms and hugging him like a teddy bear in that way he knew the little Cloud despised but endured for the sake of his herbivorous family. (Even though he considered everyone but Skull and Verde as carnivores and Viper an omnivore. The Cloud and Lightning Arcobaleno were iffy in Kyoya's mind because they didn't really know how to properly fight and avoided it if they can but were still dangerous. Kyoya was still evaluating them to this day so he can put them in their proper class. For now, he calls them fake-herbivores. The little Hibari was honestly weird but they all still found him too adorable to mind. Not to mention that none of the Arcobaleno are exactly sane, either.)
Kyoya lets out this little annoyed sigh that is reserved exclusively for the Arcobaleno and Reborn smirks as he cuddles his littler skylark. This was actually a bit like therapy for him. "Come on, Kyoya, don't be like that. I need to soak up some competence after months of being around that wimpy student of mine~" Whined the Arcobaleno, but he was dead serious. Dino was starting to do better, but he was still incompetent and clumsy and downright dame dame. After being surrounded by scarily competent people - yes, even Skull; being a commander for Carcassa has finally made him shine, even if he's still such a natural lackey - for the past ten years almost continuously, Reborn was not ready to face the idiocy and mediocrity of the rest of the world.
Kyoya didn't struggle, so the kid must have missed him, too. "Surely even a herbivore can't be that bad that you've been reduced to herbivorous behavior such as this?"
Reborn huffed. 'Says the little menace enjoying the hug.' Kyoya was so cute sometimes. "He's doing better as a result of my tutelage, but seriously, Kyoya. I was not ready for this. Did you know that you and Fon are not normal kids? Well, back when Fon used to be a kid, anyway. Apparently, you guys are super gifted or something or just raised right. I mean, that wimp is almost eighteen but you would beat him in adaptability, stamina, speed and even strength any day. And don't even get me started on his algebra skills! Or decision making! Kyoya, you're turning eleven in a few months but you're already running a town all on your own. I gave my student an ant farm and there's already been a move towards anarchy."
Reborn had had to smooth things over with the angry insects unless they wanted the entire manor overrun by ants. Thank whatever gods exist or don't that he'd settled for ants and not termites. The Cavallone were already suffering financially from their sick boss. They wouldn't have the money to properly repair their headquarters.
Sure, Leon could have just eaten the ants or something, but Reborn honestly preferred them to some of the idiots working for the Cavallone who thought he was just messing around and enjoying the free food and residence. Did those idiots even realize Reborn could be doing much more interesting things elsewhere if he's not tied to his idiot student? They should be thanking him, not mocking his methods, especially as Dino has gotten better. Say what you will, but those 'crazy methods' are working. They may be unorthodox, but what were they expecting when they hired a hitman to be a home tutor, of all things!?
Kyoya twisted so he can look at Reborn to check if he was serious before arching an eyebrow when he realized that yes, he was. "Ants follow their queen." In other words, what Reborn has just said should be impossible.
The hitman sighed, exasperated and so done with the world. "I know."
Understanding flashed in silver-blue eyes and Kyoya patted the arms hugging him sympathetically. "Take all the time to recover that you need." In other words, cuddle away. At least until they find Fon. Then Kyoya will demand that he be released because Fon was a much more suitable comfort blanket/teddy bear than him.
"You patrolling still or making your way home?" The adult asked as he adjusted his grip before casually placing the ten year old on his shoulders. Kyoya was light for a child of his age, especially one so strong, and Reborn was more than in shape so carrying him like this despite his age and size was no problem for the Sun.
"I'm trying to stay away from the house for a while longer," admits the Cloud, not even bothering to fight the hitman on his treatment that is more suitable for a toddler than a primary school student.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, Colonello finally popped the question and Lal actually said yes."
Reborn couldn't believe his ears. "Wait, for real? You're not just pulling my leg, right?"
The littler Hibari just nodded. "Their first date is set for the New Years fireworks watching. They want to 'take things slow'." The child even threw in an eye roll - highly unusual for him, because he believed such gestures to be beneath him and utterly herbivorous - and air quotes with his fingers.
Reborn doesn't know if he should crack up laughing or curl up and cry.
"At least they're having sex to celebrate."
Maybe a murder spree is the best option because his ten year old son should not know anything about that.
In the end, Fon stops him before he can murder his Rains.
Just your typical Arcobaleno reunion.
