That Which Obscures The Sky
Summary: When Reborn comes to Namimori on Vongola Nono's request, he was NOT expecting to find a Sky all for himself. This was not in his job description and the hauntingly familiar face wasn't helping him any. The question now is, what will he do?
Kusakabe Tetsuya, Vice-chairman of Namimori Middle School's Disciplinary Committee, had met their Chairman when Hibari Kyoya was ten. It had been an unusual meeting, that was for sure, and had ended with a lot of blood spilled by the slighter possibly younger boy.
None of which had been Tetsuya's, as surprising as it might seem.
It had gone down like this. Back then, a soon to be eleven year old Tetsuya had been out with some friends, friends who would later become a part of the Disciplinary Committee. They'd been arrogant as only kids not knowing the harsh reality of the real world can be. They'd played yakuza, Tetsuya actually bringing a bit of reality into the game with his own intimate knowledge that was passed down to him despite his family no longer being actively involved in the underworld dealings anymore. It was all fun and games until a group belonging to the actual yakuza saw them and decided to 'teach' them how it's really done. No one had come to their aid or even called the police, even when the yakuza members took out knives and brass knuckles and one even had a gun.
They'd all been on the ground, bloody, bruised, cut up and with broken bones, their little bodies practically shattered. Tetsuya had been the last one still clinging to consciousness and so he saw when the 'leader' of the group took out the above mentioned gun and said the yakuza can't afford to leave loose ends, aiming the firearms at Tetsuya first, since he was still awake and the bastard had wanted to watch fear and helplessness overtake his face.
But because he had been such a sadist, he'd gotten what he deserved and then some, because a rock came flying out of seemingly nowhere, hitting him in the head and almost making him drop the gun. All five of the yakuza members had whirled around to find the offender and lo and behold, they found a ten year old staring at them impassively. The yakuza had all then started throwing threats the boy's way, swinging their knives and showing off their brass knuckles. But the kid had remained fearless, impassive and Tetsuya had felt admiration and awe for the boy. He was bigger, maybe even a bit older and he had been taught, somewhat, how to deal with these situations. As far as he had known back then, the boy who had tried saving him was just a civilian.
But Hibari Kyoya, as he learned soon enough, wasn't, he didn't just try, he succeeded. He was no ordinary random kid in the streets.
Tetsuya, to this day, still remembered the last thing he saw before he passed out from pain and the mild concussion he was suffering from and that had been light reflecting off of metal retractable tonfa that would soon enough become Hibari Kyoya's trademark identifier.
He woke up a couple of days later in the hospital, arm in a sling, his ribs wrapped up with bandages, all of his cuts treated, just like with the rest of his friends. He asked the nurse, the doctor, his own parents, other patients, his friends, everyone, about the boy who had saved him, but the hospital staff merely focused on his injuries, his friends thought he'd dreamed that part up or accused him of lying to try to look cooler but his parent's reaction was interesting. They had gone stiff upon hearing his brief description of his rescuer and what little else he remembered of the whole thing before relaxing and telling him he shouldn't talk about it with anyone else. The other patients simply didn't know.
When his doctor deemed him well enough, he finally allowed for the police to talk with him about the whole thing. They simply asked questions and made no comments and once they were done, they wished him a quick recovery and left.
The day he was to be released, the boy himself walked into his room. His parents looked dumbfounded for a moment before falling into a deep bow before the boy, greeting him with a respectful "Hibari-san!" The boy had simply nodded to them before turning to Tetsuya. Then, he and his parents explained to the still healing boy who he was and what Flames were, because, apparently, theirs matched perfectly and Kuskabe Tetsu,a was Hibari Kyoya's Lightning Guardian. He had a really hard time believing it all, but something in him just knew.
The day he had been attacked so brutally by yakuza members had been the day Kusakabe Tetsuya became Flame Active, met his Sky and even initiated a bond with him when the skylark had been checking him over for lethal wounds.
Then the smaller boy had offered him the choice to leave or stay and Tetsu had known the answer regardless of his Flames' say in the matter.
After they'd bonded, Tetsu stayed by Kyo-san's side for days, until his friends got worried and sought him out. It was just as he was about to meet with the triple Flames user and so what will soon enough become the Disciplinary Committee met their Chairman. It wasn't instant acceptance or respect, unlike how many told their version of the story. In fact, Tetsu's friends at first hated Kyo-san, because he had promptly beaten them up for crowding and disturbing the discipline. It took nearly a year before they saw in Kyo-san what Kusakabe had seen when they once again got in trouble and with the same yakuza, too! They had been blamed for whatever the hell had happened to the five from the first incident. Kyo-san could have easily left them to their fate, but he hadn't. He'd called them his and chased the yakuza right out of town.
And that's how the Disciplinary Committee formed, loyalty unshakable to their Chairman, never mind that they actually took the mantle of the 'Disciplinary Committee' only two months later.
Still, no matter how loyally and eagerly they followed each order, they had to be vetted by none other than Kyo-san's uncle/father figure, Fon-san himself. Tetsu had not known what to think when he had been, one day, seemingly at random, approached by a very cute, baby version of Kyo-san, dressed in red Chinese clothing, with long, braided hair and a strange, red pacifier hanging over his chest. Perhaps the most startling were the chocolate brown eyes that looked so warm and inviting or even the slight healthy blush on those chubby cheeks! The Kusakabe boy had nearly melted at the sight of such an adorable version of his Chairman/Sky! And the baby was so kind and polite ...
But then the serene air around him became dangerous and Tetsuya felt something in him quake in what could only be fear. He'd been a bit ashamed of himself even as he swore to the threatening infant that he had no intentions of ever hurting, let alone betraying, Kyo-san, but then Kyo-san explained just who and what Fon-san was. The Storm Arcobaleno was Kyo-san's uncle - Kyo-san's father's older twin brother, in fact - and his first Guardian. He may look cute and innocent, but he was actually as vicious as a category five storm if he has need to be. A master of one hundred and seven martial arts, three years in a row champion of world wide tournaments before he was bound to the Red Pacifier, Fon-san was a force to be reckoned with. He was, at the moment, Kyo-san's by far strongest and most powerful Guardian.
Tetsu also had to be vetted by Kyo-san's Rain, whom Tetsu could have never guessed could be so dangerous and deadly as the reputation he had left behind. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi was so kindhearted, so easy going that the Vice-chairman would have never thought he'd once borne a name such as Akai Ame for his skill with a katana. Tetsu couldn't be as intimidated by him as he was by the Arcobaleno, but he could also see very clearly that the sushi chef was also incredibly dangerous just by the glint in his eyes and the killing intent he could exude at will. Kyo-san had rolled his eyes at the man who had had a hand in raising him besides Fon-san and ordered sushi for them both. Tsuyoshi-san kept testing and interrogating him throughout the meal but eventually let up when he saw in Tetsu's resolve what he wanted to see and accepted him with a smile.
He also got to meet the 'secondary Mist', once, but he hadn't really spoken with the man. He was a bit more unnerving to be around even if he hadn't tried to test out Tetsuya. There was just ... something about that man that made one's hairs stand on end just from meeting his eyes. Still, Kyo-san seemed rather fond of him, just as relaxed as he was with the other two, so Tetsu guessed the man can't be bad. Kyo-san was an excellent judge of people. You can't lie to him.
So, it was because he had been through all of that himself, once, that Tetsu felt a bit of sympathy for Kyo-san's Sun, especially as the other Arcobaleno finally seemed to be riding the bliss that came from bonding with one's compatible Sky. Tetsu had just walked into Takesushi to pick up the usual for the Disciplinary Committee - fully paid in advance, of course, because Kyo-san heeded no protests from his Rain that Kyo-san should at least get a discount; Kyo-san saw it as taking advantage of the bond and refused to budge and it's not like the head prefect can't afford it, seeing as he had fully inherited his clan's riches - and had spotted Reborn-san with Sawada and his friends, celebrating one thing or the other, except the hitman had looked a bit out of it.
Usually, as Tetsu was taught and he himself experienced it, when Guardians bond with their compatible Sky, both the Sky and the Element experience something of a trip and maybe get a bit sleepy, a bit anxious to part for a few hours up to a couple of days, depending on hos compatible they are. The less compatible, the longer it takes for the bond to settle and for everyone to feel comfortable in their own skin and with the thought of separation, let alone separation itself. Reborn-san had, apparently, stayed with Kyo-san for the rest of the day they'd bonded - just two days ago, actually - when the Chairman had gotten a bit Flame drunk on the Arcobaleno's Sun Flames. Now, though, it would seem that Reborn-san was finally experiencing something similar. A bit delayed, yes, but Reborn-san just looked to be in a far better mood than usual, perhaps a bit like he was tipsy.
It didn't go unnoticed by his companions, as Tetsu found out when Sawada Tsunayoshi spoke up. "You okay, Reborn? You've been acting kind of weird lately. Well, weirder than usual, anyway. Is everything alright?"
"Maa, maa, the kid's probably just in love!" Yamamoto Takeshi declared in that easygoing manner of his that honestly baffled Tetsu, despite knowing Tsuyoshi-san for years now and father and son were definitely similar, in appearance and personality both.
"Don't be a moron, baseball idiot!" The problematic Gokudera Hayato yelled. He was even more perplexing, given he's a Storm and he's the exact opposite of Fon-san, who's the only Flame Active Storm Tetsuya knows personally. The silver haired teen hesitated before looking at the cursed infant. "Right, Reborn-san? You didn't just fall in love, right?"
"What? Oh, no," the hitman waved them off, still absentminded. "That ship's sailed a long time ago."
"Wait, what?" Sawada asked, sounding perplexed. Kusakabe tried not to eavesdrop but they were being loud enough that he'd have to actively cover his ears for that effort to be effective at all. The other two stared as well while the two girls - Sasagawa Kyoko from Nami-chuu and another girl Kusakabe recognized that goes to Midori All Girls Middle School - giggled gleefully.
"Reborn-chan's got a crush!" The non-Nami-chuu girl squeals in delight, hands clasped in front of her chest and hearts and sparkles practically radiating around her as she got lost in her head. "That's so sweet! Ah, even babies can have a crush-"
"Actually, it's real love. Like, I've never had real feelings for someone before and then it hit me literally out of nowhere and there was nothing I could do about it but chase the wind." Kusakabe wonders if he should call Kyo-san and tell him Reborn-san's a bit high from the bond finally fully settling in but then his attention is stolen by Tsuyoshi-san seemingly choking on his own breath.
"You okay, dad?" The Nami-chuu baseball star asks of his father and the man waves him away before going back to packing up Kusakabe's order, seemingly still keenly paying attention to the conversation taking place at one of his tables.
"When would a baby like you get the chance to fall in love?!" The incredulous so-called Dame-Tsuna asked in a half shriek. Tetsu grimaced at that. It often impressed and honestly befuddled him how a teenage boy could create such a high pitched noise without his voice actually cracking from puberty, but that's Sawada for you. "Wait, who are you in love with?"
"Is it Bianchi-san?" Sasagawa asked eagerly, also getting rather into it. Gokudera seems to go a bit pale and lose his appetite at the mention of his sister. Strange siblings, those two are. But Tetsu doesn't stick his nose into other people's business unless the Chairman assigns him to investigate or monitor someone. "That's so cute!"
'Do they even see the body Reborn-san is stuck in?!' He wondered incredulously to himself and he could practically feel the same reaction in the sushi chef. Looking over, he saw that he was right and that the man looked a bit dumbfounded, too. Sure, they knew about Arcobaleno, but still, even with the knowledge that they are adults stuck in infant bodies that don't age, neither Tetsu nor Tsunyoshi-san would approve of such a relationship at least until Reborn-san is freed from the curse, something that might be just around the corner these days, at long last after all these years of waiting and hard work. The other Mist may be a bit strange, but he was definitely a good addition to Kyo-san's inner circle. How these people could just accept the fact that a seventeen year old girl was in love with a baby that couldn't be older than two, three years old ... It must be Western madness or something, even if Sasagawa and the other girl are supposedly Japanese, as far as Tetsu knows.
(Though there are indicators that the Sasagawa family started from some boxer turned priest from Italy almost two centuries ago, so there's that. Western madness is ... extreme within those ones.)
"Bianchi?" Reborn-san seems to question, tilting his head in a manner Tetsu has come to associate with Fon-san questioning one's sanity without saying a word. So it was an Arcobaleno-shared habit? Interesting. Do all Arcobaleno do it? "I fell in love years ago. Like, over ten years ago. And while it may have been a Storm, too, he was a pretty good cook. Made damn good espresso, too."
Tsuyoshi-san's eyes went wide again but he didn't let out any sound this time so his reaction went unnoticed. He finished packing the sushi bentos and put them on the counter between himself and the Lightning.
"A him?!" Gokudera asked, gawking. "But Shamal always told me you're a womanizer! Why are you with Aneki if you like guys? Or if you already have a lover at all!"
"How can a baby even be alive ten years ago!?" Sawada's far more logical question went unheeded.
"I'm not with Bianchi. She just clings to me and I let her because she's a capable hitwoman who can scare my students into becoming better so she's useful in training. I do consider her a friend, though. And Shamal is right; I used to have a different person hanging off my arm each day but then, as I said, love hit me out of damned nowhere and I was a changed man." Reborn-san paused, a frown settling over his chubby features. "Why am I telling you all of this? It's none of your damned business. Did someone spike my food or espresso? If it's the espresso, my Beretta's coming out."
"Hahaha, I don't think anyone would get a baby drunk, kiddo."
The younger Yamamoto's words seem to break through Reborn-san's haze at last and he pauses. "Oh. I'm Flame drunk. That would explain so many things."
Tsuyoshi-san's knife, which he had been using to cut up some fresh fish, hits the cutting board hard enough that it cuts straight through the thick wood and deep into the counter beneath, the noise loud enough to almost completely cover up the man's spluttering. Tetsu takes that as his cue to leave because he has fresh sushi in his hands and hungry Disciplinary Committee members and Chairman (impatiently) waiting all the way back at the school. Besides, this drama doesn't concern him.
Though it was about time that Reborn-san starts meeting Kyo-san's other Guardians.