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?
"Well, that went better than I'd expected," Kyoya couldn't help but comment, looking between his Sun Guardian and his secondary Mist with unimpressed amusement. (Yes, that exists. Kyoya himself had invented it after years of being fretted over by his uncle and Tsuyoshi-jii. He grew tired of all the babying when he was seven but they were so funny the way they'd trip over themselves that one time he'd sprained his ankle to make sure he had everything he needed and more. Thus, 'unimpressed amusement' became his default reaction whenever his Guardians were being silly. Tetsu only added to the madness. Even Kawahira could be a bit overbearing at times, only he hid it better behind invitations for beef ramen and some Go, as opposed to Tsuyoshi-jii's and jiji's fretting or Kusakabe's hovering over him. Reborn should fit right in, where the craziness was concerned, and he was clearly protective enough, given how, even now, he was trying to stand in front of Kyoya against whom he perceived as a potential threat, even if his body could barely cover Hibari's upper chest and neck. Admittedly the most vulnerable and important places to protect, but Reborn was in no state to do so as he was now.)
The hitman and the ancient Administrator of the Trinisette in question were both boneless, Reborn held in Kyoya's arms - for the above mentioned protection of chest and neck - while Kawahira was slumped against the counter in his 'shop'. Both were absolutely Flame drunk on Sky Flames because Kyoya had had no other choice but to use them to calm them down.
The second he and Reborn had entered the shop, Kawahira had taken one look at the Sun Arcobaleno and Mist Flames had automatically formed the persona of Checkerface around him. Reborn had, in turn, also reacted on instinct and started shooting. Kyoya had been willing to let them have their fun, went it all out before they start having a serious conversation about anything, but had put his foot down when they had both tried to protect him from each other, both working on autopilot and Flames-driven instincts at that point.
Kyoya rarely, if ever, used the harmonizing factor of his Flames to calm other Flame users down, especially his own Guardians. It had always seemed like an invasion of another person's privacy on the deepest possible level, given Dying Will Flames were practically soul energy or whatever else people have described them as over the ages. The point was, they were an intimate thing and shouldn't be so callously touched upon like the westerns do all the time. Bonds and links were meant to be made only between people who respected, trusted and cared for each other, the so-called true compatibility. That's why Kyoya didn't like using his Flames to calm other people down. It was practically forcing them to do something against their will, to feel something not of their own volition.
This time, however, he had had no choice. Seeing their opponent reach for Kyoya, both Reborn and Kawahira had started exuding genuine blood lust and would have actually killed each other if given the chance. Kyoya didn't give them the chance.
Thus their drunken demeanor right now.
"We need," Reborn said, trying to keep his words from slurring. "To work on this. Definitely."
"Indeed," the white haired bespectacled man agreed. "This is ... surprisingly more effective than thralling or harmonization. How dangerous."
Kyoya wasn't sure if he should roll his eyes at them for that or not. Sure, it was true that he should probably learn to control it because if he needed to do it in battle - rather likely, given who all of them were and the number of enemies they all had - all of his Guardians would be utterly useless within seconds. One more reason not to use it. "Are you two calm now? Can we talk like reasonable adults now?"
"Well, considering you're still just a teenager and Mr Hitman is an infant-"
"I'll kill you!"
Kyoya sighed in exasperation, because Kawahira just had to go there. The killing intent rolling off of the Sun Arcobaleno was almost enough to make him want to step out of the room. He was honestly a bit surprised at his kind, calm uncle finding someone like Reborn - secretly very hotblooded - as a significant other. "No. Killing. At least not until the whole Pacifier thing is resolved. Or ever, actually, given one of you is bonded with me and the other linked. I want my sanity intact, thank you." The two kept glaring at each other and Kyoya did roll his eyes this time.
This is why he loved being a Cloud and wasn't all that thrilled about being a Sky, even if he didn't really mind. Much.
"Reborn, stop glaring death at Kawahira. Kawahira, stop antagonizing Reborn. And tell me the latest progress with the Solution."
The two spent one last glare for each other before they gave it up. For now. Then Kawahira turned towards Kyoya and answered. "I heard from Fon-san just this morning. It would seem everything is going according to plan. In fact, one of the prototypes is almost done. Talbot predicts that he'll finish it in a week and then test trials can start."
"Can Fon come home for a while before they start experimenting whether the Fiamma Voltage levels are stable with this one?" Kawahira glances at Reborn at this question, but Kyoya continues so as to divert the attention from his still very irritable Sun. "I'd really like to see him, maybe discuss how he practically left his student in my care despite never actually directly introducing us. As you know, Namimoro does not actually velcome active Triads or mafia members." He felt Reborn stiffen and had to huff. "Namimori is neutral grounds. Why do you think Giotto di Vongola decided to settle here? The Hibari used to hold this town under their complete control and not allow anyone but one of their own access."
"I came in just fine."
"Because I knew you came. You can't exactly hide."
"Kyo-kun has a point," Kawahira added, moving over to sit down like a decent man in the little 'reception' area he kept. "The reason why I settled into Namimori, decades ago, was because not even Vindice can move about as freely as they wish here."
"Didn't that become a mute point when the Hibari Clan lost the war and only two remained alive?" The hitman asked and both of the Namimori natives - as 'native' as Kawahira can be - just shrugged.
"I took it all back, whatever it is that we had lost. It took a few years, but it was easy, ultimately. Anyway, that little girl shouldn't be here as an active Triads assassin. The only reason she wasn't picked up off the street and kicked out is because Fon had come with her before leaving again."
"Fon had been in Namimori?" Reborn asked, a bit incredulous at these news. Hibari huffed.
"It was likely you even met him without realizing it. He used to hold a covert gyoza stand in the market area so he can casually provide I-Pin with her gyoza until she had enough stocked to last her a while before he went to guard Talbot."
"And who had kept an eye on Talbot in the meantime?"
"Bermuda Von Veckenschtein, the leader and founder of the Vindice, the holder of the Clear Pacifier and the only natural wielder of the special Flames of Night," replied Kawahira, waving them over. Kyoya complied, letting Reborn go so he can choose where he wants to sit while falling into the seat across from Kawahira with casual familiarity that came from spending countless afternoons playing Go or Shogi or even Mahjong with this man.
"Did you just say the holder of the Clear Pacifier?" There was a dangerous undertone to the question and Kyoya sent his unofficial secondary Mist a warning glare, saying with eyes alone that he shouldn't antagonize the world's greatest hitman, especially regarding this topic.
"Yes," the bespectacled Mist, thankfully, replied clearly. "Bermuda was the first person to defy the removal of the Pacifiers. Arcobaleno can survive the process, but it usually leaves them either crippled or disfigured. And it's rather rare. Bermuda, though, was the first person who managed to stay an Arcobaleno, in some ways. He's still bound to his empty Pacifier, he still looks like an infant. He's got some crazy new powers from gaining the Flames of Night through his resolve to get revenge. It's how he survived in the first place. It's how he then formed the Vindice."
"We had to contact him when we figured out that his Flames of Night were a part of the Solution," Kyoya said, drawing his Sun's attention to himself. "Talbot figured out that a container can be made that will remove almost all of the strain the Pacifiers put on their hosts. It combines all of Flame attributes but needs the speed of light that only the Flames of Night can generate with their warping ability."
"The Arcobaleno will still be bound to the Pacifiers, as the Pacifiers must be protected at all times," the Administrator of the Trinisette continued, though he was speaking considerably more respectfully. Kyoya almost relaxed. Almost. He knew he had to keep an eye on these two for a while longer. Fon, who was apparently much calmer than his Italian ex, had needed months to quell the automatic response to seeing Kawahira being to try and kill him. It will probably turn out to be easier for Fon than for Reborn because Kawahira had not aimed to antagonize the master of martial arts as he did Reborn. Then again, Fon and him had also not exchanged numerous insults that would make sailors blush in the exchange of blows. And, well, Reborn had tried to kill Kawahira more times in the hour he knew the man than Fon had the first week since learning of Kawahira. "They are the heart of the Trinisette. If the Pacifiers stop glowing, the world will slowly start falling apart. It is a heavy burden to carry, but it is necessary."
"Is it true that you never wanted to sacrifice people?"
Well, that was an expected question. Kyoya had told Reborn about Kawahira's reaction upon hearing there was a possibility the Arcobaleno-sacrificing cycle could come to an end and no doubt so had Tsuyoshi-jii.
"There was literally no other way," the Mist said with a resigned, bitter smile. "Once, my race had had a good handle of keeping the original Trinisette going, glowing. It used to be seven big ores of powerful, mysterious crystals. Even we hadn't known much about them, we just knew that they must glow or else the world will not prosper, but start to die out instead. So we took care of it. We were a long lived race. We did it for millennia, even before the human race walked the Earth."
"Are you saying you're not human?" The Arcobaleno asked skeptically. Kyoya could understand. He had been just as skeptical upon hearing about it.
"I'm an Earthling. Let's leave it at that," the man waved him off. "There was a great difference between us and humans so we didn't really mingle. Your lives were like the blink of an eye to us. Your Flames were also considerably weaker. We knew, when our people started dying out, that we couldn't leave the Trinisette in your - well, your ancestors' - hands. They didn't understand it, they couldn't maintain it and we knew, as we observed, that they would use it for their own gain, abuse its power, leave it empty to ruin the world if it meant their petty goals can be achieved. When there was only a handful of us left, we split the ores into smaller pieces: the Arcobaleno Pacifiers, the biggest and strongest pieces, the Vongola Rings and the Mare Rings, which were of equal power. It eased the strain on us, but not much. Not enough. Soon, only Sepira and I were left. We couldn't maintain the Trinisette as before. The light of the Pacifiers started going out. Then Sepira had a vision. A terrible, horrible vision of hundreds upon hundreds of dead, sacrifices, people who had once worn the Pacifiers, who will wear the Pacifiers. The strongest seven of each generation. I Prescelti Sette."
"Arcobaleno," Kyoya and Reborn supplied together, a bitter twinge to both of their tones.
Kawahira closed his eyes, as though in pain. "Yes. Arcobaleno. We tried it out on her insistence. It worked, as you could imagine," he said, just as bitterly. "Though the first generation didn't live longer than a couple of years. That's when we figured out the Earthlings' and humans' anatomy and Flames might be too different. We suggested to the Pacifiers through our Flames to change the constitution of their holders. That's how the 'curse' came to be. That is, quite literally, the only thing keeping the Arcobaleno alive for longer periods of time."
"How do you choose Arcobaleno?"
"By Flame purity, volume and voltage and no, volume and voltage are not the same. Those who have a high volume but a weak voltage couldn't be Arcobaleno, because voltage represents the actual strength and energy behind the Flames. Purity, I am sure you already know what that means." Reborn nodded and Kyoya just watched them for a while. He spent a moment wondering if he should call some delivery service and order them all some food. They might be stuck here for a while. "Before we decided to go with the plan Sepira's vision suggested, we did extensive research on human potential. We found that, occasionally, like a rainbow, always shining, always bright, always beautiful, people strong enough to bear the Pacifiers appear. The Pacifiers grant these people certain gifts - as much as partial immortality may seem like a curse - besides keeping the Arcobaleno alive, like allowing you to use your Flames as you see fit, in the most literal sense."
"Why didn't you or this Sepira become Arcobaleno, if you're both so much more powerful than humans?" Challenged the infant-looking hitman. Kyoya blinked. He had honestly never thought to ask that question.
It had seemed inconsequential to him and his goals of freeing Fon from the Arcobaleno curse. He knew the woman was dead, that she had started the Giglio Nero Family and that she had given the first Vongola boss the Vongola Rings while keeping the Mare Rings under her own and her descendants' care. None of that would help him with his goal of making sure his uncle survived to see him grow up and do whatever the hell he wanted with what was left of the Skylark's influence and power. To live long enough to maybe fix things with the man whom his heart still so herbivorously yearns for so he can smile properly again.
(Kyoya remembers, somewhat, through a thick haze, his jiji's smiles before he got turned into an Arcobaleno. Those visits during the almost year that he'd spent with people like him, powerful and unique, both outcasts and desirable. Fon had been happy. His smiles had made Kyoya smile in content. Perhaps it had been the initial bond acting up, even back then, sharing that happiness. Kyoya has surely shared his sorrow, afterwards, when he came back even smaller than the tertiary Sky. He had been the only one Fon could muster a smile for. And again, when the Hibari fell.)
They had only each other, Kyoya and Fon. Yes, they also had their found family, bonded through Flames, but Fon still mourns Hibari Enmu and Kyoya still remembers his kind, loving, if herbivorously naive father.
Kyoya wouldn't let Fon die, but he also wouldn't want Fon to outlive him as an Arcobaleno, either. He wasn't sure if Fon would have stayed sane, bond or no bond. Not after everything.
The question of why Checkerface and his accomplice hadn't sacrificed themselves as well as others really hadn't mattered. Still didn't matter.
What mattered was making the Solution and making it successfully as soon as possible.
Kyoya has two Guardians whose lives and happiness were on the line, wholly dependent on whether Talbot can really make it work.
He didn't care about anything else.
"Sepira was all too happy to find a human to marry and sacrifice her own child for the next generation of Arcobaleno," Kawahira said bitterly and Kyoya wondered why Kawahira had mourned such a cold, selfish woman. Had he loved her? Had they been friends? Or was it just the bond/link talking, an Element having to survive after their Sky? Kawahira looked considerably more upbeat these days, what with the answer to his centuries old torment within reach and, apparently, a new Sky to push away the emptiness caused by Sepira's death. Kyoya honestly wasn't sure how to feel about that. He was primarily a Cloud and it showed in his personality. He preferred solitude, but the part of him that was still a Sky welcomed those he considered his, family, and he didn't regret that. "As for myself, my sacrifice was different. Someone had to keep watch over the system, over the Pacifiers, the Arcobaleno."
"In other words, you had to live," summarized the hitman, arms crossed over his little chest, beneath the Sun Pacifier. "Arcobaleno die for the Trinisette; you live for it forever."
"He's got a martyr complex the size of Everest; he's been playing the part of a villain for who knows how long. It's practically instinct to him at this point to antagonize Arcobaleno," Kyoya says and they both turn to look at him, Reborn looking a bit perplexed while Kawahira was plain shocked. He nearly rolled his eyes because, apparently, even those who knew him as a Sky were surprised by his perceptiveness and Sky intuition, as stunted as it may seem. "He's made it an art form to play the enemy of the Arcobaleno when he's not too overwhelmed with compatible Sky Flames. That's why he was such a dick to you."
Their scandalized looks were highly amusing.
"Since when do you swear!?"
He almost snorted, but that was below him. "You are aware of the society we live in, yes? The amount of people who swear at me when I come to bite them to death? Well, before they learn to be smarter than that, anyway. But that's besides the point. Can Fon come back for a while and can you fill in for him for a while?"
"I don't see why not," the Mist replied, reclining back into his seat. "He deserves some vacation time, too, and he must have missed you. And I can see that you are aiming to, hm, clear up the air, create harmony-"
"No," both Reborn and Kyoya denied automatically. "Not harmony. Never harmony."
"Ah, right. You Hibari prefer to say resonance. My apologies."
"What's the difference? I mean-"
"Resonance is what's going on between you lot," Kawahira replies to the Arcobaleno's question. "It's - near - perfect compatibility between all of the Elements as well as with the Sky. Harmony, on the other hand, needs no compatibility, as you know."
"I've never actually heard of a resonance before," Reborn says with a frown and both the ancient Mist and the Cloud-Mist-Sky can only shrug. Resonance is not something you'd find in an organization or Family. Or in the west at all, unless it is accidental between civilians. "We just called it perfect compatibility or bonding. I guess there's a lot more I need to look into than I had thought. That aside, when's Fon coming?"
Kawahira checks the clock and calendar on the wall and hums. "I'll get him home in two days. I need to finish something here before I can l leave for a while. In the meanwhile, if you're both so bored, why don't you start your Sky Flames training?"
Reborn and Kyoya exchanged a look.