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.
Byakuran finally made his move on March 5th, releasing a substance that emitted a type of radiation deadly to the Arcoabelno. This was confirmed on several accounts. One, the day it was released, a half-crazed Jaeger called and said Bermuda had collapsed out of the blue and was all but impossible to wake up, his powerful Flames of Night flickering and diminishing slowly. The entire Vindice was in a panic, because they all depended on Bermuda to live and fight through the Flames he shares with them. Two, the day after an even more panicked Gama contacted Reborn, reporting that Aria had suddenly fallen ill and that her Flames were painfully fluctuating all over the place. No Sun could heal her and no doctor could find any illness. They feared for the baby as much as they did for her.
And three, almost a week later, a very pale, very sickly Kawahira dragged himself to the gates of the Hibari Compound before he collapsed. Skull had been the one to find him and drag him inside, down to Verde's lab, where the scientist then promptly hooked him up to his newest invention that creates a type of barrier around the person wearing it, filtering through the radiation so it does not come in contact with the wearer. The same devices had been immediately sent to the Vindice and Aria and just like them, Kawahira recovered fully a few hours later.
Verde had been theorizing about what kind of weapon could kill the Arcobaleno without affecting anyone else and with some research into how being bound to the Pacifiers could change a person's body beyond the chibifying part, he'd guessed it would be a chemical weapon and so had prepared devices that just needed tuning to the kind of chemicals that will be released. He'd needed three days after Bermuda collapsed to perfect it and now all those affected by the radiation were safe.
He was a bit stumped, at first, why Kawahira and Aria were affected, but the ancient Mist cleared it up. Every Giglio Nero Donna had been an Arcobaleno. Some of them had even given birth in that state, so their children were much more susceptible to this Anti-Trinisette Policy than they would have been simply for being the first Earthlings like Kawahira, hybrid or not. He then also revealed that the Policy seemed to be attacking those differences in how cells of the body generate and channel Dying Will Flames that is distinctly different in Earthlings and humans. The Arcobaleno, when bound to the Pacifiers, are changed on an almost molecular level to better channel their Flames and feed the Pacifiers, closer to the constitution of the first Earthlings than humans.
Suddenly, Fon's words from years ago, when he recounted what some of the records said about the 'chosen strongest seven' becoming 'not entirely human anymore' made a whole lot more sense and had a deeper meaning than just becoming cursed, immortal infants.
Kyoya insisted Kawahira stay at the Compound instead of his dingy little shop. No one argued. They'd had months to come to terms with the fact that Kawahira played a villain because it was easier to bear the hate than watch despair settle in due to kindness and crushed hopes. Bermuda still insisted that the ancient Mist and he not be in the same room if at all possible because he wasn't sure if he'd have the impulse control not to try to kill him on the spot. That was easily arranged and no one commented on it.
For a while, they did nothing, waiting for Byakuran to make his second move. They had no reason to rush. While the radiation proved deadly to Arcobaleno - and Vindice and (half-)Earthlings - it did not disrupt the way their established system fed the assembled pieces of Trinisette with the required Flames. Verde even proposed that they feed the Pacifiers some more Flames as, theoretically, as the Policy was called Anti-Trinisette, giving the Trinisette more Flames could, in theory, dispel the effects of the radiation. Reborn agreed but said they'd do it after they made sure the radiation can't just be released again. It would be a waste of time, energy and Flames to constantly do it if the radiation will just be released again. The rest all agreed and so they settled in to wait while also covertly preparing the Vongola and Cavallone and all their allies for war.
Giglio Nero soon found themselves facing the Gesso on bloody battlefields, about two weeks after Aria had first 'fallen ill'. Genkishi made his allegiance known, even if he was not aware of it yet. Viper had had him under surveillance since the day Reborn had shared his meeting with Aria and the information she'd given. Squalo descended on the other swordsman in a bloody, harsh duel to the death and Xanxus bitched at Reborn and Viper for hours when his second in command came back with a few centimetres of his hair cut off unevenly but with the Mare Mist Ring in hand. Squalo complained a bit, too, because his hair was an indicator of his undying loyalty to Xanxus and it had taken years to grow it that long, but it wasn't too bad. He just needed to get a decent trim to even it out without Xanxus killing the hairdresser for daring to cut off even more of the silver hair.
Viper and Reborn could only stand to the side and watch in exasperated disbelief when they realized those two idiots still weren't together and then promptly lost all faith in humanity when they did the math and it turned out these two were as bad as Colonello and Lal.
Viper promised Reborn they will do their best to heal them of this idiocy before the hitman gets an itchy trigger finger because he's already dealt with this shit one times too many. Lal and Colonello had been bad enough and the only reason he hadn't killed them back then was because they were his Rains.
About a month after the Anti-Trinisette Policy was released, Byakuran Gesso made the arrogant announcement to the mafia world that he had killed all of the Arcobaleno, which made him the top topic of gossip from the West to the East. The Arcobaleno started preparing for the inevitable extraction mission, Reborn, Lal and Colonello amassing ammunition and guns, Skull fixing up all of his vehicles, Verde doing a last round of checkups on his robot army that will serve as backup, Viper and Fon taking over the training of the teenagers and young adults that insisted it was as much their fight as it was the Arcobaleno's because the Gesso were targeting Vongola. Fon and Kyoya took care of the Namimori kids while Viper prepared the Varia.
Two months into announcing the 'death' of the Arcobaleno and attacking the Giglio Nero, Byakuran turned his sights on Vongola and declared the intent of starting a war with them, but proposed they sign a treaty between them before first blood is spilled.
Vongola Decimo agrees.
All the advisers are there, for both groups, and all the Guardians. However, as Reborn stands some ways behind Xanxus, leaning casually against the wall with arms crossed, it becomes very clear that Xanxus was not who Byakuran had been expecting. That Lal was not who he thought would be the leader of CEDEF. That Viper would not be the one representing the Varia. That Kyoya and Fon would not be the ones representing Vongola's allies as the heads of the Foundation - a reformed and expanded Disciplinary Committee, formed just a couple of months ago on the foundations of what had once been the Skylark information network - and the Hibari Clan respectively. That Dino Cavallone and Aria would be among the allied bosses representing their famiglias. That Reborn would be a trusted consultant and representative of the future Vongola boss still in training.
Byakuran, already white from head to toe, went pale as he saw that the Arcobaleno were not only not dead but also not Arcobaleno. All the bravery and arrogance drained out of him and his weird Guardians all noticed.
Reborn didn't care. All he cared about were the Mare Rings he could see on their fingers. The final five pieces missing from the Trinisette. The end of his and his Guardians' search. They key to finally starting a normal life, as normal as life can be for the Arcobaleno.
They didn't even need to do anything. Byakuran had set himself up by organizing an ambush in an attempt to assassinate Vongola Decimo, whom he had believed would be Sawada Tsunayoshi. Xanxus was not Tsuna. He didn't hesitate to kill. His right hand man was not Gokudera. Squalo happily bathed in the blood of his enemies. Reborn was not just a tutor. He was a hitman first and foremost. Kyoya and Fon were not hesitant about killing any enemies that came their way. Lal protected her family, even if she's currently just representing a headless organization. After all, Reborn, Fon, Viper and Kyoya were there. Viper took care of securing the Rings when no one was focusing on them. They didn't even notice until they could no longer manifest Flames outside of their bodies.
Byakuran watched with wide, panicked purple eyes as Reborn approached him, keeping him carefully always in his focus, his black eyes glinting orange even as he fired a Chaos Shot to paralyze his body by numbing all the muscles and organs through overstimulation by too much Sun Flames' activation attribute.
"H-how is this happening!? No, I was supposed to win!"
Reborn says nothing and just aims for the head. Byakuran is far from his first and even further from his last kill. The Mare Sky Ring on his finger dulls and Reborn takes it off without a single regard for the bloody corpse he leaves behind.
"Well, that was rather anticlimactic," Reborn commented later as Xanxus invited them all for a drink. Well, everyone except Dino, Kyoya, Lussuria and Fon. The former two were off on a date or something while the latter two were off somewhere, sparring. Or more like Fon was kicking Lussuria's ass because the Varia Sun was a masochistic fanboy of the world's best master martial artist.
"Verde says he, Colonello and Skull are finished with the Gesso base," Viper offers, taking a sip of their own wine. Xanxus had the good stuff. "Bel reports that he got the Vongola kiddies safely back home from raiding their research facility. Apparently, there's this Namimori Irie Shoichi kid there that's been working on some sort of time traveling device? And a design for a huge underground base in Namimori? Yeah, they're bringing him in and some kid named Spanner. Bel says they seem to be good mechanics and technicians. Yare yare, but bringing home enemy scientists ..." The Esper trailed off into an exasperated sigh.
"It's quite possible the fluffy trash insisted on it," Squalo offers up, pouring more wine into Xanxus glass without being asked to because he apparently knows when his boss wants more. "He's too soft to be a mafia boss."
"True, but Vongola did start off as a vigilante group," Reborn returned with a shrug. "I honestly don't care what he does with Vongola when he takes over. As long as he doesn't interfere with me and mine, we'll be good."
"He's still thinking of taking the feral trash as the External Adviser," Xanxus finally spoke up. He and Tsuna had actually kept in contact after Tsuna happily let Xanxus become Decimo, given he had no intentions of becoming a mafia boss. He let Xanxus root out all the corrupt family members and hunt down everyone suspected to be involved in his brothers' deaths - there was a long hunt on the Cervello - and rule how he saw fit before the day he was ready to step aside and let Tsuna take the reins while he returns to his beloved Varia because, apparently, Xanxus was not meant for paperwork. Somehow, an unholy alliance was formed between Decimo and Neo Primo. Reborn often wondered who's corrupting who in that friendship. "I'd support him but, then again, I don't want another ice bullet aimed at me."
"Chaos Shot: Ice," the hitman corrected, amused by how the younger Sky twitched at that. "I honestly don't know what Kyoya will do. He likes running the Foundation and they're already allied with Vongola in a vague manner, but I don't think he'd take up CEDEF. Even Lal was seriously pissed to have to step in as acting head for a few hours."
"CEDEF is meant for a Cloud. It's gonna be hard to find one," the long-haired swordsman reminded. "Especially one like your little feral trash. Kid's got style and fangs, I'll give him that. He's definitely Quality."
"He's also not yours and never will be," Reborn felt the need to remind, because these are things that need to be nipped in the bud. Better he tell them than Kyoya lose his composure and show them. He's a lot more sociable as of late and tolerates more people before he declares it 'crowding' but that does not mean he's ready to be all friendly or overly accommodating for others. Also, the Varia are all very loud by nature, even louder than the Arcobaleno. Kyoya can tolerate the Arcobaleno's antics because they're family and he grew up with their chaos. The Varia would all promptly be introduced with the full might of the Cloud Bracelet within the first hour, tops.
"So, what will you do now?" Squalo asked after a moment of silence, looking between the two Arcobaleno. "I mean, you have the whole Trinisette thing collected and, what, sealed away somewhere? That's been your goal, right? So what's next for the strongest seven in the world?"
"Going back to Namimori," Viper and Reborn said together with an exhausted sigh. "And extended family vacation. Soaking in each others' Flames for a few months and then business back to usual, only we can finally literally do whatever the fuck we want," the Esper finished through Reborn made some fake protests about the soaking in Flames thing, just to be contrary when he no longer minded his own Flames, let alone allowing his Guardians to enjoy them. From time to time. Reborn was still a Sun first and foremost, but he no longer hated his Sky, either, and that had that orange little fire in his soul finally content.
"You should expect visits from Lal. I think she wants to shape up Basil into his true potential as a Rain or something," Reborn warned. "Might train your incompetent CEDEF agents from time to time. Wish you the best of luck if her ever loyal puppy of a husband comes with her. Those two are legendary nightmares of COMSUBIN."
"We never did get to have a gun duel, fedora trash," Xanxus commented with a smirk, hand already inching towards said weapons at his sides, but before Reborn could take up the challenge, Leon was plucking off of his hat before it was pushed down over his eyes by bold hands.
"No destroying Italy, Reborn," admonished Fon and the hitman really couldn't do anything to stop the fond, amused and indulgent smile from spreading over his lips as he pushed the hat back up. Viper made a disgusted sound and vanished with Mist Flames, knowing from experience that the Sun and Storm were about to get all mushy.
"I think we need to check on Levi's progress and make sure he hasn't lost the ancient scumbag, boss," he overheard Squalo tell a pouting Xanxus as the Rain dragged away the Wrath Sky, leaving Reborn and his husband alone. He grabbed Fon's billowing sleeves and tugged him into his lap with no resistance on the slightly shorter man's end. Fon had grown into a beautiful man, handsome features and his wonderful body enough to make just about anyone drool after him but he was all Reborn's. Even after all these years, the Japanese man could make him both hot and bothered and so incredibly mushy and emotional just from seeing the first person he'd ever told almost all of his secrets to.
"Ready to go home, mia Tempesta?" He asked, welcoming the peck on the lips his beloved offered before he greeted Lichi on Fon's shoulder with a scratch on the white and red monkey's head.
Fon smiled, beautiful and serene and so loving that Reborn's breath was knocked right out of his chest. "I am, finally, Renato." He shivered at the sound of his true name, spoken again after so long. Fon only ever used it for special occasions, had whispered it into his ear every time he clung to him in throes of passion, every time they accomplished something great, that allowed them to be one step closer to freedom, every time they celebrated their anniversary ... Fon, his beloved Storm, his husband, the only man in the world to know his true name ...
Their journey had been a long one, far, far too long. All of the Arcobaleno had made sacrifices so they'd make it to this moment of freedom. Not yet, but as soon as they return to Namimori, they would be as free as the Skylarks that had protected the town, always. As soon as Bermuda confirms that all of the Mare Rings are secured in their containers, as soon as Talbot confirms the system was working, as soon as Kawahira confirms that the balance is as perfect as it can ever be.
Skull was right, two years ago. They hadn't changed their destiny, even if they had changed their fate. They are the Arcobaleno, the strongest seven in the world, chosen to protect the Trinisette. And once the system is secure, they would have fulfilled their destiny. They had ended the cycle Kawahira had started in a desperate attempt to keep the world stable, prosperous and safe. No more lives will be given to the Pacifiers. The Vindice had their revenge, so to speak. They control the Trinisette now. Kawahira had his peace. He can finally let go, once he's ready, join his friends and family in whatever awaited beyond death. Aria and her newborn daughter, Yuni, have nothing to fear, no Pacifier will demand their sacrifice. Tsuna can remake Vongola so it no longer depends only on blood but also competency. Xanxus and both of their Guardians and friends and allies will help with that.
Kyoya can do what he wants, go where he wants, live how he pleases. Dino can continue watching over his family, one day maybe get an heir, adopted or through a surrogate mother or, if it ever hits Verde's fancy to dabble in it, Verde can help him without involving any third party. Mukuro and Chrome and their little ragtag group can live in peace, help Tsuna if they wish to stop experimentation on children, on people.
The Arcobaleno can finally live as they wish, loyal to each other, taking orders from no one, coming and going as they please.
And Reborn? Well, he can go back to being the world's greatest hitman without a worry in the world, because nothing besides the Pacifiers can endanger his Guardians.
Finally, after eighteen years, they were safe. After centuries, Vongola was free of the oppressiveness of traditions installed by Secondo and his successors, slowly returning to Primo's reign under the Neo Primo, Tsuna. After millennia, possibly, Kawahira can live instead of just survive to see the Pacifiers passed on.
Sometimes, at night as he held Fon close and could feel his Guardians and his son just down the halls and streets of the big Hibari Compound, he had wondered if things would have been different, had he not been a Sky, had they all never met before they received that summons and had all foolishly answered it, had he not been so desperate to get Fon back that he'd been willing to make alliances and deals. He loved Dame-Dino and Dame-Tsuna like he loved Kyoya, though he guessed they could never quite compare as Kyoya was not like his son but was his son. He liked Tsuna's little friends and Guardians and he liked the friends Kyoya had made, liked Romario and Shamal and Kusakabe. He liked Nana a lot more now that she wasn't an airhead anymore because of her Flames being sealed. He often wondered if he'd be a completely different person if he didn't share these bonds with his Elements.
He didn't like that answer, the person he could imagine. He loved life as it was now, his bonds with his Guardians still vibrating with victory as the reality that their search was finally over, that their mission was done.
Renato Sinclair-Hibari, Reborn, the world's greatest hitman and strongest Sun, the most powerful Arcobaleno, the only secondary Sky in known existence, sighed through his nose as he hugged his little tempest close and just let it all sink in.
Today, they relax and celebrate and party.
For tomorrow, their lives begin anew.
LA FINE