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?

Kyoya ... did not see this coming. He really hadn't.

Yes, he had been aware of the fact that Mukuro was his missing Mist but he hadn't realized Mukuro was the one in a generation kind of Mist that shared their Flames from birth (to the death) with another. And he had been aware that Mukuro was interested in going as far as bonding even if Kyoya had made it clear that he was his own Mist due to his secondary Flames and he had no intentions of bonding with another Mist, especially not if he already has a higher compatibility with another Mist whom he was already linked with. Mukuro had been rather insistent on that bonding topic, which caused the fight/spar that Reborn had walked in on. What is important is that Kyoya had walked out of there having the last word. (As he should. People need to stop forgetting he was a fucking Cloud and that his Sky was only tertiary. He did not go around collecting stray Elements, damn it.)

He hadn't expected to meet the other half of his tertiary Mist (Guardian, so to say) a mere few months after meeting the first half.

And he hadn't expected Chrome to be so cute and innocent, just like a small animal, after meeting the devious and dangerous Mukuro. (Though, maybe there was something to that 'opposites attract' spiel after all.) And he hadn't expected her to be so meek and so lonely and so insecure and he definitely hadn't expected that to stir up his Sky-based instincts that whispered to him that he needed to keep his Mists safe. (Though that had already been a bit in overdrive ever since he first met Kawahira and the man nearly had a breakdown in front of him when he realized Kyoya was his second - and only other - compatible Sky and that he had, through selecting Fon for the Storm Arcobaleno Pacifier, sentenced him to madness and a swift but painful death. And then Mukuro had to be dragged off to Vendicare. Even though Bermuda secretly updated him daily on the pineapple carnivore's stay, that wasn't nearly enough to satisfy his Flames' need to keep Rokudo safe. Not after hearing about the type of life he'd had before they met and the kind of unique power it resulted in. Humans are greedy and power hungry. Kyoya will not stop worrying about Mukuro until the slightly older boy is by his side and away from all those who would love to use his Six Paths of Reincarnation and the special powers they grant him.)

And after hearing about Mukuro's second Vendicare escape attempt and the fact that Sawada Iemitsu had dared to try and recruit his twin Mists through Chrome from Mukuro's two subordinates, well ... Kyoya knew he wouldn't rest until he had the pineapple carnivore and the indigo little animal somewhere safe and secure. Mukuro was as safe as he can be in Vendicare, for the moment anyway, but still Hibari wasn't overly comfortable - read: not at all - with one of his own being in a cage of any kind, not to mention that Chrome and the two lackeys will no doubt risk their lives to break him out. Kyoya had to make sure those herbivores don't fuck things up before he sets something up with Bermuda, some form of 'community service' or something. Something that will keep him busy for a while so Kyoya can do his thing. (After that, not even the Vindice would have the power or authority to do something about it. The Hibari influence was a lot more extensive and, well, influential than either uncle or nephew told their new, dearest Sun. They practically ruled the world, at one point, after all. And Kyoya wanted that back, because then nothing and no one would ever be able to endanger his territory or the people who had decided to call him their family and/or Family.)

Whether he means his own plans to regain the Hibari's power and influence or hunting down the stragglers of the organization that had hurt his pineapple carnivore and his herbivores by that, not even he's sure. Yes, he'd go for his heritage, that's been his second priority since he finally fully understood what Arcobaleno were and knew he had to save Fon somehow, for both their sakes. But he also knew he can't do that overnight, so he guessed hunting down the stragglers can come first. It would even be a neath first step to regaining what had been lost.

After all, the fear the Skylarks once used to spread even when rarely anyone in the West knew of them was legendary and made a good portion of why they did their business so easily.

Kyoya was not an overly moral person. His version of justice and discipline-spreading were based on violence dealt out by himself personally, or by the rule of the stronger one being superior. He had a complicated, contorted view on such things that he guessed is partially influenced by his Flames and their hierarchy within himself. He is possessive and aggressive as any classy Cloud should be and while there was the occasional need to connect with people in some way, on some level, caused by his Sky Flames, his Cloud nature insured it was only those whom he was 'destined' to be with, like his Guardians and his 'side-Elements', like Kawahira and his twin Mists. The need to connect with people is easily suppressed and isn't a need as much as an occasional whim of sorts.

The only other exception besides his 'side-Elements' were the Disciplinary Committee, but with them, it was different.

With them, he had a clear hierarchy already set up before they even came to him. Not a single one of them was a rare Element, almost all of them Lightnings and Storms, two Suns and one Rain. And they weren't even deferential towards him because he was a Sky - they didn't even know about Flames. No, they chose him as their leader because he was stronger than them and had demonstrated as such on several occasions. They trusted him because he had protected them on several different occasions. They were loyal to him because he had given them the honor of his trust, too, and because they admired him too much not to realize just how precious a gift that was.

(Sometimes, though, on the rare occasions when sleep evaded him, be it at home during the night or up on the school rooftop in daylight, Kyoya wondered why anyone would bother unless their Flames fueled them to follow him. He knew his flaws, knew just how harsh he was on them, that he had almost never said please and thank you or even more rarely has he given them compliments for the outstanding jobs they did for him. He figured he would never understand their devotion but he feared it might still be Flames-based.)

(It wasn't. Not that Hibari Kyoya will understand that until he transforms the Disciplinary Committee into the Foundation, one day, ten years down the line, and they become on par with the Vongola in power and influence and allies and outdo them in numbers and riches and information networks by far. He won't understand until all of his Committee sees him, multiple times, bleeding and broken and tired but still fighting on. He won't understand until he realizes these things have never made him seem weak in their eyes, but quite the opposite: stronger than anyone else, for his drive and his will.

He will only understand when they lead hundreds into pledging themselves to him and any legacy he decides to leave behind as his most trusted generals and advisors. Bodyguards, even, regardless of the fact that he has no need for them and the fact that his Guardians still stand strong and alive at his side.)

Tetsu's family, too, was a bit different, in that that the Kusakabe have been serving the Hibari for at least two centuries straight, if not much longer under a different name. They follow Skylarks and Kyoya just so happened to be the last Heir, even though Fon is still alive. But he guessed they didn't really count as 'connecting' to other people. They, much more than the Disciplinary Committee will ever be, were subordinates, plain and simple. He knew only the more prominent members by name but was only 'close' to Tetsu's mother, probably because she was the only one who had looked upon a five year old Kyoya and saw a boy who had just lost almost everything and probably needed some form of protection and care and not just a Skylark whose job was supposed to be to protect and care for them all instead. Yes, she was respectful and knew her place, but she never acted as though he were just a size-changing robot/weapon. (And while that sometimes scared him, it also reminded him that he was human. And he rather liked that.)

He guessed the point of this little internal ... 'rant' was that he hadn't thought he'd get attached to the stupid Bucking Horse as quickly as he did, or in the manner that he had.

Dino Cavallone should actually, by all rights, be an enemy. A rival, at the very least. A contender, even, for Reborn's time and a place in his life, given he was his first real and - so far - favorite student, but Kyoya was not so childish. He knew he already had his place in Reborn's life and he wasn't about to ask for more, as it would be violating his own values and the personal space he liked to give his Guardians. Reborn, especially, has lived a long life before they have met, making friends and allies and simple acquaintances along the way that had absolutely nothing to do with him and until a couple of weeks ago, Dino was one such person.

A mafia boss of five thousand men and a very close ally to Vongola, the blond whip-user should really be nothing more than an obstacle and a simple annoyance. And he was, for the most part. The first part, because the blond had the gall to show up shortly after Kyoya received the Cloud Vongola half-Ring, introduces himself as a friend of Reborn and arrogantly state that he will tutor and teach Kyoya in battle and fighting.

Kyoya was actually tempted to laugh in his face, if not for the fact that this man has been taught by Reborn. He had studied him and came to several conclusions in just a matter of seconds.

Dino was young, but successful, strong but also weak because he was overly dependent on the many, many bonds Kyoya could sense on him, connecting him to at least thirty other people roaming Namimori not too far away from the school. The strongest bond seemed to be with the man standing at his back, guarding it, almost a Guardian bond. Romario, Kyoya would soon learn was his name. The blond was also very smart but also could be an idiot, brave but cowardly. Capable, but also almost incomprehensibly clumsy. In fact, Kyoya almost got the idea that Reborn had probably had to beat the herbivorous traits out of the man when he had been younger to bring out some of the more carnivorous tendencies he did, in fact, possess. How intriguing.

That still didn't mean Kyoya needed him to train to become stronger.

In fact, Kyoya doubted there was anything the Bucking Horse could teach him that Fon hadn't already and the man was also pretty annoying about talking about the Vongola Rings.

And he was also not taking him seriously at all, in their first fights.

Kyoya did not need babying. He was raised by an Arcobaleno, bonded to two and ran his hometown on his own since before he hit double digits because Fon had many other things to do that often took him out of town. Fon has been training him for two thirds of his life and that was not even mentioning his natural talent for combat. And even whips were far from an unusual weapon for him to face against. In fact, Mukuro's trident had been more unfamiliar than a whip.

Dino really had no ground to stand on and that had seriously ticked Hibari off.

So they had sparred, both of them going full throttle against each other, and Kyoya was winning. Every. Single. Damn. Time. And this blond Italian thought he could teach him something?

But then Dino accidentally used his Flames and Kyoya saw something the blond could, maybe, teach him more about instead of just wasting his time. So he pretended to be interested in sparring with Dino again - though that wasn't entirely a lie; the guy was good, as any student of the world's greatest hitman should be, and Kyoya always liked facing strong people, even if he could defeat them - so he could study the way the other, even subconsciously, used his Flames during their fights.

Because, despite what Reborn and even Fon believed, Kyoya didn't actually dislike his tertiary Flames. He just hasn't found a practical use for them yet beyond maybe seeing if something is disturbing his Guardians' peace. And that annoyed him. He'd tried using his Sky Flames in battle, once, but didn't make his tonfa nearly as strong as his Cloud Flames did and if he hit anyone with them or even came close to grazing them, they'd become dazed as though he'd thralled them and that disgusted and annoyed him, too, because it ended the fights even quicker than pure blunt force trauma did.

Which, of course, left him rather unsatisfied and then he would go hunt down more delinquents than he really needed to until he gets the frustration out of his system enough to settle for a nap.

But by watching Dino - and with the easy Flame exercises he'd been doing with Reborn before this Vongola nonsense dared show up in Namimori - he was starting to realize that it was simply a matter of ... getting used to how differently they'd flow through his body than his other two Flame types. Which, really, he should have realized way earlier, as he's not exactly a novice to using his Flames and how different they are and, thus, how differently they affect his body or course through it. He was actually embarrassed it had taken him that long to figure it out, but he was just glad that he had.

Yes, he was aware that his Sky would never come as naturally as his Cloud did and that he would rarely, if ever, use them instead in a fight, but he knew there had to be more to the annoying - and, unfortunately, rather pretty - orange than just relaxing people to sleep. (Though, he now wondered at his own sleeping habits and whether they were influenced by his own internal harmony. He guessed that was one good thing to come from his Sky Flames.) He wanted to find out what that was.

But he didn't want to find out the same way other people wanted to find out, in regards to him. He wasn't some fucking gawk-show, nor was he a scientific experiment, so the Vindice and Talbot can both go and fuck themselves. Bermuda and Jagger probably meant him only the best, but the other Vindice members were not so subtle in their gawking at him, as though he was the strangest thing in the room and not should-be-dead-but-are-just-disfigured-mummified-former-Arcobaleno. (Though, given how many of them there were and that he was the only case known to even Kawahira to have such a strange Flame signature, perhaps he was. That didn't tick him off any less, though. He guessed it's what breeds the slightly bitter tone he takes on whenever he talks about his strange Flames and his Sky in particular. Probably why people thought he didn't like them, as though they weren't a fucking piece of himself and who he is.)

So, observing a primary, more experienced Sky was his way to go. Observing Sawada Tsunayoshi would be useless in more ways than one, the two main ones being that he was raised a civilian and the other being that, until very recently, the herbivore's Flames had been as cold as if someone had forcefully harmonized with him. Except Skies can't be forcefully harmonized, not even by stronger, older, more skilled and more experienced Skies. They can only be sealed and Kyoya had known that to be the case since he'd first laid eyes on Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Fon and Tsuyoshi-jii knew, of course. They were far too experienced and strong not to have felt the disappearance of a pure Vongola Sky in their own town, for Trinisette's sake. They all even knew who was responsible, as the Sawada household had reeked of Vongola Nono's Flames for weeks. They even suspected Sawada Iemitsu himself had sealed his wife's Flames so she would be so ditsy and wouldn't notice how abnormal it was for her child to suddenly be so clumsy and so unable to make friends or basic human connections or how he couldn't seem to study the easiest of materials for even a passing grade. It was almost neglect and Kyoya, had he not felt how off her Flames were, would not have let it continue, Vongola be damned. Even though he was still a child himself, Kyoya liked children. Children did not deserve how adults, far too often, treated them.

Why have kids at all if you weren't going to move mountains to make sure they have everything they need?

(He tried not to think of his own birth parents. He barely remembered them, but he did remember the lack of the same warmth in his mother's eyes that his father's were always full of the second they landed on him. Goodness, but sometimes he missed him and just ... wanted him back, no matter how wonderful of a parent Fon had been for him or how helpful and present Tsuyoshi had been. He never longed for his mother, though. You cannot miss or long for something you've never really had. Perhaps any other child would not have noticed, but Kyoya did. He was no ordinary child and that's excluding his unique Flame signature and the presence of Sky Flames within it. He was a Hibari. Hibari were always strange and always grew up and matured far too quickly.)

The more he watched Dino as they sparred - and then did other things, because the blond, for some reason, insisted on taking him out for meals or kept chattering at him when he was trying to do some paperwork for the Disciplinary Committee and all the things they did around Namimori and not just Nami-chuu; he did appreciate the trip to the zoo, though, as he hadn't been there in what felt like ages and he did, definitely, appreciate the little getaway that was their on-the-road training trip, even if it did end up in him having to rush back to Nami-chuu to stop the Vongola idiots from further destroying his school - the more he learned about how his own Flames should naturally move, instead of trying to force them through the same 'channels' that his Cloud and partially his Mist moved. He found that his Mist had been amendable, because it was so soft and, well, shifty, but if he let it flow through its own channels, too, it turned out to be actually even stronger. So that pointless training with Dino was actually not so pointless.

Whether Bucking Horse knew it or not, he had actually helped him a great deal.

As a reward, Kyoya gave him plenty of gift bruises. He deserved them, for his hard work, after all. He's sure the blond appreciates them.

While watching his 'home tutor', though, Kyoya had also discovered another curious thing.

As much as he watched Cavallone, Cavallone watched him back, but his Sky intuition, scarce and subdued and limited as it might be, whispered to him that it wasn't for the same reason, or in the same way, and actually left him with the feeling that he should probably never let Dino meet Fon if he wants the blond to live. That confused the Skylark, as he was pretty certain by the time he left Dino half conscious behind as he had rushed to save his precious school that the blond meant him no harm. There was a strange ... Fond look in those hazel eyes that, for some reason, caused an excited thrill to travel through his whole body that had nothing to do with adrenaline or his instincts priming themselves for a fight. Of that much, he was definitely certain.

So what was it?

Not that he bothered to think about it too much.

Nor did he have the time, in the two days between returning to Namimori and his own fight.

He gave about zero fucks for the Vongola half-Ring hanging around his neck, but he was downright insulted by the fact that they were sending a hulking hunk of junk metal to be his 'opponent'. And that Monkey King was even more insulting and annoying. Kyoya figured he would deal with him later.

He had a lot of things to deal with later, actually, now that he thinks about it, but that's really for later.

For now, he's got a moving junkyard pile to bite to death.