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?
Contrary to popular - or just Reborn's - belief, Fon was not isolated from the outside world just because he was staying with old man Talbot in a secret underground cave at the south of France while they finished the testing of the Solution. Even without Kyoya himself informing Fon of everything that's happening back in Namimori, or anywhere else in the world, Fon knew what was going on.
How, some may ask?
Simple.
The Skylark information network was not as dead as he'd lead Kyoya to think. It was never going to be as dead and down as people may think or hope. That network has been in the making for decades, centuries even, and it will not fall unless a Hibari personally shuts it down.
There will always be beggars, prostitutes, homeless people, people who are easily bought, professional information brokers like Viper, hackers, politicians, police officers, military officers and so on that can be manipulated, bought and/or blackmailed to gather information and that's not even mentioning the many allies that, to this day, would still band together under a banner bearing the golden image of a skylark in flight and fight as loyally as they would have ten to twenty years ago. The Kusakabe were the only ones left in Namimori, but the Skylarks had whole cults of people ready to do their bidding in China, Nepal, France, Italy, England, Poland, America, even in Russia, India, both Koreas, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Bolivia. Heck, not even Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Tunis and half of the entirety of Australia were exceptions. The Hibari reach was still very far, but the greatest of their power and influence was still ... 'locked away' until Kyoya finally takes it all back. There were simply things only a widely accepted Hibari could reach and because Fon had been disowned by his own bastard of a father after being cursed as the Storm Arcobaleno, he could not extend the Skylark network's wings to its full extent.
That didn't mean he was isolated from the most important information gathering points available to everyone. It didn't mean he was unable to reach out to the ones that were a bit harder to use.
It didn't mean he didn't know what was happening within the Vongola right now, both in Italy and in Namimori.
He won't lie: he's a bit worried about these proceedings. Talbot was, first and foremost, very openly allied with the Vongola, the whole reason someone has to watch him all the time ever since they took the risk to take this whole project to him. They all knew he wouldn't hesitate for a second to reveal all of the Arcobaleno's weaknesses to Vongola Nono or just about anyone in CEDEF, given they've all been trying for years to recruit any Arcobaleno they could get their hands on or even kill a few. Lal's presence within CEDEF these last couple of years cooled it down with the killing part and Varia have outright stopped trying to recruit them since 'Mammon' joined - probably because the Mist had never quite gotten along with any of the other Arcobaleno and it's better to have one Arcobaleno secured in your organization than to risk having none at all - but Fon knew, second hand and from being told by Reborn himself weeks ago, that Timoteo still tried to draw Reborn in with his Flames, so obviously they still haven't outright quit.
The kind of information Talbot now has his hands on could easily kill them all if used correctly, which is why Fon has to keep an eye on him 24/7, with only occasionally switching places with Kawahira-san when the urge to see Kyoya becomes a bit too much. No one else but the two of them can keep guard over the slippery old man, given no one else who knows anything about this whole project is strong enough to catch him no matter what weapons he uses or has the Flame control to track him quickly enough should he somehow manage to slip past their guard.
Also, Fon and Kawahira-san are the only ones in their group who wouldn't hesitate to kill that man, no matter what he may still have to offer. Fon will protect his nephew's secret with everything he's got and Kawahira-san has found absolution and family in Kyoya and is unwilling to lose another Sky so soon. Reborn would probably kill him with even less hesitation, but Fon wants the hitman in Namimori watching Kyoya and keeping the Vongola as far away from their Sky as is possible.
The Sun was even doing a pretty good job, having even managed to convince Kyoya to ditch the Cloud Vongola Ring after all, no matter how much it made things easier in controlling his Flames and keeping Roll out indefinitely. It was really all going so well, until Talbot overheard a part of Fon's conversation with Kawahira-san when the ancient Mist came to check up on him during the final trials of the Solution where the earthling mentioned the fact that Kyoya had fully rejected the title of the Vongola Cloud Guardian and the old man managed to send some sort of message out to someone in CEDEF.
Fon didn't even find out until Lal herself informed him she saw a 'wanted' picture of a teenage Cloud that looked a lot like him over a secure line he had given her once, a very long time ago and nearly forgot about its existence until that moment. She relayed the orders Iemitsu had received from Nono himself and the proceedings of the preparations being made for a 'hunt'.
To say that Fon saw red would be an understatement of the millennia and then he was out on his own hunt, too.
Kawahira-san had to physically restrain him from disintegrating Talbot on the spot, saying that Kyoya can take care of himself and had his other Guardians around to protect him, that they can't kill Talbot quite yet, not until they check the final readings that would mean the seven bubble-like jar containers for the Pacifiers were 100% effective and will, indeed, allow for the reversal of the infant and draining-till-death part of the Arcobaleno curse.
That didn't stop either of them from putting him on a literal leash before Kawahira went out in hopes of either slowing things down or outright dismantling Vongola's operations.
In the meantime, Fon called Reborn.
"Ciaossu, Fon," the Sun Arcobaleno and his fellow Guardian greeted after three rings, seemingly in a good mood. "I'm a bit surprised you'd call at this time of the day. I'm currently constructing the circumstances for my next lesson with Tsuna in his school. Don't worry, Kyoya's fine. I think he went to set up the 'Kokuya Gang' somewhere closer to his own residence or something. He should be back soon, if he's not available."
"That's not quite why I've called, Reborn," the Storm said gravely and even over the phone, without even seeing or feeling his (former?) lover, he could tell that Reborn has gone straight into his serious mode. The hitman mode.
"Did something happen?"
"The final results should be ready soon, for the Solution. So far, everything seems to be working perfectly, so we may just have found it."
"That sounds like good news."
"However," Fon says with a near growl. "Talbot seems to have managed to send out a message to Vongola. About Kyoya." The silence on the other side suddenly received a deadly vibe. "He must have overheard me and Kawahira-san when we were talking about Kyoya's recent involvement in the Vongola inheritance battle and decided to tell Vongola they can't let him go. Whether they actually know about his Flame status or not remains a mystery. He won't talk."
"I can make him talk," growled the world's greatest hitman and Fon felt a shiver travel down his spine that was part self preservation instincts, part excitement. That side of Reborn had not made an appearance since they'd been turned into cursed infants. The fighter and assassin in Fon couldn't help but react.
"That's not important right now. What is of priority is for you to stay there and keep Kyoya safe. The Solution is nearly done and Talbot's life has already been bartered for with more Animal Rings for Kyoya." Talbot may be old and has seen a lot, but he, like pretty much everyone else, was not ready to die. And between Fon and Kawahira-san, his death would have been painful. Talbot was smart enough to know not to test them anymore. His life was quite literally on the line now. "Kawahira-san has set out to distract and slow the Vongola down as much as he can, but from what you've told me, Nono, Sawada and all of the Varia are still there, yes? Still in Namimori. I need you to get Tetsuya-kun and Tsuyoshi-san and anyone else you may want to protect or keep out of this fight and hide them in the Hibari hideout. Because it seems that we have a second Vongola-Hibari war on our hands and I do not plan to lose my nephew in it."
"How long do you think we've got to prepare?" It's not even been a whole week since the Sky Battle. Reborn can't risk using up too much Flames in healing everyone and the Suns Sawada Tsunayoshi is friends with don't even know how to use their Flames, while Vongola Nono's Sun Guardian must have flown to Namimori right away after it was revealed where the real Vongola boss was all that time. If they somehow manage to wrangle the Varia back under their control, they will have at least two Suns to heal them, which in turn means more opponents who may try to get their hands on Kyoya.
Kyoya may not have been injured, but that doesn't mean they won't go for the others, too. And Kyoya will definitely defend them. He may not be Sawada Tsunayoshi's Guardian, but those kids were still Namimori citizens and even if they didn't go for the new official Tenth Generation, there were others they might try to use against him. The Disciplinary Committee, for one, with Tetsuya-kun no doubt being their first target as he was very obviously the closest to Kyoya. Fon didn't doubt that, should they discover Tsuyoshi-san's own involvement, the sushi chef can take care of himself. The problem would arise if they used the man's son against him. Fon doesn't want to question Tsuyoshi's loyalties and priorities because he's actually not certain whether he would approve or not whatever choice the swordsman might make.
The Twin Mists Kyoya seems to have somehow inadvertently acquired were also a dangerous aspect because Sawada wants them for his son but both Mists want Kyoya and Kyoya seems to have accepted them. It would not be a first for two Skies to fight over an Element but that would be suicide for Reborn's current student.
Kawahira-san, at least, was no problem at all. It would be a worrying thing, indeed, if Checkerface himself would fall.
"Two days at most," he replied to his fellow Guardian. "Depends on whether Kawahira-san can make it to Vongola's HQ before they set off to war." It also depends on how quickly the last of the readings will be finished. Talbot has told them that he had already made a Mist and a Sky Animal Ring for Kyoya since he'd met the triple Flame user but had hidden them and refused to tell Fon and Kawahira-san where they might be. But that's okay. Kawahira-san was way older than Talbot and way more experienced in searching with Flames, not to mention that he's a Mist and you can't really lie to a Mist. Talbot was not necessary. And neither the Storm Arcobaleno nor the Administrator of the Trinisette were the kind of people to hesitate to remove an obstacle in the way of their goals. Their hands were already plenty dirty, soaked in blood. One more won't make that big of a difference.
"That's not exactly promising. Should I get my student and his Guardians safe as well or just our set?"
"Yamamoto Takeshi is a must," Fon immediately replied. "I don't want to cause Tsuyoshi-san any form of pain, no matter what choice he makes."
"Fair enough. I also happen to like the kid. He has potential." High praise from someone like Reborn, who nitpicks everything. Especially where mafia concerns - *cough*hitman things and skills*cough* - were at hand. "I'm guessing I have to go fetch Mukuro and the Kokuyo Gang, too, huh?"
"Kyoya seems fond of them," was all he said by way of explanation. Reborn would understand. "I don't mean to rush you, but it would be best if you started immediately. I have no real idea of how Nono fares. I don't want them to go after Kyoya. He will fight but I fear he might get overwhelmed or rush into things without a proper plan. Kyoya really has 'no chill', as the youngsters say these days, where Namimori is concerned and heaven's forbid that the fighting starts at Nami-chuu."
"I'll get right to it as soon as this class ends. It's math. You understand, right?"
The Storm Arcobaleno couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Goodbye, Reborn."
"Love you too, Fon!" Chirps the other 'baby' and Fon feels himself flush despite himself. By the Trinisette, he'll never get used to that, will he?
The red dressed infant sighs before looking back over to where Talbot was working, going over calculations and doing the final check on the results. "What have you found?"
"Fiamma voltage levels are stable at 99.9%, which is probably the best we'll ever be able to do, as even normal conductors have some friction within themselves when transferring energy and some is always lost. 0.1% isn't much and won't drain the donor, which should allow for the removal of the Arcobaleno curse. The Giglio Nero and Checkerface might call it a miracle, but the only miracle I see is these containers I've made!"
"And we are grateful, truly," Fon said with a polite little half-bow, eyes turning sharp, not that the ancient man seems to have noticed. "So the Pacifier Jars are a success? The Solution is complete?"
"Of course. What do you take me for!?" Talbot huffed, clearly offended. "All seven containers have been made. Checkerface will be needed to connect them to each other 'spiritually' so the system is more stable, but everything else is working properly already. You don't feel more tired than usual, little Storm, yes? No drain and no tug on your Flames?"
"I actually feel better than I have in years, yes," Fon admitted and rolled his shoulders. "And you've finished the Animal Rings, too, right? For my nephew?"
"I did, I did! Don't get so excited about it," grumbled the old man. "I had to make them separately because you never allowed me to study his Flame signature, so classical animal rings like the Porcospino Nuvola. I thought to give him the usual Leone di Cieli for his tertiary Flames, but it seemed a bit rudimental, as he is not mafia, nor is he a Don. Alauda di Cieli seemed much more appropriate. as for the mist, a simple Felis di Nibbia should suffice. Felines are tricky and young Hibari likes cute little animals, doesn't he? What cuter than a cat?"
"Kyoya would argue nothing is cuter than Roll, but we'll see," Fon said, mostly to himself. "So everything is ready? Everything is done?"
"Yes, yes," said the other, annoyed, waving him off. "Everything is finished and tested and safe to use. Just as I promised. All that is left to do is for you to take it all and then take yourself out of my home and workshop."
"Indeed," the Triads assassin said. "Just as soon as I settle unfinished business." A second later, Talbot cried out in pain as both of his legs were snapped and he fell to the floor. Fon was already on him, utilizing his speed that he was so famous and infamous for.
"What are you doing!?" Screamed Talbot up at him as he tried to buck and throw him off and, when that didn't work, physically remove him. Fon broke both his hands, wrists, elbows and shattered every finger joint of both of his hands when he reached for him. Even though his body was so much smaller than Talbot's, to him it was like snapping twigs. The Arcobaleno curse had never taken away their strength that they had been building up all their lives and had achieved as fully grown adults. They literally diminished in size and weight. Talbot was learning this the hard way. "Why are you doing this!? We had a deal!"
"Yes, and you were the first one to break it, old man Talbot," Fon replied stoically. "What my nephew does has never been any of your business and we had a deal in place that had a stipulation that forbid you from revealing any of our secrets to someone outside of said deal. You went and blabbed, Talbot, and you know how the underworld as a whole deals with snitches. Though, I must commend you, it takes balls to piss off not only the Arcobaleno and Checkerface, but also the Hibari and even the Vindice, too. You've made yourself four big enemies with a single thoughtless act and for what? The Vongola certainly won't be able to save you now."
"You wouldn't kill me," Talbot said with fake bravado and Fon snapped both of his arms up to the shoulders, dislocating them further and breaking his first two ribs on both sides. He thoroughly ignored his victim's cries. "You c-can't!"
"Oh, I assure you I can and I will," he replied, breaking the ancient inventor's breastbone next. Talbot at this point had started emitting ugly sobs from the pain but Fon was not moved. While he may have friends he cherished, a Guardian set he belonged to, a nephew he loved and a lover to make up with, Fon was still, first and foremost, the best assassin Asia had ever seen and second only to Reborn himself, the world's greatest hitman. He had bathed in blood from a young age to spare his younger twin brother from a similar fate and he had failed to protect him, in the end. All he could do now was be a good Guardian and a good substitute-parent to Kyoya and make sure his secret could never be spread to those who had no right to know it.
To kill Talbot would not even be a challenge or a confliction of morals. Fon had none. He grew up to kill so his brother could live as civilian a life as he chose, even though Enmu ended up being a police officer, thus not exactly a civilian.
"You shouldn't have betrayed us, Talbot," Fon said, breaking ribs as he went.
"Y-you c-can't k-kil-ll m-me! Y-you d-do-don't k-know-w where the r-rings a-are," sobbed out the old man and Fon gave him one of his most serene smiles that everyone in the east knew meant he was anything but and that a bloodbath will follow. No one has seen this smile and lived to tell the tale if it had been directed at them or in their vague direction. It was a smile Fon reserved only for those he truly wanted to kill.
And anyone who is even remotely, even in the slightest, most miniature way possible a threat to his last family member, to his nephew, his Kyoya, makes it to the very top of his list in the blink of an eye.
"How very naive of someone of your age, Talbot-san, if you truly believe a Skylark - who is also an Arcobaleno, mind you, one of the strongest seven human beings in the world - and Checkerface can't find something you hide. It will barely take us five minutes. Truly, you have outlived your purpose. And while the plan at first had been for Kawahira-san to wipe your memory clean of ever having met any of us as soon as the Solution is finished, your recent actions made it clear that we cannot risk it. Neither of us wants to lose our Sky. So I'm afraid this is goodbye. Any last words?"
"No, p-please, do-don't-"
Fon, taking pity on the man finally, made it quick and snapped his neck. The body beneath him spasmed once, twice, before life started slowly seeping out of the man. He was already dead as blood flowed and burst into his brain chamber and the arteries in his neck twisted. His spinal cord was severed, stopping his heart and all of his other organs, too. The man was dead before Fon climbed up and off of him.
A single finger ignited with Storm Flames was enough to disintegrate the corpse in seconds, just as a portal opened and out stepped Bermuda, for once devoid of all other Vindice, even Jager. "This was an unusual level of cruelty for someone like you, who prefers efficiency over anything else."
Fon looked over to the mummified Arcobaleno. "I don't know if you would understand, but he almost exposed my Sky to the Vongola. My nephew is already in enough danger just for turning down being Sawada's new Cloud Guardian. For anyone to find out about his tertiary Flames would be to paint a target on his back and wait for someone to either take him or take him out. I have lost enough family already, Bermuda-san. I have lost my twin brother, the only light in my early life. I will not lose the last traces of him in this world. I will not lose my nephew."
"So are we to expect a second Vongola-Hibari war?"
"Perhaps," offers Fon, because he honestly doesn't know yet. "It depends on the level of respect they show to Namimori, truly. You know how Kyoya is."
"That I do," Bermuda-san said with a nod. "The boy is strong and he has three of his Guardians with him as we speak, even if the Kusakabe boy isn't the most proficient of fighters. And Reborn is there to protect him. Surely whatever contract he has with Vongola can't be more important than the Sky he's bonded with."
"Reborn will protect them all," Fon assured, completely certain of this. The hitman did not lie when he made serious promises. "The Solution is ready," he offered to the man that had been waiting for these news for who knows how long, the first user of Flames of Night perking up as though Christmas had come early. "As soon as Kawahira-san returns from disrupting the Vongola's operations before they can move out to Namimori, we will see how well it works with revering the infant curse. Talbot said not even he can make something with 100% efficiency but 99.9% is just as good."
"More than good."
"Then shall we get started, Fon-san?" Kawahira-san's voice came before the man appeared before them out of a small puff of almost glittery mist. "Before you ask," he said and brought up in his hands none other than an unconscious Lal Mirch, unharmed but definitely out like a light. "I managed to stop them from moving out more forces to Japan, but all of Nono's Guardians are already over there and have been since he woke up after his Sun Guardian had healed him after the Cloud Battle. Sawada and two of his most trusted agents are there, too, as well as his protege, the so called 'Basil'. TheVaria are being ordered to move out as well. And, to our dismay, so is the Cavallone and his men since they are still in Japan and actually partially own the hospital Nono was recovering in."
Fon stiffened at hearing that. No, not the Varia part or even the Cavallone men. It was Cavallone himself. Kyoya didn't dislike him, even though he 'acted like a herbivore'. Fon did not want his nephew to fight someone who seems to be on the way to understanding him and becoming a friend or even just a loyal ally. But Cavallone were allies with Vongola first and foremost.
Was Kyoya going to have to fight his 'Bucking Horse'?
Was Reborn going to have to fight his student?
How cruel.
And completely like Vongola. He wouldn't even be surprised if they'd done it on purpose.
"Then let's, indeed, get this over with, Kawahira-san. It seems war might as well be awaiting us back home."
The ancient Mist just nodded and moved a bit closer to the red Arcobaleno. Bermuda-san stepped back as Kawahira-san's hands started glowing as he reached for Fon. The Storm Pacifier also started glowing fiercely, nearly blinding everyone in the cave. Fon had to fight back a scream as pain tore through him, his bones stretching, his muscles racing to match them, his skin following suit. It was all growing and stretching and it hurt like hell and was downright exhausting. Everything was so oversensitive and even air on his skin felt painful. He felt like an exposed nerve that someone kept constantly touching. His Flames weren't helping at all, either. He'd trained them to disintegrate anything that might try to do him harm and this was very much harming him, even though the end result will be a positive one. They'd theorized that Fon would be both the best and the worst candidate to test lifting the infant curse on. Worst because his Flames will try to destroy Kawahira-san's work as he pushed his Flames into him and reversed the curse and best because, if they succeed with him, the others will be a piece of cake. Storm Flames are, by nature, the most destructive.
Though some of the others might struggle, given this was quite draining. Reborn will have the most ease, lucky bastard. Between his powerful Flames and their nature, he probably won't even blink. He really is a lucky bastard. Colonello, though, might have some problems. He was technically not the strongest Rain of their generation, as he had taken Lal's place to save her from their cursed fate, even if he hadn't been exactly successful. It could prove too much for him. Verde might be in danger, too. For all that he worked for the criminal underworld, Verde might as well be more civilian than Skull, who only joined the mafia after becoming an Arcobaleno. Verde has never been in a fight before. Ever. He just sends robots or machines to fight his battles for him. The only reason why Reborn hadn't lowered him to Skull's level of 'lackey' is because he respects the man's intellect.
However, Verde's lack of respect towards the others pissed Reborn off, especially as the only one Verde even remotely liked was, in fact, Fon. And Reborn is a possessive, jealous man, not to mention he's both territorial and overprotective. It made for plenty of tense moments in the months before Reborn and Fon finally started dating, as Verde had caught on to their chemistry and had taken great delight in antagonizing the hitman. It bred a lot of animosity and Reborn had to be held back on multiple occasions lest he kill the scientist. It didn't help that the only ones who could really get the two to stop fighting were Fon and Luce and, well ... Reborn isn't the only one in their relationship guilty of being possessive and jealous. Luce was Fon's trigger as much as Verde is Reborn's.
It definitely made for some ... fun ... 'family dinners'. Viper - or Mammon, as they go by these days - probably still has some of the footage from those dinners somewhere. Honestly, they could both be comedy gold and a perfect soap opera.
'I'll have to convince Reborn not to let Verde die.' Hopefully he won't die now from all this stupid pain or go crazy from it before he has those worries. 'Now is not the time for such herbivorous thoughts! Kyoya ... Kyoya still needs me ... And Reborn ... I need to go on a date with Reborn. I am Hibari! This is nothing to me.' Those thoughts were enough to finally push him past the pain and into full awareness of his surroundings.
One of the first things he noticed was the coolness of his skin. Right. He had shredded his clothes right off. The second thing he noticed was the difference in how his Flames flowed. He felt both more powerful than ever and completely drained. And the final thing he noticed was the difference in height. He was somehow still standing despite the pain he'd just been through and Kawahira-san was hovering just next to him, ready to catch him should he need it, and their eyes were mostly level when their gazes met as Fon's eyes focused.
"Are you alright?" Asked the ancient Mist and Fon ... Fon couldn't help but smile an elated grin. He was more than fine because-
"It worked." He felt no strain on his Flames, he hadn't dropped dead after regaining his true form and he didn't feel ill or weak. Shaky, yes, and he probably won't be good for a fight for a few hours - he needs a fucking nap - but he was alive and fine. More than fine because he was no longer a cursed infant! "Turn Lal and see to the Sky Arcobaleno. She's in Italy, yes? Luce's daughter. And call the others to Namimori."
"Slow down," Bermuda-san instructed. "You look ready to keel over. Now that we know the Solution works, nothing is as important as ensuring the Arcobaleno can live through the process without any consequences. And as strong as your Storm is right now, you're in a state of Fiamma overuse."
"Bermuda speaks wisely," Checkerface says seriously, gently urging Fon down to the ground, conjuring up clothing for him with solid illusions. "Let your Flames settle and let us do everything else. Tomorrow is a big day for us all, remember? We need to be proper Guardians and protect Kyoya. He needs you strong and alert tomorrow, Fon. He doesn't need to worry for you and be distracted because of it. You know Reborn can look after him and the others and Tsuyoshi will be there to help." Fon knew that. That was the only reason why he wasn't already ordering these two to get him to Namimori right this instant. "Give yourself a chance to rest and then we'll head over there, okay? If not for yourself, then for Lal Mirch. Her Flames are not as strong as yours."
Nor will they resist as much, but her recovery might just take longer because of the confused nature of her Flames. Will it be her Rain that will regenerate, or her Cloud and Mist that finally surfaced after she became the first ever eighth - or ninth, considering there was Bermuda - Arcobaleno, bound to her Corrupted Rain Pacifier.
Either way, she'll feel better to wake up to a familiar face than to just Checkerface and the leader of Vindice.
So Fon allowed himself to take a short nap, to recuperate his energy and let his Flames settle into their true body.
He needs to be at his absolute best tomorrow, after all.
It's going to be the second Vongola-Hibari war.
And this time, the Hibari are winning.